Entropy of eigenfunctions

We study the high--energy limit for eigenfunctions of the laplacian, on a compact negatively curved manifold. We review the recent result of Anantharaman-Nonnenmacher giving a lower bound on the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy of semiclassical measures, and improve this lower bound in the case of variable negative curvature

Gouvernanz des Internets: eine beunruhigende Machtkonzentration

Internet ist aus einer militärischen Initiative heraus entstanden, welche strategische Kommunikationsbedürfnisse auf nationaler Ebene decken sollte. Es hat aber das Konzept der Entwickler rasch gesprengt. Anfänglich sollte das Netz ein rein technisches Pflichtenheft erfüllen, nämlich einem Nuklearangriff standhalten und ein operationelles Kommunikationssystem aufrecht erhalten. In der Folge machte sich die Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft das Modell ihren Bedürfnissen zu eigen. Neben dem „technische..

¿Tiene futuro Europa?

Desde sus más diversas perspectivas Europa necesita desarrollarse conjuntamente. No cabe la menor duda del enorme esfuerzo realizado en la Europa que arranca con los años cincuenta hasta nuestros días. Los múltiples interrogantes que se plantean en el día a día han creado un ambiente que obliga a una profunda reflexión tanto en los éxitos de la trayectoria realizada como en la necesidad de recuperar la Europa de los nuevos valores que permita los necesarios procesos de cambio y de transformación. En esta contribución el Prof. Koch de la Universidad de Estrasburgo con la colaboración de colegas Alemanes acaban de publicar la obra “Hat Europa eine Zukunft?”, consideraciones que se recogen en este Documento tratando de dar una respuesta tanto desde los aspectos Históricos y Geopolíticos, así como Institucionales. Buscan una respuesta a la que llama la "tercera fase" del cohete Europeo que implica cambios relevantes de la trayectoria actual europea, cambios que se asientan en nuevos valores que implican no solo asegurar la gran labor realizada, sino transformarla para asegurar el futuro comunitario de Europa. La multi-culturalidad implica asumir un cambio de los procesos económicos y ecológicos-sociales, así como institucionales en el marco de una economía de mercado societariamente responsable. Es esta, sin duda, una propuesta integradora así mismo de los nuevos planteamientos tecnológicos y configuradores de los procesos industriales que facilitarán un crecimiento económico cualitativo para asegurar el empleo

Gouvernance de l’Internet : une centralisation du pouvoir inquiétante

Né d’une initiative militaire pour répondre à des besoins de communication d’ordre stratégique à l’échelon national, le Net a très vite dépassé l’idée première de ses concepteurs. Originellement, le réseau devait d’abord répondre à un cahier des charges purement technique : résister à une attaque nucléaire et conserver un système de communication opérationnel. Par la suite, la communauté scientifique s’est emparée du modèle pour ses propres besoins. Au-delà d’une gestion « technique » du prot..

Indications and results of liver transplantation for Echinococcus alveolar infection: an overview

Background: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) of the liver, caused by the larval stage of the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, has the characteristics of a slow-growing liver cancer. It is one of the rare parasitic diseases for which a parasitolytic drug is not yet available, and AE is lethal in the absence of appropriate therapeutic management. Complete surgical resection of the parasite at an early stage of infection provides favourable prospects for cure, but, due to a long clinical latency, many cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, so that partial liver resection can be performed in only 35% of patients. Benzimidazole (BZM) treatment is given in inoperable cases but these compounds are only parasitostatic, and lifelong therapy is required. During the past 20 years some centres have considered liver transplantation (LT) for the treatment of incurable AE. Methods: Our review summarizes the results of this experience based on a series of 47 European patients who received transplants between 1985 and 2002, tries to specify the real place of LT for AE, and underlines the measures that could be undertaken in the future to improve the results. Results: Five-year survival was 71%. Five-year survival without recurrence was 58%. Major technical difficulties related either to previous laparotomies or to the loco-regional involvement were observed. The nine early deaths concerned AE patients with a long past-history of symptomatic AE (iterative cholangitis, secondary biliary cirrhosis). Five late deaths were directly related to ongoing AE, located in the brain in three cases, a very rare AE location that was not investigated before LT in these patients. Conclusions: In general, the pre-LT screening for distant AE metastases appeared insufficient in this series. Heavy immunosuppressive schemes, absence or delayed re-introduction of BZM after LT have clearly played a role in this unfavourable course. This unique experience indicates that, despite major technical difficulties, LT for incurable AE is feasible and could be discussed in very symptomatic cases. Before LT, interventional radiology should be preferred to repeated laparotomies. Pre-LT and post-LT BZM treatment is mandatory. A careful evaluation of possible distant metastases should be done before the decision for LT is made. After LT, the possibility of an ongoing AE must be permanently kept in mind. This could be reduced by lightening the immunosuppressants, carefully following the specific circulating antibodies, and applying a systematic radiological evaluation, not only to the graft but also to the lungs and the brai

Limited oxidative stress favors resistance to skeletal muscle atrophy in hibernating brown bears (Ursus Arctos)

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Lipidomics reveals seasonal shifts in a large-bodied hibernator, the brown bear

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Hibernating brown bears are protected against atherogenic dyslipidemia

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Revisiting the Role of Exercise Countermeasure on the Regulation of Energy Balance During Space Flight

A body mass loss has been consistently observed in astronauts. This loss is of medical concern since energy deficit can exacerbate some of the deleterious physiological changes observed during space flight including cardiovascular deconditioning, bone density, muscle mass and strength losses, impaired exercise capacity, and immune deficiency among others. These may jeopardize crew health and performance, a healthy return to Earth and mission’s overall success. In the context of planning for planetary exploration, achieving energy balance during long-term space flights becomes a research and operational priority. The regulation of energy balance and its components in current longer duration missions in space must be re-examined and fully understood. The purpose of this review is to summarize current understanding of how energy intake, energy expenditure, and hence energy balance are regulated in space compared to Earth. Data obtained in both actual and simulated microgravity thus far suggest that the obligatory exercise countermeasures program, rather than the microgravity per se, may be partly responsible for the chronic weight loss in space. Little is known of the energy intake, expenditure, and balance during the intense extravehicular activities which will become increasingly more frequent and difficult. The study of the impact of exercise on energy balance in space also provides further insights on lifestyle modalities such as intensity and frequency of exercise, metabolism, and the regulation of body weight on Earth, which is currently a topic of animated debate in the field of energy and obesity research. While not dismissing the significance of exercise as a countermeasure during space flight, data now challenge the current exercise countermeasure program promoted and adopted for many years by all the International Space Agencies. An alternative exercise approach that has a minimum impact on total energy expenditure in space, while preventing muscle mass loss and other physiological changes, is needed in order to better understand the in-flight regulation of energy balance and estimate daily energy requirements. A large body of data generated on Earth suggests that alternate approaches, such as high intensity interval training (HIIT), in combination or not with sessions of resistive exercise, might fulfill such needs

Effect of physical inactivity on the oxidation of saturated and monounsaturated dietary Fatty acids: results of a randomized trial

OBJECTIVES: Changes in the way dietary fat is metabolized can be considered causative in obesity. The role of sedentary behavior in this defect has not been determined. We hypothesized that physical inactivity partitions dietary fats toward storage and that a resistance exercise training program mitigates storage