10,103 research outputs found
1D to 3D Crossover of a Spin-Imbalanced Fermi Gas
We have characterized the one-dimensional (1D) to three-dimensional (3D)
crossover of a two-component spin-imbalanced Fermi gas of 6-lithium atoms in a
2D optical lattice by varying the lattice tunneling and the interactions. The
gas phase separates, and we detect the phase boundaries using in situ imaging
of the inhomogeneous density profiles. The locations of the phases are inverted
in 1D as compared to 3D, thus providing a clear signature of the crossover. By
scaling the tunneling rate with respect to the pair binding energy, we observe
a collapse of the data to a universal crossover point at a scaled tunneling
value of 0.025(7).Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
We’ve Come a Long Way Maybe: Reflections of Women in The Academy
This essay provides narratives of five women in academy – specifically within the communication studies professoriate. They share experiences of equity (or lack thereof), motherhood, identity management, work-life balance, youthfulness, and illness. Overall, the stories presented seek to problematize ongoing difficulties for women in the academy with the hopes of sparking discussion and ongoing debate
Biometric analysis of the foetal meconium pattern using T1 weighted 2D gradient echo MRI
OBJECTIVES:
Foetal MRI is used to assess abnormalities after ultrasonography. Bowel anomalies are a significant cause of neonatal morbidity, however there are little data concerning its normal appearance on antenatal MRI. This study aims to investigate the pattern of meconium accumulation throughout gestation using its hyperintense appearance on T1 weighted scans and add to the current published data.
METHODS:
This was a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary referral clinical MRI centre. Foetal body MRI scans of varying gestational ages were obtained dating between October 2011 and March 2018. The bowel was visualised on T1 weighted images. The length of the meconium and the width of the meconium at the rectum, sigmoid colon, splenic flexure and hepatic flexure was measured. Presence or absence of meconium in the small bowel was noted. Inter- and intrarater reliability was assessed.
RESULTS:
181 foetal body scans were reviewed. 52 were excluded and 129 analysed. Visualisation of the meconium in the large bowel became increasingly proximal with later gestations, and small bowel visualisation was greater at earlier gestations. There was statistically significant strong (r = 0.6–0.8) or very strong (r = 0.8–1.0) positive correlation of length and width with increasing gestation. Interrater reliability was moderate to excellent (r = 0.4–1.0).
CONCLUSION:
This study provides new information regarding the pattern of meconium accumulation throughout gestation. With care, the results can be used in clinical practice to aid diagnosis of bowel pathology.
ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE:
The findings of this study provide further information concerning the normal accumulation of foetal meconium on MR imaging, an area where current research is limited
Particle-Antiparticle Asymmetry Due to Non-Renormalizable Effective Interactions
We consider a model for generating a particle-antiparticle asymmetry through
out-of-equilibrium decays of a massive particle due to non-renormalizable,
effective interactions.Comment: preliminary version, 38 pages; LaTeX source, epsf.sty and EPS files
included in tar archiv
Cross-Correlation of the Cosmic Microwave Background with Radio Sources: Constraints on an Accelerating Universe
We present a new limit on the cosmological constant based on the absence of
correlations between the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the distribution
of distant radio sources. In the cosmological constant-cold dark matter models
currently favored, such correlations should have been produced via the
integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect, assuming that radio sources trace the local
(z=1) matter density. We find no evidence of correlations between the COBE 53Hz
microwave map and the NVSS 1.4 GHz radio survey. The implied 95% CL limit on
the cosmological constant is Lambda < 0.74, in marginal agreement with the
values suggested by recent measurements of the CMB anisotropy and type-IA
supernovae observations, 0.6 < Lambda < 0.7. If the cosmological model does lie
in this range, then the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect should be detectable with
upcoming CMB maps and radio surveys.Comment: 5 pages; 3 figures; submitted to PR
Constraints on Galaxy Bias, Matter Density, and Primordial Non--Gausianity from the PSCz Galaxy Redshift Survey
We compute the bispectrum for the \IRAS PSCz catalog and find that the galaxy
distribution displays the characteristic signature of gravity. Assuming
Gaussian initial conditions, we obtain galaxy biasing parameters
and , with no sign of
scale-dependent bias for h/Mpc. These results impose stringent
constraints on non-Gaussian initial conditions. For dimensional scaling models
with statistics, we find N>49, which implies a constraint on
primordial skewness .Comment: 4 pages, 3 embedded figures, uses revtex style file, minor changes to
reflect published versio
Pulse contrast enhancement via non-collinear sum-frequency generation with the signal and idler of an optical parametric amplifier
We outline an approach for improving the temporal contrast of a
high-intensity laser system by 8 orders of magnitude using non-collinear
sum-frequency generation with the signal and idler of an optical parametric
amplifier. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique by cleaning
pulses from a millijoule-level chirped-pulse amplification system to provide
10 intensity contrast relative to all pre-pulses and amplified
spontaneous emission 5~ps prior to the main pulse. The output maintains
percent-level energy stability on the time scales of a typical user experiment
at our facility, highlighting the method's reliability and operational
efficiency. After temporal cleansing, the pulses are stretched in time before
seeding two multi-pass, Ti:sapphire-based amplifiers. After re-compression, the
1~J, 40~fs (25~TW) laser pulses maintain a 10 intensity contrast
30~ps prior to the main pulse. This technique is both energy-scalable and
appropriate for preparing seed pulses for a TW- or PW-level chirped-pulse
amplification laser system
Vascular smooth muscle Sirtuin-1 protects against aortic dissection during Angiotensin II-induced hypertension
BACKGROUND: Sirtuin-1 (SirT1), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(+)-dependent deacetylase, is a key enzyme in the cellular response to metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stresses; however, the role of endogenous SirT1 in the vasculature has not been fully elucidated. Our goal was to evaluate the role of vascular smooth muscle SirT1 in the physiological response of the aortic wall to angiotensin II, a potent hypertrophic, oxidant, and inflammatory stimulus. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice lacking SirT1 in vascular smooth muscle (ie, smooth muscle SirT1 knockout) had drastically high mortality (70%) caused by aortic dissection after angiotensin II infusion (1 mg/kg per day) but not after an equipotent dose of norepinephrine, despite comparable blood pressure increases. Smooth muscle SirT1 knockout mice did not show any abnormal aortic morphology or blood pressure compared with wild-type littermates. Nonetheless, in response to angiotensin II, aortas from smooth muscle SirT1 knockout mice had severely disorganized elastic lamellae with frequent elastin breaks, increased oxidant production, and aortic stiffness compared with angiotensin II-treated wild-type mice. Matrix metalloproteinase expression and activity were increased in the aortas of angiotensin II-treated smooth muscle SirT1 knockout mice and were prevented in mice overexpressing SirT1 in vascular smooth muscle or with use of the oxidant scavenger tempol. CONCLUSIONS: Endogenous SirT1 in aortic smooth muscle is required to maintain the structural integrity of the aortic wall in response to oxidant and inflammatory stimuli, at least in part, by suppressing oxidant-induced matrix metalloproteinase activity. SirT1 activators could potentially be a novel therapeutic approach to prevent aortic dissection and rupture in patients at risk, such as those with hypertension or genetic disorders, such as Marfan's syndrome.R01 HL098028 - NHLBI NIH HHS; HL098028 - NHLBI NIH HHS; HL105287 - NHLBI NIH HHS; T32 HL07224 - NHLBI NIH HH
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