4,233 research outputs found
A connection between the Camassa-Holm equations and turbulent flows in channels and pipes
In this paper we discuss recent progress in using the Camassa-Holm equations
to model turbulent flows. The Camassa-Holm equations, given their special
geometric and physical properties, appear particularly well suited for studying
turbulent flows. We identify the steady solution of the Camassa-Holm equation
with the mean flow of the Reynolds equation and compare the results with
empirical data for turbulent flows in channels and pipes. The data suggests
that the constant version of the Camassa-Holm equations, derived under
the assumptions that the fluctuation statistics are isotropic and homogeneous,
holds to order distance from the boundaries. Near a boundary, these
assumptions are no longer valid and the length scale is seen to depend
on the distance to the nearest wall. Thus, a turbulent flow is divided into two
regions: the constant region away from boundaries, and the near wall
region. In the near wall region, Reynolds number scaling conditions imply that
decreases as Reynolds number increases. Away from boundaries, these
scaling conditions imply is independent of Reynolds number. Given the
agreement with empirical and numerical data, our current work indicates that
the Camassa-Holm equations provide a promising theoretical framework from which
to understand some turbulent flows.Comment: tex file, 29 pages, 4 figures, Physics of Fluids (in press
Secular trends in work disability and its relationship to musculoskeletal pain and mental health: a time-trend analysis using five cross-sectional surveys (2002-2010) in the general population.
OBJECTIVES: International evidence suggests that rates of inability to work because of illness can change over time. We hypothesised that one reason for this is that the link between inability to work and common illnesses, such as musculoskeletal pain and mental illness, may also change over time. We have investigated this in a study based in one UK district. METHODS: Five population surveys (spanning 2002-2010) of working-age people aged >50 years and â€65 years were used. Work disability was defined as a single self-reported item 'not working due to ill-health'. Presence of moderate-severe depressive symptoms was identified from the Mental Component Score of the Short Form-12, and pain from a full-body manikin. Data were analysed with multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: The proportion of people reporting work disability across the surveys declined, from 17.0% in 2002 to 12.1% in 2010. Those reporting work disability, one-third reported regional pain, one-half widespread pain (53%) and two-thirds moderate-severe depressive symptoms (68%). Both factors were independently associated with work disability; their co-occurrence was associated with an almost 20-fold increase in the odds of reporting work disability compared with those with neither condition. CONCLUSIONS: The association of work disability with musculoskeletal pain was stable over time; depressive symptoms became more prominent in persons reporting work disability, but overall prevalence of work disability declined. The frequency and impact of both musculoskeletal pain and depression highlight the need to move beyond symptom-directed approaches towards a more comprehensive model of health and vocational advice for people unable to work because of illness
Phase-Control of Photoabsorption in Optically Dense Media
We present a self-consistent theory, as well as an illustrative application
to a realistic system, of phase control of photoabsorption in an optically
dense medium. We demonstrate that, when propagation effects are taken into
consideration, the impact on phase control is significant. Independently of the
value of the initial phase difference between the two fields, over a short
scaled distance of propagation, the medium tends to settle the relative phase
so that it cancels the atomic excitation. In addition, we find some rather
unusual behavior for an optically thin layer.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR
Landmark Tracking in Liver US images Using Cascade Convolutional Neural Networks with Long Short-Term Memory
This study proposed a deep learning-based tracking method for ultrasound (US)
image-guided radiation therapy. The proposed cascade deep learning model is
composed of an attention network, a mask region-based convolutional neural
network (mask R-CNN), and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. The
attention network learns a mapping from a US image to a suspected area of
landmark motion in order to reduce the search region. The mask R-CNN then
produces multiple region-of-interest (ROI) proposals in the reduced region and
identifies the proposed landmark via three network heads: bounding box
regression, proposal classification, and landmark segmentation. The LSTM
network models the temporal relationship among the successive image frames for
bounding box regression and proposal classification. To consolidate the final
proposal, a selection method is designed according to the similarities between
sequential frames. The proposed method was tested on the liver US tracking
datasets used in the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted
Interventions (MICCAI) 2015 challenges, where the landmarks were annotated by
three experienced observers to obtain their mean positions. Five-fold
cross-validation on the 24 given US sequences with ground truths shows that the
mean tracking error for all landmarks is 0.65+/-0.56 mm, and the errors of all
landmarks are within 2 mm. We further tested the proposed model on 69 landmarks
from the testing dataset that has a similar image pattern to the training
pattern, resulting in a mean tracking error of 0.94+/-0.83 mm. Our experimental
results have demonstrated the feasibility and accuracy of our proposed method
in tracking liver anatomic landmarks using US images, providing a potential
solution for real-time liver tracking for active motion management during
radiation therapy
Understanding surfaces and buried interfaces of polymer materials at the molecular level using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy
This paper reviews recent progress in the studies on polymer surfaces/interfaces using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. SFG theory, technique, and some experimental details have been presented. The review is focused on the SFG studies on buried interfaces involving polymer materials, such as polymerâwater interfaces and polymerâpolymer interfaces. Molecular interactions between polymer surfaces and adhesion promoters as well as biological molecules such as proteins and peptides have also been elucidated using SFG. This review demonstrates that SFG is a powerful technique to characterize molecular level structural information of complicated polymer surfaces and interfaces in situ . Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical IndustryPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56019/1/2201_ftp.pd
The dynamic crossover in water does not require bulk water
Many of the anomalous properties of water may be explained by invoking a second critical point that terminates the coexistence line between the low- and high-density amorphous states in the liquid. Direct experimental evidence of this point, and the associated polyamorphic liquidâliquid transition, is elusive as it is necessary for liquid water to be cooled below its homogeneous-nucleation temperature. To avoid crystallization, water in the eutectic LiCl solution has been studied but then it is generally considered that âbulkâ water cannot be present. However, recent computational and experimental studies observe cooperative hydration in which case it is possible that sufficient hydrogen-bonded water is present for the essential characteristics of water to be preserved. For femtosecond optical Kerr-effect and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, we observe in each case a fractional StokesâEinstein relation with evidence of the dynamic crossover appearing near 220 K and 250 K respectively. Spectra obtained in the glass state also confirm the complex nature of the hydrogen-bonding modes reported for neat room-temperature water and support predictions of anomalous diffusion due to âworm-holeâ structure
Cross-validation of the Work Organization Assessment Questionnaire across genders: a study in the Australian health care sector
Objectives The main aim of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of the Work Organisation Assessment Questionnaire (WOAQ) across genders in a group of healthcare employees, using bifactor modelling. There is a very limited research that uses invariance testing of bifactor models, despite their usefulness. Establishing validity of the WOAQ in this way is important for demonstrating its relevance for both males and females. Methods A bifactor modelling procedure was used here to examine the validity of the WOAQ with a sample of 946 paramedics employed in a large Australian organization in the healthcare sector. Results The results of this study show that the WOAQ has good psychometric properties across genders in healthcare settings. In addition, there were significant mean differences between males and females in their perceptions of âquality of relationships with colleaguesâ, and âreward and recognitionâ. There were no differences between males and females on the remaining factors: âquality of relationships with the managementâ, âquality of relationships with colleaguesâ, and âquality of the physical environmentâ. Conclusions The use of bifactor modelling to establish the cross-validity of the WOAQ across male and female paramedics adds to evidence for the measureâs good psychometric properties. The findings add to those of previous research that has used higher order Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Moreover, mean differences between males and females were found to be significant in two of the five WOAQ subscales. These findings have practical implications for healthcare organizations, in terms of assessing work characteristics and developing activities to support the health and well-being of their employees
Evasion of anti-growth signaling: a key step in tumorigenesis and potential target for treatment and prophylaxis by natural compounds
The evasion of anti-growth signaling is an important characteristic of cancer cells. In order to continue to proliferate, cancer cells must somehow uncouple themselves from the many signals that exist to slow down cell growth. Here, we define the anti-growth signaling process, and review several important pathways involved in growth signaling: p53, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), retinoblastoma protein (Rb), Hippo, growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), AT-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A), Notch, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and KrĂŒppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) pathways. Aberrations in these processes in cancer cells involve mutations and thus the suppression of genes that prevent growth, as well as mutation and activation of genes involved in driving cell growth. Using these pathways as examples, we prioritize molecular targets that might be leveraged to promote anti-growth signaling in cancer cells. Interestingly, naturally-occurring phytochemicals found in human diets (either singly or as mixtures) may promote anti-growth signaling, and do so without the potentially adverse effects associated with synthetic chemicals. We review examples of naturally-occurring phytochemicals that may be applied to prevent cancer by antagonizing growth signaling, and propose one phytochemical for each pathway. These are: epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for the Rb pathway, luteolin for p53, curcumin for PTEN, porphyrins for Hippo, genistein for GDF15, resveratrol for ARID1A, withaferin A for Notch and diguelin for the IGF1-receptor pathway. The coordination of anti-growth signaling and natural compound studies will provide insight into the future application of these compounds in the clinical setting
Exploring What Factors Mediate Treatment Effect: Example of the STarT Back Study High-Risk Intervention
Interventions developed to improve disability outcomes for low back pain (LBP) often show only small effects. Mediation analysis was used to investigate what led to the effectiveness of the STarT Back trial, a large primary care-based trial that treated patients consulting with LBP according to their risk of a poor outcome. The high-risk subgroup, randomized to receive either psychologically-informed physiotherapy (n = 93) or current best care (n = 45), was investigated to explore pain-related distress and pain intensity as potential mediators of the relationship between treatment allocation and change in disability. Structural equation modeling was used to generate latent variables of pain-related distress and pain intensity from measures used to identify patients at high risk (fear-avoidance beliefs, depression, anxiety, and catastrophizing thoughts). Outcome was measured using the RolandâMorris Disability Questionnaire. Change in pain-related distress and pain intensity were found to have a significant mediating effect of .25 (standardized estimate, bootstrapped 95% confidence interval, .09â.39) on the relationship between treatment group allocation and change in disability outcome. This study adds to the evidence base of treatment mediation studies in pain research and the role of distress in influencing disability outcome in those with complex LBP. Perspective Mediation analysis using structural equation modeling found that change in pain-related distress and pain intensity mediated treatment effect in the STarT Back trial. This type of analysis can be used to gain further insight into how interventions work, and lead to the design of more effective interventions in future
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