2,855 research outputs found
Self Organization and a Dynamical Transition in Traffic Flow Models
A simple model that describes traffic flow in two dimensions is studied. A
sharp {\it jamming transition } is found that separates between the low density
dynamical phase in which all cars move at maximal speed and the high density
jammed phase in which they are all stuck. Self organization effects in both
phases are studied and discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Elevated alpha-synuclein caused by SNCA gene triplication impairs neuronal differentiation and maturation in Parkinson's patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells
We have assessed the impact of α-synuclein overexpression on the differentiation potential and phenotypic signatures of two neural-committed induced pluripotent stem cell lines derived from a Parkinson´s disease patient with a triplication of the human SNCA genomic locus. In parallel, comparative studies were performed on two control lines derived from healthy individuals and lines generated from the patient iPS-derived neuroprogenitor lines infected with a lentivirus incorporating a small hairpin RNA to knock down the SNCA mRNA. The SNCA triplication lines exhibited a reduced capacity to differentiate into dopaminergic or GABAergic neurons and decreased neurite outgrowth and lower neuronal activity compared with control cultures. This delayed maturation phenotype was confirmed by gene expression profiling, which revealed a significant reduction in mRNA for genes implicated in neuronal differentiation such as delta-like homolog 1 (DLK1), gamma-aminobutyric acid type B receptor subunit 2 (GABABR2), nuclear receptor related 1 protein (NURR1), G-protein-regulated inward-rectifier potassium channel 2 (GIRK-2) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). The differentiated patient cells also demonstrated increased autophagic flux when stressed with chloroquine. We conclude that a two-fold overexpression of α-synuclein caused by a triplication of the SNCA gene is sufficient to impair the differentiation of neuronal progenitor cells, a finding with implications for adult neurogenesis and Parkinson´s disease progression, particularly in the context of bioenergetic dysfunction.Fil: Oliveira, L. M. A.. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; AlemaniaFil: Falomir Lockhart, Lisandro Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata "Prof. Dr. Rodolfo R. Brenner". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata ; Argentina. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; AlemaniaFil: Botelho, M. G.. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; Alemania. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Lin, K. H.. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; AlemaniaFil: Wales, P.. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Koch, J. C.. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Gerhardt, Elizabeth. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Taschenberger, H.. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; AlemaniaFil: Outeiro, T. F.. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Lingor, P.. Universität Göttingen; AlemaniaFil: Schüele, B.. The Parkinson’s Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Arndt Jovin, D. J.. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; AlemaniaFil: Jovin, T. M.. Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie; Alemani
Renal impairment after liver transplantation - a pilot trial of calcineurin inhibitor-free vs. calcineurin inhibitor sparing immunosuppression in patients with mildly impaired renal function after liver transplantation
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>Chronic kidney disease is frequent in patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) and has impact on survival. Patients receiving calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) are at increased risk to develop impaired renal function. Early CNI reduction and concomitant use of mycophenolat mofetil (MMF) has been shown to improve renal function.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The aim of this trial was to compare dose-reduced CNI/MMF versus CNI-free MMF/prednisone-based treatment in stable patients after OLT with respect to glomerular filtration rate (GFR). 21 patients [GFR 44.9 ± 9.9 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2 </sup>measured by 99m-Tc-DTPA-clearance, serum creatinine (SCr) 1.5 ± 0.42 mg/dL] were randomized either to exchange CNI for 10 mg prednisone (group 1; n = 8) or to receive CNI at 25% of the initial dose (group 2; n = 13) each in combination with 1000 mg MMF b.i.d.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At month 12 mean SCr (-0.3 ± 0.4 mg/dL, p = 0.031) and GFR improved (8.6 ± 13.1 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2</sup>, p = 0.015) in group 2 but remained unchanged in group 1. Main side effects were gastroinstestinal symptoms (14.3%) and infections (4.8%). Two biopsy proven, steroid-responsive rejections occurred. In group 1 mean diastolic blood pressure (BP) increased by 11 ± 22 mmHg (p = 0.03).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Reduced dose CNI in combination with MMF but not CNI-free-immunosuppression leads to improvement of GFR in patients with moderately elevated SCr levels after OLT. Addition of steroids resulted in increased diastolic blood pressure presumably counterbalancing the benefits of CNI withdrawal on renal function.</p
Two problems related to prescribed curvature measures
Existence of convex body with prescribed generalized curvature measures is
discussed, this result is obtained by making use of Guan-Li-Li's innovative
techniques. In surprise, that methods has also brought us to promote
Ivochkina's estimates for prescribed curvature equation in \cite{I1, I}.Comment: 12 pages, Corrected typo
Mean Curvature Flow of Spacelike Graphs
We prove the mean curvature flow of a spacelike graph in of a map from a closed Riemannian
manifold with to a complete Riemannian manifold
with bounded curvature tensor and derivatives, and with
sectional curvatures satisfying , remains a spacelike graph,
exists for all time, and converges to a slice at infinity. We also show, with
no need of the assumption , that if , or if and
, constant, any map is trivially
homotopic provided where
, in case , and
in case . This largely extends some known results for
constant and compact, obtained using the Riemannian structure
of , and also shows how regularity theory on the mean
curvature flow is simpler and more natural in pseudo-Riemannian setting then in
the Riemannian one.Comment: version 5: Math.Z (online first 30 July 2010). version 4: 30 pages:
we replace the condition by the the weaker one .
The proofs are essentially the same. We change the title to a shorter one. We
add an applicatio
Strong extinction of a far-field laser beam by a single quantum dot
Through the utilization of index-matched GaAs immersion lens techniques we
demonstrate a record extinction (12%) of a far-field focused laser by a single
InAs/GaAs quantum dot. This contrast level enables us to report for the first
time resonant laser transmission spectroscopy on a single InAs/GaAs quantum dot
without the need for phase-sensitive lock-in detection
On the Quantum Phase Operator for Coherent States
In papers by Lynch [Phys. Rev. A41, 2841 (1990)] and Gerry and Urbanski
[Phys. Rev. A42, 662 (1990)] it has been argued that the phase-fluctuation
laser experiments of Gerhardt, B\"uchler and Lifkin [Phys. Lett. 49A, 119
(1974)] are in good agreement with the variance of the Pegg-Barnett phase
operator for a coherent state, even for a small number of photons. We argue
that this is not conclusive. In fact, we show that the variance of the phase in
fact depends on the relative phase between the phase of the coherent state and
the off-set phase of the Pegg-Barnett phase operator. This off-set
phase is replaced with the phase of a reference beam in an actual experiment
and we show that several choices of such a relative phase can be fitted to the
experimental data. We also discuss the Noh, Foug\`{e}res and Mandel [Phys.Rev.
A46, 2840 (1992)] relative phase experiment in terms of the Pegg-Barnett phase
taking post-selection conditions into account.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures. Typographical errors and misprints have been
corrected. The outline of the paper has also been changed. Physica Scripta
(in press
Small-world networks: Evidence for a crossover picture
Watts and Strogatz [Nature 393, 440 (1998)] have recently introduced a model
for disordered networks and reported that, even for very small values of the
disorder in the links, the network behaves as a small-world. Here, we test
the hypothesis that the appearance of small-world behavior is not a
phase-transition but a crossover phenomenon which depends both on the network
size and on the degree of disorder . We propose that the average
distance between any two vertices of the network is a scaling function
of . The crossover size above which the network behaves as a
small-world is shown to scale as with .Comment: 5 pages, 5 postscript figures (1 in color),
Latex/Revtex/multicols/epsf. Accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
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