2,407 research outputs found
Liquid kinetic study of the catalytic cracking of waste motor oil for obtaining diesel like fuels
Counterterms vs. Dualities
We investigate and clarify the mutual compatibility of the higher order
corrections arising in supergravity and string theory effective actions and the
non-linear duality symmetries of these theories. Starting from a conventional
tree level action leading to duality invariant equations of motion, we show how
to accommodate duality invariant counterterms given as functionals of both
electric and magnetic fields in a perturbative expansion, and to deduce from
them a non-polynomial bona fide action satisfying the Gaillard-Zumino
constraint. There exists a corresponding consistency constraint in the
non-covariant Henneaux-Teitelboim formalism which ensures that one can always
restore diffeomorphism invariance by perturbatively solving this functional
identity. We illustrate how this procedure works for the R^2 \nabla F \nabla F
and F^4 counterterms in Maxwell theory.Comment: 15 page
D-brane anomaly inflow revisited
Axial and gravitational anomaly of field theories, when embedded in string
theory, must be accompanied by canceling inflow. We give a self-contained
overview for various world-volume theories, and clarify the role of smeared
magnetic sources in I-brane/D-brane cases. The proper anomaly descent of the
source, as demanded by regularity of RR field strengths H's, turns out to be an
essential ingredient. We show how this allows correct inflow to be generated
for all such theories, including self-dual cases, and also that the mechanism
is now insensitive to the choice between the two related but inequivalent forms
of D-brane Chern-Simons couplings. In particular, SO(6)_R axial anomaly of d=4
maximal SYM is canceled by the inflow onto D3-branes via the standard minimal
coupling to C_4. We also propose how, for the anomaly cancelation, the four
types of Orientifold planes should be coupled to the spacetime curvatures, of
which conflicting claims existed previously.Comment: 41 pages, references updated; version to appear in JHE
Direct evidence for microdomain-specific localization and remodeling of functional L-type calcium channels in rat and human atrial myocytes
Background—Distinct subpopulations of L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) with different functional properties exist in cardiomyocytes. Disruption of cellular structure may affect LTCC in a microdomain-specific manner and contribute to the pathophysiology of cardiac diseases, especially in cells lacking organized transverse tubules (T-tubules) such as atrial myocytes (AMs). Methods and Results—Isolated rat and human AMs were characterized by scanning ion conductance, confocal, and electron microscopy. Half of AMs possessed T-tubules and structured topography, proportional to cell width. A bigger proportion of myocytes in the left atrium had organized T-tubules and topography than in the right atrium. Super-resolution scanning patch clamp showed that LTCCs distribute equally in T-tubules and crest areas of the sarcolemma, whereas, in ventricular myocytes, LTCCs primarily cluster in T-tubules. Rat, but not human, T-tubule LTCCs had open probability similar to crest LTCCs, but exhibited ≈40% greater current. Optical mapping of Ca2+ transients revealed that rat AMs presented ≈3-fold as many spontaneous Ca2+ release events as ventricular myocytes. Occurrence of crest LTCCs and spontaneous Ca2+ transients were eliminated by either a caveolae-targeted LTCC antagonist or disrupting caveolae with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, with an associated ≈30% whole-cell ICa,L reduction. Heart failure (16 weeks post–myocardial infarction) in rats resulted in a T-tubule degradation (by ≈40%) and significant elevation of spontaneous Ca2+ release events. Although heart failure did not affect LTCC occurrence, it led to ≈25% decrease in T-tubule LTCC amplitude. Conclusions—We provide the first direct evidence for the existence of 2 distinct subpopulations of functional LTCCs in rat and human AMs, with their biophysical properties modulated in heart failure in a microdomain-specific manner
Changes in joint coupling and variability during walking following tibialis posterior muscle fatigue
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The tibialis posterior muscle is believed to play a key role in controlling foot mechanics during the stance phase of gait. However, an experiment involving localised tibialis posterior muscle fatigue, and analysis of discrete rearfoot and forefoot kinematic variables, indicated that reduced force output of the tibialis posterior muscle did not alter rearfoot and forefoot motion during gait. Thus, to better understand how muscle fatigue affects foot kinematics and injury potential, the purpose of this study was to reanalyze the data and investigate shank, rearfoot and forefoot joint coupling and coupling variability during walking.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty-nine participants underwent an exercise fatigue protocol aimed at reducing the force output of tibialis posterior. An eight camera motion analysis system was used to evaluate 3 D shank and foot joint coupling and coupling variability during treadmill walking both pre- and post-fatigue.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The fatigue protocol was successful in reducing the maximal isometric force by over 30% and a concomitant increase in coupling motion of the shank in the transverse plane and forefoot in the sagittal and transverse planes relative to frontal plane motion of the rearfoot. In addition, an increase in joint coupling variability was measured between the shank and rearfoot and between the rearfoot and forefoot during the fatigue condition.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The reduced function of the tibialis posterior muscle following fatigue resulted in a disruption in typical shank and foot joint coupling patterns and an increased variability in joint coupling. These results could help explain tibialis posterior injury aetiology.</p
Reverse Engineering Gene Networks with ANN: Variability in Network Inference Algorithms
Motivation :Reconstructing the topology of a gene regulatory network is one
of the key tasks in systems biology. Despite of the wide variety of proposed
methods, very little work has been dedicated to the assessment of their
stability properties. Here we present a methodical comparison of the
performance of a novel method (RegnANN) for gene network inference based on
multilayer perceptrons with three reference algorithms (ARACNE, CLR, KELLER),
focussing our analysis on the prediction variability induced by both the
network intrinsic structure and the available data.
Results: The extensive evaluation on both synthetic data and a selection of
gene modules of "Escherichia coli" indicates that all the algorithms suffer of
instability and variability issues with regards to the reconstruction of the
topology of the network. This instability makes objectively very hard the task
of establishing which method performs best. Nevertheless, RegnANN shows MCC
scores that compare very favorably with all the other inference methods tested.
Availability: The software for the RegnANN inference algorithm is distributed
under GPL3 and it is available at the corresponding author home page
(http://mpba.fbk.eu/grimaldi/regnann-supmat
Multidrug resistance, inappropriate empiric treatment and hospital mortality in Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia and sepsis
Background: The relationship between multidrug resistance (MDR), inappropriate empiric therapy (IET), and
mortality among patients with Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) remains unclear. We examined it using a large
U.S. database.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Premier Research database (2009–2013) of 175 U.S.
hospitals. We included all adult patients admitted with pneumonia or sepsis as their principal diagnosis, or as a
secondary diagnosis in the setting of respiratory failure, along with antibiotic administration within 2 days of
admission. Only culture-confirmed infections were included. Resistance to at least three classes of antibiotics
defined multidrug-resistant AB (MDR-AB). We used logistic regression to compute the adjusted relative risk ratio
(RRR) of patients with MDR-AB receiving IET and IET’s impact on mortality.
Results: Among 1423 patients with AB infection, 1171 (82.3 %) had MDR-AB. Those with MDR-AB were older
(63.7 ± 15.4 vs. 61.0 ± 16.9 years, p = 0.014). Although chronic disease burden did not differ between groups, the
MDR-AB group had higher illness severity than those in the non-MDR-AB group (intensive care unit 68.0 % vs. 59.
5 %, p < 0.001; mechanical ventilation 56.2 % vs. 42.1 %, p < 0.001). Patients with MDR-AB were more likely to
receive IET than those in the non-MDR-AB group (76.2 % MDR-AB vs. 13.8 % non-MDR-AB, p < 0.001). In a regression
model, MDR-AB strongly predicted receipt of IET (adjusted RRR 5.5, 95 % CI 4.0–7.7, p < 0.001). IET exposure was
associated with higher hospital mortality (adjusted RRR 1.8, 95 % CI 1.4–2.3, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: In this large U.S. database, the prevalence of MDR-AB among patients with AB infection was > 80 %.
Harboring MDR-AB increased the risk of receiving IET more than fivefold, and IET nearly doubled hospital mortality
Anomaly Equations and Intersection Theory
Six-dimensional supergravity theories with N=(1,0) supersymmetry must satisfy
anomaly equations. These equations come from demanding the cancellation of
gravitational, gauge and mixed anomalies. The anomaly equations have
implications for the geometrical data of Calabi-Yau threefolds, since F-theory
compactified on an elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefold with a section
generates a consistent six-dimensional N=(1,0) supergravity theory. In this
paper, we show that the anomaly equations can be summarized by three
intersection theory identities. In the process we also identify the geometric
counterpart of the anomaly coefficients---in particular, those of the abelian
gauge groups---that govern the low-energy dynamics of the theory. We discuss
the results in the context of investigating string universality in six
dimensions.Comment: 29 pages + appendices, 8 figures; v2: minor corrections, references
added; v3: minor corrections, reference adde
Recommended from our members
Investigating the impact of poverty on colonization and infection with drug-resistant organisms in humans: a systematic review
Background
Poverty increases the risk of contracting infectious diseases and therefore exposure to antibiotics. Yet there is lacking evidence on the relationship between income and non-income dimensions of poverty and antimicrobial resistance. Investigating such relationship would strengthen antimicrobial stewardship interventions.
Methods
A systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Ovid, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, PsychINFO, EBSCO, HMIC, and Web of Science databases were searched in October 2016. Prospective and retrospective studies reporting on income or non-income dimensions of poverty and their influence on colonisation or infection with antimicrobial-resistant organisms were retrieved. Study quality was assessed with the Integrated quality criteria for review of multiple study designs (ICROMS) tool.
Results
Nineteen articles were reviewed. Crowding and homelessness were associated with antimicrobial resistance in community and hospital patients. In high-income countries, low income was associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii resistance and a seven-fold higher infection rate. In low-income countries the findings on this relation were contradictory. Lack of education was linked to resistant S. pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Two papers explored the relation between water and sanitation and antimicrobial resistance in low-income settings.
Conclusions
Despite methodological limitations, the results suggest that addressing social determinants of poverty worldwide remains a crucial yet neglected step towards preventing antimicrobial resistance
- …