5,844 research outputs found
The ontology of causal process theories
There is a widespread belief that the so-called process theories of causation developed by Wesley Salmon and Phil Dowe have given us an original account of what causation really is. In this paper, I show that this is a misconception. The notion of "causal process" does not offer us a new ontological account of causation. I make this argument by explicating the implicit ontological commitments in Salmon and Dowe's theories. From this, it is clear that Salmon's Mark Transmission Theory collapses to a counterfactual theory of causation, while the Conserved Quantity Theory collapses to David Fair's phsyicalist reduction of causation
Intermediate range chemical ordering of cations in simple molten alkali halides
The presence of first sharp diffraction peaks in the partial structure
factors is investigated in computer simulations of molten mixtures of alkali
halides. An intermediate range ordering appears for the Li+ ions only, which is
associated with clustering of this species and is not reflected in the
arrangement of other ions. This ordering is surprising in view of the
simplicity of the interionic interactions in alkali halides. The clustering
reflects an incomplete mixing of the various species on a local length scale,
which can be demonstrated by studying the complementary sub-space of cations in
the corresponding pure alkali halides by means of a void analysis.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
The cytoplasmic domain of CD4 promotes the development of CD4 lineage T cells.
Thymocytes must bind major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins on thymic epithelial cells in order to mature into either CD8+ cytotoxic T cells or CD4+ helper T cells. Thymic precursors express both CD8 and CD4, and it has been suggested that the intracellular signals generated by CD8 or CD4 binding to class I or II MHC, respectively, might influence the fate of uncommitted cells. Here we test the notion that intracellular signaling by CD4 directs the development of thymocytes to a CD4 lineage. A hybrid protein consisting of the CD8 extracellular and transmembrane domains and the cytoplasmic domain of CD4 (CD884) should bind class I MHC but deliver a CD4 intracellular signal. We find that expression of a hybrid CD884 protein in thymocytes of transgenic mice leads to the development of large numbers of class I MHC-specific, CD4 lineage T cells. We discuss these results in terms of current models for CD4 and CD8 lineage commitment
Are the stars of a new class of variability detected in NGC~3766 fast rotating SPB stars?
A recent photometric survey in the NGC~3766 cluster led to the detection of
stars presenting an unexpected variability. They lie in a region of the
Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram where no pulsation are theoretically expected,
in between the Scuti and slowly pulsating B (SPB) star instability
domains. Their variability periods, between 0.1--0.7~d, are outside the
expected domains of these well-known pulsators. The NCG~3766 cluster is known
to host fast rotating stars. Rotation can significantly affect the pulsation
properties of stars and alter their apparent luminosity through gravity
darkening. Therefore we inspect if the new variable stars could correspond to
fast rotating SPB stars. We carry out instability and visibility analysis of
SPB pulsation modes within the frame of the traditional approximation. The
effects of gravity darkening on typical SPB models are next studied. We find
that at the red border of the SPB instability strip, prograde sectoral (PS)
modes are preferentially excited, with periods shifted in the 0.2--0.5~d range
due to the Coriolis effect. These modes are best seen when the star is seen
equator-on. For such inclinations, low-mass SPB models can appear fainter due
to gravity darkening and as if they were located between the ~Scuti and
SPB instability strips.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the IAU Symposium
307, New windows on massive stars: asteroseismology, interferometry, and
spectropolarimetr
Shear-banding in a lyotropic lamellar phase, Part 2: Temporal fluctuations
We analyze the temporal fluctuations of the flow field associated to a
shear-induced transition in a lyotropic lamellar phase: the layering transition
of the onion texture. In the first part of this work [Salmon et al., submitted
to Phys. Rev. E], we have evidenced banded flows at the onset of this
shear-induced transition which are well accounted for by the classical picture
of shear-banding. In the present paper, we focus on the temporal fluctuations
of the flow field recorded in the coexistence domain. These striking dynamics
are very slow (100--1000s) and cannot be due to external mechanical noise.
Using velocimetry coupled to structural measurements, we show that these
fluctuations are due to a motion of the interface separating the two
differently sheared bands. Such a motion seems to be governed by the
fluctuations of , the local stress at the interface between the
two bands. Our results thus provide more evidence for the relevance of the
classical mechanical approach of shear-banding even if the mechanism leading to
the fluctuations of remains unclear
High-pressure behaviour of GeO2: a simulation study
In this work we study the high pressure behaviour of liquid and glassy GeO2
by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The interaction potential, which
includes dipole polarization effects, was parameterized from first-principles
calculations. Our simulations reproduce the most recent experimental data to a
high degree of precision. The proportion of the various GeOn polyhedra is
determined as a function of the pressure: a smooth transition from tetrahedral
to octahedral network is observed. Finally, the study of high-pressure, liquid
germania confirms that this material presents an anomalous behaviour of the
diffusivity as observed in analog systems such as silica and water. The
importance of penta-coordinated germanium ions for such behaviour is stressed.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted as a Fast Track Communication on
Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte
Potential implications of practice effects in Alzheimer's disease prevention trials.
IntroductionPractice effects (PEs) present a potential confound in clinical trials with cognitive outcomes. A single-blind placebo run-in design, with repeated cognitive outcome assessments before randomization to treatment, can minimize effects of practice on trial outcome.MethodsWe investigated the potential implications of PEs in Alzheimer's disease prevention trials using placebo arm data from the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study donepezil/vitamin E trial in mild cognitive impairment. Frequent ADAS-Cog measurements early in the trial allowed us to compare two competing trial designs: a 19-month trial with randomization after initial assessment, versus a 15-month trial with a 4-month single-blind placebo run-in and randomization after the second administration of the ADAS-Cog. Standard power calculations assuming a mixed-model repeated-measure analysis plan were used to calculate sample size requirements for a hypothetical future trial designed to detect a 50% slowing of cognitive decline.ResultsOn average, ADAS-Cog 13 scores improved at first follow-up, consistent with a PE and progressively worsened thereafter. The observed change for a 19-month trial (1.18 points) was substantively smaller than that for a 15-month trial with 4-month run-in (1.79 points). To detect a 50% slowing in progression under the standard design (i.e., a 0.59 point slowing), a future trial would require 3.4 times more subjects than would be required to detect the comparable percent slowing (i.e., 0.90 points) with the run-in design.DiscussionAssuming the improvement at first follow-up observed in this trial represents PEs, the rate of change from the second assessment forward is a more accurate representation of symptom progression in this population and is the appropriate reference point for describing treatment effects characterized as percent slowing of symptom progression; failure to accommodate this leads to an oversized clinical trial. We conclude that PEs are an important potential consideration when planning future trials
Velocity profiles in shear-banding wormlike micelles
Using Dynamic Light Scattering in heterodyne mode, we measure velocity
profiles in a much studied system of wormlike micelles (CPCl/NaSal) known to
exhibit both shear-banding and stress plateau behavior. Our data provide
evidence for the simplest shear-banding scenario, according to which the
effective viscosity drop in the system is due to the nucleation and growth of a
highly sheared band in the gap, whose thickness linearly increases with the
imposed shear rate. We discuss various details of the velocity profiles in all
the regions of the flow curve and emphasize on the complex, non-Newtonian
nature of the flow in the highly sheared band.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Model-based Cognitive Neuroscience: Multifield Mechanistic Integration in Practice
Autonomist accounts of cognitive science suggest that cognitive model building and theory construction (can or should) proceed independently of findings in neuroscience. Common functionalist justifications of autonomy rely on there being relatively few constraints between neural structure and cognitive function (e.g., Weiskopf, 2011). In contrast, an integrative mechanistic perspective stresses the mutual constraining of structure and function (e.g., Piccinini & Craver, 2011; Povich, 2015). In this paper, I show how model-based cognitive neuroscience (MBCN) epitomizes the integrative mechanistic perspective and concentrates the most revolutionary elements of the cognitive neuroscience revolution (Boone & Piccinini, 2016). I also show how the prominent subset account of functional realization supports the integrative mechanistic perspective I take on MBCN and use it to clarify the intralevel and interlevel components of integration
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