9,229 research outputs found
Vortex formation processes from an oscillating circular cylinder at high Keulegan-Carpenter numbers
Development of vortex patterns around a circular cylinder oscillating in quiescent water is investigated using time-resolved particle image velocimetry. Experiments are performed at Keulegan–Carpenter (KC) numbers between 8 and 36 with Reynolds number kept constant at 2400. Similar to previous studies, three modes of vortex patterns are identified and denoted as modes I, II, and III. The development of vortices in each mode at successive phases of cylinder oscillation is studied in details. The classification of modes is based on the development mechanism of shear layers around the cylinder, the number of vortices shed in each half cycle, and the characteristics of the vortex street. Modes I, II, and III are characterized by one, two, and three (or more) vortices generated, respectively, in each half cycle. The appropriate vortex formation length is applied to explain the dependence of number of vortices formed in each cylinder cycle on KC. Vortex shedding in mode I occurs only on one side of the line of cylinder motion. This mode, which occurs at KC between 8 and 16, is observed to have two submodes with different orientations of the vortex street to the line of cylinder motion. Mode II occurs at KC between 16 and 24. The vortex street extends to both sides of the line of cylinder motion and lies at about 45° to it. At KC>24, vortices are shed behind the moving cylinder similar to the case of a towed cylinder. The limited-length vortex street in this mode III pattern lies along the line of cylinder motion. Each vortex pattern is associated with a typical secondary flow stream, which affects distinct evolution stages of vortices around the cylinder and hence the unique vortex pattern. The development of vortices is found to involve complex vortex interaction involving migration, stretching, and splitting.published_or_final_versio
Maintenance H2-antagonist is not necessary after eradication of Helicobacter pylori in bleeding peptic ulcers
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Efficient Implementation and Design of A New Single-Channel Electrooculography-based Human-Machine Interface System
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Three-day lansoprazole quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori-positive duodenal ulcers: a randomized contolled study
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Calmodulin-like proteins localized to the conoid regulate motility and cell invasion by Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii contains an expanded number of calmodulin (CaM)-like proteins whose functions are poorly understood. Using a combination of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing and a plant-like auxin-induced degron (AID) system, we examined the roles of three apically localized CaMs. CaM1 and CaM2 were individually dispensable, but loss of both resulted in a synthetic lethal phenotype. CaM3 was refractory to deletion, suggesting it is essential. Consistent with this prediction auxin-induced degradation of CaM3 blocked growth. Phenotypic analysis revealed that all three CaMs contribute to parasite motility, invasion, and egress from host cells, and that they act downstream of microneme and rhoptry secretion. Super-resolution microscopy localized all three CaMs to the conoid where they overlap with myosin H (MyoH), a motor protein that is required for invasion. Biotinylation using BirA fusions with the CaMs labeled a number of apical proteins including MyoH and its light chain MLC7, suggesting they may interact. Consistent with this hypothesis, disruption of MyoH led to degradation of CaM3, or redistribution of CaM1 and CaM2. Collectively, our findings suggest these CaMs may interact with MyoH to control motility and cell invasion
A Sparse Stress Model
Force-directed layout methods constitute the most common approach to draw
general graphs. Among them, stress minimization produces layouts of
comparatively high quality but also imposes comparatively high computational
demands. We propose a speed-up method based on the aggregation of terms in the
objective function. It is akin to aggregate repulsion from far-away nodes
during spring embedding but transfers the idea from the layout space into a
preprocessing phase. An initial experimental study informs a method to select
representatives, and subsequent more extensive experiments indicate that our
method yields better approximations of minimum-stress layouts in less time than
related methods.Comment: Appears in the Proceedings of the 24th International Symposium on
Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2016
Lansoprazole for the prevention of recurrences of ulcer complications from long-term low-dose aspirin use
Background: The role of gastric acid suppression in preventing the recurrence of ulcer complications after the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients taking long-term low-dose aspirin is uncertain. Methods: We enrolled 123 patients who had ulcer complications after using low-dose aspirin continuously for more than one month and who had H. pylori infection. After the ulcers had healed and the H. pylori infection was eradicated, the patients were randomly assigned to treatment with 30 mg of lansoprazole daily or placebo, in addition to 100 mg of aspirin daily, for 12 months. The primary end point was the recurrence of ulcer complications. Results: During a median follow-up of 12 months, 9 of the 61 patients in the placebo group (14.8 percent), as compared with 1 of the 62 patients in the lansoprazole group (1.6 percent), had a recurrence of ulcer complications (adjusted hazard ratio, 9.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 76.1). Of these 10 patients, 4 had evidence of a recurrence of H. pylori infection and 2 had taken nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs before the onset of complications. Patients in the lansoprazole group were significantly less likely to have a recurrence of ulcer complications than patients in the placebo group (P=0.008). There was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups. Conclusions: In patients who had ulcer complications related to the long-term use of low-dose aspirin, treatment with lansoprazole in addition to the eradication of H. pylori infection significantly reduced the rate of recurrence of ulcer complications. Copyright © 2002 Massachusetts Medical Society.published_or_final_versio
Fish Consumption and Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Relation to Depressive Episodes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
High fish consumption and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake are suggested to benefit mental well-being but the current evidence is conflicting. Our aim was to evaluate whether a higher level of fish consumption, a higher intake of omega-3 PUFAs, and a higher serum concentration of omega-3 PUFAs link to a lower 12-month prevalence of depressive episodes
Comparison of lansoprazole-based triple and dual therapy for treatment of Helicobacter pylori-related duodenal ulcer: An Asian multicentre double-blind randomized placebo controlled study
Background: In Asian countries with limited resources, clarithromycin-based triple therapy may not be readily available. There are also few direct comparisons of different regimens in Asia. Aim: To compare two lansoprazole-based non-clarithromycin triple therapies and one dual therapy in a prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of Helicobacter pylori eradication and duodenal ulcer healing. Methods: Fourteen centres in Asia participated in this study. Patients with acute duodenal ulcer who were H. pylori-positive were recruited. They were randomized to receive: (a) lansoprazole 30 mg b.d., amoxycillin 1 g b.d. and metronidazole 500 mg b.d. for 2 weeks (LAM-2 W), or (b) LAM for 1 week and placebo (LAM-1 W), or (c) lansoprazole 30 mg b.d., amoxycillin 1 g b.d. and placebo for 2 weeks (LA-2 W). Upper endoscopy was repeated at week 6 to check for duodenal ulcer healing. Symptoms and side-effects were recorded. Results: A total of 228 patients were recruited, and two patients took less than 50% of the drugs. H. pylori eradication rates (intention-to-treat) were 68 out of 82 (83%) with LAM-2 W, 55 out of 71 (78%) with LAM-1 W and 43 out of 75 (57%) with LA-2 W. There were significant differences (P = 0.001) in eradication rates when comparing either LAM-2 W or LAM-1 W with LA-2 W. The eradication rate in patients with metronidazole resistant H. pylori strains were significantly lower than those with metronidazole sensitive strains (P = 0.0001). The duodenal ulcer healing rates at week 6 were 85%, 85% and 72% in LAM-2 W, LAM-1 W and LA-2 W, respectively (P = 0.065). Side-effects occurred in 13%, 11% and 9% in LAM-2 W, LAM-1 W and LA-2 W, respectively. H. pylori eradication and initial ulcer size were factors affecting duodenal ulcer healing. Conclusions: This Asian multicentre study showed that 1-week lansoprazole-based triple therapy without clarithromycin has similar efficacy in H. pylori eradication and ulcer healing compared with a 2-week regimen. Both triple therapies were significantly better than dual therapy in H. pylori eradication. Therefore, 1-week lansoprazole-based triple therapy is as safe and effective as 2-week therapy in eradication of a pylori infection and healing of duodenal ulcer in these Asian centres.postprin
Shannon and Renyi Entropies to Classify Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Postural Sway
Background: Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) has been identified as a major public and military health concern both in the United States and worldwide. Characterizing the effects of mTBI on postural sway could be an important tool for assessing recovery from the injury. Methodology/Principal Findings: We assess postural sway by motion of the center of pressure (COP). Methods for data reduction include calculation of area of COP and fractal analysis of COP motion time courses. We found that fractal scaling appears applicable to sway power above about 0.5 Hz, thus fractal characterization is only quantifying the secondary effects (a small fraction of total power) in the sway time series, and is not effective in quantifying long-term effects of mTBI on postural sway. We also found that the area of COP sensitively depends on the length of data series over which the COP is obtained. These weaknesses motivated us to use instead Shannon and Renyi entropies to assess postural instability following mTBI. These entropy measures have a number of appealing properties, including capacity for determination of the optimal length of the time series for analysis and a new interpretation of the area of COP. Conclusions: Entropy analysis can readily detect postural instability in athletes at least 10 days post-concussion so that it appears promising as a sensitive measure of effects of mTBI on postural sway
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