380 research outputs found
Geodesic Flow on the Normal Congruence of a Minimal Surface
We study the geodesic flow on the normal line congruence of a minimal surface
in induced by the neutral K\"ahler metric on the space of
oriented lines. The metric is lorentz with isolated degenerate points and the
flow is shown to be completely integrable. In addition, we give a new
holomorphic description of minimal surfaces in and relate it to
the classical Weierstrass representation.Comment: AMS-LATEX 8 pages 2, figure
Level sets of functions and symmetry sets of smooth surface sections
We prove that the level sets of a real C^s function of two variables near a
non-degenerate critical point are of class C^[s/2] and apply this to the study
of planar sections of surfaces close to the singular section by the tangent
plane at hyperbolic points or elliptic points, and in particular at umbilic
points.
We also analyse the cases coming from degenerate critical points,
corresponding to elliptic cusps of Gauss on a surface, where the
differentiability is now reduced to C^[s/4].
However in all our applications to symmetry sets of families of plane curves,
we assume the C^infty smoothness.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, 6 grouped figures. The final version will appear in
Mathematics of Surfaces. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (2005
MiR-142-3p is a RANKL-dependent inducer of cell death in osteoclasts
MicroRNA are small, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs that are estimated to regulate ~60% of the human genome. MiRNA profiling of monocyte-to-osteoclast differentiation identified miR-142-3p as a miRNA that is significantly, differentially expressed throughout osteoclastogenesis. Enforced expression of miR-142-3p via transient transfection with miR-142-3p mimic inhibited cell-to-cell contact and fusion, decreased protein kinase C alpha expression, and ultimately reduced cell viability. miR-142-3p was also identified as significantly differentially expressed during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and overexpression of miR-142-3p prevented their conversion to osteoclasts. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of miR-142-3p on osteoclastogenesis extended to the conversion of a third osteoclast precursor cell type- dendritic cells. These results demonstrate miR-142-3p to be a negative regulator of osteoclastogenesis from the 3 main precursor cell types: monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. Importantly, decreased survival was dependent upon both miR-142-3p expression and RANK-signaling, with no harmful effects detected in the absence of this combination. As such, miR-142-3p represents a novel target for the selective removal of osteoclasts by targeting of osteoclastogenic pathways
Demonstration of Niobium Tin in 218 MHz Low-beta Quarter Wave Accelerator Cavity
A 218 MHz quarter wave niobium cavity has been fabricated for the purpose of
demonstrating Nb3Sn technology on a low-beta accelerator cavity. Niobiumtin has
been established as a promising next generation SRF material, but development
has focused primarily in high-beta elliptical cell cavities. This material has
a significantly higher TC than niobium, allowing for design of higher frequency
quarter wave cavities (that are subsequently smaller) as well as for
significantly lowered cooling requirements (possibly leading to cryocooler
based designs). The fabrication, initial cold testing, and Nb3Sn coating are
discussed as well as test plans and details of future applications.Comment: 21st Intl Conf Radio Frequency Superconductivity (SRF 2023
REDRISK: reduction of the virus risk in shellfish harvesting areas
Filter feeding bivalve shellfish can accumulate human pathogenic bacteria and viruses if grown in
sewage-contaminated waters. Current consumer protection legislation relies on classification of
harvesting areas based on their sanitary quality, using E coli as an indicator of sewage
contamination. Advances in viral monitoring have shown that E coli can underestimate the extent of the contamination.
The most common cause of gastroenteritis associated with shellfish is norovirus, commonly known as winter vomiting virus. The REDRISK project was undertaken to investigate the main environmental factors that cause viral contamination in shellfish. The REDRISK project is part of a EU research pillar with parallel research being undertaken in the UK, France and Spain. A recently developed technique to quantify norovirus in shellfish, real-time PCR, has been used in the REDRISK project.
Clew Bay, in Co. Mayo was chosen as the study area in Ireland. The bay is generally considered to
have good water quality but with certain areas subject to intermittent sewage contamination. The
cooperation of local producers and organisations such as the Clew Bay Marine Forum and the Native
Oyster Co-op greatly helped the project. The project was divided into a two-phased approach. Phase one involved the identification of contamination sources impacting the bay through a sanitary survey and selection of appropriate sites for further study. Results of the first phase of this study were presented previously at this forum (Keaveney, et al 2006) and the characteristics of the sites selected for study and locations within the bay are shown in table 1 and figure 1 respectively. The second phase of the project focused on monitoring environmental conditions and microbiological levels in shellfish to identify environmental conditions leading to viral contamination. This paper reports the finding of this monitoring
Detection of human viruses in shellfish and update on REDRISK research project, Clew Bay, Co. Mayo
This paper describe the progress in norovirus detection methods and initial results from the REDRISK study
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Dyspnea affective response: comparing COPD patients with healthy volunteers and laboratory model with activities of daily living
Background: Laboratory-induced dyspnea (breathing discomfort) in healthy subjects is widely used to study perceptual mechanisms, yet the relationship between laboratory-induced dyspnea in healthy volunteers and spontaneous dyspnea in patients with chronic lung disease is not well established. We compared affective responses to dyspnea 1) in COPD patients vs. healthy volunteers (HV) undergoing the same laboratory stimulus; 2) in COPD during laboratory dyspnea vs. during activities of daily living (ADL). Methods: We induced moderate and high dyspnea levels in 13 COPD patients and 12 HV by increasing end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) during restricted ventilation, evoking air hunger. We used the multidimensional dyspnea profile (MDP) to measure intensity of sensory qualities (e.g., air hunger (AH) and work/effort (W/E)) as well as immediate discomfort (A1) and secondary emotions (A2). Ten of the COPD subjects also completed the MDP outside the laboratory following dyspnea evoked by ADL. Results: COPD patients and HV reported similar levels of immediate discomfort relative to sensory intensity. COPD patients and HV reported anxiety and frustration during laboratory-induced dyspnea; variation among individuals far outweighed the small differences between subject groups. COPD patients reported similar intensities of sensory qualities, discomfort, and emotions during ADL vs. during moderate laboratory dyspnea. Patients with COPD described limiting ADL to avoid greater dyspnea. Conclusions: In this pilot study, we found no evidence that a history of COPD alters the affective response to laboratory-induced dyspnea, and no difference in affective response between dyspnea evoked by this laboratory model and dyspnea evoked by ADL
(In)finite extent of stationary perfect fluids in Newtonian theory
For stationary, barotropic fluids in Newtonian gravity we give simple
criteria on the equation of state and the "law of motion" which guarantee
finite or infinite extent of the fluid region (providing a priori estimates for
the corresponding stationary Newton-Euler system). Under more restrictive
conditions, we can also exclude the presence of "hollow" configurations. Our
main result, which does not assume axial symmetry, uses the virial theorem as
the key ingredient and generalises a known result in the static case. In the
axially symmetric case stronger results are obtained and examples are
discussed.Comment: Corrections according to the version accepted by Ann. Henri Poincar
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