11,048 research outputs found
The exotic invasive plant Vincetoxicum rossicum is a strong competitor even outside its current realized climatic temperature range
Dog-strangling vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum) is an exotic plant originating from Central and Eastern Europe that is becoming increasingly invasive in southern Ontario, Canada. Once established, it successfully displaces local native plant species but mechanisms behind this plant’s high competitive ability are not fully understood. It is unknown whether cooler temperatures will limit the range expansion of V. rossicum, which has demonstrated high tolerance for other environmental variables such as light and soil moisture. Furthermore, if V. rossicum can establish outside its current climatic limit it is unknown whether competition with native species can significantly contribute to reduce fitness and slow down invasion. We conducted an experiment to test the potential of V. rossicum to spread into northern areas of Ontario using a set of growth chambers to simulate southern and northern Ontario climatic temperature regimes. We also tested plant-plant competition by growing V. rossicum in pots with a highly abundant native species, Solidago canadensis, and comparing growth responses to plants grown alone. We found that the fitness of V. rossicum was not affected by the cooler climate despite a delay in reproductive phenology. Growing V. rossicum with S. canadensis caused a significant reduction in seedpod biomass of V. rossicum. However, we did not detect a temperature x competition interaction in spite of evidence for adaptation of S. canadensis to cooler temperature conditions. We conclude that the spread of V. rossicum north within the tested range is unlikely to be limited by climatic temperature but competition with an abundant native species may contribute to slow it down
On Logical Depth and the Running Time of Shortest Programs
The logical depth with significance of a finite binary string is the
shortest running time of a binary program for that can be compressed by at
most bits. There is another definition of logical depth. We give two
theorems about the quantitative relation between these versions: the first
theorem concerns a variation of a known fact with a new proof, the second
theorem and its proof are new. We select the above version of logical depth and
show the following. There is an infinite sequence of strings of increasing
length such that for each there is a such that the logical depth of the
th string as a function of is incomputable (it rises faster than any
computable function) but with replaced by the resuling function is
computable. Hence the maximal gap between the logical depths resulting from
incrementing appropriate 's by 1 rises faster than any computable function.
All functions mentioned are upper bounded by the Busy Beaver function. Since
for every string its logical depth is nonincreasing in , the minimal
computation time of the shortest programs for the sequence of strings as a
function of rises faster than any computable function but not so fast as
the Busy Beaver function.Comment: 12 pages LaTex (this supercedes arXiv:1301.4451
The Thermodynamics of Cosmic String densities in U(1) Scalar Field Theory
We present a full characterization of the phase transition in U(1) scalar
field theory and of the associated vortex string thermodynamics in 3D. We show
that phase transitions in the string densities exist and measure their critical
exponents, both for the long string and the short loops. Evidence for a natural
separation between these two string populations is presented. In particular our
results strongly indicate that an infinite string population will only exist
above the critical temperature. Canonical initial conditions for cosmic string
evolution are show to correspond to the infinite temperature limit of the
theory.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTe
Elastic properties of carbon nanotubes and their heterojunctions
Comprehensive studies on the modelling and numerical simulation of the mechanical behaviour under tension, bending and torsion of single-walled carbon nanotubes and their heterojunctions are performed. It is proposed to deduce the mechanical properties of the carbon nanotubes heterojunctions from the knowledge of the mechanical properties of the single-walled carbon nanotubes, which are their constituent key unit
Prophylaxis in Hemophilia A Patients with Inhibitors
The development of antibodies to factor VIII is one of the most serious complications of
haemophilia treatment. Approximately 30% of patients with severe haemophilia develop
neutralizing inhibitors to replacement FVIII. Although most patients with inhibitors do not bleed more frequently than patients without inhibitors, bleeding is more difficult to control and this patients suffer more severe bleeding and have greater morbidity and mortality.
Patients with persistent high-titer inhibitor who are not candidates or fail ITI, pose a great challenge to haemophilia management. The efficacy and safety of prophylaxis with bypassing agents in reducing bleeding tendency, has been described in numerous studies.
Patients and methods: We report tree adult severe haemophilia A patients, two with persistent high-titre inhibitors and one who failed ITI, on prophylactic treatment after several significant musculoskeletal and life-threatening haemorrhagic episodes (intrabdominal/intramuscular) and pseudotumor
haemorrhage.
Treatment regimens consisted of APCC (Feiba®) in doses of 60-70UKg-1, 2-3 times per week, according underlying bleeding phenotype. Breakthrough bleeds were treated with either APCC (Feiba®) or rFVIIa (NovoSeven®).
Results and Conclusion: There was reduction in total bleeding episodes in two patients (43% to 80%) and one patient remained stable, while receiving prophylaxis. Absence of severe and life threatening bleeding episodes, as well as inpatient stays, contributing to a better quality of life in those patients, was observed.
APCC (Feiba®) was well tolerated and no thrombotic events were observed
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