511 research outputs found
Modelling ground pickup for microwave telescopes
Microwave telescopes require an ever-increasing control of experimental
systematics in their quest to measure the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) to
exquisite levels of precision. One important systematic for ground and
balloon-borne experiments is ground pickup, where beam sidelobes detect the
thermal emission of the much warmer ground while the main beam is scanning the
sky. This generates scan-synchronous noise in experiment timestreams, which is
difficult to filter out without also deleting some of the signal from the sky.
Therefore, efficient modelling of pickup can help guide the design of
experiments and of analysis pipelines. In this work, we present an extension to
the beamconv algorithm that enables us to generate time-ordered data (TOD) from
beam-convolved sky and ground maps simultaneously. We simulate ground pickup
for both a ground-based experiment and a telescope attached to a stratospheric
balloon. Ground templates for the balloon experiment are obtained by
re-projecting satellite maps of the Earth's microwave emission.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, paper 12190-165 for the "SPIE AT+I 2022 mm,
sub-mmm, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy XI"
conferenc
Factorization of Seiberg-Witten Curves and Compactification to Three Dimensions
We continue our study of nonperturbative superpotentials of four-dimensional
N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories with gauge group U(N) on R^3 x S^1, broken to
N=1 due to a classical superpotential. In a previous paper, hep-th/0304061, we
discussed how the low-energy quantum superpotential can be obtained by
substituting the Lax matrix of the underlying integrable system directly into
the classical superpotential. In this paper we prove algebraically that this
recipe yields the correct factorization of the Seiberg-Witten curves, which is
an important check of the conjecture. We will also give an independent proof
using the algebraic-geometrical interpretation of the underlying integrable
system.Comment: laTeX, 14 pages, uses AMSmat
Relationship of Serum Inflammatory Biomarkers With Plaque Inflammation Assessed by FDG PET/CT The dal-PLAQUE Study
ObjectivesThis study sought to longitudinally investigate the relationship between a broad spectrum of serum inflammatory biomarkers and plaque inflammation assessed by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT).BackgroundBoth plaque inflammation and serum biomarkers of inflammation are associated with atherothrombotic events; however, the relationship between them is unclear.MethodsWe conducted a post hoc analysis of the dal-PLAQUE (A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study of the Effect of RO4607381 on Progression or Regression of Atherosclerotic Plaque in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease [CHD] Including Patients With Other CHD Risk Factors), a randomized, placebo-controlled study of dalcetrapib, a cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor, in 130 patients with coronary heart disease, or coronary heart disease risk equivalents on stable lipid-lowering therapy. Baseline and change after 3-month follow-up in inflammatory biomarker levels and baseline and change after 3-month follow-up in aorta and carotid 18F-FDG PET/CT (mean maximum target-to-background ratio of the most diseased segment [TBRmds]) were analyzed.ResultsBaseline myeloperoxidase positively correlated with baseline carotid TBRmds (rho = 0.25, p = 0.02). This correlation remained at the 3-month follow-up and was independent of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. Baseline lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 mass correlated with aorta TBRmds (rho = 0.21, p = 0.03). However, this correlation disappeared at the 3-month follow-up and was not independent of cardiovascular disease risk factors. There was no association between change from baseline in myeloperoxidase or lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 mass and change from baseline in aorta and carotid TBRmds. Baseline and change from baseline in high sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, soluble P-selectin, soluble E-selectin, soluble intracellular adhesion molecule 1, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, and matrix-metalloproteinase 3 and 9 did not correlate with baseline or change from baseline in carotid or aorta TBRmds.ConclusionsOur data show that, in patients with coronary heart disease or at high risk of coronary heart disease on stable lipid-lowering therapy, circulating myeloperoxidase levels are associated with carotid plaque inflammation. (A Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study of the Effect of RO4607381 on Progression or Regression of Atherosclerotic Plaque in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease [CHD] Including Patients With Other CHD Risk Factors [dal-PLAQUE]; NCT00655473
Effect of zoledronic acid on the doxycycline-induced decrease in tumour burden in a bone metastasis model of human breast cancer
Bone is one of the most frequent sites for metastasis in breast cancer patients often resulting in significant clinical morbidity and mortality. Bisphosphonates are currently the standard of care for breast cancer patients with bone metastasis. We have shown previously that doxycycline, a member of the tetracycline family of antibiotics, reduces total tumour burden in an experimental bone metastasis mouse model of human breast cancer. In this study, we combined doxycycline treatment together with zoledronic acid, the most potent bisphosphonate. Drug administration started 3 days before the injection of the MDA-MB-231 cells. When mice were administered zoledronic acid alone, the total tumour burden decreased by 43% compared to placebo treatment. Administration of a combination of zoledronic acid and doxycycline resulted in a 74% decrease in total tumour burden compared to untreated mice. In doxycycline- and zoledronate-treated mice bone formation was significantly enhanced as determined by increased numbers of osteoblasts, osteoid surface and volume, whereas a decrease in bone resorption was also observed. Doxycycline greatly reduced tumour burden and could also compensate for the increased bone resorption. The addition of zoledronate to the regimen further decreased tumour burden, caused an extensive decrease in bone-associated soft tissue tumour burden (93%), and sustained the bone volume, which could result in a smaller fracture risk. Treatment with zoledronic acid in combination with doxycycline may be very beneficial for breast cancer patients at risk for osteolytic bone metastasis
Construction and psychometric testing of the EMPATHIC questionnaire measuring parent satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit
Culture Wars, Revanchism, Moral Panics and the Creative City. A Reconstruction of a Decline of Tolerant Public Policy: The Case of Dutch Anti-squatting Legislation
Squatting became illegal in the Netherlands on 1 October 2010. The paper examines the dynamics involved. Theoretically drawing on debates about culture wars, revanchism, moral panics and the creative city, it is based on participant observation in squatter meetings, debates with politicians, a parliament hearing, lobbying meetings and various informal encounters, on a survey and on a collection of documents. A key mechanism that the paper explores is the following. Strategies of resistance that seem more or less manageable in the local context of a creative city can, when they backfire, cause a moral panic on the national level. This provides ammunition for revanchist politicians
Shared decision making in combinatie met ROM bij patiënten met gecombineerde lichamelijke en psychische klachten:Een klinisch-empirische verkenning
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