1,877 research outputs found
Mental Events
Mental events, changes that take place in the consciousness of the narrated characters or the narrating entity, are an essential theme of narrative works. This book first undertakes a typologization of the procedures by means of which the content of consciousness is represented, as well as outlining the conditions of events and the criteria of eventfulness. Then, classic narrative works from various cultures and epochs – from Parzival and Tristan, through Samuel Richardson and Jane Austen, to Fëdor Dostoevskij and Anton Čexov – are examined in terms of how mental events are shaped in them. The book follows three guiding questions. What philosophy of events and consciousness is expressed in the works? How disposed are different cultures and epochs to eventfulness? To what extent do they allow for the presentation of fundamental mental changes
Fatal lymphoproliferation and acute monocytic leukemia-like disease following infectious mononucleosis in the elderly
Three elderly patients are reported, in whom serologically confirmed recent infectious mononucleosis is followed by fatal lymphoproliferation (case 1), by acute monocytic leukemia (case 2), and by acute probably monocytic leukemia (case 3)
Shadows and cavities in protoplanetary disks: HD163296, HD141569A, and HD150193A in polarized light
The morphological evolution of dusty disks around young (few Myr-old) stars
is pivotal to better understand planet formation. Since both dust grains and
the global disk geometry evolve on short timescale, high-resolution imaging of
a sample of objects may provide important hints towards such an evolution. We
enlarge the sample of protoplanetary disks imaged in polarized light with
high-resolution by observing the Herbig Ae/Be stars HD163296, HD141569A, and
HD150193A. We integrate our data with previous datasets to paint a larger
picture of their morphology. We report a weak detection of the disk around
HD163296 in both H and Ks band. The disk is resolved as a broken ring structure
with a significan surface brightness drop inward of 0.6 arcsec. No sign of
extended polarized emission is detected from the disk around HD141569A and
HD150193A. We propose that the absence of scattered light in the inner 0.6
arcsec around HD163296 and the non-detection of the disk around HD150193A may
be due to similar geometric factors. Since these disks are known to be flat or
only moderately flared, self-shadowing by the disk inner wall is the favored
explanation. We show that the polarized brightness of a number of disks is
indeed related to their flaring angle. Other scenarios (such as dust grain
growth or interaction with icy molecules) are also discussed. On the other
hand, the non-detection of HD141569A is consistent with previous datasets
revealing the presence of a huge cavity in the dusty disk.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures; accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
Small vs large dust grains in transitional disks: do different cavity sizes indicate a planet?
Transitional disks represent a short stage of the evolution of circumstellar
material. Studies of dust grains in these objects can provide pivotal
information on the mechanisms of planet formation. Dissimilarities in the
spatial distribution of small (micron-size) and large (millimeter-size) dust
grains have recently been pointed out. Constraints on the small dust grains can
be obtained by imaging the distribution of scattered light at near-infrared
wavelengths. We aim at resolving structures in the surface layer of
transitional disks (with particular emphasis on the inner 10 - 50 AU), thus
increasing the scarce sample of high resolution images of these objects. We
obtained VLT/NACO near-IR high-resolution polarimetric differential imaging
observations of SAO 206462 (HD135344B). This technique allows one to image the
polarized scattered light from the disk without any occulting mask and to reach
an inner working angle of 0.1''. A face-on disk is detected in H and Ks bands
between 0.1'' and 0.9''. No significant differences are seen between the H and
Ks images. In addition to the spiral arms, these new data allow us to resolve
for the first time an inner cavity for small dust grains. The cavity size
(about 28 AU) is much smaller than what is inferred for large dust grains from
(sub)mm observations (39 to 50 AU). The interaction between the disk and
potential orbiting companion(s) can explain both the spiral arm structure and
the discrepant cavity sizes for small and large dust grains. One planet may be
carving out the gas (and, thus, the small grains) at 28 AU, and generating a
pressure bump at larger radii (39 AU), which holds back the large grains. We
analytically estimate that, in this scenario, a single giant planet (with a
mass between 5 and 15 Jupiter masses) at 17 to 20 AU from the star is
consistent with the observed cavity sizes.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in A&
Silicon-Organic Hybrid (SOH) Mach-Zehnder Modulators for 100 Gbit/s On-Off Keying
Electro-optic modulators for high-speed on-off keying (OOK) are key
components of short- and mediumreach interconnects in data-center networks.
Besides small footprint and cost-efficient large-scale production, small drive
voltages and ultra-low power consumption are of paramount importance for such
devices. Here we demonstrate that the concept of silicon-organic hybrid (SOH)
integration is perfectly suited for meeting these challenges. The approach
combines the unique processing advantages of large-scale silicon photonics with
unrivalled electro-optic (EO) coefficients obtained by molecular engineering of
organic materials. In our proof-of-concept experiments, we demonstrate
generation and transmission of OOK signals with line rates of up to 100 Gbit/s
using a 1.1 mm-long SOH Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) which features a
{\pi}-voltage of only 0.9 V. This experiment represents not only the first
demonstration of 100 Gbit/s OOK on the silicon photonic platform, but also
leads to the lowest drive voltage and energy consumption ever demonstrated at
this data rate for a semiconductor-based device. We support our experimental
results by a theoretical analysis and show that the nonlinear transfer
characteristic of the MZM can be exploited to overcome bandwidth limitations of
the modulator and of the electric driver circuitry. The devices are fabricated
in a commercial silicon photonics line and can hence be combined with the full
portfolio of standard silicon photonic devices. We expect that high-speed
power-efficient SOH modulators may have transformative impact on short-reach
optical networks, enabling compact transceivers with unprecedented energy
efficiency that will be at the heart of future Ethernet interfaces at Tbit/s
data rates
Developmental Effects of Perfluorononanoic Acid in the Mouse Are Dependent on Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Alpha
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) is one of the perfluoroalkyl acids found in the environment and in tissues of humans and wildlife. Prenatal exposure to PFNA negatively impacts survival and development of mice and activates the mouse and human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα). In the current study, we used PPARα knockout (KO) and 129S1/SvlmJ wild-type (WT) mice to investigate the role of PPARα in mediating PFNA-induced in vivo effects. Pregnant KO and WT mice were dosed orally with water (vehicle control: 10 ml/kg), 0.83, 1.1, 1.5, or 2 mg/kg PFNA on gestational days (GDs) 1–18 (day of sperm plug = GD 0). Maternal weight gain, implantation, litter size, and pup weight at birth were unaffected in either strain. PFNA exposure reduced the number of live pups at birth and survival of offspring to weaning in the 1.1 and 2 mg/kg groups in WT. Eye opening was delayed (mean delay 2.1 days) and pup weight at weaning was reduced in WT pups at 2 mg/kg. These developmental endpoints were not affected in the KO. Relative liver weight was increased in a dose-dependent manner in dams and pups of the WT strain at all dose levels but only slightly increased in the highest dose group in the KO strain. In summary, PFNA altered liver weight of dams and pups, pup survival, body weight, and development in the WT, while only inducing a slight increase in relative liver weight of dams and pups at 2 mg/kg in KO mice. These results suggest that PPARα is an essential mediator of PFNA-induced developmental toxicity in the mouse
Integrative analysis of key candidate genes and signaling pathways in autoimmune thyroid dysfunction related to anti-CTLA-4 therapy by bioinformatics
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), the first immune checkpoint to be targeted clinically, has provided an effective treatment option for various malignancies. However, the clinical advantages associated with CTLA-4 inhibitors can be offset by the potentially severe immune-related adverse events (IRAEs), including autoimmune thyroid dysfunction. To investigate the candidate genes and signaling pathways involving in autoimmune thyroid dysfunction related to anti-CTLA-4 therapy, integrated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were extracted from the intersection of genes from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and text mining. The functional enrichment was performed by gene ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, module enrichment, and hub gene identification were constructed and visualized by the online Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) and Cytoscape software. A total of 22 and 17 integrated human DEGs in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism group related to anti-CTLA-4 therapy were identified, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis revealed 24 GO terms and 1 KEGG pathways in the hypothyroid group and 21 GO terms and 2 KEGG pathways in the hyperthyroid group. After PPI network construction, the top five hub genes associated with hypothyroidism were extracted, including ALB, MAPK1, SPP1, PPARG, and MIF, whereas those associated with hyperthyroidism were ALB, FCGR2B, CD44, LCN2, and CD74. The identification of the candidate key genes and enriched signaling pathways provides potential biomarkers for autoimmune thyroid dysfunction related to anti-CTLA-4 therapy and might contribute to the future diagnosis and management of IRAEs for cancer patients
Prevalence of nevi, atypical nevi, and lentigines in relation to tobacco smoking
Background Melanocytic nevi have a complex evolution influenced by several endogenous and exogenous factors and are known risk factors for malignant melanoma. Interestingly, tobacco use seems to be inversely associated with melanoma risk. However, the association between tobacco use and nevi and lentigines has not yet been evaluated. Methods We investigated the prevalence of nevi, atypical nevi, and lentigines in relation to tobacco smoking in a cohort of 59 smokers and 60 age- and sex-matched nonsmokers, using a questionnaire and performing a total body skin examination by experts. Results No significant differences were detected between smokers and nonsmokers in the numbers of nevi, atypical nevi, and lentigines in sun-exposed areas (p = 0.966, 0.326, and 0.241, respectively) and in non-sun-exposed areas (p = 0.095, 0.351, and 0.546, respectively). Conclusion Our results revealed no significant differences in the prevalence of nevi, atypical nevi, and lentigines between smokers and nonsmokers in sun-exposed and non-sun-exposed areas
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