1,156 research outputs found
Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamic Description of the Coupling between Structural and Entropic Modes in Supercooled Liquids
The density response of supercooled glycerol to an impulsive stimulated
thermal grating (q=0.63 micron^-1) has been studied in the temperature range
(T=200-340 K) where the structure rearrangement (alpha-relaxation) and thermal
diffusion occur on the same time scale. A strong interaction between the two
modes occurs giving rise to a dip in the T-dependence of the apparent thermal
conductivity and a flattening of the apparent alpha-relaxation time upon
cooling. A non-equilibrium thermodynamic (NET) model for the long time response
of relaxing fluids has been developed. The model is capable to reproduce the
experimental data and to explain the observed phenomenology.Comment: to be published in PRE Rapid Commu
Influence of Lifestyle RedesignÂź on health, social participation, leisure and mobility of older French-Canadians
Importance: Developed in California to enable community-dwelling older adults to maintain healthy and meaningful activities, Lifestyle RedesignÂź is a well-known cost-effective preventive occupational therapy intervention. The impact of a newly adapted French version on older French-Canadians was, however, unknown.
Objective: To explore the influence of Lifestyle Redesign on older French-Canadiansâ health, social participation, leisure, and mobility.
Design: A mixed-methods design included a preexperimental component (questionnaires administered before and after the intervention and 3 and 6 mo postintervention) and an exploratory descriptive qualitative clinical study. Individual semidirected interviews were digitally audiotaped and transcribed, then underwent thematic content analysis using mix extraction grids.
Setting: Community.
Participants: Sixteen volunteers (10 women) aged 65â90 yr (mean = 76.4, standard deviation = 7.6), 10 without and 6 with disabilities. Inclusion criteria were age â„65 yr, normal cognitive functions, residence in a conventional or senior home, and French speaking.
Intervention: French-Canadian 6-mo version of Lifestyle Redesign.
Outcomes and Measures: Health, social participation, leisure, and mobility were measured using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, Social Participation Scale, Leisure Profile, and Life-Space Assessment, as well as a semistructured interview guide.
Results: The French-Canadian Lifestyle Redesign had a beneficial effect on participantsâ mental health (p = .02) and interest in leisure (p = .02) and, in those with disabilities, social participation (p = .03) and attitudes toward leisure (p = .04). Participants reported positive effects on their mental health, leisure, mobility, and social participation, including frequency and quality of social interactions, and indicated that having an occupational routine fostered better health. None of the participants reported no effect.
Conclusion and Relevance: The translated and culturally adapted Lifestyle Redesign is a promising occupational therapy intervention for community-dwelling older French-Canadians
Atrial fibrillation after pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer affects long-term survival in a prospective single-center study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Atrial fibrillation (AF) after thoracic surgery is a continuing source of morbidity and mortality. The effect of postoperative AF on long-term survival however has not been studied. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of AF on early outcome and on survival > 5 years after pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From 1996 to June 2009, 454 consecutive patients undergoing lobectomy for lung cancer were enrolled and followed-up until death or study end (October 2010). Patients with postoperative AF were identified; AF was investigated with reference to its predictors and to short- and long-term survival (> 5 years).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Hospital mortality accounted for 7 patients (1.5%), while postoperative AF occurred in 45 (9.9%). Independent AF predictors were: preoperative paroxysmal AF (odds ratio [OR] 5.91; 95%CI 2.07 to 16.88), postoperative blood transfusion (OR 3.61; 95%CI 1.67 to 7.82) and postoperative fibro-bronchoscopy (OR 3.39; 95%CI 1.48 to 7.79). Patients with AF experienced higher hospital mortality (6.7% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.024), longer hospitalization (15.3 ± 10.1 vs. 12.2 ± 5.2 days, p = 0.001) and higher intensive care unit admission rate (13.3% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.015). The median follow-up was 36 months (maximum: 179 months). Among the 445 discharged subjects with complete follow-up, postoperative AF was not an independent predictor of mortality; however, among the 151 5-year survivors, postoperative AF independently predicted poorer long-term survival (HR 3.75; 95%CI 1.44 to 9.08).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>AF after pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer, in addition to causing higher hospital morbidity and mortality, predicts poorer long-term outcome in 5-year survivors.</p
Rangelands, conflicts, and society in the Upper Mustang Region, Nepal
Rangelands are considered critical ecosystems in the Nepal Himalayas and provide multiple ecosystem services that support local livelihoods. However, these rangelands are under threat from various anthropogenic stresses. This study analyzes an example of conflict over the use of rangeland, involving two villages in the Mustang district of Nepal. This prolonged conflict over the use of rangeland rests on how use rights are defined by the parties, that is, whether they are based on traditional use or property ownership. Traditionally, such conflicts in remote areas were managed under the Mukhiya (village chief) system, but this became dysfunctional after the political change of 1990. The continuing conflict suggests that excessive demand for limited rangelands motivates local villagers to gain absolute control of the resources. In such contexts, external support should focus on enhancing the management and production of forage resources locally, which requires the establishment of local common property institutions to facilitate sustainable rangeland management.<br /
Differential branching fraction and angular analysis of the decay B0âKâ0ÎŒ+ÎŒâ
The angular distribution and differential branching fraction of the decay B 0â K â0 ÎŒ + ÎŒ â are studied using a data sample, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at sâ=7 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fbâ1. Several angular observables are measured in bins of the dimuon invariant mass squared, q 2. A first measurement of the zero-crossing point of the forward-backward asymmetry of the dimuon system is also presented. The zero-crossing point is measured to be q20=4.9±0.9GeV2/c4 , where the uncertainty is the sum of statistical and systematic uncertainties. The results are consistent with the Standard Model predictions
Opposite-side flavour tagging of B mesons at the LHCb experiment
The calibration and performance of the oppositeside
flavour tagging algorithms used for the measurements
of time-dependent asymmetries at the LHCb experiment
are described. The algorithms have been developed using
simulated events and optimized and calibrated with
B
+ âJ/ÏK
+, B0 âJ/ÏK
â0 and B0 âD
ââ
Ό
+
ΜΌ decay
modes with 0.37 fbâ1 of data collected in pp collisions
at
â
s = 7 TeV during the 2011 physics run. The oppositeside
tagging power is determined in the B
+ â J/ÏK
+
channel to be (2.10 ± 0.08 ± 0.24) %, where the first uncertainty
is statistical and the second is systematic
Search for CP violation in D+âÏÏ+ and D+sâK0SÏ+ decays
A search for CP violation in D + â ÏÏ + decays is performed using data collected in 2011 by the LHCb experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fbâ1 at a centre of mass energy of 7 TeV. The CP -violating asymmetry is measured to be (â0.04 ± 0.14 ± 0.14)% for candidates with K â K + mass within 20 MeV/c 2 of the Ï meson mass. A search for a CP -violating asymmetry that varies across the Ï mass region of the D + â K â K + Ï + Dalitz plot is also performed, and no evidence for CP violation is found. In addition, the CP asymmetry in the D+sâK0SÏ+ decay is measured to be (0.61 ± 0.83 ± 0.14)%
Measurement of the branching fraction
The branching fraction is measured in a data sample
corresponding to 0.41 of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb
detector at the LHC. This channel is sensitive to the penguin contributions
affecting the sin2 measurement from The
time-integrated branching fraction is measured to be . This is the most precise measurement to
date
Observation of two new baryon resonances
Two structures are observed close to the kinematic threshold in the mass spectrum in a sample of proton-proton collision data, corresponding
to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb recorded by the LHCb experiment.
In the quark model, two baryonic resonances with quark content are
expected in this mass region: the spin-parity and
states, denoted and .
Interpreting the structures as these resonances, we measure the mass
differences and the width of the heavier state to be
MeV,
MeV,
MeV, where the first and second
uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The width of the
lighter state is consistent with zero, and we place an upper limit of
MeV at 95% confidence level. Relative
production rates of these states are also reported.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure
Model-independent search for CP violation in D0âKâK+ÏâÏ+ and D0âÏâÏ+Ï+Ïâ decays
A search for CP violation in the phase-space structures of D0 and View the MathML source decays to the final states KâK+ÏâÏ+ and ÏâÏ+Ï+Ïâ is presented. The search is carried out with a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fbâ1 collected in 2011 by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. For the KâK+ÏâÏ+ final state, the four-body phase space is divided into 32 bins, each bin with approximately 1800 decays. The p-value under the hypothesis of no CP violation is 9.1%, and in no bin is a CP asymmetry greater than 6.5% observed. The phase space of the ÏâÏ+Ï+Ïâ final state is partitioned into 128 bins, each bin with approximately 2500 decays. The p-value under the hypothesis of no CP violation is 41%, and in no bin is a CP asymmetry greater than 5.5% observed. All results are consistent with the hypothesis of no CP violation at the current sensitivity
- âŠ