1,735 research outputs found
Nature and prevalence of sexual abuse in residential youth care, and reactions to signals of this abuse (1945-2008)
Online sharing of physical activity: does it accelerate the impact of a health promotion program?
GTI-space : the space of generalized topological indices
A new extension of the generalized topological indices (GTI) approach is carried out torepresent 'simple' and 'composite' topological indices (TIs) in an unified way. Thisapproach defines a GTI-space from which both simple and composite TIs represent particular subspaces. Accordingly, simple TIs such as Wiener, Balaban, Zagreb, Harary and Randićconnectivity indices are expressed by means of the same GTI representation introduced for composite TIs such as hyper-Wiener, molecular topological index (MTI), Gutman index andreverse MTI. Using GTI-space approach we easily identify mathematical relations between some composite and simple indices, such as the relationship between hyper-Wiener and Wiener index and the relation between MTI and first Zagreb index. The relation of the GTI space with the sub-structural cluster expansion of property/activity is also analysed and some routes for the applications of this approach to QSPR/QSAR are also given
Critical exponents in Ising spin glasses
We determine accurate values of ordering temperatures and critical exponents
for Ising Spin Glass transitions in dimension 4, using a combination of finite
size scaling and non-equilibrium scaling techniques. We find that the exponents
and vary with the form of the interaction distribution, indicating
non-universality at Ising spin glass transitions. These results confirm
conclusions drawn from numerical data for dimension 3.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX (or Latex, etc), 10 figures, Submitted to PR
Development of an estimation model for the evaluation of the energy requirement of dilute acid pretreatments of biomass
This study aims to develop a mathematical model to evaluate the energy required by pretreatment processes used in the production of second generation ethanol. A dilute acid pretreatment process reported by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was selected as an example for the model's development. The energy demand of the pretreatment process was evaluated by considering the change of internal energy of the substances, the reaction energy, the heat lost and the work done to/by the system based on a number of simplifying assumptions. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the solid loading rate, temperature, acid concentration and water evaporation rate. The results from the sensitivity analyses established that the solids loading rate had the most significant impact on the energy demand. The model was then verified with data from the NREL benchmark process. Application of this model on other dilute acid pretreatment processes reported in the literature illustrated that although similar sugar yields were reported by several studies, the energy required by the different pretreatments varied significantly
How much charm can PANDA produce?
We consider the production of charmed baryons and mesons in the
proton-antiproton binary reactions at the energies of the future ANDA
experiment. To describe these processes in terms of hadronic interaction
models, one needs strong couplings of the initial nucleons with the
intermediate and final charmed hadrons. Similar couplings enter the models of
binary reactions with strange hadrons. For both charmed and strange hadrons we
employ the strong couplings and their ratios calculated from QCD light-cone sum
rules. In this method finite masses of and quarks are taken into
account. Employing the Kaidalov's quark-gluon string model with Regge poles and
adjusting the normalization of the amplitudes in this model to the calculated
strong couplings, we estimate the production cross section of charmed hadrons.
For it can reach several tens of at
, whereas the cross sections of and pair
production are predicted to be smaller.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, matches published versio
Atenolol versus losartan in children and young adults with Marfan's syndrome
BACKGROUND : Aortic-root dissection is the leading cause of death in Marfan's syndrome. Studies suggest that with regard to slowing aortic-root enlargement, losartan may be more effective than beta-blockers, the current standard therapy in most centers.
METHODS : We conducted a randomized trial comparing losartan with atenolol in children and young adults with Marfan's syndrome. The primary outcome was the rate of aortic-root enlargement, expressed as the change in the maximum aortic-root-diameter z score indexed to body-surface area (hereafter, aortic-root z score) over a 3-year period. Secondary outcomes included the rate of change in the absolute diameter of the aortic root; the rate of change in aortic regurgitation; the time to aortic dissection, aortic-root surgery, or death; somatic growth; and the incidence of adverse events.
RESULTS : From January 2007 through February 2011, a total of 21 clinical centers enrolled 608 participants, 6 months to 25 years of age (mean [+/- SD] age, 11.5 +/- 6.5 years in the atenolol group and 11.0 +/- 6.2 years in the losartan group), who had an aorticroot z score greater than 3.0. The baseline-adjusted rate of change (+/- SE) in the aortic-root z score did not differ significantly between the atenolol group and the losartan group (-0.139 +/- 0.013 and -0.107 +/- 0.013 standard-deviation units per year, respectively; P = 0.08). Both slopes were significantly less than zero, indicating a decrease in the degree of aortic-root dilatation relative to body-surface area with either treatment. The 3-year rates of aortic-root surgery, aortic dissection, death, and a composite of these events did not differ significantly between the two treatment groups.
CONCLUSIONS : Among children and young adults with Marfan's syndrome who were randomly assigned to losartan or atenolol, we found no significant difference in the rate of aorticroot dilatation between the two treatment groups over a 3-year period
Sub-terahertz, microwaves and high energy emissions during the December 6, 2006 flare, at 18:40 UT
The presence of a solar burst spectral component with flux density increasing
with frequency in the sub-terahertz range, spectrally separated from the
well-known microwave spectral component, bring new possibilities to explore the
flaring physical processes, both observational and theoretical. The solar event
of 6 December 2006, starting at about 18:30 UT, exhibited a particularly
well-defined double spectral structure, with the sub-THz spectral component
detected at 212 and 405 GHz by SST and microwaves (1-18 GHz) observed by the
Owens Valley Solar Array (OVSA). Emissions obtained by instruments in
satellites are discussed with emphasis to ultra-violet (UV) obtained by the
Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE), soft X-rays from the
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and X- and gamma-rays
from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). The sub-THz
impulsive component had its closer temporal counterpart only in the higher
energy X- and gamma-rays ranges. The spatial positions of the centers of
emission at 212 GHz for the first flux enhancement were clearly displaced by
more than one arc-minute from positions at the following phases. The observed
sub-THz fluxes and burst source plasma parameters were found difficult to be
reconciled to a purely thermal emission component. We discuss possible
mechanisms to explain the double spectral components at microwaves and in the
THz ranges.Comment: Accepted version for publication in Solar Physic
Single Photon Signals for Warped Quantum Gravity at a Linear e+-e- Collider
We study the `single photon' process e+- e- -> gamma nu nubar with
contributions due to exchange of massive gravitons in the Randall- Sundrum
model of low-scale quantum gravity. It is shown that for significant regions in
the parameter space, this process unambiguously highlights the resonance
structure of the graviton sector. Even in the non-resonant part of the
parameter space, we show that comparison with the benchmark process e+- e- ->
mu+- mu- can clearly distinguish signals for warped gravity from similar
signals for large extra dimensions.Comment: Published version; figures change
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