1,131 research outputs found
Real-Time MRI of Continent and Stress Incontinent Male Patients after Orthotopic Ileal Neobladder
Introduction: The aim of this study was to correlate anatomic differences with continence status in male patients after cystoprostatectomy and ileal neobladder using real-time magnetic resonance imaging. Patients and Methods: Anatomic differences of 14 male patients (7 daytime continent and 7 stress incontinent) with ileal neobladder were determined by measuring the orthogonal distance of the bladder neck to the pubococcygeal line (PCL) to correlate anatomic differences with continence status. Results: The median distance of the bladder neck to PCL was +5.4 mm in continent patients before voiding whereas in incontinent patients it was +2 mm (p = 0.012). During the Valsalva maneuver, the median distance in continent patients was +4 and in incontinent patients -3 mm (p = 0.003). At the end of micturition, the median distance was +2.3 mm in continent patients and -12 mm in incontinent patients (p = 0.002). Conclusions: The bladder neck in incontinent patients showed more pronounced mobility in relation to the PCL during micturition and the Valsalva maneuver as compared to continent patients. In addition, the ileal neobladder was positioned significantly lower in the pelvis of incontinent patients. These preliminary results suggest that a stable bladder neck may be an important factor to reach full continence in patients with ileal neobladder. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base
Diffusion and spectral dimension on Eden tree
We calculate the eigenspectrum of random walks on the Eden tree in two and
three dimensions. From this, we calculate the spectral dimension and the
walk dimension and test the scaling relation (
for an Eden tree). Finite-size induced crossovers are observed, whereby the
system crosses over from a short-time regime where this relation is violated
(particularly in two dimensions) to a long-time regime where the behavior
appears to be complicated and dependent on dimension even qualitatively.Comment: 11 pages, Plain TeX with J-Phys.sty style, HLRZ 93/9
Probability Distribution of the Shortest Path on the Percolation Cluster, its Backbone and Skeleton
We consider the mean distribution functions Phi(r|l), Phi(B)(r|l), and
Phi(S)(r|l), giving the probability that two sites on the incipient percolation
cluster, on its backbone and on its skeleton, respectively, connected by a
shortest path of length l are separated by an Euclidean distance r. Following a
scaling argument due to de Gennes for self-avoiding walks, we derive analytical
expressions for the exponents g1=df+dmin-d and g1B=g1S-3dmin-d, which determine
the scaling behavior of the distribution functions in the limit x=r/l^(nu) much
less than 1, i.e., Phi(r|l) proportional to l^(-(nu)d)x^(g1), Phi(B)(r|l)
proportional to l^(-(nu)d)x^(g1B), and Phi(S)(r|l) proportional to
l^(-(nu)d)x^(g1S), with nu=1/dmin, where df and dmin are the fractal dimensions
of the percolation cluster and the shortest path, respectively. The theoretical
predictions for g1, g1B, and g1S are in very good agreement with our numerical
results.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian two-scale reduction
Studying high-dimensional Hamiltonian systems with microstructure, it is an
important and challenging problem to identify reduced macroscopic models that
describe some effective dynamics on large spatial and temporal scales. This
paper concerns the question how reasonable macroscopic Lagrangian and
Hamiltonian structures can by derived from the microscopic system.
In the first part we develop a general approach to this problem by
considering non-canonical Hamiltonian structures on the tangent bundle. This
approach can be applied to all Hamiltonian lattices (or Hamiltonian PDEs) and
involves three building blocks: (i) the embedding of the microscopic system,
(ii) an invertible two-scale transformation that encodes the underlying scaling
of space and time, (iii) an elementary model reduction that is based on a
Principle of Consistent Expansions.
In the second part we exemplify the reduction approach and derive various
reduced PDE models for the atomic chain. The reduced equations are either
related to long wave-length motion or describe the macroscopic modulation of an
oscillatory microstructure.Comment: 40 page
Revisiting the coupling between NDVI trends and cropland changes in the Sahel drylands:a case study in western Niger
The impact of human activities via land use/cover changes on NDVI trends is critical for an improved understanding of satellite-observed changes in vegetation productivity in drylands. The dominance of positive NDVI trends in the Sahel, the so-called re-greening, is sometimes interpreted as a combined effect of an increase in rainfall and cropland expansion or agricultural intensification. Yet, the impact of changes in land use has yet to be thoroughly tested and supported by empirical evidence. At present, no studies have considered the importance of the different seasonal NDVI signals of cropped and fallowed fields when interpreting NDVI trends, as both field types are commonly merged into a single ‘cropland’ class. We make use of the distinctly different phenology of cropped and fallowed fields and use seasonal NDVI curves to separate these two field types. A fuzzy classifier is applied to quantify cropped and fallowed areas in a case study region in the southern Sahel (Fakara, Niger) on a yearly basis between 2000 and 2014. We find that fallowed fields have a consistently higher NDVI than unmanured cropped fields and by using two seasonal NDVI metrics (the amplitude and the decreasing rate) derived from the MODIS time series, a clear separation between classes of fields is achieved (r = 0.77). The fuzzy classifier can compute the percentage of a pixel (250 m) under active cultivation, thereby alleviating the problem of small field sizes in the region. We find a predominant decrease in NDVI over the period of analysis associated with an increased area of cropped fields at the expense of fallowed fields. Our findings couple cropping abandonment (more frequent fallow years) with positive NDVI trends and an increase in the percentage of the cropped area (fallow period shortening) with negative trends. These findings profoundly impact our understanding of greening and browning trends in agrarian Sahelian drylands and in other drylands of developing countries characterized by limited use of fertilizers
Numerical simulation of spray coalescence in an eulerian framework : direct quadrature method of moments and multi-fluid method
The scope of the present study is Eulerian modeling and simulation of
polydisperse liquid sprays undergoing droplet coalescence and evaporation. The
fundamental mathematical description is the Williams spray equation governing
the joint number density function f(v, u; x, t) of droplet volume and velocity.
Eulerian multi-fluid models have already been rigorously derived from this
equation in Laurent et al. (2004). The first key feature of the paper is the
application of direct quadrature method of moments (DQMOM) introduced by
Marchisio and Fox (2005) to the Williams spray equation. Both the multi-fluid
method and DQMOM yield systems of Eulerian conservation equations with
complicated interaction terms representing coalescence. In order to validate
and compare these approaches, the chosen configuration is a self-similar 2D
axisymmetrical decelerating nozzle with sprays having various size
distributions, ranging from smooth ones up to Dirac delta functions. The second
key feature of the paper is a thorough comparison of the two approaches for
various test-cases to a reference solution obtained through a classical
stochastic Lagrangian solver. Both Eulerian models prove to describe adequately
spray coalescence and yield a very interesting alternative to the Lagrangian
solver
Relativity tests by complementary rotating Michelson-Morley experiments
We report Relativity tests based on data from two simultaneous
Michelson-Morley experiments, spanning a period of more than one year. Both
were actively rotated on turntables. One (in Berlin, Germany) uses optical
Fabry-Perot resonators made of fused silica; the other (in Perth, Australia)
uses microwave whispering-gallery sapphire resonators. Within the standard
model extension, we obtain simultaneous limits on Lorentz violation for
electrons (5 coefficients) and photons (8) at levels down to ,
improved by factors between 3 and 50 compared to previous work.Comment: 5 pages revtex, 2 figure
Tradeoff between User Experience and BCI Classification Accuracy with Frequency Modulated Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials
Steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) have been widely employed for the control of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) because they are very robust, lead to high performance, and allow for a high number of commands. However, such flickering stimuli often also cause user discomfort and fatigue, especially when several light sources are used simultaneously. Different variations of SSVEP driving signals have been proposed to increase user comfort. Here, we investigate the suitability of frequency modulation of a high frequency carrier for SSVEP-BCIs. We compared BCI performance and user experience between frequency modulated (FM) and traditional sinusoidal (SIN) SSVEPs in an offline classification paradigm with four independently flickering light-emitting diodes which were overtly attended (fixated). While classification performance was slightly reduced with the FM stimuli, the user comfort was significantly increased. Comparing the SSVEPs for covert attention to the stimuli (without fixation) was not possible, as no reliable SSVEPs were evoked. Our results reveal that several, simultaneously flickering, light emitting diodes can be used to generate FM-SSVEPs with different frequencies and the resulting occipital electroencephalography (EEG) signals can be classified with high accuracy. While the performance we report could be further improved with adjusted stimuli and algorithms, we argue that the increased comfort is an important result and suggest the use of FM stimuli for future SSVEP-BCI applications
The GHZ/W-calculus contains rational arithmetic
Graphical calculi for representing interacting quantum systems serve a number
of purposes: compositionally, intuitive graphical reasoning, and a logical
underpinning for automation. The power of these calculi stems from the fact
that they embody generalized symmetries of the structure of quantum operations,
which, for example, stretch well beyond the Choi-Jamiolkowski isomorphism. One
such calculus takes the GHZ and W states as its basic generators. Here we show
that this language allows one to encode standard rational calculus, with the
GHZ state as multiplication, the W state as addition, the Pauli X gate as
multiplicative inversion, and the Pauli Z gate as additive inversion.Comment: In Proceedings HPC 2010, arXiv:1103.226
Links between traumatic brain injury and ballistic pressure waves originating in the thoracic cavity and extremities
Identifying patients at risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is important
because research suggests prophylactic treatments to reduce risk of long-term
sequelae. Blast pressure waves can cause TBI without penetrating wounds or
blunt force trauma. Similarly, bullet impacts distant from the brain can
produce pressure waves sufficient to cause mild to moderate TBI. The fluid
percussion model of TBI shows that pressure impulses of 15-30 psi cause mild to
moderate TBI in laboratory animals. In pigs and dogs, bullet impacts to the
thigh produce pressure waves in the brain of 18-45 psi and measurable injury to
neurons and neuroglia. Analyses of research in goats and epidemiological data
from shooting events involving humans show high correlations (r > 0.9) between
rapid incapacitation and pressure wave magnitude in the thoracic cavity. A case
study has documented epilepsy resulting from a pressure wave without the bullet
directly hitting the brain. Taken together, these results support the
hypothesis that bullet impacts distant from the brain produce pressure waves
that travel to the brain and can retain sufficient magnitude to induce brain
injury. The link to long-term sequelae could be investigated via
epidemiological studies of patients who were gunshot in the chest to determine
whether they experience elevated rates of epilepsy and other neurological
sequelae
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