1,062 research outputs found
Cloud Chamber: A Performance with Real Time Two-Way Interaction between Subatomic Particles and Violinist
âCloud Chamberâ - a composition by Alexis Kirke, Antonino Chiaramonte, and Anna Troisi - is a live performance in which the invisible quantum world becomes visible as a violinist and subatomic particle tracks interact together. An electronic instrument was developed which can be âplayedâ live by radioactive atomic particles. Electronic circuitry was developed enabling a violin to create a physical force field that directly affects the ions generated by cosmic radiation particles. This enabled the violinist and the ions to influence each other musically in real time. A glass cloud chamber was used onstage to make radioactivity visible in bright white tracks moving within, with the tracks projected onto a large screen
Inelastic current-voltage characteristics of atomic and molecular junctions
We report first-principles calculations of the inelastic current-voltage
(I-V) characteristics of a gold point contact and a molecular junction in the
nonresonant regime. Discontinuities in the I-V curves appear in correspondence
to the normal modes of the structures. Due to the quasi-one-dimensional nature
of these systems, specific modes with large longitudinal component dominate the
inelastic I-V curves. In the case of the gold point contact, our results are in
good agreement with recent experimental data. For the molecular junction, we
find that the inelastic I-V curves are quite sensitive to the structure of the
contact between the molecule and the electrodes thus providing a powerful tool
to extract the bonding geometry in molecular wires.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Listeria abdominal endograft infection miming pseudoaneurysm treated with in-situ aortic reconstruction: a case report
We report the case of a 72-year old man previously treated with an aortic endograft for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. After 3 years the patient developed a sepsis. Imaging and blood exams detected an endograft infection related to Listeria monocytogenes. Patients underwent endograft removal and in-situ aortic reconstruction with a cryopreserved allograft. A continuous antibacterial therapy has been established. One-month follow-up revealed the absence of clinically relevant infection with patency of the graft and absence of biochemical inflammatory markers
Post-operative morbidity following pancreatic duct occlusion without anastomosis after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Pancreatic duct occlusion (PDO) without anastomosis is a technique proposed to mitigate the clinical consequences of postoperative pancreatic fistulas (POPF) after pancreaticoduodenectomy. The aim of this study was to appraise the morbidity following PDO through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Web Of Science identified studies reporting outcomes of PDO following pancreaticoduodenectomy. Pooled prevalence rates of postoperative complications and mortality were computed using random-effect modeling. Meta-regression analyses were performed to examine the impact of moderators on the overall estimates. Results: Sixteen studies involving 1000 patients were included. Pooled postoperative mortality was 2.7%. A POPF was reported in 29.7% of the patients. Clinically relevant POPFs occurred in 13.5% of the patients, while intra-abdominal abscess and haemorrhages occurred in 6.7% and 5.5% of the patients, respectively. Re-operation was necessary in 7.6% of the patients. Postoperatively new onset diabetes occurred in 15.8% of patients, more frequently after the use of chemical substances for PDO (p = 0.003). Conclusions: PDO is associated with significant morbidity including new onset of post-operative diabetes. The risk of new onset post-operative diabetes is associated with the use of chemical substance for PDO. Further evidence is needed to evaluate the potential benefits of PDO in patients at high risk of POPF
The role of food transfers in wild golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia) : support for the informational and nutritional hypothesis
Funding; The research was supported in part by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (40128) and the European Research Council (232823), to KN Laland, and is in compliance with ASAB and ICMBio guidelines.Callitrichidae is a unique primate family not only in terms of the large number of food transfers to infants but also for the prevalence of transfers that are initiated by the adults. It has been hypothesized that, as well as provisioning infants, callitrichid food transfers might function to teach the receiver what food types to eat. If food provisioning has a teaching function, we would expect successful food transfers to be more likely with food types that are novel to the juveniles. We would also expect juveniles to learn about foods from those transfers. We introduced different types of food (some familiar, some novel) to wild groups of golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia). While novel foods were not more successfully transferred than familiar food in the experiment, transfers were more successful (i.e., the receiver obtained food) when the donor had previous experience with that food. Moreover, we found evidence suggesting that food transfers influenced the future foraging choices of juveniles. Our findings are consistent with the first and third criteria of the functional definition of teaching, which requires that tutors (the adults) modify their behavior in the presence of a naĂŻve individual (a juvenile), and that the naĂŻve individual learns from the modified behavior of the demonstrator. Our findings are also consistent with the provisioning function of food transfer. Social learning seems to play an important role in the development of young tamarinsâ foraging preferences.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Alternative hybrid reconstruction for bilateral common and internal iliac artery aneurysms associated with external iliac artery occlusion
Purpose: To describe an alternative reconstruction for bilateral common (CIA) and internal
(IIA) iliac artery aneurysms associated with external iliac artery (EIA) occlusion in a patient
unfit for open surgery.
Case Report: A high-risk 81-year-old man presented with contained rupture of a left CIA
aneurysm in the presence of bilateral CIA and IIA aneurysms associated with complete
occlusion of the left EIA and normal patency of both common femoral arteries. In an
emergent procedure, the left EIA was recanalized subintimally, and the right IIA was
embolized with a 14-mm Amplatzer Plug. The main body of a standard Excluder endograft
was deployed just distal to the origin of the left renal artery, and the ipsilateral leg was
extended into the proximal right EIA. On the contralateral side, a short 10-mm-diameter
limb was inserted through a 12-F sheath and deployed in the CIA, proximal to the iliac
bifurcation. Via a percutaneous left brachial artery access, 3 covered stents (9359 mm,
10359 mm, 10359 mm) were deployed from the distal IIA to the endograft contralateral
limb. A right-to-left femorofemoral crossover bypass graft concluded the operation. The
patient was discharged on the 5th postoperative day without complications; follow-up
imaging at 6 months showed patency of the stent-graft and crossover bypass, with
complete exclusion of the aneurysms and no evidence of endoleak.
Conclusion: This case demonstrates an effective solution for complex aortoiliac lesions
using commercially available devices, underlining how an accurate knowledge of
alternative endovascular techniques and materials is crucial in the management of
complex cases
- âŠ