277 research outputs found
Влияние давления насыщающего газа при ионном азотировании на деформацию и характер разрушения нержавеющей стали 01Х17Н13М3 с разным размером зерна
Comparison of Fibroblast and Vascular Cell Adhesion to Nano-Structured Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) Films
Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from across Western Europe reveal early diversification during the First Pandemic (541–750)
The first historically documented pandemic caused by Yersinia pestis began as the Justinianic Plague in 541 within the Roman Empire and continued as the so-called First Pandemic until 750. Although paleogenomic studies have previously identified the causative agent as Y. pestis, little is known about the bacterium’s spread, diversity, and genetic history over the course of the pandemic. To elucidate the microevolution of the bacterium during this time period, we screened human remains from 21 sites in Austria, Britain, Germany, France, and Spain for Y. pestis DNA and reconstructed eight genomes. We present a methodological approach assessing single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ancient bacterial genomes, facilitating qualitative analyses of low coverage genomes from a metagenomic background. Phylogenetic analysis on the eight reconstructed genomes reveals the existence of previously undocumented Y. pestis diversity during the sixth to eighth centuries, and provides evidence for the presence of multiple distinct Y. pestis strains in Europe. We offer genetic evidence for the presence of the Justinianic Plague in the British Isles, previously only hypothesized from ambiguous documentary accounts, as well as the parallel occurrence of multiple derived strains in central and southern France, Spain, and southern Germany. Four of the reported strains form a polytomy similar to others seen across the Y. pestis phylogeny, associated with the Second and Third Pandemics. We identified a deletion of a 45-kb genomic region in the most recent First Pandemic strains affecting two virulence factors, intriguingly overlapping with a deletion found in 17th- to 18th-century genomes of the Second Pandemic. © 2019 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
Pareto Optimization of a Laser Wakefield Accelerator
Optimization of accelerator performance parameters is limited by numerous
trade-offs and finding the appropriate balance between optimization goals for
an unknown system is challenging to achieve. Here we show that multi-objective
Bayesian optimization can map the solution space of a laser wakefield
accelerator in a very sample-efficient way. Using a Gaussian mixture model, we
isolate contributions related to an electron bunch at a certain energy and we
observe that there exists a wide range of Pareto-optimal solutions that trade
beam energy versus charge at similar laser-to-beam efficiency. However, many
applications such as light sources require particle beams at a certain target
energy. Once such a constraint is introduced we observe a direct trade-off
between energy spread and accelerator efficiency. We furthermore demonstrate
how specific solutions can be exploited using \emph{a posteriori} scalarization
of the objectives, thereby efficiently splitting the exploration and
exploitation phases
Development of a routinely applicable imaging protocol for fast and precise middle cerebral artery occlusion assessment and perfusion deficit measure in an ovine stroke model : a case study
Temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in sheep allows modeling of acute large vessel occlusion stroke and subsequent vessel recanalization. However, rapid and precise imaging-based assessment of vessel occlusion and the resulting perfusion deficit during MCAO still represents an experimental challenge. Here, we tested feasibility and suitability of a strategy for MCAO verification and perfusion deficit assessment. We also compared the extent of the initial perfusion deficit and subsequent lesion size for different MCAO durations. The rete mirabile prevents reliable vascular imaging investigation of middle cerebral artery filling status. Hence, computed tomography perfusion imaging was chosen for indirect confirmation of MCAO. Follow-up infarct size evaluation by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed fluctuating results, with no apparent relationship of lesion size with MCAO at occlusion times below 4 h, potentially related to the variable collateralization of the MCA territory. This underlines the need for intra-ischemic perfusion assessment and future studies focusing on the correlation between perfusion deficit, MCAO duration, and final infarct volume. Temporary MCAO and intra-ischemic perfusion imaging nevertheless has the potential to be applied for the simulation of novel recanalization therapies, particularly those that aim for a fast reperfusion effect in combination with mechanical thrombectomy in a clinically realistic scenario
Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from across Western Europe reveal early diversification during the First Pandemic (541–750)
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