Diffusion local time storage

In this paper we study a storage process or a liquid queue in which the input process is the local time of a positively recurrent stationary diffusion in stationary state and the potential output takes place with a constant deterministic rate. For this storage process we find its stationary distribution and compute the joint distribution of the starting and ending times of the busy and idle periods. This work completes and extends to a more general setting the results in Mannersalo, Norros, and Salminen (2003).Comment: 24 pages; to appear in Stoch. Proc. App

Noncommutative Quantum Field Theory: A Confrontation of Symmetries

The concept of a noncommutative field is formulated based on the interplay between twisted Poincar\'e symmetry and residual symmetry of the Lorentz group. Various general dynamical results supporting this construction, such as the light-wedge causality condition and the integrability condition for Tomonaga-Schwinger equation, are presented. Based on this analysis, the claim of the identity between commutative QFT and noncommutative QFT with twisted Poincar\'e symmetry is refuted.Comment: 20 page

On inversions and Doob hh-transforms of linear diffusions

Let $X$ be a regular linear diffusion whose state space is an open interval $E\subseteq\mathbb{R}$. We consider a diffusion $X^*$ which probability law is obtained as a Doob $h$-transform of the law of $X$, where $h$ is a positive harmonic function for the infinitesimal generator of $X$ on $E$. This is the dual of $X$ with respect to $h(x)m(dx)$ where $m(dx)$ is the speed measure of $X$. Examples include the case where $X^*$ is $X$ conditioned to stay above some fixed level. We provide a construction of $X^*$ as a deterministic inversion of $X$, time changed with some random clock. The study involves the construction of some inversions which generalize the Euclidean inversions. Brownian motion with drift and Bessel processes are considered in details.Comment: 19 page

The relationship between smolt and postsmolt growth for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

The interaction of ocean climate and growth conditions during the postsmolt phase is emerging as the primary hypothesis to explain patterns of adult recruitment for individual stocks and stock complexes of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Friedland et al. (1993) first reported that contrast in sea surface temperature (SST) conditions during spring appeared to be related to recruitment of the European stock complex. This hypothesis was further supported by the relationship between cohort specific patterns of recruitment for two index stocks and regional scale SST (Friedland et al., 1998). One of the index stocks, the North Esk of Scotland, was shown to have a pattern of postsmolt growth that was positively correlated with survival, indicating that growth during the postsmolt year controls survival and recruitment (Friedland et al., 2000). A similar scenario is emerging for the North American stock complex where contrast in ocean conditions during spring in the postsmolt migration corridors was associated with the recruitment pattern of the stock complex (Friedland et al., 2003a, 2003b). The accumulation of additional data on the postsmolt growth response of both stock complexes will contribute to a better understanding of the recruitment process in Atlantic salmon

Одномоментная коррекция врожденной брахиметатарзии у подростков и пациентов молодого возраста

Introduction. Brachymetatarsia is a relatively rare abnormal shortening of metatarsal bone with female predominance. No consensus exists about the ideal surgical treatment for this condition while the two common strategies are gradual lengthening using external fixation and acute one stage lengthening. We describe the surgical technique of acute lengthening using iliac bone graft and report our results. Materials and Methods. Twelve patients (11 females, one male) with 14 short metatarsals were treated in our hospital over a 12-year period. The mean age was 17.4 years (range 14-28 years). Treatment protocol included metatarsal osteotomy, lengthening of extensor tendon and percutaneous tenotomy of the flexor tendon at the level of affected MP joint. Autologous iliac bone graft was inserted after elongation of the metatarsal by distraction through the osteotomy site and fixed using Kirshner wire. Results. Average metatarsal shortening was 13mm (range, 11-18 mm). The metatarsal length gained was an average of 12mm (range, 11-15 mm). Uneventful bone union was achieved in all cases after six weeks. At the end of treatment, the normal cascade of the metatarsal heads (metatarsal parabola) had been restored in 11 of the 14 metatarsals treated. There were no wound complications or pin tract infections around the wire. All but one patient were satisfied with the cosmetic appearance of the foot. Conclusion. Based on our experience, acute metatarsal lengthening using an iliac autugraft is a reliable and effective treatment method for congenital brachymetatarsia in adolescents and young adults.Level of Evidence: Level IV Case series.Введение. Брахиметатарзия является относительно редкой патологией аномального укорочения плюсневых костей, наиболее часто встречающейся у женщин. В настоящее время отсутствует консенсус в отношении идеального хирургического метода лечения данной деформации, и существуют две общепризнанные стратегии лечения: постепенное удлинение с использованием чрескостного остеосинтеза и одномоментное удлинение с применением аутотрансплантата. Авторы описывают хирургическую технику и приводят свои результаты выполнения одномоментной процедуры удлинения с использованием аутотрансплантата из гребня подвздошной кости. Материал и методы. За 12-летний период в клинике были прооперированы 12 пациентов (11 женщин, 1 мужчина) с укорочениями 14 плюсневых костей. Средний возраст пациентов — 17,4 лет (от 14 до 28 лет). Протокол лечения включал остеотомию плюсневых костей, удлинение сухожилия разгибателя и чрезкожную тенотомию сухожилия сгибателя на уровне деформированного пястно-фалангового сустава. Аутотрансплантат из гребня подвздошной кости помещали в область остеотомии после дистракции плюсневой кости и фиксировали спицами Киршнера. Результаты. Средняя величина укорочения плюсневых костей составляла 13 мм (в диапазоне от 11 до 18 мм). Средняя величина достигнутого удлинения составила 12 мм (в диапазоне от 11 до 15 мм). Костное сращение без осложнений у всех пациентов наблюдали через шесть недель. В результате лечения было восстановлено нормальное анатомическое соотношение головок плюсневых костей (плюсневая парабола) у 11 из 14 плюсневых костей. Авторы не наблюдали случаев осложнения заживления хирургической раны или инфекции в области введения спиц. За исключением одного все пациенты были удовлетворены эстетическим внешним видом стопы. Заключение. Исходя из опыта авторов, одноэтапное удлинение плюсневых костей с применением аутотрансплантата из подвздошной кости является надежным и эффективным методом лечения врожденной брахиметатарзии у подростков и пациентов молодого возраста. Уровень доказательности: IV, серия клинических наблюдений

On h h -transforms of one-dimensional diffusions stopped upon hitting zero

For a one-dimensional diffusion on an interval for which 0 is the regular-reflecting left boundary, three kinds of conditionings to avoid zero are studied. The limit processes are $h$-transforms of the process stopped upon hitting zero, where $h$'s are the ground state, the scale function, and the renormalized zero-resolvent. Several properties of the $h$-transforms are investigated

Mouse MIM, a tissue-specific regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics, interacts with ATP-actin monomers through its C-terminal WH2 domain

The WH2 (WASP homology domain-2) is a small actin monomer-binding motif and is found in many proteins that regulate the actin cytoskeleton, including the beta-thymosins, ciboulot, WASP, and verprolin/WIP (WASP-interacting protein). In sequence database searches we identified a novel mouse protein containing a WH2 domain in its C-terminal region. This mouse gene also shows strong sequence homology to human MIM (Missing in Metastasis), a cDNA fragment that is present in non-metastatic but absent in metastatic bladder cancer cell lines. Northern blot and in situ hybridizations show that MIM is strongly expressed in the developing neurons and skeletal and cardiac muscles in mouse embryos. In adult mice, the strongest expression of MIM mRNA is in liver, outer layers of the kidney, and in the Purkinje cells of the brain. Recombinant MIM protein interacts with actin monomers and inhibits actin filament nucleation in vitro. However, the MIM/ATP-G-actin complex can participate in actin filament assembly at the barbed end. MIM binds ATP-G-actin with a higher affinity (K-D = 0.06 muM) than ADP-G-actin (K-D = 0.3 muM) and inhibits the nucleotide exchange on actin monomers. Site-directed mutagenesis demonstrates that the actin monomer-binding site resides in the C-terminal WH2 domain of MIM. Overexpression of mouse MIM in NIH 3T3 cells results in the disappearance of actin stress fibers and appearance of abnormal actin filament structures. These data show that MIM is an ATP-G-actin binding protein that regulates cytoskeletal dynamics in specialized mammalian cell-types

Roughness and multiscaling of planar crack fronts

We consider numerically the roughness of a planar crack front within the long-range elastic string model, with a tunable disorder correlation length $\xi$. The problem is shown to have two important length scales, $\xi$ and the Larkin length $L_c$. Multiscaling of the crack front is observed for scales below $\xi$, provided that the disorder is strong enough. The asymptotic scaling with a roughness exponent $\zeta \approx 0.39$ is recovered for scales larger than both $\xi$ and $L_c$. If $L_c > \xi$, these regimes are separated by a third regime characterized by the Larkin exponent $\zeta_L \approx 0.5$. We discuss the experimental implications of our results.Comment: 8 pages, two figure

Partial restoration of normal intestinal microbiota in morbidly obese women six months after bariatric surgery

We studied the impact of bariatric surgery on the intestinal microbiota of morbidly obese study subjects. A total of 13 morbidly obese women (five of which had type 2 diabetes) and 14 healthy age- and gender-matched controls were recruited and the microbiota composition of fecal samples were determined by using a phylogenetic microarray. Sampling of the patients took place just one month before and 6 months after the operation. Within six months after bariatric surgery, the obese subjects had lost on average a quarter of their weight whereas four of the five of the diabetic subjects were in remission. Bariatric surgery was associated with an increased microbial community richness and Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio. In addition, we observed an increased relative abundance of facultative anaerobes, such as Streptococcus spp., and a reduction in specific butyrate-producing Firmicutes. The observed postoperative alterations in intestinal microbiota reflect adaptation to the changing conditions in the gastrointestinal tract, such as energy restriction and the inability to process fiber-rich foods after bariatric surgery.Peer reviewe