A momentum-space Argonne V18 interaction

This paper gives a momentum-space representation of the Argonne V18 potential as an expansion in products of spin-isospin operators with scalar coefficient functions of the momentum transfer. Two representations of the scalar coefficient functions for the strong part of the interaction are given. One is as an expansion in an orthonormal basis of rational functions and the other as an expansion in Chebyshev polynomials on different intervals. Both provide practical and efficient representations for computing the momentum-space potential that do not require integration or interpolation. Programs based on both expansions are available as supplementary material. Analytic expressions are given for the scalar coefficient functions of the Fourier transform of the electromagnetic part of the Argonne V18. A simple method for computing the partial-wave projections of these interactions from the operator expressions is also given.Comment: 61 pages. 26 figure

Towards a cyberterrorism life-cycle (CLC) model

Cyberterrorism has emerged as a new threat in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) landscape. The ease of use, affordability, remote capabilities and access to critical targets makes cyberterrorism a potential threat to cause wide-scale damage. Cyberterrorism is often incorrectly perceived as encompassing all cybercrimes. However, cyberterrorism differs from cybercrime in various ways including motivation, attack goals, techniques and effects. Motivations for cyberterrorism, which is similar to terrorism in general, stem from religious, social and political views. Cyberterrorists generally would seek to have high impact in order to gain publicity for their cause, whereas cybercriminals often prefer to have their acts undetected in order to hide their financial theft, fraud or espionage. Therefore, there are various factors that drive the development of a cyberterrorist. This paper proposes a model for the development of cyberterrorism in order to show the various influential forces. The Cyberterrorism Life-Cycle (CLC) model presented in this paper is composed of five phases: Prepare, Acquaint, Choose, Execute, and Deter (PACED). In addition the paper looks at various factors, including social, practices, objectives, targets and countermeasures, which are mapped onto the PACED phases in order to show the interaction and dynamic nature during the life-cycle development

Two-Nucleon Scattering without partial waves using a momentum space Argonne V18 interaction

We test the operator form of the Fourier transform of the Argonne V18 potential by computing selected scattering observables and all Wolfenstein parameters for a variety of energies. These are compared to the GW-DAC database and to partial wave calculations. We represent the interaction and transition operators as expansions in a spin-momentum basis. In this representation the Lippmann-Schwinger equation becomes a six channel integral equation in two variables. Our calculations use different numbers of spin-momentum basis elements to represent the on- and off-shell transition operators. This is because different numbers of independent spin-momentum basis elements are required to expand the on- and off-shell transition operators. The choice of on and off-shell spin-momentum basis elements is made so that the coefficients of the on-shell spin-momentum basis vectors are simply related to the corresponding off-shell coefficients.Comment: 14 pages, 8 Figures, typos correcte

BNP AND NT-PRO BNP AS INDEPENDENT DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKERS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

The risk of developing heart failure (HF) with a reduced and preserved ejection fraction is known to increase with pre-diabetes and diabetic mellitus (DM). Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have been shown to be an important tool for assessing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in people with pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), regardless of HF characteristics. Elevated levels of NPs were associated with an increased risk of readmission for HF, all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, HF progression, and readmission due to HF, according to earlier clinical investigations. In pre-diabetes and T2DM populations, the discriminative power of NPs for CVD death and HF-related clinical events has not been established beyond conventional CVD risk variables. The purpose of the review is to gather details regarding the predictive value of circulating NPs based on pre-diabetes and established T2DM presentation. Researchers have found that HFrEF or HFpEF in T2DM patients may necessitate a change in NP cutoff values to diagnose primary HF and identify HF-related risks. The relationship between clinical outcomes and the dynamic of circulating levels of NPs in diabetics treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors has to be clarified in big clinical trials in the future

Aerofoil wake-induced transition characteristics on a flat-plate boundary layer

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the characteristics of laminar– turbulent transition occurring on a flat-plate boundary layer due to the interaction with a non-impinging aerofoil wake. Previous studies have tended to focus on transition induced by free-stream turbulence or by the wake of a circular cylinder, both of which exhibit different forcing characteristics to the present experimental arrangement. A tripped NACA 0014 aerofoil was used to generate a fully turbulent wake, upstream of and at various heights above a laminar, flat-plate boundary layer, in the UK National Low-turbulence Wind Tunnel at City, University of London. Hot-wire measurements conducted in the pre-transitional region reveal the wall-normal and spanwise structure of the disturbances induced within the boundary layer and the rate of growth of disturbance energy. Disturbance profiles generally (but not uniquely) follow the non-modal distribution obtained from transient growth theory, but energy growth rates are mainly exponential rather than algebraic. Energy spectra demonstrate the existence of mixed transitional features (both natural and bypass) in the boundary layer. Two-point spatial correlations reveal the presence of a streaky structure, but with spanwise scale much larger than the boundary layer thickness, in contrast to the trends seen in free-stream turbulence-induced bypass transition and cylinder wake-induced transition. The gap between aerofoil and flat plate affects both the evolution of non-modal disturbance profile and the appearance of the streaky structure; the spacing of the streaks was also found to scale with the vertical gap between aerofoil and flat plate. Overall, the combination of observed characteristics is quite different from the forced transition mechanisms previously reported in the literature

Impaired regulation of the TNF-alpha converting enzyme/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 proteolytic system in skeletal muscle of obese type 2 diabetic patients: a new mechanism of insulin resistance in humans

Aims/hypothesis: TNF-alpha levels are increased in obesity and type 2 diabetes. The regulation of TNF-alpha converting enzyme (TACE) and its inhibitor, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3), in human type 2 diabetes is unknown. Methods: We examined TACE/TIMP3 regulation: (1) in lean and obese normal glucose tolerant (NGT) individuals and in type 2 diabetes patients; (2) following 6 h of lipid/saline infusion in NGT individuals; and (3) in cultured human myotubes from lean NGT individuals incubated with palmitate. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by a euglycaemic clamp and TACE/TIMP3 was evaluated by confocal microscopy, RT-PCR, western blotting and an in vitro activity assay. Circulating TNF-alpha, TNF-alpha-receptor 1 (TNFR1), TNF-alpha-receptor 2 (TNFR2), IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) levels were evaluated. Results: TIMP3 levels were reduced and TACE enzymatic activity was increased in type 2 diabetes skeletal muscle. TACE expression, and TACE, TNF-alpha, TNFR1 and IL-6R levels were increased in type 2 diabetes, and positively correlated with insulin resistance. A 6 h lipid infusion into NGT individuals decreased insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism by 25% with increased TACE, decreased expression of the gene encoding TIMP3 and increased IL-6R release. Palmitate induced a dramatic reduction of TIMP3 and increased the TACE/TIMP3 ratio in cultured myotubes. Conclusions/interpretation: TACE activity was increased in skeletal muscle of obese type 2 diabetes patients and in lipid-induced insulin resistance. We propose that dysregulation of membrane proteolysis by TACE/TIMP3 of TNF-alpha and IL-6R is an important factor for the development of skeletal muscle insulin resistance in obese type 2 diabetes patients by a novel autocrine/paracrine mechanism