11,494 research outputs found
Bounds on topological Abelian string-vortex and string-cigar from information-entropic measure
In this work we obtain bounds on the topological Abelian string-vortex and on
the string-cigar, by using a new measure of configurational complexity, known
as configurational entropy. In this way, the information-theoretical measure of
six-dimensional braneworlds scenarios are capable to probe situations where the
parameters responsible for the brane thickness are arbitrary. The so-called
configurational entropy (CE) selects the best value of the parameter in the
model. This is accomplished by minimizing the CE, namely, by selecting the most
appropriate parameters in the model that correspond to the most organized
system, based upon the Shannon information theory. This information-theoretical
measure of complexity provides a complementary perspective to situations where
strictly energy-based arguments are inconclusive. We show that the higher the
energy the higher the CE, what shows an important correlation between the
energy of the a localized field configuration and its associated entropic
measure.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, final version to appear in Phys. Lett.
Ab initio study of electron transport in dry poly(G)-poly(C) A-DNA strands
The bias-dependent transport properties of short poly(G)-poly(C) A-DNA
strands attached to Au electrodes are investigated with first principles
electronic transport methods. By using the non- equilibrium Green's function
approach combined with self-interaction corrected density functional theory, we
calculate the fully self-consistent coherent I-V curve of various double-strand
polymeric DNA fragments. We show that electronic wave-function localization,
induced either by the native electrical dipole and/or by the electrostatic
disorder originating from the first few water solvation layers, drastically
suppresses the magnitude of the elastic conductance of A-DNA oligonucleotides.
We then argue that electron transport through DNA is the result of
sequence-specific short-range tunneling across a few bases combined with
general diffusive/inelastic processes.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, 1 tabl
Effectiveness of unsupervised physical activity interventions in people with COPD: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No abstract available.publishe
Unsupervised physical activity interventions for people with COPD: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction and objectives
Unsupervised PA interventions might have a role in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but their effectiveness is largely unknown. Thus, we aimed to identify and synthesise data on the effects of unsupervised PA interventions in people with COPD.
Material and methods
Databases were systematically searched in April 2020, with weekly updates until September 2021. Randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies comparing unsupervised PA with usual care, were included. Primary outcomes were dyspnoea, exercise capacity and physical activity. The effect direction plot was performed to synthesise results. Meta-analysis with forest plots were conducted for the Chronic Respiratory Disease questionnaire – dyspnoea domain (CRQ-D), 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and incremental shuttle walk distance (ISWD).
Results
Eleven studies with 900 participants with COPD (68±10 years; 58.8% male, FEV1 63.7±15.8% predicted) were included. All interventions were conducted at home, most with daily sessions, for 8-12 weeks. Walking was the most common component. The effect direction plot showed that unsupervised PA interventions improved emotional function, fatigue, health-related quality of life, muscle strength and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Meta-analysis showed statistical, but not clinical, significant improvements in dyspnoea (CRQ-D, MD=0.12, 95% CI 0.09-0.15) and exercise capacity, measured with 6MWD (MD=13.70, 95% CI 3.58-23.83). Statistical and clinical significant improvements were observed in exercise capacity, measured with ISWD (MD=58.59, 95% CI 5.79-111.39). None to minor adverse events and a high adherence rate were found.
Conclusions
Unsupervised PA interventions benefits dyspnoea and exercise capacity of people with COPD, are safe and present a high adherence rate. Unsupervised PA interventions should be considered for people with COPD who cannot or do not want to engage in supervised PA interventions or as a maintenance strategy of PA levels.publishe
Studies of CMB structure at Dec=40. II: Analysis and cosmological interpretation
We present a detailed analysis of the cosmic microwave background structure
in the Tenerife Dec=+40 degrees data. The effect of local atmospheric
contributions on the derived fluctuation amplitude is considered, resulting in
an improved separation of the intrinsic CMB signal from noise. Our analysis
demonstrates the existence of common structure in independent data scans at 15
and 33 GHz. For the case of fluctuations described by a Gaussian
auto-correlation function, a likelihood analysis of our combined results at 15
and 33 GHz implies an intrinsic rms fluctuation level of 48^{+21}_{-15} uK on a
coherence scale of 4 degrees; the equivalent analysis for a
Harrison-Zel'dovitch model gives a power spectrum normalisation of Q_{rms-ps} =
22^{+10}_{-6} uK. The fluctuation amplitude is seen to be consistent at the 68%
confidence level with that reported for the COBE two-year data for primordial
fluctuations described by a power law model with a spectral index in the range
1.0 \le n \le 1.6. This limit favours the large scale CMB anisotropy being
dominated by scalar fluctuations rather than tensor modes from a gravitational
wave background. The large scale Tenerife and COBE results are considered in
conjunction with observational results from medium scale experiments in order
to place improved limits on the fluctuation spectral index; we find n=1.10 +/-
0.10 assuming standard CDM with H_{0}=50 kms^{-1}Mpc^{-1}.Comment: 10 pages LaTeX, including 8 PostScript figures. Accepted for
publication in MNRA
Edge phonons in black phosphorus
Exfoliated black phosphorus has recently emerged as a new two-dimensional
crystal that, due to its peculiar and anisotropic crystalline and electronic
band structures, may have potentially important applications in electronics,
optoelectronics and photonics. Despite the fact that the edges of layered
crystals host a range of singular properties whose characterization and
exploitation are of utmost importance for device development, the edges of
black phosphorus remain poorly characterized. In this work, the atomic
structure and the behavior of phonons near different black phosphorus edges are
experimentally and theoretically studied using Raman spectroscopy and density
functional theory calculations. Polarized Raman results show the appearance of
new modes at the edges of the sample, and their spectra depend on the atomic
structure of the edges (zigzag or armchair). Theoretical simulations confirm
that the new modes are due to edge phonon states that are forbidden in the
bulk, and originated from the lattice termination rearrangements.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Unsupervised physical activity interventions for people with COPD: a systematic review
Effects of supervised physical activity (PA) are well-established in COPD however, the evidence about the
effectiveness of unsupervised PA interventions in this population is still scarce. Thus, we aimed to identify
and synthesise the effects of unsupervised PA interventions in people with COPD.
A systematic search was conducted on Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus, Web of science and
EBSCOhost databases, in April 2020. Randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies
comparing unsupervised PA with daily life, were included. Two independent reviewers selected the studies,
extracted data and assessed the quality of evidence using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative
Studies. Effect sizes were calculated via Cohen’s d.
7 studies were included, 3 of moderate and 4 of weak quality. Most studies were conducted in a homebased setting (6/7), with the interventions lasting between 8-12 weeks (5/7). Frequencies of the
interventions ranged from daily-2x/week (7/7). The components of interventions were: mobility (2/7), aerobic
(2/7), strength (2/7), endurance (1/7) and lifestyle PA (2/7). Very small to huge effects [0.14 to 5.26] were
found for exercise capacity (4/7) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) [-2.25 to 0.19] (2/7). Very small to
small effects were found for symptoms [-0.03 to 0.28] (2/7).
Unsupervised PA interventions seem to be effective in increasing exercise capacity and HRQoL in people
with COPD. Nevertheless, its application is still limited and highly heterogeneous thus, further studies, with
robust methodologies, are needed to confirm our results and establish recommendations.publishe
Stability of resistance to phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary in Brazilan potato cultivars.
- …