5,532 research outputs found
Prehypertensive blood pressures and regional cerebral blood flow independently relate to cognitive performance in midlife
Background
High blood pressure is thought to contribute to dementia in late life, but our understanding of the relationship between individual differences in blood pressure (
BP
) and cognitive functioning is incomplete. In this study, cognitive performance in nonhypertensive midlife adults was examined as a function of resting
BP
and regional cerebral blood flow (
rCBF
) responses during cognitive testing. We hypothesized that
BP
would be negatively related to cognitive performance and that cognitive performance would also be related to
rCBF
responses within areas related to
BP
control. We explored whether deficits related to systolic
BP
might be explained by
rCBF
responses to mental challenge.
Methods and Results
Healthy midlife participants (n=227) received neuropsychological testing and performed cognitive tasks in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. A pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling sequence assessed
rCBF
in brain areas related to
BP
in prior studies. Systolic
BP
was negatively related to 4 of 5 neuropsychological factors (standardized β>0.13): memory, working memory, executive function, and mental efficiency. The
rCBF
in 2 brain regions of interest was similarly related to memory, executive function, and working memory (standardized β>0.17); however,
rCBF
responses did not explain the relationship between resting systolic
BP
and cognitive performance.
Conclusions
Relationships at midlife between prehypertensive levels of systolic
BP
and both cognitive and brain function were modest but suggested the possible value of midlife intervention.
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Plasma arginine vasopressin concentrations in epileptics under monotherapy
Plasma arginine vasopressin concentrations were determined by radio-immunoassay in 112 adult epileptics who were taking carbamazepine, phenytoin, primidone, or sodium valproate in long-term monotherapy, and in 19 controls. No significant difference was found between the groups, but some epileptics taking carbamazepine and primidone showed low values. Serum
concentrations of carbamazepine did not correlate with the concentrations of plasma arginine vasopressin.
In conclusion, there was no evidence of a stimulating
effect of chronic carbamazepine medication or a special inhibiting effect of phenytoin on the release of vasopressin arginine from the posterior pituitary
Coherent and incoherent atomic scattering: Formalism and application to pionium interacting with matter
The experimental determination of the lifetime of pionium provides a very
important test on chiral perturbation theory. This quantity is determined in
the DIRAC experiment at CERN. In the analysis of this experiment, the breakup
probabilities of of pionium in matter are needed to high accuracy as a
theoretical input. We study in detail the influence of the target electrons.
They contribute through screening and incoherent effects. We use Dirac-Hartree-
Fock-Slater wavefunctions in order to determine the corresponding form factors.
We find that the inner-shell electrons contribute less than the weakly bound
outer electrons. Furthermore, we establish a more rigorous estimate for the
magnitude of the contributions form the transverse current (magnetic terms thus
far neglected in the calculations).Comment: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics;
(accepted; 22 pages, 6 figures, 26 references) Revised version: more detailed
description of DIRAC experiment; failure of simplest models for incoherent
scattering demonstrated by example
Breit Hamiltonian and QED Effects for Spinless Particles
We describe a simplified derivation for the relativistic corrections of order
for a bound system consisting of two spinless particles. We devote
special attention to pionium, the bound system of two oppositely charged pions.
The leading quantum electrodynamic (QED) correction to the energy levels is of
the order of and due to electronic vacuum polarization. We analyze
further corrections due to the self-energy of the pions, and due to recoil
effects, and we give a complete result for the scalar-QED leading logarithmic
corrections which are due to virtual loops involving only the scalar
constituent particles (the pions); these corrections are of order for S states.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX; references added (J. Phys. B, in press
Multi-omics subtyping of hepatocellular carcinoma patients using a Bayesian network mixture model
Comprehensive molecular characterization of cancer subtypes is essential for predicting clinical outcomes and searching for personalized treatments. We present bnClustOmics, a statistical model and computational tool for multi-omics unsupervised clustering, which serves a dual purpose: Clustering patient samples based on a Bayesian network mixture model and learning the networks of omics variables representing these clusters. The discovered networks encode interactions among all omics variables and provide a molecular characterization of each patient subgroup. We conducted simulation studies that demonstrated the advantages of our approach compared to other clustering methods in the case where the generative model is a mixture of Bayesian networks. We applied bnClustOmics to a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) dataset comprising genome (mutation and copy number), transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome data. We identified three main HCC subtypes together with molecular characteristics, some of which are associated with survival even when adjusting for the clinical stage. Cluster-specific networks shed light on the links between genotypes and molecular phenotypes of samples within their respective clusters and suggest targets for personalized treatments
Multi-omics subtyping of hepatocellular carcinoma patients using a Bayesian network mixture model
Comprehensive molecular characterization of cancer subtypes is essential for predicting clinical outcomes and searching for personalized treatments. We present bnClustOmics, a statistical model and computational tool for multi-omics unsupervised clustering, which serves a dual purpose: Clustering patient samples based on a Bayesian network mixture model and learning the networks of omics variables representing these clusters. The discovered networks encode interactions among all omics variables and provide a molecular characterization of each patient subgroup. We conducted simulation studies that demonstrated the advantages of our approach compared to other clustering methods in the case where the generative model is a mixture of Bayesian networks. We applied bnClustOmics to a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) dataset comprising genome (mutation and copy number), transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome data. We identified three main HCC subtypes together with molecular characteristics, some of which are associated with survival even when adjusting for the clinical stage. Cluster-specific networks shed light on the links between genotypes and molecular phenotypes of samples within their respective clusters and suggest targets for personalized treatments
Development of a Forced Oscillation System for Measuring Dynamic Derivatives of Fluidic Vehicles
A new Forced Oscillation System (FOS) has been designed and built at NASA Langley Research Center that provides new capabilities for aerodynamic researchers to investigate the dynamic derivatives of vehicle configurations. Test vehicles may include high performance and general aviation aircraft, re-entry spacecraft, submarines and other fluidic vehicles. The measured data from forced oscillation testing is used in damping characteristic studies and in simulation databases for control algorithm development and performance analyses. The newly developed FOS hardware provides new flexibility for conducting dynamic derivative studies. The design is based on a tracking principle where a desired motion profile is achieved via a fast closed-loop positional controller. The motion profile for the tracking system is numerically generated and thus not limited to sinusoidal motion. This approach permits non-traditional profiles such as constant velocity and Schroeder sweeps. Also, the new system permits changes in profile parameters including nominal offset angle, waveform, and associated parameters such as amplitude and frequency. Most importantly, the changes may be made remotely without halting the FOS and the tunnel. System requirements, system analysis, and the resulting design are addressed for a new FOS in the 12-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT). The overall system including mechanical, electrical, and control subsystems is described. The design is complete, and the FOS has been built and installed in the 12-Foot LSWT. System integration and testing have verified design intent and safe operation. Currently it is being validated for wind-tunnel operations and aerodynamic testing. The system is a potential major enhancement to forced oscillation studies. The productivity gain from the motion profile automation will shorten the testing cycles needed for control surface and aircraft control algorithm development. The new motion capabilities also will serve as a test bed for researchers to study and to improve and/or alter future forced oscillation testing techniques
Feasibility of free space quantum key distribution with coherent polarization states
We demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of free space quantum key
distribution with continuous variables under real atmospheric conditions. More
specifically, we transmit coherent polarization states over a 100m free space
channel on the roof of our institute's building. In our scheme, signal and
local oscillator are combined in a single spatial mode which auto-compensates
atmospheric fluctuations and results in an excellent interference. Furthermore,
the local oscillator acts as spatial and spectral filter thus allowing
unrestrained daylight operation.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, extensions in sections 2, 3.1, 3.2 and 4. This
is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for
publication in New Journal of Physics (Special Issue on Quantum Cryptography:
Theory and Practice). IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or
omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from i
Restructuring of colloidal aggregates in shear flow: Coupling interparticle contact models with Stokesian dynamics
A method to couple interparticle contact models with Stokesian dynamics (SD)
is introduced to simulate colloidal aggregates under flow conditions. The
contact model mimics both the elastic and plastic behavior of the cohesive
connections between particles within clusters. Owing to this, clusters can
maintain their structures under low stress while restructuring or even breakage
may occur under sufficiently high stress conditions. SD is an efficient method
to deal with the long-ranged and many-body nature of hydrodynamic interactions
for low Reynolds number flows. By using such a coupled model, the restructuring
of colloidal aggregates under stepwise increasing shear flows was studied.
Irreversible compaction occurs due to the increase of hydrodynamic stress on
clusters. Results show that the greater part of the fractal clusters are
compacted to rod-shaped packed structures, while the others show isotropic
compaction.Comment: A simulation movie be found at
http://www-levich.engr.ccny.cuny.edu/~seto/sites/colloidal_aggregates_shearflow.htm
Does the Constitution Provide More Ballot Access Protection for Presidential Elections Than for U.S. House Elections?
Both the U.S. Constitution and The Federalist Papers suggest that voters ought to have more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice for the U.S. House of Representatives than they do for the President or the U.S. Senate. Yet, strangely, for the last thirty-three years, the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have ruled that the Constitution gives voters more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice in presidential elections than in congressional elections. Also, state legislatures, which have been writing ballot access laws since 1888, have passed laws that make it easier for minor-party and independent candidates to get on the ballot for President than for the U.S. House. As a result, voters in virtually every state invariably have far more choices on their general election ballots for the President than they do for the House. This Article argues that the right of a voter to vote for someone other than a Democrat or a Republican for the House is just as important as a voter’s right to do so for President, and that courts should grant more ballot access protection to minor-party and independent candidates for the House
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