Holomorphic transforms with application to affine processes

In a rather general setting of It\^o-L\'evy processes we study a class of transforms (Fourier for example) of the state variable of a process which are holomorphic in some disc around time zero in the complex plane. We show that such transforms are related to a system of analytic vectors for the generator of the process, and we state conditions which allow for holomorphic extension of these transforms into a strip which contains the positive real axis. Based on these extensions we develop a functional series expansion of these transforms in terms of the constituents of the generator. As application, we show that for multidimensional affine It\^o-L\'evy processes with state dependent jump part the Fourier transform is holomorphic in a time strip under some stationarity conditions, and give log-affine series representations for the transform.Comment: 30 page

Observational Study Design in Veterinary Pathology, Part 1: Study Design

Observational studies are the basis for much of our knowledge of veterinary pathology and are highly relevant to the daily practice of pathology. However, recommendations for conducting pathology-based observational studies are not readily available. In part 1 of this series, we offer advice on planning and conducting an observational study with examples from the veterinary pathology literature. Investigators should recognize the importance of creativity, insight, and innovation in devising studies that solve problems and fill important gaps in knowledge. Studies should focus on specific and testable hypotheses, questions, or objectives. The methodology is developed to support these goals. We consider the merits and limitations of different types of analytic and descriptive studies, as well as of prospective vs retrospective enrollment. Investigators should define clear inclusion and exclusion criteria and select adequate numbers of study subjects, including careful selection of the most appropriate controls. Studies of causality must consider the temporal relationships between variables and the advantages of measuring incident cases rather than prevalent cases. Investigators must consider unique aspects of studies based on archived laboratory case material and take particular care to consider and mitigate the potential for selection bias and information bias. We close by discussing approaches to adding value and impact to observational studies. Part 2 of the series focuses on methodology and validation of methods

Atomic contributions to the valence band photoelectron spectra of metal-free, iron and manganese phthalocyanines

The present work reports a photoelectron spectroscopy study of the low-energy region of the valence band of metal-free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) compared with those of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) and manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc). Density Functional Theory calculations have been used to resolve the atomic orbital composition of the valence spectra of all the phthalocyanines (Pcs) analyzed in this study. Moreover we show how the atomic character of the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) is reflected on the outermost valence band binding energy region. The intensity related to the C 2p contributions, resulting in the HOMO for H2Pc and FePc and in the HOMO-1 for MnPc as described by the theoretical predictions is in very good agreement with the experimental results. The DFT simulations, discerning the atomic contribution to the density of states, indicate how the central metal atom interacts with the C and N atoms of the molecule, giving rise to different partial and total density of states for these three different Pc molecules

Polarization of AGN in UV Spectral Range

We present the review of some new problems in cosmology and physics of stars in connection with future launching of WSO. We discuss three problems. UV observations of distant z > 6 quasars allow to obtain information on the soft < 1 KeV X-ray radiation of the accretion disk around a supermassive black hole because of its cosmological redshift. Really the region of X-ray radiation is insufficiently investigated because of high galactic absorption. In a result one will get important information on the reionization zone of the Universe. Astronomers from ESO revealed the effect of alignment of electric vectors of polarized QSOs. One of the probable mechanism of such alignment is the conversion of QSO radiation into low mass pseudoscalar particles (axions) in the extragalactic magnetic field. These boson like particles have been predicted by new SUSY particle physics theory. Since the probability of such conversion is increasing namely in UV spectral range one can expect the strong correlation between UV spectral energy distribution of QSO radiation and polarimetric data in the optical range. In the stellar physics one of the interesting problems is the origin of the X-ray sources with super Eddington luminosities. The results of UV observations of these X-ray sources will allow to find the origin of these sources as accreting intermediate mass black holes.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Histological evidence of superficial inflammation is associated with lower recurrence of equine sarcoids following surgical removal: A follow-up study of 106 tumours in 64 horses.

Although the equine sarcoid is the most common skin neoplasm in domesticated horses, histopathological characteristics have not previously been evaluated for association with recurrence. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate clinical and histopathological features of excised equine sarcoids and to evaluate their association with recurrence at the original surgical site and at new sites. Clinical records and excisional biopsies from 106 equine sarcoids from 64 horses referred to Leahurst Equine Hospital, University of Liverpool, between March 2010 and February 2015 were retrieved. Biopsies were re-evaluated histologically. Clinical data were obtained from hospital records, and owner-reported follow-up data were obtained by telephone questionnaire. Associations between clinical and histopathological features of sarcoids and their recurrence at the surgical site were determined using uni- and multivariable mixed effects logistic regression. Recurrence of sarcoids at the surgical site occurred in 30 horses (46.9%). Sarcoids developed at a distant site in 21 horses (32.8%). In the final mixed effects logistic regression model, only superficial inflammation was associated with reduced odds of recurrence at the surgical site (adjusted odds ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence intervals, 0.10-0.96; P=0.04). This suggests that the inflammatory process may play a role in protecting horses against the recurrence of sarcoids

Observational Study Design in Veterinary Pathology, Part 2: Methodology

Observational studies are a basis for much of our knowledge of veterinary pathology, yet considerations for conducting pathology-based observational studies are not readily available. In part 1 of this series, we offered advice on planning and carrying out an observational study. Part 2 of the series focuses on methodology. Our general recommendations are to consider using already-validated methods, published guidelines, data from primary sources, and quantitative analyses. We discuss 3 common methods in pathology research—histopathologic scoring, immunohistochemistry, and polymerase chain reaction—to illustrate principles of method validation. Some aspects of quality control include use of clear objective grading criteria, validation of key reagents, assessing sample quality, determining specificity and sensitivity, use of technical and biologic negative and positive controls, blinding of investigators, approaches to minimizing operator-dependent variation, measuring technical variation, and consistency in analysis of the different study groups. We close by discussing approaches to increasing the rigor of observational studies by corroborating results with complementary methods, using sufficiently large numbers of study subjects, consideration of the data in light of similar published studies, replicating the results in a second study population, and critical analysis of the study findings

Murine models of renal ischemia reperfusion injury: An opportunity for refinement using noninvasive monitoring methods.

BACKGROUND: Renal ischemia reperfusion injury (R-IRI) can cause acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. To understand the underlying mechanisms, reproducible small-animal models of AKI and CKD are needed. We describe how innovative technologies for measuring kidney function noninvasively in small rodents allow successful refinement of the R-IRI models, and offer the unique opportunity to monitor longitudinally in individual animals the transition from AKI to CKD. METHODS: Male BALB/c mice underwent bilateral renal pedicle clamping (AKI) or unilateral renal pedicle clamping with delayed contralateral nephrectomy (CKD) under isoflurane anesthetic. Transdermal GFR monitoring and multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) in combination with statistical analysis were used to identify and standardize variables within these models. RESULTS: Pre-clamping anesthetic time was one of the most important predictors of AKI severity after R-IRI. Standardizing pre-clamping time resulted in a more predictably severe AKI model. In the CKD model, MSOT demonstrated initial improvement in renal function, followed by significant progressive reduction in function between weeks 2 and 4. Performing contralateral nephrectomy on day 14 enabled the development of CKD with minimal mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive monitoring of global and individual renal function after R-IRI is feasible and reproducible. These techniques can facilitate refinement of kidney injury models and enable the degree of injury seen in preclinical models to be translated to those seen in the clinical setting. Thus, future therapies can be tested in a clinically relevant, noninvasive manner

Towards Machine Wald

The past century has seen a steady increase in the need of estimating and predicting complex systems and making (possibly critical) decisions with limited information. Although computers have made possible the numerical evaluation of sophisticated statistical models, these models are still designed \emph{by humans} because there is currently no known recipe or algorithm for dividing the design of a statistical model into a sequence of arithmetic operations. Indeed enabling computers to \emph{think} as \emph{humans} have the ability to do when faced with uncertainty is challenging in several major ways: (1) Finding optimal statistical models remains to be formulated as a well posed problem when information on the system of interest is incomplete and comes in the form of a complex combination of sample data, partial knowledge of constitutive relations and a limited description of the distribution of input random variables. (2) The space of admissible scenarios along with the space of relevant information, assumptions, and/or beliefs, tend to be infinite dimensional, whereas calculus on a computer is necessarily discrete and finite. With this purpose, this paper explores the foundations of a rigorous framework for the scientific computation of optimal statistical estimators/models and reviews their connections with Decision Theory, Machine Learning, Bayesian Inference, Stochastic Optimization, Robust Optimization, Optimal Uncertainty Quantification and Information Based Complexity.Comment: 37 page

SEARCHING FOR COLD DARK MATTER

The differential cross-section for the elastic scattering of the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) with nuclear targets is calculated in the context of currently fashionable supersymmetric theories (SUSY). An effective four fermion interaction is constructed by considering i) $Z^0$ exchange ii)s-quark exchange and iii) Higgs exchange. It is expressed in terms of the form factors $f^0_V,f^0_A, f^0_S$ (isoscalar) and $f^1_V,f^1_A$ and $f^1_S$ (isovector) which contain all the information of the underlining theory. Numerical values were obtained using representative input parameters in the constrained parameter space of SUSY phenomenology. Both the coherent and for odd-A nuclei the incoherent (spin) nuclear matrix elements were evaluated for nuclei of experimental interest. The spin matrix elements tend to dominate for odd nuclei but the coherent matrix elements become more important in all other cases. For the coherent part the Higgs contribution competes with the Z- and s-quark contributions. Cross-sections as high as $10^{-37} cm^2$ have been obtained.Comment: Latex file, 25 pages , 2 figures (available by fax