2,094 research outputs found
Gravity with extra dimensions and dark matter interpretation: Phenomenological example via Miyamoto-Nagai galaxy
A configuration whose density profile coincides with the Newtonian potential
for spiral galaxies is constructed from a 4D isotropic metric plus extra
dimensional components. A Miyamoto-Nagai ansatz is used to solve Einstein
equations. The stable rotation curves of such system are computed and, without
fitting techniques, we recover with accuracy the observational data for flat or
not asymptotically flat galaxy rotation curves. The density profiles are
reconstructed and compared to that obtained from the Newtonian potential.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Brazilian Journal of Physic
Tarski monoids: Matui's spatial realization theorem
We introduce a class of inverse monoids, called Tarski monoids, that can be
regarded as non-commutative generalizations of the unique countable, atomless
Boolean algebra. These inverse monoids are related to a class of etale
topological groupoids under a non-commutative generalization of classical Stone
duality and, significantly, they arise naturally in the theory of dynamical
systems as developed by Matui. We are thereby able to reinterpret a theorem of
Matui on a class of \'etale groupoids as an equivalent theorem about a class of
Tarski monoids: two simple Tarski monoids are isomorphic if and only if their
groups of units are isomorphic. The inverse monoids in question may also be
viewed as countably infinite generalizations of finite symmetric inverse
monoids. Their groups of units therefore generalize the finite symmetric groups
and include amongst their number the classical Thompson groups.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1407.147
Small Oscillatory Accelerations, Independent of Matrix Deformations, Increase Osteoblast Activity and Enhance Bone Morphology
A range of tissues have the capacity to adapt to mechanical challenges, an attribute presumed to be regulated through deformation of the cell and/or surrounding matrix. In contrast, it is shown here that extremely small oscillatory accelerations, applied as unconstrained motion and inducing negligible deformation, serve as an anabolic stimulus to osteoblasts in vivo. Habitual background loading was removed from the tibiae of 18 female adult mice by hindlimb-unloading. For 20 min/d, 5 d/wk, the left tibia of each mouse was subjected to oscillatory 0.6 g accelerations at 45 Hz while the right tibia served as control. Sham-loaded (n = 9) and normal age-matched control (n = 18) mice provided additional comparisons. Oscillatory accelerations, applied in the absence of weight bearing, resulted in 70% greater bone formation rates in the trabeculae of the metaphysis, but similar levels of bone resorption, when compared to contralateral controls. Quantity and quality of trabecular bone also improved as a result of the acceleration stimulus, as evidenced by a significantly greater bone volume fraction (17%) and connectivity density (33%), and significantly smaller trabecular spacing (−6%) and structural model index (−11%). These in vivo data indicate that mechanosensory elements of resident bone cell populations can perceive and respond to acceleratory signals, and point to an efficient means of introducing intense physical signals into a biologic system without putting the matrix at risk of overloading. In retrospect, acceleration, as opposed to direct mechanical distortion, represents a more generic and safe, and perhaps more fundamental means of transducing physical challenges to the cells and tissues of an organism
Cascade Birth of Universes in Multidimensional Spaces
The formation mechanism of universes with distinctly different properties is
considered within the framework of pure gravity in a space of D > 4 dimensions.
The emergence of the Planck scale and its relationship to the inflaton mass are
discussed.Comment: 10 p., minor correction
Knee loading stimulates cortical bone formation in murine femurs
BACKGROUND: Bone alters its architecture and mass in response to the mechanical environment, and thus varying loading modalities have been examined for studying load-driven bone formation. The current study aimed to evaluate the anabolic effects of knee loading on diaphyseal cortical bone in the femur. METHODS: Using a custom-made piezoelectric loader, 0.5-N loads were laterally applied to the left knee of C57/BL/6 mice at 5, 10, 15, and 20 Hz for 3 minutes per day for 3 consecutive days. Animals were sacrificed for examination 13 days after the last loading. The contralateral femur was used as a non-loading control, and the statistical significance of loading effects was evaluated with p < 0.05. RESULTS: Although diaphyseal strains were measured as small as 12 μstrains, bone histomorphometry clearly demonstrated frequency-dependent enhancement of bone formation. Compared to a non-loading control, bone formation on the periosteal surface was significantly enhanced. The loading at 15 Hz was most effective in elevating the mineralizing surface (1.7 x; p < 0.05), mineral apposition rate (1.4 x; p < 0.001), and bone formation rate (2.4 x; p < 0.01). The loading at 10 Hz elevated the mineralizing surface (1.4 x; p < 0.05), mineral apposition rate (1.3 x; p < 0.01), and bone formation rate (1.8 x; p < 0.05). The cross-sectional cortical area and the cortical thickness in the femoral diaphysis were significantly increased by loading at 10 Hz (both 9%) and 15 Hz (12% and 13%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results support the anabolic effects of knee loading on diaphyseal cortical bone in the femur with small in situ strain, and they extend our knowledge on the interplay between bone and joints. Strengthening the femur contributes to preventing femoral fractures, and the discovery about the described knee loading might provide a novel strategy to strengthen osteoporotic bones. Further analyses are required to understand the biophysical and molecular mechanism behind knee loading
Mach's Principle and the Origin of Inertia
The current status of Mach's principle is discussed within the context of
general relativity. The inertial properties of a particle are determined by its
mass and spin, since these characterize the irreducible unitary representations
of the inhomogeneous Lorentz group. The origin of the inertia of mass and
intrinsic spin are discussed and the inertia of intrinsic spin is studied via
the coupling of intrinsic spin with rotation. The implications of spin-rotation
coupling and the possibility of history dependence and nonlocality in
relativistic physics are briefly mentioned.Comment: 14 pages. Dedicated to Carl Brans in honor of his 80th birthday. To
appear in the Brans Festschrift; v2: typo corrected, published in: At the
Frontier of Spacetime, edited by T. Asselmeyer-Maluga (Springer, 2016),
Chapter 10, pp. 177-18
Strain driven fast osseointegration of implants
BACKGROUND: Although the bone's capability of dental implant osseointegration has clinically been utilised as early as in the Gallo-Roman population, the specific mechanisms for the emergence and maintenance of peri-implant bone under functional load have not been identified. Here we show that under immediate loading of specially designed dental implants with masticatory loads, osseointegration is rapidly achieved. METHODS: We examined the bone reaction around non- and immediately loaded dental implants inserted in the mandible of mature minipigs during the presently assumed time for osseointegration. We used threaded conical titanium implants containing a titanium2+ oxide surface, allowing direct bone contact after insertion. The external geometry was designed according to finite element analysis: the calculation showed that physiological amplitudes of strain (500–3,000 ustrain) generated through mastication were homogenously distributed in peri-implant bone. The strain-energy density (SED) rate under assessment of a 1 Hz loading cycle was 150 Jm-3 s-1, peak dislocations were lower then nm. RESULTS: Bone was in direct contact to the implant surface (bone/implant contact rate 90%) from day one of implant insertion, as quantified by undecalcified histological sections. This effect was substantiated by ultrastructural analysis of intimate osteoblast attachment and mature collagen mineralisation at the titanium surface. We detected no loss in the intimate bone/implant bond during the experimental period of either control or experimental animals, indicating that immediate load had no adverse effect on bone structure in peri-implant bone. CONCLUSION: In terms of clinical relevance, the load related bone reaction at the implant interface may in combination with substrate effects be responsible for an immediate osseointegration state
Power-law solutions for TeVeS
The dynamics of TeVeS in a homogeneous and isotropic universe is shown to be
equivalent to the dynamics of an interacting two-component system, consisting
of a scalar field and a "fluid", related to the matter part, with explicitly
given coupling term. Scaling solutions (solutions with a constant ratio of the
energy densities of both components) in the "Einstein frame" are found which
are exponentially expanding or contracting with no remaining freedom for
Bekenstein's function. In the "physical frame" these solutions are of the
power-law type. An equivalent General Relativity (GR) picture of the dynamics
suggests that it is the scalar field which plays the role of dark matter, while
the "matter" has to mimic (phantom-type) dark energy.Comment: 24 pages, presentation improved, acepted for publication in
Class.Quantum Grav
Infectious Disease Ontology
Technological developments have resulted in tremendous increases in the volume and diversity of the data and information that must be processed in the course of biomedical and clinical research and practice. Researchers are at the same time under ever greater pressure to share data and to take steps to ensure that data resources are interoperable. The use of ontologies to annotate data has proven successful in supporting these goals and in providing new possibilities for the automated processing of data and information. In this chapter, we describe different types of vocabulary resources and emphasize those features of formal ontologies that make them most useful for computational applications. We describe current uses of ontologies and discuss future goals for ontology-based computing, focusing on its use in the field of infectious diseases. We review the largest and most widely used vocabulary resources relevant to the study of infectious diseases and conclude with a description of the Infectious Disease Ontology (IDO) suite of interoperable ontology modules that together cover the entire infectious disease domain
Large bowel obstruction due to sesame seed bezoar: a case report
peer-reviewedWe report a case of a 79 year old man with a known benign anastomotic stricture presenting with
large bowel obstruction. At laparotomy the obstruction was found to be caused by a large sesame
seed bezoar. Seed bezoars are well known to cause impaction in the rectum but have never been
previously reported to cause large bowel obstruction. We recommend that patients with known
large bowel strictures should be advised not to eat seeds as this could ultimately lead to
obstruction, ischaemia or perforationPUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe
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