A hierarchy of compatibility and comeasurability levels in quantum logics with unique conditional probabilities

In the quantum mechanical Hilbert space formalism, the probabilistic interpretation is a later ad-hoc add-on, more or less enforced by the experimental evidence, but not motivated by the mathematical model itself. A model involving a clear probabilistic interpretation from the very beginning is provided by the quantum logics with unique conditional probabilities. It includes the projection lattices in von Neumann algebras and here probability conditionalization becomes identical with the state transition of the Lueders - von Neumann measurement process. This motivates the definition of a hierarchy of five compatibility and comeasurability levels in the abstract setting of the quantum logics with unique conditional probabilities. Their meanings are: the absence of quantum interference or influence, the existence of a joint distribution, simultaneous measurability, and the independence of the final state after two successive measurements from the sequential order of these two measurements. A further level means that two elements of the quantum logic (events) belong to the same Boolean subalgebra. In the general case, the five compatibility and comeasurability levels appear to differ, but they all coincide in the common Hilbert space formalism of quantum mechanics, in von Neumann algebras, and in some other cases.Comment: 12 page

Recommendations for dietary calcium intake and bone health: the role of health literacy

Osteoporosis, a common disease of the skeleton, involves microarchitecturaldeterioration of the bone matrix and depletion of bonemineral; this results in an increased susceptibility to fracture [1]. Postfracture,there is a plethora of financial, personal and psychosocialoutcomes, including reduced mobility, impairment of daily activities,inability to work and loss of confidence [2,3]. A hip fracture has themost severe implications: one in five individuals die within the firstyear, while 60% of individuals who survive a hip fracture still requireassistance to walk one year later, and 33% are totally dependent or areadmitted to a nursing home [2,4]. Bone mass is an important predictorof osteoporosis, and future fracture risk [5], and calcium plays animportant role in normal growth, development and maintenance of theskeleton [6], including providing a dynamic store to maintain theintra- and extra-cellular calcium pools [7]. Calcium homeostasis isregulated by an integrated hormonal system that involves calcitonin,parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the PTH receptor, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and the vitamin D receptor [7,8], along withserum ionized calcium, and the calcium-sensing receptor [9]. Whenplasma concentrations of ionized calcium fall below optimal levels,bone resorption increases in order to restore the mineral equilibrium

Mass spectrum of the axial-vector hidden charmed and hidden bottom tetraquark states

In this article, we perform a systematic study of the mass spectrum of the axial-vector hidden charmed and hidden bottom tetraquark states using the QCD sum rules, and identify the $Z^+(4430)$ as an axial-vector tetraquark state tentatively.Comment: 24 pages, 38 figures, slight revisio

A controlled study of adenoviral-vector–mediated gene transfer in the nasal epithelium of patients with cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a monogenic disease that deranges multiple systems of ion transport in the airways, culminating in chronic infection and destruction of the lung. The introduction of a normal copy of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene into the airway epithelium through gene transfer is an attractive approach to correcting the underlying defects in patients with cystic fibrosis. We tested the feasibility of gene therapy using adenoviral vectors in the nasal epithelium of such patients. An adenoviral vector containing the normal CFTR complementary DNA in four logarithmically increasing doses (estimated multiplicity of infection, 1, 10, 100, and 1000), or vehicle alone, was administered in a randomized, blinded fashion to the nasal epithelium of 12 patients with cystic fibrosis. Gene transfer was quantitated by molecular techniques that detected the expression of CFTR messenger RNA and by functional measurements of transepithelial potential differences (PDs) to assess abnormalities of ion transport specific to cystic fibrosis. The safety of this treatment was monitored by nasal lavage and biopsy to assess inflammation and vector replication. The adenoviral vector was detected in nasal-lavage fluid by culture, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or both in a dose-dependent fashion for up to eight days after vector administration. There was molecular evidence of gene transfer by reverse-transcriptase PCR assays or in situ hybridization in five of six patients treated at the two highest doses. However, the percentage of epithelial cells transfected by the vector was very low (<1 percent), and measurement of PD across the epithelium revealed no significant restoration of chloride transport or normalization of sodium transport. At the lower doses of vector, there were no toxic effects. However, at the highest dose there was mucosal inflammation in two of three patients. In patients with cystic fibrosis, adenoviral-vector–mediated transfer of the CFTR gene did not correct functional defects in nasal epithelium, and local inflammatory responses limited the dose of adenovirus that could be administered to overcome the inefficiency of gene transfer. Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The normal CFTR gene codes for a protein (CFTR) that plays a key part in epithelial transport of salt and water. Mutations in CFTR result in abnormal secretions that obstruct and ultimately damage epithelium in many areas of the body. The principal cause of death among patients with cystic fibrosis is lung disease. Patients who are homozygous for mutations in the CFTR gene have defective cyclic AMP (cAMP)–regulated secretion of chloride8,9 and elevated absorption of sodium

A Measurement of Psi(2S) Resonance Parameters

Cross sections for e+e- to hadons, pi+pi- J/Psi, and mu+mu- have been measured in the vicinity of the Psi(2S) resonance using the BESII detector operated at the BEPC. The Psi(2S) total width; partial widths to hadrons, pi+pi- J/Psi, muons; and corresponding branching fractions have been determined to be Gamma(total)= (264+-27) keV; Gamma(hadron)= (258+-26) keV, Gamma(mu)= (2.44+-0.21) keV, and Gamma(pi+pi- J/Psi)= (85+-8.7) keV; and Br(hadron)= (97.79+-0.15)%, Br(pi+pi- J/Psi)= (32+-1.4)%, Br(mu)= (0.93+-0.08)%, respectively.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities

A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the $B$-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b}, and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K. Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D. Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A. Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Age at first birth in women is genetically associated with increased risk of schizophrenia

Prof. Paunio on PGC:n jäsenPrevious studies have shown an increased risk for mental health problems in children born to both younger and older parents compared to children of average-aged parents. We previously used a novel design to reveal a latent mechanism of genetic association between schizophrenia and age at first birth in women (AFB). Here, we use independent data from the UK Biobank (N = 38,892) to replicate the finding of an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women, and to estimate the genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in women stratified into younger and older groups. We find evidence for an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women (P-value = 1.12E-05), and we show genetic heterogeneity between younger and older AFB groups (P-value = 3.45E-03). The genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in the younger AFB group is -0.16 (SE = 0.04) while that between schizophrenia and AFB in the older AFB group is 0.14 (SE = 0.08). Our results suggest that early, and perhaps also late, age at first birth in women is associated with increased genetic risk for schizophrenia in the UK Biobank sample. These findings contribute new insights into factors contributing to the complex bio-social risk architecture underpinning the association between parental age and offspring mental health.Peer reviewe