A case study of technology transfer: Cardiology

Research advancements in cardiology instrumentation and techniques are summarized. Emphasis is placed upon the following techniques: (1) development of electrodes which show good skin compatibility and wearer comfort; (2) contourography - a real time display system for showing the results of EKGs; (3) detection of arteriosclerosis by digital computer processing of X-ray photos; (4) automated, noninvasive systems for blood pressure measurement; (5) ultrasonoscope - a noninvasive device for use in diagnosis of aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valve disease; and (6) rechargable cardiac pacemakers. The formation of a biomedical applications team which is an interdisciplinary team to bridge the gap between the developers and users of technology is described

Name agreement in picture naming: An ERP study

Name agreement is the extent to which different people agree on a name for a particular picture. Previous studies have found that it takes longer to name low name agreement pictures than high name agreement pictures. To examine the effect of name agreement in the online process of picture naming, we compared event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded whilst 19 healthy, native English speakers silently named pictures which had either high or low name agreement. A series of ERP components was examined: P1 approximately 120ms from picture onset, N1 around 170ms, P2 around 220ms, N2 around 290ms, and P3 around 400ms. Additionally, a late time window from 800 to 900ms was considered. Name agreement had an early effect, starting at P1 and possibly resulting from uncertainty of picture identity, and continuing into N2, possibly resulting from alternative names for pictures. These results support the idea that name agreement affects two consecutive processes: first, object recognition, and second, lexical selection and/or phonological encoding

Asymmetry distributions and mass effects in dijet events at a polarized HERA

The asymmetry distributions for several kinematic variables are considered for finding a systematic way to maximize the signal for the extraction of the polarized gluon density. The relevance of mass effects for the corresponding dijet cross section is discussed and the different approximations for including mass effects are compared. We also compare via the programs Pepsi and Mepjet two different Monte Carlo (MC) approaches for simulating the expected signal in the dijet asymmetry at a polarized HERA.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, minor stylistic changes for Z.Phys.

Local CP-violation and electric charge separation by magnetic fields from lattice QCD

We study local CP-violation on the lattice by measuring the local correlation between the topological charge density and the electric dipole moment of quarks, induced by a constant external magnetic field. This correlator is found to increase linearly with the external field, with the coefficient of proportionality depending only weakly on temperature. Results are obtained on lattices with various spacings, and are extrapolated to the continuum limit after the renormalization of the observables is carried out. This renormalization utilizes the gradient flow for the quark and gluon fields. Our findings suggest that the strength of local CP-violation in QCD with physical quark masses is about an order of magnitude smaller than a model prediction based on nearly massless quarks in domains of constant gluon backgrounds with topological charge. We also show numerical evidence that the observed local CP-violation correlates with spatially extended electric dipole structures in the QCD vacuum.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures. Additional lattice results about the induced electric dipole structure, extended model description, specified terminology. Version published in JHE

On highest-energy state in the su(1|1) sector of N=4 super Yang-Mills theory

We consider the highest-energy state in the su(1|1) sector of N=4 super Yang-Mills theory containing operators of the form tr(Z^{L-M} \psi^M) where Z is a complex scalar and \psi is a component of gaugino. We show that this state corresponds to the operator tr(\psi^L) and can be viewed as an analogue of the antiferromagnetic state in the su(2) sector. We find perturbative expansions of the energy of this state in both weak and strong 't Hooft coupling regimes using asymptotic gauge theory Bethe ansatz equations. We also discuss a possible analog of this state in the conjectured string Bethe ansatz equations.Comment: 23 pages, Late

The Evolution of Natural Plant Communities through Crop Migration and Crop-to-weed Gene Flow

With the rising demand for food and biofuels, the efficiency of crop production has become vital to assuring food security. Genetically engineered (GE) crop varieties are broadly thought to be a solution for improving the efficiency of crop production, but concerns regarding their release have heightened as more discoveries have focused on the influence of genetically engineered crops on native and weedy plant species. Risk assessment of GE crop varieties focuses on two main areas: feralization of crop systems and crop-weed hybridization. Risks include naturalization, transgene introgression, and the formation of novel genotypes in natural systems. In this study, roadside surveys and sentinel plant experiments were conducted in North Dakota, U.S.A. in order to assess the risks facing natural plant communities by crop migration and crop to weed gene flow. We documented the establishment of transgenic, persisting canola (Brassica napus L.) populations on a large spatial scale in the U.S.A. and the development of novel genotypes within these populations. We also identify species and population level differences in hybridization rates between transgenic canola and weedy Brassica species within a commercial field environment

How Do We Understand Depression in People with Persistent Pain?

Depression and depressed mood are common in people with persistent (chronic) pain, exacerbating disability and worsening quality of life. Yet the relationship between persistent pain and depression remains unclear, despite its importance for designing or adapting interventions to address both pain and depression. Meta-analysis of cognitive and behavioral interventions designed for rehabilitation of persistent pain shows small benefits for distress. However, substantial variation between studies in patients’ baseline levels of depression and in quality of treatments militates against any clear conclusions. Apart from these interventions, longitudinal studies on chronic pain and depression in adults from clinical populations provide weak evidence that depression worsens pain outcomes. We systematically searched for and reviewed 14 longitudinal studies that explored the association between persistent pain and depression, aiming to identify: (1) the effects on pain of baseline depression; (2) the effects on depression of baseline pain; and (3) possible mediating variables, with particular attention to methodology. Unfortunately, most studies used unsuitable instruments to measure depression, and we could draw only tentative conclusions about effects over time. Better models and clearer measurement strategies are required for a next generation of clinically useful treatment trials and, meanwhile, some implications for treatment are explored

Higher-order corrections to the relativistic perihelion advance and the mass of binary pulsars

We study the general relativistic orbital equation and using a straightforward perturbation method and a mathematical device first introduced by d'Alembert, we work out approximate expressions of a bound planetary orbit in the form of trigonometrical polynomials and the first three terms of the power series development of the perihelion advance. The results are applied to a more precise determination of the total mass of the double pulsar J0737-3039.Comment: 8 pages. Accepted for publication in "Astrophysics & Space Science