Stochastic and deterministic SIS patch model

Here, we consider an SIS epidemic model where the individuals are distributed on several distinct patches. We construct a stochastic model and then prove that it converges to a deterministic model as the total population size tends to infinity. Furthermore, we show the existence and the global stability of a unique endemic equilibrium provided that the migration rates of susceptible and infectious individuals are equal. Finally, we compare the equilibra with those of the homogeneous model, and with those of isolated patches

A mechanistic model of connector hubs, modularity, and cognition

The human brain network is modular--comprised of communities of tightly interconnected nodes. This network contains local hubs, which have many connections within their own communities, and connector hubs, which have connections diversely distributed across communities. A mechanistic understanding of these hubs and how they support cognition has not been demonstrated. Here, we leveraged individual differences in hub connectivity and cognition. We show that a model of hub connectivity accurately predicts the cognitive performance of 476 individuals in four distinct tasks. Moreover, there is a general optimal network structure for cognitive performance--individuals with diversely connected hubs and consequent modular brain networks exhibit increased cognitive performance, regardless of the task. Critically, we find evidence consistent with a mechanistic model in which connector hubs tune the connectivity of their neighbors to be more modular while allowing for task appropriate information integration across communities, which increases global modularity and cognitive performance

Differential Entropy on Statistical Spaces

We show that the previously introduced concept of distance on statistical spaces leads to a straightforward definition of differential entropy on these statistical spaces. These spaces are characterized by the fact that their points can only be localized within a certain volume and exhibit thus a feature of fuzziness. This implies that Riemann integrability of relevant integrals is no longer secured. Some discussion on the specialization of this formalism to quantum states concludes the paper.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the joint meeting of the 2nd International Conference on Cybernetics and Information Technologies, Systems and Applications (CITSA 2005) and the 11th International Conference on Information Systems Analysis and Synthesis (ISAS 2005), to be held in Orlando, USA, on July 14-17, 200

Teleportation of the one-qubit state in decoherence environments

We study standard quantum teleportation of one-qubit state for the situation in which the channel is subject to decoherence, and where the evolution of the channel state is ruled by a master equation in the Lindblad form. A detailed calculation reveals that the quality of teleportation is determined by both the entanglement and the purity of the channel state, and only the optimal matching of them ensures the highest fidelity of standard quantum teleportation. Also our results demonstrated that the decoherence induces distortion of the Bloch sphere for the output state with different rates in different directions, which implies that different input states will be teleported with different fidelities.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure

Cyber HIV/AIDS Intervention in Singapore: Collective Promises and Pitfalls

This article examines the opportunities and challenges of using the Internet both to promote collective action and identity in the Singapore gay community and as a medium for health intervention. It presents a case study of a community-empowerment project by civil society group Action for AIDS. Framed within a societal context which is hostile toward gay people, and in a place where mixed-media campaigns targeting men who have sex with other men (MSM) are prohibited, this article explores the viability of the Internet as an alternative channel to mass media in reaching out to MSM in Singapore. Through a series of semi-structured interviews and virtual ethnographic content analyses, this article weighs the democratizing and collaborative affordances of the Internet against the uninhibited nature of online discussions in the formation of a counterpublic of sexuality where gay individuals collectively elaborate on meanings about erotic practices, identity, and relations between each other and with the state

Fibre-optic sensor technologies for humidity and moisture measurement

A review of the use of fibre-optic sensor technologies for humidity sensing is presented. The paper first provides a brief overview on the basic concept of what is meant by humidity and on conventional detection methods. This is followed by an extensive review on the various fibre-optic techniques reported for humidity sensing, covering both intrinsic and extrinsic sensor configurations

Inhibition of oncogenic transcription factor REL by the natural product derivative calafianin monomer 101 induces proliferation arrest and apoptosis in human B-lymphoma cell lines

Increased activity of transcription factor NF-κB has been implicated in many B-cell lymphomas. We investigated effects of synthetic compound calafianin monomer (CM101) on biochemical and biological properties of NF-κB. In human 293 cells, CM101 selectively inhibited DNA binding by overexpressed NF-κB subunits REL (human c-Rel) and p65 as compared to NF-κB p50, and inhibition of REL and p65 DNA binding by CM101 required a conserved cysteine residue. CM101 also inhibited DNA binding by REL in human B-lymphoma cell lines, and the sensitivity of several B-lymphoma cell lines to CM101-induced proliferation arrest and apoptosis correlated with levels of cellular and nuclear REL. CM101 treatment induced both phosphorylation and decreased expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-XL, a REL target gene product, in sensitive B-lymphoma cell lines. Ectopic expression of Bcl-XL protected SUDHL-2 B-lymphoma cells against CM101-induced apoptosis, and overexpression of a transforming mutant of REL decreased the sensitivity of BJAB B-lymphoma cells to CM101-induced apoptosis. Lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of NF-κB signaling upstream components occurred in RAW264.7 macrophages at CM101 concentrations that blocked NF-κB DNA binding. Direct inhibitors of REL may be useful for treating B-cell lymphomas in which REL is active, and may inhibit B-lymphoma cell growth at doses that do not affect some immune-related responses in normal cells.R01 GM094551 - NIGMS NIH HHS; P50 GM067041 - NIGMS NIH HHS; GM094551 - NIGMS NIH HHS; R24 GM111625 - NIGMS NIH HHS; GM067041 - NIGMS NIH HH

On-line bin packing with two item sizes

We study the on-line bin packing problem (BPP). In BPP, we are given a sequence B of items and a sequence of their sizes (each size ) and are required to pack the items into a minimum number of unit-capacity bins. Let be the minimal asymptotic competitive ratio of an on-line algorithm in the case when all items are only of two different sizes α and ß. We prove that . We also obtain an exact formula for when . This result extends the result of Faigle, Kern and Turan (1989) that for and for any fixed nonnegative