1,608 research outputs found
The Study of Law at the University of the South Pacific
A number of developments of interest to the countries of the South Pacific took place at the University of the South Pacific in the 1990s. In this article, two lawyers who have had some involvement with those developments provide a brief report on what happened. The article first covers the background and history of the University, the development of law programmes in the University (including the introduction of the LLB degree in 1994), and future developments for the University's law programme on the horizon. This article also includes an appendix which includes the University of the South Pacific's LLB degree curriculum as at 1994
Benchmark calculations for elastic fermion-dimer scattering
We present continuum and lattice calculations for elastic scattering between
a fermion and a bound dimer in the shallow binding limit. For the continuum
calculation we use the Skorniakov-Ter-Martirosian (STM) integral equation to
determine the scattering length and effective range parameter to high
precision. For the lattice calculation we use the finite-volume method of
L\"uscher. We take into account topological finite-volume corrections to the
dimer binding energy which depend on the momentum of the dimer. After
subtracting these effects, we find from the lattice calculation kappa a_fd =
1.174(9) and kappa r_fd = -0.029(13). These results agree well with the
continuum values kappa a_fd = 1.17907(1) and kappa r_fd = -0.0383(3) obtained
from the STM equation. We discuss applications to cold atomic Fermi gases,
deuteron-neutron scattering in the spin-quartet channel, and lattice
calculations of scattering for nuclei and hadronic molecules at finite volume.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
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Molecular Regulation of Gene Expression in Chondrocytes by Inflammatory Mediators
Trends of mechanical consequences and modeling of a fibrous membrane around femoral hip prostheses
In the present study, the effects of a fibrous membrane between cement and bone in a femoral total hip replacement were investigated. The study involved the problem of modeling this fibrous membrane in finite-element analyses, and its global consequences for the load-transfer mechanism and its resulting stress patterns. A finite-element model was developed, suitable to describe nonlinear contact conditions in combination with nonlinear material properties of the fibrous membrane. The fibrous tissue layer was described as a highly compliant material with little resistance against tension and shear. The analysis showed that the load transfer mechanism from stem to bone changes drastically when such a membrane is present. These effects are predominantly caused by tensile loosening and slip at the interface, and are enhanced by the nonlinear membrane characteristics.\ud
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Using parametric analysis, it was shown that these effects on the load-transfer mechanism cannot be described satisfactorily with linear elastic models.\ud
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Most importantly, the fibrous tissue interposition causes excessive stress concentrations in bone and cement, and relatively high relative displacements between these materials
Confirmation of Parity Violation in the Gamma Decay of
This paper reports measurements using the technique of On Line Nuclear
Orientation (OLNO) which reexamine the gamma decay of isomeric Hf and specifically the 501 keV 8 -- 6
transition. The irregular admixture of E2 to M2/E3 multipolarity in this
transition, deduced from the forward-backward asymmetry of its angular
distribution, has for decades stood as the prime evidence for parity mixing in
nuclear states. The experiment, based on ion implantation of the newly
developed mass-separated Hf beam at ISOLDE, CERN into an
iron foil maintained at millikelvin temperatures, produces higher degrees of
polarization than were achieved in previous studies of this system. The value
found for the E2/M2 mixing ratio, = -0.0324(16)(17), is in close
agreement with the previous published average value = - 0.030(2), in
full confirmation of the presence of the irregular E2 admixture in the 501 keV
transition. The temperature dependence of the forward-backward asymmetry has
been measured over a more extended range of nuclear polarization than
previously possible, giving further evidence for parity mixing of the 8 and 8 levels and the deduced E2/M2 mixing ratio.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Detecting new microRNAs in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes identifies miR-3085 as a human, chondrocyte-selective, microRNA
Objective: To use deep sequencing to identify novel microRNAs in human osteoarthritic cartilage which have a functional role in chondrocyte phenotype or function. Design: A small RNA library was prepared from human osteoarthritic primary chondrocytes using in-house adaptors and analysed by Illumina sequencing. Novel candidate microRNAs were validated by northern blot and qRT-PCR. Expression was measured in cartilage models. Targets of novel candidates were identified by microarray and computational analysis, validated using 3’-UTR-luciferase reporter plasmids. Protein levels were assessed by western blot and functional analysis by cell adhesion. Results: We identified 990 known microRNAs and 1621 potential novel microRNAs in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes, 60 of the latter were expressed in all samples assayed. MicroRNA-140-3p was the most highly expressed microRNA in osteoarthritic cartilage. Sixteen novel candidate microRNAs were analysed further, of which 6 remained after northern blot analysis. Three novel microRNAs were regulated across models of chondrogenesis, chondrocyte differentiation or cartilage injury. One sequence (novel #11), annotated in rodents as microRNA-3085-3p, was preferentially expressed in cartilage, dependent on chondrocyte differentiation and, in man, is located in an intron of the cartilage-expressed gene CRTAC-1. This microRNA was shown to target the ITGA5 gene directly (which encodes integrin alpha5) and inhibited adhesion to fibronectin (dependent on alpha5beta1 integrin). Conclusion: Deep sequencing has uncovered many potential microRNA candidates expressed in human cartilage. At least three of these show potential functional interest in cartilage homeostasis and osteoarthritis. Particularly, novel #11 (microRNA-3085-3p) which has been identified for the first time in man
Quantitative analysis of bone reactions to relative motions at implant-bone interfaces
Connective soft tissues at the interface between implants and bone, such as in human joint replacements, can endanger the stability of the implant fixation. The potential of an implant to generate interface bone resorption and form soft tissue depends on many variables, including mechanical ones. These mechanical factors can be expressed in terms of relative motions between bone and implant at the interface or deformation of the interfacial material.\ud
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The purpose of this investigation was to determine if interface debonding and subsequent relative interface motions can be responsible for interface degradation and soft tissue interposition as seen in experiments and clinical results. A finite element computer program was augmented with a mathematical description of interface debonding, dependent on interface stress criteria, and soft tissue interface interposition, dependent on relative interface motions. Three simplified models of orthopaedic implants were constructed: a cortical bone screw for fracture fixation plates, a femoral resurfacing prosthesis and a straight stem model, cemented in a bone. The predicted computer configurations were compared with clinical observations. The computer results showed how interface disruption and fibrous tissue interposition interrelate and possibly enhance each other, whereby a progressive development of the soft tissue layer can occur.\ud
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Around the cortical bone screw, the predicted resorption patterns were relatively large directly under the screw head and showed a pivot point in the opposite cortex. The resurfacing cup model predicted some fibrous tissue formation under the medial and lateral cup rim, whereby the medial layer developed first because of higher initial interface stresses. The straight stem model predicted initial interface failure at the proximal parts. After proximal resorption and fibrous tissue interposition, the medial interface was completely disrupted and developed an interface layer. The distal and mid lateral side maintained within the strength criterion.\ud
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Although the applied models were relatively simple, the results showed reasonable qualitative agreement with resorption patterns found in clinical studies concerning bone screws and the resurfacing cup. The hypothesis that interface debonding and subsequent relative (micro)motions could be responsible for bone resorption and fibrous tissue propagation is thereby sustained by the results
Further search for a neutral boson with a mass around 9 MeV/c2
Two dedicated experiments on internal pair conversion (IPC) of isoscalar M1
transitions were carried out in order to test a 9 MeV/c2 X-boson scenario. In
the 7Li(p,e+e-)8Be reaction at 1.1 MeV proton energy to the predominantly T=0
level at 18.15 MeV, a significant deviation from IPC was observed at large pair
correlation angles. In the 11B(d,n e+e-)12C reaction at 1.6 MeV, leading to the
12.71 MeV 1+ level with pure T=0 character, an anomaly was observed at 9
MeV/c2. The compatibility of the results with the scenario is discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 2 table
Magnetic Moment of the Fragmentation Aligned 61Fe(9/2)+ Isomer
We report on the g factor measurement of the isomer in (). The isomer was produced and spin-aligned via a projectile-fragmentation
reaction at intermediate energy, the Time Dependent Perturbed Angular
Distribution (TDPAD) method being used for the measurement of the g factor. For
the first time, due to significant improvements of the experimental technique,
an appreciable residual alignment of the isomer has been observed, allowing a
precise determination of its g factor: . Comparison of the
experimental g factor with shell-model and mean field calculations confirms the
spin and parity assignments and suggests the onset of deformation due
to the intrusion of Nilsson orbitals emerging from the .Comment: 4 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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