40 research outputs found
Troponin I and cardiovascular risk prediction in the general population: the BiomarCaRE consortium
Our aims were to evaluate the distribution of troponin I concentrations in population cohorts across Europe, to characterize the association with cardiovascular outcomes, to determine the predictive value beyond the variables used in the ESC SCORE, to test a potentially clinically relevant cut-off value, and to evaluate the improved eligibility for statin therapy based on elevated troponin I concentrations retrospectively
Environment-Induced Decoherence and the Transition From Quantum to Classical
We study dynamics of quantum open systems, paying special attention to those
aspects of their evolution which are relevant to the transition from quantum to
classical. We begin with a discussion of the conditional dynamics of simple
systems. The resulting models are straightforward but suffice to illustrate
basic physical ideas behind quantum measurements and decoherence. To discuss
decoherence and environment-induced superselection einselection in a more
general setting, we sketch perturbative as well as exact derivations of several
master equations valid for various systems. Using these equations we study
einselection employing the general strategy of the predictability sieve.
Assumptions that are usually made in the discussion of decoherence are
critically reexamined along with the ``standard lore'' to which they lead.
Restoration of quantum-classical correspondence in systems that are classically
chaotic is discussed. The dynamical second law -it is shown- can be traced to
the same phenomena that allow for the restoration of the correspondence
principle in decohering chaotic systems (where it is otherwise lost on a very
short time-scale). Quantum error correction is discussed as an example of an
anti-decoherence strategy. Implications of decoherence and einselection for the
interpretation of quantum theory are briefly pointed out.Comment: 80 pages, 7 figures included, Lectures given by both authors at the
72nd Les Houches Summer School on "Coherent Matter Waves", July-August 199
Quasars and their host galaxies
This review attempts to describe developments in the fields of quasar and
quasar host galaxies in the past five. In this time period, the Sloan and 2dF
quasar surveys have added several tens of thousands of quasars, with Sloan
quasars being found to z>6. Obscured, or partially obscured quasars have begun
to be found in significant numbers. Black hole mass estimates for quasars, and
our confidence in them, have improved significantly, allowing a start on
relating quasar properties such as radio jet power to fundamental parameters of
the quasar such as black hole mass and accretion rate. Quasar host galaxy
studies have allowed us to find and characterize the host galaxies of quasars
to z>2. Despite these developments, many questions remain unresolved, in
particular the origin of the close relationship between black hole mass and
galaxy bulge mass/velocity dispersion seen in local galaxies.Comment: Review article, to appear in Astrophysics Update
All-sky search for long-duration gravitational wave transients with initial LIGO
We present the results of a search for long-duration gravitational wave transients in two sets of data collected by the LIGO Hanford and LIGO Livingston detectors between November 5, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010, with a total observational time of 283.0 days and 132.9 days, respectively. The search targets gravitational wave transients of duration 10-500 s in a frequency band of 40-1000 Hz, with minimal assumptions about the signal waveform, polarization, source direction, or time of occurrence. All candidate triggers were consistent with the expected background; as a result we set 90% confidence upper limits on the rate of long-duration gravitational wave transients for different types of gravitational wave signals. For signals from black hole accretion disk instabilities, we set upper limits on the source rate density between 3.4×10-5 and 9.4×10-4 Mpc-3 yr-1 at 90% confidence. These are the first results from an all-sky search for unmodeled long-duration transient gravitational waves. © 2016 American Physical Society
All-sky search for long-duration gravitational wave transients with initial LIGO
We present the results of a search for long-duration gravitational wave transients in two sets of data collected by the LIGO Hanford and LIGO Livingston detectors between November 5, 2005 and September 30, 2007, and July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010, with a total observational time of 283.0 days and 132.9 days, respectively. The search targets gravitational wave transients of duration 10-500 s in a frequency band of 40-1000 Hz, with minimal assumptions about the signal waveform, polarization, source direction, or time of occurrence. All candidate triggers were consistent with the expected background; as a result we set 90% confidence upper limits on the rate of long-duration gravitational wave transients for different types of gravitational wave signals. For signals from black hole accretion disk instabilities, we set upper limits on the source rate density between 3.4×10-5 and 9.4×10-4 Mpc-3 yr-1 at 90% confidence. These are the first results from an all-sky search for unmodeled long-duration transient gravitational waves. © 2016 American Physical Society
Feint Lines: Notes on the Creation of a Skateboard Choreography
Magnetic fields on a range of scales play a large role in the ecosystems of
galaxies, both in the galactic disk and in the extended layers of gas away from
the plane. Observing magnetic field strength, structure and orientation is
complex, and necessarily indirect. Observational data of magnetic fields in the
halo of the Milky Way are scarce, and non-conclusive about the large-scale
structure of the field. In external galaxies, various large-scale
configurations of magnetic fields are measured, but many uncertainties about
exact configurations and their origin remain. There is a strong interaction
between magnetic fields and other components in the interstellar medium such as
ionized and neutral gas and cosmic rays. The energy densities of these
components are comparable on large scales, indicating that magnetic fields are
not passive tracers but that magnetic field feedback on the other interstellar
medium components needs to be taken into account.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Accepted in Space Science Review
Anti-Inflammatory Therapy With Canakinumab for the Prevention of Hospitalization for Heart Failure
Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Subclinical inflammation is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and with adverse prognosis in patients with established heart failure. Yet, treatments specifically directed at reducing inflammation in patients with heart failure have not yet shown improved clinical outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that the interleukin-1beta inhibitor canakinumab would prevent hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) and the composite of HHF or heart failure-related mortality. METHODS: We randomized 10 061 patients with prior myocardial infarction and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein >/=2 mg/L to canakinumab 50, 150, or 300 mg or placebo, given subcutaneously once every 3 months. In total, 2173 (22%) reported a history of heart failure at baseline. We tested the hypothesis that canakinumab prevents prospectively collected HHF events and the composite of HHF or heart failure-related mortality. RESULTS: A total of 385 patients had an HHF event during a median follow-up of 3.7 years. Patients who had HHF were older, had higher body mass index, and were more likely to have diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and prior coronary bypass surgery. As anticipated, median (quartile 1, 3) baseline concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were higher among those who had HHF during follow-up than those who did not (5.7 [3.5, 9.9] mg/L versus 4.2 [2.8, 6.9] mg/L, respectively; P<0.0001). The unadjusted hazard ratios for HHF with each dose of canakinumab compared with placebo were 1.04 (95% CI, 0.79-1.36) for 50 mg, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.65-1.13) for 150 mg, and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.57-1.01) for 300 mg ( P for trend=0.025). The composite of HHF or heart failure-related mortality was also reduced by canakinumab, with unadjusted hazard ratios of 1.00 (95% CI, 0.78-1.29) for 50 mg, 0.88 (95% CI, 0.68-1.13) for 150 mg, and 0.78 (95% CI, 0.60-1.02) for 300 mg ( P for trend=0.042). CONCLUSIONS: These randomized double-blind placebo-controlled data suggest that therapy with canakinumab, an interleukin-1beta inhibitor, is related to a dose-dependent reduction in HHF and the composite of HHF or heart failure-related mortality in a population of patients with prior myocardial infarction and elevations in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT01327846