1,504 research outputs found
Effect of the Output of the System in Signal Detection
We analyze the consequences that the choice of the output of the system has
in the efficiency of signal detection. It is shown that the signal and the
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), used to characterize the phenomenon of stochastic
resonance, strongly depend on the form of the output. In particular, the SNR
may be enhanced for an adequate output.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 6 PostScript figure
Computational modelling of wounded tissue subject to negative pressure wound therapy following trans-femoral amputation
Proof-of-concept computational models were developed and applied as tools to gain insights into biomechanical interactions and variations of oxygen gradients of wounded tissue subject to negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), following trans-femoral amputation. A macroscale finite-element model of a lower limb was first developed
based on computed tomography data, and distributions of maximum and minimum principal stress values we calculated for a region of interest (ROI). Then, the obtained results were applied iteratively as new sets of boundary conditions for a specific spatial position in a capillary sub-model. Data from coupled capillary stress and mass- diffusion submodels were transferred to the macro-scale model to map the spatial changes of tissue oxygen gradients in the ROI.
The −70 mmHg NPWT resulted in a dramatic change of a wound surface area and the greatest relative contraction was observed at −150 mmHg. Tissue lateral to the depth of the wound cavity revealed homogenous patterns of decrease in oxygenation area and the extent of such decrease was dependent on the distance from the wound surface. However, tissue lateral to the width of the wound demonstrated heterogeneous patterns of change, as evidenced by both gradual increase and decrease in the oxygenation area. The multiscale models developed in the current study showed a significant influence of NPWT on both macro-deformations and changes of tissue oxygenation. The patterns of changes depended on the
depth of the tissue, the geometry of the wound, and also the
location of tissue plane
Simple models of small world networks with directed links
We investigate the effect of directed short and long range connections in a
simple model of small world network. Our model is such that we can determine
many quantities of interest by an exact analytical method. We calculate the
function , defined as the number of sites affected up to time when a
naive spreading process starts in the network. As opposed to shortcuts, the
presence of un-favorable bonds has a negative effect on this quantity. Hence
the spreading process may not be able to affect all the network. We define and
calculate a quantity named the average size of accessible world in our model.
The interplay of shortcuts, and un-favorable bonds on the small world
properties is studied.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, published versio
Perturbation Theory with a Variational Basis: the Generalized Gaussian Effective Potential
The perturbation theory with a variational basis is constructed and
analyzed.The generalized Gaussian effective potential is introduced and
evaluated up to the second order for selfinteracting scalar fields in one and
two spatial dimensions. The problem of the renormalization of the mass is
discussed in details. Thermal corrections are incorporated. The comparison
between the finite temperature generalized Gaussian effective potential and the
finite temperature effective potential is critically analyzed. The phenomenon
of the restoration at high temperature of the symmetry broken at zero
temperature is discussed.Comment: RevTex, 49 pages, 16 eps figure
Visual stress, its treatment with spectral filters, and its relationship to visually induced motion sickness
We review the concept of visual stress and its relation to neurological disease. Visual stress can occur from the observation of images with unnatural spatial structure and an excess of contrast energy at spatial frequencies to which the visual system is generally most sensitive. Visual stress can often be reduced using spectral filters, provided the colour is selected with precision to suit each individual. The use of such filters and their effects on reading speed are reviewed. The filters have been shown to benefit patients with a variety of neurological conditions other than reading difficulty, all associated with an increased risk of seizures. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd
Ordering in the dilute weakly-anisotropic antiferromagnet Mn(0.35)Zn(0.65)F2
The highly diluted antiferromagnet Mn(0.35)Zn(0.65)F2 has been investigated
by neutron scattering in zero field. The Bragg peaks observed below the Neel
temperature TN (approximately 10.9 K) indicate stable antiferromagnetic
long-range ordering at low temperature. The critical behavior is governed by
random-exchange Ising model critical exponents (nu approximately 0.69 and gamma
approximately 1.31), as reported for Mn(x)Zn(1-x)F2 with higher x and for the
isostructural compound Fe(x)Zn(1-x)F2. However, in addition to the Bragg peaks,
unusual scattering behavior appears for |q|>0 below a glassy temperature Tg
approximately 7.0 K. The glassy region T<Tg corresponds to that of noticeable
frequency dependence in earlier zero-field ac susceptibility measurements on
this sample. These results indicate that long-range order coexists with
short-range nonequilibrium clusters in this highly diluted magnet.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Complement Split Product C5a Mediates the Lipopolysaccharide‐Induced Mobilization of Cfu‐S and Haemopoietic Progenitor Cells, But Not the Mobilization Induced By Proteolytic Enzymes
Abstract. Intravenous (i.v.) injection of mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the proteolytic enzymes trypsin and proteinase, mobilizes pluripotent haemopoietic stem cells (CFU‐s) as well as granulocyte‐macrophage progenitor cells (GM‐CFU) and the early progenitors of the erythroid lineage (E‐BFU) from the haemopoietic tissues into the peripheral blood. We investigated the involvement of the complement (C) system in this process. It appeared that the early mobilization induced by LPS and other activators of the alternative complement pathway, such as Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) and zymosan, but not that induced by the proteolytic enzymes, was absent in C5‐deficient mice. the mobilization by C activators in these mice could be restored by injection of C5‐sufficient serum, suggesting a critical role for C5. The manner in which C5 was involved in the C activation‐mediated stem cell mobilization was studied using a serum transfer system. C5‐sufficient serum, activated in vitro by incubation with Lm and subsequently liberated from the bacteria, caused mobilization in both C5‐sufficient and C5‐deficient mice. C5‐deficient serum was not able to do so. the resistance of the mobilizing principle to heat treatment (56°C, 30 min) strongly suggests that it is identical with the C5 split product C5a, or an in vivo derivative of C5a. This conclusion was reinforced by the observation that a single injection of purified rat C5a into C5‐deficient mice also induced mobilization of CFU‐s. Copyrigh
Produtos de hidratação em argamassas geopoliméricas à base de argila da Tunísia para reparação de estruturas de concreto
A reparação de estruturas degradadas de concreto representa uma oportunidade para a indústria da construção
mas também um desafio para a comunidade científica. O desenvolvimento de novas argamassas de reparação
constitui por isso uma importante área de investigação. Os geopolímeros são ligantes inovadores alternativos
ao cimento Portland pelo que as argamassas à base destes materiais, geopolíméricas, apresentam algumas
potencialidades no campo da reparação das estruturas de concreto.
O presente artigo apresenta resultados de uma investigação sobre o desenvolvimento de argamassas
geopoliméricas à base de uma argila da Tunísia sujeita a tratamento térmico. É incluída uma análise da argila
e também dos produtos de hidratação da argamassa os quais apresentam fases geopoliméricas típicas
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