655 research outputs found
Selecting a Shared 21st Century Management System
This paper describes the factors that led the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a 37 institution academic library consortium in the Pacific Northwest, to move to a shared library management system. The steps that the Alliance and its 37 member libraries took over a period of years are summarized, including the work of several research and planning groups and a formal Request for Information process. A subsequent Request for Proposal (RFP) process ended in the selection of Ex Libris Alma management system and Primo discovery services for Alliance libraries. The paper also describes the Alliance’s vision for the shared library management system, including collaborative technical services and cooperative collection development
Collapse of triaxial bright solitons in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates
We study triaxial bright solitons made of attractive Bose-condensed atoms
characterized by the absence of confinement in the longitudinal axial direction
but trapped by an anisotropic harmonic potential in the transverse plane. By
numerically solving the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation we
investigate the effect of the transverse trap anisotropy on the critical
interaction strength above which there is the collapse of the condensate. The
comparison with previous predictions [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 66}, 043619 (2002)]
shows significant differences for large anisotropies.Comment: Accepted for the publication in Phys. Lett.
Dimensional and Temperature Crossover in Trapped Bose Gases
We investigate the long-range phase coherence of homogeneous and trapped Bose
gases as a function of the geometry of the trap, the temperature, and the
mean-field interactions in the weakly interacting limit. We explicitly take
into account the (quasi)condensate depletion due to quantum and thermal
fluctuations, i.e., we include the effects of both phase and density
fluctuations. In particular, we determine the phase diagram of the gas by
calculating the off-diagonal one-particle density matrix and discuss the
various crossovers that occur in this phase diagram and the feasibility of
their experimental observation in trapped Bose gases.Comment: One figure added, typos corrected, refernces adde
Hydrodynamic behavior in expanding thermal clouds of Rb-87
We study hydrodynamic behavior in expanding thermal clouds of Rb-87 released
from an elongated trap. At our highest densities the mean free path is smaller
than the radial size of the cloud. After release the clouds expand
anisotropically. The cloud temperature drops by as much as 30%. This is
attributed to isentropic cooling during the early stages of the expansion. We
present an analytical model to describe the expansion and to estimate the
cooling. Important consequences for time-of-flight thermometry are discussed.Comment: 7 pages with 2 figure
An enhanced genetic model of relapsed IGH-translocated multiple myeloma evolutionary dynamics
Most patients with multiple myeloma (MM) die from progressive disease after relapse. To advance our understanding of MM evolution mechanisms, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 80 IGH-translocated tumour-normal newly diagnosed pairs and 24 matched relapsed tumours from the Myeloma XI trial. We identify multiple events as potentially important for survival and therapy-resistance at relapse including driver point mutations (e.g., TET2), translocations (MAP3K14), lengthened telomeres, and increased genomic instability (e.g., 17p deletions). Despite heterogeneous mutational processes contributing to relapsed mutations across MM subtypes, increased AID/APOBEC activity is particularly associated with shorter progression time to relapse, and contributes to higher mutational burden at relapse. In addition, we identify three enhanced major clonal evolution patterns of MM relapse, independent of treatment strategies and molecular karyotypes, questioning the viability of “evolutionary herding” approach in treating drug-resistant MM. Our data show that MM relapse is associated with acquisition of new mutations and clonal selection, and suggest APOBEC enzymes among potential targets for therapy-resistant MM
A systematic review of health-related quality of life in cutaneous melanoma
Melanoma can be considered an emerging chronic disease that may considerably affect patients’ lives. The authors systematically reviewed the available literature on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and melanoma. Of reviews and the selected studies, reference lists were hand-searched. The quality of the eligible studies was appraised based on 14 previously published criteria. Of the 158 abstracts, 44 articles were appraised, resulting in 13 selected studies written in English (published between 2001 and 2008). Most studies assessed patients from specialised centres with varying, but relatively advanced, disease stages. The most commonly used instruments were the SF-36 and EORTC QLQ-C30. Recently, a melanoma-specific HRQOL questionnaire [FACT-Melanoma (FACT-M)] was introduced for clinical trial purposes. It showed that approximately one-third of melanoma patients experienced considerable levels of distress, mostly at the time of diagnosis and following treatment. Systemic therapies affected HRQOL negatively in the short term, but to a lesser extent in the long term. Health status and patients’ psychological characteristics are associated with higher levels of HRQOL impairment. The authors found that the impact of melanoma on patients’ HRQOL is comparable to that of other cancers. Accurately assessing HRQOL impairment in melanoma patients is pivotal, as it may affect disease management, including therapy and additional counselling, future preventive behaviour and perhaps even prognosis
MicroMotility: State of the art, recent accomplishments and perspectives on the mathematical modeling of bio-motility at microscopic scales
Mathematical modeling and quantitative study of biological motility (in particular, of motility at microscopic scales) is producing new biophysical insight and is offering opportunities for new discoveries at the level of both fundamental science and technology. These range from the explanation of how complex behavior at the level of a single organism emerges from body architecture, to the understanding of collective phenomena in groups of organisms and tissues, and of how these forms of swarm intelligence can be controlled and harnessed in engineering applications, to the elucidation of processes of fundamental biological relevance at the cellular and sub-cellular level. In this paper, some of the most exciting new developments in the fields of locomotion of unicellular organisms, of soft adhesive locomotion across scales, of the study of pore translocation properties of knotted DNA, of the development of synthetic active solid sheets, of the mechanics of the unjamming transition in dense cell collectives, of the mechanics of cell sheet folding in volvocalean algae, and of the self-propulsion of topological defects in active matter are discussed. For each of these topics, we provide a brief state of the art, an example of recent achievements, and some directions for future research
Coping with melanoma-related worry: a qualitative study of the experiences and support needs of patients with malignant melanoma
Aims and objectives
To explore the patients' experience of having malignant melanoma, their related support needs and the processes that lead to these needs being met.
Background
The number of patients attending surveillance clinics after a diagnosis of malignant melanoma is increasing. In the UK specialist nurses provide support to patients, but little evidence exists about the nature of patients' support needs or their experience of having melanoma. Melanoma has often been researched within general cancer studies, yet the support needs of melanoma patients may be different from those of patients with other skin cancers or tumour types.
Design
A Grounded Theory Approach was used to guide sampling, data collection and analysis.
Methods
In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven patients who where purposively sampled. Transcripts were read several times, coded and categorised using the constant comparative method. Emergent categories were discussed with participants.
Results
Three emergent categories related to a core category of melanoma-related worry which formed a substantive theory about the strategies patients use to control this. Participants reported needing to have their concerns believed by others prior to and after diagnosis. They discussed discerning whom to share their concerns with depending upon who they felt would not perceive assisting them as being burdensome. They also sought ways to reassure themselves.
Conclusions
Patients need to have their fear and worries acknowledged by others. This includes nurses, healthcare professionals and family members. Patients will also use self-examination and the absence of symptoms to reassure themselves.
Relevance to clinical practice
Nurses play key roles throughout the patient's care; therefore they need to be sensitive to the fact that patients may consider them a primary source of support. When teaching self-examination it is important that nurses discuss that this may ease worry and aid coping
Theory of Multidimensional Solitons
We review a number of topics germane to higher-dimensional solitons in
Bose-Einstein condensates. For dark solitons, we discuss dark band and planar
solitons; ring dark solitons and spherical shell solitons; solitary waves in
restricted geometries; vortex rings and rarefaction pulses; and multi-component
Bose-Einstein condensates. For bright solitons, we discuss instability,
stability, and metastability; bright soliton engineering, including pulsed atom
lasers; solitons in a thermal bath; soliton-soliton interactions; and bright
ring solitons and quantum vortices. A thorough reference list is included.Comment: review paper, to appear as Chapter 5a in "Emergent Nonlinear
Phenomena in Bose-Einstein Condensates: Theory and Experiment," edited by P.
G. Kevrekidis, D. J. Frantzeskakis, and R. Carretero-Gonzalez
(Springer-Verlag
Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology with Gravitational Waves
Gravitational wave detectors are already operating at interesting sensitivity
levels, and they have an upgrade path that should result in secure detections
by 2014. We review the physics of gravitational waves, how they interact with
detectors (bars and interferometers), and how these detectors operate. We study
the most likely sources of gravitational waves and review the data analysis
methods that are used to extract their signals from detector noise. Then we
consider the consequences of gravitational wave detections and observations for
physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.Comment: 137 pages, 16 figures, Published version
<http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2009-2
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