1,796 research outputs found
Towards a novel carbon device for the treatment of sepsis
Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to infection in which the balance of pro- andanti-inflammatory mediators, which normally isolate and eliminate infection, is disrupted[1]. Gram negative sepsis is initiated by bacterial endotoxin release which activatesmacrophages and circulating monocytes to release TNF and IL-1ÎČ followed by IL-6 andother inflammatory cytokines [2]. As the disease progresses, an unregulatedinflammatory response results in, tissue injury, haematological dysfunction and organdysfunction. Severe sepsis, involving organ hypoperfusion may be further complicatedby hypotension that is unresponsive to adequate fluid replacement, resulting in septicshock and finally death [3].Despite improvements in anti-microbial and supportive therapies, sepsis remains asignificant cause of morbidity and mortality in ICUs worldwide [4]. The complexity ofprocesses mediating the progression of sepsis suggests that an extracorporeal devicecombining blood filtration with adsorption of a wide range of toxins, and inflammatorymediators offers the most comprehensive treatment strategy. However, no such deviceexists at present. A novel, uncoated, polymer pyrolysed synthetic carbon device isproposed which combines the superior adsorption properties of uncoated activatedcarbons with the capacity to manipulate porous structure for controlled adsorption oftarget plasma proteins and polypeptides [5]. Preliminary haemocompatibility andadsorptive capacity was assessed using a carbon matrix prototype
On The Problem of Particle Production in c=1 Matrix Model
We reconsider and analyze in detail the problem of particle production in the
time dependent background of matrix model where the Fermi sea drains away
at late time. In addition to the moving mirror method, which has already been
discussed in hep-th/0403169 and hep-th/0403275, we describe yet another method
of computing the Bogolubov coefficients which gives the same result. We
emphasize that these Bogolubov coefficients are approximately correct for small
value of the deformation parameter.
We also study the time evolution of the collective field theory stress-tensor
with a special point-splitting regularization. Our computations go beyond the
approximation of the previous treatments and are valid at large coordinate
distances from the boundary at a finite time and up-to a finite coordinate
distance from the boundary at late time. In this region of validity our
regularization produces a certain singular term that is precisely canceled by
the collective field theory counter term in the present background. The energy
and momentum densities fall off exponentially at large distance from the
boundary to the values corresponding to the static background. This clearly
shows that the radiated energy reaches the asymptotic region signaling the
space-time decay.Comment: 37 pages, 5 figures. Section 6 is modified to clarify main
accomplishments of the paper including a discussion comparing stress-tensor
analysis with those preexisted in literature. Other modifications include
minor changes in the text and addition of one reference. Version accepted for
publication in JHE
The problem with Kappa
It is becoming clear that traditional
evaluation measures used in
Computational Linguistics (including
Error Rates, Accuracy, Recall, Precision
and F-measure) are of limited value for
unbiased evaluation of systems, and are
not meaningful for comparison of
algorithms unless both the dataset and
algorithm parameters are strictly
controlled for skew (Prevalence and
Bias). The use of techniques originally
designed for other purposes, in particular
Receiver Operating Characteristics Area
Under Curve, plus variants of Kappa,
have been proposed to fill the void.
This paper aims to clear up some of the
confusion relating to evaluation, by
demonstrating that the usefulness of each
evaluation method is highly dependent on
the assumptions made about the
distributions of the dataset and the
underlying populations. The behaviour of
a number of evaluation measures is
compared under common assumptions.
Deploying a system in a context which
has the opposite skew from its validation
set can be expected to approximately
negate Fleiss Kappa and halve Cohen
Kappa but leave Powers Kappa
unchanged. For most performance
evaluation purposes, the latter is thus
most appropriate, whilst for comparison
of behaviour, Matthews Correlation is
recommended
New results on cut-off effects in spectroscopy with the fixed point action
Our study on the cut-off effects in quenched light hadron spectroscopy and
pion scattering length with the fixed point action is extended by results
obtained at a lattice spacing a=0.102 fm in a box of size L=1.8 fm. The cut-off
effects are small, but clearly seen as the resolution is increased from a=0.153
fm to a=0.102 fm. In the quark mass region where the errors are small and under
control, our results on the APE plot lie close to the extrapolated numbers of
the CP-PACS Collaboration.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, reference correcte
Influence of shear flow on vesicles near a wall: a numerical study
We describe the dynamics of three-dimensional fluid vesicles in steady shear
flow in the vicinity of a wall. This is analyzed numerically at low Reynolds
numbers using a boundary element method. The area-incompressible vesicle
exhibits bending elasticity. Forces due to adhesion or gravity oppose the
hydrodynamic lift force driving the vesicle away from a wall. We investigate
three cases. First, a neutrally buoyant vesicle is placed in the vicinity of a
wall which acts only as a geometrical constraint. We find that the lift
velocity is linearly proportional to shear rate and decreases with increasing
distance between the vesicle and the wall. Second, with a vesicle filled with a
denser fluid, we find a stationary hovering state. We present an estimate of
the viscous lift force which seems to agree with recent experiments of Lorz et
al. [Europhys. Lett., vol. 51, 468 (2000)]. Third, if the wall exerts an
additional adhesive force, we investigate the dynamical unbinding transition
which occurs at an adhesion strength linearly proportional to the shear rate.Comment: 17 pages (incl. 10 figures), RevTeX (figures in PostScript
Staggered versus overlap fermions: a study in the Schwinger model with
We study the scalar condensate and the topological susceptibility for a
continuous range of quark masses in the Schwinger model with
dynamical flavors, using both the overlap and the staggered discretization. At
finite lattice spacing the differences between the two formulations become
rather dramatic near the chiral limit, but they get severely reduced, at the
coupling considered, after a few smearing steps.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, v2: 1 ref corrected, minor change
A rapid review of variation in the use of dental general anaesthetics in children
Introduction: The use of dental general anaesthetics (DGAs) remains a cause for concern due to additional strains placed on health services. There are numerous factors influencing the prevalence and use of DGAs, and understanding these is an important first step in addressing the issue.
Aim: Conduct a rapid review of current peer-reviewed and grey literature on the variation in the use of DGAs in children.
Methods: Electronic searching using Medline via Ovid covering DGA articles from 1998 onwards, written in English. Publication types included primary and secondary sources from peer-reviewed journals and reports, as well as grey literature.
Results: From 935 results, 171 articles were included in the final review. Themes emerging from the literature included discussions of DGA variation, variations in standards of service provision by health services, and the socio-demographic and geographical characteristics of children. Prominent socio-demographic and geographical characteristics included age, other health conditions, ethnic and cultural background, socioeconomic status and deprivation, and geographical location.
Conclusions: This review identified numerous variations in the patterns associated with DGA provision and uptake at both a health service and individual level. The findings demonstrate the complicated and multifaceted nature of DGA practices worldwide
The celebrity entrepreneur on television: profile, politics and power
This article examines the rise of the âcelebrity entrepreneurâ on television through the emergence of the âbusiness entertainment formatâ and considers the ways in which regular television exposure can be converted into political influence. Within television studies there has been a preoccupation in recent years with how lifestyle and reality formats work to transform âordinaryâ people into celebrities. As a result, the contribution of vocationally skilled business professionals to factual entertainment programming has gone almost unnoticed. This article draws on interviews with key media industry professionals and begins by looking at the construction of entrepreneurs as different types of television personalities and how discourses of work, skill and knowledge function in business shows. It then outlines how entrepreneurs can utilize their newly acquired televisual skills to cultivate a wider media profile and secure various forms of political access and influence. Integral to this is the centrality of public relations and media management agencies in shaping media discourses and developing the individual as a âbrand identityâ that can be used to endorse a range of products or ideas. This has led to policy makers and politicians attempting to mobilize the media profile of celebrity entrepreneurs to reach out and connect with the public on business and enterprise-related issues
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