849 research outputs found
Increased circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 in late-onset Alzheimer's disease
Background: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease ( AD).
Methods: We compared the level of circulating total and bioavailable IGF-1, by simultaneous measurements of IGF-1 and IGF binding protein ( IGFBP)-3, between 87 patients diagnosed with AD and 126 age and sex matched control subjects without cognitive impairment. Blood samples were collected and IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 measured by ELISA. Subjects were also genotyped for apolipoprotein E.
Results: Total circulating IGF-1 levels were significantly raised in the AD group as compared to the control group (p = 0.022). There was no significant difference in the circulating level of IGFBP-3 between the two groups. When the IGF-1 levels were ratioed against IGFBP-3 levels as an indicator of unbound, bioavailable circulating IGF-1, there was a significant increase in the molar IGF-1:IGFBP-3 ratio in the AD subjects (0.181 +/- 0.006) as compared to the controls (0.156 +/- 0.004) (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that an increase in the IGF-1: IGFBP-3 molar ratio increased the risk of AD significantly.
Conclusion: The results of increased total and free circulating IGF-1 support the hypothesis that in its early stages late-onset AD reflects a state of resistance to IGF-1
Solutions in Self-Dual Gravity Constructed Via Chiral Equations
The chiral model for self-dual gravity given by Husain in the context of the
chiral equations approach is discussed. A Lie algebra corresponding to a finite
dimensional subgroup of the group of symplectic diffeomorphisms is found, and
then use for expanding the Lie algebra valued connections associated with the
chiral model. The self-dual metric can be explicitly given in terms of harmonic
maps and in terms of a basis of this subalgebra.Comment: Plain Latex, 13 Pages, major revisions of style in the above proof,
several Comments added. Version to appear in Physical Review
Stability and Shapes of Cellular Profiles in Directional Solidification: Expansion and Matching Methods
Wetensch. publicatieFaculteit der Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappe
Indications of microscopic solvability from counting arguments
FWN – Publicaties zonder aanstelling Universiteit Leide
Problematic social media use in childhood and adolescence.
At the time of writing, about 4.59 billion people use social media with many adolescents using their social media accounts across a myriad of applications and platforms. According to recent statistics, in 2022 individuals spent an average of 151 minutes on social media each day, illustrating the global relevance of social media (Dixon, 2022a,b). One of the pressing questions, internationally, is whether social media use is harmful and/or addictive. This question is of particular importance because many teenagers - and younger adolescents - spend considerable time on these platforms, which have increasingly become an integral part of their lives. Moreover, considering lifespan development, adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to specific features and advertisements shown to them on social media platforms. Growing prevalence of poor mental health in young people has led to recent recommendations in the United States to routinely screen for anxiety in 8-18 year olds, and for depression and suicide risk for adolescents between 12-18 years of age (US Preventive Services Task Force et al., 2022 a,b) - the conditions often accompanying problematic social media use. The present work not only provides insights into the current state of the literature but provides also recommendations. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Damage Spreading During Domain Growth
We study damage spreading in models of two-dimensional systems undergoing
first order phase transitions. We consider several models from the same
non-conserved order parameter universality class, and find unexpected
differences between them. An exact solution of the Ohta-Jasnow-Kawasaki model
yields the damage growth law , where in
dimensions. In contrast, time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations and Ising
simulations in using heat-bath dynamics show power-law growth, but with
an exponent of approximately , independent of the system sizes studied.
In marked contrast, Metropolis dynamics shows damage growing via , although the damage difference grows as . PACS: 64.60.-i, 05.50.+qComment: 4 pags of revtex3 + 3 postscript files appended as a compressed and
uuencoded file. UIB940320
Citizen Desires, Policy Outcomes, and Community Control
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68810/2/10.1177_107808747200800107.pd
Domain Growth and Finite-Size-Scaling in the Kinetic Ising Model
This paper describes the application of finite-size scaling concepts to
domain growth in systems with a non-conserved order parameter. A finite-size
scaling ansatz for the time-dependent order parameter distribution function is
proposed, and tested with extensive Monte-Carlo simulations of domain growth in
the 2-D spin-flip kinetic Ising model. The scaling properties of the
distribution functions serve to elucidate the configurational self-similarity
that underlies the dynamic scaling picture. Moreover, it is demonstrated that
the application of finite-size-scaling techniques facilitates the accurate
determination of the bulk growth exponent even in the presence of strong
finite-size effects, the scale and character of which are graphically exposed
by the order parameter distribution function. In addition it is found that one
commonly used measure of domain size--the scaled second moment of the
magnetisation distribution--belies the full extent of these finite-size
effects.Comment: 13 pages, Latex. Figures available on request. Rep #9401
Early stage scaling in phase ordering kinetics
A global analysis of the scaling behaviour of a system with a scalar order
parameter quenched to zero temperature is obtained by numerical simulation of
the Ginzburg-Landau equation with conserved and non conserved order parameter.
A rich structure emerges, characterized by early and asymptotic scaling
regimes, separated by a crossover. The interplay among different dynamical
behaviours is investigated by varying the parameters of the quench and can be
interpreted as due to the competition of different dynamical fixed points.Comment: 21 pages, latex, 7 figures available upon request from
[email protected]
Dynamic scaling and quasi-ordered states in the two dimensional Swift-Hohenberg equation
The process of pattern formation in the two dimensional Swift-Hohenberg
equation is examined through numerical and analytic methods. Dynamic scaling
relationships are developed for the collective ordering of convective rolls in
the limit of infinite aspect ratio. The stationary solutions are shown to be
strongly influenced by the strength of noise. Stationary states for small and
large noise strengths appear to be quasi-ordered and disordered respectively.
The dynamics of ordering from an initially inhomogeneous state is very slow in
the former case and fast in the latter. Both numerical and analytic
calculations indicate that the slow dynamics can be characterized by a simple
scaling relationship, with a characteristic dynamic exponent of in the
intermediate time regime
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