The Darboux Problem for a Class of 3-D Weakly Hyperbolic Equations

Недю Попиванов, Цветан Христов - Изследвани са някои тримерни аналози на задачата на Дарбу в равнината. През 1952 М. Протер формулира нови тримерни гранични задачи както за клас слабо хиперболични уравнения, така и за някои хиперболично-елиптични уравнения. За разлика от коректността на двумерната задача на Дарбу, новите задачи са некоректни. За слабо хиперболични уравнения, съдържащи младши членове, ние намираме достатъчни условия както за съществуване и единственост на обобщени решения с изолирана степенна особеност, така и за единственост на квази-регулярни решения на задачата на Протер.

Singular Solutions of Protter’s Problem for a Class of 3-D Hyperbolic Equations

Недю Иванов Попиванов, Алексей Йорданов Николов - През 1952 г. М. Протър формулира нови гранични задачи за вълновото уравнение, които са тримерни аналози на задачите на Дарбу в равнината. Задачите са разгледани в тримерна област, ограничена от две характеристични конуса и равнина. Сега, след като са минали повече от 50 години, е добре известно, че за безброй гладки функции в дясната страна на уравнението тези задачи нямат класически решения, а обобщеното решение има силна степенна особеност във върха на характеристичния конус, която е изолирана и не се разпространява по конуса. Тук ние разглеждаме трета гранична задача за вълновото уравнение с младши членове и дясна страна във формата на тригонометричен полином. Дадена е по-нова от досега известната априорна оценка за максимално възможната особеност на решенията на тази задача. Оказва се, че при по-общото уравнение с младши членове възможната сингулярност е от същия ред като при чисто вълновото уравнение.

Application of the D-Fullness Technique for Breakdown Point Study of the Trimmed Likelihood Estimator to a Generalized Logistic Model

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 62J12, 62F35

Eigen-Adaptation and Distributed Representation of 2-D Phase, Energy, Scale and Orientation in Spatial Vision

Distributed representations (DR) of cortical channels are pervasive in models of spatio-temporal vision. A central idea that underpins current innovations of DR stems from the extension of 1-D phase into 2-D images. Neurophysiological evidence, however, provides tenuous support for a quadrature representation in the visual cortex, since even phase visual units are associated with broader orientation tuning than odd phase visual units (J.Neurophys.,88,455–463, 2002). We demonstrate that the application of the steering theorems to a 2-D definition of phase afforded by the Riesz Transform (IEEE Trans. Sig. Proc., 49, 3136–3144), to include a Scale Transform, allows one to smoothly interpolate across 2-D phase and pass from circularly symmetric to orientation tuned visual units, and from more narrowly tuned odd symmetric units to even ones. Steering across 2-D phase and scale can be orthogonalized via a linearizing transformation. Using the tiltafter effect as an example, we argue that effects of visual adaptation can be better explained by via an orthogonal rather than channel specific representation of visual units. This is because of the ability to explicitly account for isotropic and cross-orientation adaptation effect from the orthogonal representation from which both direct and indirect tilt after-effects can be explained.

"I would like to see that one is able to say I'm proud of being a citizen of the EU…" – the way Hungarian people see Europe and the European Union

This paper explores the concepts of Europe, Europeanism and European Union, their meaning to Hungarians, how people define them and how they relate to these concepts through the analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews. The main question is whether the discourse, expressing attitudes towards Europe and the European Union, are of symbolic or utilitarian character. The symbolic way to relate to the EU is based on principles, an ideological or an emotional approach of the subject, while the pragmatic or utilitarian logic is based on rational cost-benefit analysis. The main argument of this current paper is that the way Hungarians tend to relate to the EU is rather utilitarian and it is the utilitarian logic that represents the relevant frame to understand people’s attitudes on the subject.

Gazdasági kórkép alulnézetből I. rész (Syndrome of Hungarian Economy from Bottom-view – I. part)

A rendszerváltás utáni id��szak gazdasági teljesítményei a beteljesült remények és a megvalósulatlan várakozások egymást követő hullámzásait takarják. A mögöttünk hagyott két évtized első felét a gazdasági szerkezetváltás, a piaci kapcsolatok módosulása, valamint új – többségében külföldi – befektetői csoportok megjelenése jellemezte, amelyek együttes hozad��ka volt a gazdaság stabilizálód��sa, majd az új növeked��si pályára állás. Az ezredfordulót követő évtized első felére azonban a külföldi befektetésekre alapozott gazdaságfejlesztési stratégia erejét vesztette, s a helyettesítésre szánt hazai kkv-szektor – a kiemelt támogatások és a kedvezmények ellenére – nem tudott a növeked��s motorjává válni. Szerzőnk – a BCE tudományos kutatója és az APEH korábbi elnöke – a versenyszektor 2000–2008. évi pénzügyi beszámolói alapján a hazai vállalkozások demográfiai, teljesítményi és eredményességi jellemzőit vizsgálja, s két részből álló tanulmányában arra keresi a választ, hogy a várakozásoktól elmarad�� működ��si eredményekben milyen szerepe lehet a gazdaságfejlesztési stratégia hiányának, a vállalkozási teljesítmények elégtelenségének, a tőkehiánynak, illetve a pénzügyi rendszer torzulásainak. Szerkesztőségünk a tanulmányt olyan vitaind��tónak tekinti, ami széles érdeklőd��sre tarthat számot, s szívesen vállalkozunk arra, hogy közreadunk minden jobbító szánd��kú gondolatot. _______ The economic performance during the transition period was characterized by the alternations of fulfilled hopes and unrealized expectations. The economic restructuring and changes in market relations took place during the first decade, while new – mostly foreign – investment groups entered on the new market. As a result the economy was stabilized and was put to a new growth path. But after the millennium the foreign investment based economy development strategy was no more adequate. The new engine for the growth should have been the domestic small and medium enterprise sector (SME), but despite the subsidies this sector was not strengthened to take this role. The author – the researcher of BCE, and the ex-president of APEH – analyses the characteristics of the domestic business demography, performance and effectiveness, based on the 2000–2008 annual financial statements of the business sector. The two-part study seeks the reason for the disappointing operation results. What role take in this phenomena the absence of economic strategy, the deficiency of business performance, the lack of capital and the financial distortions of the system. Our editorial intend this study as a debate for the public, and we would publish the ideas which improves this relevant topic.

A szolgáltatások ellátási láncának speciális menedzsmentjellemzői (Management specialties of supply chain of services)

Az elmúlt évtizedekben a gazd��lkod��studomány kitüntetett figyelemmel kísért két – mind a makrogazdaság, mind az egyes vállalatok működ��sének sikere szempontjából meghatározó fontosságú – jelenséget, egyrészt a szolgáltatásoknak a hagyományos termeléssel szembeni egyre erőteljesebb térnyerését, másrészt a fogyasztói érték teremtése szempontjából növekvő jelentőségű ellátási láncoknak, illetve azok menedzsmentjének kérd��skörét. Ugyanakkor igen kevés elemzés, de kevés leíró jellegű munka is született a két jelenséget és menedzsmentproblémát összekapcsoló területről, azaz a szolgáltatások ellátási láncáról, ezen ellátási láncok kezelésének speciális problémáiról. A szerzők cikkükben a szolgáltatások ellátási láncának és menedzsmentjének jellegzetességeit, a klasszikus terméket előállító ellátási láncokhoz viszonyított sajátosságait foglalják össze a nemzetközi szakirodalom alapján. Ennek során bemutatják, hogy az ún. tiszta szolgáltatások széles körben ismert jellemzői hatással vannak a szolgáltatások előállítását és értékesítését végző ellátási láncok működ��sére is. Ezek a hatások és specialitások megjelennek az ellátásilánc-menedzsment irodalmában kiemelten tárgyalt mindhárom problémakörben, rányomják tehát bélyegüket mind az ellátási lánc felépítésére, mind az ellátási láncban együttműköd�� partnerek kapcsolatának kezelésére és végül, de nem utolsósorban az ellátásilánc-menedzsment folyamatok kezelésére. _________ In the last decades scholars have paid a lot of attention to both service operation and supply chain management. There is still limited research on the overlapping field of theses two management areas, on service supply chain specialties. This article gives a structured overview on the latest research results on this topic. Doing so the paper would like to draw attention of the Hungarian researchers to this field and facilitate these empirical researches. As described in the paper traditional service specialties (intangibility, perishability, inseparability, heterogeneity and the importance of human capital) create special management problems concerning (i) the structure of these supply chains, (ii) their relationship management and (iii) the management of supply chain processes.

Stabilization of troponin I for applications in clinical chemistry and forensic medicine. Cardiac troponin I: A time of death marker

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is one of the most useful serum marker test for the determination of myocardial infarction (MI). The first commercial assay of cTnI was released for medical use in the United States and Europe in 1995. It is useful in determining if the source of chest pains, whose etiology may be unknown, is cardiac related. Cardiac TnI is released into the bloodstream following myocardial necrosis (cardiac cell death) as a result of an infarct (heart attack). In this research project the utility of cardiac troponin I as a potential marker for the determination of time of death is investigated. The approach of this research is not to investigate cTnI degradation in serum/plasma, but to investigate the proteolytic breakdown of this protein in heart tissue postmortem. If our hypothesis is correct, cTnI might show a distinctive temporal degradation profile after death. This temporal profile may have potential as a time of death marker in forensic medicine. The field of time of death markers has lagged behind the great advances in technology since the late 1850's. Today medical examiners are using rudimentary time of death markers that offer limited reliability in the medico-legal arena. Cardiac TnI must be stabilized in order to avoid further degradation by proteases in the extraction process. Chemically derivatized magnetic microparticles were covalently linked to anti-cTnI monoclonal antibodies. A charge capture approach was also used to eliminate the antibody from the magnetic microparticles given the negative charge on the microparticles. The magnetic microparticles were used to extract cTnI from heart tissue homogenate for further bio-analysis. Cardiac TnI was eluted from the beads with a buffer and analyzed. This technique exploits banding pattern on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) followed by a western blot transfer to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) paper for probing with anti-cTnI monoclonal antibodies. Bovine hearts were used as a model to establish the relationship of time of death and concentration/band-pattern given its homology to human cardiac TnI. The final concept feasibility was tested with human heart samples from cadavers with known time of death. ^

I want out of the labels : how Chuck Palahniuk's characters challenge the dominant discourse

The purpose of this study was to explore postmodern identity in the work of Chuck Palahniuk. The characters within Palahniuk's text Invisible Monsters realize the manner in which identity is a construct, and their response is to oppose and redefine it. In my research, I looked at how postmodern identity is defined by some of the leading critical thinkers in the field, and then I applied their thought to Palahniuk's characters. I showed how these characters come to understand the process by which society defines them, and with that realization, they oppose its totalizing definitions. The characters deconstruct the natural attitudes society has towards identity, and they reveal that it is in some way possible to create a unique identity that is not easily definable by the ruling discourse. I concluded that his attention to identity highlights Palahniuk's concern for the place, identity, and influence of his generation.

The determinants of R&D investment: A survey of the empirical research

This paper offers an extensive survey and a critical discussion of the empirical literature on the driving factors of R&D. These factors are subsumed under five broad types. The paper first summarises the key predictions from theory regarding each type's R&D effect. It then examines for which factors differences in the theoretical predictions can also be found in empirical studies, and for which factors the empirical evidence is more unanimous. As the focus is on the empirical literature, methodological issues are also highlighted. The major factor types identified in the literature are, individual firm or industry characteristics, particularly internal finance and sales; competition in product markets; R&D tax credits and subsidies; location and resource related factors, such as spillovers from university research within close geographic proximity, membership of a research joint venture and cooperation with research centres, and the human capital embodied in knowledge workers; and spillovers from foreign R&D. Although on balance there is a consensus regarding the R&D effects of most factors, there is also variation in results. Recent work suggests that accounting for non-linearities is one area of research that may explain and encompass contradictory findings.

You and I: The Effects of Intra- and Inter-Species Interactions on Microbial Biofilms, Growth, and Morphology

Humanity is shaped by its relationships with microbes. From bacterial infections to the production of biofuels, industry and health often hinge on our control of microbial populations. Understanding the physiological and genetic basis of their behaviors is therefore of the highest importance. To this end I have investigated the genetic basis of plastic adhesion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the mechanistic and evolutionary dynamics of mixed species biofilms with Escherichia coli and S. cerevisiae, and the induction of filamentation in E. coli. Using a bulk segregant analysis on experimentally evolved populations, I detected 28 genes that are likely to mediate plastic adhesion in S. cerevisiae. With a variety of imaging and culture manipulation techniques, I found that particular strains of E. coli are capable of inducing flocculation and macroscopic biofilm formation via coaggregation with yeast. I also employed experimental evolution and microbial demography techniques to find that selection for mixed species biofilm association leads to lower fecundity in S. cerevisiae. Using culture manipulation and imaging techniques, I also found that E. coli are capable of inducing a filamentous phenotype with a secreted signal that has many of the qualities of a quorum sensing molecule.

Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry: New estimates of R&D costs.

The research and development costs of 106 randomly selected new drugs were obtained from a survey of 10 pharmaceutical firms. These data were used to estimate the average pre-tax cost of new drug and biologics development. The costs of compounds abandoned during testing were linked to the costs of compounds that obtained marketing approval. The estimated average out-of-pocket cost per approved new compound is $1395 million (2013 dollars). Capitalizing out-of-pocket costs to the point of marketing approval at a real discount rate of 10.5% yields a total pre-approval cost estimate of $2558 million (2013 dollars). When compared to the results of the previous study in this series, total capitalized costs were shown to have increased at an annual rate of 8.5% above general price inflation. Adding an estimate of post-approval R&D costs increases the cost estimate to $2870 million (2013 dollars).

The role of vitamin D signalling in the interaction between mesenchymal mammary tumour cells and macrophages

The transition of epithelial-like tumour cells to those exhibiting mesenchymal characteristics (Epithelial-to-mesenchymal Transition; EMT) is an integral process in breast cancer metastasis. EMT can be promoted by Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) which can be found at high levels in the tumour stroma. Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) can also induce EMT in breast cancer cells, which is one way that they promote breast cancer metastasis. Vitamin D signalling has been implicated in EMT suppression and plays a role in modulating macrophage differentiation and stimulating their anti-inflammatory functions. This project had two major aims. First, we aimed to create and verify a unique fluorescent reporter gene construct designed to evaluate the dynamics of EMT in real-time and at the single-cell level. While some components of this reporter system were successfully validated, work to complete the final reporter construct is ongoing. The second and main aspect of this project focused on exploring the ability of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3) to modulate the interaction between mesenchymal mammary tumour cells and TAMs. Unexpectedly, in short-term treatment (48 hours) studies of 4T1 murine mammary tumour cells, we observed that 1,25D3 and TGF-β signalling work together to increase expression of the mesenchymal markers, Snai1, Fn1, and Col1a1. 1,25D3 and TGF-β also synergistically activate transcription of the gene encoding the 1,25D3-catabolizing enzyme, Cyp24a1. The ability of 1,25D3 and TGF-β to enhance expression of these genes was diminished in a long-term treatment (14 days) of 4T1 cells, and this effect was accompanied by a decrease in cell proliferation. 1,25D3 may also cooperate with cytokines produced by normal macrophages and macrophages considered to be TAM-like. Conditioned media experiments revealed that in the presence of factors from normal macrophages, 1,25D3 enhanced expression of Fn1, and in the presence of factors from TAM-like macrophages, 1,25D3 enhanced expression of Fn1 and Cyp24a1. Rather than mitigating the interaction as hypothesized, 1,25D3 may exacerbate the tumour-promoting effects of the EMT-TAM relationship. Also, signalling pathways involved in the EMT-TAM relationship may synergize with 1,25D3 to upregulate Cyp24a1 expression. These findings are important for understanding the potential of vitamin D compounds to be used in the treatment of breast cancer.