39 research outputs found
Regularity Properties and Pathologies of Position-Space Renormalization-Group Transformations
We reconsider the conceptual foundations of the renormalization-group (RG)
formalism, and prove some rigorous theorems on the regularity properties and
possible pathologies of the RG map. Regarding regularity, we show that the RG
map, defined on a suitable space of interactions (= formal Hamiltonians), is
always single-valued and Lipschitz continuous on its domain of definition. This
rules out a recently proposed scenario for the RG description of first-order
phase transitions. On the pathological side, we make rigorous some arguments of
Griffiths, Pearce and Israel, and prove in several cases that the renormalized
measure is not a Gibbs measure for any reasonable interaction. This means that
the RG map is ill-defined, and that the conventional RG description of
first-order phase transitions is not universally valid. For decimation or
Kadanoff transformations applied to the Ising model in dimension ,
these pathologies occur in a full neighborhood of the low-temperature part of the first-order
phase-transition surface. For block-averaging transformations applied to the
Ising model in dimension , the pathologies occur at low temperatures
for arbitrary magnetic-field strength. Pathologies may also occur in the
critical region for Ising models in dimension . We discuss in detail
the distinction between Gibbsian and non-Gibbsian measures, and give a rather
complete catalogue of the known examples. Finally, we discuss the heuristic and
numerical evidence on RG pathologies in the light of our rigorous theorems.Comment: 273 pages including 14 figures, Postscript, See also
ftp.scri.fsu.edu:hep-lat/papers/9210/9210032.ps.
Safety and pharmacokinetics of multiple dose myo-inositol in preterm infants
BACKGROUND:
Preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) given inositol had reduced bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), death and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We assessed the safety and pharmacokinetics of daily inositol to select a dose providing serum levels previously associated with benefit, and to learn if accumulation occurred when administered throughout the normal period of retinal vascularization.
METHODS:
Infants ≤ 29 wk GA (n = 122, 14 centers) were randomized and treated with placebo or inositol at 10, 40, or 80 mg/kg/d. Intravenous administration converted to enteral when feedings were established, and continued to the first of 10 wk, 34 wk postmenstrual age (PMA) or discharge. Serum collection employed a sparse sampling population pharmacokinetics design. Inositol urine losses and feeding intakes were measured. Safety was prospectively monitored.
RESULTS:
At 80 mg/kg/d mean serum levels reached 140 mg/l, similar to Hallman's findings. Levels declined after 2 wk, converging in all groups by 6 wk. Analyses showed a mean volume of distribution 0.657 l/kg, clearance 0.058 l/kg/h, and half-life 7.90 h. Adverse events and comorbidities were fewer in the inositol groups, but not significantly so.
CONCLUSION:
Multiple dose inositol at 80 mg/kg/d was not associated with increased adverse events, achieves previously effective serum levels, and is appropriate for investigation in a phase III trial
Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome
The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead
Growth and survival of tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) submitted to different temperatures during the process of sex reversal Crescimento e sobrevivência de tilápias Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) submetidas a diferentes temperaturas durante o processo de inversão sexual
The objective of this research was to evaluate the sex reversal technique using 17α--methyltestosterone (MT) hormone, submitted to temperature modification of fry Nilo tilapia storage, aiming to get the data of sex reversal combined with growth performance and fry survival. The experiment was performed at UFLA Fish Culture Station, using tilapia fry (0,008 ± 0.002 g e 0,9 ± 0.1 cm) obeying a totally randomized experimental delineation in a factorial scheme 4x4, in 4 temperatures (26º, 28º, 30º, 32ºC) and 4 hormonal doses (0, 20, 40, 60mg of MT/kg of ration) during 28 days, with 5 repetitions. As temperature raised, weight gain rate, size and survival increased (p<0.01); however, this temperature raise was not effective in modifying males ratio (p>0.01), which occurred only due to the used hormone treatment. The dose of 40 mg of MT/kg of ration provided similar results to those of 60mg of MT/kg of ration. Hence, the temperature band from 26º to 32ºC does not affect sex reversal rate, but temperatures around 30ºC improves the performance of tilapias related to the growth and survival, and the dose of 40 mg of MT/kg of ration is enough to achieve monosex populations.<br>Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, avaliar a técnica de inversão sexual utilizando hormônio 17α-metiltestosterona (MT), submetidas à modificação da temperatura de estocagem das pós-larvas de tilápia, visando obter os melhores dados de inversão sexual aliado à performance de crescimento e sobrevivência das pós-larvas. O experimento foi conduzido na Estação de Piscicultura da UFLA, utilizando pós-larvas (0,008 ± 0,002 g e 0,9 ± 0,1 cm) de tilápia em delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 4x4, com 4 temperaturas (26º, 28º, 30º e 32ºC) e 4 doses hormonais (0, 20, 40 e 60mg de MT/kg de ração) durante 28 dias, com 5 repetições. À medida que se elevou a temperatura, a taxa de ganho de peso, o tamanho e a sobrevivência foram maiores (p<0,01); entretanto, esse aumento na temperatura não foi suficiente para alterar a proporção de machos (p>0,01), que ocorreu apenas em função do hormônio utilizado. A dose de 40 mg de MT/kg de ração proporcionou resultados semelhantes aos da dose de 60 mg de MT/kg de ração. Portanto, a faixa de temperatura entre 26º e 32ºC não influencia na taxa de inversão sexual, mas temperaturas em torno de 30ºC melhoram o desempenho das tilápias quanto ao crescimento e à sobrevivência, e a dose de 40 mg de MT/kg de ração é suficiente para a obtenção de populações monossexo
The brain adapts to dishonesty
Dishonesty is an integral part of our social world, influencing domains ranging from finance and politics to personal relationships. Anecdotally, digressions from a moral code are often described as a series of small breaches that grow over time. Here we provide empirical evidence for a gradual escalation of self-serving dishonesty and reveal a neural mechanism supporting it. Behaviorally, we show that the extent to which participants engage in self-serving dishonesty increases with repetition. Using functional MRI, we show that signal reduction in the amygdala is sensitive to the history of dishonest behavior, consistent with adaptation. Critically, the extent of reduced amygdala sensitivity to dishonesty on a present decision relative to the previous one predicts the magnitude of escalation of self-serving dishonesty on the next decision. The findings uncover a biological mechanism that supports a ‘slippery slope’: what begins as small acts of dishonesty can escalate into larger transgressions