3,333 research outputs found
VEG F as a biological marker of the venous disease-associated ulcers natural history in the elderly: preliminary data
Axisymmetric Waves in Layered Anisotropic Fibers and Composites
The complicated morphology of the new generation of advanced fibrous composites gave further impetus to the study of the interaction of ultrasonic waves with multilayered concentric cylindrical systems. Typically, the fiber consists of a cylindrical core embedded in a cladding region followed by a distinct interface zone separating the fiber system from the host (matrix) region. In addition, the cladding region itself often consists of subregions which can be identified as distinct layers. Each individual layer can posses certain degree of microscopic anisotropy adding to the macroscopic anisotropy produced by the presence of layering and imperfect interfaces. Relatively few efforts have been spent upon the study of free and immersed homogeneous anisotropic rods [1–5]. These works are insufficient to model real situations encountered in materials characterization of advanced fibrous composites. In order to better model advanced fibrous composites at least three major effects need to be accounted for. These are the inhomogeneous nature of the structure as reflected in its multilayering, the inherent microscopic anisotropy of some of the constituents and finally the quality of the interfaces. In this paper we briefly describe a unified analytical treatment of wave propagation along the fiber direction of multilayered coaxial fibrous systems embedded in a host material. A more detailed discussion of this general treatment will be presented elsewhere [6]. Figure 1 shows typical geometric situations including (a) a single multilayered fiber, (b) a single multilayered fiber either immersed in an infinite fluid or embedded in an infinite solid, and an infinite composite material with periodically distributed multilayered fiber
Why are tumour blood vessels abnormal and why is it important to know?
Tumour blood vessels differ from their normal counterparts for reasons that have received little attention. We report here that they are of at least six distinct types, we describe how each forms, and, looking forward, encourage the targeting of tumour vessel subsets that have lost their vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) dependency and so are likely unresponsive to anti-VEGF-A therapies
Effects of Temperature–Climate Patterns on the Production of Some Competitive Species on Grounds of Modelling
Climate change has serious effects on the setting
up and the operation of natural ecosystems. Small increase
in temperature could cause rise in the amount of some
species or potential disappearance of others. During our
researches, the dispersion of the species and biomass
production of a theoretical ecosystem were examined on
the effect of the temperature–climate change. The answers
of the ecosystems which are given to the climate change
could be described by means of global climate modelling
and dynamic vegetation models. The examination of the
operation of the ecosystems is only possible in huge centres
on supercomputers because of the number and the
complexity of the calculation. The number of the calculation
could be decreased to the level of a PC by considering
the temperature and the reproduction during modelling a
theoretical ecosystem, and several important theoretical
questions could be answered
Measuring processes and the Heisenberg picture
In this paper, we attempt to establish quantum measurement theory in the
Heisenberg picture. First, we review foundations of quantum measurement theory,
that is usually based on the Schr\"{o}dinger picture. The concept of instrument
is introduced there. Next, we define the concept of system of measurement
correlations and that of measuring process. The former is the exact counterpart
of instrument in the (generalized) Heisenberg picture. In quantum mechanical
systems, we then show a one-to-one correspondence between systems of
measurement correlations and measuring processes up to complete equivalence.
This is nothing but a unitary dilation theorem of systems of measurement
correlations. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of the statistical approach to
quantum measurement theory, we focus on the extendability of instruments to
systems of measurement correlations. It is shown that all completely positive
(CP) instruments are extended into systems of measurement correlations. Lastly,
we study the approximate realizability of CP instruments by measuring processes
within arbitrarily given error limits.Comment: v
A Co-Opted DEAD-Box RNA Helicase Enhances Tombusvirus Plus-Strand Synthesis
Replication of plus-strand RNA viruses depends on recruited host factors that aid several critical steps during replication. In this paper, we show that an essential translation factor, Ded1p DEAD-box RNA helicase of yeast, directly affects replication of Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV). To separate the role of Ded1p in viral protein translation from its putative replication function, we utilized a cell-free TBSV replication assay and recombinant Ded1p. The in vitro data show that Ded1p plays a role in enhancing plus-strand synthesis by the viral replicase. We also find that Ded1p is a component of the tombusvirus replicase complex and Ded1p binds to the 3′-end of the viral minus-stranded RNA. The data obtained with wt and ATPase deficient Ded1p mutants support the model that Ded1p unwinds local structures at the 3′-end of the TBSV (−)RNA, rendering the RNA compatible for initiation of (+)-strand synthesis. Interestingly, we find that Ded1p and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), which is another host factor for TBSV, play non-overlapping functions to enhance (+)-strand synthesis. Altogether, the two host factors enhance TBSV replication synergistically by interacting with the viral (−)RNA and the replication proteins. In addition, we have developed an in vitro assay for Flock house virus (FHV), a small RNA virus of insects, that also demonstrated positive effect on FHV replicase activity by the added Ded1p helicase. Thus, two small RNA viruses, which do not code for their own helicases, seems to recruit a host RNA helicase to aid their replication in infected cells
Structured reporting platform improves CAD-RADS assessment.
BACKGROUND: Structured reporting in cardiac imaging is strongly encouraged to improve quality through consistency. The Coronary Artery Disease - Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) was recently introduced to facilitate interdisciplinary communication of coronary CT angiography (CTA) results. We aimed to assess the agreement between manual and automated CAD-RADS classification using a structured reporting platform. METHODS: Five readers prospectively interpreted 500 coronary CT angiographies using a structured reporting platform that automatically calculates the CAD-RADS score based on stenosis and plaque parameters manually entered by the reader. In addition, all readers manually assessed CAD-RADS blinded to the automatically derived results, which was used as the reference standard. We evaluated factors influencing reader performance including CAD-RADS training, clinical load, time of the day and level of expertise. RESULTS: Total agreement between manual and automated classification was 80.2%. Agreement in stenosis categories was 86.7%, whereas the agreement in modifiers was 95.8% for "N", 96.8% for "S", 95.6% for "V" and 99.4% for "G". Agreement for V improved after CAD-RADS training (p = 0.047). Time of the day and clinical load did not influence reader performance (p > 0.05 both). Less experienced readers had a higher total agreement as compared to more experienced readers (87.0% vs 78.0%, respectively; p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Even though automated CAD-RADS classification uses data filled in by the readers, it outperforms manual classification by preventing human errors. Structured reporting platforms with automated calculation of the CAD-RADS score might improve data quality and support standardization of clinical decision making
The Thermal Design, Characterization, and Performance of the SPIDER Long-Duration Balloon Cryostat
We describe the SPIDER flight cryostat, which is designed to cool six
millimeter-wavelength telescopes during an Antarctic long-duration balloon
flight. The cryostat, one of the largest to have flown on a stratospheric
payload, uses liquid helium-4 to deliver cooling power to stages at 4.2 and 1.6
K. Stainless steel capillaries facilitate a high flow impedance connection
between the main liquid helium tank and a smaller superfluid tank, allowing the
latter to operate at 1.6 K as long as there is liquid in the 4.2 K main tank.
Each telescope houses a closed cycle helium-3 adsorption refrigerator that
further cools the focal planes down to 300 mK. Liquid helium vapor from the
main tank is routed through heat exchangers that cool radiation shields,
providing negative thermal feedback. The system performed successfully during a
17 day flight in the 2014-2015 Antarctic summer. The cryostat had a total hold
time of 16.8 days, with 15.9 days occurring during flight.Comment: 15 pgs, 17 fig
Excited pions, rho- and omega-mesons and their decays in a chiral SU(2) x SU(2) Lagrangian
A chiral SU(2) x SU(2) Lagrangian containing, besides the usual meson fields,
their first radial excitations is considered. The Lagrangian is derived by
bosonization of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio quark model with separable non-local
interactions, with form factors corresponding to 3-dimensional ground and
excited state wave functions. The spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry is
governed by the NJL gap equation. The first radial excitations of the pions,
rho-and omega-mesons are described with the help of two form factors. The weak
decay constant F_pi' is calculated. The values for the decay widths of the
processes rho -> 2 pi, pi' -> rho pi, rho' -> 2 pi, rho' -> omega pi and omega'
-> rho pi are obtained in agreement with the experimental data.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, epsfi
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