2,277 research outputs found
Embolization in an adrenocortical carcinoma as palliative therapy
Background: With an annual incidence of 0.2% of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, adrenocortical carcinoma is rare. In advanced tumor only palliative treatment modalities are practicable. Because of scarcity of the tumor, standard treatment has not been defined. The decision on therapy frequently depends on the individual situation. Tumor embolization and chemotherapy are amongst the possible options. Patient and Methods: We report on a case of a 32-year-old female patient with a large-volume hormonally active adrenocortical carcinoma and hematogenous liver metastases. This carcinoma was confirmed histologically by means of liver biopsy. Owing to the large tumor extent and metastatic spreading and also in view of the poor general condition of the patient, curative surgical therapy was not possible. For this reason, a local approach was chosen primarily with transarterial tumor embolization at the capillary level. Systemic chemotherapy was given afterwards. Results: Improvement of the patient's general condition, especially the pronounced pain symptoms, could be achieved for a short time by the embolization: both, the patient's clinical condition and the laboratory test parameters improved. However, a rapid tumor progression occured under chemotherapy, which was started after embolization. Conclusion: In advanced adrenocortical carcinoma, tumor embolization can lead to a stabilization of the disease and improvement of the symptoms as appraised by palliative criteria in some patients
An SU(3) model for octet baryon and meson fragmentation
The production of the octet of baryons and mesons in e^+ e^- collisions is
analysed, based on considerations of SU(3) symmetry and a simple model for
SU(3) symmetry breaking in fragmentation functions. All fragmentation
functions, D_q^h(x, Q^2), describing the fragmentation of quarks into a member
of the baryon octet (and similarly for fragmentation into members of the meson
octet) are expressed in terms of three SU(3) symmetric functions, \alpha(x,
Q^2), \beta(x, Q^2), and \gamma(x, Q^2). With the introduction of an SU(3)
breaking parameter, \lambda, the model is successful in describing
hadroproduction data at the Z pole. The fragmentation functions are then
evolved using leading order evolution equations and good fits to currently
available data at 34 GeV and at 161 GeV are obtained.Comment: 24 pages LaTeX file including 11 postscript figure file
Properties of Factorial Cumulant to Factorial Moment Ratio
It is shown that the ratio of factorial cumulant moments to factorial moments
for a multiplicity distribution truncated in the tail reveals oscillations in
sign similar to those observed in experimental data. It is suggested that this
effect be taken into account in the analysis of data in order to obtain correct
physical information on the multiplicity distributions.Comment: (LaTeX + epsfig, 8 pages including 3 PostScript figures, all encoded
via uufiles), DFTT 46/9
Uncovering latent behaviors in ant colonies
Many biological systems exhibit collective behaviors that strengthen their adaptability to their environment, compared to more solitary species. Describing these behaviors is challenging yet necessary in order to understand these biological systems. We propose a probabilistic model that enables us to uncover the collective behaviors observed in a colony of ants. This model is based on the assumption that the behavior of an individual ant is a time-dependent mixture of latent behaviors that are specific to the whole colony. We apply this model to a large-scale dataset obtained by observing the mobility of nearly 1000 Camponotus fellah ants from six different colonies. Our results indicate that a colony typically exhibits three classes of behaviors, each characterized by a specific spatial distribution and a level of activity. Moreover, these spatial distributions, which are uncovered automatically by our model, match well with the ground truth as manually annotated by domain experts. We further explore the evolution of the behavior of individual ants and show that it is well captured by a second order Markov chain that encodes the fact that the future behavior of an ant depends not only on its current behavior but also on its preceding one
A methodology to estimate the residence time of estuaries
The residence time has long been used as a classification parameter for estuaries and other semi-
enclosed water bodies. It aims to quantify the time water remains inside the estuary, being used
as an indicator both for pollution assessment and for ecological processes. Estuaries with a short
residence time will export nutrients from upstream sources more rapidly then estuaries with
longer residence time. On the other hand the residence time determines if micro-algae can stay
long enough to generate a bloom. As a consequence, estuaries with very short residence time are
expected to have much lower algae blooms, then estuaries with longer residence time. In
addition, estuaries with residence times shorter than the doubling time of algae cells will inhibit
formation of algae blooms (EPA, 2001). The residence time is also an important issue for
processes taking place in the sediment. The fluxes of particulate matter and associated adsorbed
species from the water column to the sediment depends of the particleâs vertical velocity, water
depth and residence time. This is particularly important for the fine fractions with lower sinking
velocities. The question is how to compute the residence time and how does it depend on the
computation method adopted
Enter exitrons
Staiger D, Simpson GG. Enter exitrons. Genome Biology. 2015;16(1): 136.Exitrons are exon-like introns located within protein-coding exons. Removal or retention of exitrons through alternative splicing increases proteome complexity and thus adds to phenotypic diversity
Strategies for the analysis of osteitic bone defects at the diaphysis of long bones
Septic diseases of the bone and the immediate surrounding soft tissue, i.e., osteitis, belong to the most alarming findings in recent traumatology and orthopedic surgery. The paramount goal of this therapy is to preserve the stable weight-bearing bones while maintaining a correct axis and proper working muscles and joints, in order to avoid permanent disability in the patient. âState-of-the-artâ therapy of osteitis/osteomyelitis therapy has two priorities: eradication of the infection and reconstruction of bone and soft tissue. Surgical treatment of the affected bone segments and soft tissue, followed by reconstructive methods, continues to be the main basic therapy. It is often extremely difficult to decide whether the affected bone segment has to be resected, or whether bone continuity can be preserved. The following paper provides strategies and guidance to help guide decisions in this complex and challenging area
Carboxylate ion pairing with alkali-metal ions for ÎČ-Lactoglobulin and its role on aggregation and interfacial adsorption
We
report a combined experimental and computational study of the
whey protein ÎČ-lactoglobulin (BLG) in different electrolyte
solutions. Vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) and ellipsometry
were used to investigate the molecular structure of BLG modified airâwater
interfaces as a function of LiCl, NaCl, and KCl concentrations. Molecular
dynamics (MD) simulations and thermodynamic integration provided details
of the ion pairing of protein surface residues with alkali-metal cations.
Our results at pH 6.2 indicate that BLG at the airâwater interface
forms mono- and bilayers preferably at low and high ionic strength,
respectively. Results from SFG spectroscopy and ellipsometry are consistent
with intimate ion pairing of alkali-metal cations with aspartate and
glutamate carboxylates, which is shown to be more effective for smaller
cations (Li<sup>+</sup> and Na<sup>+</sup>). MD simulations show not
only carboxylateâalkali-metal ion pairs but also ion multiplets
with the alkali-metal ion in a bridging position between two or more
carboxylates. Consequently, alkali-metal cations can bridge carboxylates
not only within a monomer but also between monomers, thus providing
an important dimerization mechanism between hydrophilic surface patches
Multiplicity distributions inside parton cascades developing in a medium
The explanation of the suppression of high-pT hadron yields at RHIC in terms
of jet-quenching implies that the multiplicity distributions of particles
inside a jet and jet-like particle correlations differ strongly in
nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC or at the LHC from those observed at e+e- or
hadron colliders. We present a framework for describing the medium-induced
modification, which has a direct interpretation in terms of a probabilistic
medium-modified parton cascade, and which treats leading and subleading partons
on an equal footing. We show that our approach can account for the strong
suppression of single inclusive hadron spectra measured in Au-Au collisions at
RHIC, and that this implies a characteristic distortion of the single inclusive
distribution of soft partons inside the jet. We determine, as a function of the
jet energy, to what extent the soft fragments within a jet can be measured
above some momentum cut.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps-figures; talk given at Hot Quarks 2006, Villasimius
(Sardinia, Italy), May 15-20, 200
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