2,436 research outputs found
Evaluation of the stability of human erythropoietin in samples for radioimmunoassay
Radioimmunoassays for erythropoietin are limited so far to a few specialized laboratories and this requires transport and storage of samples. We therefore tested the stability of immunoreactive erythropoietin in serum and plasma samples obtained from a uremic and a nonuremic anemic patient. No significant change in the concentration of immunoreactive erythropoietin was found in either serum or plasma samples for up to 14 days of storage. This type of stability was observed no matter whether the samples were stored at room temperature, 4 degrees C, or -20 degrees C. There was no difference between the estimates of erythropoietin in serum and heparinized plasma. Validity of the radioimmunoassay used in this study was demonstrated by parallelism of dilution curves of test specimens and the 2nd International Reference Preparation for erythropoietin and by a close correlation between the immunoreactivity and the bioactivity of the hormone, as assessed in the same samples by the exhypoxic polycythemic mouse bioassay. In conclusion the data obtained clearly indicate that the necessity of storage and transport of clinical samples does not limit the practicability of the radioimmunoassay for erythropoietin
Isostatic equilibrium in spherical coordinates and implications for crustal thickness on the Moon, Mars, Enceladus, and elsewhere
Isostatic equilibrium is commonly defined as the state achieved when there
are no lateral gradients in hydrostatic pressure, and thus no lateral flow, at
depth within the lower viscosity mantle that underlies a planetary body's outer
crust. In a constant-gravity Cartesian framework, this definition is equivalent
to the requirement that columns of equal width contain equal masses. Here we
show, however, that this equivalence breaks down when the spherical geometry of
the problem is taken into account. Imposing the "equal masses" requirement in a
spherical geometry, as is commonly done in the literature, leads to significant
lateral pressure gradients along internal equipotential surfaces, and thus
corresponds to a state of disequilibrium. Compared with the "equal pressures"
model we present here, the "equal masses" model always overestimates the
compensation depth--by ~27% in the case of the lunar highlands and by nearly a
factor of two in the case of Enceladus.Comment: 23 pages of text; 3 figures; accepted for publication in GR
Contemporary Innovation Policy and Instruments: Challenges and Implications
In this paper we review major theoretical (neoclassical economics, evolutionary, systemic and knowledge-based) insights about innovation and we analyse their implications for the characteristics of contemporary innovation policy and instruments. We show that the perspectives complement each other but altogether reveal the need to redefine the current general philosophy as well as the modes of operationalisation of contemporary innovation policy. We argue that systemic instruments ensuring proper organisation of innovation systems give a promise of increased rates and desired (more sustainable) direction of innovation.systemic instruments, innovation policy, innovation theory, policy mix, innovation system, sustainability
Experimental implementation of a four-player quantum game
Game theory is central to the understanding of competitive interactions
arising in many fields, from the social and physical sciences to economics.
Recently, as the definition of information is generalized to include entangled
quantum systems, quantum game theory has emerged as a framework for
understanding the competitive flow of quantum information. Up till now only
two-player quantum games have been demonstrated. Here we report the first
experiment that implements a four-player quantum Minority game over tunable
four-partite entangled states encoded in the polarization of single photons.
Experimental application of appropriate quantum player strategies give
equilibrium payoff values well above those achievable in the classical game.
These results are in excellent quantitative agreement with our theoretical
analysis of the symmetric Pareto optimal strategies. Our result demonstrate for
the first time how non-trivial equilibria can arise in a competitive situation
involving quantum agents and pave the way for a range of quantum transaction
applications.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
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