243 research outputs found
The Effect of Shear on Phase-Ordering Dynamics with Order-Parameter-Dependent Mobility: The Large-n Limit
The effect of shear on the ordering-kinetics of a conserved order-parameter
system with O(n) symmetry and order-parameter-dependent mobility
\Gamma({\vec\phi}) \propto (1- {\vec\phi} ^2/n)^\alpha is studied analytically
within the large-n limit. In the late stage, the structure factor becomes
anisotropic and exhibits multiscaling behavior with characteristic length
scales (t^{2\alpha+5}/\ln t)^{1/2(\alpha+2)} in the flow direction and (t/\ln
t)^{1/2(\alpha+2)} in directions perpendicular to the flow. As in the \alpha=0
case, the structure factor in the shear-flow plane has two parallel ridges.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Links Between Behavior Change Techniques and Mechanisms of Action: An Expert Consensus Study
Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Understanding the mechanisms through which behavior change techniques (BCTs) can modify behavior is important for the development and evaluation of effective behavioral interventions. To advance the field, we require a shared knowledge of the mechanisms of action (MoAs) through which BCTs may operate when influencing behavior. PURPOSE: To elicit expert consensus on links between BCTs and MoAs. METHODS: In a modified Nominal Group Technique study, 105 international behavior change experts rated, discussed, and rerated links between 61 frequently used BCTs and 26 MoAs. The criterion for consensus was that at least 80 per cent of experts reached agreement about a link. Heat maps were used to present the data relating to all possible links. RESULTS: Of 1,586 possible links (61 BCTs x 26 MoAs), 51 of 61 (83.6 per cent) BCTs had a definite link to one or more MoAs (mean [SD] = 1.44 [0.96], range = 1-4), and 20 of 26 (76.9 per cent) MoAs had a definite link to one or more BCTs (mean [SD] = 3.27 [2.91], range = 9). Ninety (5.7 per cent) were identified as "definite" links, 464 (29.2 per cent) as "definitely not" links, and 1,032 (65.1 per cent) as "possible" or "unsure" links. No "definite" links were identified for 10 BCTs (e.g., "Action Planning" and "Behavioural Substitution") and for six MoAs (e.g., "Needs" and "Optimism"). CONCLUSIONS: The matrix of links between BCTs and MoAs provides a basis for those developing and synthesizing behavioral interventions. These links also provide a framework for specifying empirical tests in future studies
Role of biomarkers in evaluation, treatment and clinical studies of pulmonary arterial hypertension
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a complex disease resulting from the interplay of myriad biological and environmental processes that lead to remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature with consequent pulmonary hypertension. Despite currently available therapies, there remains significant morbidity and mortality in this disease. There is great interest in identifying and applying biomarkers to help diagnose patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, inform prognosis, guide therapy, and serve as surrogate endpoints. An extensive literature on potential biomarker candidates is available, but barriers to the implementation of biomarkers for clinical use in pulmonary arterial hypertension are substantial. Various omic strategies have been undertaken to identify key pathways regulated in pulmonary arterial hypertension that could serve as biomarkers including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches. Other biologically relevant components such as circulating cells, microRNAs, exosomes, and cell-free DNA have recently been gaining attention. Because of the size of the datasets generated by these omic approaches and their complexity, artificial intelligence methods are being increasingly applied to decipher their meaning. There is growing interest in imaging the lung with various modalities to understand and visualize processes in the lung that lead to pulmonary vascular remodeling including high resolution computed tomography, Xenon magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography. Such imaging modalities have the potential to demonstrate disease modification resulting from therapeutic interventions. Because right ventricular function is a major determinant of prognosis, imaging of the right ventricle with echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging plays an important role in the evaluation of patients and may also be useful in clinical studies of pulmonary arterial hypertension
Domain Growth, Wetting and Scaling in Porous Media
The lattice Boltzmann (LB) method is used to study the kinetics of domain
growth of a binary fluid in a number of geometries modeling porous media.
Unlike the traditional methods which solve the Cahn-Hilliard equation, the LB
method correctly simulates fluid properties, phase segregation, interface
dynamics and wetting. Our results, based on lattice sizes of up to , do not show evidence to indicate the breakdown of late stage dynamical
scaling, and suggest that confinement of the fluid is the key to the slow
kinetics observed. Randomness of the pore structure appears unnecessary.Comment: 13 pages, latex, submitted to PR
Clinical predictors of all‐cause mortality in patients presenting to specialist heart failure clinic with raised NT‐proBNP and no heart failure
Aims
Clinical outcomes for patients suspected of having heart failure (HF) who do not meet the diagnostic criteria of any type of HF by echocardiography remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical predictors of all‐cause mortality in patients with suspected HF, a raised N‐terminal pro‐b‐type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) and who do not meet the diagnostic criteria of any type of HF by echocardiography.
Methods and results
Relevant data were taken from the S heffield HEA rt F ailure (SHEAF) registry (222349P4). The inclusion criteria were presence of symptoms raising suspicion of HF, NTproBNP > 400 pg/mL, and preserved left ventricular function. Exclusion criteria were any type of HF by echocardiography. The outcome was defined as all‐cause mortality. Cox proportional‐hazards regression model was used to investigate the association between the survival time of patients and clinical variables; 1031 patients were identified with NTproBNP > 400 pg/mL but who did not have echocardiographic evidence of HF. All‐cause mortality was 21.5% (222 deaths) over the mean follow‐up (FU) period of 6 ± 2 years. NTproBNP was similar in patients who were alive or dead (P = 0.96). However, age (HR 1, P 627 pg/mL, NYHA class predicted death (II, 19.6%; III, 27.4%; IV, 66.7%; P < 0.01).
Conclusions
Patients with no HF on echocardiography but raised NTproBNP suffer excess mortality particularly in the presence of certain clinical variables. Age, male gender, worsening CKD stage, presence of COPD, and dementia are independently associated with all‐cause mortality in these patients. An NTproBNP > 627 pg/mL coupled with NYHA class could identify patients at greatest risk of death
Phase separating binary fluids under oscillatory shear
We apply lattice Boltzmann methods to study the segregation of binary fluid
mixtures under oscillatory shear flow in two dimensions. The algorithm allows
to simulate systems whose dynamics is described by the Navier-Stokes and the
convection-diffusion equations. The interplay between several time scales
produces a rich and complex phenomenology. We investigate the effects of
different oscillation frequencies and viscosities on the morphology of the
phase separating domains. We find that at high frequencies the evolution is
almost isotropic with growth exponents 2/3 and 1/3 in the inertial (low
viscosity) and diffusive (high viscosity) regimes, respectively. When the
period of the applied shear flow becomes of the same order of the relaxation
time of the shear velocity profile, anisotropic effects are clearly
observable. In correspondence with non-linear patterns for the velocity
profiles, we find configurations where lamellar order close to the walls
coexists with isotropic domains in the middle of the system. For particular
values of frequency and viscosity it can also happen that the convective
effects induced by the oscillations cause an interruption or a slowing of the
segregation process, as found in some experiments. Finally, at very low
frequencies, the morphology of domains is characterized by lamellar order
everywhere in the system resembling what happens in the case with steady shear.Comment: 1 table and 12 figures in .gif forma
Appealing to motivation to change attitudes, intentions, and behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 702 experimental tests of the effects of motivational message matching on persuasion.
Message matching refers to the design and distribution of persuasive messages such that message features (e.g., the themes emphasized) align with characteristics of the target audience (e.g., their personalities). Motivational message matching is a form of this technique that seeks to enhance persuasion by matching specifically to differences in motivational characteristics (e.g., salient goals, needs, values). Despite the widespread use of motivational matching, there is little understanding of how and when to use it. We conducted a preregistered (PROSPERO CRD42019116688; https://osf.io/rpjdg) systematic review and three-level meta-analysis of 702 experimental studies on motivational matching (synthesizing 5,251 effect sizes from N = 206,482). Studies were inclusive of publications until December 2018 and primarily identified using APA PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Scopus. We evaluate moderation using metaregressions and provide bias assessments (sensitivity analyses, funnel plots). Motivational matching increases persuasion by an average of r = .20 (95% CI [.18, .22]) as assessed by differences in attitudes, intentions, self-reported behavior, and observed behavior, relative to comparison conditions. This effect is larger than previously observed for other message matching approaches (e.g., message tailoring, message framing), which usually average r < .10. Although motivational matching can effectively improve persuasion, its effects are also marked by meaningful heterogeneity. Notably, motivational matching effects are largest when matching to contextual factors (than to individual differences), when compared to messages that conflict with people’s motivations, and when target characteristics are manipulated rather than assessed. Through this review, we develop and evaluate theoretical propositions that inform the optimization of motivational matching
- …