4,221 research outputs found
Self-monitoring for improving control of blood pressue in patients with hypertension
The objective of this review is to determine the effect of SBPM in adults with hypertension on blood pressure control as compared to OBPM or usual care
A comparison of techniques to optimize measurement of voltage changes in electrical impedance tomography by minimizing phase shift errors
In electrical impedance tomography, errors due to stray capacitance may be reduced by optimization of the reference phase of the demodulator. Two possible methods, maximization of the demodulator output and minimization of reciprocity error have been assessed, applied to each electrode combination individually, or to all combinations as a whole. Using an EIT system with a single impedance measuring circuit and multiplexer to address the 16 electrodes, the methods were tested on resistor-capacitor networks, saline-filled tanks and humans during variation of the saline concentration of a constant fluid volume in the stomach. Optimization of each channel individually gave less error, particularly on humans, and maximization of the output of the demodulator was more robust. This method is, therefore, recommended to optimize systems and reduce systematic errors with similar EIT systems
Searching for "monogenic diabetes" in dogs using a candidate gene approach
BACKGROUND: Canine diabetes is a common endocrine disorder with an estimated breed-related prevalence ranging from 0.005% to 1.5% in pet dogs. Increased prevalence in some breeds suggests that diabetes in dogs is influenced by genetic factors and similarities between canine and human diabetes phenotypes suggest that the same genes might be associated with disease susceptibility in both species. Between 1-5% of human diabetes cases result from mutations in a single gene, including maturity onset diabetes of the adult (MODY) and neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM). It is not clear whether monogenic forms of diabetes exist within some dog breeds. Identification of forms of canine monogenic diabetes could help to resolve the heterogeneity of the condition and lead to development of breed-specific genetic tests for diabetes susceptibility. RESULTS: Seventeen dog breeds were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eighteen genes that have been associated with human MODY/NDM. Six SNP associations were found from five genes, with one gene (ZFP57) being associated in two different breeds. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the genes that have been associated with susceptibility to MODY and NDM in humans appear to also be associated with canine diabetes, although the limited number of associations identified in this study indicates canine diabetes is a heterogeneous condition and is most likely to be a polygenic trait in most dog breeds. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2052-6687-1-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users
Theory of Dynamic Stripe Induced Superconductivity
Since the recently reported giant isotope effect on T* [1] could be
consistently explained within an anharmonic spin-charge-phonon interaction
model, we consider here the role played by stripe formation on the
superconducting properties within the same model. This is a two-component
scenario and we recast its basic elements into a BCS effective Hamiltonian. We
find that the stripe formation is vital to high-Tc superconductivity since it
provides the glue between the two components to enhance Tc to the unexpectedly
large values observed experimentally.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Limits on Arcminute Scale Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy with the BIMA Array
We have used the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland-Association (BIMA) millimeter
array outfitted with sensitive cm-wave receivers to search for Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB) anisotropies on arcminute scales. The interferometer was
placed in a compact configuration which produces high brightness sensitivity,
while providing discrimination against point sources. Operating at a frequency
of 28.5 GHz, the FWHM primary beam of the instrument is 6.6 arcminutes. We have
made sensitive images of seven fields, five of which where chosen specifically
to have low IR dust contrast and be free of bright radio sources. Additional
observations with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) millimeter array
were used to assist in the location and removal of radio point sources.
Applying a Bayesian analysis to the raw visibility data, we place limits on CMB
anisotropy flat-band power Q_flat = 5.6 (+3.0 -5.6) uK and Q_flat < 14.1 uK at
68% and 95% confidence. The sensitivity of this experiment to flat band power
peaks at a multipole of l = 5470, which corresponds to an angular scale of
approximately 2 arcminutes. The most likely value of Q_flat is similar to the
level of the expected secondary anisotropies.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, LaTex, aas2pp4.sty, ApJ submitte
How chemical pressure affects the fundamental properties of rare-earth pnictides: an ARPES view
Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, supplemented by theoretical
calculations has been applied to study the electronic structure of
heavy-fermion material CeFePO, a homologue to the Fe-based high-temperature
superconductors, and CeFeAs_0.7P_0.3O, where the applied chemical pressure
results in a ferromagnetic order of the 4f moments. A comparative analysis
reveals characteristic differences in the Fe-derived band structure for these
materials, implying a rather different hybridization of valence electrons to
the localized 4f orbitals. In particular, our results suggest that the
ferromagnetism of Ce moments in CeFeAs_0.7P_0.3O is mediated mainly by Fe
3d_xz/yz orbitals, while the Kondo screening in CeFePO is instead due to a
strong interaction of Fe 3d_3z^2-r^2 orbitals.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B (Rapid
CeFePO: f-d hybridization and quenching of superconductivity
Being homologue to the new, Fe-based type of high-temperature
superconductors, CeFePO exhibits magnetism, Kondo and heavy-fermion phenomena.
We experimentally studied the electronic structure of CeFePO by means of
angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. In particular, contributions of the
Ce 4f-derived states and their hybridization to the Fe 3d bands were explored
using both symmetry selection rules for excitation and their photoionization
cross-section variations as a function of photon energy. It was experimentally
found - and later on confirmed by LDA as well as DMFT calculations - that the
Ce 4f states hybridize to the Fe 3d states of d_{3z^2-r^2} symmetry near the
Fermi level that discloses their participation in the occurring
electron-correlation phenomena and provides insight into mechanism of
superconductivity in oxopnictides.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Asymptotic Sign-Solvability, Multiple Objective Linear Programming, and The Nonsubstitution Theorem
In this paper we investigate the asymptotic stability of dynamic, multiple-objective linear programs. In particular, we show that a generalization of the optimal partition stabilizes for a large class of data functions. This result is based on a new theorem about asymptotic sign-solvable systems. The stability properties of the generalized optimal partition are used to extend a dynamic version of the Nonsubstitution Theorem
The polarizability model for ferroelectricity in perovskite oxides
This article reviews the polarizability model and its applications to
ferroelectric perovskite oxides. The motivation for the introduction of the
model is discussed and nonlinear oxygen ion polarizability effects and their
lattice dynamical implementation outlined. While a large part of this work is
dedicated to results obtained within the self-consistent-phonon approximation
(SPA), also nonlinear solutions of the model are handled which are of interest
to the physics of relaxor ferroelectrics, domain wall motions, incommensurate
phase transitions. The main emphasis is to compare the results of the model
with experimental data and to predict novel phenomena.Comment: 55 pages, 35 figure
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