7,718 research outputs found
Time-scale analysis non-local diffusion systems, applied to disease models
The objective of the present paper is to use the well known Ross-Macdonald
models as a prototype, incorporating spatial movements, identifying different
times scales and proving a singular perturbation result using a system of local
and non-local diffusion. This results can be applied to the prototype model,
where the vector has a fast dynamics, local in space, and the host has a slow
dynamics, non-local in space
The TNG Near Infrared Camera Spectrometer
NICS (acronym for Near Infrared Camera Spectrometer) is the near-infrared
cooled camera-spectrometer that has been developed by the Arcetri Infrared
Group at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, in collaboration with the
CAISMI-CNR for the TNG (the Italian National Telescope Galileo at La Palma,
Canary Islands, Spain).
As NICS is in its scientific commissioning phase, we report its observing
capabilities in the near-infrared bands at the TNG, along with the measured
performance and the limiting magnitudes. We also describe some technical
details of the project, such as cryogenics, mechanics, and the system which
executes data acquisition and control, along with the related software.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, compiled with A&A macros. A&A in pres
LONG-TERM SURVIVAL IN METASTATIC MELANOMA PATIENTS WITH LEPTOMENINGEAL DISEASE TREATED WITH INTRATHECAL INTERLEUKIN-2
BACKGROUND: Metastatic melanoma patients with leptomeningeal disease (LMD) have an extremely poor prognosis and a paucity of effective treatment options. We assessed the safety and efficacy of intrathecal interleukin-2 (IT IL-2) in metastatic melanoma patients with LMD.
METHODS: We reviewed the outcomes of 43 consecutive metastatic melanoma patients with LMD who were treated with IT IL-2 from 2006 to 2014 in a Compassionate Investigational New Drug Study. All patients had evidence of LMD based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology, radiology, and/or surgical pathology. IL-2 at a dose of 1.2 mIU was administered intrathecally via Ommaya reservoir up to 5 times per week in the inpatient setting for 4 weeks; patients with good tolerance and clinical benefit received maintenance IT IL-2 every 1 to 3 months thereafter.
RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 46.7 years (range 18-71); 32 (74%) were male; 31 (72%) had positive CSF cytology, and 39 (91%) had radiographic evidence of LMD. Median overall survival (OS) from initiation of IT IL-2 was 7.8 months (range, 4.7-16.3 months), with 1-, 2-, and 5-year OS rates of 36%, 26%, and 13%. The presence of neurological symptoms (HR 2.1, p=0.03), positive baseline CSF cytology (HR 4.1, p=0.001) and concomitant use of targeted therapy (HR 3.0, p=0.02) were associated with shorter OS on univariate analysis. All patients developed symptoms due to increased intracranial pressure. There were no treatment-related deaths.
CONCLUSION: IT IL-2 treatment is safe and achieves long-term survival in a subset of metastatic melanoma patients with LMD
On the Herbrand Functional Interpretation
We show that the types of the witnesses in the Herbrand functional interpretation can be simplified, avoiding the use of “sets of functionals” in the interpretation of implication and universal quantification. This is done by presenting an alternative formulation of the Herbrand functional interpretation, which we show to be equivalent to the original presentation. As a result of this investigation we also strengthen the monotonicity property of the original presentation, and prove a monotonicity property for our alternative definition
Effective one-body dynamics in multiple-quantum NMR experiments
A suitable NMR experiment in a one-dimensional dipolar coupled spin system
allows one to reduce the natural many-body dynamics into effective one-body
dynamics. We verify this in a polycrystalline sample of hydroxyapatite (HAp) by
monitoring the excitation of NMR many-body superposition states: the
multiple-quantum coherences. The observed effective one-dimensionality of HAp
relies on the quasi 1d structure of the dipolar coupled network that, as we
show here, is dynamically enhanced by the quantum Zeno effect. Decoherence is
also probed through a Loschmidt echo experiment, where the time reversal is
implemented on the double-quantum Hamiltonian, I_{i,+}I_{j,+} + I_{i,-}I_{j,-}.
We contrast the decoherence of adamantane, a standard 3d system, with that of
HAp. While the first shows an abrupt Fermi-type decay, HAp presents a smooth
exponential law.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
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