1,287 research outputs found
Osmotically driven pipe flows and their relation to sugar transport in plants
In plants, osmotically driven flows are believed to be responsible for
translocation of sugar in the pipe-like phloem cell network, spanning the
entire length of the plant. In this paper, we present an experimental and
theoretical study of transient osmotically driven flows through pipes with
semipermeable walls. We extend the experimental work of Eschrich, Evert and
Young \cite[]{Eschrich:1972} by providing a more accurate version of their
experiment allowing for better comparison with theory. In the experiments we
measure the dynamics and structure of a "sugar front", i.e. the transport and
decay of a sudden loading of sugar in a pipe which is closed in both ends. We
include measurements of pressure inside the membrane tube allowing us to
compare the experiments directly with theory and, in particular, to confirm
quantitatively the exponential decay of the front in a closed tube.In a novel
setup we are able to measure the entire concentration profile as the sugar
front moves. In contrast to previous studies we find very good agreement
between experiment and theory.
In the limit of low axial resistance (valid in our experiments as well as in
many cases in plants) we show that the equations can be solved exactly by the
method of characteristics yielding, in general, an implicit solution. Further
we show that under more general conditions the equations of motion can be
rewritten as a single integro-differential equation, which can be readily
solved numerically. The applicability of our results to plants is discussed and
it is shown that it is probable that the pressure-flow hypothesis can account
for short distance transport of sugar in plants.Comment: 34 pages, Submitted to Journal of Fluid Mechanics on May 28, 200
Hydraulic architecture of palms
Journal ArticleThe water transport and storage system of palms is adapted to maintain the primary stem xylem functional over the life of the shoot, and in spite of severe drought. However, our structural information far exceeds our knowledge of vascular function, and these functional considerations bring more questions than answers. The tendency to generalize from limited data on a few species begs the question of how the hydraulic parameters discussed vary between palms with different growth forms and ecologies
Pressure Dependence of the Elastic Moduli in Aluminum Rich Al-Li Compounds
I have carried out numerical first principles calculations of the pressure
dependence of the elastic moduli for several ordered structures in the
Aluminum-Lithium system, specifically FCC Al, FCC and BCC Li, L1_2 Al_3Li, and
an ordered FCC Al_7Li supercell. The calculations were performed using the full
potential linear augmented plane wave method (LAPW) to calculate the total
energy as a function of strain, after which the data was fit to a polynomial
function of the strain to determine the modulus. A procedure for estimating the
errors in this process is also given. The predicted equilibrium lattice
parameters are slightly smaller than found experimentally, consistent with
other LDA calculations. The computed elastic moduli are within approximately
10% of the experimentally measured moduli, provided the calculations are
carried out at the experimental lattice constant. The LDA equilibrium shear
modulus C11-C12 increases from 59.3 GPa in Al, to 76.0 GPa in Al_7Li, to 106.2
GPa in Al_3Li. The modulus C_44 increases from 38.4 GPa in Al to 46.1 GPa in
Al_7Li, then falls to 40.7 GPa in Al_3Li. All of the calculated elastic moduli
increase with pressure with the exception of BCC Li, which becomes elastically
unstable at about 2 GPa, where C_11-C_12 vanishes.Comment: 17 pages (REVTEX) + 7 postscript figure
Lack of prophylaxis before the onset of acute venous thromboembolism among hospitalized cancer patients: the SWIss Venous ThromboEmbolism Registry (SWIVTER)
Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis remains underutilized, particularly in cancer patients. We explored clinical predictors of prophylaxis in hospitalized cancer patients before the onset of acute VTE. Methods: In the SWiss Venous ThromboEmbolism Registry, 257 cancer patients (61 ± 15 years) with acute VTE and prior hospitalization for acute medical illness or surgery within 30 days (91% were at high risk with Geneva VTE risk score ≥3) were enrolled. Results: Overall, 153 (60%) patients received prophylaxis (49% pharmacological and 21% mechanical) before the onset of acute VTE. Outpatient status at the time of VTE diagnosis [odds ratio (OR) 0.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.53], ongoing chemotherapy (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.31-0.85), and recent chemotherapy (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-0.88) were univariately associated with the absence of VTE prophylaxis. In multivariate analysis, intensive care unit admission within 30 days (OR 7.02, 95% CI 2.38-20.64), prior deep vein thrombosis (OR 3.48, 95% CI 2.14-5.64), surgery within 30 days (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.19-4.99), bed rest >3 days (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.08-3.78), and outpatient status (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.19-0.76) remained the only independent predictors of thromboprophylaxis. Conclusions: Although most hospitalized cancer patients were at high risk, 40% did not receive any prophylaxis before the onset of acute VTE. There is a need to improve thromboprophylaxis in cancer patients, particularly in the presence of recent or ongoing chemotherap
Explorative data analysis of time series based algorithm features of CMA-ES variants
Algorithms and the Foundations of Software technolog
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a nurse-delivered intervention to improve adherence to treatment for HIV : a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, randomised clinical trial
This trial was funded from public money by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW; grant number 171002208). Aardex provided support on the development of the study website. We thank all the HIV nurses and physicians from the seven HIV clinics involved in the AIMS study for their input and collaboration (Academic Medical Centre, Slotervaart hospital, and St. Lucas-Andreas hospital, all in Amsterdam; the Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden; HAGA hospital, The Hague; Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam; and Isala clinic, Zwolle), the study participants, and the Stichting HIV Monitoring (SHM) for their support in accessing the SHM database for identifying patient inclusion criteria and developing the Markov model. Finally, we thank and remember Herman Schaalma (deceased) for his contribution to the study design and grant application.Peer reviewedPostprin
- …