3,357 research outputs found
The planet search programme at the ESO CES and HARPS. IV. The search for Jupiter analogues around solar-like stars
In 1992 we began a precision radial velocity (RV) survey for planets around
solar-like stars with the Coude Echelle Spectrograph and the Long Camera (CES
LC) at the 1.4 m telescope in La Silla (Chile). We have continued the survey
with the upgraded CES Very Long Camera (VLC) and HARPS, both at the 3.6 m
telescope, until 2007. The observations for 31 stars cover a time span of up to
15 years and the RV precision permit a search for Jupiter analogues. We perform
a joint analysis for variability, trends, periodicities, and Keplerian orbits
and compute detection limits. Moreover, the HARPS RVs are analysed for
correlations with activity indicators (CaII H&K and CCF shape). We achieve a
long-term RV precision of 15 m/s (CES+LC, 1992-1998), 9 m/s (CES+VLC,
1999-2006), and 2.8 m/s (HARPS, 2003-2009, including archive data), resp. This
enables us to confirm the known planets around Iota Hor, HR 506, and HR 3259. A
steady RV trend for Eps Ind A can be explained by a planetary companion. On the
other hand, we find previously reported trends to be smaller for Beta Hyi and
not present for Alp Men. The candidate planet Eps Eri b was not detected
despite our better precision. Also the planet announced for HR 4523 cannot be
confirmed. Long-term trends in several of our stars are compatible with known
stellar companions. We provide a spectroscopic orbital solution for the binary
HR 2400 and refined solutions for the planets around HR 506 and Iota Hor. For
some other stars the variations could be attributed to stellar activity. The
occurrence of two Jupiter-mass planets in our sample is in line with the
estimate of 10% for the frequency of giant planets with periods smaller than 10
yr around solar-like stars. We have not detected a Jupiter analogue, while the
detections limits for circular orbits indicate at 5 AU a sensitivity for
minimum mass of at least 1 M_Jup (2 M_Jup) for 13% (61%) of the stars.Comment: 63 pages, 24 figures (+33 online figures), 13 Tables, accepted for
publication in A&A (2012-11-13
Three-year Outcomes of the Innovative Replacement of Incontinence Surgery Procedure for Treatment of Female Stress Urinary Incontinence: Comparison with Tension-free Vaginal Tape Procedure
Innovative replacement of incontinence surgery (IRIS) is a polypropylene tape that is placed beneath the midurethra to restore urinary continence. We evaluated the long-term efficacy and safety of the IRIS procedure and compared it with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence. We included all 66 consecutive women who underwent IRIS (n=34) or TVT (n=32) between February 2002 and April 2003 and followed them up for at least 3 yr postoperatively. The 3-yr success rate was 94.1% for the IRIS and 93.8% for the TVT, and the satisfaction rates were 91.2% and 90.6%, respectively. Intraoperative complications for the IRIS group included 3 cases of bladder perforation, and there were 3 cases of bladder perforation in the TVT group. The postoperative complications for the IRIS group included 2 patients with de novo urgency and one patient with mesh erosion. Three patients with TVT developed de novo urgency. One case of each group showed temporary voiding difficulty. On the basis of our results, the IRIS may be an effective and safe procedure as compared to TVT, with a high success rate and a low complication rate
Wick action in mature mortars with binary cements containing slag or silica fume – The relation between chloride and moisture transport properties under non-saturated conditions
Moisture and ionic transport under non-saturated condition is an important, but poorly understood transport phenomena particularly for mature systems containing supplementary cementitious materials. This paper investigates the moisture and chloride profiles of 3-year old mortars containing Portland cement (OPC), slag and silica fume (SF) after long-term (30–48 months) wick action exposure in 1.09 M NaCl solution. Moisture profiles were measured with 1H NMR relaxometry and chloride profiles with microXRF. The measured profiles were discussed in relation to moisture dependent material properties such as chloride diffusion coefficients, moisture diffusion coefficients, and desorption isotherms. Results show that the combination of different cementitious materials, e.g. the cementitious binder, is the key factor affecting chloride penetration depth. The cementitious binder also strongly affects chloride diffusion coefficient, moisture diffusion coefficient and chloride binding properties, which are all important parameters for the prediction of chloride ingress
How to Achieve Long-Term Success in the Treatment of Female Urinary Stress Incontinence? Novel Modification on Vaginal Sling
AdS_3 x S^3 (Un)twisted and Squashed, and an O(2,2;Z) Multiplet of Dyonic Strings
We consider type IIB configurations carrying both NS-NS and R-R electric and
magnetic 3-form charges, and whose near horizon geometry contains AdS_3 x S^3.
Noting that S^3 is a U(1) bundle over CP^1 \sim S^2, we construct the dual type
IIA configurations by a Hopf T-duality along the U(1) fibre. In the case where
there are only R-R charges, the S^3 is untwisted to S^2 x S^1 (in analogy with
a previous treatment of AdS_5 x S^5.) However, in the case where there are only
NS-NS charges, the S^3 becomes the cyclic lens space S^3/Z_p with its round
metric (and is hence invariant when p=1), where p is the magnetic NS-NS charge.
In the generic case with NS-NS and R-R charges, the S^3 not only becomes
S^3/Z_p but is also squashed, with a squashing parameter that is related to the
values of the charges. Similar results apply if we regard AdS_3 as a bundle
over AdS_2 and T-dualise along the fibre. We show that Hopf T-dualities relate
different black holes, and that they preserve the entropy. The AdS_3 x S^3
solutions arise as the near-horizon limits of dyonic strings. We construct an
O(2,2;Z) multiplet of such dyonic strings, where O(2,2;Z) is a subgroup of the
O(5,5) or O(5,21) six-dimensional duality groups, which captures the essence of
the NS-NS/R-R and electric/magnetic dualities.Comment: Latex, 43 pages. Minor changes, and CFT proof of duality of strings
on S^3/Z_m with flux n and on S^3/Z_n with flux m adde
Infrared electron modes in light deformed clusters
Infrared quadrupole modes (IRQM) of the valence electrons in light deformed
sodium clusters are studied by means of the time-dependent local-density
approximation (TDLDA). IRQM are classified by angular momentum components
20, 21 and 22 whose branches are separated by cluster
deformation. In light clusters with a low spectral density, IRQM are
unambiguously related to specific electron-hole excitations, thus giving access
to the single-electron spectrum near the Fermi surface (HOMO-LUMO region). Most
of IRQM are determined by cluster deformation and so can serve as a sensitive
probe of the deformation effects in the mean field. The IRQM branch 21 is coupled with the magnetic scissors mode, which gives a chance to detect
the latter. We discuss two-photon processes, Raman scattering (RS), stimulated
emission pumping (SEP), and stimulated adiabatic Raman passage (STIRAP), as the
relevant tools to observe IRQM. A new method to detect the IRQM population in
clusters is proposed.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
SU(3) Symmetry and Scissors Mode Vibrations in Nuclei
We show that a nearly perfect SU(3) symmetry emerges from an extended
Projected Shell Model. Starting from a deformed potential we construct separate
bases for neutron and proton collective rotational states by exact angular
momentum projection. These rotational states are then coupled by diagonalizing
a residual pairing plus quadrupole interaction. The states obtained exhibit a
one-to-one correspondence with an SU(3) spectrum up to high angular momentum
and excitation, and their wave functions have a near-maximal overlap with the
SU(3) states. They can also be classified as rotational bands built on
spin-1 phonon excitations, which may correspond to a geometrical
scissors mode and its generalizations. This work is a direct demonstration that
numerical angular momentum projection theory extends the Elliott's original
idea to heavy nuclear systems.Comment: 25 pages, 4 eps figures, final version accepted by Nucl. Phys.
Downsizing Treatment with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients with Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors Improved Resectability
CSF sTREM2 in deliriumrelation to Alzheimer's disease CSF biomarkers A42, t-tau and p-tau
Background:
Delirium and dementia share symptoms of cognitive dysfunctions, and mechanisms of neuroinflammation appear involved in both conditions. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is linked to dementia and neurodegenerative disease. It encodes expression of an innate immune receptor in the brain expressed by microglia. The level of the soluble fragment of TREM2 (sTREM2) is reported to increase in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) already in prodromal and asymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.
Methods:
We analyzed the level of CSF sTREM2 in relation to delirium and dementia. The study included patients with or without pre-existing dementia who underwent acute hip fracture surgery (n = 120), and some of the patients developed delirium (n = 65). A medical delirium cohort (n = 26) was also examined. ELISA was used to determine the level of sTREM2 in CSF.
Results:
Delirium was associated with a higher level of CSF sTREM2 only among those without pre-existing dementia (p = 0.046, n = 15, n = 44), particularly among patients developing delirium after CSF sampling (p = 0.02, n = 7, n = 44). Between patients with dementia, there was no group difference, but the CSF sTREM2 level increased with waiting time for surgery (rS = 0.39, p = 0.002, n = 60) and correlated well with the CSF Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, Aβ42, and t-tau/p-tau (rS = 0.40, p = 0.002, rS = 0.46, p < 0.001/ rS = 0.49, p < 0.001, n = 60). Among patients with dementia, the level of Aβ38 and Aβ40 also correlated positively with sTREM2 in CSF (Aβ38MSDrS = 0.44, p = 0.001; Aβ40MSDrS = 0.48, p < 0.001; Aβ42MSDrS = 0.43, p < 0.001, n = 60).
Conclusion:
The findings reinforce the involvement of neuroinflammation in delirium, yet with separate responses in patients with or without pre-existing dementia. Our findings support the concept of primed microglia in neurodegenerative disease and central immune activation after a peripheral trauma in such patients. A CSF biomarker panel of neuroinflammation might be valuable to prevent delirium by identifying patients at risk
Infrastructure and international cooperation in research and knowledge transfer: supporting access to key infrastructures and pan-European research − lessons learned
Access to research infrastructures has been supported by the European Commission under different financial schemes. During the 6th EURATOM Framework Programme the instrument introduced by the European Commission were the Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives (I-3). Moreover, funding schemes to support Education and Training for students and professional developments were defined also. The main difference between these two funding schemes is that I-3 are topic-driven projects with access to infrastructure components, while the Education and Training related projects have a mobility component that is applied for the different research topics. The outcome of projects as TALISMAN (I-3), EFNUDAT/NUDAME (I-3), GENTLE (mobility), ENEN-plus (mobility), NUGENIA-plus (mobility within TA of NUGENIA) and ESNII-plus (I-3 similar) will be shortly presented as well as the future European Commission plans in the field of access to research infrastructure
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