15,039 research outputs found
Time-evolution of the Rule 150 cellular automaton activity from a Fibonacci iteration
The total activity of the single-seeded cellular rule 150 automaton does not
follow a one-step iteration like other elementary cellular automata, but can be
solved as a two-step vectorial, or string, iteration, which can be viewed as a
generalization of Fibonacci iteration generating the time series from a
sequence of vectors of increasing length. This allows to compute the total
activity time series more efficiently than by simulating the whole
spatio-temporal process, or even by using the closed expression.Comment: 4 pages (3 figs included
Including nonlocality in exchange-correlation kernel from time-dependent current density functional theory: Application to the stopping power of electron liquids
We develop a scheme for building the scalar exchange-correlation (xc) kernel
of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) from the tensorial kernel
of time-dependent {\em current} density functional theory (TDCDFT) and the
Kohn-Sham current density response function. Resorting to the local
approximation to the kernel of TDCDFT results in a nonlocal approximation to
the kernel of TDDFT, which is free of the contradictions that plague the
standard local density approximation (LDA) to TDDFT. As an application of this
general scheme, we calculate the dynamical xc contribution to the stopping
power of electron liquids for slow ions to find that our results are in
considerably better agreement with experiment than those obtained using TDDFT
in the conventional LDA.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted to Phys. Rev.
Could Proteomic Research Deliver the Next Generation of Treatments for Pneumococcal Meningitis?
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common bacterial cause of community-acquired meningitis worldwide. Despite optimal antibiotic therapy and supportive care, the mortality of this condition remains very high at 20–30% in the developed world and over 60% in under-resourced hospitals. In developed countries, approximately half of the survivors suffer intellectual impairment, hearing loss, or other neurological damage. There is an urgent need for more information about the mechanisms of brain damage and death in pneumococcal meningitis so that new treatments can be designed. Using proteomic techniques and bioinformatics, the protein content of cerebrospinal fluid can be examined in great detail. Animal models have added greatly to our knowledge of possible mechanisms and shown that hippocampal apoptosis and cortical necrosis are distinct mechanisms of neuronal death. The contribution of these pathways to human disease is unknown. Using proteomic techniques, neuronal death pathways could be described in CSF samples. This information could lead to the design of novel therapies to minimize brain damage and lower mortality. This minireview will summarize the known pathogenesis of meningitis, and current gaps in knowledge, that could be filled by proteomic analysis
Initial state‐selected reaction probabilities for OH+H2→H+H2O and photodetachment intensities for HOH− 2
This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jcp/101/10/10.1063/1.468057.We have used a discrete variable representation (DVR) with absorbing boundary conditions (ABC) to calculate initial state‐selected reaction probabilities and photodetachment intensities. We apply this method to the OH+H2reaction constrained to a plane with the OH bond frozen. The calculated reaction probabilities have all the qualitative features observed in full dimensional calculations. We have similarly computed arrangement‐selected photodetachment intensities for one geometry of the HOH− 2 anion. The resulting spectrum has a dominant peak which will present a test of the neutral potential energy surface upon comparison with experimental results
Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory for the Stopping Power of an Interacting Electron Gas for Slow Ions
Based on the time-dependent density-functional theory, we have derived a
rigorous formula for the stopping power of an {\it interacting} electron gas
for ions in the limit of low projectile velocities. If dynamical correlation
between electrons is not taken into account, this formula recovers the
corresponding stopping power of {\it noninteracting} electrons in an effective
Kohn-Sham potential. The correlation effect, specifically the excitonic one in
electron-hole pair excitations, however, is found to considerably enhance the
stopping power for intermediately charged ions, bringing our theory into good
agreement with experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Accepted to Phys. Rev. B (Rapid Communication
Sexual conflict over copula timing: a mathematical model and a test in the yellow dung fly
Sexual conflict over mating occurrence, timing, or duration is common in animals. This explains conspicuous female mate rejection behavior in many species, often involving shaking, fighting, and occasional forced copulations. We present a simple model that generates predictions about whether and when copulation occurs in such conflict situations and how much female rejection behavior should be observed. Predictions depend on 2 underlying parameters affecting female resistance and male persistence. We supply 2 qualitative tests of the model using the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria (Diptera: Scathophagidae). We manipulated adult age, body size (large and small), and adult food availability (low and high), independently in males and females, staging replicate pairings of all treatment combinations. In agreement with predictions of our model, shaking duration first increased to a maximum at intermediate age, when the average female copulated, and then decreased again. Contrary to expectation, body size did not affect copulation timing, female resistance, or male persistence. As predicted, adult food limitation delayed sexual maturity and hence prolonged female resistance, resulting in later copulations after more shaking. However, although food limitation equally delayed the increase in male persistence with age, copulation also occurred later after more shaking, opposite to the model prediction. We conclude that shaking is driven primarily by female age and male responses to it. Although female shaking can initially successfully deter males in S. stercoraria, this behavior is subtle and has apparently shifted function from an effective means of mate choice to a signal of nonreceptivity, though its importance in nature remains unclea
Properties of hyperkahler manifolds and their twistor spaces
We describe the relation between supersymmetric sigma-models on hyperkahler
manifolds, projective superspace, and twistor space. We review the essential
aspects and present a coherent picture with a number of new results.Comment: 26 pages. v2: Sign mistakes corrected; Kahler potential explicitly
calculated in example; references added. v3: Published version--several small
clarifications per referee's reques
Death is associated with complement C3 depletion in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with pneumococcal meningitis.
Pneumococcal meningitis can lead to death or serious neurological sequelae as a result of the host inflammatory response. We investigated the association between host response protein expression and outcome in patients with pneumococcal meningitis. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained from 80 patients with pneumococcal meningitis (40 nonsurvivors and 40 survivors) and 10 normal controls. Candidate proteins were analyzed for an association with survival. Complement C3 levels were 5-fold lower in nonsurvivors than in survivors (P < 0.05). This C3 reduction was not associated with lower levels in serum, indicating a compartmentalized CSF response. Transferrin levels were significantly higher in CSF (but not serum) from nonsurvivors than in CSF from survivors, suggestive of blood-brain barrier damage. Classical apoptosis proteins caspase 3 and apoptosis-inducing factor were not present in CSF. Expression of creatine kinase BB in clinically infected CSF suggested neuronal necrosis, but there was no clear association between level of expression and clinical outcome. Increased blood-brain barrier permeability and complement C3 depletion may have a role in determining outcome from bacterial meningitis. Therapeutic use of citicoline or caspase inhibitors is unlikely to have beneficial effects in patients with meningitis. IMPORTANCE: We previously identified proteins associated with clinical outcome in patients diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis in a pilot proteomics study of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In this article, we have quantitatively assayed specific proteins identified from this previous proteomics analysis along with proteins associated with cell death by using Western blotting
The relationship between a black economic empowerment score and shareholder returns in Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed companies
One of the major initiatives to redress the social and economic injustices
of apartheid in South Africa is the black economic empowerment (BEE)
legislative framework currently enacted by government. One of the core
tenets of BEE is to facilitate the inclusion of previously disadvantaged
blacks as shareholders of companies, thereby providing them with a
stake in the economy. Since these new shareholders lack the means to
acquire shares, existing shareholders devise various mechanisms which,
in essence, bestow scrip on the newcomers, and simultaneously open up
opportunities for BEE-compliant companies to benefit. Studies into the
impact of BEE on shareholders have delivered conflicting findings, with
some showing significant benefits to existing shareholders while others
contradict this. The present study examines the association between a
company’s BEE score/rating and shareholder returns, using an event study
methodology and a buy-and-hold portfolio analysis to understand both
the short- and long-term effects of a company’s BEE score. The authors
observed a positive association between a change in BEE score and
abnormal returns in the short term. In the longer term, portfolios which
were comprised of companies with better BEE scores generated lower
returns than those with worse BEE scores – a surprising phenomenon
which may be attributable to the high cost of BEE compliance. These results add weight to the existing body of literature which questions the
efficacy of BEE.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=22335am2017Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS
Harmonic Superspaces in Low Dimensions
Harmonic superspaces for spacetimes of dimension are constructed.
Some applications are given.Comment: 16, kcl-th-94-15. Two further references have been added (12 and 13)
and a few typographical errors have been correcte
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