Evolving localizations in reaction-diffusion cellular automata

We consider hexagonal cellular automata with immediate cell neighbourhood and three cell-states. Every cell calculates its next state depending on the integral representation of states in its neighbourhood, i.e. how many neighbours are in each one state. We employ evolutionary algorithms to breed local transition functions that support mobile localizations (gliders), and characterize sets of the functions selected in terms of quasi-chemical systems. Analysis of the set of functions evolved allows to speculate that mobile localizations are likely to emerge in the quasi-chemical systems with limited diffusion of one reagent, a small number of molecules is required for amplification of travelling localizations, and reactions leading to stationary localizations involve relatively equal amount of quasi-chemical species. Techniques developed can be applied in cascading signals in nature-inspired spatially extended computing devices, and phenomenological studies and classification of non-linear discrete systems.Comment: Accepted for publication in Int. J. Modern Physics

Usefulness of EQ-5D in Assessing Health Status in Primary Care Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Objectives Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder associated with impaired patient functioning and reductions in health-related quality of life (HRQL). The present study describes the impact of MDD on patients' HRQL and examines preference-based health state differences by patient features and clinical characteristics. Methods 95 French primary care practitioners recruited 250 patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of MDD for inclusion in an eight-week follow-up cohort. Patient assessments included the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI), the Short Form-36 Item scale (SF-36), the Quality of Life Depression Scale (QLDS) and the EuroQoL (EQ-5D). Results The mean EQ-5D utility at baseline was 0.33, and 8% of patients rated their health state as worse than death. There were no statistically significant differences in utilities by demographic features. Significant differences were found in mean utilities by level of disease severity assessed by CGI. The different clinical response profiles, assessed by MADRS, were also revealed by EQ-5D at endpoint: 0.85 for responders remitters, 0.72 for responders non-remitter, and 0.58 for non-responders. Even if HRQL and EQ-5D were moderately correlated, they shared only 40% of variance between baseline and endpoint. Conclusions Self-reported patient valuations for depression are important patient-reported outcomes for cost-effectiveness evaluations of new antidepressant compounds and help in further understanding patient compliance with antidepressant treatment

Upper quantum Lyapunov Exponent and Anosov relations for quantum systems driven by a classical flow

We generalize the definition of quantum Anosov properties and the related Lyapunov exponents to the case of quantum systems driven by a classical flow, i.e. skew-product systems. We show that the skew Anosov properties can be interpreted as regular Anosov properties in an enlarged Hilbert space, in the framework of a generalized Floquet theory. This extension allows us to describe the hyperbolicity properties of almost-periodic quantum parametric oscillators and we show that their upper Lyapunov exponents are positive and equal to the Lyapunov exponent of the corresponding classical parametric oscillators. As second example, we show that the configurational quantum cat system satisfies quantum Anosov properties.Comment: 17 pages, no figur

: Introduction

À la suite de découvertes archéologiques et de questions posées par l’organisation même des bâtiments au contact des laïcs, nous avons retenu, pour cette troisième rencontre monastique, la question de « la présence des laïcs au seuil du cloître ». Présence et accueil, nécessités et ouvertures, quelle place pour les laïcs aux portes du monastère ? Ceci pose les problèmes des limites et de la réalité de la clôture, mais également des installations temporaires ou pérennes. Plus précisément, il s..

The Study of Foreign Policy: A Perspective

The study of foreign policy has been more noteworthy for the quantity than the quality of its intellectual products. Three recent developing trends in this field give some hope that tomorrow will be better. They should provide analyti­cal tools and improved empirical re­search that will be helpful to the practi­tioner as well as the student of foreign policy

Thermodynamic Losses in a Gas Spring: Comparison of Experimental and Numerical Results

Reciprocating-piston devices can be used as high-efficiency compressors and/or expanders. With an optimal valve design and by carefully adjusting valve timing, pressure losses during intake and exhaust can be largely reduced. The main loss mechanism in reciprocating devices is then the thermal irreversibility due to the unsteady heat transfer between the compressed/expanded gas and the surrounding cylinder walls. In this paper, pressure, volume and temperature measurements in a piston-cylinder crankshaft driven gas spring are compared to numerical results. The experimental apparatus experiences mass leakage while the CFD code predicts heat transfer in an ideal closed gas spring. Comparison of experimental and numerical results allows one to better understand the loss mechanisms in play. Heat and mass losses in the experiment are decoupled and the system losses are calculated over a range of frequencies. As expected, compression and expansion approach adiabatic processes for higher frequencies, resulting in higher efficiency. The objective of this study is to observe and explain the discrepancies obtained between the computational and experimental results and to propose further steps to improve the analysis of the loss mechanisms

Efficiency of Utilizing Standardized Ileal Digestible Lys and Thr for Whole Body protein Retention in Pregnant Gilts during Early, Mid and Late Gestation

In pregnant pigs, amino acid (AA) requirements represent the sum of those required for maintenance functions, protein retention and efficiency of utilizing AA intake for the aforementioned body processes. The NRC (2012) model assumed AA efficiency is constant across period of gestation; however this is not reflective of the changes in metabolic demand during gestation. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of utilizing SID Lys and Thr for whole body protein retention (kSIDLys and kSIDThr) in pregnant gilts during early, mid and late gestation. Three 12 d N-balance studies were conducted to represent different periods of gestation. Graded levels of Lys and Thr moderately below the NRC (2012) requirements were used to estimate the AA efficiency within balance periods. Lysine and Thr efficiency using regression analysis could not be determined for early and mid-gestation because of the lack of response in Lys and Thr retention to increasing SID Lys and Thr intake, respectively, which reflects an oversupply of the respective test AA. At the lowest SID Lys and Thr intake, Lys and Thr efficiency were 0.49 and 0.32 for early gestation and 0.61 and 0.52 for mid-gestation, respectively. In contrast, kSIDLys and kSIDThr in late gestation were determined to be 0.54, which is slightly higher than the current NRC (2012) estimate of 0.49 and 0.53 for Lys and Thr, respectively. Evidences from our current study suggest that kSIDLys and kSIDThr are not constant throughout gestation and therefore not reflective of the changes in metabolic demand of pregnant pigs during pregnancy. Also, the lack of response to dietary SID Lys and Thr levels suggest that SID Lys and Thr requirements of pregnant gilts are lower (i.e./d and/d) than the current NRC (2012) recommendation of 11 g SID Lys and 8 g SID Thr/d from d 0 to 90 of gestation; whereas the requirements for SID Lys and Thr during late gestation (\u3e90 d) is reasonably represented in NRC (2012) at 17 and 12 g/d, respectively. Our current research is important for the refinement of the AA requirement model for gestating pigs to ensure diet optimization, nutrient excretion management and improvement of overall farm efficiency