A new clinical tool for assessing numerical abilities in neurological diseases: numerical activities of daily living

The aim of this study was to build an instrument, the numerical activities of daily living (NADL), designed to identify the specific impairments in numerical functions that may cause problems in everyday life. These impairments go beyond what can be inferred from the available scales evaluating activities of daily living in general, and are not adequately captured by measures of the general deterioration of cognitive functions as assessed by standard clinical instruments like the MMSE and MoCA. We assessed a control group (n = 148) and a patient group affected by a wide variety of neurological conditions (n = 175), with NADL along with IADL, MMSE, and MoCA. The NADL battery was found to have satisfactory construct validity and reliability, across a wide age range. This enabled us to calculate appropriate criteria for impairment that took into account age and education. It was found that neurological patients tended to overestimate their abilities as compared to the judgment made by their caregivers, assessed with objective tests of numerical abilities

Remarks on the Configuration Space Approach to Spin-Statistics

The angular momentum operators for a system of two spin-zero indistinguishable particles are constructed, using Isham's Canonical Group Quantization method. This mathematically rigorous method provides a hint at the correct definition of (total) angular momentum operators, for arbitrary spin, in a system of indistinguishable particles. The connection with other configuration space approaches to spin-statistics is discussed, as well as the relevance of the obtained results in view of a possible alternative proof of the spin-statistics theorem.Comment: 18 page

Capturing variability in Model Based Systems Engineering

International audienceAutomotive model-based systems engineering needs to be dapted to the industry specific needs, in particular by implementing appropriate means of representing and operating with variability. We rely on existing modeling techniques as an opportunity to provide a description of variability adapted to a systems en- gineering model. However, we also need to take into account requirements related to backwards compatibility with current practices, given the industry experience in mass customization. We propose to adopt the product line paradigm in model-based systems engineering by extending the orthogonal variability model, and adapting it to our specific needs. This brings us to an expression closer to a description of constraints, related to both orthogonal variability, and to SysML system models. We introduce our approach through a discussion on the different aspects that need to be covered for expressing variability in systems engineering. We explore these aspects by observing an automotive case study, and relate them to a list of contextual requirements for variability management

Data analysis and tools applied to modeling and simulation of a PV system in Ecuador

This paper presents a research was carried out for the management of a photovoltaic system in a Microgrid, with applications and the use of tools applied to modeling and computational simulation in the Microgrid laboratory implanted in the facilities of the University of Cuenca (Ecuador). Additionally, through the use of automatic learning techniques, the behavior of the photovoltaic system has been modeled in the study area based on radiation and temperature with very good results. In addition, several applications can be made in real engineering studies such as feasibility, performance analysis, energy estimation, educational models, etc

Testing one-body density functionals on a solvable model

There are several physically motivated density matrix functionals in the literature, built from the knowledge of the natural orbitals and the occupation numbers of the one-body reduced density matrix. With the help of the equivalent phase-space formalism, we thoroughly test some of the most popular of those functionals on a completely solvable model.Comment: Latex, 16 pages, 4 figure

The 3-3-1 model with S_4 flavor symmetry

We construct a 3-3-1 model based on family symmetry S_4 responsible for the neutrino and quark masses. The tribimaximal neutrino mixing and the diagonal quark mixing have been obtained. The new lepton charge \mathcal{L} related to the ordinary lepton charge L and a SU(3) charge by L=2/\sqrt{3} T_8+\mathcal{L} and the lepton parity P_l=(-)^L known as a residual symmetry of L have been introduced which provide insights in this kind of model. The expected vacuum alignments resulting in potential minimization can origin from appropriate violation terms of S_4 and \mathcal{L}. The smallness of seesaw contributions can be explained from the existence of such terms too. If P_l is not broken by the vacuum values of the scalar fields, there is no mixing between the exotic and the ordinary quarks at the tree level.Comment: 20 pages, revised versio

Quiescent ultra-diffuse galaxies in the field originating from backsplash orbits

Ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs) are the lowest-surface-brightness galaxies known, with typical stellar masses of dwarf galaxies but sizes similar to those of larger galaxies such as the Milky Way1. The reason for their extended sizes is debated, with suggested internal processes such as angular momentum2, feedback3,4 or mergers5 versus external mechanisms6–9 or a combination of both10. Observationally, we know that UDGs are red and quiescent in groups and clusters11,12 whereas their counterparts in the field are blue and star-forming13–16. This dichotomy suggests environmental effects as the main culprits. However, this scenario is challenged by recent observations of isolated quiescent UDGs in the field17–19. Here we use the ΛCDM (or Λ cold dark matter, where Λ is the cosmological constant) cosmological hydrodynamical simulation to show that isolated quenched UDGs are formed as backsplash galaxies that were once satellites of another galactic, group or cluster halo but are today a few Mpc away from them. These interactions, albeit brief, remove the gas and tidally strip the outskirts of the dark matter haloes of the now quenched and seemingly isolated UDGs, which are born as star-forming field UDGs occupying dwarf-mass dark matter haloes. Quiescent UDGs may therefore be found in non-negligible numbers in filaments and voids, bearing the mark of past interactions as stripped outer haloes devoid of dark matter and gas compared to dwarfs with similar stellar content

Preliminary genomic analyses of a brazillian isolate of Haemonchus contortus in a model for monepantel resistance.

Anthelmintic resistance is a worldwide problem in sheep production. Monepantel, the most recent anthelmintic released in market, has some reports of resistance, but it is still the most effective treatment to control gastrointestinal parasites.2 - 7 September 2018

Electron Wave Function in Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons

By using analytical solution of a tight-binding model for armchair nanoribbons, it is confirmed that the solution represents the standing wave formed by intervalley scattering and that pseudospin is invariant under the scattering. The phase space of armchair nanoribbon which includes a single Dirac singularity is specified. By examining the effects of boundary perturbations on the wave function, we suggest that the existance of a strong boundary potential is inconsistent with the observation in a recent scanning tunneling microscopy. Some of the possible electron-density superstructure patterns near a step armchair edge located on top of graphite are presented. It is demonstrated that a selection rule for the G band in Raman spectroscopy can be most easily reproduced with the analytical solution.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure