436 research outputs found
Radiation and magnetic field effects on new semiconductor power devices for HL-LHC experiments
The radiation hardness of commercial Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride
power MOSFETs is presented in this paper, for Total Ionizing Dose effects and
Single Event Effects, under gamma, neutrons, protons and heavy ions. Similar
tests are discussed for commercial DC-DC converters, also tested in operation
under magnetic field
Tree Compression with Top Trees Revisited
We revisit tree compression with top trees (Bille et al, ICALP'13) and
present several improvements to the compressor and its analysis. By
significantly reducing the amount of information stored and guiding the
compression step using a RePair-inspired heuristic, we obtain a fast compressor
achieving good compression ratios, addressing an open problem posed by Bille et
al. We show how, with relatively small overhead, the compressed file can be
converted into an in-memory representation that supports basic navigation
operations in worst-case logarithmic time without decompression. We also show a
much improved worst-case bound on the size of the output of top-tree
compression (answering an open question posed in a talk on this algorithm by
Weimann in 2012).Comment: SEA 201
A simple and quick method for loading proteins in extracellular vesicles
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate intercellular transport of biomolecular cargo in the body, making them promising delivery vehicles for bioactive compounds. Genetic engineering of producer cells has enabled encapsulation of therapeutic proteins in EVs. However, genetic engineering approaches can be expensive, time-consuming, and incompatible with certain EV sources, such as human plasma and bovine milk. The goal of this study was to develop a quick, versatile, and simple method for loading proteins in EVs post-isolation. Proteins, including CRISPR associated protein 9 (Cas9), were bound to cationic lipids that were further complexed with MDA-MB-231 cell-derived EVs through passive incubation. Size-exclusion chromatography was used to remove components that were not complexed with EVs. The ability of EVs to mediate intracellular delivery of proteins was compared to conventional methods, such as electroporation and commercial protein transfection reagents. The results indicate that EVs retain native features following protein-loading and obtain similar levels of intracellular protein delivery as conventional methods, but display less toxicity. This method opens up opportunities for rapid exploration of EVs for protein delivery
Voxel-based investigations of regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities in Alzheimer's disease using a single-detector SPECT system
PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of using the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) program for an automated, voxel-by-voxel assessment of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects relative to age-matched controls studied with a conventional, single-detector SPECT system. METHODS: We used a databank of 99mTc-HMPAO images of 19 patients with a diagnosis of probable AD and 15 elderly healthy volunteers; data were acquired using an Orbiter-Siemens single-detector SPECT system. Using SPM, images were transformed spatially, smoothed (12mm), and the data were compared on a voxel-by-voxel basis with t-tests. RESULTS: There were significant rCBF reductions in AD patients relative to controls involving regions predicted a priori to be affected in AD, namely the left temporal and parietal neocortices, and the right posterior cingulate gyrus (pOBJETIVO: Avaliar a viabilidade de emprego do programa Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) para investigar de forma automatizada, voxel-a-voxel, a presença de dĂ©ficits de fluxo sanguĂneo cerebral regional (FSCr) em pacientes com doença de Alzheimer (DA) comparados a sujeitos-controle pareados para idade, usando imagens de SPECT adquiridas com um equipamento convencional de detector Ășnico. MĂTODOS: Foi utilizado um banco de imagens adquiridas apĂłs injeção de 99mTc-HMPAO em 19 pacientes com diagnĂłstico provĂĄvel de DA e 15 voluntĂĄrios idosos saudĂĄveis, usando um equipamento de SPECT Orbiter-Siemens de detector Ășnico. Empregando o programa SPM, as imagens foram transformadas espacialmente, suavizadas (12mm FWHM), e comparadas estatisticamente voxel-a-voxel entre os dois grupos, usando o teste de T. RESULTADOS: Foram identificadas reduçÔes significativas de FSCr nos pacientes com DA comparados aos controles em regiĂ”es previstas a priori como afetadas por esta forma de demĂȘncia, quais sejam os neocĂłrtices temporal e parietal em hemisfĂ©rio esquerdo e o cĂngulo posterior direito (p<0,05, corrigido para comparaçÔes mĂșltiplas). DISCUSSĂO: A localização dos focos de redução de FSCr em pacientes com DA no nosso estudo Ă©, de forma geral, consistente com os achados de dĂ©ficits cerebrais detectados em estudos anteriores de neuroimagem funcional na DA realizados com equipamentos de resolução espacial mais alta. Isto sugere o potencial de utilidade do programa SPM para a anĂĄlise de dados de SPECT adquiridos com equipamentos de detector Ășnico, apesar da sensibilidade e resolução espacial limitadas de tais aparelhos
Voxel-based investigations of regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities in Alzheimer's disease using a single-detector SPECT system
PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of using the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) program for an automated, voxel-by-voxel assessment of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects relative to age-matched controls studied with a conventional, single-detector SPECT system. METHODS: We used a databank of 99mTc-HMPAO images of 19 patients with a diagnosis of probable AD and 15 elderly healthy volunteers; data were acquired using an Orbiter-Siemens single-detector SPECT system. Using SPM, images were transformed spatially, smoothed (12mm), and the data were compared on a voxel-by-voxel basis with t-tests. RESULTS: There were significant rCBF reductions in AD patients relative to controls involving regions predicted a priori to be affected in AD, namely the left temporal and parietal neocortices, and the right posterior cingulate gyrus (pOBJETIVO: Avaliar a viabilidade de emprego do programa Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) para investigar de forma automatizada, voxel-a-voxel, a presença de dĂ©ficits de fluxo sanguĂneo cerebral regional (FSCr) em pacientes com doença de Alzheimer (DA) comparados a sujeitos-controle pareados para idade, usando imagens de SPECT adquiridas com um equipamento convencional de detector Ășnico. MĂTODOS: Foi utilizado um banco de imagens adquiridas apĂłs injeção de 99mTc-HMPAO em 19 pacientes com diagnĂłstico provĂĄvel de DA e 15 voluntĂĄrios idosos saudĂĄveis, usando um equipamento de SPECT Orbiter-Siemens de detector Ășnico. Empregando o programa SPM, as imagens foram transformadas espacialmente, suavizadas (12mm FWHM), e comparadas estatisticamente voxel-a-voxel entre os dois grupos, usando o teste de T. RESULTADOS: Foram identificadas reduçÔes significativas de FSCr nos pacientes com DA comparados aos controles em regiĂ”es previstas a priori como afetadas por esta forma de demĂȘncia, quais sejam os neocĂłrtices temporal e parietal em hemisfĂ©rio esquerdo e o cĂngulo posterior direito (
Resource-Bound Quantification for Graph Transformation
Graph transformation has been used to model concurrent systems in software
engineering, as well as in biochemistry and life sciences. The application of a
transformation rule can be characterised algebraically as construction of a
double-pushout (DPO) diagram in the category of graphs. We show how
intuitionistic linear logic can be extended with resource-bound quantification,
allowing for an implicit handling of the DPO conditions, and how resource logic
can be used to reason about graph transformation systems
Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature
Background We conducted a systematic review to assess the evidence for specific effects of cannabis on brain structure and function. The review focuses on the cognitive changes associated with acute and chronic use of the drug. Method We reviewed literature reporting neuroimaging studies of chronic or acute cannabis use published up until January 2009. The search was conducted using Medline, EMBASE, LILACS and PsycLIT indexing services using the following key words: cannabis, marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, cannabidiol, CBD, neuroimaging, brain imaging, computerized tomography, CT, magnetic resonance, MRI, single photon emission tomography, SPECT, functional magnetic resonance, fMRI, positron emission tomography, PET, diffusion tensor MRI, DTI-MRI, MRS and spectroscopy. Results Sixty-six studies were identified, of which 41 met the inclusion criteria. Thirty-three were functional (SPECT/PET/fMRI) and eight structural (volumetric/DTI) imaging studies. The high degree of heterogeneity across studies precluded a meta-analysis. The functional studies suggest that resting global and prefrontal blood flow are lower in cannabis users than in controls. The results from the activation studies using a cognitive task are inconsistent because of the heterogeneity of the methods used. Studies of acute administration of THC or marijuana report increased resting activity and activation of the frontal and anterior cingulate cortex during cognitive tasks. Only three of the structural imaging studies found differences between users and controls. Conclusions Functional neuroimaging studies suggest a modulation of global and prefrontal metabolism both during the resting state and after the administration of THC/marijuana cigarettes. Minimal evidence of major effects of cannabis on brain structure has been reporte
Neuroanatomical pattern classification in a population-based sample of first-episode schizophrenia
AbstractRecent neuroanatomical pattern classification studies have attempted to individually classify cases with psychotic disorders using morphometric MRI data in an automated fashion. However, this approach has not been tested in population-based samples, in which variable patterns of comorbidity and disease course are typically found. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy (DA) of the above technique to discriminate between incident cases of first-episode schizophrenia identified in a circumscribed geographical region over a limited period of time, in comparison with next-door healthy controls. Sixty-two cases of first-episode schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder and 62 age, gender and educationally-matched controls underwent 1.5T MRI scanning at baseline, and were naturalistically followed-up over 1year. T1-weighted images were used to train a high-dimensional multivariate classifier, and to generate both spatial maps of the discriminative morphological patterns between groups and ROC curves. The spatial map discriminating first-episode schizophrenia patients from healthy controls revealed a complex pattern of regional volumetric abnormalities in the former group, affecting fronto-temporal-occipital gray and white matter regions bilaterally, including the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, as well as the third and lateral ventricles. However, an overall modest DA (73.4%) was observed for the individual discrimination between first-episode schizophrenia patients and controls, and the classifier failed to predict 1-year prognosis (remitting versus non-remitting course) of first-episode schizophrenia (DA=58.3%). In conclusion, using a âreal worldâ sample recruited with epidemiological methods, the application of a neuroanatomical pattern classifier afforded only modest DA to classify first-episode schizophrenia subjects and next-door healthy controls, and poor discriminative power to predict the 1-year prognosis of first-episode schizophrenia
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