Sensitivity study of forecasted aftershock seismicity based on Coulomb stress calculation and rate- and state-dependent frictional response

We use the Dieterich (1994) physics-based approach to simulate the spatio- temporal evolution of seismicity caused by stress changes applied to an infinite population of nucleating patches modeled through a rate- and state- dependent friction law. According to this model, seismicity rate changes depend on the amplitude of stress perturbation, the physical constitutive properties of faults (represented by the parameter Aσ), the stressing rate and the background seismicity rate of the study area. In order to apply this model in a predictive manner, we need to understand the impact of physical model parameters and the correlations between them. Firstly we discuss different definitions of the reference seismicity rate and show their impact on the computed rate of earthquake production for the 1992 Landers earthquake sequence as a case study. Furthermore, we demonstrate that all model parameters are strongly correlated for physical and statistical reasons. We discuss this correlation emphasizing that the estimations of the background seismicity rate, stressing rate and Aσ are strongly correlated to reproduce the observed aftershock productivity. Our analytically derived relation demonstrates the impact of these model parameters on the Omori-like aftershock decay: the c- value and the productivity of the Omori law, implying a p-value smaller or equal to 1. Finally, we discuss an optimal strategy to constrain model parameters for near-real time forecasts

Electrical detection of hyperbolic phonon-polaritons in heterostructures of graphene and boron nitride

Light properties in the mid-infrared can be controlled at a deep subwavelength scale using hyperbolic phonons-polaritons (HPPs) of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). While propagating as waveguided modes HPPs can concentrate the electric field in a chosen nano-volume. Such a behavior is at the heart of many applications including subdiffraction imaging and sensing. Here, we employ HPPs in heterostructures of h-BN and graphene as new nano-optoelectronic platform by uniting the benefits of efficient hot-carrier photoconversion in graphene and the hyperbolic nature of h-BN. We demonstrate electrical detection of HPPs by guiding them towards a graphene pn-junction. We shine a laser beam onto a gap in metal gates underneath the heterostructure, where the light is converted into HPPs. The HPPs then propagate as confined rays heating up the graphene leading to a strong photocurrent. This concept is exploited to boost the external responsivity of mid-infrared photodetectors, overcoming the limitation of graphene pn-junction detectors due to their small active area and weak absorption. Moreover this type of detector exhibits tunable frequency selectivity due to the HPPs, which combined with its high responsivity paves the way for efficient high-resolution mid-infrared imaging

KSP inhibitor ARRY-520 as a substitute for Paclitaxel in Type I ovarian cancer cells

© 2009 Kim et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Prevalence and clinical correlates of YMDD variants during lamivudine therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B

YMDD variants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) emerge in some patients with chronic hepatitis B who receive lamivudine. YMDD variants were examined in 794 patients in 4 controlled studies of 1 year's duration. The long-term effects of YMDD variants were examined in a subset of patients treated up to 4 years. YMDD variants were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment-length polymorphism assays. After 1 year, YMDD variants were detected in 81 (24%) of 335 patients. In these patients, the median serum HBV DNA concentration at 1 year was <20% of the baseline level, and serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels and liver histologic findings had significantly improved. In patients with YMDD variants who were treated for up to 4 years, median HBV DNA and ALT levels showed improvements. Sex, baseline body mass index, and HBV DNA level were associated with emergence of YMDD variants. Patients with YMDD variants losing clinical response with a significant increase in the HBV DNA and ALT levels may require additional therapy.published_or_final_versio

The International Research Network on Violence and Integrity in Sport (IRNOVIS) Research Symposium. Safe sport research today: Where are we at? [BOOK OF ABSTRACTS]

BOOK OF ABSTRACTS The International Research Network on Violence and Integrity in Sport (IRNOVIS) Research Symposium Safe sport research today: Where are we at? Full listing of symposium presentations and abstract

Forecasting Seismicity on Local to Regional Scale

Forecasting Seismicity on Local to Regional Scal

Physiologic compliance in engineered small-diameter arterial constructs based on an elastomeric substrate.

Compliance mismatch is a significant challenge to long-term patency in small-diameter bypass grafts because it causes intimal hyperplasia and ultimately graft occlusion. Current engineered grafts are typically stiff with high burst pressure but low compliance and low elastin expression. We postulated that engineering small arteries on elastomeric scaffolds under dynamic mechanical stimulation would result in strong and compliant arterial constructs. This study compares properties of engineered arterial constructs based on biodegradable polyester scaffolds composed of either rigid poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) or elastomeric poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS). Adult baboon arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were cultured in vitro for 10 days in tubular, porous scaffolds. Scaffolds were significantly stronger after culture regardless of material, but the elastic modulus of PLGA constructs was an order of magnitude greater than that of porcine carotid arteries and PGS constructs. Deformation was elastic in PGS constructs and carotid arteries but plastic in PLGA constructs. Compliance of arteries and PGS constructs were equivalent at pressures tested. Altering scaffold material from PLGA to PGS significantly decreased collagen content and significantly increased insoluble elastin content in constructs without affecting soluble elastin concentration in the culture medium. PLGA constructs contained no appreciable insoluble elastin. This research demonstrates that: (1) substrate stiffness directly affects in vitro tissue development and mechanical properties; (2) rigid materials likely inhibit elastin incorporation into the extracellular matrix of engineered arterial tissues; and (3) grafts with physiologic compliance and significant elastin content can be engineered in vitro after only days of cell culture

Hot-carrier photocurrent effects at graphene-metal interfaces

Photoexcitation of graphene leads to an interesting sequence of phenomena, some of which can be exploited in optoelectronic devices based on graphene. In particular, the efficient and ultrafast generation of an electron distribution with an elevated electron temperature and the concomitant generation of a photo-thermoelectric voltage at symmetry-breaking interfaces is of interest for photosensing and light harvesting. Here, we experimentally study the generated photocurrent at the graphene-metal interface, focusing on the time-resolved photocurrent, the effects of photon energy, Fermi energy and light polarization. We show that a single framework based on photo-thermoelectric photocurrent generation explains all experimental results

Association between circulating osteocalcin and cardiometabolic risk factors following a 4-week leafy green vitamin K-rich diet

© 2020 S. Karger AG, Basel. Copyright: All rights reserved. Background: Evidence suggests that lower serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) may be negatively associated with cardiometabolic health. We investigated whether individuals with a suppression of ucOC following an increase in dietary vitamin K1 exhibit a relative worsening of cardiometabolic risk factors. Materials and Methods: Men (n = 20) and women (n = 10) aged 62 ± 10 years participated in a randomized, controlled, crossover study. The primary analysis involved using data obtained from participants following a high vitamin K1 diet (HK; 4-week intervention of increased leafy green vegetable intake). High and low responders were defined based on the median percent reduction (30%) in ucOC following the HK diet. Blood pressure (resting and 24 h), arterial stiffness, plasma glucose, lipid concentrations, and serum OC forms were assessed. Results: Following the HK diet, ucOC and ucOC/tOC were suppressed more (p \u3c 0.01) in high responders (41 and 29%) versus low responders (12 and 10%). The reduction in ucOC and ucOC/tOC was not associated with changes in blood pressure, arterial stiffness, plasma glucose, or lipid concentrations in the high responders (p \u3e 0.05). Discussion/Conclusion: Suppression of ucOC via consumption of leafy green vegetables has no negative effects on cardiometabolic health, perhaps, in part, because of cross-talk mechanisms