11,977 research outputs found
D-brane probes on G2 Orbifolds
We consider type IIB string theory on a seven dimensional orbifold with
holonomy in G2. The motivation is to use D1-branes as probes of the geometry.
The low energy theory on the D1-brane is a sigma-model with two real
supercharges (N = (1,1) in two dimensional language). We study in detail the
closed and open string sectors and propose a coupling of the twisted fields to
the brane that modifies the vacuum moduli space so that the singularity at the
origin is removed. Instead of coming from D-terms, which are not present here,
the modification comes from a ``twisted'' mass term for the seven scalar
multiplets on the brane. The proposed mechanism involves a generalization of
the moment map.Comment: 16 pages; v2: References added; v3: Erroneous interpretation of
twisted moduli corrected, acknowledgments adde
Fractional Branes and N=1 Gauge Theories
We discuss fractional D3-branes on the orbifold C^3/Z_2*Z_2. We study the
open and the closed string spectrum on this orbifold. The corresponding N=1
theory on the brane has, generically, a U(N_1)*U(N_2)*U(N_3)*U(N_4) gauge group
with matter in the bifundamental. In particular, when only one type of brane is
present, one obtains pure N=1 Yang-Mills. We study the coupling of the branes
to the bulk fields and present the corresponding supergravity solution, valid
at large distances. By using a probe analysis, we are able to obtain the
Wilsonian beta-function for those gauge theories that possess some chiral
multiplet. Although, due to the lack of moduli, the probe technique is not
directly applicable to the case of pure N=1 Yang-Mills, we point out that the
same formula gives the correct result also for this case.Comment: 21 pages, AMS-LaTeX, v2: references added and typos correcte
A Novel Ultrasound-based Measure of the Liver among Diabetes Mellitus Type II Patients
Diabetes mellitus type II (DM II) or adult onset diabetes is due to the inefficient use of insulin, which affects various organs and tissues. Patients with DM II are at risk of suffering non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that can later develop into more life threating forms such as hepatomegaly, cirrhosis or liver cancer. Following the logic of the non-inferiority trial test, we aim to establish a more accurate anatomical measure of the right liver lobe (RLL) to facilitate close monitoring of liver size with ultrasound (US). We hypothesize that US is not unacceptably worse than computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to accurately and reliably measure the size of the RLL when the measure is taken in the midaxillary line and craniocaudal plane (MAL-CC). Therefore, the objective of this study is to conduct a non-inferiority trial to test our novel MAL-CC measure.
To meet this aim, US measure of the RLL was taken from DM II (n=7) and non-DM II (n=5) patients, whom were recruited from 2 endocrinology clinics at SoM-UPR. Preliminary data shows that MAL-CC measure of the RLL from non-DM II patients is 13.99 + 2.53 cm whereas the same measurement among DM II patients is 15.25 + 3.25 cm (Mann-Whitney U test, p= 0.42). It is concluded that there is a non-significant trend for large RLL sizes among DM II patients. Future work aims to increase sample size and to validate our novel measurement with MRI
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FGF2 is expressed in human and murine embryonic choroid plexus and affects choroid plexus cell behaviour
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) signalling plays crucial roles in several developing and mature tissues, little information is currently available on expression of Fgf2 during early choroid plexus development and whether Fgf2 directly affects the behaviour of the choroid plexus epithelium (CPe). The purpose of this study was to investigate expression of Fgf2 in rodent and human developing CPe and possible function of Fgf2, using <it>in vitro </it>models. The application of Fgf2 to brain <it>in vivo </it>can affect the whole tissue, making it difficult to assess specific responses of the CPe.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Expression of Fgf2 was studied by immunohistochemistry in rodent and human embryonic choroid plexus. Effects of Fgf2 on growth, secretion, aggregation and gene expression was investigated using rodent CPe vesicles, a three-dimensional polarized culture model that closely mimics CPe properties <it>in vivo</it>, and rodent CPe monolayer cultures.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fgf2 was present early in development of the choroid plexus both in mouse and human, suggesting the importance of this ligand in Fgf signalling in the developing choroid plexus. Parallel analysis of Fgf2 expression and cell proliferation during CP development suggests that Fgf2 is not involved in CPe proliferation <it>in vivo</it>. Consistent with this observation is the failure of Fgf2 to increase proliferation in the tri-dimensional vesicle culture model. The CPe however, can respond to Fgf2 treatment, as the diameter of CPe vesicles is significantly increased by treatment with this growth factor. We show that this is due to an increase in cell aggregation during vesicle formation rather than increased secretion into the vesicle lumen. Finally, Fgf2 regulates expression of the CPe-associated transcription factors, <it>Foxj1 </it>and <it>E2f5</it>, whereas transthyretin, a marker of secretory activity, is not affected by Fgf2 treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Fgf2 expression early in the development of both human and rodent choroid plexus, and its ability to modulate behaviour and gene expression in CPe, supports the view that Fgf signalling plays a role in the maintenance of integrity and function of this specialized epithelium, and that this role is conserved between rodents and humans.</p
Toward modeling the human nervous system in a dish: recent progress and outstanding challenges
Studying the cellular and molecular bases governing development, and normal and abnormal functions of the human CNS is hampered by its complexity and the very limited possibility of experimentally manipulating it in vivo. Development of 3D, tissue-like culture systems offers much promise for boosting our understanding of human neural development, birth defects, neurodegenerative diseases and neural injury, and for providing platforms that will more accurately predict efficacy of putative therapeutic compounds and assess responses to potentially neurotoxic agents. Although novel technological developments and a more interdisciplinary approach to modeling the human CNS are accelerating the pace of discovery, increasing the complexity of in vitro systems increases the ordeals to be overcome to establish highly reproducible models amenable to quantitative analysis
Open finance and consumer protection: uneasy bedfellows
This article examines Open Finance and the risks that it poses for consumer protection. To exist, Open Finance needs enabling legislation. EU policy, as well as actual and proposed legislation, point to empowering consumers and give them control over their data. The traditional role of data in financial services markets is examined, as well as the transformative role of new data technologies to deliver new market structures. Drawing from the experience of Open Banking, the GDPR and the proposal for a Data Act this article questions to what extent the EU legal instruments are capable of delivering the goal, and consumers are factually empowered, remain in control of their data and are protected against the main risks of data-driven finance and the digital domain, where vulnerability is likely to be the norm. It shows how other jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom engage in a different approach to suggest a paradigm shift in the EU regulatory approach
Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Aesthetic Surgery
Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) have come to be viewed as a ubiquitous solution for aesthetic and reconstructive problems involving loss of tissue volume and age or radiation-induced loss of tissue pliability and vascularity. As the theoretical potential of "stem cell therapy" has captured the public imagination, so the commercial potential of novel therapies is being exploited beyond scientifically sound, hypothesis-driven paradigms and in the absence of evidence establishing clinical efficacy and safety. Moreover, with variations in methods of isolation, manipulation and reintroduction described, it is unclear how the practitioner with an interest in ASDC can harness the clinical potential in reproducible and scientifically measurable ways. This Continuing Medical Education (CME) article presents a summary of our understanding of what ADSC are, their utility within the field of aesthetic surgery and the current and future directions for adipose stem cell research
Non-neutral theory of biodiversity
We present a non-neutral stochastic model for the dynamics taking place in a
meta-community ecosystems in presence of migration. The model provides a
framework for describing the emergence of multiple ecological scenarios and
behaves in two extreme limits either as the unified neutral theory of
biodiversity or as the Bak-Sneppen model. Interestingly, the model shows a
condensation phase transition where one species becomes the dominant one, the
diversity in the ecosystems is strongly reduced and the ecosystem is
non-stationary. This phase transition extend the principle of competitive
exclusion to open ecosystems and might be relevant for the study of the impact
of invasive species in native ecologies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figur
The Silurian of Sardinia
The present volume “The Silurian of Sardinia” is composed of two related components. The first part comprises seven contributions introduced by an historical overview on the studies already carried out on the Silurian faunas of Sardinia. It aims to delineate a comprehensive scenario of the Silurian of Sardinia within a proper geological setting. A global overview regarding the palaeoenvironment and palaeogeography is also provided. The second part of the volume consists of seven research papers that illustrate actual knowledge on major fossil groups encountered in the Silurian limestones and shales of southern Sardinia
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