Testosterone and grasp-reflex differences in human neonates

According to the Geschwind-Behan-Galaburda (GBG) hypothesis, prenatal testosterone (T) causes a slowing in the development of the left brain with a consequent compensatory growth in the right brain, creating a reverse organisation of the cerebral lateralisation. That is, left- and right-handedness might be associated with high and low prenatal T levels, respectively. To test this hypothesis, the relations of T levels (umbilical cord blood) to grasp-reflex strengths were studied in human neonates. Handedness was assessed by measuring the grasp-reflex strengths from the right and left hands in 10 trials from each hand alternatively. There were two handedness groups: right-handers (R-L significantly greater than zero) and left-handers (significantly smaller than zero). Contrary to the GBG model, the mean free T concentration was found to be significantly higher in right-handers than left-handers for males and females. There was no significant difference in the total T levels between right- and left-handers. Free T concentrations positively correlated with R-L grasp-reflex strengths, i.e. right-handedness increased as T increased, and left-handedness increased as T decreased. Contrary to these positive correlations, T negatively correlated with the grasp-reflex strengths from the right and left hands. These results partly supported the GBG hypothesis for this spinal-motor-asymmetry model. Total T did not significantly correlate with grasp-reflex strengths. The results suggest that prenatal T may at least play a role in prenatal determination of spinal motor lateralisation, with a possible consequent upward regulation of cerebral lateralisation

Managing ubiquitous eco cities: the role of urban telecommunication infrastructure networks and convergence technologies

A successful urban management system for a Ubiquitous Eco City requires an integrated approach. This integration includes bringing together economic, socio-cultural and urban development with a well orchestrated, transparent and open decision making mechanism and necessary infrastructure and technologies. Rapidly developing information and telecommunication technologies and their platforms in the late 20th Century improves urban management and enhances the quality of life and place. Telecommunication technologies provide an important base for monitoring and managing activities over wired, wireless or fibre-optic networks. Particularly technology convergence creates new ways in which the information and telecommunication technologies are used. The 21st Century is an era where information has converged, in which people are able to access a variety of services, including internet and location based services, through multi-functional devices such as mobile phones and provides opportunities in the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities. This paper discusses the recent developments in telecommunication networks and trends in convergence technologies and their implications on the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities and how this technological shift is likely to be beneficial in improving the quality of life and place. The paper also introduces recent approaches on urban management systems, such as intelligent urban management systems, that are suitable for Ubiquitous Eco Cities

A Universal Energy Functional for Trapped Fermi Gases with Large Scattering Length

Yoram Alhassid conjectured that the total energy of a harmonically trapped two-component Fermi gas with large scattering length is a linear functional of the occupation probabilities of single-particle energy eigenstates. We confirm his conjecture and derive the functional explicitly. We show that the functional applies to ALL smooth potentials having a minimum, not just harmonic traps. We also calculate the occupation probabilities of high energy states.Comment: 4 page

Conversion of a gastric band into an intraperitoneal port in a patient with optimally debulked stage 3C serous ovarian carcinoma

Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy in women with optimally debulked stage 3 ovarian cancer improves overall survival and progression-free survival, and its use has been encouraged in the adjuvant treatment of appropriately selected patients (Armstrong et al., 2006; Jaaback and Johnson, 2006). We describe a case in which a previously inserted adjustable gastric band was converted to an IP chemotherapy port during a laparotomy for advanced ovarian cancer

Pure states proof of the Matrix-valued P\'olya Positivstellensatz

Let $\Sigma$ denote the linear form $x_1 + \cdots + x_n$. By a classical Positivstellensatz of P\'olya, if a real form $f$ is strictly positive on the standard simplex, then $\Sigma^m f$ has strictly positive coefficients for some nonnegative integer $m$. P\'olya's Positivstellensatz generalizes to a square symmetric matrix $\mathbf{B}$ of forms having fixed degree. Namely, if such a matrix $\mathbf{B}$ is positive definite when evaluated at each point on the standard simplex, then the entrywise product $\Sigma^m \cdot \mathbf{B}$ strictly has positive definite coefficients for some nonnegative integer $m$. We give an algebraic proof of this Positivstellensatz for matrices of forms using the technique of pure states and a criterion of Goodearl-Handelman.Comment: 15 page