1,045 research outputs found
All scale-free networks are sparse
We study the realizability of scale free-networks with a given degree
sequence, showing that the fraction of realizable sequences undergoes two
first-order transitions at the values 0 and 2 of the power-law exponent. We
substantiate this finding by analytical reasoning and by a numerical method,
proposed here, based on extreme value arguments, which can be applied to any
given degree distribution. Our results reveal a fundamental reason why large
scale-free networks without constraints on minimum and maximum degree must be
sparse.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Quantum Control of Two-Qubit Entanglement Dissipation
We investigate quantum control of the dissipation of entanglement under
environmental decoherence. We show by means of a simple two-qubit model that
standard control methods - coherent or open-loop control - will not in general
prevent entanglement loss. However, we propose a control method utilising a
Wiseman-Milburn feedback/measurement control scheme which will effectively
negate environmental entanglement dissipation.Comment: 11 pages,4 figures, minor correctio
Increased glycation and oxidative damage to apolipoprotein B100 of LDL cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes and effect of metformin
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate whether apolipoprotein B100 of LDL suffers increased damage by glycation, oxidation, and nitration in patients with type 2 diabetes, including patients receiving metformin therapy.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS For this study, 32 type 2 diabetic patients and 21 healthy control subjects were recruited; 13 diabetic patients were receiving metformin therapy (median dose: 1.50 g/day). LDL was isolated from venous plasma by ultracentrifugation, delipidated, digested, and analyzed for protein glycation, oxidation, and nitration adducts by stable isotopic dilution analysis tandem mass spectrometry.
RESULTS Advanced glycation end product (AGE) content of apolipoprotein B100 of LDL from type 2 diabetic patients was higher than from healthy subjects: arginine-derived AGE, 15.8 vs. 5.3 mol% (P < 0.001); and lysine-derived AGE, 2.5 vs. 1.5 mol% (P < 0.05). Oxidative damage, mainly methionine sulfoxide residues, was also increased: 2.5 vs. 1.1 molar equivalents (P < 0.001). 3-Nitrotyrosine content was decreased: 0.04 vs. 0.12 mol% (P < 0.05). In diabetic patients receiving metformin therapy, arginine-derived AGE and methionine sulfoxide were lower than in patients not receiving metformin: 19.3 vs. 8.9 mol% (P < 0.01) and 2.9 vs. 1.9 mol% (P < 0.05), respectively; 3-nitrotyrosine content was higher: 0.10 vs. 0.03 mol% (P < 0.05). Fructosyl-lysine residue content correlated positively with fasting plasma glucose. Arginine-derived AGE residue contents were intercorrelated and also correlated positively with methionine sulfoxide.
CONCLUSIONS Patients with type 2 diabetes had increased arginine-derived AGEs and oxidative damage in apolipoprotein B100 of LDL. This was lower in patients receiving metformin therapy, which may contribute to decreased oxidative damage, atherogenicity, and cardiovascular disease
Adherence to rehabilitative programmes by patients living with neurological conditions : a South African context
The number of people living with disabilities is increasing. Good adherence to rehabilitative
programmes is critical for optimal health and health systems in developing countries are under
pressure to meet multiple health needs. Overworked practitioners assume that if the patients fail
to show up for their appointments they have lost interest. The purpose of the study was to explore
reasons for the poor adherence of patients with neurological disorders at rehabilitative services.
This study used a phenomenological approach and purposive sampling. One-on-one interviews
with patients booked to receive therapy at a South African public sector hospital and who failed
to attend therapy were done (n=12). For triangulation purposes interviews were conducted with
patients who had never missed sessions (n=5). A total of eight of the participants from both
groups said that they had not accepted their condition. All five dimensions of adherence
described in the literature were found. The participants gave very positive feedback on the
rehabilitative programmes received at the hospital, but said circumstances beyond their control
had caused them to miss a session. These included fear of losing jobs, unavailability of transport,
and perception of poor services at primary health care clinics when down referred. The reasons
for adherence or lack of it are not easily established. Contributing factors however were noted in
this study. Information obtained from the study will assist health professionals to understand the
patients’ context and can inform rehabilitation programmes to support adherence.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/ajpherd1am2017School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH
Evaluation of selected characteristics in industrial hemp after phytohormonal treatment
Plant growth and development is significantly influenced by phytohormones \u2013 endogenous molecules present naturally in plants. The best known plant hormones are auxins and cytokinins. This study examined the possible effect of externally applied plant hormone analogues (growth regulators): 1-naphthyl acetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzyl aminopurine (BAP) on industrial fibre hemp (Cannabis sativa L., variety Bialobrzeskie). Plants were treated with three different concentrations of NAA (5, 10 and 20 mg/l) and three different concentrations of BAP (10, 25 and 50 mg/l). Morphological and physiological characteristics, such as apical dominance, shoot branching, fibre properties, and flavonoid content were evaluated. The chosen variety of hemp
had a significant response to exogenous application of growth regulators, as has been observed with other plant species. Most notably completely understood and controlled synthetic auxin treatment has a potential to increase the bark fibre yield of hemp
Global clustering coefficient in scale-free networks
In this paper, we analyze the behavior of the global clustering coefficient
in scale free graphs. We are especially interested in the case of degree
distribution with an infinite variance, since such degree distribution is
usually observed in real-world networks of diverse nature.
There are two common definitions of the clustering coefficient of a graph:
global clustering and average local clustering. It is widely believed that in
real networks both clustering coefficients tend to some positive constant as
the networks grow. There are several models for which the average local
clustering coefficient tends to a positive constant. On the other hand, there
are no models of scale-free networks with an infinite variance of degree
distribution and with a constant global clustering.
In this paper we prove that if the degree distribution obeys the power law
with an infinite variance, then the global clustering coefficient tends to zero
with high probability as the size of a graph grows
Feedback control of spin systems
The feedback stabilization problem for ensembles of coupled spin 1/2 systems
is discussed from a control theoretic perspective. The noninvasive nature of
the bulk measurement allows for a fully unitary and deterministic closed loop.
The Lyapunov-based feedback design presented does not require spins that are
selectively addressable. With this method, it is possible to obtain control
inputs also for difficult tasks, like suppressing undesired couplings in
identical spin systems.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figure
SOPHIE velocimetry of Kepler transit candidates XVII. The physical properties of giant exoplanets within 400 days of period
While giant extrasolar planets have been studied for more than two decades
now, there are still some open questions such as their dominant formation and
migration process, as well as their atmospheric evolution in different stellar
environments. In this paper, we study a sample of giant transiting exoplanets
detected by the Kepler telescope with orbital periods up to 400 days. We first
defined a sample of 129 giant-planet candidates that we followed up with the
SOPHIE spectrograph (OHP, France) in a 6-year radial velocity campaign. This
allow us to unveil the nature of these candidates and to measure a
false-positive rate of 54.6 +/- 6.5 % for giant-planet candidates orbiting
within 400 days of period. Based on a sample of confirmed or likely planets, we
then derive the occurrence rates of giant planets in different ranges of
orbital periods. The overall occurrence rate of giant planets within 400 days
is 4.6 +/- 0.6 %. We recover, for the first time in the Kepler data, the
different populations of giant planets reported by radial velocity surveys.
Comparing these rates with other yields, we find that the occurrence rate of
giant planets is lower only for hot jupiters but not for the longer period
planets. We also derive a first measurement on the occurrence rate of brown
dwarfs in the brown-dwarf desert with a value of 0.29 +/- 0.17 %. Finally, we
discuss the physical properties of the giant planets in our sample. We confirm
that giant planets receiving a moderate irradiation are not inflated but we
find that they are in average smaller than predicted by formation and evolution
models. In this regime of low-irradiated giant planets, we find a possible
correlation between their bulk density and the Iron abundance of the host star,
which needs more detections to be confirmed.Comment: To appear in Astronomy and Astrophysic
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