170 research outputs found
Observational biases in Lagrangian reconstructions of cosmic velocity fields
Lagrangian reconstruction of large-scale peculiar velocity fields can be
strongly affected by observational biases. We develop a thorough analysis of
these systematic effects by relying on specially selected mock catalogues. For
the purpose of this paper, we use the MAK reconstruction method, although any
other Lagrangian reconstruction method should be sensitive to the same
problems. We extensively study the uncertainty in the mass-to-light assignment
due to luminosity incompleteness, and the poorly-determined relation between
mass and luminosity. The impact of redshift distortion corrections is analyzed
in the context of MAK and we check the importance of edge and finite-volume
effects on the reconstructed velocities. Using three mock catalogues with
different average densities, we also study the effect of cosmic variance. In
particular, one of them presents the same global features as found in
observational catalogues that extend to 80 Mpc/h scales. We give recipes,
checked using the aforementioned mock catalogues, to handle these particular
observational effects, after having introduced them into the mock catalogues so
as to quantitatively mimic the most densely sampled currently available galaxy
catalogue of the nearby universe. Once biases have been taken care of, the
typical resulting error in reconstructed velocities is typically about a
quarter of the overall velocity dispersion, and without significant bias. We
finally model our reconstruction errors to propose an improved Bayesian
approach to measure Omega_m in an unbiased way by comparing the reconstructed
velocities to the measured ones in distance space, even though they may be
plagued by large errors. We show that, in the context of observational data, a
nearly unbiased estimator of Omega_m may be built using MAK reconstruction.Comment: 29 pages, 21 figures, 6 tables, Accepted by MNRAS on 2007 October 2.
Received 2007 September 30; in original form 2007 July 2
Wide binaries as a critical test of Classical Gravity
Modified gravity scenarios where a change of regime appears at acceleration
scales have been proposed. Since for systems the
acceleration drops below at scales of around 7000 AU, a statistical
survey of wide binaries with relative velocities and separations reaching
AU and beyond should prove useful to the above debate. We apply the
proposed test to the best currently available data. Results show a constant
upper limit to the relative velocities in wide binaries which is independent of
separation for over three orders of magnitude, in analogy with galactic flat
rotation curves in the same acceleration regime. Our results are
suggestive of a breakdown of Kepler's third law beyond
scales, in accordance with generic predictions of modified gravity theories
designed not to require any dark matter at galactic scales and beyond.Comment: accepted for publication in EPJ
Quaternary structure independent folding of voltage-gated ion channel pore domain subunits
Every voltage-gated ion channel (VGIC) has a pore domain (PD) made from four subunits, each comprising an antiparallel transmembrane helix pair bridged by a loop. The extent to which PD subunit structure requires quaternary interactions is unclear. Here, we present crystal structures of a set of bacterial voltage-gated sodium channel (BacNaV) 'pore only' proteins that reveal a surprising collection of non-canonical quaternary arrangements in which the PD tertiary structure is maintained. This context-independent structural robustness, supported by molecular dynamics simulations, indicates that VGIC-PD tertiary structure is independent of quaternary interactions. This fold occurs throughout the VGIC superfamily and in diverse transmembrane and soluble proteins. Strikingly, characterization of PD subunit-binding Fabs indicates that non-canonical quaternary PD conformations can occur in full-length VGICs. Together, our data demonstrate that the VGIC-PD is an autonomously folded unit. This property has implications for VGIC biogenesis, understanding functional states, de novo channel design, and VGIC structural origins
The Gas Content in Galactic Disks: Correlation with Kinematics
We consider the relationship between the total HI mass in late-type galaxies
and the kinematic properties of their disks. The mass for galaxies with
a wide variety of properties, from dwarf dIrr galaxies with active star
formation to giant low-brightness galaxies, is shown to correlate with the
product ( is the rotational velocity, and is the radial
photometric disks scale length), which characterizes the specific angular
momentum of the disk. This relationship, along with the anticorrelation between
the relative mass of HI in a galaxy and , can be explained in terms of the
previously made assumption that the gas density in the disks of most galaxies
is maintained at a level close to the threshold (marginal) stability of a
gaseous layer to local gravitational perturbations. In this case, the
regulation mechanism of the star formation rate associated with the growth of
local gravitational instability in the gaseous layer must play a crucial role
in the evolution of the gas content in the galactic disk.Comment: revised version to appear in Astronomy Letters, 8 pages, 5 EPS
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Potentiation of thrombus instability: a contributory mechanism to the effectiveness of antithrombotic medications
© The Author(s) 2018The stability of an arterial thrombus, determined by its structure and ability to resist endogenous fibrinolysis, is a major determinant of the extent of infarction that results from coronary or cerebrovascular thrombosis. There is ample evidence from both laboratory and clinical studies to suggest that in addition to inhibiting platelet aggregation, antithrombotic medications have shear-dependent effects, potentiating thrombus fragility and/or enhancing endogenous fibrinolysis. Such shear-dependent effects, potentiating the fragility of the growing thrombus and/or enhancing endogenous thrombolytic activity, likely contribute to the clinical effectiveness of such medications. It is not clear how much these effects relate to the measured inhibition of platelet aggregation in response to specific agonists. These effects are observable only with techniques that subject the growing thrombus to arterial flow and shear conditions. The effects of antithrombotic medications on thrombus stability and ways of assessing this are reviewed herein, and it is proposed that thrombus stability could become a new target for pharmacological intervention.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
Determinants of elevated healthcare utilization in patients with COPD
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imparts a substantial economic burden on western health systems. Our objective was to analyze the determinants of elevated healthcare utilization among patients with COPD in a single-payer health system.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three-hundred eighty-nine adults with COPD were matched 1:3 to controls by age, gender and area of residency. Total healthcare cost 5 years prior recruitment and presence of comorbidities were obtained from a computerized database. Health related quality of life (HRQoL) indices were obtained using validated questionnaires among a subsample of 177 patients.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Healthcare utilization was 3.4-fold higher among COPD patients compared with controls (p < 0.001). The "most-costly" upper 25% of COPD patients (n = 98) consumed 63% of all costs. Multivariate analysis revealed that independent determinants of being in the "most costly" group were (OR; 95% CI): age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (1.09; 1.01 - 1.2), history of: myocardial infarct (2.87; 1.5 - 5.5), congestive heart failure (3.52; 1.9 - 6.4), mild liver disease (3.83; 1.3 - 11.2) and diabetes (2.02; 1.1 - 3.6). Bivariate analysis revealed that cost increased as HRQoL declined and severity of airflow obstruction increased but these were not independent determinants in a multivariate analysis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Comorbidity burden determines elevated utilization for COPD patients. Decision makers should prioritize scarce health care resources to a better care management of the "most costly" patients.</p
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