Common carotid artery diameter, blood flow velocity and wave intensity responses at rest and during exercise in young healthy humans: a reproducibility study

The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility of non-invasive, ultrasound-derived wave intensity (WI) in humans at the common carotid artery. Common carotid artery diameter and blood velocity of 12 healthy young participants were recorded at rest and during mild cycling, to assess peak diameter, change in diameter, peak velocity, change in velocity, time derivatives, non-invasive wave speed and WI. Diameter, velocity and WI parameters were fairly reproducible. Diameter variables exhibited higher reproducibility than corresponding velocity variables (intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.79 vs. 0.73) and lower dispersion (coefficient of variation [CV] = 5% vs. 9%). Wave speed had fair reproducibility (ICC = 0.6, CV = 16%). WI energy variables exhibited higher reproducibility than corresponding peaks (ICC = 0.78 vs. 0.74) and lower dispersion (CV = 16% vs. 18%). The majority of variables had higher ICCs and lower CVs during exercise. We conclude that non-invasive WI analysis is reliable both at rest and during exercise

Non-invasive assessment of the common carotid artery hemodynamics with Increasing exercise workrate using wave intensity analysis

Non-invasively determined local wave speed (c) and wave intensity (WI) parameters provide insight into arterial stiffness and cardiac-vascular interactions in response to physiological perturbations. However, the effects of incremental exercise and subsequent recovery on c and WI are not fully established. We examined the changes in c and WI parameters in the common carotid artery (CCA) during exercise and recovery in 8 young healthy male athletes. Ultrasound measurements of CCA diameter (D) and blood flow velocity (U) were acquired at rest, during 5 stages of incremental exercise (up to 70% maximum workrate) and throughout 1 h of recovery and non-invasive WI analysis (DU approach) was performed. During exercise, c increased (+136%), showing increased stiffness with workrate. All peak and area of forward compression (FCW), backward compression (BCW) and forward expansion waves (FEW) increased during exercise (+452%, +700%, +900%, respectively). However, WI reflection indices and CCA resistance did not significantly change from rest to exercise. Further, wave speed and magnitude of all waves returned to baseline within 5 min of recovery, suggesting the effects of exercise in the investigated parameters of young healthy individuals were transient. In conclusion, incremental exercise was associated with an increase in local CCA stiffness and increases in all wave parameters, indicative of enhanced ventricular contractility and improved late-systolic blood flow deceleration

Decoherence in an accelerated universe

In this paper we study the decoherence processes of the semiclassical branches of an accelerated universe due to their interaction with a scalar field with given mass. We use a third quantization formalism to analyze the decoherence between two branches of a parent universe caused by their interaction with the vaccum fluctuations of the space-time, and with other parent unverses in a multiverse scenario.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Rogers-Shephard inequality for log-concave functions

In this paper we prove different functional inequalities extending the classical Rogers-Shephard inequalities for convex bodies. The original inequalities provide an optimal relation between the volume of a convex body and the volume of several symmetrizations of the body, such as, its difference body. We characterize the equality cases in all these inequalities. Our method is based on the extension of the notion of a convolution body of two convex sets to any pair of log-concave functions and the study of some geometrical properties of these new sets.Comment: 25 page

Aproximación al efecto de la resistividad del hormigón en la corrosión de armaduras embebidas en hormigón

The concrete resistivity has been considered as a factor which affects the corrosion rate of the rebars. Untill now the only relation found has been stablished between potentials and resistivity for steel embedded in Chloride contaminated concrete. In this paper a comparison between corrosion rate of rebars, determined from Polarization Resistance method, and Electrical Resistance data measured through the electronic compensation of the ohmic drop are given. The results of icorr and Rohm has been measured for rebars embedded in mortar made with three different types of cement. The specimens were submited to an accelerated carbonation. The relation between icorr and Rohm is quite similar in all the cases and suggests that the concrete electrical resistivity may be a controling factor of the corrosion rate of the rebars.La resistividad del hormigón se ha venido considerando como uno de los factores que afectan a la velocidad de corrosión de las armaduras, aunque, hasta ahora, la única relación encontrada ha sido la establecida entre los potenciales y la resistividad para acero embebido en hormigón contaminado por cloruros. En este trabajo se establecen comparaciones entre velocidad de corrosión de las armaduras, medida a través del método de determinación de la Resistencia de Polarización, y los datos de resistencia eléctrica medidos a través de la compensación de caída óhmica. Los resultados de icorr y Rohm se han medido en armaduras embebidas en mortero fabricado con tres tipos de cemento a los que se ha sometido a un proceso de carbonatación acelerada. La relación entre icorr y Rohm es muy similar en todos los casos y sugiere que la resistencia del hormigón puede actuar como un factor controlante de la velocidad de corrosión de las armaduras

Ensayos de laboratorio sobre el efecto inhibidor de los NO2- sobre la corrosión de las armaduras

We present the summary of several years of research about the inhibitor effect of NO2- on the corrosion of reinforcements. We have studied their inhibitor effect using galvanostatic and potentiodynamic polarization curves and we have measured the corrosion rates using the Polarization Resistance method (linear polarization). We have verified by this last technique, Rp, that the NO2- in concrete, if they are used in sufficient proportion, are a complete inhibitor when the Cl are added during the mixing (e.g. mixing whith sea water, CaCl2 as an accelerator in inbitor). Inssufficient amounts of NO2- have never provoked more corrosion in our experiments in concrete. The presence of NO2- always have produced a beneficial effect. The NO2- are also beneficial in carbonated concrete, suppressing or, at least, reducing the attacked area and the corrosion rate of the reinforcements.Se presenta el resumen de varios años de investigación sobre el efecto inhibidor de los NO2- en la corrosión de las armaduras. Se ha estudiado su efecto inhibidor mediante el trazado de curvas potenciodinámicas y galvanostáticas y se han medido velocidades de corrosión instantánea usando el método de Resistencia de Polarización. Se ha podido comprobar mediante esta última técnica que, cuando hay Cl presentes desde el momento del amasado, los NO2- inhiben completamente el ataque si se añaden en cantidad suficiente. Cantidades insuficientes de NO2- nunca han provocado mayores ataques en nuestros ensayos, sino que siempre han reducido el área corroída o la intensidad del ataque. Los NO2- son también efectivos en hormigón carbonatado donde, al menos, siempre reducen el ataque cuando no lo inhiben por completo

Characterization of AGN and their hosts in the Extended Groth Strip: a multiwavelength analysis

We have employed a reliable technique of classification of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) based on the fit of well-sampled spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with a complete set of AGN and starburst galaxy templates. We have compiled ultraviolet, optical, and infrared data for a sample of 116 AGN originally selected for their X-ray and mid-infrared emissions (96 with single detections and 20 with double optical counterparts). This is the most complete compilation of multiwavelength data for such a big sample of AGN in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS). Through these SEDs, we are able to obtain highly reliable photometric redshifts and to distinguish between pure and host-dominated AGN. For the objects with unique detection we find that they can be separated into five main groups, namely: Starburst-dominated AGN (24 % of the sample), Starburst-contaminated AGN (7 %), Type-1 AGN (21 %), Type-2 AGN (24 %), and Normal galaxy hosting AGN (24 %). We find these groups concentrated at different redshifts: Type-2 AGN and Normal galaxy hosting AGN are concentrated at low redshifts, whereas Starburst-dominated AGN and Type-1 AGN show a larger span. Correlations between hard/soft X-ray and ultraviolet, optical and infrared luminosities, respectively, are reported for the first time for such a sample of AGN spanning a wide range of redshifts. For the 20 objects with double detection the percentage of Starburst-dominated AGN increases up to 48%.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables. Accepted by A