2,901 research outputs found
Irreversible phase transitions induced by an oscillatory input
A novel kind of irreversible phase transitions (IPT's) driven by an
oscillatory input parameter is studied by means of computer simulations. Second
order IPT's showing scale invariance in relevant dynamic critical properties
are found to belong to the universality class of directed percolation. In
contrast, the absence of universality is observed for first order IPT's.Comment: 18 pages (Revtex); 8 figures (.ps); submitted to Europhysics Letters,
December 9th, 199
A Novel Predictive Tool in Nanoengineering: Straightforward Estimation of Superconformal Filling Efficiency
It is shown that the superconformal filling (SCF) efficiency
() of nano-scale cavities can be rationalized in terms of
relevant physical and geometric parameters. Based on extensive numerical
simulations and using the dynamic scaling theory of interface growth, it is
concluded that the relevant quantity for the evaluation of is
the so-called "physical" aspect ratio , where
() is the roughness (growth) exponent that governs the dynamic
evolution of the system and () is the typical depth (width) of the
cavity. The theoretical predictions are in excellent agreement with recently
reported experimental data for the SCF of electrodeposited copper and
chemically deposited silver in confined geometries, thus giving the basis of a
new tool to manage nanoengineering-related problems not completely resolved so
far.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure
TEM investigation of MoSeC films
Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) are widely used as self-lubricating material either as oil additive or directly as thin films. Magnetron sputtering is a deposition method allowing depositing such films with high density and adhesion. However, their spread use in practical applications is still hindered since their excellent sliding properties are deteriorated in the presence of humidity and under high contact pressures. MoSe2, one of the members of TMD family recently studied, has been co-sputtered with carbon in order to improve the mechanical and tribological properties when compared to pure MoSe2 film
Critical Behavior of an Ising System on the Sierpinski Carpet: A Short-Time Dynamics Study
The short-time dynamic evolution of an Ising model embedded in an infinitely
ramified fractal structure with noninteger Hausdorff dimension was studied
using Monte Carlo simulations. Completely ordered and disordered spin
configurations were used as initial states for the dynamic simulations. In both
cases, the evolution of the physical observables follows a power-law behavior.
Based on this fact, the complete set of critical exponents characteristic of a
second-order phase transition was evaluated. Also, the dynamic exponent of the critical initial increase in magnetization, as well as the critical
temperature, were computed. The exponent exhibits a weak dependence
on the initial (small) magnetization. On the other hand, the dynamic exponent
shows a systematic decrease when the segmentation step is increased, i.e.,
when the system size becomes larger. Our results suggest that the effective
noninteger dimension for the second-order phase transition is noticeably
smaller than the Hausdorff dimension. Even when the behavior of the
magnetization (in the case of the ordered initial state) and the
autocorrelation (in the case of the disordered initial state) with time are
very well fitted by power laws, the precision of our simulations allows us to
detect the presence of a soft oscillation of the same type in both magnitudes
that we attribute to the topological details of the generating cell at any
scale.Comment: 10 figures, 4 tables and 14 page
CYP2E1 autoantibodies in liver diseases
Autoimmune reactions involving cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) are a feature of idiosyncratic liver injury induced by halogenated hydrocarbons and isoniazid, but are also detectable in about one third of the patients with advanced alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In these latter the presence of anti-CYP2E1 auto-antibodies is an independent predictor of extensive necro-inflammation and fibrosis and worsens the recurrence of hepatitis following liver transplantation, indicating that CYP2E1-directed autoimmunity can contribute to hepatic injury. The molecular characterization of the antigens recognized by anti-CYP2E1 auto-antibodies in ALD and CHC has shown that the targeted conformational epitopes are located in close proximity on the molecular surface. Furthermore, these epitopes can be recognized on CYP2E1 expressed on hepatocyte plasma membranes where they can trigger antibody-mediated cytotoxicity. This does not exclude that T cell-mediated responses against CYP2E1 might also be involved in causing hepatocyte damage. CYP2E1 structural modifications by reactive metabolites and molecular mimicry represent important factors in the breaking of self-tolerance against CYP2E1 in, respectively, ALD and CHC. However, genetic or acquired interferences with the mechanisms controlling the homeostasis of the immune system are also likely to contribute. More studies are needed to better characterize the impact of anti-CYP2E1 autoimmunity in liver diseases particularly in relation to the fact that common metabolic alterations such as obesity and diabetes stimulates hepatic CYP2E1 expression
The anticonvulsant effect of citalopram as an indirect evidence of serotonergic impairment in human epileptogenesis
AbstractSome evidence would indicate that a serotonergic deficit may be involved in epileptogenesis. A preliminary trial of citalopram, a selective inhibitor of serotonin reuptake, was carried out. Citalopram 20mg/day was given to 11 non-depressed patients with poorly controlled epilepsy as an add on treatment with an open label design for 8–10 months. The median seizure frequency dropped by 55.6% in the whole group, with nine patients improving by at least 50%. No adverse reactions occurred with the exception of mild drowsiness. There were no changes of post-treatment as compared to pre-treatment AED serum concentrations. Although controlled studies are required to confirm the anticonvulsant effect of citalopram, these findings may be regarded as an indirect evidence of serotonergic impairment in human epileptogenesis
Microbiological quality of Portuguese yogurts
The microbiological quality of four brands of natural yogurts and two probiotic yogurts available in the Portuguese
market, was evaluated during the shelf-life period. Although the specific flora decreased during storage it was always
within the range of recommended values. No coliforms and an insignificant number of fungi were detected
Negative symptoms as key features of depression among cannabis users: a preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE:
Cannabis use is frequent among depressed patients and may lead to the so-called "amotivational syndrome", which combines symptoms of affective flattening and loss of emotional reactivity (i.e. the so-called "negative" symptomatology). The aim of this study was to investigate the negative symptomatology in depressed patients with concomitant cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in comparison with depressed patients without CUDs.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Fifty-one patients with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and concomitant CUD and fifty-one MDD patients were enrolled in the study. The 21-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the negative symptoms subscales of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to assess depressive and negative symptomatology.
RESULTS:
Patients with cannabis use disorders presented significantly more severe negative symptoms in comparison with patients without cannabis use (15.18 ± 2.25 vs 13.75 ± 2.44; t100 = 3.25 p = 0.002).
DISCUSSION:
A deeper knowledge of the "negative" psychopathological profile of MDD patients who use cannabis may lead to novel etiopathogenetic models of MDD and to more appropriate treatment approaches
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