509 research outputs found
Camino de un Día (Jonás 3.4) Jonás y la Memoria Social de los Pequeños
Enero-Junio 2008 Año 58/
Efficient point-based simulation of four-way coupled particles in turbulence at high number density
In many natural and industrial applications, turbulent flows encompass some form of dispersed particles. Although this type of multiphase turbulent flow is omnipresent, its numerical modeling has proven to be a remarkably challenging problem. Models that fully resolve the particle phase are computationally very expensive, strongly limiting the number of particles that can be considered in practice. This warrants the need for efficient reduced order modeling of the complex system of particles in turbulence that can handle high number densities of particles. Here, we present an efficient method for point-based simulation of particles in turbulence that are four-way coupled. In contrast with traditional one-way coupled simulations, where only the effect of the fluid phase on the particle phase is modeled, this method additionally captures the back-reaction of the particle phase on the fluid phase, as well as the interactions between particles themselves. We focus on the most challenging case of very light particles or bubbles, which show strong clustering in the high-vorticity regions of the fluid. This strong clustering poses numerical difficulties which are systematically treated in our work. Our method is valid in the limit of small particles with respect to the Kolmogorov scales of the flow and is able to handle very large number densities of particles. This methods paves the way for comprehensive studies of the collective effect of small particles in fluid turbulence for a multitude of applications
New D=4 gauged supergravities from N=4 orientifolds with fluxes
We consider classes of T_6 orientifolds, where the orientifold projection
contains an inversion I_{9-p} on 9-p coordinates, transverse to a Dp-brane. In
absence of fluxes, the massless sector of these models corresponds to diverse
forms of N=4 supergravity, with six bulk vector multiplets coupled to N=4
Yang--Mills theory on the branes. They all differ in the choice of the duality
symmetry corresponding to different embeddings of SU(1,1)\times SO(6,6+n) in
Sp(24+2n,R), the latter being the full group of duality rotations. Hence, these
Lagrangians are not related by local field redefinitions. When fluxes are
turned on one can construct new gaugings of N=4 supergravity, where the twelve
bulk vectors gauge some nilpotent algebra which, in turn, depends on the choice
of fluxes.Comment: 51 pages, 1 figure. Latex. Reference added. Typos corrected.
Discussion on gaugings expande
Quantum States, Thermodynamic Limits and Entropy in M-Theory
We discuss the matching of the BPS part of the spectrum for (super)membrane,
which gives the possibility of getting membrane's results via string
calculations. In the small coupling limit of M--theory the entropy of the
system coincides with the standard entropy of type IIB string theory (including
the logarithmic correction term). The thermodynamic behavior at large coupling
constant is computed by considering M--theory on a manifold with topology
. We argue that the finite temperature
partition functions (brane Laurent series for ) associated with BPS
brane spectrum can be analytically continued to well--defined functionals.
It means that a finite temperature can be introduced in brane theory, which
behaves like finite temperature field theory. In the limit (point
particle limit) it gives rise to the standard behavior of thermodynamic
quantities.Comment: 7 pages, no figures, Revtex style. To be published in the Physical
Review
Copper-Heparin Inhalation Therapy To Repair Emphysema: A Scientific Rationale
Current pharmacotherapy of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
aims at reducing respiratory symptoms and exacerbation frequency. Effective therapies to
reduce disease progression, however, are still lacking. Furthermore, COPD medications
showed less favorable effects in emphysema than in other COPD phenotypes. Elastin fibers
are reduced and disrupted, whereas collagen levels are increased in emphysematous lungs.
Protease/antiprotease imbalance has historically been regarded as the sole cause of emphysema. However, it is nowadays appreciated that emphysema may also be provoked by
perturbations in the sequential repair steps following elastolysis. Essentiality of fibulin-5
and lysyl oxidase-like 1 in the elastin restoration process is discussed, and it is argued that
copper deficiency is a plausible reason for failing elastin repair in emphysema patients.
Since copper-dependent lysyl oxidases crosslink elastin as well as collagen fibers, copper
supplementation stimulates accumulation of both proteins in the extracellular matrix.
Restoration of abnormal elastin fibers in emphysematous lungs is favorable, whereas
stimulating pulmonary fibrosis formation by further increasing collagen concentrations
and organization is detrimental. Heparin inhibits collagen crosslinking while stimulating
elastin repair and might therefore be the ideal companion of copper for emphysema
patients. Efficacy and safety considerations may lead to a preference of pulmonary administration of copper-heparin over systemic administration
Enlarged NT (≥3.5 mm) in the first trimester - Not all chromosome aberrations can be detected by NIPT
__Background:__ Since non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in maternal blood became available, we evaluated which chromosome aberrations found in our cohort of fetuses with an enlarged NT in the first trimester of pregnancy (tested with SNP microarray) could be detected by NIPT as well.
__Method:__ 362 fetuses were referred for cytogenetic testing due to an enlarged NT (≥3.5 mm). Chromosome aberrations were investigated using QF-PCR, karyotyping and whole genome SNP array.
__Results:__ After invasive testing a chromosomal abnormality was detected in 137/362 (38 %) fetuses. 100/362 (28 %) cases concerned trisomy 21, 18 or 13, 25/362 (7 %) an aneuploidy of sex chromosomes and 3/362 (0.8 %) triploidy. In 6/362 (1.6 %) a pathogenic structural unbalanced chromosome aberration was seen and in 3/362 (0.8 %) a susceptibility locus for neurodevelopmental disorders was found. We estimated that in 2-10 % of fetuses with enlarged NT a chromosome aberration would be missed by current NIPT approaches.
__Conclusion:__ Based on our cohort of fetuses with enlarged NT we may conclude that NIPT, depending on the approach, will miss chromosome aberrations in a significant percentage of pregnancies. Moreover all abnormal NIPT results require confirmatory studies with invasive testing, which will delay definitive diagnosis in ca. 30 % of patients. These figures are important for pretest counseling enabling pregnant women to make informed choices on the prenatal test. Larger cohorts of fetuses with an enlarged NT should be investigated to assess the additional diagnostic value of high resolution array testing for this indication
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