Nonictal EEG biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment.

There are no reliable nonictal biomarkers for epilepsy, electroencephalography (EEG) or otherwise, but efforts to identify biomarkers that would predict the development of epilepsy after a potential epileptogenic insult, diagnose the existence of epilepsy, or assess the effects of antiseizure or antiepileptogenic interventions are relying heavily on electrophysiology. The most promising EEG biomarkers to date are pathologic high-frequency oscillations (pHFOs), brief EEG events in the range of 100 to 600 Hz, which are believed to reflect summated action potentials from synchronously bursting neurons. Studies of patients with epilepsy, and experimental animal models, have been based primarily on direct brain recording, which makes pHFOs potentially useful for localizing the epileptogenic zone for surgical resection, but application for other diagnostic and therapeutic purposes is limited. Consequently, recent efforts have involved identification of HFOs recorded with scalp electrodes, and with magnetoencephalography, which may reflect the same pathophysiologic mechanisms as pHFOs recorded directly from the brain. The search is also on for other EEG changes that might serve as epilepsy biomarkers, and candidates include arcuate rhythms, which may reflect repetitive pHFOs, reduction in theta rhythm, which correlates with epileptogenesis in several rodent models of epilepsy, and shortened sleep spindles that correlate with ictogenesis

High-Energy Vacuum Birefringence and Dichroism in an Ultrastrong Laser Field

A long-standing prediction of quantum electrodynamics, yet to be experimentally observed, is the interaction between real photons in vacuum. As a consequence of this interaction, the vacuum is expected to become birefringent and dichroic if a strong laser field polarizes its virtual particle--antiparticle dipoles. Here, we derive how a generally polarized probe photon beam is influenced by both vacuum birefringence and dichroism in a strong linearly polarized plane-wave laser field. Furthermore, we consider an experimental scheme to measure these effects in the nonperturbative high-energy regime, where the Euler-Heisenberg approximation breaks down. By employing circularly polarized high-energy probe photons, as opposed to the conventionally considered linearly polarized ones, the feasibility of quantitatively confirming the prediction of nonlinear QED for vacuum birefringence at the $5\sigma$ confidence level on the time scale of a few days is demonstrated for upcoming 10 PW laser systems. Finally, dichroism and anomalous dispersion in vacuum are shown to be accessible at these facilities.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 1 table + supplemental materia

Lagrangian Relaxation for Mixed-Integer Linear Programming: Importance, Challenges, Recent Advancements, and Opportunities

Operations in areas of importance to society are frequently modeled as Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problems. While MILP problems suffer from combinatorial complexity, Lagrangian Relaxation has been a beacon of hope to resolve the associated difficulties through decomposition. Due to the non-smooth nature of Lagrangian dual functions, the coordination aspect of the method has posed serious challenges. This paper presents several significant historical milestones (beginning with Polyak's pioneering work in 1967) toward improving Lagrangian Relaxation coordination through improved optimization of non-smooth functionals. Finally, this paper presents the most recent developments in Lagrangian Relaxation for fast resolution of MILP problems. The paper also briefly discusses the opportunities that Lagrangian Relaxation can provide at this point in time

Age of the Jurassic hemipelagic sediments from the Ljubiš area (Zlatibor Mt., SW Serbia)

The type section of the Ljubiš Formation, (Djokov Potok, Zlatibor area, western Serbia) is characterized by abundant poorly-to-moderately preserved radiolarians. The lower part of the type section is characterized by Middle Jurassic (?Bajocian to Bathonian) radiolarian assemblages with Japonocapsa fusiformis (YAO), Takemuraella weghae (GRILL & KOZUR), Eoxitus hungaricus KOZUR, E. baloghi KOZUR, Helvetocapsa matsuokai (SASHIDA), Quarkus japonicus (YAO), Hexasaturnalis suboblongus (YAO), H. tetraspinus (YAO). Taking into account previous data from the upper part of the Ljubiš Formation, the age of the formation can be estimated to be in the interval from the ?Bajocian to Bathonian-Oxfordian. The new biostratigraphic data clearly show the onset of tectonic motion in the Middle Jurassic, documented by the presence of mass transport deposits intercalated in the radiolarite successions. This suggests a Middle Jurassic onset of ophiolite obduction which triggered the rapid deepening of the Adria margin, documented by the abrupt change from carbonate to radiolarite deposition.</p