39,489 research outputs found
Ethnic differences in adiposity and diabetes risk – insights from genetic studies
Type 2 diabetes is more common in non-Europeans and starts at a younger age and at lower BMI cut-offs. This review discusses the insights from genetic studies about pathophysiological mechanisms which determine risk of disease with a focus on the role of adiposity and body fat distribution in ethnic disparity in risk of type 2 diabetes. During the past decade, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 400 genetic variants associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. The Eurocentric nature of these genetic studies have made them less effective in identifying mechanisms that make non-Europeans more susceptible to higher risk of disease. One possible mechanism suggested by epidemiological studies is the role of ethnic difference in body fat distribution. Using genetic variants associated with an ability to store extra fat in a safe place, which is subcutaneous adipose tissue, we discuss how different ethnic groups could be genetically less susceptible to type 2 diabetes by developing a more favourable fat distribution
Quadrature domains and kernel function zipping
It is proved that quadrature domains are ubiquitous in a very strong sense in
the realm of smoothly bounded multiply connected domains in the plane. In fact,
they are so dense that one might as well assume that any given smooth domain
one is dealing with is a quadrature domain, and this allows access to a host of
strong conditions on the classical kernel functions associated to the domain.
Following this string of ideas leads to the discovery that the Bergman kernel
can be zipped down to a strikingly small data set. It is also proved that the
kernel functions associated to a quadrature domain must be algebraic.Comment: 13 pages, to appear in Arkiv for matemati
Further Evidence that the Redshifts of AGN Galaxies May Contain Intrinsic Components
In the decreasing intrinsic redshift (DIR) model galaxies are assumed to be
born as compact objects that have been ejected with large intrinsic redshift
components, z_(i), out of the nuclei of mature AGN galaxies. As young AGN
(quasars) they are initially several magnitudes sub-luminous to mature galaxies
but their luminosity gradually increases over 10^8 yrs, as z_(i) decreases and
they evolve into mature AGN (Seyferts and radio galaxies). Evidence presented
here that low- and intermediate-redshift AGN are unquestionably sub-luminous to
radio galaxies is then strong support for this model and makes it likely that
the high-redshift AGN (quasars) are also sub-luminous, having simply been
pushed above the radio galaxies on a logz-m_(v) plot by the presence of a large
intrinsic component in their redshifts. An increase in luminosity below z =
0.06 is also seen. It is associated in the DIR model with an increase in
luminosity as the sources mature but, if real, is difficult to interpret in the
cosmological redshift (CR) model since at this low redshift it is unlikely to
be associated with a higher star formation rate or an increase in the material
used to build galaxies. Whether it might be possible in the CR model to explain
these results by selection effects is also examined.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. Contains response to referees suggestions.
(Accepted for ApJL
Dominant mobility modulation by the electric field effect at the LaAlO_3 / SrTiO_3 interface
Caviglia et al. [Nature (London) 456, 624 (2008)] have found that the
superconducting LaAlO_3 / SrTiO_3 interface can be gate modulated. A central
issue is to determine the principal effect of the applied electric field. Using
magnetotransport studies of a gated structure, we find that the mobility
variation is almost five times as large as the sheet carrier density.
Furthermore, superconductivity can be suppressed at both positive and negative
gate bias. These results indicate that the relative disorder strength strongly
increases across the superconductor-insulator transition.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Implementation of the 64-meter-diameter Antennas at the Deep Space Stations in Australia and Spain
The management and construction aspects of the Overseas 64-m Antenna Project in which two 64-m antennas were constructed at the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Communications Complex in Australia, and at the Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex in Spain are described. With the completion of these antennas the Deep Space Network is equipped with three 64-m antennas spaced around the world to maintain continuous coverage of spacecraft operations. These antennas provide approximately a 7-db gain over the capabilities of the existing 26-m antenna nets. The report outlines the project organization and management, resource utilization, fabrication, quality assurance, and construction methods by which the project was successfully completed. Major problems and their solutions are described as well as recommendations for future projects
Construction of optimal witness for unknown two-qubit entanglement
Whether entanglement in a state can be detected, distilled, and quantified
without full state reconstruction is a fundamental open problem. We demonstrate
a new scheme encompassing these three tasks for arbitrary two-qubit
entanglement, by constructing the optimal entanglement witness for
polarization-entangled mixed-state photon pairs without full state
reconstruction. With better efficiency than quantum state tomography, the
entanglement is maximally distilled by newly developed tunable polarization
filters, and quantified by the expectation value of the witness, which equals
the concurrence. This scheme is extendible to multiqubit
Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger entanglement.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 230404 (2010); supplementary information
(OWitness_sup.pdf) is included in source zip fil
Quantitying the Effects of Traffic Calming on Emissions Using on-road Measurement
The objective of this work was to determine the effect of
one form of traffic calming on emissions. Traffic calming
is aimed at reducing average vehicle speeds, especially
in residential neighborhoods, often using physical road
obstructions such as speed bumps, but it also results in
a higher number of acceleration/deceleration events
which in turn yield higher emissions. Testing was
undertaken by driving a warmed-up Euro-1 spark ignition
passenger car over a set of speed bumps on a level
road, and then comparing the emissions output to a noncalmed
level road negotiated smoothly at a similar
average speed. For the emissions measurements, a
novel method was utilized, whereby the vehicle was
fitted with a portable Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)
spectrometer, capable of measuring up to 51 different
components in real-time on the road. The results
showed that increases in emissions were much greater
than was previously reported by other researchers using
different techniques. When traffic-calmed results were
compared to a smooth non-calmed road, there were
substantial increases in CO2 (90%), CO (117%), NOx
(195%) and THC (148%). These results form the basis
for a good argument against traffic calming using speed
bumps, especially for aggressive drivers. Slowing traffic
down with speed restrictions enforced by speed
cameras is a more environmentally friendly option
Evaluation of a FTIR Emission Measurement System for Legislated Emissions Using a SI Car
A series of chassis dynamometer test trials were
conducted to assess the performance of a Fourier
Transform Infra Red (FTIR) system developed for
on-road vehicle exhaust emissions measurements.
Trials used a EURO 1 emission compliant SI passenger
car which, alongside the FTIR, was instrumented to
allow the routine logging of engine speed, road speed,
throttle position, air-fuel ratio, air flow and fuel flow in
addition to engine, exhaust and catalyst temperatures.
The chassis dynamometer facility incorporated an
‘industry standard’ measurement system comprising
MEXA7400 gas analyzer and CVS bag sampling which
was the ‘benchmark’ for the evaluation of FTIR
legislated gas-phase emissions (CO, NOx, THC and
CO2) measurements.
Initial steady state measurements demonstrated strong
correlations for CO, NOx and THC (R2 of 0.99, 0.97
0.99, respectively) and a good correlation for CO2 (R2 =
0.92). Subsequent transient and total mass emissions
measurements from replicate samplings of four different
driving cycles (two standard cycles, FTP75 and NEDC,
and two novel cycles based on real-world data collected
in Leeds) also show good response of FTIR and
satisfied agreement between the FTIR and CVS bag
sampling measurements.
In general, the trial results demonstrate that the
on-board FTIR emission measurement system provides
reliable in-journey emissions data
Causality and Cirel'son bounds
An EPR-Bell type experiment carried out on an entangled quantum system can
produce correlations stronger than allowed by local realistic theories. However
there are correlations that are no-signaling and are more non local than the
quantum correlations. Here we show that any correlations more non local than
those achievable in an EPR-Bell type experiment necessarily allow -in the
context of the quantum formalism- both for signaling and for generation of
entanglement. We use our approach to rederive Cirel'son bound for the CHSH
expression, and we derive a new Cirel'son type bound for qutrits. We discuss in
detail the interpretation of our approach.Comment: 5 page
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