1,753 research outputs found
The Deformation of an Elastic Substrate by a Three-Phase Contact Line
Young's classic analysis of the equilibrium of a three-phase contact line
ignores the out-of-plane component of the liquid-vapor surface tension. While
it has long been appreciated that this unresolved force must be balanced by
elastic deformation of the solid substrate, a definitive analysis has remained
elusive because conventional idealizations of the substrate imply a divergence
of stress at the contact line. While a number of theories of have been
presented to cut off the divergence, none of them have provided reasonable
agreement with experimental data. We measure surface and bulk deformation of a
thin elastic film near a three-phase contact line using fluorescence confocal
microscopy. The out-of-plane deformation is well fit by a linear elastic theory
incorporating an out-of-plane restoring force due to the surface tension of the
gel. This theory predicts that the deformation profile near the contact line is
scale-free and independent of the substrate elastic modulus.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
SU(3) breaking in hyperon transition vector form factors
We present a calculation of the SU(3)-breaking corrections to the hyperon
transition vector form factors to in heavy baryon chiral
perturbation theory with finite-range regularisation. Both octet and decuplet
degrees of freedom are included. We formulate a chiral expansion at the
kinematic point , which can be conveniently accessed
in lattice QCD. The two unknown low-energy constants at this point are
constrained by lattice QCD simulation results for the
and transition form factors. Hence we determine
lattice-informed values of at the physical point. This work constitutes
progress towards the precise determination of from hyperon
semileptonic decays
Affective temperaments and neurocognitive functioning in bipolar disorder
Background: There is evidence that patients with bipolar disorder (BD) score higher on affective temperament ratings compared to healthy controls (HCs). Moreover, unaffected relatives demonstrate similar patterns as BD patients suggesting that such temperaments are related to the genetic risk for BD and may serve as endophenotypes for the disorder, It is unknown whether affective temperaments are associated with other core features of BD, such as impairments in neurocognition. This study examined the relationship between affective temperaments and neurocognition in patients with BD and in HCs. Methods: Temperaments were evaluated using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego, Auto-questionnaire version (TEMPS-A) in 64 patients with BD and 109 HCs. Neurocognitive functioning was evaluated using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Correlational analyses between temperaments and cognition were conducted in BD and HC subjects. Results: Data suggest that affective temperaments and neurocognition are correlated. In BD higher ratings of cyclothymia and irritability were associated with better processing speed, working memory, reasoning and problem-solving. In the HC group, increased irritability was related to worse performance on measures of attention and social cognition. Limitations: Lack of functional outcome measures to evaluate the impact of temperaments and cognition on psychosocial functioning. It would be useful to test these findings on unaffected relatives of BD patients. Conclusions: Cyclothymic and irritable temperaments are correlated with specific aspects of neurocognition in BD. This study is among the few exploring the dimensional relationship between temperaments and cognition in BD, and provides preliminary evidence for future studies investigating the neural and genetic mechanisms underlying the association between these variables. (C) 2014 Elsevier By. All rights reserved
Chemo-Sensitive Running Droplet
Chemical control of the spontaneous motion of a reactive oil droplet moving
on a glass substrate under an aqueous phase is reported. Experimental results
show that the self-motion of an oil droplet is confined on an acid-treated
glass surface. The transient behavior of oil-droplet motion is also observed
with a high-speed video camera. A mathematical model that incorporates the
effect of the glass surface charge is built based on the experimental
observation of oil-droplet motion. A numerical simulation of this mathematical
model reproduced the essential features concerning confinement within a certain
chemical territory of oil-droplet motion, and also its transient behavior. Our
results may shed light on physical aspects of reactive spreading and a
chemotaxis in living things.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure
Examining the pathways for young people with drug and alcohol dependence: A mixed-method design to examine the role of a treatment programme
© BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Introduction: Young people with drug and alcohol problems are likely to have poorer health and other psychosocial outcomes than other young people. Residential treatment programmes have been shown to lead to improved health and related outcomes for young people in the short term. There is very little robust research showing longer term outcomes or benefits of such programmes. This paper describes an innovative protocol to examine the longer term outcomes and experiences of young people referred to a residential life management and treatment programme in Australia designed to address alcohol and drug issues in a holistic manner. Methods and analysis: This is a mixed-methods study that will retrospectively and prospectively examine young people's pathways into and out of a residential life management programme. The study involves 3 components: (1) retrospective data linkage of programme data to health and criminal justice administrative data sets, (2) prospective cohort (using existing programme baseline data and a follow-up survey) and (3) qualitative in-depth interviews with a subsample of the prospective cohort. The study will compare findings among young people who are referred and (a) stay 30 days or more in the programme (including those who go on to continuing care and those who do not); (b) start, but stay fewer than 30 days in the programme; (c) are assessed, but do not start the programme. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval has been sought from several ethics committees including a university ethics committee, state health departments and an Aboriginal-specific ethics committee. The results of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at research conferences, disseminated via a report for the general public and through Facebook communications. The study will inform the field more broadly about the value of different methods in evaluating programmes and examining the pathways and trajectories of vulnerable young people
Empirical evidence for discrete neurocognitive subgroups in bipolar disorder: clinical implications
Background. Recent data suggest trait-like neurocognitive impairments in bipolar disorder (BPD), with deficits about 1 S.D. below average, less severe than deficits noted in schizophrenia. The frequency of significant impairment in BPD is approximately 60%, with 40% of patients characterized as cognitively spared. This contrasts with a more homogeneous presentation in schizophrenia. It is not understood why some BPD patients develop deficits while others do not. Method. A total of 136 patients with BPD completed the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and data were entered into hierarchical cluster analyses to: (1) determine the optimal number of clusters (subgroups) that fit the sample; and (2) assign subjects to a specific cluster based on individual profiles. We then compared subgroups on several clinical factors and real-world community functioning. Results. Three distinct neurocognitive subgroups were found: (1) an intact group with performance comparable with healthy controls on all domains but with superior social cognition; (2) a selective impairment group with moderate deficits on processing speed, attention, verbal learning and social cognition and normal functioning in other domains; and (3) a global impairment group with severe deficits across all cognitive domains comparable with deficits in schizophrenia. Conclusions. These results suggest the presence of multiple cognitive subgroups in BPD with unique profiles and begin to address the relationships between these subgroups, several clinical factors and functional outcome. Next steps will include using these data to help guide future efforts to target these disabling symptoms with treatment
Molecular transport and flow past hard and soft surfaces: Computer simulation of model systems
The properties of polymer liquids on hard and soft substrates are
investigated by molecular dynamics simulation of a coarse-grained bead-spring
model and dynamic single-chain-in-mean-field (SCMF) simulations of a soft,
coarse-grained polymer model. Hard, corrugated substrates are modelled by an
FCC Lennard-Jones solid while polymer brushes are investigated as a
prototypical example of a soft, deformable surface. From the molecular
simulation we extract the coarse-grained parameters that characterise the
equilibrium and flow properties of the liquid in contact with the substrate:
the surface and interface tensions, and the parameters of the hydrodynamic
boundary condition. The so-determined parameters enter a continuum description
like the Stokes equation or the lubrication approximation.Comment: 41 pages, 13 figure
Diets high in n-3 fatty acids are associated with lower arterial stiffness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a latent profile analysis
Supplementation with n-3 fatty acids can influence inflammation and markers of arterial stiffness that are increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it is unknown whether specific patterns of dietary fatty acid intake are similarly associated. In a longitudinal study, eighty-six RA patients reported their dietary intake and had arterial stiffness measured using the augmentation index (AIx) at baseline and 8 months. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to characterise patterns of fatty acid intake using sixteen major fatty acids. Models for two to six profiles were compared using the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria. Associations between AIx and the profiles were adjusted for age, sex, disease activity, fish oil supplementation, medications, physical activity and socio-economic status. LPA identified five distinct profiles. Profile 1 subjects (n 7) reported significantly higher intake of palmitoleic acid (16 : 1), arachidonic acid (20 : 4n-6), EPA (20 : 5n-3), DHA (22 : 6n-3) and docosapentaenoic acid (22 : 5n-3) (
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