651 research outputs found
Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography for Predicting Outcome in Chronic Aortic Regurgitation During Conservative Management and After Surgery
ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to test myocardial deformation imaging using speckle-tracking echocardiography for predicting outcomes in chronic aortic regurgitation.BackgroundIn chronic aortic regurgitation, left ventricular (LV) dysfunction must be detected early to allow timely surgery. Speckle-tracking echocardiography has been proposed for this purpose, but the clinical value of this method in aortic regurgitation has not been established.MethodsA longitudinal study was performed in 64 patients with moderate to severe aortic regurgitation. Thirty-five patients were managed conservatively with frequent clinical visits and sequential echocardiography and followed for an average of 19 ± 8 months, while 29 patients underwent surgery for the valve lesion and were followed for 6 months post-operatively. Baseline LV function by speckle-tracking and conventional echocardiography was compared with impaired outcome after surgery (defined as persisting symptoms or persisting LV dilation [LV end-diastolic volume index ≥87 ml/m2] or dysfunction [LV ejection fraction <50%]) and with disease progression during conservative management (defined as development of symptoms, increase in LV volume >15%, or decrease in LV ejection fraction >10%).ResultsReduced myocardial systolic strain, systolic strain rate, and early diastolic strain rate by speckle-tracking echocardiography was associated with disease progression during conservative management (−16.3% vs. −19.0%, p = 0.02; −1.04 vs. −1.19 s−1, p = 0.02; and 1.20 vs. 1.60 s−1, p = 0.002, respectively) and with impaired outcome after surgery (−11.5% vs. −15.6%, p = 0.01; −0.88 vs. −1.01 s−1, p = 0.04; and 0.98 vs. 1.33 s−1, p = 0.01, respectively). Conventional parameters of LV function and size (LV ejection fraction and LV end-diastolic volume index) were associated with outcome after surgery (p = 0.04 and p = 0.01, respectively) but not with outcome during conservative management (p = 0.57 and p = 0.39, respectively).ConclusionsSpeckle-tracking echocardiography is useful for the early detection of LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction in chronic aortic regurgitation
Mental health treatment to reduce HIV transmission risk behavior: A positive prevention model
Secondary HIV prevention, or "positive prevention," is concerned with reducing HIV transmission risk behavior and optimizing the health and quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The association between mental health and HIV transmission risk (i.e., sexual risk and poor medication adherence) is well established, although most of this evidence is observational. Further, a number of efficacious mental health treatments are available for PLWHA yet few positive prevention interventions integrate mental health treatment. We propose that mental health treatment, including behavioral and pharmacologic interventions, can lead to reductions in HIV transmission risk behavior and should be a core component of secondary HIV prevention. We present a conceptual model and recommendations to guide future research on the effect of mental health treatment on HIV transmission risk behavior among PLWHA
Quasicondensate and superfluid fraction in the 2D charged-boson gas at finite temperature
The Bogoliubov - de Gennes equations are solved for the Coulomb Bose gas
describing a fluid of charged bosons at finite temperature. The approach is
applicable in the weak coupling regime and the extent of its quantitative
usefulness is tested in the three-dimensional fluid, for which diffusion Monte
Carlo data are available on the condensate fraction at zero temperature. The
one-body density matrix is then evaluated by the same approach for the
two-dimensional fluid with e^2/r interactions, to demonstrate the presence of a
quasi-condensate from its power-law decay with increasing distance and to
evaluate the superfluid fraction as a function of temperature at weak coupling.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
The HERMES Dual-Radiator Ring Imaging Cerenkov Detector
The construction and use of a dual radiator Ring Imaging Cerenkov(RICH)
detector is described. This instrument was developed for the HERMES experiment
at DESY which emphasizes measurements of semi-inclusive deep-inelastic
scattering. It provides particle identification for pions, kaons, and protons
in the momentum range from 2 to 15 GeV, which is essential to these studies.
The instrument uses two radiators, C4F10, a heavy fluorocarbon gas, and a wall
of silica aerogel tiles. The use of aerogel in a RICH detector has only
recently become possible with the development of clear, large homogeneous and
hydrophobic aerogel. A lightweight mirror was constructed using a newly
perfected technique to make resin-coated carbon-fiber surfaces of optical
quality. The photon detector consists of 1934 photomultiplier tubes for each
detector half, held in a soft steel matrix to provide shielding against the
residual field of the main spectrometer magnet.Comment: 25 pages, 23 figure
A-dependence of nuclear transparency in quasielastic A(e,e'p) at high Q^2
The A-dependence of the quasielastic A(e,e'p) reaction has been studied at
SLAC with H-2, C, Fe, and Au nuclei at momentum transfers Q^2 = 1, 3, 5, and
6.8 (GeV/c)^2. We extract the nuclear transparency T(A,Q^2), a measure of the
average probability that the struck proton escapes from the nucleus A without
interaction. Several calculations predict a significant increase in T with
momentum transfer, a phenomenon known as Color Transparency. No significant
rise within errors is seen for any of the nuclei studied.Comment: 5 pages incl. 2 figures, Caltech preprint OAP-73
Ownership and control in a competitive industry
We study a differentiated product market in which an investor initially owns a controlling stake in one of two competing firms and may acquire a non-controlling or a controlling stake in a competitor, either directly using her own assets, or indirectly via the controlled firm. While industry profits are maximized within a symmetric two product monopoly, the investor attains this only in exceptional cases. Instead, she sometimes acquires a noncontrolling stake. Or she invests asymmetrically rather than pursuing a full takeover if she acquires a controlling one. Generally, she invests indirectly if she only wants to affect the product market outcome, and directly if acquiring shares is profitable per se. --differentiated products,separation of ownership and control,private benefits of control
Measurement of the neutron magnetic form factor from inclusive quasielastic scattering of polarized electrons from polarized 3He
We report a measurement of the asymmetry in spin-dependent quasielastic scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons from a polarized 3He target. The neutron magnetic form factor GMn has been extracted from the measured asymmetry based on recent PWIA calculations using spin-dependent spectral functions. Our determination of GMn at Q2=0.19 (GeV/c)2 agrees with the dipole parametrization. This experiment represents the first measurement of the neutron magnetic form factor using spin-dependent electron scattering
Adsorption of mono- and multivalent cat- and anions on DNA molecules
Adsorption of monovalent and multivalent cat- and anions on a deoxyribose
nucleic acid (DNA) molecule from a salt solution is investigated by computer
simulation. The ions are modelled as charged hard spheres, the DNA molecule as
a point charge pattern following the double-helical phosphate strands. The
geometrical shape of the DNA molecules is modelled on different levels ranging
from a simple cylindrical shape to structured models which include the major
and minor grooves between the phosphate strands. The densities of the ions
adsorbed on the phosphate strands, in the major and in the minor grooves are
calculated. First, we find that the adsorption pattern on the DNA surface
depends strongly on its geometrical shape: counterions adsorb preferentially
along the phosphate strands for a cylindrical model shape, but in the minor
groove for a geometrically structured model. Second, we find that an addition
of monovalent salt ions results in an increase of the charge density in the
minor groove while the total charge density of ions adsorbed in the major
groove stays unchanged. The adsorbed ion densities are highly structured along
the minor groove while they are almost smeared along the major groove.
Furthermore, for a fixed amount of added salt, the major groove cationic charge
is independent on the counterion valency. For increasing salt concentration the
major groove is neutralized while the total charge adsorbed in the minor groove
is constant. DNA overcharging is detected for multivalent salt. Simulations for
a larger ion radii, which mimic the effect of the ion hydration, indicate an
increased adsorbtion of cations in the major groove.Comment: 34 pages with 14 figure
Modeling the Subsurface Structure of Sunspots
While sunspots are easily observed at the solar surface, determining their
subsurface structure is not trivial. There are two main hypotheses for the
subsurface structure of sunspots: the monolithic model and the cluster model.
Local helioseismology is the only means by which we can investigate
subphotospheric structure. However, as current linear inversion techniques do
not yet allow helioseismology to probe the internal structure with sufficient
confidence to distinguish between the monolith and cluster models, the
development of physically realistic sunspot models are a priority for
helioseismologists. This is because they are not only important indicators of
the variety of physical effects that may influence helioseismic inferences in
active regions, but they also enable detailed assessments of the validity of
helioseismic interpretations through numerical forward modeling. In this paper,
we provide a critical review of the existing sunspot models and an overview of
numerical methods employed to model wave propagation through model sunspots. We
then carry out an helioseismic analysis of the sunspot in Active Region 9787
and address the serious inconsistencies uncovered by
\citeauthor{gizonetal2009}~(\citeyear{gizonetal2009,gizonetal2009a}). We find
that this sunspot is most probably associated with a shallow, positive
wave-speed perturbation (unlike the traditional two-layer model) and that
travel-time measurements are consistent with a horizontal outflow in the
surrounding moat.Comment: 73 pages, 19 figures, accepted by Solar Physic
Measurement of the Proton Spin Structure Function g1p with a Pure Hydrogen Target
A measurement of the proton spin structure function g1p(x,Q^2) in
deep-inelastic scattering is presented. The data were taken with the 27.6 GeV
longitudinally polarised positron beam at HERA incident on a longitudinally
polarised pure hydrogen gas target internal to the storage ring. The kinematic
range is 0.021<x<0.85 and 0.8 GeV^2<Q^2<20 GeV^2. The integral
Int_{0.021}^{0.85} g1p(x)dx evaluated at Q0^2 of 2.5 GeV^2 is
0.122+/-0.003(stat.)+/-0.010(syst.).Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, RevTeX late
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