1,626 research outputs found
A model for evolution and extinction
We present a model for evolution and extinction in large ecosystems. The
model incorporates the effects of interactions between species and the
influences of abiotic environmental factors. We study the properties of the
model by approximate analytic solution and also by numerical simulation, and
use it to make predictions about the distribution of extinctions and species
lifetimes that we would expect to see in real ecosystems. It should be possible
to test these predictions against the fossil record. The model indicates that a
possible mechanism for mass extinction is the coincidence of a large
coevolutionary avalanche in the ecosystem with a severe environmental
disturbance.Comment: Postscript (compressed etc. using uufiles), 16 pages, with 15
embedded figure
Hysteresis, Avalanches, and Noise: Numerical Methods
In studying the avalanches and noise in a model of hysteresis loops we have
developed two relatively straightforward algorithms which have allowed us to
study large systems efficiently. Our model is the random-field Ising model at
zero temperature, with deterministic albeit random dynamics. The first
algorithm, implemented using sorted lists, scales in computer time as O(N log
N), and asymptotically uses N (sizeof(double)+ sizeof(int)) bits of memory. The
second algorithm, which never generates the random fields, scales in time as
O(N \log N) and asymptotically needs storage of only one bit per spin, about 96
times less memory than the first algorithm. We present results for system sizes
of up to a billion spins, which can be run on a workstation with 128MB of RAM
in a few hours. We also show that important physical questions were resolved
only with the largest of these simulations
Pharmacodynamics of Aerosolized Fosfomycin and Amikacin against Resistant Clinical Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Hollow-Fiber Infection Model: Experimental Basis for Combination Therapy
There has been a resurgence of interest in aerosolization of antibiotics for treatment of patients with severe pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. A combination formulation of amikacin-fosfomycin is currently undergoing clinical testing although the exposure-response relationships of these drugs have not been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to describe the individual and combined antibacterial effects of simulated epithelial lining fluid exposures of aerosolized amikacin and fosfomycin against resistant clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MICs of 16 mg/liter and 64 mg/liter) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (MICs of 2 mg/liter and 64 mg/liter) using a dynamic hollow-fiber infection model over 7 days. Targeted peak concentrations of 300 mg/liter amikacin and/or 1,200 mg/liter fosfomycin as a 12-hourly dosing regimens were used. Quantitative cultures were performed to describe changes in concentrations of the total and resistant bacterial populations. The targeted starting inoculum was 108 CFU/ml for both strains. We observed that neither amikacin nor fosfomycin monotherapy was bactericidal against P. aeruginosa while both were associated with rapid amplification of resistant P. aeruginosa strains (about 108 to 109 CFU/ml within 24 to 48 h). For K. pneumoniae, amikacin but not fosfomycin was bactericidal. When both drugs were combined, a rapid killing was observed for P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae (6-log kill within 24 h). Furthermore, the combination of amikacin and fosfomycin effectively suppressed growth of resistant strains of P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae. In conclusion, the combination of amikacin and fosfomycin was effective at maximizing bacterial killing and suppressing emergence of resistance against these clinical isolates
Hysteresis and hierarchies: dynamics of disorder-driven first-order phase transformations
We use the zero-temperature random-field Ising model to study hysteretic
behavior at first-order phase transitions. Sweeping the external field through
zero, the model exhibits hysteresis, the return-point memory effect, and
avalanche fluctuations. There is a critical value of disorder at which a jump
in the magnetization (corresponding to an infinite avalanche) first occurs. We
study the universal behavior at this critical point using mean-field theory,
and also present preliminary results of numerical simulations in three
dimensions.Comment: 12 pages plus 2 appended figures, plain TeX, CU-MSC-747
Intravenous sodium nitrite in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a randomized controlled trial (NIAMI).
AIM: Despite prompt revascularization of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), substantial myocardial injury may occur, in part a consequence of ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI). There has been considerable interest in therapies that may reduce IRI. In experimental models of AMI, sodium nitrite substantially reduces IRI. In this double-blind randomized placebo controlled parallel-group trial, we investigated the effects of sodium nitrite administered immediately prior to reperfusion in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 229 patients presenting with acute STEMI were randomized to receive either an i.v. infusion of 70 μmol sodium nitrite (n = 118) or matching placebo (n = 111) over 5 min immediately before primary percutaneous intervention (PPCI). Patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) at 6-8 days and at 6 months and serial blood sampling was performed over 72 h for the measurement of plasma creatine kinase (CK) and Troponin I. Myocardial infarct size (extent of late gadolinium enhancement at 6-8 days by CMR-the primary endpoint) did not differ between nitrite and placebo groups after adjustment for area at risk, diabetes status, and centre (effect size -0.7% 95% CI: -2.2%, +0.7%; P = 0.34). There were no significant differences in any of the secondary endpoints, including plasma troponin I and CK area under the curve, left ventricular volumes (LV), and ejection fraction (EF) measured at 6-8 days and at 6 months and final infarct size (FIS) measured at 6 months.
CONCLUSIONS: Sodium nitrite administered intravenously immediately prior to reperfusion in patients with acute STEMI does not reduce infarct size
Jet-induced cratering of a granular surface with application to lunar spaceports
The erosion of lunar soil by rocket exhaust plumes is investigated
experimentally. This has identified the diffusion-driven flow in the bulk of
the sand as an important but previously unrecognized mechanism for erosion
dynamics. It has also shown that slow regime cratering is governed by the
recirculation of sand in the widening geometry of the crater. Scaling
relationships and erosion mechanisms have been characterized in detail for the
slow regime. The diffusion-driven flow occurs in both slow and fast regime
cratering. Because diffusion-driven flow had been omitted from the lunar
erosion theory and from the pressure cratering theory of the Apollo and Viking
era, those theories cannot be entirely correct.Comment: 13 pages, link to published version:
http://cedb.asce.org/cgi/WWWdisplay.cgi?090000
- …