About curvature, conformal metrics and warped products

We consider the curvature of a family of warped products of two pseduo-Riemannian manifolds $(B,g_B)$ and $(F,g_F)$ furnished with metrics of the form $c^{2}g_B \oplus w^2 g_F$ and, in particular, of the type $w^{2 \mu}g_B \oplus w^2 g_F$, where $c, w \colon B \to (0,\infty)$ are smooth functions and $\mu$ is a real parameter. We obtain suitable expressions for the Ricci tensor and scalar curvature of such products that allow us to establish results about the existence of Einstein or constant scalar curvature structures in these categories. If $(B,g_B)$ is Riemannian, the latter question involves nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations with concave-convex nonlinearities and singular partial differential equations of the Lichnerowicz-York type among others.Comment: 32 pages, 3 figure

Defoliation and Soil Compaction Jointly Drive Large-Herbivore Grazing Effects on Plants and Soil Arthropods on Clay Soil

In addition to the well-studied impacts of defecation and defoliation, large herbivores also affect plant and arthropod communities through trampling, and the associated soil compaction. Soil compaction can be expected to be particularly important on wet, fine-textured soils. Therefore, we established a full factorial experiment of defoliation (monthly mowing) and soil compaction (using a rammer, annually) on a clay-rich salt marsh at the Dutch coast, aiming to disentangle the importance of these two factors. Additionally, we compared the effects on soil physical properties, plants, and arthropods to those at a nearby cattle-grazed marsh under dry and under waterlogged conditions. Soil physical conditions of the compacted plots were similar to the conditions at cattle-grazed plots, showing decreased soil aeration and increased waterlogging. Soil salinity was doubled by defoliation and quadrupled by combined defoliation and compaction. Cover of the dominant tall grass Elytrigia atherica was decreased by 80% in the defoliated plots, but cover of halophytes only increased under combined defoliation and compaction. Effects on soil micro-arthropods were most severe under waterlogging, showing a fourfold decrease in abundance and a smaller mean body size under compaction. Although the combined treatment of defoliation and trampling indeed proved most similar to the grazed marsh, large discrepancies remained for both plant and soil fauna communities, presumably because of colonization time lags. We conclude that soil compaction and defoliation differently affect plant and arthropod communities in grazed ecosystems, and that the magnitude of their effects depends on herbivore density, productivity, and soil physical properties

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Evaluation of cross sections for neutron interactions with 238U in the energy region between 5 keV and 150 keV

Cross sections for neutron interactions with 238U in the energy region from 5keV to 150keV have been evaluated. Average total and capture cross sections have been derived from a least squares analysis using experimental data reported in the literature. The resulting cross sections have been parameterised in terms of average resonance parameters maintaining full consistency with results of optical model calculations by using a dispersive coupled channel optical model potential. The average compound partial cross sections have been expressed in terms of transmission coefficients by applying the Hauser-Feshbach statistical reaction theory including width-fluctuations. A generalized single-level representation compatible with the energy-dependent options of the ENDF-6 format has been applied using standard boundary conditions. The results have been transferred into a full ENDF-6 compatible data file.JRC.G.2-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard

Further characterization of reproductive abnormalities in mCd59b knockout mice: a potential new function of mCd59 in male reproduction.

CD59 is a GPI-linked membrane protein that inhibits formation of the membrane attack complex of complement. We reported recently that mice have two CD59 genes (termed mCd59a and mCd59b), and that the targeted deletion of mCd59b (mCd59b-/-) results in spontaneous hemolytic anemia and progressive loss of male fertility. Further studies of the reproductive abnormalities in mCd59b-/- mice reported in this study revealed the presence of abnormal multinucleated cells and increased apoptotic cells within the walls of the seminiferous tubules, and a decrease in the number, motility, and viability of sperm associated with a significant increase in abnormal sperm morphologies. Both the capacitation-associated tyrosine phosphorylation and the ionophore-induced acrosome reaction as well as luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone serum levels were similar in mCd59b-/- and mCd59b+/+. Surprisingly, the functional deficiency of the complement protein C3 did not rescue the abnormal reproductive phenotype of mCd59b-/-, although it was efficient in rescuing their hemolytic anemia. These results indicate that the male reproductive abnormalities in mCd59b-/- are complement-independent, and that mCd59 may have a novel function in spermatogenesis that is most likely unrelated to its function as an inhibitor of membrane attack complex formation

Neutron capture cross section measurements for 238U in the resonance region at GELINA

Measurements were performed at the time-of-flight facility GELINA to determine the 238U(n,gamma) cross section in the resonance region. Experiments were carried out at a 12.5 and 60 m measurement station. The total energy detection principle in combination with the pulse height weighting technique was applied using C6D6 liquid scintillators as prompt gamma-ray detectors. The energy dependence of the neutron flux was measured with ionisation chambers based on the 10B(n,alpha) reaction. The data were normalised to the isolated and saturated 238U resonance at 6.67 eV. Special procedures were applied to reduce bias effects due to the weighting function, normalization, dead time and background corrections, and corrections related to the sample properties. The total uncertainty due to the weighting function, normalization, neutron flux and sample characteristics is about 1.5 %. Resonance parameters were derived from a simultaneous resonance shape analysis of the GELINA capture data and transmission data obtained previously at a 42 m and 150 m station of ORELA. The parameters of resonances below 500 eV are in good agreement with those resulting from an evaluation that was adopted in the main data libraries. Between 500 eV and 1200 eV a systematic difference in the neutron width is observed. Average capture cross section data were derived from the experimental capture yield in the energy region between 3.5 keV and 90 keV. The results are in good agreement with an evaluated cross section resulting from a least squares fit to experimental data available in the literature prior to this work. The average cross section data derived in this work were parameterised in terms of average resonance parameters and included in a least squares analysis together with other experimental data reported in the literature.JRC.G.2-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguar

Predictive value of advanced glycation end products for the development of post-infarction heart failure: a preliminary report

Abstract Background Since post-infarction heart failure (HF) determines a great morbidity and mortality, and given the physiopathology implications of advanced glycation end products (AGE) in the genesis of myocardial dysfunction, it was intended to analyze the prognostic value of these molecules in order to predict post-infarction HF development. Methods A prospective clinical study in patients after first acute coronary syndrome was conducted. The follow-up period was consisted in 1 year. In 194 patients consecutively admitted in the coronary unit for myocardial infarct fluorescent AGE levels were measured. The association between glycaemic parameters and the development of post-infarction HF were analyzed in those patients. Finally, we identified the variables with independent predictor value by performing a multivariate analysis of Hazard ratio for Cox regression. Results Eleven out of 194 patients (5.6%) developed HF during follow-up (median: 1.0 years [0.8 - 1.5 years]). Even though basal glucose, fructosamine and glycated haemoglobin were significant predictive factors in the univariate analysis, after being adjusted by confounding variables and AGE they lost their statistical signification. Only AGE (Hazard Ratio 1.016, IC 95%: 1.006-1.026; p Conclusions AGE are an independent marker of post-infarction HF development risk.</p