2,486 research outputs found
Generating the Best Stacking Sequence Table for the Design of Blended Composite Structures
In order to improve the ability of a large-scale light-weight composite structure to carry tensile or compressive loads, stiffeners are added to the structure. The stiffeners divide the structure into several smaller panels. For a composite structure to be manufacturable, it is necessary that plies are continuous in multiple adjacent panels. To be able to prescribe a manufacturable design, an optimization algorithm can be coupled with a reference table for the stacking sequences (SST). As long as the ply stacks are selected from the SST, it is guaranteed that the design is manufacturable and all strength related guidelines associated with the design of composite structures are satisfied. An SST is made only based on strength related guidelines. Therefore, there exist a large number of possibilities for SSTs. Minimized mass is a typical goal in the design of aircraft structures. Different SSTs result in different values for the minimized mass. Thus it is crucial to perform optimization based on the SST which results in the lowest mass. This paper aims to introduce an approach to generate a unique SST resulting in the lowest mass. The proposed method is applied to the optimization problem of a stiffened composite structure resembling the skin of an aircraft wing box
Autophagy: A cyto-protective mechanism which prevents primary human hepatocyte apoptosis during oxidative stress
The role of autophagy in the response of human hepatocytes to oxidative stress remains unknown. Understanding this process may have important implications for the understanding of basic liver epithelial cell biology and the responses of hepatocytes during liver disease. To address this we isolated primary hepatocytes from human liver tissue and exposed them ex vivo to hypoxia and hypoxia-reoxygenation (H-R). We showed that oxidative stress increased hepatocyte autophagy in a reactive oxygen species (ROS) and class III PtdIns3K-dependent manner. Specifically, mitochondrial ROS and NADPH oxidase were found to be key regulators of autophagy. Autophagy involved the upregulation of BECN1, LC3A, Atg7, Atg5 and Atg 12 during hypoxia and H-R. Autophagy was seen to occur within the mitochondria of the hepatocyte and inhibition of autophagy resulted in the lowering a mitochondrial membrane potential and onset of cell death. Autophagic responses were primarily observed in the large peri-venular (PV) hepatocyte subpopulation. Inhibition of autophagy, using 3-methyladenine, increased apoptosis during H-R. Specifically, PV human hepatocytes were more susceptible to apoptosis after inhibition of autophagy. These findings show for the first time that during oxidative stress autophagy serves as a cell survival mechanism for primary human hepatocytes
Complete genome organization of American hop latent virus and its relationship to carlaviruses
The complete genomic sequence of American hop latent virus (AHLV; genus Carlavirus) was determined. The genome consists of 8,601 nucleotides plus a 3′-polyadenylate tail. The genome encompasses six potential open reading frames (ORF) in the positive sense, and their organization is typical of other carlaviruses. Analysis of the coat protein coding sequence at both the nucleic acid level and the amino acid level indicates that AHLV is only remotely related to the other carlaviruses known to infect common hop. Polyclonal antibodies were produced against the bacterially expressed coat protein of AHLV. These antibodies differentiated between AHLV and other carlaviruses of hop
Index Theorem and Overlap Formalism with Naive and Minimally Doubled Fermions
We present a theoretical foundation for the Index theorem in naive and
minimally doubled lattice fermions by studying the spectral flow of a Hermitean
version of Dirac operators. We utilize the point splitting method to implement
flavored mass terms, which play an important role in constructing proper
Hermitean operators. We show the spectral flow correctly detects the index of
the would-be zero modes which is determined by gauge field topology. Using the
flavored mass terms, we present new types of overlap fermions from the naive
fermion kernels, with a number of flavors that depends on the choice of the
mass terms. We succeed to obtain a single-flavor naive overlap fermion which
maintains hypercubic symmetry.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figures; references added, version accepted in JHE
Numerical properties of staggered quarks with a taste-dependent mass term
The numerical properties of staggered Dirac operators with a taste-dependent
mass term proposed by Adams [1,2] and by Hoelbling [3] are compared with those
of ordinary staggered and Wilson Dirac operators. In the free limit and on
(quenched) interacting configurations, we consider their topological
properties, their spectrum, and the resulting pion mass. Although we also
consider the spectral structure, topological properties, locality, and
computational cost of an overlap operator with a staggered kernel, we call
attention to the possibility of using the Adams and Hoelbling operators without
the overlap construction. In particular, the Hoelbling operator could be used
to simulate two degenerate flavors without additive mass renormalization, and
thus without fine-tuning in the chiral limit.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. V2: published version; important note added
regarding Hoelbling fermions, otherwise minor change
Genetic risk factors for cerebrovascular disease in children with sickle cell disease: design of a case-control association study and genomewide screen
BACKGROUND: The phenotypic heterogeneity of sickle cell disease is likely the result of multiple genetic factors and their interaction with the sickle mutation. High transcranial doppler (TCD) velocities define a subgroup of children with sickle cell disease who are at increased risk for developing ischemic stroke. The genetic factors leading to the development of a high TCD velocity (i.e. cerebrovascular disease) and ultimately to stroke are not well characterized. METHODS: We have designed a case-control association study to elucidate the role of genetic polymorphisms as risk factors for cerebrovascular disease as measured by a high TCD velocity in children with sickle cell disease. The study will consist of two parts: a candidate gene study and a genomewide screen and will be performed in 230 cases and 400 controls. Cases will include 130 patients (TCD ≥ 200 cm/s) randomized in the Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP) study as well as 100 other patients found to have high TCD in STOP II screening. Four hundred sickle cell disease patients with a normal TCD velocity (TCD < 170 cm/s) will be controls. The candidate gene study will involve the analysis of 28 genetic polymorphisms in 20 candidate genes. The polymorphisms include mutations in coagulation factor genes (Factor V, Prothrombin, Fibrinogen, Factor VII, Factor XIII, PAI-1), platelet activation/function (GpIIb/IIIa, GpIb IX-V, GpIa/IIa), vascular reactivity (ACE), endothelial cell function (MTHFR, thrombomodulin, VCAM-1, E-Selectin, L-Selectin, P-Selectin, ICAM-1), inflammation (TNFα), lipid metabolism (Apo A1, Apo E), and cell adhesion (VCAM-1, E-Selectin, L-Selectin, P-Selectin, ICAM-1). We will perform a genomewide screen of validated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pooled DNA samples from 230 cases and 400 controls to study the possible association of additional polymorphisms with the high-risk phenotype. High-throughput SNP genotyping will be performed through MALDI-TOF technology using Sequenom's MassARRAY™ system. DISCUSSION: It is expected that this study will yield important information on genetic risk factors for the cerebrovascular disease phenotype in sickle cell disease by clarifying the role of candidate genes in the development of high TCD. The genomewide screen for a large number of SNPs may uncover the association of novel polymorphisms with cerebrovascular disease and stroke in sickle cell disease
Single and two-particle energy gaps across the disorder-driven superconductor-insulator transition
The competition between superconductivity and localization raises profound
questions in condensed matter physics. In spite of decades of research, the
mechanism of the superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) and the nature of
the insulator are not understood. We use quantum Monte Carlo simulations that
treat, on an equal footing, inhomogeneous amplitude variations and phase
fluctuations, a major advance over previous theories. We gain new microscopic
insights and make testable predictions for local spectroscopic probes. The
energy gap in the density of states survives across the transition, but
coherence peaks exist only in the superconductor. A characteristic pseudogap
persists above the critical disorder and critical temperature, in contrast to
conventional theories. Surprisingly, the insulator has a two-particle gap scale
that vanishes at the SIT, despite a robust single-particle gap.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures (plus supplement with 4 pages, 5 figures
On the effect of resonances in composite Higgs phenomenology
We consider a generic composite Higgs model based on the coset SO(5)/SO(4)
and study its phenomenology beyond the leading low-energy effective lagrangian
approximation. Our basic goal is to introduce in a controllable and simple way
the lowest-lying, possibly narrow, resonances that may exist is such models. We
do so by proposing a criterion that we call partial UV completion. We
characterize the simplest cases, corresponding respectively to a scalar in
either singlet or tensor representation of SO(4) and to vectors in the adjoint
of SO(4). We study the impact of these resonances on the signals associated to
high-energy vector boson scattering, pointing out for each resonance the
characteristic patterns of depletion and enhancement with respect to the
leading-order chiral lagrangian. En route we derive the O(p^4) general chiral
lagrangian and discuss its peculiar accidental and approximate symmetries.Comment: v3: a few typos corrected. Conclusions unchange
Investigation into pedestrian exposure to near-vehicle exhaust emissions
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inhalation of diesel particulate matter (DPM) is known to have a negative impact on human health. Consequently, there are regulations and standards that limit the maximum concentrations to which persons may be exposed and the maximum concentrations allowed in the ambient air. However, these standards consider steady exposure over large spatial and time scales. Due to the nature of many vehicle exhaust systems, pedestrians in close proximity to a vehicle's tailpipe may experience events where diesel particulate matter concentrations are high enough to cause acute health effects for brief periods of time.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In order to quantify these exposure events, instruments which measure specific exhaust constituent concentrations were placed near a roadway and connected to the mouth of a mannequin used as a pedestrian surrogate. By measuring concentrations at the mannequin's mouth during drive-by events with a late model diesel truck, a representative estimate of the exhaust constituent concentrations to which a pedestrian may be exposed was obtained. Typical breathing rates were then multiplied by the measured concentrations to determine the mass of pollutant inhaled.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The average concentration of diesel particulate matter measured over the duration of a single drive-by test often exceeded the low concentrations used in human clinical studies which are known to cause acute health effects. It was also observed that higher concentrations of diesel particulate matter were measured at the height of a stroller than were measured at the mouth of a mannequin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Diesel particulate matter concentrations during drive-by incidents easily reach or exceed the low concentrations that can cause acute health effects for brief periods of time. For the case of a particularly well-tuned late-model year vehicle, the mass of particulate matter inhaled during a drive-by incident is small compared to the mass inhaled daily at ambient conditions. On a per breath basis, however, the mass of particulate matter inhaled is large compared to the mass inhaled at ambient conditions. Finally, it was determined that children, infants, or people breathing at heights similar to that of a passing vehicle's tailpipe may be exposed to higher concentrations of particulate matter than those breathing at higher locations, such as adults standing up.</p
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