Seizure warning algorithm based on optimization and nonlinear dynamics

There is growing evidence that temporal lobe seizures are preceded by a preictal transition, characterized by a gradual dynamical change from asymptomatic interictal state to seizure. We herein report the first prospective analysis of the online automated algorithm for detecting the preictal transition in ongoing EEG signals. Such, the algorithm constitutes a seizure warning system. The algorithm estimates STL_max, a measure of the order or disorder of the signal, of EEG signals recorded from individual electrode sites. The optimization techniques were employed to select critical brain electrode sites that exhibit the preictal transition for the warning of epileptic seizures. Specifically, a quadratically constrained quadratic 0-1 programming problem is formulated to identify critical electrode sites. The automated seizure warning algorithm was tested in continuous, long-term EEG recordings obtained from 5 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. For individual patient, we use the first half of seizures to train the parameter settings, which is evaluated by ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve analysis. With the best parameter setting, the algorithm applied to all cases predicted an average of 91.7% of seizures with an average false prediction rate of 0.196 per hour. These results indicate that it may be possible to develop automated seizure warning devices for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.Mathematics Subject Classification (1991):20E28, 20G40, 20C20     

A remark on the Riemann‐Hilbert problem with a vanishing coefficient

This paper concerns the existence of nontrivial solutions of the Riemann‐Hilbert problem with a continuous coefficient whose values belong to two rays in the complex plane. Our results extend those recently obtained by E. Shargorodsky and J. F. Toland [6]. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the Long-Time Behavior of the Quantum Fokker-Planck Equation

We analyze the long-time behavior of transport equations for a class of dissipative quantum systems with Fokker-planck type diffusion operator, subject to confining potentials of harmonic oscillator type. We establish the existence and uniqueness of a non-equilibrium steady state for the corresponding dynamics. Further, using a (classical) convex Sobolev inequality, we prove an optimal exponential rate of decay towards this state and additionally give precise dispersion estimates in those cases, where no stationary state exists.     

Carousels,Zindler curves and the floating body problem

A carousel is a dynamical system that describes the movement of an equilateral linkage in which the midpoint of each rod travels parallel to it. They are closely related to the floating body problem. We prove, using the work of Auerbach, that any figure that floats in equilibrium in every position is drawn by a carousel. Of special interest are such figures with rational perimetral density of the floating chords, which are then drawn by carousels. In particular, we prove that for some perimetral densities the only such figure is the circle, as the problem suggests.     

Moments of an exponential functional of random walks and permutations with given descent sets

The exponential functional of simple, symmetric random walks with negative drift is an infinite polynomial Y = 1 + ξ₁ + ξ₁ξ₂ + ξ₁ξ₂ξ₃ + ⋯ of independent and identically distributed non-negative random variables. It has moments that are rational functions of the variables μ _k = E(ξ ^k ) < 1 with universal coefficients. It turns out that such a coefficient is equal to the number of permutations with descent set defined by the multiindex of the coefficient. A recursion enumerates all numbers of permutations with given descent sets in the form of a Pascal-type triangle. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A note on a generalized Douglas space

Periodica Mathematica Hungarica -