700 research outputs found
A quadratic stability result for singular switched systems with application to anti-windup control
In this note we consider the problem of determining
necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a common quadratic Lyapunov function for a pair of stable linear
time-invariant systems whose system matrices are of the form A, A−ghT , and where one of the matrices is singular. We then apply this result in a study of a feedback system with a
saturating actuator
Recommended from our members
Loss of the PTCH1 tumor suppressor defines a new subset of plexiform fibromyxoma.
BackgroundPlexiform fibromyxoma (PF) is a rare gastric tumor often confused with gastrointestinal stromal tumor. These so-called "benign" tumors often present with upper GI bleeding and gastric outlet obstruction. It was recently demonstrated that approximately one-third of PF have activation of the GLI1 oncogene, a transcription factor in the hedgehog (Hh) pathway, via a MALAT1-GLI1 fusion protein or GLI1 up-regulation. Despite this discovery, the biology of most PFs remains unknown.MethodsNext generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of PF specimens collected from three institutions (UCSD, NCI and OHSU). Fresh frozen tissue from one tumor was utilized for in vitro assays, including quantitative RT-PCR and cell viability assays following drug treatment.ResultsEight patients with PF were identified and 5 patients' tumors were analyzed by NGS. An index case had a mono-allelic PTCH1 deletion of exons 15-24 and a second case, identified in a validation cohort, also had a PTCH1 gene loss associated with a suspected long-range chromosome 9 deletion. Building on the role of Hh signaling in PF, PTCH1, a tumor suppressor protein, functions upstream of GLI1. Loss of PTCH1 induces GLI1 activation and downstream gene transcription. Utilizing fresh tissue from the index PF case, RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated expression of Hh pathway components, SMO and GLI1, as well as GLI1 transcriptional targets, CCND1 and HHIP. In turn, short-term in vitro treatment with a Hh pathway inhibitor, sonidegib, resulted in dose-dependent cell killing.ConclusionsFor the first time, we report a novel association between PTCH1 inactivation and the development of plexiform fibromyxoma. Hh pathway inhibition with SMO antagonists may represent a target to study for treating a subset of plexiform fibromyxomas
Renorm-group, Causality and Non-power Perturbation Expansion in QFT
The structure of the QFT expansion is studied in the framework of a new
"Invariant analytic" version of the perturbative QCD. Here, an invariant
(running) coupling is transformed
into a "--analytized" invariant coupling which, by constuction, is free of ghost singularities due to
incorporating some nonperturbative structures.
Meanwhile, the "analytized" perturbation expansion for an observable , in
contrast with the usual case, may contain specific functions , the "n-th power of analytized as a whole", instead
of . In other words, the pertubation series for , due to
analyticity imperative, may change its form turning into an {\it asymptotic
expansion \`a la Erd\'elyi over a nonpower set} .
We analyse sets of functions and discuss properties of
non-power expansion arising with their relations to feeble loop and scheme
dependence of observables.
The issue of ambiguity of the invariant analytization procedure and of
possible inconsistency of some of its versions with the RG structure is also
discussed.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX To appear in Teor. Mat. Fizika 119 (1999) No.
Engagement with care, substance use, and adherence to therapy in HIV/AIDS
Engagement with care for those living with HIV is aimed at establishing a strong relationship between patients and their health care provider and is often associated with greater adherence to therapy and treatment (Flickinger, Saha, Moore, and Beach, 2013). Substance use behaviors are linked with lower rates of engagement with care and medication adherence (Horvath, Carrico, Simoni, Boyer, Amico, and Petroli, 2013). This study is a secondary data analysis using a cross-sectional design from a larger randomized controlled trial (n = 775) that investigated the efficacy of a self-care symptom management manual for participants living with HIV. Participants were recruited from countries of Africa and the US. This study provides evidence that substance use is linked with lower self-reported engagement with care and adherence to therapy. Data on substance use and engagement are presented. Clinical implications of the study address the importance of utilizing health care system and policy factors to improve engagement with care
Stable, metastable and unstable states in the mean-field RFIM at T=0
We compute the probability of finding metastable states at a given field in
the mean-field random field Ising model at T=0. Remarkably, this probability is
finite in the thermodynamic limit, even on the so-called ``unstable'' branch of
the magnetization curve. This implies that the branch is reachable when the
magnetization is controlled instead of the magnetic field, in contrast with the
situation in the pure system.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
The Newtonian limit of spacetimes for accelerated particles and black holes
Solutions of vacuum Einstein's field equations describing uniformly
accelerated particles or black holes belong to the class of boost-rotation
symmetric spacetimes. They are the only explicit solutions known which
represent moving finite objects. Their Newtonian limit is analyzed using the
Ehlers frame theory. Generic spacetimes with axial and boost symmetries are
first studied from the Newtonian perspective. The results are then illustrated
by specific examples such as C-metric, Bonnor-Swaminarayan solutions,
self-accelerating "dipole particles", and generalized boost-rotation symmetric
solutions describing freely falling particles in an external field. In contrast
to some previous discussions, our results are physically plausible in the sense
that the Newtonian limit corresponds to the fields of classical point masses
accelerated uniformly in classical mechanics. This corroborates the physical
significance of the boost-rotation symmetric spacetimes
Real world challenges in delivering person centred care: A community based case study
Community nurses face many challenges when trying to practice evidence-based, person-centred care. Ongoing concerns regarding the impact of the 2013 Francis Report (Ford and Lintern, 2017) suggest that individualised and holistic care is an impossible dream, one made harder when the client appears uncooperative. This paper presents a case study that sets out how some of these challenges were met in a potentially difficult situation experienced by a student nurse and her mentor in practice, in which the student was supported to further examine and explore issues that may have influenced the situation. In this instance, the solution came with the recognition that the client had expertise and knowledge that needed to be taken into account, alongside that of the nurses looking after him. His care became a partnership, not an imposition of expertise; a principle which is transferable to many other situations. Underpinning it was the recognition of our shared humanity, wherein lies the essence of truly holistic care, and student nurses learning this, through the guidance and support of their mentor.
A novel series solution to the renormalization group equation in QCD
Recently, the QCD renormalization group (RG) equation at higher orders in
MS-like renormalization schemes has been solved for the running coupling as a
series expansion in powers of the exact 2-loop order coupling. In this work, we
prove that the power series converges to all orders in perturbation theory.
Solving the RG equation at higher orders, we determine the running coupling as
an implicit function of the 2-loop order running coupling. Then we analyze the
singularity structure of the higher order coupling in the complex 2-loop
coupling plane. This enables us to calculate the radii of convergence of the
series solutions at the 3- and 4-loop orders as a function of the number of
quark flavours . In parallel, we discuss in some detail the
singularity structure of the coupling at the 3- and 4-loops in
the complex momentum squared plane for . The
correspondence between the singularity structure of the running coupling in the
complex momentum squared plane and the convergence radius of the series
solution is established. For sufficiently large values, we find
that the series converges for all values of the momentum squared variable
. For lower values of , in the scheme,
we determine the minimal value of the momentum squared above
which the series converges. We study properties of the non-power series
corresponding to the presented power series solution in the QCD Analytic
Perturbation Theory approach of Shirkov and Solovtsov. The Euclidean and
Minkowskian versions of the non-power series are found to be uniformly
convergent over whole ranges of the corresponding momentum squared variables.Comment: 29 pages,LateX file, uses IOP LateX class file, 2 figures, 13 Tables.
Formulas (4)-(7) and Table 1 were relegated to Appendix 1, some notations
changed, 2 footnotes added. Clarifying discussion added at the end of Sect.
3, more references and acknowledgments added. Accepted for publication in
Few-Body System
- …