8,777 research outputs found
Prediction of sarcomere mutations in subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND: Sarcomere protein mutations in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy induce subtle cardiac structural changes before the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). We have proposed that myocardial crypts are part of this phenotype and independently associated with the presence of sarcomere gene mutations. We tested this hypothesis in genetic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy pre-LVH (genotype positive, LVH negative [G+LVH-]). METHODS AND RESULTS: A multicenter case-control study investigated crypts and 22 other cardiovascular magnetic resonance parameters in subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to determine their strength of association with sarcomere gene mutation carriage. The G+LVH- sample (n=73) was 29 ± 13 years old and 51% were men. Crypts were related to the presence of sarcomere mutations (for ≥1 crypt, β=2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-4.4; P=0.014 and for ≥2 crypts, β=3.0; 95% CI, 0.8-7.9; P=0.004). In combination with 3 other parameters: anterior mitral valve leaflet elongation (β=2.1; 95% CI, 1.7-3.1; P<0.001), abnormal LV apical trabeculae (β=1.6; 95% CI, 0.8-2.5; P<0.001), and smaller LV end-systolic volumes (β=1.4; 95% CI, 0.5-2.3; P=0.001), multiple crypts indicated the presence of sarcomere gene mutations with 80% accuracy and an area under the curve of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.8-0.9). In this G+LVH- population, cardiac myosin-binding protein C mutation carriers had twice the prevalence of crypts when compared with the other combined mutations (47 versus 23%; odds ratio, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.1-7.9; P=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: The subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype measured by cardiovascular magnetic resonance in a multicenter environment and consisting of crypts (particularly multiple), anterior mitral valve leaflet elongation, abnormal trabeculae, and smaller LV systolic cavity is indicative of the presence of sarcomere gene mutations and highlights the need for further study
Gravitational Waves from Extragalactic Inspiraling Binaries: Selection Effects and Expected Detection Rates
We examine the selection effects that determine how the population of
inspiraling binary compact objects (BCOs) is reflected by those potentially
observed with ground-based interferometers like LIGO. We lay the ground-work
for the interpretation of future observations in terms of constraints on the
real population and, correspondingly, binary star evolution models.
To determine the extra-galactic population of inspiraling binaries we combine
data on distance and blue luminosity from galaxy catalogs with current models
of the galactic BCO mass distribution to simulate the physical distribution of
binaries in the nearby universe. We use Monte Carlo methods to determine the
fraction of binaries observable by the LIGO detectors from each galaxy as a
function of the BCO chirp mass. We examine separately the role of source
distance, sky position, time of detection, and binary system chirp mass on
detection efficiency and selection effects relevant to the three LIGO
detectors. Finally, we discuss the implications of the nearby geography of
space on anticipated GW detection and compare our results to previous studies,
which have assumed uniform galaxy volume density and fixed chirp mass for
binary compact objects.
From these considerations, actual BCO inspiral observations or significant
upper limits on the coalescence rate anticipated in the near future by
ground-based interferometers can be used to improve our knowledge of the
galactic binary inspiral rate and to constrain models of radio pulsar
characteristics and binary star evolution channels leading to neutron star or
black hole binaries.Comment: 35 pages, including 12 figures. Revised following refereeing.
Accepted for September publication in Ap
The liminality of trajectory shifts in institutional entrepreneurship
In this paper, we develop a process model of trajectory shifts in institutional entrepreneurship. We focus on the liminal periods experienced by institutional entrepreneurs when they, unlike the rest of the organization, recognize limits in the present and seek to shift a familiar past into an unfamiliar and uncertain future. Such periods involve a situation where the new possible future, not yet fully formed, exists side-by-side with established innovation trajectories. Trajectory shifts are moments of truth for institutional entrepreneurs, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms of how entrepreneurs reflectively deal with liminality to conceive and bring forth new innovation trajectories. Our in-depth case study research at CarCorp traces three such mechanisms (reflective dissension, imaginative projection, and eliminatory exploration) and builds the basis for understanding the liminality of trajectory shifts. The paper offers theoretical implications for the institutional entrepreneurship literature
A large-scale study of a poultry trading network in Bangladesh: implications for control and surveillance of avian influenza viruses
Since its first report in 2007, avian influenza (AI) has been endemic in Bangladesh. While live poultry marketing is widespread throughout the country and known to influence AI dissemination and persistence, trading patterns have not been described. The aim of this study is to assess poultry trading practices and features of the poultry trading networks which could promote AI spread, and their potential implications for disease control and surveillance. Data on poultry trading practices was collected from 849 poultry traders during a cross-sectional survey in 138 live bird markets (LBMs) across 17 different districts of Bangladesh. The quantity and origins of traded poultry were assessed for each poultry type in surveyed LBMs. The network of contacts between farms and LBMs resulting from commercial movements of live poultry was constructed to assess its connectivity and to identify the key premises influencing it
Assaying Rho GTPase–dependent processes in Dictyostelium discoideum
The model organism D. discoideum is well-suited to investigate basic questions of molecular and cell biology, particularly those related to the structure, regulation and dynamics of the cytoskeleton, signal transduction, cell-cell adhesion and development. D. discoideum cells make use of Rho-regulated signaling pathways to reorganize the actin cytoskeleton during chemotaxis, endocytosis and cytokinesis. In this organism the Rho family encompasses 20 members, several belonging to the Rac subfamily, but there are no representatives of the Cdc42 and Rho subfamilies. Here we present protocols suitable for monitoring the actin polymerization response and the activation of Rac upon stimulation of aggregation competent cells with the chemoattractant cAMP, and for monitoring the localization and dynamics of Rac activity in live cells
Forecasting Human-Object Interaction: Joint Prediction of Motor Attention and Actions in First Person Video
We address the challenging task of anticipating human-object interaction in
first person videos. Most existing methods ignore how the camera wearer
interacts with the objects, or simply consider body motion as a separate
modality. In contrast, we observe that the international hand movement reveals
critical information about the future activity. Motivated by this, we adopt
intentional hand movement as a future representation and propose a novel deep
network that jointly models and predicts the egocentric hand motion,
interaction hotspots and future action. Specifically, we consider the future
hand motion as the motor attention, and model this attention using latent
variables in our deep model. The predicted motor attention is further used to
characterise the discriminative spatial-temporal visual features for predicting
actions and interaction hotspots. We present extensive experiments
demonstrating the benefit of the proposed joint model. Importantly, our model
produces new state-of-the-art results for action anticipation on both EGTEA
Gaze+ and the EPIC-Kitchens datasets. Our project page is available at
https://aptx4869lm.github.io/ForecastingHOI
Emending Gymnopus sect. Gymnopus (Agaricales, Omphalotaceae) by including two new species from southern China
Based on phylogenetic analyses, some newly studied Chinese mushroom specimens were found to represent two distinct species within the genus Gymnopus. Along with G. fusipes (sect. Gymnopus) they form a distinct clade with high support, although their macromorphological characters seem to be closer to members of Gymnopus sect. Levipedes or sect. Vestipedes (Collybiopsis). When examined in detail, their micromorphological characters, especially the type of pileipellis, support them as new members of G. sect. Gymnopus. Therefore, two new species, G. omphalinoides and G. schizophyllus, and the emended circumscription of sect. Gymnopus are proposed in this paper. Detailed morphological descriptions, colour photos, illustrations of the two new species, morphological comparisons with similar taxa and the molecular-phylogenetic analyses of the combined nrITS and nrLSU data are presented. A key to the known species of G. sect. Gymnopus is also presented
Comparison of breast and bowel cancer screening uptake patterns in a common cohort of South Asian women in England
Background: Inequalities in uptake of cancer screening by ethnic minority populations are well documented in a
number of international studies. However, most studies to date have explored screening uptake for a single cancer
only. This paper compares breast and bowel cancer screening uptake for a cohort of South Asian women invited to
undertake both, and similarly investigates these women's breast cancer screening behaviour over a period of fifteen
years.
Methods: Screening data for rounds 1, 2 and 5 (1989-2004) of the NHS breast cancer screening programme and for
round 1 of the NHS bowel screening pilot (2000-2002) were obtained for women aged 50-69 resident in the English
bowel screening pilot site, Coventry and Warwickshire, who had been invited to undertake breast and bowel cancer
screening in the period 2000-2002. Breast and bowel cancer screening uptake levels were calculated and compared
using the chi-squared test.
Results: 72,566 women were invited to breast and bowel cancer screening after exclusions. Of these, 3,539 were South
Asian and 69,027 non-Asian; 18,730 had been invited to mammography over the previous fifteen years (rounds 1 to 5).
South Asian women were significantly less likely to undertake both breast and bowel cancer screening; 29.9% (n =
1,057) compared to 59.4% (n = 40,969) for non-Asians (p < 0.001). Women in both groups who consistently chose to
undertake breast cancer screening in rounds 1, 2 and 5 were more likely to complete round 1 bowel cancer screening.
However, the likelihood of completion of bowel cancer screening was still significantly lower for South Asians; 49.5% vs.
82.3% for non-Asians, p < 0.001. South Asian women who undertook breast cancer screening in only one round were
no more likely to complete bowel cancer screening than those who decided against breast cancer screening in all
three rounds. In contrast, similar women in the non-Asian population had an increased likelihood of completing the
new bowel cancer screening test. The likelihood of continued uptake of mammography after undertaking screening in
round 1 differed between South Asian religio-linguistic groups. Noticeably, women in the Muslim population were less
likely to continue to participate in mammography than those in other South Asian groups.
Conclusions: Culturally appropriate targeted interventions are required to reduce observed disparities in cancer
screening uptakes
Accretions of Various Types of Dark Energies onto Morris-Thorne Wormhole
In this work, we have studied accretion of the dark energies onto
Morris-Thorne wormhole. For quintessence like dark energy, the mass of the
wormhole decreases and phantom like dark energy, the mass of wormhole
increases. We have assumed two types of dark energy like variable modified
Chaplygin gas (VMCG) and generalized cosmic Chaplygin gas (GCCG). We have found
the expression of wormhole mass in both cases. We have found the mass of the
wormhole at late universe and this is finite. For our choices the parameters
and the function , these models generate only quintessence dark energy
(not phantom) and so wormhole mass decreases during evolution of the universe.
Next we have assumed 5 kinds of parametrizations of well known dark energy
models. These models generate both quintessence and phantom scenarios. So if
these dark energies accrete onto the wormhole, then for quintessence stage,
wormhole mass decreases upto a certain value (finite value) and then again
increases to infinite value for phantom stage during whole evolution of the
universe. We also shown these results graphically.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1112.615
Meta models for real-time design assessment within an integrated information and numerical modelling framework
In situations where rapid decisions are required or a large number of design alternatives is to be explored, numerical predictions of construction pro-cesses have to be performed in near real-time. For the design assessment of com-plex engineering problems such as mechanised tunnelling, simple numerical and analytical models are not able to reproduce all complex 3D interactions. To over-come this problem, in this paper a novel concept for on-demand design assess-ment for mechanized tunnelling using simulation-based meta models is proposed. This concept includes: i) the generation of enhanced simulation-based meta mod-els; ii) real-time meta model-based design assessment in the design tool, and; iii) the implementation within a unified numerical and information modelling plat-form called SATBIM. The capabilities of this concept are demonstrated through an example for the evaluation of tunnel alignment design and the assessment of the impact of tunnelling on existing infrastructure. Moreover, meta models are used for fast forward calculation in sensitivity analyses for the evaluation of the importance of model parameters. The concept proved its efficiency by assessing the design alternatives in real-time with the prediction error of less than 3% com-pared to complex numerical simulation in presented example
- …