Quantum features derived from the classical model of a bouncer-walker coupled to a zero-point field

In our bouncer-walker model a quantum is a nonequilibrium steady-state maintained by a permanent throughput of energy. Specifically, we consider a "particle" as a bouncer whose oscillations are phase-locked with those of the energy-momentum reservoir of the zero-point field (ZPF), and we combine this with the random-walk model of the walker, again driven by the ZPF. Starting with this classical toy model of the bouncer-walker we were able to derive fundamental elements of quantum theory. Here this toy model is revisited with special emphasis on the mechanism of emergence. Especially the derivation of the total energy hbar.omega and the coupling to the ZPF are clarified. For this we make use of a sub-quantum equipartition theorem. It can further be shown that the couplings of both bouncer and walker to the ZPF are identical. Then we follow this path in accordance with previous work, expanding the view from the particle in its rest frame to a particle in motion. The basic features of ballistic diffusion are derived, especially the diffusion constant D, thus providing a missing link between the different approaches of our previous works.Comment: 14 pages, based on a talk given at "Emergent Quantum Mechanics (Heinz von Foerster Conference 2011)", see http://www.univie.ac.at/hvf11/congress/EmerQuM.htm

The Quantum as an Emergent System

Double slit interference is explained with the aid of what we call "21stcentury classical physics". We model a particle as an oscillator ("bouncer") in a thermal context, which is given by some assumed "zero-point" field of the vacuum. In this way, the quantum is understood as an emergent system, i.e., a steady-state system maintained by a constant throughput of (vacuum) energy. To account for the particle's thermal environment, we introduce a "path excitation field", which derives from the thermodynamics of the zero-point vacuum and which represents all possible paths a particle can take via thermal path fluctuations. The intensity distribution on a screen behind a double slit is calculated, as well as the corresponding trajectories and the probability density current. Further, particular features of the relative phase are shown to be responsible for nonlocal effects not only in ordinary quantum theory, but also in our classical approach.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures, based on a talk given at "Emergent Quantum Mechanics (Heinz von Foerster Conference 2011)", http://www.univie.ac.at/hvf11/congress/EmerQuM.htm

IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE REDES NEURONALES PARA LA CLASIFICACIÓN DE DESECHOS DENTRO DE UN CESTO INTELIGENTE

This article introduces the implementation of hardware tools like (Raspberry Pi, cameras, sensors, motors, drivers) and software like (convolutional neural networks, mobile app) for debris classification. In the future, the implementation of the proposed collector and classifier will contribute to caring for the environment and environmental education. The innovation of the project lies in the automation of the waste classification process through the integration of neural networks, the generation of notifications automatically from the prototype that are transmitted through the web server to the mobile application developed when a container is full. And the flexibility of the prototype so that it can be implemented in various environments from educational, office, industrial, among others. The advances that are presented are Creation of a mobile application that allows to visualize the level of the containers, design of the prototype, results of the training of the selected neural networks, evaluation of the final network with test images.Este artículo presenta la implementación de herramientas de hardware como (Raspberry Pi, cámaras, sensores, motores, controladores) y software como (redes neuronales convolucionales, aplicación móvil) para la clasificación de desechos. A futuro, la implementación del recolector y clasificador propuesto contribuirá al cuidado del ambiente y a la educación ambiental. La innovación del proyecto radica en la automatización del proceso de clasificación de desechos mediante la integración de redes neuronales, la generación de notificaciones de forma automática desde el prototipo que son transmitidas por medio del servidor web a la aplicación móvil desarrollada cuando un contenedor se encuentre lleno y la flexibilidad del prototipo de manera que puede implementarse en diversos entornos desde educativos, oficinas, industrias, entre otros. Los avances que se presentan son: Creación de una aplicación móvil que permite visualizar el nivel de los contenedores, diseño del prototipo, resultados del entrenamiento de las redes neuronales seleccionadas, evaluación de la red final con imágenes de prueba

An explanation of interference effects in the double slit experiment: Classical trajectories plus ballistic diffusion caused by zero-point fluctuations

A classical explanation of interference effects in the double slit experiment is proposed. We claim that for every single "particle" a thermal context can be defined, which reflects its embedding within boundary conditions as given by the totality of arrangements in an experimental apparatus. To account for this context, we introduce a "path excitation field", which derives from the thermodynamics of the zero-point vacuum and which represents all possible paths a "particle" can take via thermal path fluctuations. The intensity distribution on a screen behind a double slit is calculated, as well as the corresponding trajectories and the probability density current. The trajectories are shown to obey a "no crossing" rule with respect to the central line, i.e., between the two slits and orthogonal to their connecting line. This agrees with the Bohmian interpretation, but appears here without the necessity of invoking the quantum potential.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures; accepted version to be published in Annals of Physics (2012

Effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir‐based regimens plus an NS5A inhibitor for patients with HCV genotype 3 infection and cirrhosis: results of a multicenter real‐life cohort

[Abstract] Patients with HCV genotype 3 (GT3) infection and cirrhosis are currently the most difficult to cure. We report our experience with sofosbuvir+daclatasvir (SOF+DCV) or sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (SOF/LDV), with or without ribavirin (RBV) in clinical practice in this population. This was a multicenter observational study including cirrhotic patients infected by HCV GT3, treated with sofosbuvir plus an NS5A inhibitor (May 2014‐October 2015). In total, 208 patients were included: 98 (47%) treatment‐experienced, 42 (20%) decompensated and 55 (27%) MELD score >10. In 131 (63%), treatment was SOF+DCV and in 77 (37%), SOF/LDV. Overall, 86% received RBV. RBV addition and extension to 24 weeks was higher in the SOF/LDV group (95% vs 80%, P=.002 and 83% vs 72%, P=.044, respectively). A higher percentage of decompensated patients were treated with DCV than LDV (25% vs 12%, P=.013). Overall, SVR12 was 93.8% (195/208): 94% with SOF+DCV and 93.5% with SOF/LDV. SVR12 was achieved in 90.5% of decompensated patients. Eleven treatment failures: 10 relapses and one breakthrough. RBV addition did not improve SVR (RR: 1.08; P=.919). The single factor associated with failure to achieve SVR was platelet count <75×10E9/mL (RR: 3.50, P=.019). In patients with MELD <10, type of NS5A inhibitor did not impact on SVR12 (94% vs 97%; adjusted RR: 0.49). Thirteen patients (6.3%) had serious adverse events, including three deaths (1.4%) and one therapy discontinuation (0.5%), higher in decompensated patients (16.7% vs 3.6%, P<.006). In patients with GT3 infection and cirrhosis, SVR12 rates were high with both SOF+DCV and SOF/LDV, with few serious adverse events

Commutative association schemes

Association schemes were originally introduced by Bose and his co-workers in the design of statistical experiments. Since that point of inception, the concept has proved useful in the study of group actions, in algebraic graph theory, in algebraic coding theory, and in areas as far afield as knot theory and numerical integration. This branch of the theory, viewed in this collection of surveys as the "commutative case," has seen significant activity in the last few decades. The goal of the present survey is to discuss the most important new developments in several directions, including Gelfand pairs, cometric association schemes, Delsarte Theory, spin models and the semidefinite programming technique. The narrative follows a thread through this list of topics, this being the contrast between combinatorial symmetry and group-theoretic symmetry, culminating in Schrijver's SDP bound for binary codes (based on group actions) and its connection to the Terwilliger algebra (based on combinatorial symmetry). We propose this new role of the Terwilliger algebra in Delsarte Theory as a central topic for future work.Comment: 36 page

Lung transcriptional unresponsiveness and loss of early influenza virus control in infected neonates is prevented by intranasal Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

Respiratory viral infections contribute substantially to global infant losses and disproportionately affect preterm neonates. Using our previously established neonatal murine model of influenza infection, we demonstrate that three-day old mice are exceptionally sensitive to influenza virus infection and exhibit high mortality and viral load. Intranasal pre- and post-treatment of neonatal mice with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), an immune modulator in respiratory viral infection of adult mice and human preterm neonates, considerably improves neonatal mice survival after influenza virus infection. We determine that both live and heat-killed intranasal LGG are equally efficacious in protection of neonates. Early in influenza infection, neonatal transcriptional responses in the lung are delayed compared to adults. These responses increase by 24 hours post-infection, demonstrating a delay in the kinetics of the neonatal anti-viral response. LGG pretreatment improves immune gene transcriptional responses during early infection and specifically upregulates type I IFN pathways. This is critical for protection, as neonatal mice intranasally pre-treated with IFNβ before influenza virus infection are also protected. Using transgenic mice, we demonstrate that the protective effect of LGG is mediated through a MyD88-dependent mechanism, specifically via TLR4. LGG can improve both early control of virus and transcriptional responsiveness and could serve as a simple and safe intervention to protect neonates

EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF BOCEPREVIR-BASED THERAPY IN HCVG1 TREATMENT-EXPERIENCED PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED FIBROSIS/CIRRHOSIS: THE ITALIAN AND SPANISH NPP EARLY ACCESS PROGRAM

Background and Aims: To maximize cost/efficay of boceprevirbased triple therapy (BOC) in patients with HCV-related advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis. Methods: ITT SVR12, safety and futility rules value were evaluated in the multicenter national Italian and Spanish early access Name- Patient-Program which includes treatment-experienced patients with HCVG1-related advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis (Metavir F3/4) treated with BOC in both countries. Results: 402 patients (mean age 55 years; range 22–75), 316 (78.6%) G1b, 255 (63.4%) F4, 60 (30.9%) with oesophageal varices, 137 (34.1%) relapsers, 95 (23.6%) partial and 168 (41.8%) null responders were enrolled. Platelets count <100,000 and albumin levels <3.5 g/dl were present in 49 (12.2%) and 22 (6.3%) patients, respectively. 369 (91.8%) received at least 1 dose of BOC. Overall ITT SVR12 rates and according to prior response to P/R, fibrosis stage and TW8 HCV-RNA value to P/R/BOC are reported in the table. At multivariate analysis, the strongest predictors of SVR12 were TW8 HCV-RNA undetectability (RR, 30.8; 95% CI, 8.7–108.7) and HCV-RNA detectable but <1000 IU/mL (RR, 9.1; 95% CI, 2.6–31.8) compared to those with HCV-RNA ≥1000 IU/mL. Two patients (0.5%) died from multi-organ failure, 13 (3.2%) developed hepatic decompensation, 41 (10.2%) had severe anemia (<8.5 g/dl) and 31 (7.7%) required at least one blood transfusion. Conclusions: In treatment-experienced patients with advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis, SVR12 attained by BOC was satisfactory. Mortality, life-threatening adverse events and severe anemia rates were similar to those reported in other real-practice studies. A TW8 futility rule enables a safely discontinuation of BOC in patients who are extremely unlikely to achieve SVR, thus optimizing the effectiveness of treatment in this difficult-to-cure population

A 2-Step Strategy Combining FIB-4 With Transient Elastography and Ultrasound Predicted Liver Cancer After HCV Cure

[Introduction] Despite the direct-acting antiviral therapy has dramatically decreased the likelihood of having liver-related complications and extrahepatic outcomes, the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not totally eliminated after sustained virological response (SVR). We aimed to develop an easy-to-apply strategy to be adopted in clinical practice for accurately classifying the HCC risk in hepatitis C virus patients after SVR.[Methods] Prospective and multicenter study enrolling hepatitis C virus patients with advanced fibrosis (transient elastography [TE] > 10 kPa) or cirrhosis by ultrasound showing SVR. They were followed up until HCC, liver transplantation, death, or until October 2020, which occurred first, with a minimum follow-up period of 6 months after SVR (follow-up: 49 [interquartile range 28–59] months).[Results] Patients with cirrhosis by ultrasound represented 58% (611/1,054) of the overall cohort. During the study, HCC occurrence was 5.3% (56/1,054). Multivariate analyses revealed that Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) > 3.25 (hazard ratio [HR] 2.26 [1.08–4.73]; P = 0.030), TE (HR 1.02 [1.00–1.04]; P = 0.045) and cirrhosis by ultrasound (HR 3.15 [1.36–7.27]; P = 0.007) predicted HCC occurrence. Baseline HCC screening criteria (TE > 10 kPa or cirrhosis) identified patients at higher risk of HCC occurrence in presence of FIB-4 > 3.25 (8.8%; 44/498) vs FIB-4 3.25 had no HCC (0%; 0/50) (logRank 22.129; P = 0.0001). A combination of baseline FIB-4 > 3.25 and HCC screening criteria had an annual incidence >1.5 cases per 100 person-years, while the rest of the groups remained 3.25 and HCC screening criteria remained at the highest risk of HCC occurrence (13.7% [21/153] vs 4.9% [9/184]; logRank 7.396, P = 0.007).[Discussion] We demonstrated that a two-step strategy combining FIB-4, TE, and ultrasound could help stratify HCC incidence risk after SVR.Peer reviewe

Correction to: A 2-Step Strategy Combining FIB-4 With Transient Elastography and Ultrasound Predicted Liver Cancer After HCV Cure

In the January 2022 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenteroloy, one of the authors was misidentified. The author's correct full name is Ana Aparicio-Serrano.[Introduction] Despite the direct-acting antiviral therapy has dramatically decreased the likelihood of having liver-related complications and extrahepatic outcomes, the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not totally eliminated after sustained virological response (SVR). We aimed to develop an easy-to-apply strategy to be adopted in clinical practice for accurately classifying the HCC risk in hepatitis C virus patients after SVR.[Methods] Prospective and multicenter study enrolling hepatitis C virus patients with advanced fibrosis (transient elastography [TE] > 10 kPa) or cirrhosis by ultrasound showing SVR. They were followed up until HCC, liver transplantation, death, or until October 2020, which occurred first, with a minimum follow-up period of 6 months after SVR (follow-up: 49 [interquartile range 28–59] months).[Results] Patients with cirrhosis by ultrasound represented 58% (611/1,054) of the overall cohort. During the study, HCC occurrence was 5.3% (56/1,054). Multivariate analyses revealed that Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) > 3.25 (hazard ratio [HR] 2.26 [1.08–4.73]; P = 0.030), TE (HR 1.02 [1.00–1.04]; P = 0.045) and cirrhosis by ultrasound (HR 3.15 [1.36–7.27]; P = 0.007) predicted HCC occurrence. Baseline HCC screening criteria (TE > 10 kPa or cirrhosis) identified patients at higher risk of HCC occurrence in presence of FIB-4 > 3.25 (8.8%; 44/498) vs FIB-4 3.25 had no HCC (0%; 0/50) (logRank 22.129; P = 0.0001). A combination of baseline FIB-4 > 3.25 and HCC screening criteria had an annual incidence >1.5 cases per 100 person-years, while the rest of the groups remained 3.25 and HCC screening criteria remained at the highest risk of HCC occurrence (13.7% [21/153] vs 4.9% [9/184]; logRank 7.396, P = 0.007).[Discussion] We demonstrated that a two-step strategy combining FIB-4, TE, and ultrasound could help stratify HCC incidence risk after SVR.Peer reviewe