Baryon chiral perturbation theory transferred to hole-doped antiferromagnets on the honeycomb lattice

A systematic low-energy effective field theory for hole-doped antiferromagnets on the honeycomb lattice is constructed. The formalism is then used to investigate spiral phases in the staggered magnetization as well as the formation of two-hole bound states.Comment: Talk delivered by C.P. Hofmann at the XIII Mexican Workshop on Particles and Fields, October 19-26, 2011, Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico; 15 pages, 7 figure

Schlaf und zirkadiane Rhythmik im Alter

Zusammenfassung: Mit steigendem Alter nimmt die nächtliche Schlafkonsolidierung ab, kurze Nickerchen über den Tag nehmen zu, und die Schlafzeit verschiebt sich in frühere Stunden. Die Schlafregulation hängt von der Interaktion zwischen einem zirkadianen Schrittmacher (biologische Uhr) und dem Schlafhomöostaten (je länger die Wachphase, desto größer der Schlafdruck) ab. Wir konnten an gesunden älteren Personen zeigen, dass sich die Amplitude zirkadianer Rhythmen (z. B. die Melatonin-Sekretion) und die Tiefschlafdauer verringert. Gleichzeitig nimmt die Müdigkeit am Nachmittag zu, wie auch die Tendenz—im Gegensatz zu jüngeren Personen—am frühen Abend einzuschlafen. Da Licht der Hauptzeitgeber ist, um die biologische Uhr zu stabilisieren, brauchen ältere Menschen tagsüber und am Abend genügend Licht und sollten während des Tages keine oder nur kurze Nickerchen machen, um in der Folge den Schlaf in der Nacht zu verbesser

Efficient Transport Protocol for Networked Haptics Applications

The performance of haptic application is highly sensitive to communication delays and losses of data. It implies several constraints in developing networked haptic applications. This paper describes a new internet protocol called Efficient Transport Protocol (ETP), which aims at developing distributed interactive applications. TCP and UDP are transport protocols commonly used in any kind of networked communication, but they are not focused on real time application. This new protocol is focused on reducing roundtrip time (RTT) and inter packet gap (IPG). ETP is, therefore, optimized for interactive applications which are based on processes that are continuously exchanging data.ETP protocol is based on a state machine that decides the best strategies for optimizing RTT and IPG. Experiments have been carried out in order to compare this new protocol and UDP

Standardized assessment of walking capacity after spinal cord injury: the European network approach

OBJECTIVES: After a spinal cord injury (SCI), walking function is an important outcome measure for rehabilitation and new treatment interventions. The current status of four walking capacity tests that are applied to SCI subjects is presented: the revised walking index for spinal cord injury (WISCI II), the 6 minute walk test (6MinWT), 10 meter walk test (10MWT) and the timed up and go (TUG) test. Then, we investigated which categories of the WISCI II apply to SCI subjects who participated in the European Multicenter Study of Human Spinal Cord Injury (EM-SCI), and the relationship between the 10MWT and the TUG. METHODS: In the EM-SCI, the walking tests were applied 2 weeks and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after SCI. We identified the WISCI II categories that applied to the EM-SCI subjects at each time point and quantified the relationship between the 10MWT and the TUG using Spearman's correlation coefficients (rho) and linear regression. RESULTS: Five WISCI II categories applied to 71% of the EM-SCI subjects with walking ability, while 11 items applied to 11% of the subjects. The 10MWT correlated excellently with the TUG at each time point (rho>0.80). However, this relationship changed over time. One year after SCI, the time needed to accomplish the TUG was 1.25 times greater than the 10MWT time. DISCUSSION: Some categories of the WISCI II appear to be redundant, while some discriminate to an insufficient degree. In addition, there appear to be ceiling effects, which limit its usefulness. The relationship between the 10MWT and TUG is high, but changes over time. We suggest that, at present, the 10MWT appears to be the best tool to assess walking capacity in SCI subjects. Additional valuable information is provided by assessing the needs for walking aids or personal assistance. To ensure comparability of study results, proposals for standardized instructions are presented

Systematic Low-Energy Effective Field Theory for Magnons and Holes in an Antiferromagnet on the Honeycomb Lattice

Based on a symmetry analysis of the microscopic Hubbard and t-J models, a systematic low-energy effective field theory is constructed for hole-doped antiferromagnets on the honeycomb lattice. In the antiferromagnetic phase, doped holes are massive due to the spontaneous breakdown of the $SU(2)_s$ symmetry, just as nucleons in QCD pick up their mass from spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking. In the broken phase the effective action contains a single-derivative term, similar to the Shraiman-Siggia term in the square lattice case. Interestingly, an accidental continuous spatial rotation symmetry arises at leading order. As an application of the effective field theory we consider one-magnon exchange between two holes and the formation of two-hole bound states. As an unambiguous prediction of the effective theory, the wave function for the ground state of two holes bound by magnon exchange exhibits $f$-wave symmetry.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figure

Difficulty of elderly SCI subjects to translate motor recovery -"body function"- into activity of daily living

The objective of this retrospective analysis was to determine whether outcome of body functions and activities as well as length of stay of inpatient rehabilitation is related to age in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Data were collected from a European network of 17 SCI rehabilitation centers (EM-SCI) and 237 traumatic SCI subjects were included. Assessments were performed at one, six and twelve months after SCI. The measures analyzed were: motor score according to the American Spinal Injury Association, Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM), gait speed and length of stay. Correlation analysis was applied to quantify the association between age and change in the outcome measures. A positive relationship was found between age and neurological recovery in both the first and second 6 month- period of assessment. A negative relationship was found between age and change in SCIM in the second six month period after SCI. A negative relationship between age and gait speed was observed in the first half year. Length of stay was not associated with age. It is concluded that age is an important determining factor for functional outcome after SCI and that elderly patients have difficulties in translating an improvement in neurological outcome into functional changes. Therefore, rehabilitation approaches should focus on functional training in elderly subjects