12,427 research outputs found
ST2 in Stable and Unstable Ischemic Heart Diseases
Circulating suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) predicts cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in ischemic heart disease (IHD). ST2 does not correlate with traditional risk indicators as closely as N-terminal pro–brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and is only weakly correlated with other biomarkers, indicating distinct pathways for stimulus and release. Although of little diagnostic utility in IHD, ST2 does offer prognostic information. In ST elevation myocardial infarction, ST2 levels increase to peak above the normal reference range (within 6 to 18 hours of symptom onset) in about half of patients. Levels in the upper quartile observed in IHD independently predict cardiovascular death and heart failure with an approximate doubling of risk. Similar but weaker associations have been reported in non–ST elevation myocardial infarction, in which ST2 predicts short-term (30-day) and long-term (>1-year) death and heart failure independent of clinical indicators, but these relations are lost if Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score and NT-proBNP are added to multivariate models. Early postinfarction levels of ST2 (i.e., <24 hours after admission) have the greatest prognostic utility. Early postinfarction ST2 levels and change over 24 weeks are related to infarct extent and remodeling to a similar extent as NT-proBNP and aldosterone, and ST2 may have a significant pathophysiological role in these postinfarction processes. In long-term follow-up of stable IHD, ST2 is predictive of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality independent of accepted clinical indicators and other biomarkers, including NT-proBNP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, high-sensitivitiy cardiac troponin T, and galectin-3. In conclusion, ST2 in combination with NT-proBNP consistently improves risk stratification compared with either marker alone
Black brane solutions and their solitonic extremal limit in Einstein-scalar gravity
We investigate static, planar, solutions of Einstein-scalar gravity admitting
an anti-de Sitter (AdS) vacuum. When the squared mass of the scalar field is
positive and the scalar potential can be derived from a superpotential, minimum
energy theorems indicate the existence of a scalar soliton. On the other hand,
for these models, no-hair theorems forbid the existence of hairy black brane
solutions with AdS asymptotics. By considering a specific example (an exact
integrable model which has the form of a Toda molecule) and by deriving
explicit exact solution, we show that these models allow for hairy black brane
solutions with non-AdS domain wall asymptotics, whose extremal limit is a
scalar soliton. The soliton smoothly interpolates between a non-AdS domain wall
solution at and an AdS solution near .Comment: 5 pages, no figure
Subpicosecond (320 fs) pulses from CW passively mode-locked external cavity two-section multiquantum well lasers
Pulses from a passively mode-locked two-section multi-quantum well laser coupled to an external cavity are compressed to subpicosecond pulse widths using an external grating telescope compressor. A minimum deconvolved pulse width of 0.32 ps is measured, close to the transform limit, with peak powers of 1.9 W
Exact solutions with AdS asymptotics of Einstein and Einstein-Maxwell gravity minimally coupled to a scalar field
We propose a general method for solving exactly the static field equations of
Einstein and Einstein-Maxwell gravity minimally coupled to a scalar field. Our
method starts from an ansatz for the scalar field profile, and determines,
together with the metric functions, the corresponding form of the scalar
self-interaction potential. Using this method we prove a new no-hair theorem
about the existence of hairy black-hole and black-brane solutions and derive
broad classes of static solutions with radial symmetry of the theory, which may
play an important role in applications of the AdS/CFT correspondence to
condensed matter and strongly coupled QFTs. These solutions include: 1) four-
or generic -dimensional solutions with planar, spherical or hyperbolic
horizon topology; 2) solutions with AdS, domain wall and Lifshitz asymptotics;
3) solutions interpolating between an AdS spacetime in the asymptotic region
and a domain wall or conformal Lifshitz spacetime in the near-horizon region.Comment: Some references adde
Dark energy models toward observational tests and data
A huge amount of good quality astrophysical data converges towards the
picture of a spatially flat universe undergoing the today observed phase of
accelerated expansion. This new observational trend is commonly addressed as
Precision Cosmology. Despite of the quality of astrophysical surveys, the
nature of dark energy dominating the matter-energy content of the universe is
still unknown and a lot of different scenarios are viable candidates to explain
cosmic acceleration. Methods to test these cosmological models are based on
distance measurements and lookback time toward astronomical objects used as
standard candles. I discuss the characterizing parameters and constraints of
three different classes of dark energy models pointing out the related
degeneracy problem which is the signal that more data at low (z= 0- 1), medium
(1<z<10) and high (10 <z< 1000) redshift are needed to definitively select
realistic models.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, Lectures for 42nd Karpacz Winter School of
Theoretical Physics: Current Mathematical Topics in Gravitation and
Cosmology, Ladek, Poland, 6-11 Feb 200
Privileged Interfirm/Bank Relationships in Central Europe: Trigger or Trap for Corporate Governance?
The paper focuses on the question whether banks and capital markets in Central Europe are capable of exerting a positive influence on enterprise performance at the present stage of the economic transformation. These markets are characterised by privileged, collaborative interfirm/interbank relationships demonstrated through various channels. Among them is the competition for private deposits between commercial and national banks that are simultaneously supervisors of commercial banks, as is the case in Poland. Other channels include: heavily indebted large banks that are owners of industrial companies (as is the case in Slovakia with the steel mill VSZ owning the third largest bank IRB), investment funds that are facilitating industrial restructuring, and foreign banks holding only minority stakes in large domestic financial institutions.Interfirm, bank relationship, Central Europe
Privileged Interfirm/Bank Relationships in Central Europe: Trigger or Trap for Corporate Governance?
The paper focuses on the question whether banks and capital markets in Central Europe are capable of exerting a positive influence on enterprise performance at the present stage of the economic transformation. These markets are characterised by privileged, collaborative interfirm/interbank relationships demonstrated through various channels. Among them is the competition for private deposits between commercial and national banks that are simultaneously supervisors of commercial banks, as is the case in Poland. Other channels include: heavily indebted large banks that are owners of industrial companies (as is the case in Slovakia with the steel mill VSZ owning the third largest bank IRB), investment funds that are facilitating industrial restructuring, and foreign banks holding only minority stakes in large domestic financial institutions.
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ACE: An Expert System Supporting Analysis and Management Decision Making
ACE, a system for Automated Cable Expertise, is a Knowledge-Based Expert System designed to provide trouble-shooting reports and management analyses for telephone cable maintenance in a timely manner. Many design decisions faced during the construction of ACE were guided by recent successes in expert systems technology, most notably R1/XCON, the Digital Equipment Corporation Vax configuration program. The most significant departure from "standard" expert systems architectures is ACE's use of a conventional data base management system as its primary source of information. Its primary sources of knowledge are the expert users of the database system, and primers on maintenance analysis strategies. The coupling of "knowledge-base" and "data-base" demonstrates in a forceful way the manner in which an expert system can significantly enhance the throughput and quality of data processing environments supporting business management. However, further difficult problems must be solved before the expert system approach becomes a standard technique in the data processing industry
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