Finitely generated ideal languages and synchronizing automata

We study representations of ideal languages by means of strongly connected synchronizing automata. For every finitely generated ideal language L we construct such an automaton with at most 2^n states, where n is the maximal length of words in L. Our constructions are based on the De Bruijn graph.Comment: Submitted to WORDS 201

Reducing prostaglandin E2 production to raise cancer immunogenicity

Cyclooxygenases (COX), commonly upregulated in numerous cancers, generate prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which has been implicated in key aspects of malignant growth including proliferation, invasion and angiogenesis. Recently, we showed that production of PGE2 by cancer cells dominantly enables progressive tumor growth via immune escape and that cyclooxygenase inhibitors synergize with immunotherapy to enhance tumor eradication

Experimental determination of the non-extensive entropic parameter qq

We show how to extract the $q$ parameter from experimental data, considering an inhomogeneous magnetic system composed by many Maxwell-Boltzmann homogeneous parts, which after integration over the whole system recover the Tsallis non-extensivity. Analyzing the cluster distribution of La$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_{3}$ manganite, obtained through scanning tunnelling spectroscopy, we measure the $q$ parameter and predict the bulk magnetization with good accuracy. The connection between the Griffiths phase and non-extensivity is also considered. We conclude that the entropic parameter embodies information about the dynamics, the key role to describe complex systems.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

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Fear or humour in anti-smoking campaigns? Impact on perceived effectiveness and support for tobacco control policies

Several anti-smoking campaigns have been used for decades to reduce smoking consumption. However, so far, there is no consensus regarding the effectiveness of inducing distinct emotions in reducing smoke consumption. This study tested the effects of two types of anti-smoking ads, inducing fear or humor, on emotions, perceived effectiveness, support for tobacco control policies, urges to smoke, and susceptibility to smoke. Participants (N = 108; 54 smokers) of both genders were randomly assigned to one of the two following emotion ads condition: fear (N = 52) or humor (N = 56). During exposure, the continuous flow of their emotions by self-report and physiologically was collected. Measures of ads impact on emotions, perceived effectiveness, urges and susceptibility to smoking, and support for tobacco policies were applied after exposure. The results have shown that fear ads were perceived as more effective and reduced the urges to smoke in smokers. Non-smokers were more supportive of tobacco control policies. In conclusion, this study showed that fear campaigns can reduce the urge to smoke among smokers and are perceived to be more effective. This perceived effectiveness can be partially explained by feelings of fear, regardless the other emotions it also triggers, and of the smoking status.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Hamiltonian approach for explosive percolation

We introduce a cluster growth process that provides a clear connection between equilibrium statistical mechanics and an explosive percolation model similar to the one recently proposed by Achlioptas et al. [Science 323, 1453 (2009)]. We show that the following two ingredients are essential for obtaining an abrupt (first-order) transition in the fraction of the system occupied by the largest cluster: (i) the size of all growing clusters should be kept approximately the same, and (ii) the inclusion of merging bonds (i.e., bonds connecting vertices in different clusters) should dominate with respect to the redundant bonds (i.e., bonds connecting vertices in the same cluster). Moreover, in the extreme limit where only merging bonds are present, a complete enumeration scheme based on tree-like graphs can be used to obtain an exact solution of our model that displays a first-order transition. Finally, the proposed mechanism can be viewed as a generalization of standard percolation that discloses an entirely new family of models with potential application in growth and fragmentation processes of real network systems.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The anxiolytic effect of probiotics: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical and preclinical literature

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background Probiotics have generated intensive research interest in recent years as a novel mode of treatment for physical and mental illness. Nevertheless, the anxiolytic potential of probiotics remains unclear. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the clinical and preclinical (animal model) evidence regarding the effect of probiotic administration on anxiety. Methods The PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were reviewed for preclinical and clinical studies that met the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The effects of probiotics on anxiety-like behavior and symptoms of anxiety were analyzed by meta-analyses. Separate subgroup analyses were conducted on diseased versus healthy animals, specific preclinical probiotic species, and clinical versus healthy human samples. Results Data were extracted from 22 preclinical studies (743 animals) and 14 clinical studies (1527 individuals). Overall, probiotics reduced anxiety-like behavior in animals (Hedges’ g = -0.47, 95% CI -0.77 –-0.16, p = 0.004). Subgroup analyses revealed a significant reduction only among diseased animals. Probiotic species-level analyses identified only Lactobacillus (L.) rhamnosus as an anxiolytic species, but these analyses were broadly under-powered. Probiotics did not significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety in humans (Hedges’ g = -0.12, 95% CI -0.29–0.05, p = 0.151), and did not differentially affect clinical and healthy human samples. Conclusions While preclinical (animal) studies suggest that probiotics may help reduce anxiety, such findings have not yet translated to clinical research in humans, perhaps due to the dearth of extant research with clinically anxious populations. Further investigation of probiotic treatment for clinically relevant anxiety is warranted, particularly with respect to the probiotic species L. rhamnosus