541 research outputs found
Is procalcitonin a valuable marker for identification of postoperative complications after coronary artery bypass graft surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass?
North Dakota Economic-Demographic Assessment Model (NEDAM): Technical Description
This report describes the logic, structure, data bases, and operational procedures of the North Dakota model.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,
Structural stability of Fe5Si3 and Ni2Si studied by high-pressure x-ray diffraction and ab initio total-energy calculations
We performed high-pressure angle dispersive x-ray diffraction measurements on
Fe5Si3 and Ni2Si up to 75 GPa. Both materials were synthesized in bulk
quantities via a solid-state reaction. In the pressure range covered by the
experiments, no evidence of the occurrence of phase transitions was observed.
On top of that, Fe5Si3 was found to compress isotropically, whereas an
anisotropic compression was observed in Ni2Si. The linear incompressibility of
Ni2Si along the c-axis is similar in magnitude to the linear incompressibility
of diamond. This fact is related to the higher valence-electron charge density
of Ni2Si along the c-axis. The observed anisotropic compression of Ni2Si is
also related to the layered structure of Ni2Si where hexagonal layers of Ni2+
cations alternate with graphite-like layers formed by (NiSi)2- entities. The
experimental results are supported by ab initio total-energy calculations
carried out using density functional theory and the pseudopotential method. For
Fe5Si3, the calculations also predicted a phase transition at 283 GPa from the
hexagonal P63/mcm phase to the cubic structure adopted by Fe and Si in the
garnet Fe5Si3O12. The room-temperature equations of state for Fe5Si3 and Ni2Si
are also reported and a possible correlation between the bulk modulus of iron
silicides and the coordination number of their minority element is discussed.
Finally, we report novel descriptions of these structures, in particular of the
predicted high-pressure phase of Fe5Si3 (the cation subarray in the garnet
Fe5Si3O12), which can be derived from spinel Fe2SiO4 (Fe6Si3O12).Comment: 44 pages, 13 figures, 3 Table
Protostellar collapse: rotation and disk formation
We present some important conclusions from recent calculations pertaining to
the collapse of rotating molecular cloud cores with axial symmetry,
corresponding to evolution of young stellar objects through classes 0 and begin
of class I. Three main issues have been addressed: (1) The typical timescale
for building up a preplanetary disk - once more it turned out that it is of the
order of one free-fall time which is decisively shorter than the widely assumed
timescale related to the so-called 'inside-out collapse'; (2) Redistribution of
angular momentum and the accompanying dissipation of kinetic (rotational)
energy - together these processes govern the mechanical and thermal evolution
of the protostellar core to a large extent; (3) The origin of
calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs) - due to the specific pattern of the
accretion flow, material that has undergone substantial chemical and
mineralogical modifications in the hot (exceeding 900 K) interior of the
protostellar core may have a good chance to be advectively transported outward
into the cooler remote parts (beyond 4 AU, say) of the growing disk and to
survive there until it is incorporated into a meteoritic body.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Differential transactivation of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors modulates NGF-induced neurite extension
The process of neurite extension after activation of the TrkA tyrosine kinase receptor by nerve growth factor (NGF) involves complex signaling pathways. Stimulation of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), the enzyme that phosphorylates sphingosine to form sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), is part of the functional TrkA signaling repertoire. In this paper, we report that in PC12 cells and dorsal root ganglion neurons, NGF translocates SphK1 to the plasma membrane and differentially activates the S1P receptors S1P1 and S1P2 in a SphK1-dependent manner, as determined with specific inhibitors and small interfering RNA targeted to SphK1. NGF-induced neurite extension was suppressed by down-regulation of S1P1 expression with antisense RNA. Conversely, when overexpressed in PC12 cells, transactivation of S1P1 by NGF markedly enhanced neurite extension and stimulation of the small GTPase Rac, important for the cytoskeletal changes required for neurite extension. Concomitantly, differentiation down-regulated expression of S1P2 whose activation would stimulate Rho and inhibit neurite extension. Thus, differential transactivation of S1P receptors by NGF regulates antagonistic signaling pathways that modulate neurite extension
Gravitational Waves from the Dynamical Bar Instability in a Rapidly Rotating Star
A rapidly rotating, axisymmetric star can be dynamically unstable to an m=2
"bar" mode that transforms the star from a disk shape to an elongated bar. The
fate of such a bar-shaped star is uncertain. Some previous numerical studies
indicate that the bar is short lived, lasting for only a few bar-rotation
periods, while other studies suggest that the bar is relatively long lived.
This paper contains the results of a numerical simulation of a rapidly rotating
gamma=5/3 fluid star. The simulation shows that the bar shape is long lived:
once the bar is established, the star retains this shape for more than 10
bar-rotation periods, through the end of the simulation. The results are
consistent with the conjecture that a star will retain its bar shape
indefinitely on a dynamical time scale, as long as its rotation rate exceeds
the threshold for secular bar instability. The results are described in terms
of a low density neutron star, but can be scaled to represent, for example, a
burned-out stellar core that is prevented from complete collapse by centrifugal
forces. Estimates for the gravitational-wave signal indicate that a dynamically
unstable neutron star in our galaxy can be detected easily by the first
generation of ground based gravitational-wave detectors. The signal for an
unstable neutron star in the Virgo cluster might be seen by the planned
advanced detectors. The Newtonian/quadrupole approximation is used throughout
this work.Comment: Expanded version to be published in Phys. Rev. D: 13 pages, REVTeX,
13 figures, 9 TeX input file
Long-range corrected DFT calculations of charge-transfer integrals in model metal-free phthalocyanine complexes
An assessment of several widely used exchange--correlation potentials in computing charge-transfer integrals is performed. In particular, we employ the recently proposed Coulomb-attenuated model which was proven by other authors to improve upon conventional functionals in the case of charge-transfer excitations. For further validation, two distinct approaches to compute the property in question are compared for a phthalocyanine dimer
Gravitational Waves from Gravitational Collapse
Gravitational wave emission from the gravitational collapse of massive stars
has been studied for more than three decades. Current state of the art
numerical investigations of collapse include those that use progenitors with
realistic angular momentum profiles, properly treat microphysics issues,
account for general relativity, and examine non--axisymmetric effects in three
dimensions. Such simulations predict that gravitational waves from various
phenomena associated with gravitational collapse could be detectable with
advanced ground--based and future space--based interferometric observatories.Comment: 68 pages including 13 figures; revised version accepted for
publication in Living Reviews in Relativity (http://www.livingreviews.org
The role and performance of chest X-ray for the diagnosis of tuberculosis: A cost-effectiveness analysis in Nairobi, Kenya
BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to establish 1) the performance of chest X-ray (CXR) in all suspects of tuberculosis (TB), as well as smear-negative TB suspects and 2) to compare the cost-effectiveness of the routine diagnostic pathway using Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) sputum microscopy followed by CXR if case of negative sputum result (ZN followed by CXR) with an alternative pathway using CXR as a screening tool (CXR followed by ZN). METHODS: From TB suspects attending a chest clinic in Nairobi, Kenya, three sputum specimens were examined for ZN and culture (Lowenstein Jensen). Culture was used as gold standard. From each suspect a CXR was made using a four point scoring system: i: no pathology, ii: pathology not consistent for TB, iii: pathology consistent for TB and iv: pathology highly consistent for TB. The combined score i + ii was labeled as "no TB" and the combined score iii + iv was labeled as "TB". Films were re-read by a reference radiologist. HIV test was performed on those who consented. Laboratory and CXR costs were used to compare for cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: Of the 1,389 suspects enrolled, for 998 (72%) data on smear, culture and CXR was complete. 714 films were re-read, showing a 89% agreement (kappa value = 0.75 s.e.0.037) for the combined scores "TB" or "no-TB". The sensitivity/specificity of the CXR score "TB" among smear-negative suspects was 80%/67%. Using chest CXR as a screening tool in all suspects, sensitivity/specificity of the score "any pathology" was 92%, respectively 63%. The cost per correctly diagnosed case was for the routine process 9.27 using CXR as screening tool. When costs of treatment were included, CXR followed by ZN became more cost-effective. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic pathway ZN followed by CXR was more cost-effective as compared to CXR followed by ZN. When cost of treatment was also considered CXR followed by ZN became more cost-effective. The low specificity of chest X-ray remains a subject of concern. Depending whether CXR was performed on all suspects or on smear-negative suspects only, 22%–45% of patients labeled as "TB" had a negative culture. The introduction of a well-defined scoring system, clinical conferences and a system of CXR quality control can contribute to improved diagnostic performance
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