Ground State Properties and Glueball Spectrum in SU(2) Yang-Mills Theory using Gauge Invariant Variables

We describe a nonperturbative calculation of the spectrum of SU(2) Yang-Mills theory based on a Hamiltonian formulation. Our approach exploits gauge invariant variables similar to those used in nuclear physics to describe collective motion in nuclei.Comment: 18 pages Late

Relationen statt Definitionen : Eine Betrachtung interkultureller Kommunikation in Bezug auf Kommunikation, Kultur und Macht

Diese Masterarbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Zusammenhängen der interkulturellen Kommunikation, mit den Kommunikationsprozessen, verschiedenen Kulturkonzepten und Machtdimensionen. Das Ziel ist es, eine Betrachtungsweise auf interkulturelle Kommunikation anzubieten, die nicht von (kulturellen) Definitionen geprägt ist, sondern auf der Konstruktion von intermenschlichen Relationen beruht. In der Arbeit wird auch Stellung zur Konfliktbedingtheit und zum Vorwurf des „sich Missverstehens“ genommen, die oft mit interkultureller Kommunikation verbunden werden. Der Kommunikationsprozess wird mit Hilfe der Sprechakttheorie von Austin (1963) und des Kommunikationsmodells von Mustajoki (2012, 2020) vorgestellt. Dabei werden die häufigsten Missverständnisse in interpersoneller Kommunikation erläutert. Als weitere Grundlage gelten das Nationalkulturkonzept, geprägt von u. a. Hofstede (2010, 2011), das „Fuzzy Sandberge“ -Konzept von Bolten (2014), Die dritte Kultur (TCB) von Casmir (1978), die Transkulturalität von Welsch (2019), die Rhizomtheorie von Deleuze und Guattari (1987), die Netzwerke von Castells (2009) und die Kreolisierung von Glissant (2010), die als verschiedene Konzeptionen des Kulturbegriffes genauer betrachtet werden. In der Analyse werden die verschiedenen Kulturkonzepte miteinander verglichen, indem die wissenschaftlich-paradigmatischen Erstehungsgründe und Forschungsgegenstände ausgeführt werden. Dies geschieht mittels des Paradigma-Ansatzes (Kuhn 1970) und der Framing-Theorie von Tersky und Kahneman (1981). Ein zweiter Vergleich erfolgt durch die Aspekte der kommunikativen Macht der Kulturkonzepte in Kommunikationssituationen auf Mikro- und Makroebene, d. h. diskursiv und interpersönlich. Die Mächte der Bedeutung, der Inklusion und Exklusion und Unveränderlichkeit werden besonders in der Analyse betont. Die Ergebnisse der Arbeit zeigen, dass Kommunikationssituationen auch im interkulturellen Bereich von anderen Mächten, außer kulturellen, beeinflusst werden. Interkulturelle Kommunikation leidet unter keinem erhöhten Risiko des Missverstehens. Dabei ist die Macht der kulturellen Definition in der Begegnung des „Anderen“ anwesend. Diese Definition hängt mit der Art zusammen, in der die Kultur als Konzept verstanden wird und wie sie wissenschaftlich behandelt wird. Der heutigen Interkulturalitätsforschung liegen daher meistens dynamische und relationale Kulturkonzept zugrunde, die u. a. durch Interdisziplinarität und Studieren von realistischen Korpora von interkulturellen Kommunikationssituationen weiterentwickelt werden können

Predicted vs. measured paraspinal muscle activity in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients: EMG validation of optimization-based musculoskeletal simulations.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) models offer great potential for predicting the muscle forces required to inform more detailed simulations of vertebral endplate loading in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). In this work, simulations based on static optimization were compared with in vivo measurements in two AIS patients to determine whether computational approaches alone are sufficient for accurate prediction of paraspinal muscle activity during functional activities. We used biplanar radiographs and marker-based motion capture, ground reaction force, and electromyography (EMG) data from two patients with mild and moderate thoracolumbar AIS (Cobb angles: 21° and 45°, respectively) during standing while holding two weights in front (reference position), walking, running, and object lifting. Using a fully automated approach, 3D spinal shape was extracted from the radiographs. Geometrically personalized OpenSim-based MSK models were created by deforming the spine of pre-scaled full-body models of children/adolescents. Simulations were performed using an experimentally controlled backward approach. Differences between model predictions and EMG measurements of paraspinal muscle activity (both expressed as a percentage of the reference position values) at three different locations around the scoliotic main curve were quantified by root mean square error (RMSE) and cross-correlation (XCorr). Predicted and measured muscle activity correlated best for mild AIS during object lifting (XCorr's ≥ 0.97), with relatively low RMSE values. For moderate AIS as well as the walking and running activities, agreement was lower, with XCorr reaching values of 0.51 and comparably high RMSE values. This study demonstrates that static optimization alone seems not appropriate for predicting muscle activity in AIS patients, particularly in those with more than mild deformations as well as when performing upright activities such as walking and running

Changes in serum biomarker profiles after percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system

Background: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is one of the most common valvular diseases. Percu­taneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClipTM system is a novel percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) technique for high-surgical-risk patients. However, the effect of PMVR on cir­culating cardiac or inflammatory biomarkers and their association with individual functional, echocardiographic and clinical outcomes is poorly investigated. Methods: A group of 144 patients with functional or degenerative MR (age, 75 ± 11 years; 41% females) underwent PMVR with the MitraClip system at the University Heart Center Zu­rich. Serum biomarkers as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatinine were obtained from venous sampling at baseline and follow-up of 3–6 months. Results: Median NT-proBNP decreased insignificantly from 2,942 (IQR 1,596–5,722) to 2,739 (IQR 1,440–4,296) ng/L, p = 0.21. NT-proBNP changes did not correlate with baseline left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction or LV dimensions, with New York Heart Association class on follow-up, or with clinical events on follow-up. CRP levels reached a peak on the third postoperative day at 34.0 mg/L with a subsequent slow decrease over the ensuing days. Conclusions: Despite successful PMVR, NT-proBNP remain fairly unchanged on follow-up and changes in NT-proBNP levels are poor predictors of functional improvement or clinical outcome after MitraClip treatment

Changes in serum biomarker profiles after percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system

BACKGROUND Mitral regurgitation (MR) is one of the most common valvular diseases. Percu-taneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClipTM system is a novel percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) technique for high-surgical-risk patients. However, the effect of PMVR on cir-culating cardiac or inflammatory biomarkers and their association with individual functional, echocardiographic and clinical outcomes is poorly investigated. METHODS A group of 144 patients with functional or degenerative MR (age, 75 ± 11 years; 41% females) underwent PMVR with the MitraClip system at the University Heart Center Zu-rich. Serum biomarkers as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatinine were obtained from venous sampling at baseline and follow-up of 3-6 months. RESULTS Median NT-proBNP decreased insignificantly from 2,942 (IQR 1,596-5,722) to 2,739 (IQR 1,440-4,296) ng/L, p = 0.21. NT-proBNP changes did not correlate with baseline left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction or LV dimensions, with New York Heart Association class on follow-up, or with clinical events on follow-up. CRP levels reached a peak on the third postoperative day at 34.0 mg/L with a subsequent slow decrease over the ensuing days. CONCLUSIONS Despite successful PMVR, NT-proBNP remain fairly unchanged on follow-up and changes in NT-proBNP levels are poor predictors of functional improvement or clinical outcome after MitraClip treatment

Expression of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in the thyroid gland: evidence for a role of nitric oxide in vascular control during goiter formation.

The thyroid gland is a highly vascular tissue, and its blood flow changes dramatically in various pathological conditions. Although the mechanisms regulating these changes in vascularity and blood flow are not well understood, candidate mediators include endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO). In the present study, we used a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay to determine which components of these vasoregulatory pathways are present in the thyroid and to analyze changes in gene expression in an experimental model of goiter formation and involution. Expression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding ET-1, ET receptors (ETA and ETB), ET-converting enzyme, and the three nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms (NOS I, NOS II, and NOS III) was readily detected in the rat thyroid. After goiter formation was induced by thiouracil and a low iodine diet, there was increased expression of the genes encoding ET-related proteins (ET-1, 3.2-fold; ETA, 2.9-fold; ETB, 3.5-fold) as well as two of the three NOS isoforms (NOS I, 2.7-fold; NOS III, 4.9-fold). During iodide-induced involution, the ET-related mRNA levels remained elevated, whereas those of the two NOS isoforms returned to basal values. ET-converting enzyme, NOS II, and thyroglobulin mRNAs were minimally affected in this model, providing evidence for selective regulation of these genes. To assess whether NO plays a role in vascular changes during goiter formation, animals were treated with a NOS inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (NAME). NOS activity in the thyroid was inhibited by more than 75% after treatment with NAME. Thyroid hormone and TSH levels were unchanged. Although NAME had little effect on overall thyroid size, vascular expansion during goiter formation was decreased by 36%. We conclude that the thyroid gland expresses a complex network of vasoactive genes whose expression is regulated dynamically during thyroid goiter formation and involution. NO production and probably other locally produced vasoactive substances are involved in changes in thyroid vascularization

Real-time left ventricular pressure-volume loops during percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip device has emerged as an alternative to surgery for treating severe mitral regurgitation. However, its effects on left ventricular loading conditions and contractility have not been investigated yet. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pressure-volume loops were recorded throughout the MitraClip procedure using conductance catheter in 33 patients (mean age, 78±10 years) with functional (45%), degenerative (48%), or mixed (6%) mitral regurgitation. Percutaneous mitral valve repair increased end-systolic wall stress (WSES; from [median] 184 mm Hg [interquartile range (IQR), 140-200 mm Hg] to 209 mm Hg [IQR, 176-232 mm Hg]; P=0.001) and decreased end-diastolic WS (WSED; from 48 mm Hg [IQR, 28-58 mm Hg] to 34 mm Hg [IQR, 21-46 mm Hg]; P=0.005), whereas the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship was not significantly affected. Conversely, cardiac index increased (from 2.6 L·min(-1)·m(-2) [IQR, 2.2-3.0 L·min(-1)·m(-2)] to 3.2 L·min(-1)·m(-2) [IQR, 2.6-3.8 L·min(-1)·m(-2)]; P<0.001) and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure decreased (from 15 mm Hg [IQR, 12-20 mm Hg] to 12 mm Hg [IQR, 10-13 mm Hg]; P<0.001). Although changes in WSES were not correlated with changes in cardiac index, changes in WSED correlated significantly with changes in mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (r=0.63, P<0.001). Total mechanical energy assessed by the pressure-volume area remained unchanged, resulting in a more favorable index of forward output (cardiac index) to mechanical energy (pressure-volume area) after mitral valve repair. On follow-up (153±94 days), New York Heart Association functional class was reduced from 2.9±0.6 to 1.9±0.5 (P<0.001) at 3 months, and echocardiographic follow-up documented a stepwise reduction in end-diastolic volume (from 147 mL [IQR, 95-191 mL] to 127 mL [IQR, 82-202 mL]; P=0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous mitral valve repair improves hemodynamic profiles and induces reverse left ventricular remodeling by reducing left ventricular preload while preserving contractility. In nonsurgical candidates with compromised left ventricular function, MitraClip therapy could be considered an alternative to surgical mitral valve repair

Global overview of the transnational alliance for regenerative therapies in cardiovascular syndromes (TACTICS) recommendations : a comprehensive series of challenges and priorities of cardiovascular regenerative medicine

© 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio