1,914 research outputs found
Behavior in a stressful situation, personality factors, and disease severity in patients with acute myocardial infarction: baseline findings from the prospective cohort study SECAMI (The Secondary Prevention and Compliance following Acute Myocardial Infarction-study)
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Psychosocial stress has been identified as a risk factor in association with cardiovascular disease but less attention has been paid to heterogeneity in vulnerability to stress. The serial Color Word Test (CWT) measures adaptation to a stressful situation and it can be used to identify individuals that are vulnerable to stress. Prospective studies have shown that individuals with a maladaptive behavior in this test are exposed to an increased risk of future cardiovascular events. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether maladaptive behavior in the serial CWT alone or in combination with any specific personality dimension was associated with severity of myocardial infarction (MI).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>MI-patients (n = 147) completed the test and filled in a personality questionnaire in close proximity to the acute event. The results were analyzed in association with four indicators of severity: maximum levels above median of the cardiac biomarkers troponin I and creatine kinase-MB (CKMB), Q-wave infarctions, and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) †50%.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Maladaptive behavior in the serial CWT together with low scores on extraversion were associated with maximum levels above median of cardiac troponin I (OR 2.97, CI 1.08-8.20, p = 0.04) and CKMB (OR 3.33, CI 1.12-9.93, p = 0.03). No associations were found between the combination maladaptive behavior and low scores on extraversion and Q-wave infarctions or a decreased LVEF.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Maladaptive behavior in combination with low scores on extraversion is associated with higher cardiac biomarker levels following an MI. The serial CWT and personality questionnaires could be used to identify individuals vulnerable to the hazardous effects of stress and thereby are exposed to an increased risk of a more severe infarction.</p
Poly[ethylÂenediammonium [trisÂ[ÎŒ3-hydrogenphosphato(2â)]dicadmium] monohydrate]
The title compound, {(C2H10N2)[Cd2(HPO4)3]·H2O}n, was synthesized under hydroÂthermal conditions. The structure of this hybrid compound consists of CdO6, CdO5 and PO4 polyhedra arranged so as to build an anionic inorganic layer, namely [Cd2(HPO4)3]2â, parallel to the ab plane. The edge-sharing CdO6 octaÂhedra form infinite chains running along the a axis and are linked by CdO5 and PO4 polyhedra. The ethylÂeneÂdiammonium cation and the water molÂecule are located between two adjacent inorganic layers and ensure the cohesion of the structure via NâHâŻO and OâHâŻO hydrogen bonds
Dispersively detected Pauli Spin-Blockade in a Silicon Nanowire Field-Effect Transistor
We report the dispersive readout of the spin state of a double quantum dot
formed at the corner states of a silicon nanowire field-effect transistor. Two
face-to-face top-gate electrodes allow us to independently tune the charge
occupation of the quantum dot system down to the few-electron limit. We measure
the charge stability of the double quantum dot in DC transport as well as
dispersively via in-situ gate-based radio frequency reflectometry, where one
top-gate electrode is connected to a resonator. The latter removes the need for
external charge sensors in quantum computing architectures and provides a
compact way to readout the dispersive shift caused by changes in the quantum
capacitance during interdot charge transitions. Here, we observe Pauli
spin-blockade in the high-frequency response of the circuit at finite magnetic
fields between singlet and triplet states. The blockade is lifted at higher
magnetic fields when intra-dot triplet states become the ground state
configuration. A lineshape analysis of the dispersive phase shift reveals
furthermore an intradot valley-orbit splitting of 145 eV.
Our results open up the possibility to operate compact CMOS technology as a
singlet-triplet qubit and make split-gate silicon nanowire architectures an
ideal candidate for the study of spin dynamics
Designing a memorial place
The design and selection of a memorial stone and the site of the grave, both of which represent the deceased, can be a central issue for people bereaved by traffic accidents. This was revealed in an interview survey of recent Swedish roadside memorials and other memorial places. In this article we consider the design and selection of the memorial stone and gravesite as expressions of continuing care for the deceased and as a way to offer comfort to the bereaved. Materiality, representation and presence will be discussed as crucial parts of the link between the living and the dead. Communicative, spatial and physical values are important also in the professional's design of common public memorial places. Of specific interest for this text are two design practice-based terms, memory object and passage landscape, which may be used by landscape architects when designing memorial places, such as cemeteries and public monuments. Throughout this text, we argue that memorial places like these are capable of bridging the gap between the space of life and the space of death, as well as supporting the regeneration of present memories and the construction of future ones
The Role of the Mucus Barrier in Digestion
Mucus forms a protective layer across a variety of epithelial surfaces. In the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the barrier has to permit the uptake of nutrients, while excluding potential hazards, such as pathogenic bacteria. In this short review article, we look at recent literature on the structure, location, and properties of the mammalian intestinal secreted mucins and the mucus layer they form over a wide range of length scales. In particular, we look at the structure of the gel-forming glycoprotein MUC2, the primary intestinal secreted mucin, and the influence this has on the properties of the mucus layer. We show that, even at the level of the protein backbone, MUC2 is highly heterogeneous and that this is reflected in the networks it forms. It is evident that a combination of charge and pore size determines what can diffuse through the layer to the underlying gut epithelium. This information is important for the targeted delivery of bioactive molecules, including nutrients and pharmaceuticals, and for understanding how GI health is maintained
Giga-Hertz quantized charge pumping in bottom gate defined InAs nanowire quantum dots
Semiconducting nanowires (NWs) are a versatile, highly tunable material
platform at the heart of many new developments in nanoscale and quantum
physics. Here, we demonstrate charge pumping, i.e., the controlled transport of
individual electrons through an InAs NW quantum dot (QD) device at frequencies
up to GHz. The QD is induced electrostatically in the NW by a series of
local bottom gates in a state of the art device geometry. A periodic modulation
of a single gate is enough to obtain a dc current proportional to the frequency
of the modulation. The dc bias, the modulation amplitude and the gate voltages
on the local gates can be used to control the number of charges conveyed per
cycle. Charge pumping in InAs NWs is relevant not only in metrology as a
current standard, but also opens up the opportunity to investigate a variety of
exotic states of matter, e.g. Majorana modes, by single electron spectroscopy
and correlation experiments.Comment: 21 page
A Parity-Protected Superconductor-Semiconductor Qubit
Coherence of superconducting qubits can be improved by implementing designs
that protect the parity of Cooper pairs on superconducting islands. Here, we
introduce a parity-protected qubit based on voltage-controlled semiconductor
nanowire Josephson junctions, taking advantage of the higher harmonic content
in the energy-phase relation of few-channel junctions. A symmetric
interferometer formed by two such junctions, gate-tuned into balance and
frustrated by a half-quantum of applied flux, yields a cos(2{\phi}) Josephson
element, reflecting coherent transport of pairs of Cooper pairs. We demonstrate
that relaxation of the qubit can be suppressed tenfold by tuning into the
protected regime
Unoriented D-brane Instantons vs Heterotic worldsheet Instantons
We discuss Fermi interactions of four hyperini generated by ``stringy''
instantons in a Type I / Heterotic dual pair on T^4/Z_2.Comment: Minor corrections and clarifications. Added reference
Goldstones in Diphotons
We study the conditions for a new scalar resonance to be observed first in
diphotons at the LHC Run-2. We focus on scenarios where the scalar arises
either from an internal or spacetime symmetry broken spontaneously, for which
the mass is naturally below the cutoff and the low-energy interactions are
fixed by the couplings to the broken currents, UV anomalies, and selection
rules. We discuss the recent excess in diphoton resonance searches observed by
ATLAS and CMS at 750 GeV, and explore its compatibility with other searches at
Run-1 and its interpretation as Goldstone bosons in supersymmetry and composite
Higgs models. We show that two candidates naturally emerge: a Goldstone boson
from an internal symmetry with electromagnetic anomalies, and the scalar
partner of the Goldstone of supersymmetry breaking: the sgoldstino. The dilaton
from conformal symmetry breaking is instead disfavoured by present data, in its
minimal natural realization.Comment: 18 pages + refs, 2 figures. v2: typos corrected, references added,
discussions extended and three new plots. Conclusion unchanged. v3: published
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