361 research outputs found
Surfactant protein D (SP-D) counteracts the inhibitory effect of surfactant protein A (SP-A) on phospholipid secretion by alveolar type II cells. Interaction of native SP-D with SP-A
Irregular polar coding for complexity-constrained lightwave systems
Next-generation fiber-optic communications call for ultra-reliable forward error correction codes that are capable of low-power and low-latency decoding. In this paper, we propose a new class of polar codes, whose polarization units are irregularly pruned to reduce computational complexity and decoding latency without sacrificing error correction performance. We then experimentally demonstrate that the proposed irregular polar codes can outperform state-of-the-art low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, while decoding complexity and latency can be reduced by at least 30% and 70%, respectively, versus regular polar codes, while also obtaining a marginal performance improvement
Zero Temperature Glass Transition in the Two-Dimensional Gauge Glass Model
We investigate dynamic scaling properties of the two-dimensional gauge glass
model for the vortex glass phase in superconductors with quenched disorder.
From extensive Monte Carlo simulations we obtain static and dynamic finite
size scaling behavior, where the static simulations use a temperature exchange
method to ensure convergence at low temperatures. Both static and dynamic
scaling of Monte Carlo data is consistent with a glass transition at zero
temperature. We study a dynamic correlation function for the superconducting
order parameter, as well as the phase slip resistance. From the scaling of
these two functions, we find evidence for two distinct diverging correlation
times at the zero temperature glass transition. The longer of these time scales
is associated with phase slip fluctuations across the system that lead to
finite resistance at any finite temperature, while the shorter time scale is
associated with local phase fluctuations.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures; v2: some minor correction
On the existence of a finite-temperature transition in the two-dimensional gauge glass
Results from Monte Carlo simulations of the two-dimensional gauge glass
supporting a zero-temperature transition are presented. A finite-size scaling
analysis of the correlation length shows that the system does not exhibit
spin-glass order at finite temperatures. These results are compared to earlier
claims of a finite-temperature transition.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Carcinoma Arising from Brunner's Gland in the Duodenum after 17 Years of Observation – A Case Report and Literature Review
A 60-year-old man presented with melena and hematemesis in 1984. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) detected a small protruding lesion in the duodenal bulb, which was diagnosed as Brunner's adenoma. No significant change was detected in subsequent annual EGD and biopsies for 10 years, after which the patient was not observed for 7 years. The patient presented with melena again in 2001. The lesion had changed shape to become a 10 mm sessile tumor with a central depression, and following a biopsy was diagnosed as an adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent partial resection of the duodenum. Histopathological assessment showed acidophilic cells with swollen nuclei, and clear cells forming a tubular or papillary tubule in the mucosal lamina propria and submucosal layer. The tumor cells stained positive for lysozyme, indicating that they arose from Brunner's gland. The patient showed no sign of recurrence and was disease-free for more than 34 months after surgery. The patient died of pneumonia. This is an extremely rare case of primary duodenal carcinoma arising from Brunner's gland in a patient observed for 17 years
Domain Wall Renormalization Group Study of XY Model with Quenched Random Phase Shifts
The XY model with quenched random disorder is studied by a zero temperature
domain wall renormalization group method in 2D and 3D. Instead of the usual
phase representation we use the charge (vortex) representation to compute the
domain wall, or defect, energy. For the gauge glass corresponding to the
maximum disorder we reconfirm earlier predictions that there is no ordered
phase in 2D but an ordered phase can exist in 3D at low temperature. However,
our simulations yield spin stiffness exponents in 2D
and in 3D, which are considerably larger than
previous estimates and strongly suggest that the lower critical dimension is
less than three. For the XY spin glass in 3D, we obtain a spin
stiffness exponent which supports the existence of
spin glass order at finite temperature in contrast with previous estimates
which obtain . Our method also allows us to study
renormalization group flows of both the coupling constant and the disorder
strength with length scale . Our results are consistent with recent analytic
and numerical studies suggesting the absence of a re-entrant transition in 2D
at low temperature. Some possible consequences and connections with real vortex
systems are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, revtex
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