178 research outputs found
Global estimates for solutions to the linearized Monge--Amp\`ere equations
In this paper, we establish global estimates for solutions to the
linearized Monge-Amp\`ere equations under natural assumptions on the domain,
Monge-Amp\`ere measures and boundary data. Our estimates are affine invariant
analogues of the global estimates of Winter for fully nonlinear,
uniformly elliptic equations, and also linearized counterparts of Savin's
global estimates for the Monge-Amp\`ere equations.Comment: v2: presentation improve
On Black Hole Detection with the OWL/Airwatch Telescope
In scenarios with large extra dimensions and TeV scale gravity ultrahigh
energy neutrinos produce black holes in their interactions with the nucleons.
We show that ICECUBE and OWL may observe large number of black hole events and
provide valuable information about the fundamental Planck scale and the number
of extra dimensions. OWL is especially well suited to observe black hole events
produced by neutrinos from the interactions of cosmic rays with the 3 K
background radiation. Depending on the parameters of the scenario of large
extra dimensions and on the flux model, as many as 28 events per year are
expected for a Planck scale of 3 TeV.Comment: 8 pages, including 7 color figures, three figure captions corrected,
minor changes for clarification, one reference adde
COVID-19 vaccine safety in Scotland - background rates of adverse events of special interest
Objectives: Mass COVID-19 vaccination commenced in December 2020 in Scotland. Monitoring vaccine safety relies on accurate background incidence rates (IRs) for health outcomes potentially associated with vaccination. This study aimed to quantify IRs in Scotland of adverse events of special interest (AESI) potentially associated with COVID-19 vaccination. Study design and methods: IRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 36 AESI were calculated retrospectively for the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (01 January 2015â31 December 2019) and the COVID-19 pandemic period (01 April 2020â30 November 2020), with age-sex stratification, and separately by calendar month and year. Incident cases were determined using International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision (ICD-10)âcoded hospitalisations. Results: Prepandemic population-wide IRs ranged from 0.4 (0.3â0.5 CIs) cases per 100,000 person-years (PYRS) for neuromyelitis optica to 478.4 (475.8â481.0 CIs) cases per 100,000 PYRS for acute renal failure. Pandemic population-wide IRs ranged from 0.3 (0.2â0.5 CIs) cases per 100,000 PYRS for Kawasaki disease to 483.4 (473.2â493.7 CIs) cases per 100,000 PYRS for acute coronary syndrome. All AESI IRs varied by age and sex. Ten AESI (acute coronary syndrome, acute myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, heart failure, multiple sclerosis, polyneuropathies and peripheral neuropathies, respiratory failure, rheumatoid arthritis and polyarthritis, seizures and vasculitis) had lower pandemic than prepandemic period IRs overall. Only deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism had a higher pandemic IR. Conclusion: Lower pandemic IRs likely resulted from reduced health-seeking behaviours and healthcare provision. Higher IRs may be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections. AESI IRs will facilitate future vaccine safety studies in Scotland
Large Extra Dimensions and Decaying KK Recurrences
We suggest the possibility that in ADD type brane-world scenarios, the higher
KK excitations of the graviton may decay to lower ones owing to a breakdown of
the conservation of extra dimensional ``momenta'' and study its implications
for astrophysics and cosmology. We give an explicit realization of this idea
with a bulk scalar field , whose nonzero KK modes acquire vacuum
expectation values. This scenario helps to avoid constraints on large extra
dimensions that come from gamma ray flux bounds in the direction of nearby
supernovae as well as those coming from diffuse cosmological gamma ray
background. It also relaxes the very stringent limits on reheat temperature of
the universe in ADD models.Comment: 16 pages, late
Cost effectiveness of a 1-hour high-sensitivity troponin-T protocol: an analysis of the RAPID-TnT trial
Background: To understand the economic impact of an accelerated 0/1-hour high-sensitivity troponin-T (hs-cTnT) protocol. Objective:
To conduct a patient-level economic analysis of the RAPID-TnT randomised trial in patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: An economic evaluation was conducted with 3265 patients randomised to either the 0/1-hour hs-cTnT protocol (n = 1634) or the conventional 0/3-hour standard-of-care protocol (n = 1631) with costs reported in Australian dollars. The primary clinical outcome was all-cause mortality or new/recurrent myocardial infarction. Results:
Over 12-months, mean per patient costs were numerically higher in the 0/1-hour arm compared to the conventional 0/3-hour arm (by -1,380.15 to 891.22/patient, 95 %CI: 152.44/patient, 95 %CI:2,097.99, P = 0.988), whilst the reduction in ED LOS was more pronounced (by 0.70 h/patient, 95 %CI: 0.45â0.95, P < 0.001). Conclusions: There were no differences in resource utilization between the 0/1-hour hs-cTnT protocol versus the conventional 0/3-hour protocol for the assessment of suspected ACS, despite improved initial ED efficiency. Further refinements in strategies to improve clinical outcomes and subsequent management efficiency are needed.Ming-yu Anthony Chuang Emmanuel S. Gnanamanickam, Jonathan Karnon,
Kristina Lambrakis, Matthew Horsfall, Andrew Blyth ... et al
Black Holes from Cosmic Rays: Probes of Extra Dimensions and New Limits on TeV-Scale Gravity
If extra spacetime dimensions and low-scale gravity exist, black holes will
be produced in observable collisions of elementary particles. For the next
several years, ultra-high energy cosmic rays provide the most promising window
on this phenomenon. In particular, cosmic neutrinos can produce black holes
deep in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to quasi-horizontal giant air showers.
We determine the sensitivity of cosmic ray detectors to black hole production
and compare the results to other probes of extra dimensions. With n \ge 4 extra
dimensions, current bounds on deeply penetrating showers from AGASA already
provide the most stringent bound on low-scale gravity, requiring a fundamental
Planck scale M_D > 1.3 - 1.8 TeV. The Auger Observatory will probe M_D as large
as 4 TeV and may observe on the order of a hundred black holes in 5 years. We
also consider the implications of angular momentum and possible exponentially
suppressed parton cross sections; including these effects, large black hole
rates are still possible. Finally, we demonstrate that even if only a few black
hole events are observed, a standard model interpretation may be excluded by
comparison with Earth-skimming neutrino rates.Comment: 30 pages, 18 figures; v2: discussion of gravitational infall, AGASA
and Fly's Eye comparison added; v3: Earth-skimming results modified and
strengthened, published versio
Fast-timing measurements in neutron-rich odd-mass zirconium isotopes using LaBr3:Ce detectors coupled with Gammasphere
A fast-timing experiment was performed at the Argonne National Laboratory to measure the lifetimes of the lowest lying states of nuclei belonging to the deformed regions around mass number A 110 and A 150. These regions were populated via spontaneous fission of 252 Cf and the gamma radiation following the decay of excited states in the fission fragments was measured using 51 Gammasphere detectors coupled with 25 LaBr 3 :Ce detectors. A brief description of the acquisition system and some preliminary results from the fast-timing analysis of the fission fragment 100Zr are presented. The lifetime value of \u3c4 = 840(65) ps was found for the 2 + state in 100 Zr consistent within one standard deviation of the adopted value with 791 +26 -35 ps. This is associated with a quadrupole deformation parameter of 0.36(2) which is within one standard deviation of the literature value of 0.3556 +82 -57
Fast-timing measurements in the ground-state band of Pd114
Using a hybrid Gammasphere array coupled to 25 LaBr3(Ce) detectors, the lifetimes of the first three levels of the yrast band in Pd-114, populated via Cf-252 decay, have been measured. The measured lifetimes are tau(2+) = 103(10) ps, tau(4+) = 22(13) ps, and tau(6+) <= 10 ps for the 2(1)(+), 4(1)(+), and 6(1)(+) levels, respectively. Palladium-114 was predicted to be the most deformed isotope of its isotopic chain, and spectroscopic studies have suggested it might also be a candidate nucleus for low-spin stable triaxiality. From the lifetimes measured in this work, reduced transition probabilities B(E2; J -> J - 2) are calculated and compared with interacting boson model, projected shell model, and collective model calculations from the literature. The experimental ratio R-B(E2) = B(E2; 4(1)(+) -> 2(1)(+))/B(E2; 2(1)(+) -> 0(1)(+)) = 0.80(42) is measured for the first time in Pd-114 and compared with the known values R-B(E2) in the palladium isotopic chain: the systematics suggest that, for N = 68, a transition from gamma-unstable to a more rigid gamma-deformed nuclear shape occurs
Control of Mitochondrial Membrane Permeabilization by Adenine Nucleotide Translocator Interacting with HIV-1 Viral Protein R and Bcl-2
Viral protein R (Vpr), an apoptogenic accessory protein encoded by HIV-1, induces mitochondrial membrane permeabilization (MMP) via a specific interaction with the permeability transition pore complex, which comprises the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) in the outer membrane (OM) and the adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) in the inner membrane. Here, we demonstrate that a synthetic Vpr-derived peptide (Vpr52-96) specifically binds to the intermembrane face of the ANT with an affinity in the nanomolar range. Taking advantage of this specific interaction, we determined the role of ANT in the control of MMP. In planar lipid bilayers, Vpr52-96 and purified ANT cooperatively form large conductance channels. This cooperative channel formation relies on a direct proteinâprotein interaction since it is abolished by the addition of a peptide corresponding to the Vpr binding site of ANT. When added to isolated mitochondria, Vpr52-96 uncouples the respiratory chain and induces a rapid inner MMP to protons and NADH. This inner MMP precedes outer MMP to cytochrome c. Vpr52-96âinduced matrix swelling and inner MMP both are prevented by preincubation of purified mitochondria with recombinant Bcl-2 protein. In contrast to König's polyanion (PA10), a specific inhibitor of the VDAC, Bcl-2 fails to prevent Vpr52-96 from crossing the mitochondrial OM. Rather, Bcl-2 reduces the ANTâVpr interaction, as determined by affinity purification and plasmon resonance studies. Concomitantly, Bcl-2 suppresses channel formation by the ANTâVpr complex in synthetic membranes. In conclusion, both Vpr and Bcl-2 modulate MMP through a direct interaction with ANT
Performance and carcass traits of Santa InĂȘs lambs finished with different sources of forage
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