2,606 research outputs found
Influence of disordered porous media in the anomalous properties of a simple water model
The thermodynamic, dynamic and structural behavior of a water-like system
confined in a matrix is analyzed for increasing confining geometries. The
liquid is modeled by a two dimensional associating lattice gas model that
exhibits density and diffusion anomalies, in similarity to the anomalies
present in liquid water. The matrix is a triangular lattice in which fixed
obstacles impose restrictions to the occupation of the particles. We show that
obstacules shortens all lines, including the phase coexistence, the critical
and the anomalous lines. The inclusion of a very dense matrix not only suppress
the anomalies but also the liquid-liquid critical point
Is depression a real risk factor for acute myocardial infarction mortality? A retrospective cohort study
Background: Depression has been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events and a higher mortality in patients with one or more comorbidities. This study investigated whether continuative use of antidepressants (ADs), considered as a proxy of a state of depression, prior to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with a higher mortality afterwards. The outcome to assess was mortality by AD use. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Veneto Region on hospital discharge records with a primary diagnosis of AMI in 2002-2015. Subsequent deaths were ascertained from mortality records. Drug purchases were used to identify AD users. A descriptive analysis was conducted on patients' demographics and clinical data. Survival after discharge was assessed with a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox's multiple regression model. Results: Among 3985 hospital discharge records considered, 349 (8.8%) patients were classified as AD users'. The mean AMI-related hospitalization rate was 164.8/100,000 population/year, and declined significantly from 204.9 in 2002 to 130.0 in 2015, but only for AD users (-40.4%). The mean overall follow-up was 4.64.1years. Overall, 523 patients (13.1%) died within 30days of their AMI. The remainder survived a mean 5.3 +/- 4.0years. After adjusting for potential confounders, use of antidepressants was independently associated with mortality (adj OR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.40-2.19). Conclusions: Our findings show that AD users hospitalized for AMI have a worse prognosis in terms of mortality. The use of routinely-available records can prove an efficient way to monitor trends in the state of health of specific subpopulations, enabling the early identification of AMI survivors with a history of antidepressant use
Texture analysis on preoperative contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging identifies microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma
Background: Radiomic texture analysis quantifies tumor heterogeneity. The aim of this study is to determine if radiomics can predict biologic aggressiveness in HCC and identify tumors with MVI.Methods: Single-center, retrospective review of HCC patients undergoing resection/ablation with curative intent from 2009 to 2017. DICOM images from preoperative MRIs were analyzed with texture analysis software. Texture analysis parameters extracted on T1, T2, hepatic arterial phase (HAP) and portal venous phase (PVP) images. Multivariate logistic regression analysis evaluated factors associated with MVI.Results: MVI was present in 52.2% (n = 133) of HCCs. On multivariate analysis only T1 mean (OR = 0.97, 95%CI 0.95-0.99, p = 0.043) and PVP entropy (OR = 4.7, 95%CI 1.37-16.3, p = 0.014) were associated with tumor MVI. Area under ROC curve was 0.83 for this final model. Empirical optimal cutpoint for PVP tumor entropy and T1 tumor mean were 5.73 and 23.41, respectively. At these cutpoint values, sensitivity was 0.68 and 0.5, respectively and specificity was 0.64 and 0.86. When both criteria were met, the probability of MVI in the tumor was 87%.Conclusion: Tumor entropy and mean are both associated with MVI. Texture analysis on preoperative imaging correlates with microscopic features of HCC and can be used to predict patients with high-risk tumors
Quantum matrix algebra for the SU(n) WZNW model
The zero modes of the chiral SU(n) WZNW model give rise to an intertwining
quantum matrix algebra A generated by an n x n matrix a=(a^i_\alpha) (with
noncommuting entries) and by rational functions of n commuting elements
q^{p_i}. We study a generalization of the Fock space (F) representation of A
for generic q (q not a root of unity) and demonstrate that it gives rise to a
model of the quantum universal enveloping algebra U_q(sl_n), each irreducible
representation entering F with multiplicity 1. For an integer level k the
complex parameter q is an even root of unity, q^h=-1 (h=k+n) and the algebra A
has an ideal I_h such that the factor algebra A_h = A/I_h is finite
dimensional.Comment: 48 pages, LaTeX, uses amsfonts; final version to appear in J. Phys.
Lattice Model for water-solute mixtures
A lattice model for the study of mixtures of associating liquids is proposed.
Solvent and solute are modeled by adapting the associating lattice gas (ALG)
model. The nature of interaction solute/solvent is controlled by tuning the
energy interactions between the patches of ALG model. We have studied three set
of parameters, resulting on, hydrophilic, inert and hydrophobic interactions.
Extensive Monte Carlo simulations were carried out and the behavior of pure
components and the excess properties of the mixtures have been studied. The
pure components: water (solvent) and solute, have quite similar phase diagrams,
presenting: gas, low density liquid, and high density liquid phases. In the
case of solute, the regions of coexistence are substantially reduced when
compared with both the water and the standard ALG models. A numerical procedure
has been developed in order to attain series of results at constant pressure
from simulations of the lattice gas model in the grand canonical ensemble. The
excess properties of the mixtures: volume and enthalpy as the function of the
solute fraction have been studied for different interaction parameters of the
model. Our model is able to reproduce qualitatively well the excess volume and
enthalpy for different aqueous solutions. For the hydrophilic case, we show
that the model is able to reproduce the excess volume and enthalpy of mixtures
of small alcohols and amines. The inert case reproduces the behavior of large
alcohols such as, propanol, butanol and pentanol. For last case (hydrophobic),
the excess properties reproduce the behavior of ionic liquids in aqueous
solution.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figure
Produção de alface hidropônica: um estudo de viabilidade técnico-economica.
Neste trabalho foi desenvolvido um projeto completo para a produção mensal de 30.000 plantas de alface em casa de vegetação, através da técnica de hidroponia NFT. Elaborou-se também a análise econômica do projeto contemplando os investimentos necessários e seus custos operacionais. Os resultados demonstram que esta técnica apresenta um bom potencial de viabilidade econômica, com lucro lÃquido da ordem de R 5.100,00/mês) e capacidade de amortização do investimento total (R$ 62.607,18) em aproximadamente 13 meses.CD-ROM 0
Evidence for a Quantum Hall Insulator in an InGaAs/InP Heterostructure
We study the quantum critical behavior of the plateau-insulator (PI)
transition in a low mobility InGaAs/InP heterostructure. By reversing the
direction of the magnetic field (B) we find an averaged Hall resistance \rho_xy
which remains quantized at the plateau value h/e^2 throughout the PI
transition. We extract a critical exponent \kappa'= 0.57 +/- 0.02 for the PI
transition which is slightly different from (and possibly more accurate than)
the established value 0.42 +/- 0.04 as previously obtained from the
plateau-plateau (PP) transitions.Comment: 3pages, 2 figures; submitted to EP2DS-14 conference proceeding
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