669 research outputs found
Late-onset myoclonic epilepsy in Downâs syndrome (LOMEDS)
AbstractThe aim of this paper is to report a patient with late-onset myoclonic epilepsy in Downâs syndrome (LOMEDS) as a differential diagnosis of adult-onset progressive myoclonic epilepsies. A 55-year-old male with Downâs syndrome (DS) is described who developed progressively frequent myoclonus and generalized myoclonicâtonic seizures (GMTSs) at the age of 52. EEG recordings demonstrated background slowing and generalized polyspike-wave discharges occasionally associated with myoclonic jerks, leading to the classification of primary generalized epileptic myoclonus. Descriptions of late-onset epilepsy in DS patients are rare. However, a review of the pertinent literature revealed at least two other cases of elderly DS patients developing progressive myoclonic epilepsy after the onset of dementia. We suggest that late-onset myoclonic epilepsy in Downâs syndrome as characterized here should be considered in the differential diagnosis of adult-onset myoclonic epilepsies. LOMEDS apparently shares features with myoclonic epilepsy in Alzheimerâs disease (AD) and UnverrichtâLundborg disease (ULD) caused by a mutation on chromosome 21. Since life expectation of DS patients has markedly increased, LOMEDS may be more frequent than currently acknowledged
Scanning Gate Spectroscopy of transport across a Quantum Hall Nano-Island
We explore transport across an ultra-small Quantum Hall Island (QHI) formed
by closed quan- tum Hall edge states and connected to propagating edge channels
through tunnel barriers. Scanning gate microscopy and scanning gate
spectroscopy are used to first localize and then study a single QHI near a
quantum point contact. The presence of Coulomb diamonds in the spectroscopy
con- firms that Coulomb blockade governs transport across the QHI. Varying the
microscope tip bias as well as current bias across the device, we uncover the
QHI discrete energy spectrum arising from electronic confinement and we extract
estimates of the gradient of the confining potential and of the edge state
velocity.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure
Portfolio Optimization and the Random Magnet Problem
Diversification of an investment into independently fluctuating assets
reduces its risk. In reality, movement of assets are are mutually correlated
and therefore knowledge of cross--correlations among asset price movements are
of great importance. Our results support the possibility that the problem of
finding an investment in stocks which exposes invested funds to a minimum level
of risk is analogous to the problem of finding the magnetization of a random
magnet. The interactions for this ``random magnet problem'' are given by the
cross-correlation matrix {\bf \sf C} of stock returns. We find that random
matrix theory allows us to make an estimate for {\bf \sf C} which outperforms
the standard estimate in terms of constructing an investment which carries a
minimum level of risk.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, revte
Is the Quantum Hall Effect influenced by the gravitational field?
Most of the experiments on the quantum Hall effect (QHE) were made at
approximately the same height above sea level. A future international
comparison will determine whether the gravitational field
influences the QHE. In the realm of (1 + 2)-dimensional phenomenological
macroscopic electrodynamics, the Ohm-Hall law is metric independent
(`topological'). This suggests that it does not couple to . We
corroborate this result by a microscopic calculation of the Hall conductance in
the presence of a post-Newtonian gravitational field.Comment: 4 page
Magnetic Gaps related to Spin Glass Order in Fermionic Systems
We provide evidence for spin glass related magnetic gaps in the fermionic
density of states below the freezing temperature. Model calculations are
presented and proposed to be relevant for explaining resistivity measurements
which observe a crossover from variable-range- to activated behavior. The
magnetic field dependence of a hardgap and the low temperature decay of the
density of states are given. In models with fermion transport a new
metal-insulator transition is predicted to occur due to the spin-glass gap,
anteceding the spin glass to quantum paramagnet transition at smaller spin
density. Important fluctuation effects due to finite range frustrated
interactions are estimated and discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Postscript figure, revised version accepted for
publication in Physical Review Letter
Making SENSE--Sustained Effort Network for treatment of Status Epilepticus as a multicenter prospective registry.
BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the different treatment options of status epilepticus (SE) in adults is scarce. Large randomized trials cover only one treatment at early stage and suggest the superiority of benzodiazepines over placebo, of intravenous lorazepam over intravenous diazepam or over intravenous phenytoin alone, and of intramuscular midazolam over intravenous lorazepam. However, many patients will not be treated successfully with the first treatment step. A large randomized trial covering the treatment of established status (ESETT) has just been funded recently by the NIH and will not start before 2015, with expected results in 2018; a trial on the treatment of refractory status with general anesthetics was terminated early due to insufficient recruitment. Therefore, a prospective multicenter observational registry was set up; this may help in clinical decision-making until results from randomized trials are available.
METHODS/DESIGN: SENSE is a prospective, multicenter registry for patients treated for SE. The primary objective is to document patient characteristics, treatment modalities and in-house outcome of consecutive adults admitted for SE treatment in each of the participating centres and to identify predictors of outcome. Pre-treatment, treatment-related and outcome variables are documented systematically. To allow for meaningful multivariate analysis in the patient subgroups with refractory SE, a cohort size of 1000 patients is targeted.
DISCUSSION: The results of the study will provide information about risks and benefits of specific treatment steps in different patient groups with SE at different points of time. Thus, it will support clinical decision-making and, furthermore, it will be helpful in the planning of treatment trials.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: DRKS00000725
Tricritical behaviour of Ising spin glasses with charge fluctuations
We show that tricritical points displaying unusal behaviour exist in phase
diagrams of fermionic Ising spin glasses as the chemical potential or the
filling assumes characteristic values. Exact results for infinite range
interaction and a one loop renormalization group analysis of thermal
tricritical fluctuations for finite range models are presented. Surprising
similarities with zero temperature transitions and a new tricritical
point of metallic quantum spin glasses are derived.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Postscript figure, minor change
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