7,857 research outputs found
Supersymmetric exact sequence, heat kernel and super KdV hierarchy
We introduce the free N=1 supersymmetric derivation ring and prove the
existence of an exact sequence of supersymmetric rings and linear
transformations. We apply necessary and sufficient conditions arising from this
exact supersymmetric sequence to obtain the essential relations between
conserved quantities, gradients and the N=1 super KdV hierarchy. We combine
this algebraic approach with an analytic analysis of the super heat operator.We
obtain the explicit expression for the Green's function of the super heat
operator in terms of a series expansion and discuss its properties. The
expansion is convergent under the assumption of bounded bosonic and fermionic
potentials. We show that the asymptotic expansion when of the Green's
function for the super heat operator evaluated over its diagonal generates all
the members of the N=1 super KdV hierarchy.Comment: 20 pages, to be published in JM
Acquired thrombophilias
Na presente revisão, discutimos a contribuição de fatores de risco adquiridos para a ocorrência de tromboembolismo venoso.In this review we discuss the contribution of acquired risk factors to the occurrence of venous thromboembolism
Immunohistochemical approach to the pathogenesis of clinical cases of Bovine Herpesvirus type 5 infections
Meningoencephalitis by Herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) in cattle has some features that are similar to those of herpetic encephalitis in humans and other animal species. Human Herpesvirus 3 (commonly known as Varicella-zoster virus 1), herpes simplex viruses (HSV), and equid Herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) induce an intense inflammatory, vascular and cellular response. In spite of the many reports describing the histological lesions associated with natural and experimental infections, the immunopathological mechanisms for the development of neurological disorder have not been established. A total of twenty calf brains were selected from the Veterinary School, University of São Paulo State, Araçatuba, Brazil, after confirmation of BoHV-5 infection by virus isolation as well as by a molecular approach. The first part of the study characterized the microscopic lesions associated with the brain areas in the central nervous system (CNS) that tested positive in a viral US9 gene hybridization assay. The frontal cortex (Fc), parietal cortex (Pc), thalamus (T) and mesencephalon (M) were studied. Secondly, distinct pathogenesis mechanisms that take place in acute cases were investigated by an immunohistochemistry assay. This study found the frontal cortex to be the main region where intense oxidative stress phenomena (AOP-1) and synaptic protein expression (SNAP-25) were closely related to inflammatory cuffs, satellitosis and gliosis, which represent the most frequently observed neurological lesions. Moreover, MMP-9 expression was shown to be localized in the leptomeninges, in the parenchyma and around mononuclear infiltrates (p < 0.0001). These data open a new perspective in understanding the role of the AOP-1, MMP-9 and SNAP-25 proteins in mediating BoHV-5 pathogenesis and the strategies of host-virus interaction in order to invade de CNS
Impedance measurements and simulations on the TCT and TDI LHC collimators
The LHC collimation system is a critical element for
the safe operation of the LHC machine and it is subject
to continuous performance monitoring, hardware upgrade
and optimization. In this work we will address the impact
on impedance of the upgrades performed on the injection
protection target dump (TDI), where the absorber material
has been changed to mitigate the device heating observed
in machine operation, and on selected secondary (TCS) and
tertiary (TCT) collimators, where beam position monitors
(BPM) have been embedded for faster jaw alignment. Con-
cerning the TDI, we will present the RF measurements per-
formed before and after the upgrade, comparing the result
to heating and tune shift beam measurements. For the TCTs,
we will study how the higher order modes (HOM) intro-
duced by the BPM addition have been cured by means of
ferrite placement in the device. The impedance mitigation
campaign has been supported by RF measurements whose
results are in good agreement with GdfidL and CST simula-
tions. The presence of undamped low frequency modes is
proved not to be detrimental to the safe LHC operation
Anomalous relaxations and chemical trends at III-V nitride non-polar surfaces
Relaxations at nonpolar surfaces of III-V compounds result from a competition
between dehybridization and charge transfer. First principles calculations for
the (110) and (100) faces of zincblende and wurtzite AlN, GaN and InN
reveal an anomalous behavior as compared with ordinary III-V semiconductors.
Additional calculations for GaAs and ZnO suggest close analogies with the
latter. We interpret our results in terms of the larger ionicity (charge
asymmetry) and bonding strength (cohesive energy) in the nitrides with respect
to other III-V compounds, both essentially due to the strong valence potential
and absence of core states in the lighter anion. The same interpretation
applies to Zn II-VI compounds.Comment: RevTeX 7 pages, 8 figures included; also available at
http://kalix.dsf.unica.it/preprints/; improved after revie
Impact of cumulative intravascular contrast exposure on renal function in patients with occlusive and aneurysmal vascular disease
ObjectivePatients with occlusive or aneurysmal vascular disease are repeatedly exposed to intravascular (IV) contrast for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. We sought to determine the long-term impact of cumulative iodinated IV contrast exposure (CIVCE) on renal function; the latter was defined by means of National Kidney Foundation (NKF) criteria.MethodsWe performed a longitudinal study of consecutive patients without renal insufficiency at baseline (NFK stage I or II) who underwent interventions for arterial occlusive or aneurysmal disease. We collected detailed data on any IV iodinated contrast exposure (including diagnostic or therapeutic angiography, cardiac catheterization, IV pyelography, computed tomography with IV contrast, computed tomographic angiography); medication exposure throughout the observation period; comorbidities; and demographics. The primary end point was the development of renal failure (RF) (defined as NFK stage 4 or 5). Analysis was performed with the use of a shared frailty model with clustering at the patient level.ResultsPatients (n = 1274) had a mean follow-up of 5.8 (range, 2.2-14) years. In the multivariate model with RF as the dependent variable and after adjusting for the statistically significant covariates of baseline renal function (hazard ratio [HR], 0.95; P < .001), diabetes (HR, 1.8; P = .007), use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (HR, 0.63; P = .03), use of antiplatelets (HR, 0.5; P = .01), cumulative number of open vascular operations performed (HR, 1.2; P = .001), and congestive heart failure (HR, 3.2; P < .001), CIVCE remained an independent predictor for RF development (HR, 1.1; P < .001). In the multivariate survival analysis model and after adjusting for the statistically significant covariates of perioperative myocardial infarction (HR, 3.9; P < .001), age at entry in the cohort (HR, 1.05; P = .035), total number of open operations (HR, 1.51; P < .001), and serum albumin (HR, 0.47; P < .001), CIVCE was an independent predictor of death (HR, 1.07; P < .001).ConclusionsCumulative IV contrast exposure is an independent predictor of RF and death in patients with occlusive and aneurysmal vascular disease
EuroEco (European Health Economic Trial on Home Monitoring in ICD Patients): a provider perspective in five European countries on costs and net financial impact of follow-up with or without remote monitoring
Aim: Remote follow-up (FU) of implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) allows for fewer in-office visits in combination with earlier detection of relevant findings. Its implementation requires investment and reorganization of care. Providers (physicians or hospitals) are unsure about the financial impact. The primary end-point of this randomized prospective multicentre health economic trial was the total FU-related cost for providers, comparing Home Monitoring facilitated FU (HM ON) to regular in-office FU (HM OFF) during the first 2 years after ICD implantation. Also the net financial impact on providers (taking national reimbursement into account) and costs from a healthcare payer perspective were evaluated.
Methods and results: Atotal of 312 patients with VVI-or DDD-ICD implants from 17 centres in six EU countries were randomised to HMON or OFF, of which 303 were eligible for data analysis. For all contacts (in-office, calendar-or alert-triggered web-based review, discussions, calls) time-expenditure was tracked. Country-specific cost parameters were used to convert resource use into monetary values. Remote FU equipment itself was not included in the cost calculations. Given only two patients from Finland (one in each group) a monetary valuation analysis was not performed for Finland. Average age was 62.4 +/- 13.1 years, 81% were male, 39% received a DDD system, and 51% had a prophylactic ICD. Resource use with HM ON was clearly different: less FU visits (3.79 +/- 1.67 vs. 5.53 +/- 2.32; P < 0.001) despite a small increase of unscheduled visits (0.95 +/- 1.50 vs. 0.62 +/- 1.25; P < 0.005), more non-office-based contacts (1.95+3.29 vs. 1.01 +/- 2.64; P < 0.001), more Internet sessions (11.02 +/- 15.28 vs. 0.06 +/- 0.31; P < 0.001) and more in-clinic discussions (1.84 +/- 4.20 vs. 1.28 +/- 2.92; P < 0.03), but with numerically fewer hospitalizations (0.67 +/- 1.18 vs. 0.85 +/- 1.43, P = 0.23) and shorter length-of-stay (6.31 +/- 15.5 vs. 8.26 +/- 18.6; P = 0.27), although not significant. For the whole study population, the total FU cost for providers was not different for HM ON vs. OFF [mean (95% CI): (sic)204 169-238) vs. (sic)213 (182-243); range for difference ((sic)-36 to 54), NS]. From a payer perspective, FU-related costs were similar while the total cost per patient (including other physician visits, examinations, and hospitalizations) was numerically (but not significantly) lower. There was no difference in the net financial impact on providers [profit of (sic)408 (327-489) vs. (sic)400 (345-455); range for difference ((sic)-104 to 88), NS], but there was heterogeneity among countries, with less profit for providers in the absence of specific remote FU reimbursement (Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands) and maintained or increased profit in cases where such reimbursement exists (Germany and UK). Quality of life (SF-36) was not different.
Conclusion: For all the patients as a whole, FU-related costs for providers are not different for remote FU vs. purely in-office FU, despite reorganized care. However, disparity in the impact on provider budget among different countries illustrates the need for proper reimbursement to ensure effective remote FU implementation
Quantum interference and Klein tunneling in graphene heterojunctions
The observation of quantum conductance oscillations in mesoscopic systems has
traditionally required the confinement of the carriers to a phase space of
reduced dimensionality. While electron optics such as lensing and focusing have
been demonstrated experimentally, building a collimated electron interferometer
in two unconfined dimensions has remained a challenge due to the difficulty of
creating electrostatic barriers that are sharp on the order of the electron
wavelength. Here, we report the observation of conductance oscillations in
extremely narrow graphene heterostructures where a resonant cavity is formed
between two electrostatically created bipolar junctions. Analysis of the
oscillations confirms that p-n junctions have a collimating effect on
ballistically transmitted carriers. The phase shift observed in the conductance
fringes at low magnetic fields is a signature of the perfect transmission of
carriers normally incident on the junctions and thus constitutes a direct
experimental observation of ``Klein Tunneling.''Comment: 13 pages and 6 figures including supplementary information. The paper
has been modified in light of new theoretical results available at
arXiv:0808.048
Nature of the spin-glass phase at experimental length scales
We present a massive equilibrium simulation of the three-dimensional Ising
spin glass at low temperatures. The Janus special-purpose computer has allowed
us to equilibrate, using parallel tempering, L=32 lattices down to T=0.64 Tc.
We demonstrate the relevance of equilibrium finite-size simulations to
understand experimental non-equilibrium spin glasses in the thermodynamical
limit by establishing a time-length dictionary. We conclude that
non-equilibrium experiments performed on a time scale of one hour can be
matched with equilibrium results on L=110 lattices. A detailed investigation of
the probability distribution functions of the spin and link overlap, as well as
of their correlation functions, shows that Replica Symmetry Breaking is the
appropriate theoretical framework for the physically relevant length scales.
Besides, we improve over existing methodologies to ensure equilibration in
parallel tempering simulations.Comment: 48 pages, 19 postscript figures, 9 tables. Version accepted for
publication in the Journal of Statistical Mechanic
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