9,760 research outputs found
Doppler radar wind field retrieval over the Po Valley
Although methods of using multiple Doppler radars to study wind fields have long been proposed, and many research studies have been made, very few operational radar operators adopt methods which require the use of specific scanning strategies to allow the extraction of wind information. Here we report a collaborative study on dual-Doppler radars based on two Doppler radars in the Po valley, Italy. Unusually, the radars are only about 90 km apart, though operated by the same authority. The wind field syntheses are carried out on a 30 km by 30 km region where the two radars have overlapping scan coverage. An iterative method based on the linear wind model and the equation of mass continuity is used to construct the wind fields. The methodology has been validated by two different methods. The first method is to reconstruct the radial wind observed by each radar, and the second method is calculating and comparing the along-track component with that derived from the observations. Both two comparisons show good agreement with the original data
Coarsening Dynamics of Granular Heaplets in Tapped Granular Layers
A semi-continuum model is introduced to study the dynamics of the formation
of granular heaplets in tapped granular layers. By taking into account the
energy dissipation of collisions and screening effects due to avalanches, this
model is able to reproduce qualitatively the pattern of these heaplets. Our
simulations show that the granular heaplets are characterised by an effective
surface tension which depends on the magnitude of the tapping intensity. Also,
we observe that there is a coarsening effect in that the average size of the
heaplets, V grows as the number of taps k increases. The growth law at
intermediate times can be fitted by a scaling function V ~ k^z but the range of
validity of the power law is limited by size effects. The growth exponent z
appears to diverge as the tapping intensity is increased.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Sandpiles on multiplex networks
We introduce the sandpile model on multiplex networks with more than one type
of edge and investigate its scaling and dynamical behaviors. We find that the
introduction of multiplexity does not alter the scaling behavior of avalanche
dynamics; the system is critical with an asymptotic power-law avalanche size
distribution with an exponent on duplex random networks. The
detailed cascade dynamics, however, is affected by the multiplex coupling. For
example, higher-degree nodes such as hubs in scale-free networks fail more
often in the multiplex dynamics than in the simplex network counterpart in
which different types of edges are simply aggregated. Our results suggest that
multiplex modeling would be necessary in order to gain a better understanding
of cascading failure phenomena of real-world multiplex complex systems, such as
the global economic crisis.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
A system to enrich for primitive streak-derivatives, definitive endoderm and mesoderm, from pluripotent cells in culture
Two lineages of endoderm develop during mammalian embryogenesis, the primitive endoderm in the pre-implantation blastocyst and the definitive endoderm at gastrulation. This complexity of endoderm cell populations is mirrored during pluripotent cell differentiation in vitro and has hindered the identification and purification of the definitive endoderm for use as a substrate for further differentiation. The aggregation and differentiation of early primitive ectoderm-like (EPL) cells, resulting in the formation of EPL-cell derived embryoid bodies (EPLEBs), is a model of gastrulation that progresses through the sequential formation of primitive streak-like intermediates to nascent mesoderm and more differentiated mesoderm populations. EPL cell-derived EBs have been further analysed for the formation of definitive endoderm by detailed morphological studies, gene expression and a protein uptake assay. In comparison to embryoid bodies derived from ES cells, which form primitive and definitive endoderm, the endoderm compartment of embryoid bodies formed from EPL cells was comprised almost exclusively of definitive endoderm. Definitive endoderm was defined as a population of squamous cells that expressed Sox17, CXCR4 and Trh, which formed without the prior formation of primitive endoderm and was unable to endocytose horseradish peroxidase from the medium. Definitive endoderm formed in EPLEBs provides a substrate for further differentiation into specific endoderm lineages; these lineages can be used as research tools for understanding the mechanisms controlling lineage establishment and the nature of the transient intermediates formed. The similarity between mouse EPL cells and human ES cells suggests EPLEBs can be used as a model system for the development of technologies to enrich for the formation of human ES cell-derived definitive endoderm in the future.Sveltana Vassilieva, Hweee Ngee Goh, Kevin X. Lau, James N. Hughes, Mary Familari, Peter D. Rathjen and Joy Rathje
Self-avoiding walks on scale-free networks
Several kinds of walks on complex networks are currently used to analyze
search and navigation in different systems. Many analytical and computational
results are known for random walks on such networks. Self-avoiding walks (SAWs)
are expected to be more suitable than unrestricted random walks to explore
various kinds of real-life networks. Here we study long-range properties of
random SAWs on scale-free networks, characterized by a degree distribution
. In the limit of large networks (system size ), the average number of SAWs starting from a generic site
increases as , with . For finite ,
is reduced due to the presence of loops in the network, which causes the
emergence of attrition of the paths. For kinetic growth walks, the average
maximum length, , increases as a power of the system size: , with an exponent increasing as the parameter is
raised. We discuss the dependence of on the minimum allowed degree in
the network. A similar power-law dependence is found for the mean
self-intersection length of non-reversal random walks. Simulation results
support our approximate analytical calculations.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
A box-covering algorithm for fractal scaling in scale-free networks
A random sequential box-covering algorithm recently introduced to measure the
fractal dimension in scale-free networks is investigated. The algorithm
contains Monte Carlo sequential steps of choosing the position of the center of
each box, and thereby, vertices in preassigned boxes can divide subsequent
boxes into more than one pieces, but divided boxes are counted once. We find
that such box-split allowance in the algorithm is a crucial ingredient
necessary to obtain the fractal scaling for fractal networks; however, it is
inessential for regular lattice and conventional fractal objects embedded in
the Euclidean space. Next the algorithm is viewed from the cluster-growing
perspective that boxes are allowed to overlap and thereby, vertices can belong
to more than one box. Then, the number of distinct boxes a vertex belongs to is
distributed in a heterogeneous manner for SF fractal networks, while it is of
Poisson-type for the conventional fractal objects.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, a proceedings of the conference, "Optimization
in complex networks." held in Los Alamo
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Patient-Related Barriers to Timely Dialysis Access Preparation: A Qualitative Study of the Perspectives of Patients, Family Members, and Health Care Providers
Rational & Objective
A key aspect of smooth transition to dialysis is the timely creation of a permanent access. Despite early referral to kidney care, initiation onto dialysis is still suboptimal for many patients, which has clinical and cost implications. This study aimed to explore perspectives of various stakeholders on barriers to timely access creation.
Study Design
Qualitative study.
Setting & Participants
Semi-structured interviews with 96 participants (response rate, 67%), including patients with stage 4 chronic kidney disease (n = 30), new hemodialysis patients with (n = 18) and without (n = 20) permanent access (arteriovenous fistula), family members (n = 19), and kidney health care providers (n = 9).
Analytical Approach
Thematic analysis.
Results
Patients reported differential levels of behavioral activation toward access creation: avoidance/denial, wait and see, or active intention. 6 core themes were identified: (1) lack of symptoms, (2) dialysis fear and practical concerns (exaggerated fear, pain, cost, lifestyle disruptions, work-related concerns, burdening their families), (3) evaluating value against costs/risks of access creation (benefits, threat of operation, viability, prompt for early initiation), (4) preference for alternatives, (5) social influences (hearsay, family involvement, experiences of others), and (6) health care provider interactions (mistrust, interpersonal tension, lack of clarity on information). Themes were common to all groups, whereas nuanced perspectives of family members and health care providers were noted in some subthemes.
Limitations
Response bias.
Conclusions
Individual, interpersonal, and psychosocial factors compromise dialysis preparation and contribute to suboptimal dialysis initiation. Our findings support the need for interventions to improve patient and family engagement and address emotional concerns and misperceptions about preparing for dialysis
Nonlocal evolution of weighted scale-free networks
We introduce the notion of globally updating evolution for a class of
weighted networks, in which the weight of a link is characterized by the amount
of data packet transport flowing through it. By noting that the packet
transport over the network is determined nonlocally, this approach can explain
the generic nonlinear scaling between the strength and the degree of a node. We
demonstrate by a simple model that the strength-driven evolution scheme
recently introduced can be generalized to a nonlinear preferential attachment
rule, generating the power-law behaviors in degree and in strength
simultaneously.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, final version published in PR
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