669 research outputs found
08051 Abstracts Collection -- Theory of Evolutionary Algorithms
From Jan. 27, 2008 to Feb. 1, 2008, the Dagstuhl Seminar 08051 ``Theory of Evolutionary Algorithms\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl.
During the seminar, several participants presented their current
research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of
the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of
seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section
describes the seminar topics and goals in general.
Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available
06061 Abstracts Collection -- Theory of Evolutionary Algorithms
From 05.02.06 to 10.02.06, the Dagstuhl Seminar 06061 ``Theory of Evolutionary Algorithms\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI),
Schloss Dagstuhl.
During the seminar, several participants presented their current
research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of
the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of
seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section
describes the seminar topics and goals in general.
Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available
Valence bond solid states with symplectic symmetry
We introduce a one-dimensional valence bond solid (VBS) state with symplectic
symmetry SP(n) and construct the corresponding parent Hamiltonian. We argue
that there is a gap in the spectrum. We calculate exactly the static
correlation functions, which fall off exponentially. Hence the model introduced
here shares all properties of the Haldane scenario for integer-spin quantum
antiferromagnets. We further show that the VBS state possesses string order and
discuss its generalization to higher dimensions.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Inhomogeneous Field Configurations and the Electroweak Phase Transition
We investigate the effects of inhomogeneous scalar field configurations on
the electroweak phase transition. For this purpose we calculate the leading
perturbative correction to the wave function correction term Z(\vph,T), i.e.,
the kinetic term in the effective action, for the electroweak Standard Model at
finite temperature and the top quark self--mass. Our finding for the fermionic
contribution to Z(\vph,T) is infra--red finite and disagrees with other
recent results. In general, neither the order of the phase transition nor the
temperature at which it occurs change, once Z(\vph,T) is included. But a
non--vanishing, positive (negative) Z(\vph,T) enhances (decreases) the
critical droplet surface tension and the strength of the phase transition. We
find that in the range of parameter space, which allows for a first--order
phase transition, the wave function correction term is negative --- indicating
a weaker phase transition --- and especially for small field values so large
that perturbation theory becomes unreliable.Comment: 23 pages of LaTeX + 3 PostScript figures included in uuencoded form,
FERMI-PUB-93/253-
Measuring the Higgs Sector
If we find a light Higgs boson at the LHC, there should be many observable
channels which we can exploit to measure the relevant parameters in the Higgs
sector. We use the SFitter framework to map these measurements on the parameter
space of a general weak-scale effective theory with a light Higgs state of mass
120 GeV. Our analysis benefits from the parameter determination tools and the
error treatment used in new--physics searches, to study individual parameters
and their error bars as well as parameter correlations.Comment: 45 pages, Journal version with comments from refere
Fifteen new risk loci for coronary artery disease highlight arterial-wall-specific mechanisms
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although 58 genomic regions have been associated with CAD thus far, most of the heritability is unexplained, indicating that additional susceptibility loci await identification. An efficient discovery strategy may be larger-scale evaluation of promising associations suggested by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Hence, we genotyped 56,309 participants using a targeted gene array derived from earlier GWAS results and performed meta-analysis of results with 194,427 participants previously genotyped, totaling 88,192 CAD cases and 162,544 controls. We identified 25 new SNP-CAD associations (P < 5 × 10(-8), in fixed-effects meta-analysis) from 15 genomic regions, including SNPs in or near genes involved in cellular adhesion, leukocyte migration and atherosclerosis (PECAM1, rs1867624), coagulation and inflammation (PROCR, rs867186 (p.Ser219Gly)) and vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation (LMOD1, rs2820315). Correlation of these regions with cell-type-specific gene expression and plasma protein levels sheds light on potential disease mechanisms
Fast Homozygosity Mapping and Identification of a Zebrafish ENU-Induced Mutation by Whole-Genome Sequencing
Forward genetics using zebrafish is a powerful tool for studying vertebrate development through large-scale mutagenesis. Nonetheless, the identification of the molecular lesion is still laborious and involves time-consuming genetic mapping. Here, we show that high-throughput sequencing of the whole zebrafish genome can directly locate the interval carrying the causative mutation and at the same time pinpoint the molecular lesion. The feasibility of this approach was validated by sequencing the m1045 mutant line that displays a severe hypoplasia of the exocrine pancreas. We generated 13 Gb of sequence, equivalent to an eightfold genomic coverage, from a pool of 50 mutant embryos obtained from a map-cross between the AB mutant carrier and the WIK polymorphic strain. The chromosomal region carrying the causal mutation was localized based on its unique property to display high levels of homozygosity among sequence reads as it derives exclusively from the initial AB mutated allele. We developed an algorithm identifying such a region by calculating a homozygosity score along all chromosomes. This highlighted an 8-Mb window on chromosome 5 with a score close to 1 in the m1045 mutants. The sequence analysis of all genes within this interval revealed a nonsense mutation in the snapc4 gene. Knockdown experiments confirmed the assertion that snapc4 is the gene whose mutation leads to exocrine pancreas hypoplasia. In conclusion, this study constitutes a proof-of-concept that whole-genome sequencing is a fast and effective alternative to the classical positional cloning strategies in zebrafish
Tinnitus Intensity Dependent Gamma Oscillations of the Contralateral Auditory Cortex
Non-pulsatile tinnitus is considered a subjective auditory phantom phenomenon present in 10 to 15% of the population. Tinnitus as a phantom phenomenon is related to hyperactivity and reorganization of the auditory cortex. Magnetoencephalography studies demonstrate a correlation between gamma band activity in the contralateral auditory cortex and the presence of tinnitus. The present study aims to investigate the relation between objective gamma-band activity in the contralateral auditory cortex and subjective tinnitus loudness scores. In unilateral tinnitus patients (N = 15; 10 right, 5 left) source analysis of resting state electroencephalographic gamma band oscillations shows a strong positive correlation with Visual Analogue Scale loudness scores in the contralateral auditory cortex (max r = 0.73, p<0.05). Auditory phantom percepts thus show similar sound level dependent activation of the contralateral auditory cortex as observed in normal audition. In view of recent consciousness models and tinnitus network models these results suggest tinnitus loudness is coded by gamma band activity in the contralateral auditory cortex but might not, by itself, be responsible for tinnitus perception
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