47 research outputs found
In a pig model ePTFE grafts will sustain for 6 weeks a confluent endothelial cell layer formed in vitro under shear stress conditions
AbstractObjective: to investigate in a pig model whether small diameter ePTFE grafts will sustain a confluent endothelial cell layer formed in vitro under shear stress conditions. Material and Methods: thirteen ePTFE (4 mm) grafts were implanted end to end in the right femoral artery of; 8 grafts had been endothelialized in vitro. Grafts were left in situ for 6 weeks then evaluated with ultrasound and histology. Results: seven endothelialized graft were patent with confluent endothelial cell lining. None of the control grafts were patent or showed evidence of an endothelial lining. Conclusion: in this pig model ePTFE grafts sustained for 6 weeks a confluent endothelial cell layer formed in vitro under shear stress.Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 26, 156-160 (2003
Systematic effects in the extraction of the 'WMAP haze'
The extraction of a 'haze' from the WMAP microwave skymaps is based on
subtraction of known foregrounds, viz. free-free (bremsstrahlung), thermal dust
and synchrotron, each traced by other skymaps. While the 408 MHz all-sky survey
is used for the synchrotron template, the WMAP bands are at tens of GHz where
the spatial distribution of the radiating cosmic ray electrons ought to be
quite different because of the energy-dependence of their diffusion in the
Galaxy. The systematic uncertainty this introduces in the residual skymap is
comparable to the claimed haze and can, for certain source distributions, have
a very similar spectrum and latitudinal profile and even a somewhat similar
morphology. Hence caution must be exercised in interpreting the 'haze' as a
physical signature of, e.g., dark matter annihilation in the Galactic centre.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures; improved diffusion model; extended discussion
of spectral index maps; clarifying comments, figures and references added; to
appear in JCA
Structural and doping effects in the half-metallic double perovskite CrWO
he structural, transport, magnetic and optical properties of the double
perovskite CrWO with have been studied. By
varying the alkaline earth ion on the site, the influence of steric effects
on the Curie temperature and the saturation magnetization has been
determined. A maximum K was found for SrCrWO having an almost
undistorted perovskite structure with a tolerance factor . For
CaCrWO and BaCrWO structural changes result in a strong
reduction of . Our study strongly suggests that for the double perovskites
in general an optimum is achieved only for , that is, for an
undistorted perovskite structure. Electron doping in SrCrWO by a
partial substitution of Sr by La was found to reduce both
and the saturation magnetization . The reduction of could be
attributed both to band structure effects and the Cr/W antisites induced by
doping. Band structure calculations for SrCrWO predict an energy gap in
the spin-up band, but a finite density of states for the spin-down band. The
predictions of the band structure calculation are consistent with our optical
measurements. Our experimental results support the presence of a kinetic energy
driven mechanism in CrWO, where ferromagnetism is stabilized by a
hybridization of states of the nonmagnetic W-site positioned in between the
high spin Cr-sites.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure
Loop-induced dark matter direct detection signals from gamma-ray lines
Improved limits as well as tentative claims for dark matter annihilation into
gamma-ray lines have been presented recently. We study the direct detection
cross section induced from dark matter annihilation into two photons in a
model-independent fashion, assuming no additional couplings between dark matter
and nuclei. We find a striking non-standard recoil spectrum due to different
destructively interfering contributions to the dark matter nucleus scattering
cross section. While in the case of s-wave annihilation the current sensitivity
of direct detection experiments is insufficient to compete with indirect
detection searches, for p-wave annihilation the constraints from direct
searches are comparable. This will allow to test dark matter scenarios with
p-wave annihilation that predict a large di-photon annihilation cross section
in the next generation of experiments.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures. v2: new XENON100 results included, references
added. v3: matches published versio
Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume
The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci, three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus, subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (rg =-0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume and risk for neuropsychiatric illness