667 research outputs found
A convergent stochastic scalar auxiliary variable method
We discuss an extension of the scalar auxiliary variable approach which was
originally introduced by Shen et al.~([Shen, Xu, Yang, J.~Comput.~Phys., 2018])
for the discretization of deterministic gradient flows. By introducing an
additional scalar auxiliary variable, this approach allows to derive a linear
scheme, while still maintaining unconditional stability. Our extension augments
the approximation of the evolution of this scalar auxiliary variable with
higher order terms, which enables its application to stochastic partial
differential equations. Using the stochastic Allen--Cahn equation as a
prototype for nonlinear stochastic partial differential equations with
multiplicative noise, we propose an unconditionally energy stable, linear,
fully discrete finite element scheme based on our stochastic scalar auxiliary
variable method. Recovering a discrete version of the energy estimate and
establishing Nikolskii estimates with respect to time, we are able to prove
convergence of appropriate subsequences of discrete solutions towards pathwise
unique martingale solutions by applying Jakubowski's generalization of
Skorokhod's theorem. A generalization of the Gy\"ongy--Krylov characterization
of convergence in probability to quasi-Polish spaces finally provides
convergence of fully discrete solutions towards strong solutions of the
stochastic Allen--Cahn equation
A convergent SAV scheme for Cahn--Hilliard equations with dynamic boundary conditions
The Cahn-Hilliard equation is one of the most common models to describe phase
separation processes in mixtures of two materials. For a better description of
short-range interactions between the material and the boundary, various dynamic
boundary conditions for this equation have been proposed. Recently, a family of
models using Cahn-Hilliard-type equations on the boundary of the domain to
describe adsorption processes was analysed (cf. Knopf, Lam, Liu, Metzger,
ESAIM: Math. Model. Numer. Anal., 2021). This family of models includes the
case of instantaneous adsorption processes studied by Goldstein, Miranville,
and Schimperna (Physica D, 2011) as well as the case of vanishing adsorption
rates which was investigated by Liu and Wu (Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal., 2019).
In this paper, we are interested in the numerical treatment of these models and
propose an unconditionally stable, linear, fully discrete finite element scheme
based on the scalar auxiliary variable approach. Furthermore, we establish the
convergence of discrete solutions towards suitable weak solutions of the
original model. Thereby, when passing to the limit, we are able to remove the
auxiliary variables introduced in the discrete setting completely. Finally, we
present simulations based on the proposed linear scheme and compare them to
results obtained using a stable, non-linear scheme to underline the
practicality of our scheme
Hyperstaticity and loops in frictional granular packings
The hyperstatic nature of granular packings of perfectly rigid disks is
analyzed algebraically and through numerical simulation. The elementary loops
of grains emerge as a fundamental element in addressing hyperstaticity. Loops
consisting of an odd number of grains behave differently than those with an
even number. For odd loops, the latent stresses are exterior and are
characterized by the sum of frictional forces around each loop. For even loops,
the latent stresses are interior and are characterized by the alternating sum
of frictional forces around each loop. The statistics of these two types of
loop sums are found to be Gibbsian with a "temperature" that is linear with the
friction coefficient mu when mu<1.Comment: 4 pages; Powders and Grains 2009, Golden, Colorado, US
Changes of smooth muscle contractile filaments in small bowel atresia
AIM: To investigate morphological changes of intestinal smooth muscle contractile fibres in small bowel atresia patients. METHODS: Resected small bowel specimens from small bowel atresia patients (n = 12) were divided into three sections (proximal, atretic and distal). Standard histology hematoxylin-eosin staining and enzyme immunohistochemistry was performed to visualize smooth muscle contractile markers α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) and desmin using conventional paraffin sections of the proximal and distal bowel. Small bowel from age-matched patients (n = 2) undergoing Meckel's diverticulum resection served as controls.
RESULTS: The smooth muscle coat in the proximal bowel of small bowel atresia patients was thickened compared with control tissue, but the distal bowel was unchanged. Expression of smooth muscle contractile fibres SMA and desmin within the proximal bowel was slightly reduced compared with the distal bowel and control tissue. There were no major differences in the architecture of the smooth muscle within the proximal bowel and the distal bowel. The proximal and distal bowel in small bowel atresia patients revealed only minimal differences regarding smooth muscle morphology and the presence of smooth muscle contractile filament markers.
CONCLUSION: Changes in smooth muscle contractile filaments do not appear to play a major role in postoperative motility disorders in small bowel atresia
Counterirritation by Pain Inhibits Responses to and Perception of Aversive Loud Tones
The application of a noxious stimulus reduces the perception of other noxious stimuli, which can be assessed by an experimental method called “counterirritation.” The question arises whether this type of inhibition also affects the processing of other aversive (but not nociceptive) stimuli, such as loud tones. If aversiveness or, in other words, negative emotional valence qualifies a stimulus to be affected by counterirritation, the general emotional context may also play a role in modulating counterirritation effects. We involved 63 participants in this study (M age = 38.8, SD = 10.5 years; 33 males, 30 females). We tried to counterirritate their perceptual and startle reactions to aversively loud tones (105 db) by immersing the hand into a painful hot water bath (46°C) in two emotional valence conditions (i.e., a neutral and a negative valence block in which we showed either neutral pictures or pictures of burn wounds). We assessed Inhibition by loudness ratings and startle reflex amplitudes. Counterirritation significantly reduced both loudness ratings and startle reflex amplitudes. The emotional context manipulation did not affect this clear inhibitory effect, showing that counterirritation by a noxious stimulus affects aversive sensations not induced by nociceptive stimuli. Thus, the assumption that “pain inhibits pain” should be widened to “pain inhibits the processing of aversive stimuli.” This broadened understanding of counterirritation leads to a questioning of the postulate of clear pain specificity in paradigms like “conditioned pain modulation” (CPM) or “diffuse noxious inhibitory controls” (DNIC)
Acute kidney injury prediction in cardiac surgery patients by a urinary peptide pattern: a case-control validation study
Background
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a prominent problem in hospitalized patients and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Clinical medicine is currently hampered by the lack of accurate and early biomarkers for diagnosis of AKI and the evaluation of the severity of the disease.
In 2010, we established a multivariate peptide marker pattern consisting of 20 naturally occurring urinary peptides to screen patients for early signs of renal failure. The current study now aims to evaluate if, in a different study population and potentially various AKI causes, AKI can be detected early and accurately by proteome analysis.
Methods
Urine samples from 60 patients who developed AKI after cardiac surgery were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS). The obtained peptide profiles were screened by the AKI peptide marker panel for early signs of AKI. Accuracy of the proteomic model in this patient collective was compared to that based on urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) ELISA levels. Sixty patients who did not develop AKI served as negative controls.
Results
From the 120 patients, 110 were successfully analyzed by CE-MS (59 with AKI, 51 controls). Application of the AKI panel demonstrated an AUC in receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis of 0.81 (95 % confidence interval: 0.72–0.88). Compared to the proteomic model, ROC analysis revealed poorer classification accuracy of NGAL and KIM-1 with the respective AUC values being outside the statistical significant range (0.63 for NGAL and 0.57 for KIM-1)
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