Role of Interfaces in the Proximity Effect in Anisotropic Superconductors

We report measurements of the critical temperature of YBCO-Co doped YBCO Superconductor-Normal bilayer films. Depending on the morphology of the S-N interface, the coupling between S and N layers can be turned on to depress the critical temperature of S by tens of degrees, or turned down so the layers appear almost totally decoupled. This novel effect can be explained by the mechanism of quasiparticle transmission into an anisotropic superconductor.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Amiloride derivatives enhance insulin release in pancreatic islets from diabetic mice

BACKGROUND: Amiloride derivatives, commonly used for their diuretic and antihypertensive properties, can also cause a sustained but reversible decrease of intracellular pH (pH(i)). Using dimethyl amiloride (DMA) on normal rodent pancreatic islets, we previously demonstrated the critical influence of islet pH(i )on insulin secretion. Nutrient-stimulated insulin secretion (NSIS) requires a specific pH(i)-range, and is dramatically enhanced by forced intracellular acidification with DMA. Furthermore, DMA can enable certain non-secretagogues to stimulate insulin secretion, and induce time-dependent potentiation (TDP) of insulin release in mouse islets where this function is normally absent. The present study was performed to determine whether pH(i)-manipulation could correct the secretory defect in islets isolated from mice with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using two mouse models of type 2 diabetes, we compared a) pHi-regulation, and b) NSIS with and without treatment with amiloride derivatives, in islets isolated from diabetic mice and wild type mice. RESULTS: A majority of the islets from the diabetic mice showed a slightly elevated basal pH(i )and/or poor recovery from acid/base load. DMA treatment produced a significant increase of NSIS in islets from the diabetic models. DMA also enabled glucose to induce TDP in the islets from diabetic mice, albeit to a lesser degree than in normal islets. CONCLUSION: Islets from diabetic mice show some mis-regulation of intracellular pH, and their secretory capacity is consistently enhanced by DMA/amiloride. Thus, amiloride derivatives show promise as potential therapeutic agents for type 2 diabetes

Повторные измерения толщины слоя нервных волокон с помощью оптического когерентного томографа Stratus

PURPOSE: Assessment of optic disc damage is an essential part of the ocular examination and differential diagnosis between the patient with ocular hypertension and pre-perimetric or perimetric glaucoma. The Stratus optic coherent tomograph (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, Calif) is still one of the most used optic nerve imaging technology throughout the world. Therefore, the development of methodology that enhances the utility of optic disc measurements with the Stratus OCT remains a relevant and meaningful goal. In an attempt to determine the optimal number of repeated measurements we investigated how the average of three sets of manually repeated measurements of retina nerve firer layer (RNFL) thickness would compare with a single set. METHODS: A total of 73 individuals (136 eyes) aged 55.3±15.2 years with ocular hypertensive (OHT), pre-peri-metric glaucoma or glaucoma were included in the final analysis. When the data was evaluated using a quadrant analysis we observed that 13.6% of the patients exhibited a clinically meaningful difference of 20% or more in the serial RNFL thickness measurements. RESULTS: The difference ranged from 9.3 to 32.7 microns and in 10 of the 12 quadrants the averaged measurement exceeded the initial measurement. Most of the differences demonstrated in this study occurred in the horizontal meridian and are probably a result of instinctive saccadic eye movements. A difference in the vertical meridian (superior and/or inferior quadrants) which is the more relevant meridian for changes in glaucoma was seen in only 3 patients (4.1%). CONCLUSIONS: One reliable RNFL measurement would be sufficient in most of these cases because in 95.9% of the cases the differences observed for the vertical meridian were less than 20%. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that there can be more variability in the horizontal meridian and that in cases with visual loss encroaching on fixation serial measurements may be useful. At any rate, as with all ancillary tests, whenever a change is detected, it is wise to repeat the test to verify the results.ЦЕЛЬ. Оценка изменений в диске зрительного нерва является важной частью офтальмологического обследования и дифференциальной диагностики у пациентов с офтальмогипертензией и ранней и развитой стадиями глаукомы. Оптический когерентный томограф Stratus (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, Calif) до сих пор является одним из самых часто используемых приборов для визуализации зрительного нерва по всему миру. Поэтому разработка методологии, оптимизирующей оценку состояния диска зрительного нерва с помощью Stratus, остается важной и актуальной задачей. В попытке определить оптимальное количество последовательных измерений, мы сравнивали результаты одиночного измерения толщины слоя нервных волокон с усредненными результатами серии из трех последовательных измерений. методы. Всего в исследовании участвовало 73 пациента (136 глаз) в возрасте 55,3±15,2 года с офтальмогипертензией или диагностированной глаукомой. При анализе полученных данных по квадрантам поля зрения у 13,6% пациентов было обнаружено клинически значимое различие ≥ 20% в толщине слоя нервных волокон. РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ. Разница в измерениях составляла от 9,3 до 32,7 мкм, и в 10 из 12 квадрантов усредненный результат трех последовательных измерений превышал результат единичного измерения. В большинстве случав различие отмечалось в горизонтальном меридиане и, вероятно, являлось результатом естественных саккадных движений. Различие в результатах по более значимому для изменений поля зрения при глаукоме вертикальному меридиану (верхние и/или нижние квадранты) наблюдалось только у 3 (4,1%) пациентов. ЗАКЛЮЧЕНИЕ. Поскольку в 95,9% случаев разница результатов по вертикальному меридиану не превышает 20%, можно сделать вывод, что в большинстве случаев достаточно одного достоверного измерения толщины слоя нервных волокон сетчатки. Тем не менее полезно помнить о большей вариабельности результатов по горизонтальному меридиану. Например, в случае со снижением зрения, затрудняющим фиксацию взгляда, может быть полезным проведение серии из нескольких исследований подряд. В любом случае при появлении изменений в результатах этого или других вспомогательных исследований наилучшей тактикой является повторение исследования для подтверждения результатов

A Characterization of Scale Invariant Responses in Enzymatic Networks

An ubiquitous property of biological sensory systems is adaptation: a step increase in stimulus triggers an initial change in a biochemical or physiological response, followed by a more gradual relaxation toward a basal, pre-stimulus level. Adaptation helps maintain essential variables within acceptable bounds and allows organisms to readjust themselves to an optimum and non-saturating sensitivity range when faced with a prolonged change in their environment. Recently, it was shown theoretically and experimentally that many adapting systems, both at the organism and single-cell level, enjoy a remarkable additional feature: scale invariance, meaning that the initial, transient behavior remains (approximately) the same even when the background signal level is scaled. In this work, we set out to investigate under what conditions a broadly used model of biochemical enzymatic networks will exhibit scale-invariant behavior. An exhaustive computational study led us to discover a new property of surprising simplicity and generality, uniform linearizations with fast output (ULFO), whose validity we show is both necessary and sufficient for scale invariance of enzymatic networks. Based on this study, we go on to develop a mathematical explanation of how ULFO results in scale invariance. Our work provides a surprisingly consistent, simple, and general framework for understanding this phenomenon, and results in concrete experimental predictions

Quasiclassical description of transport through superconducting contacts

We present a theoretical study of transport properties through superconducting contacts based on a new formulation of boundary conditions that mimics interfaces for the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity. These boundary conditions are based on a description of an interface in terms of a simple Hamiltonian. We show how this Hamiltonian description is incorporated into quasiclassical theory via a T-matrix equation by integrating out irrelevant energy scales right at the onset. The resulting boundary conditions reproduce results obtained by conventional quasiclassical boundary conditions, or by boundary conditions based on the scattering approach. This formalism is well suited for the analysis of magnetically active interfaces as well as for calculating time-dependent properties such as the current-voltage characteristics or as current fluctuations in junctions with arbitrary transmission and bias voltage. This approach is illustrated with the calculation of Josephson currents through a variety of superconducting junctions ranging from conventional to d-wave superconductors, and to the analysis of supercurrent through a ferromagnetic nanoparticle. The calculation of the current-voltage characteristics and of noise is applied to the case of a contact between two d-wave superconductors. In particular, we discuss the use of shot noise for the measurement of charge transferred in a multiple Andreev reflection in d-wave superconductors

Connie Myers v. Albertsons, Inc. : Brief of Appellee

Appeal of the Judgment of Michael Glasmann Based upon a Jury Verdict Second Judicial District Court Weber County, State of Uta

Duration of Treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteremia : a Retrospective Study

Introduction: There is no consensus regarding optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia. We aimed to evaluate the impact of short antibiotic course. Methods: We present a retrospective multicenter study including patients with P. aeruginosa bacteremia during 2009-2015. We evaluated outcomes of patients treated with short (6-10 days) versus long (11-15 days) antibiotic courses. The primary outcome was a composite of 30-day mortality or bacteremia recurrence and/or persistence. Univariate and inverse probability treatment-weighted (IPTW) adjusted multivariate analysis for the primary outcome was performed. To avoid immortal time bias, the landmark method was used. Results: We included 657 patients; 273 received a short antibiotic course and 384 a long course. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics of patients. The composite primary outcome occurred in 61/384 patients in the long-treatment group (16%) versus 32/273 in the short-treatment group (12%) (p = 0.131). Mortality accounted for 41/384 (11%) versus 25/273 (9%) of cases, respectively. Length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the short group [median 13 days, interquartile range (IQR) 9-21 days, versus median 15 days, IQR 11-26 days, p = 0.002]. Ten patients in the long group discontinued antibiotic therapy owing to adverse events, compared with none in the short group. On univariate and multivariate analyses, duration of therapy was not associated with the primary outcome. Conclusions: In this retrospective study, 6-10 days of antibiotic course for P. aeruginosa bacteremia were as effective as longer courses in terms of survival and recurrence. Shorter therapy was associated with reduced length of stay and less drug discontinuation