Configurational entropy of black hole quantum cores

Two types of information entropy are studied for the quantum states of a model for the matter core inside a black hole geometry. A detailed description is first given of the quantum mechanical picture leading to a spectrum of bound states for a collapsing ball of dust in general relativity with a non-trivial ground state. Information entropies are then computed, shedding new light on the stability of the ground state and the spectrum of higher excited states.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, improved versio

Basic emotions, attachment style and psichological distress.

Recent studies have shed light on the biological foundations of Basic Emotional Systems that can be found both in animals and in human beings. The aim of our study is to reveal the associations that exist between the Basic Emotions making up part of the personality structure, the relationship-based emotional regulatory system, i.e. Attachment Style, and the influence of these on the manifestation and expression of psychological distress. Our sample consisted of 110 subjects (M = 34, F = 76) , of whom 50 suffered from a stroke and 60 suffered from bone fractures; the average age was 72.67 (SD = 11.24). Participants were administered the following questionnaires: Feeney et al.\u2019s Attachment Style Questionnaire (Fossati et al., 2003, Jour. Soc. Pers. Rel. 20(1), 55-79) in order to assess adult attachment styles; Zigmond and Snaith\u2019s Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Costantini et al., 1999, Support Care Cancer. 7:121\u2013127) in order to assess the intensity of anxiety and depression; the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (Davis et al., 2003, Neuro-Psychoanalysis, 5(1), 57-69) in order to evaluate the Basic Emotional Systems. Notwithstanding the advanced age of the subjects, the analysis indicated the existence of a statistically significant relationship between the Attachment Style (ASQ) and the Basic Emotional Systems of the personality structure (ANPS). In particular, we found a positive correlation between Secure Attachment Style and positive emotions, while the Avoidant Attachment Style seemed to modulate only partly adaptive emotions and psychological distress (HADS)

Wiki-Based Conceptual Modeling: An Experience with the Public Administration

The dematerialization of documents produced within the Public Administration (PA) represents a key contribution that Information and Communication Technology can provide towards the modernization of services within the PA. The availability of proper and precise models of the administrative procedures, and of the specific \u201centities\u201d related to these procedures, such as the documents involved in the procedures or the organizational roles performing the activities, is an important step towards both (1) the replacement of paper-based procedures with electronic-based ones, and (2) the definition of guidelines and functions needed to safely store, catalogue, manage and retrieve in an appropriate archival system the electronic documents produced within the PA. In this paper we report the experience of customizing a semantic wiki based tool (MoKi ) for the modeling of administrative procedures (processes) and their related \u201centities\u201d (ontologies). The tool has been used and evaluated by several domain experts from different Italian regions in the context of a national project. This experience, and the reported evaluation, highlight the potential and criticality of using semantic wiki-based tools for the modeling of complex domains composed of processes and ontologies in a real setting

Relationship between heterozygosity and asymmetry: a test across the distribution range

The genetic basis of developmental stability, as measured by bilateral asymmetry, has been debated for over 50 years among developmental and evolutionary biologists. One of the central theories dealing with this relationship suggests that higher levels of genetic diversity, as reflected in heterozygosity, result in increased stability during development and thus in lower asymmetry. In this study, we aimed to test the relationship between asymmetry and heterozygosity at two levels: (1) the population level, where mean heterozygosity within a population is predicted to be negatively correlated with mean population asymmetry and (2) the individual level, where the proportion of heterozygous loci of an individual and its bilateral asymmetry estimates are predicted to be negatively correlated. While previous studies often focused on local populations, work across species ranges can answer the following questions. Are levels of heterozygosity correlated with levels of developmental instability, as estimated by bilateral asymmetry? Are patterns consistent across the distribution range, from the periphery towards the core? Does the relationship between genetic stress and bilateral asymmetry depend on the degree of environmental stress? We tested heterozygosity levels in 26 loci and asymmetry in third toe length in 11 populations of the chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) across a sharp climatic gradient in Israel from the arid periphery, through the Mediterranean-desert ecotone towards the Mediterranean areas located further away from the range boundaries. Genetic diversity, as estimated using both observed and expected heterozygosity, was not associated with asymmetry at either the population or at the individual level. Whereas heterozygosity showed a hump-shaped pattern, peaking at the ecotone, asymmetry monotonically increased towards the range periphery. We argue that whereas asymmetry may serve as a useful tool for estimating changes in environmental stress, it may not be widely applicable for estimating genetic stress

Ursodeoxycholic acid for symptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis. Preliminary analysis of a double-blind multicenter trial. Italian Multicenter Group for the Study of UDCA in PBC.

Abstract The administration of ursodeoxycholic acid, a hydrophilic bile acid not hepatotoxic to humans, has been suggested for treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis to improve cholestasis and reduce hepatocellular damage. Efficacy of treatment has been studied mainly in patients with asymptomatic or early-stage disease. In January 1988, to establish the efficacy and safety of ursodeoxycholic acid in a population with more severe disease, we started a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with symptomatic disease, that is, with pruritus or serum bilirubin exceeding 2 mg/dl. Forty-four patients were assigned to ursodeoxycholic acid, 500 mg daily (corresponding to about 8.7 mg/kg body weight in these patients), and 44 to a placebo. As planned at the beginning of the study, a preliminary analysis was performed when all patients had been followed for at least 6 months (33 patients up to 12 months). Pruritus, self-evaluated by the patients, and cholestyramine consumption, as recorded in a diary, decreased significantly (p < 0.01) in both groups. In patients who initially had abnormal levels, serum bilirubin decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in the ursodeoxycholic acid group compared to placebo. After 6 months the following were also significantly better in the ursodeoxycholic acid than in the placebo group: a composite weighted biochemical index taking into account the changes in serum bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-GT and AST (p < 0.001); serum prealbumin (p < 0.05); IgG (p < 0.01) and IgM (p < 0.01) levels