522 research outputs found
On the stability of standing matter waves in a trap
We discuss excited Bose-condensed states and find the criterion of dynamical
stability of a kink-wise state, i.e., a standing matter wave with one nodal
plane perpendicular to the axis of a cylindrical trap. The dynamical stability
requires a strong radial confinement corresponding to the radial frequency
larger than the mean-field interparticle interaction. We address the question
of thermodynamic instability related to the presence of excitations with
negative energy.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Myeloma bone disease : the osteoblast in the spotlight
Lytic bone disease remains a life-altering complication of multiple myeloma, with up to 90% of sufferers experiencing skeletal events at some point in their cancer journey. This tumour-induced bone disease is driven by an upregulation of bone resorption (via increased osteoclast (OC) activity) and a downregulation of bone formation (via reduced osteoblast (OB) activity), leading to phenotypic osteolysis. Treatments are limited, and currently exclusively target OCs. Despite existing bone targeting therapies, patients successfully achieving remission from their cancer can still be left with chronic pain, poor mobility, and reduced quality of life as a result of bone disease. As such, the field is desperately in need of new and improved bone-modulating therapeutic agents. One such option is the use of bone anabolics, drugs that are gaining traction in the osteoporosis field following successful clinical trials. The prospect of using these therapies in relation to myeloma is an attractive option, as they aim to stimulate OBs, as opposed to existing therapeutics that do little to orchestrate new bone formation. The preclinical application of bone anabolics in myeloma mouse models has demonstrated positive outcomes for bone repair and fracture resistance. Here, we review the role of the OB in the pathophysiology of myeloma-induced bone disease and explore whether novel OB targeted therapies could improve outcomes for patients
Gastrostomies Preserve but do not Increase Quality of Life for Patients and Caregivers
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastrostomies are widely used to provide long-term enteral nutrition to patients with neurological conditions that affect swallowing (such as following a cerebrovascular accident or for patients with motor neuron disease) or with oropharyngeal malignancies. The benefits derived from this intervention are uncertain for patients and caregivers. We conducted a prospective, multicenter cohort study to determine how gastrostomies affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in recipients and caregivers. METHODS: We performed a study of 100 patients who received gastrostomies (55% percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, 45% radiologically inserted) at 5 centers in the United Kingdom, 100 caregivers, and 200 population controls. We used the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D, comprising a questionnaire, index, visual analogue scale) to assess HRQoL for patients and caregivers before the gastrostomy insertion and then 3 months afterward; findings were compared with those from controls. Ten patients and 10 caregivers were also interviewed after the procedure to explore quantitative findings. Findings from the EQ-5D and semi-structured interviews were integrated using a mixed methods matrix. RESULTS: Six patients died before the 3-month HRQoL reassessments. We observed no significant longitudinal changes in mean EQ-5D index scores for patients (0.70 before vs 0.710 after; P=.83) or caregivers (0.95 before vs 0.95 after; P=.32) following gastrostomy insertion. The semi-structured interviews revealed problems in managing gastrostomy tubes, social isolation, and psychological and emotional consequences that reduced HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: We performed a mixed methods prospective study of the effects of gastrostomy feeding on HRQoL. HRQoL did not significantly improve after gastrostomy insertion for patients or caregivers. The lack of significant decrease in HRQoL after the procedure indicates that gastrostomies may help maintain HRQoL. Findings have relevance to those involved in gastrostomy insertion decisions and indicate the importance of carefully selecting patients for this intervention, despite the relative ease of insertion
Mechanical characterisation of a fibre reinforced oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composite
Monotonic tension, fatigue and creep experiments were conducted on an oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composite over the range of temperature 20–1200 °C. The role of continuous fibre reinforcement, differential thermal expansion, stress redistribution interactions between fibres and matrix and the influence of inherent processing defects are all considered when describing the deformation and ultimate mechanical failure of these systems
Bone pain in multiple myeloma (BPMM) — a protocol for a prospective, longitudinal, observational study
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a bone marrow neoplasia that causes bone pain in 70% patients. While preclinical models of MM have suggested that both nerve sprouting and nerve injury may be causative for the pain, there is a lack of clinical data. Thus, the primary aims of this clinical study are: (1) to provide a deep characterization of the subjective experience of pain and quality of life in MM patients; (2) to investigate disturbances in the bone innervation of MM patients. Secondary aims include exploring correlations between pain and serum inflammatory and bone turnover biomarkers. In a prospective, observational study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04273425), patients with suspected MM requiring a diagnostic iliac crest biopsy at Sheffield Teaching Hospital (UK) are invited to participate. Consenting patients answer seven standardized questionnaires assessing pain, quality of life and catastrophizing. Bone turnover biomarkers and inflammatory cytokines are measured in fasting serum samples, and bone innervation is evaluated in diagnostic biopsies. MM patients are invited to a follow-up upon completion of first line treatment. This will be the first deep characterization of pain in MM patients and its correlation with disturbances in bone innervation. Understanding how bone turnover and inflammation correlate to pain in MM is crucial to identify novel analgesic targets for this condition
A dimensionally continued Poisson summation formula
We generalize the standard Poisson summation formula for lattices so that it
operates on the level of theta series, allowing us to introduce noninteger
dimension parameters (using the dimensionally continued Fourier transform).
When combined with one of the proofs of the Jacobi imaginary transformation of
theta functions that does not use the Poisson summation formula, our proof of
this generalized Poisson summation formula also provides a new proof of the
standard Poisson summation formula for dimensions greater than 2 (with
appropriate hypotheses on the function being summed). In general, our methods
work to establish the (Voronoi) summation formulae associated with functions
satisfying (modular) transformations of the Jacobi imaginary type by means of a
density argument (as opposed to the usual Mellin transform approach). In
particular, we construct a family of generalized theta series from Jacobi theta
functions from which these summation formulae can be obtained. This family
contains several families of modular forms, but is significantly more general
than any of them. Our result also relaxes several of the hypotheses in the
standard statements of these summation formulae. The density result we prove
for Gaussians in the Schwartz space may be of independent interest.Comment: 12 pages, version accepted by JFAA, with various additions and
improvement
Macroscopic Quantum Fluctuations in the Josephson Dynamics of Two Weakly Linked Bose-Einstein Condensates
We study the quantum corrections to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for two
weakly linked Bose-Einstein condensates. The goals are: 1) to investigate
dynamical regimes at the borderline between the classical and quantum behaviour
of the bosonic field; 2) to search for new macroscopic quantum coherence
phenomena not observable with other superfluid/superconducting systems. Quantum
fluctuations renormalize the classical Josephson oscillation frequencies. Large
amplitude phase oscillations are modulated, exhibiting collapses and revivals.
We describe a new inter-well oscillation mode, with a vanishing (ensemble
averaged) mean value of the observables, but with oscillating mean square
fluctuations. Increasing the number of condensate atoms, we recover the
classical Gross-Pitaevskii (Josephson) dynamics, without invoking the
symmetry-breaking of the Gauge invariance.Comment: Submitte
Input-output theory for fermions in an atom cavity
We generalize the quantum optical input-output theory developed for optical
cavities to ultracold fermionic atoms confined in a trapping potential, which
forms an "atom cavity". In order to account for the Pauli exclusion principle,
quantum Langevin equations for all cavity modes are derived. The dissipative
part of these multi-mode Langevin equations includes a coupling between cavity
modes. We also derive a set of boundary conditions for the Fermi field that
relate the output fields to the input fields and the field radiated by the
cavity. Starting from a constant uniform current of fermions incident on one
side of the cavity, we use the boundary conditions to calculate the occupation
numbers and current density for the fermions that are reflected and transmitted
by the cavity
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