2,743 research outputs found
Coulomb Zero-Bias Anomaly: A Semiclassical Calculation
Effective action is proposed for the problem of Coulomb blocking of
tunneling. The approach is well suited to deal with the ``strong coupling''
situation near zero bias, where perturbation theory diverges. By a
semiclassical treatment, we reduce the physics to that of electrodynamics in
imaginary time, and express the anomaly through exact conductivity of the
system and exact interaction. For the diffusive anomaly, we
compare the result with the perturbation theory of Altshuler, Aronov, and Lee.
For the metal-insulator transition we derive exact relation of the anomaly and
critical exponent of conductivity.Comment: 9 pages, RevTeX 3.
Delineation of individual human chromosomes in metaphase and interphase cells by in situ suppression hybridization using recombinant DNA libraries
A method of in situ hybridization for visualizing individual human chromosomes from pter to qter, both in metaphase spreads and interphase nuclei, is reported. DNA inserts from a single chromosomal library are labeled with biotin and partially preannealed with a titrated amount of total human genomic DNA prior to hybridization with cellular or chromosomal preparations. The cross-hybridization of repetitive sequences to nontargeted chromosomes can be markedly suppressed under appropriate preannealing conditions. The remaining single-stranded DNA is hybridized to specimens of interest and detected with fluorescent or enzymelabeled avidin conjugates following post-hybridization washes. DNA inserts from recombinant libraries for chromosomes 1, 4, 7, 8, 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 22, and X were assessed for their ability to decorate specifically their cognate chromosome; most libraries proved to be highly specific. Quantitative densitometric analyses indicated that the ratio of specific to nonspecific hybridization signal under optimal preannealing conditions was at least 8:1. Interphase nuclei showed a cohesive territorial organization of chromosomal domains, and laserscanning confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to aid the 3-D visualization of these domains. This method should be useful for both karyotypic studies and for the analysis of chromosome topography in interphase cells
骨再生研究モデルとしての免疫正常および免疫不全動物の比較について
Objectives To understand the differences and similarities between immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice as ectopic transplantation animal models for bone tissue engineering. Materials and Methods Osteogenic cells from mouse leg bones were cultured, seeded on β- TCP granules, and transplanted onto the backs of either immunocompetent or immunodeficient nude mice. At 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks postoperatively, samples were harvested and evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase ( TRAP) staining, and immunohistochemical staining and quantitative PCR. Results In immunocompetent mice, inflammatory cell infiltration was evident at 1 week postoperatively and relatively higher expression of TNF- α and IL-4 was observed. In immunodeficient mice, new bone area and the number of TRAP-positive cells were larger at 4 weeks than in immunocompetent mice. The volume of new bone area in immunodeficient mice was reduced by 8 weeks. Conclusions Bone regeneration was feasible in immunocompetent mice. However, some differences were observed between immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice in the bone regeneration process possibly due to different cytokine expression, which should be considered when utilizing in vivo animal models.2015博士(歯学)松本歯科大
Compensated right ventricular function of the onset of pulmonary hypertension in a rat model depends on chamber remodeling and contractile augmentation.
Right-ventricular function is a good indicator of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) prognosis; however, how the right ventricle (RV) adapts to the pressure overload is not well understood. Here, we aimed at characterizing the time course of RV early remodeling and discriminate the contribution of ventricular geometric remodeling and intrinsic changes in myocardial mechanical properties in a monocrotaline (MCT) animal model. In a longitudinal study of PAH, ventricular morphology and function were assessed weekly during the first four weeks after MCT exposure. Using invasive measurements of RV pressure and volume, heart performance was evaluated at end of systole and diastole to quantify contractility (end-systolic elastance) and chamber stiffness (end-diastolic elastance). To distinguish between morphological and intrinsic mechanisms, a computational model of the RV was developed and used to determine the level of prediction when accounting for wall masses and unloaded volume measurements changes. By four weeks, mean pulmonary arterial pressure and elastance rose significantly. RV pressures rose significantly after the second week accompanied by significant RV hypertrophy, but RV stroke volume and cardiac output were maintained. The model analysis suggested that, after two weeks, this compensation was only possible due to a significant increase in the intrinsic inotropy of RV myocardium. We conclude that this MCT-PAH rat is a model of RV compensation during the first month after treatment, where geometric remodeling on EDPVR and increased myocardial contractility on ESPVR are the major mechanisms by which stroke volume is preserved in the setting of elevated pulmonary arterial pressure. The mediators of this compensation might themselves promote longer-term adverse remodeling and decompensation in this animal model
Microscopic Aspects of Stretched Exponential Relaxation (SER) in Homogeneous Molecular and Network Glasses and Polymers
Because the theory of SER is still a work in progress, the phenomenon itself
can be said to be the oldest unsolved problem in science, as it started with
Kohlrausch in 1847. Many electrical and optical phenomena exhibit SER with
probe relaxation I(t) ~ exp[-(t/{\tau}){\beta}], with 0 < {\beta} < 1. Here
{\tau} is a material-sensitive parameter, useful for discussing chemical
trends. The "shape" parameter {\beta} is dimensionless and plays the role of a
non-equilibrium scaling exponent; its value, especially in glasses, is both
practically useful and theoretically significant. The mathematical complexity
of SER is such that rigorous derivations of this peculiar function were not
achieved until the 1970's. The focus of much of the 1970's pioneering work was
spatial relaxation of electronic charge, but SER is a universal phenomenon, and
today atomic and molecular relaxation of glasses and deeply supercooled liquids
provide the most reliable data. As the data base grew, the need for a
quantitative theory increased; this need was finally met by the
diffusion-to-traps topological model, which yields a remarkably simple
expression for the shape parameter {\beta}, given by d*/(d* + 2). At first
sight this expression appears to be identical to d/(d + 2), where d is the
actual spatial dimensionality, as originally derived. The original model,
however, failed to explain much of the data base. Here the theme of earlier
reviews, based on the observation that in the presence of short-range forces
only d* = d = 3 is the actual spatial dimensionality, while for mixed short-
and long-range forces, d* = fd = d/2, is applied to four new spectacular
examples, where it turns out that SER is useful not only for purposes of
quality control, but also for defining what is meant by a glass in novel
contexts. (Please see full abstract in main text
Transitions in the Web of Heterotic Vacua
We analyze transitions between heterotic vacua with distinct gauge bundles
using two complementary methods - the effective four-dimensional field theory
and the corresponding geometry. From the viewpoint of effective field theory,
such transitions occur between flat directions of the potential energy
associated with heterotic stability walls. Geometrically, this branch structure
corresponds to smooth deformations of the gauge bundle coupled to the chamber
structure of K\"ahler moduli space. We demonstrate how such transitions can
change important properties of the effective theory, including the gauge
symmetry and the massless spectrum. Geometrically, this study is divided into
deformations of the vector bundle which preserve the rank of the gauge bundle
and those which change the rank. In the latter case, our results provide
explicit solutions to a class of Li-Yau type deformation problems. Finally, we
use the framework of stability walls and their effective theory to study
Donaldson-Thomas invariants on Calabi-Yau threefolds.Comment: 53 pages, 3 figure
Brain enhancement through cognitive training: A new insight from brain connectome
Owing to the recent advances in neurotechnology and the progress in understanding of brain cognitive functions, improvements of cognitive performance or acceleration of learning process with brain enhancement systems is not out of our reach anymore, on the contrary, it is a tangible target of contemporary research. Although a variety of approaches have been proposed, we will mainly focus on cognitive training interventions, in which learners repeatedly perform cognitive tasks to improve their cognitive abilities. In this review article, we propose that the learning process during the cognitive training can be facilitated by an assistive system monitoring cognitive workloads using electroencephalography (EEG) biomarkers, and the brain connectome approach can provide additional valuable biomarkers for facilitating leaners' learning processes. For the purpose, we will introduce studies on the cognitive training interventions, EEG biomarkers for cognitive workload, and human brain connectome. As cognitive overload and mental fatigue would reduce or even eliminate gains of cognitive training interventions, a real-time monitoring of cognitive workload can facilitate the learning process by flexibly adjusting difficulty levels of the training task. Moreover, cognitive training interventions should have effects on brain sub-networks, not on a single brain region, and graph theoretical network metrics quantifying topological architecture of the brain network can differentiate with respect to individual cognitive states as well as to different individuals' cognitive abilities, suggesting that the connectome is a valuable approach for tracking the learning progress. Although only a few studies have exploited the connectome approach for studying alterations of the brain network induced by cognitive training interventions so far, we believe that it would be a useful technique for capturing improvements of cognitive function
Stochastic Hysteresis and Resonance in a Kinetic Ising System
We study hysteresis for a two-dimensional, spin-1/2, nearest-neighbor,
kinetic Ising ferromagnet in an oscillating field, using Monte Carlo
simulations and analytical theory. Attention is focused on small systems and
weak field amplitudes at a temperature below . For these restricted
parameters, the magnetization switches through random nucleation of a single
droplet of spins aligned with the applied field. We analyze the stochastic
hysteresis observed in this parameter regime, using time-dependent nucleation
theory and the theory of variable-rate Markov processes. The theory enables us
to accurately predict the results of extensive Monte Carlo simulations, without
the use of any adjustable parameters. The stochastic response is qualitatively
different from what is observed, either in mean-field models or in simulations
of larger spatially extended systems. We consider the frequency dependence of
the probability density for the hysteresis-loop area and show that its average
slowly crosses over to a logarithmic decay with frequency and amplitude for
asymptotically low frequencies. Both the average loop area and the
residence-time distributions for the magnetization show evidence of stochastic
resonance. We also demonstrate a connection between the residence-time
distributions and the power spectral densities of the magnetization time
series. In addition to their significance for the interpretation of recent
experiments in condensed-matter physics, including studies of switching in
ferromagnetic and ferroelectric nanoparticles and ultrathin films, our results
are relevant to the general theory of periodically driven arrays of coupled,
bistable systems with stochastic noise.Comment: 35 pages. Submitted to Phys. Rev. E Minor revisions to the text and
updated reference
Starch-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) and starch-poly(lactic acid) fibre-mesh scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications : structure, mechanical properties and degradation behaviour
In scaffold-based tissue engineering strategies, the successful regeneration of tissues from matrixproducing
connective tissue cells or anchorage-dependent cells (e.g. osteoblasts) relies on the use
of a suitable scaffold. This study describes the development and characterization of SPCL (starch
with !-polycaprolactone, 30 : 70%) and SPLA [starch with poly(lactic acid), 30 : 70%] fibre-meshes,
aimed at application in bone tissue-engineering strategies. Scaffolds based on SPCL and SPLA
were prepared from fibres obtained by melt-spinning by a fibre-bonding process. The porosity of
the scaffolds was characterized by microcomputerized tomography (μCT) and scanning electron
microscopy (SEM). Scaffold degradation behaviour was assessed in solutions containing hydrolytic
enzymes ("-amylase and lipase) in physiological concentrations, in order to simulate in vivo
conditions. Mechanical properties were also evaluated in compression tests. The results show
that these scaffolds exhibit adequate porosity and mechanical properties to support cell adhesion
and proliferation and also tissue ingrowth upon implantation of the construct. The results of
the degradation studies showed that these starch-based scaffolds are susceptible to enzymatic
degradation, as detected by increased weight loss (within 2 weeks, weight loss in the SPCL samples
reached 20%). With increasing degradation time, the diameter of the SPCL and SPLA fibres
decreases significantly, increasing the porosity and consequently the available space for cells and
tissue ingrowth during implantation time. These results, in combination with previous cell culture
studies showing the ability of these scaffolds to induce cell adhesion and proliferation, clearly
demonstrate the potential of these scaffolds to be used in tissue engineering strategies to regenerate
bone tissue defects
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