5,927 research outputs found
Neutron Star instabilities in full General Relativity using a ideal fluid
We present results about the effect of the use of a stiffer equation of
state, namely the ideal-fluid ones, on the dynamical bar-mode
instability in rapidly rotating polytropic models of neutron stars in full
General Relativity. We determine the change on the critical value of the
instability parameter for the emergence of the instability when the
adiabatic index is changed from 2 to 2.75 in order to mimic the
behavior of a realistic equation of state. In particular, we show that the
threshold for the onset of the bar-mode instability is reduced by this change
in the stiffness and give a precise quantification of the change in value of
the critical parameter . We also extend the analysis to lower values
of and show that low-beta shear instabilities are present also in the
case of matter described by a simple polytropic equation of state.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figure
The glutaminase-dependent acid resistance system. Qualitative and quantitative assays and analysis of its distribution in enteric bacteria
Neutralophilic bacteria have developed several strategies to overcome the deleterious effects of acid stress. In particular, the amino acid-dependent systems are widespread, with their activities overlapping, covering a rather large pH range, from 6 to <2. Recent reports showed that an acid resistance (AR) system relying on the amino acid glutamine (AR2_Q), the most readily available amino acid in the free form, is operative in Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus reuteri and some Brucella species. This system requires a glutaminase active at acidic pH and the antiporter GadC to import L-glutamine and export either glutamate (the glutamine deamination product) or GABA. The latter occurs when the deamination of glutamine to glutamate, via acid-glutaminase (YbaS/GlsA), is coupled to the decarboxylation of glutamate to GABA, via glutamate decarboxylase (GadB), a structural component of the glutamate-dependent AR (AR2) system, together with GadC.
Taking into account that AR2_Q could be widespread in bacteria and that until now assays based on ammonium ion detection were typically employed, this work was undertaken with the aim to develop assays that allow a straightforward identification of the acid-glutaminase activity in permeabilised bacterial cells (qualitative assay) as well as a sensitive method (quantitative assay) to monitor in the pH range 2.5-4.0 the transport of the relevant amino acids in vivo. The qualitative assay is colorimetric, rapid and reliable and provides several additional information, such as co-occurrence of AR2 and AR2_Q in the same bacterial species and assessment of the growth conditions that support maximal expression of glutaminase at acidic pH. The quantitative assay is HPLC-based and allows to concomitantly measure the uptake of glutamine and the export of glutamate and/or GABA via GadC in vivo and depending on the external pH. Finally, an extensive bioinformatic genome analysis shows that the gene encoding the glutaminase involved in AR2_Q is often nearby or in operon arrangement with the genes coding for GadC and GadB. Overall, our results indicate that AR2_Q is likely to be of prominent importance in the AR of enteric bacteria and that it modulates the enzymatic as well as antiport activities depending on the imposed acidic stress
A food chain ecoepidemic model: infection at the bottom trophic level
In this paper we consider a three level food web subject to a disease
affecting the bottom prey. The resulting dynamics is much richer with respect
to the purely demographic model, in that it contains more transcritical
bifurcations, gluing together the various equilibria, as well as persistent
limit cycles, which are shown to be absent in the classical case. Finally,
bistability is discovered among some equilibria, leading to situations in which
the computation of their basins of attraction is relevant for the system
outcome in terms of its biological implications
Stiffness effects on the dynamics of the bar-mode instability of Neutron Stars in full General Relativity
We present results on the effect of the stiffness of the equation of state on
the dynamical bar-mode instability in rapidly rotating polytropic models of
neutron stars in full General Relativity. We determine the change in the
threshold for the emergence of the instability for a range of the adiabatic
index from 2.0 to 3.0, including two values chosen to mimic more
realistic equations of state at high densities.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with
arXiv:1403.806
Unique continuation from the edge of a crack
In this work we develop an Almgren type monotonicity formula for a class of
elliptic equations in a domain with a crack, in the presence of potentials
satisfying either a negligibility condition with respect to the inverse-square
weight or some suitable integrability properties. The study of the Almgren
frequency function around a point on the edge of the crack, where the domain is
highly non-smooth, requires the use of an approximation argument, based on the
construction of a sequence of regular sets which approximate the cracked
domain. Once a finite limit of the Almgren frequency is shown to exist, a
blow-up analysis for scaled solutions allows us to prove asymptotic expansions
and strong unique continuation from the edge of the crack.Comment: 32 pages, 2 figure
Holographic duals of 6d RG flows
A notable class of superconformal theories (SCFTs) in six dimensions is
parameterized by an integer , an ADE group , and two nilpotent elements
in . Nilpotent elements have a natural partial ordering,
which has been conjectured to coincide with the hierarchy of
renormalization-group flows among the SCFTs. In this paper we test this
conjecture for , where AdS duals exist in IIA. We work
with a seven-dimensional gauged supergravity, consisting of the gravity
multiplet and two non-Abelian vector multiplets. We show that
this theory has many supersymmetric AdS vacua, determined by two nilpotent
elements, which are naturally interpreted as IIA AdS solutions. The BPS
equations for domain walls connecting two such vacua can be solved
analytically, up to a Nahm equation with certain boundary conditions. The
latter admit a solution connecting two vacua if and only if the corresponding
nilpotent elements are related by the natural partial ordering, in agreement
with the field theory conjecture.Comment: 33 pages, 2 figure
Transitions in auditory rehabilitation with bone conductive implant (bci)
Background: The bone conductive implants (BCI) are nowadays a reliable alternative for rehabilitation of specific forms of hearing loss, i.e. conductive, mixed or single sided deafness (SSD). Aims/Objective: To analyse the various factors in play when considering an auditory rehabilitation with a bone-conductive device (BCI). Materials and Methods: The clinical charts of subjects who underwent BCI application at the same Implanting Center from 2005 to 2018 were retrieved analysing also the reason for eventual explantation and the alternative option (transition) for hearing rehabilitation. Results: Nine BAHA Compact, 4 BAHA Intenso, 21 BAHA Divino, 3 BAHA BP100, 4 Ponto, 2 Sophono, 5 Bonebridge, 5 BAHA5 Attract; 11 BAHA5 Connect were used in 12 unilateral COM; 16 bilateral COM; 3 unilateral cholesteatoma; 6 bilateral cholesteatoma; 2 unilateral otosclerosis; 5 bilateral otosclerosis; 9 congenital malformations; 6 major otoneurosurgical procedures; 5 sudden deafness. Explantation was necessary for five subjects. Conclusions: Middle ear pathology and sequels from surgery represent the most common reason for BCI implantation, both in unilateral and in bilateral cases. Transition from one implantable device to another one can be predictable, mostly when explantation is necessary. Significance: The role of BCI for rehabilitation in middle ear pathology may be extremely important
Galectin-3. One molecule for an alphabet of diseases, from A to Z
Galectin-3 (Gal-3) regulates basic cellular functions such as cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, growth, proliferation, differentiation, and inflammation. It is not surprising, therefore, that this protein is involved in the pathogenesis of many relevant human diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, chronic inflammation and scarring affecting many different tissues. The papers published in the literature have progressively increased in number during the last decades, testifying the great interest given to this protein by numerous researchers involved in many different clinical contexts. Considering the crucial role exerted by Gal-3 in many different clinical conditions, Gal-3 is emerging as a new diagnostic, prognostic biomarker and as a new promising therapeutic target. The current review aims to extensively examine the studies published so far on the role of Gal-3 in all the clinical conditions and diseases, listed in alphabetical order, where it was analyzed
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