PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Probing the edge of chaos

Finding out how variable physical characteristics behave at the very point preceding the onset of chaos

2014-02-27
(Press-News.org) The edge of chaos—right before chaos sets in—is a unique place. It is found in many dynamical systems that cross the boundary between a well-behaved dynamics and a chaotic one. Now, physicists have shown that the distribution—or frequency of occurrence—of the variables constituting the physical characteristics of such systems at the edge of chaos has a very different shape than previously reported distributions. The results, by Miguel Angel Fuentes from the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, USA, and Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile, and Alberto Robledo from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, are published in EPJ B. This could help us better understand natural phenomena with a chaotic nature.

In probability theory, the central limit theorem was first developed by an 18th century French mathematician named Abraham de Moivre. It applies to independent random physical quantities or variables, each with a well-defined expected value and well-defined way of varying. This theorem states that once iterated a sufficiently large number of times, these variable physical quantities will be approximately distributed along a central limit—also referred to as the attractor. In chaotic and standard random systems, such distribution is in the shape of a bell curve.

Now, new central limit theorems are emerging for more complex physical processes, such as natural phenomena. In this study, the authors took existing knowledge of the specific position of the attractor at the edge of chaos. To do so, they employed a mathematical formula called the logistic map as a particular example of the dynamic system under study. They found that the distribution of physical properties of such dynamic systems at this specific point at the edge of chaos has a fractal structure not previously known.

INFORMATION: Reference:

M. A. Fuentes and A. Robledo (2014), Sums of variables at the onset of chaos, European Physical Journal B, DOI 10.1140/epjb/e2014-40882-1

For more information visit: http://www.epj.org

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A novel treatment may reduce myocardial infarction size

2014-02-27
Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) have developed a novel treatment for myocardial infarction. In a study carried out at the UEF, virus vectors were used in a mouse model to deliver small RNA molecules into the heart, and this significantly reduced the size of myocardial infarction. In the novel treatment method, RNA molecules are targeted at the regulatory area of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene (VEGF-A). These molecules use epigenetic mechanisms to enhance the production of the growth factor in cells. The study also focused on the mechanisms ...

Over-80s often over-treated for stroke prevention

2014-02-27
People in their 80s are often prescribed drugs to ward off a stroke when the risk of a stroke is not that high and the drugs have other side effects, finds a perspective published online in Evidence Based Medicine. People in this age group are being "over-treated," and doctors need to actively rethink their priorities and beliefs about stroke prevention, argues Dr Kit Byatt of the Department of Geriatric Medicine, The County Hospital in Hereford, UK. Statins and antihypertensive drugs were the most commonly prescribed cardiovascular drugs in the UK in 2006. And they ...

Cesarean babies are more likely to become overweight as adults

2014-02-27
Babies born by caesarean section are more likely to be overweight or obese as adults, according to a new analysis. The odds of being overweight or obese are 26 per cent higher for adults born by caesarean section than those born by vaginal delivery, the study found (see footnote). The finding, reported in the journal PLOS ONE, is based on combined data from 15 studies with over 38,000 participants. The researchers, from Imperial College London, say there are good reasons why many women should have a C-section, but mothers choosing a caesarean should be aware that ...

A road map -- and dictionary -- for the arthropod brain

A road map -- and dictionary -- for the arthropod brain
2014-02-27
When you're talking about something as complex as the brain, the task isn't any easier if the vocabulary being used is just as complex. An international collaboration of neuroscientists has not only tripled the number of identified brain structures, but created a simple lexicon to talk about them, which will be enormously helpful for future research on brain function and disease. Nick Strausfeld and Linda Restifo, both professors in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona, worked with colleagues in Japan who led the project, and colleagues in Germany ...

Low birth weight reduces ability to metabolize drugs

2014-02-27
PORTLAND, Ore. – Researchers have identified another concern related to low birth weight – a difference in how the body reacts to drugs, which may last a person's entire life and further complicate treatment of illnesses or diseases that are managed with medications. The findings add to the list of health problems that are already known to correspond to low birth weight, such as a predisposition for adult-onset diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. The implication, researchers say, is that low birth weight may not only cause increased disease, but it may also lessen the ...

Experimental treatment developed at UCLA eradicates acute leukemia in mice

2014-02-27
A diverse team of scientists from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has developed an experimental treatment that eradicates an acute type of leukemia in mice without any detectable toxic side effects. The drug works by blocking two important metabolic pathways that the leukemia cells need to grow and spread. The study, led by Dr. Caius Radu, an associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA, and Dr. David Nathanson, an assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology, was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Elements ...

Huntington proteins and their nasty 'social network'

2014-02-27
Researchers at the Buck Institute have identified and categorized thousands of protein interactions involving huntingtin, the protein responsible for Huntington's disease (HD). To use an analogy of a human social network, the identified proteins are like "friends" and "friends of friends" of the HD protein. The network provides an invaluable resource for identifying targets to treat the disease and has been used to implicate a particular signaling pathway involved in cell motility. HD is an incurable, fatal, inherited neurological disorder that causes severe degeneration ...

Disney researchers look beyond basketball stats to analyze team movement in getting shots

2014-02-27
Everyone knows a basketball player is more likely to miss a three-point shot if a defender is in his face, but a new automated method for analyzing team formations, created by Disney Research Pittsburgh, shows how players get open for a shot: via defensive role swaps. "To an expert, this makes obvious sense – if a defensive player has to move, the space where they moved from is suddenly open and, if their teammate doesn't cover that space quickly, it creates a potential open shot for the offense," said Patrick Lucey, a Disney researcher who specializes in measuring the ...

Disney Research soccer formations analysis suggests home advantage is result of execution

2014-02-27
An automated analysis by Disney Research Pittsburgh of team formations used during an entire season of professional soccer provides further evidence that visiting teams are less successful than home teams because they play conservatively, not because of a mythical home advantage. The researchers, employing the first automated method for detecting formations, analyzed a whole season of player and ball tracking data compiled by Prozone for a top-tier professional soccer league. They found that teams usually played the same formations for both home and away games, but that ...

Altruistic suicide in organisms helps relatives

Altruistic suicide in organisms helps relatives
2014-02-27
The question of why an individual would actively kill itself has been an evolutionary mystery. Death could hardly provide a fitness advantage to the dying individual. However, a new study has found that in single-celled algae, suicide benefits the organism's relatives. "Death can be altruistic – we showed that before – but now we know that programmed cell death benefits the organism's relatives and not just anybody," says Dr Pierre Durand from the Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology and the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) at Wits ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Ideological polarization and the spread of biased or fake news on Facebook are on the rise, according to a study by the UPF

New study reveals how tiny but powerful gatekeepers guard the nucleus

Discovery of a brown dwarf orbiting a red dwarf through the synergy of ground- and space-based observatories

CPA journal wins prestigious award at high-quality development conference

Disruptive investments can build a cleaner aviation industry

Wearable optical device distinguishes blood flow signals from the brain and scalp

USC-Caltech study moves novel tool to measure brain blood flow closer to the clinic

Changes in colorectal cancer screening modalities among insured individuals

Seaweed makes for eco-friendly tissue scaffolds and reduces animal testing

New study: AI chatbots systematically violate mental health ethics standards

Smoking both cannabis and tobacco may alter brain’s ‘bliss molecule,’ study finds

The rise of longevity clinics: Promise, risk, and the future of aging

Decoding the T-cell burst: Signature genes that predict T-cell expansion in cancer immunotherapy

Biomarker can help predict preeclampsia risk in women with sickle cell disease

AI models can now be customized with far less data and computing power

Twenty-five centers join Bronchiectasis and NTM Care Center Network

Botox-like substance brings relief to Ukrainian war amputees

People with dark personality traits use touch to manipulate their partners

It’s not just diet: where a child lives also raises type 2 diabetes risk

Predicting physical activity change after a cardiovascular diagnosis

Algorithmic outreach leads to information inequality

Szeged researchers accelerate personalized medicine with AI-powered 3D cell analysis

Offline interactions predict voting patterns better than online networks

Hanyang University researchers develop novel facet guided metal plating strategy, improving stability anode-free metal batteries

When cells run a red light: Double trouble for old models in cell division

Epigenetic reprogramming safely modifies multiple genes in T Cells simultaneously for CAR-T therapies

How hard is it to dim the Sun?

Researchers launch survey to unlock the secrets of vivid memory

Exotic roto-crystals

Dr Harriet Kildahl joins PeroCycle as Technical Director

[Press-News.org] Probing the edge of chaos
Finding out how variable physical characteristics behave at the very point preceding the onset of chaos