1,130 research outputs found
Polynomial Observables in the Graph Partitioning Problem
Although NP-Complete problems are the most difficult decisional problems, it
is possible to discover in them polynomial (or easy) observables. We study the
Graph Partitioning Problem showing that it is possible to recognize in it two
correlated polynomial observables. The particular behaviour of one of them with
respect to the connectivity of the graph suggests the presence of a phase
transition in partitionability.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Neutrino neutral reaction on 4He, effects of final state interaction and realistic NN force
The inelastic neutral reaction of neutrino on 4He is calculated
microscopically, including full final state interaction among the four
nucleons. The calculation is performed using the Lorentz integral transform
(LIT) method and the hyperspherical-harmonic effective interaction approach
(EIHH), with a realistic nucleon-nucleon interaction. A detailed energy
dependent calculation is given in the impulse approximation. With respect to
previous calculations, this work predicts an increased reaction cross-section
by 10%-30% for neutrino temperature up to 15 MeV.Comment: 4 pages, 2 fig
MiR-205-5p inhibition by locked nucleic acids impairs metastatic potential of breast cancer cells
Mir-205 plays an important role in epithelial biogenesis and in mammary gland development but its role in cancer still remains controversial depending on the specific cellular context and target genes. We have previously reported that miR-205-5p is upregulated in breast cancer stem cells targeting ERBB pathway and leading to targeted therapy resistance. Here we show that miR-205-5p regulates tumorigenic properties of breast cancer cells, as well as epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Silencing this miRNA in breast cancer results in reduced tumor growth and metastatic spreading in mouse models. Moreover, we show that miR-205-5p knock-down can be obtained with the use of specific locked nucleic acids oligonucleotides in vivo suggesting a future potential use of this approach in therapy
From desk to desktop: the integration between classroom and online teaching from the teachers' perspective
Reducing clinical variations with clinical pathways: do pathways work?
OBJECTIVE:
To test clinical pathways in a variety of Italian health care organizations in 2000-2002 to measure performance in decreasing process and outcome variations.
DESIGN:
Creation of indicators, specific for each clinical pathway, to measure variations in the care processes and outcomes. Pre- and post-analysis model to evaluate the possible effect of the clinical pathways on each indicator.
SETTING:
We tested the clinical pathways in six sites, each with different clinical pathways.
RESULTS:
Reductions in health care macro-variation phenomena (length of stay, patient pathways, etc.) and in performance micro-variation (variations in diagnostic and therapeutic prescriptions, protocol implementation, etc.) were shown in sites where pathways were implemented successfully. A significant improvement in outcome for patients who were treated according to the clinical pathway for heart failure was also demonstrated.
CONCLUSIONS:
The overall purpose of clinical pathways is to improve outcome by providing a mechanism to coordinate care and to reduce fragmentation, and ultimately cost. Our results demonstrated that it is possible to achieve this goal. Although controversial elements still exist, we think that clinical pathways can have a positive impact on quality in health care
Teaching Mathematics to Non-Mathematics Majors through Problem Solving and New Technologies
The role of mathematics in several scientific disciplines is undisputed; work and everyday life take great advantage of its application. Nevertheless, students often tend to not particularly like it and to consider it of little interest. It is also believed that only people with a certain attitude are capable of mastering the subject. In consideration of this, we aimed to help science students develop mathematical competences by designing a course specifically oriented to applications and problem solving. We administered our course to students attending the first year of a program in biotechnology, asking them to work with technologies instilling curiosity and interest, thus achieving a better proficiency as a consequence. Two questionnaires, along with access and proficiency data, allowed us to collect information about students’ attitudes, beliefs, and activity, which we analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. The promotion of the interaction among learners made them active users of the contents, thus allowing for the adaptation of their learning paths according to their personal necessities, as well as the development of teamwork skills and flexibility. Finally, students recognized the usefulness of the problem-solving approach and the role played by software
Numerical simulation of spray coalescence in an eulerian framework : direct quadrature method of moments and multi-fluid method
The scope of the present study is Eulerian modeling and simulation of
polydisperse liquid sprays undergoing droplet coalescence and evaporation. The
fundamental mathematical description is the Williams spray equation governing
the joint number density function f(v, u; x, t) of droplet volume and velocity.
Eulerian multi-fluid models have already been rigorously derived from this
equation in Laurent et al. (2004). The first key feature of the paper is the
application of direct quadrature method of moments (DQMOM) introduced by
Marchisio and Fox (2005) to the Williams spray equation. Both the multi-fluid
method and DQMOM yield systems of Eulerian conservation equations with
complicated interaction terms representing coalescence. In order to validate
and compare these approaches, the chosen configuration is a self-similar 2D
axisymmetrical decelerating nozzle with sprays having various size
distributions, ranging from smooth ones up to Dirac delta functions. The second
key feature of the paper is a thorough comparison of the two approaches for
various test-cases to a reference solution obtained through a classical
stochastic Lagrangian solver. Both Eulerian models prove to describe adequately
spray coalescence and yield a very interesting alternative to the Lagrangian
solver
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