We examine the nonlinear structure of gravitationally collapsed objects that form in our simulations of wavelike cold dark matter, described by the Schrödinger-Poisson (SP) equation with a particle ...mass ∼10(-22) eV. A distinct gravitationally self-bound solitonic core is found at the center of every halo, with a profile quite different from cores modeled in the warm or self-interacting dark matter scenarios. Furthermore, we show that each solitonic core is surrounded by an extended halo composed of large fluctuating dark matter granules which modulate the halo density on a scale comparable to the diameter of the solitonic core. The scaling symmetry of the SP equation and the uncertainty principle tightly relate the core mass to the halo specific energy, which, in the context of cosmological structure formation, leads to a simple scaling between core mass (Mc) and halo mass (Mh), Mc∝a(-1/2)Mh(1/3), where a is the cosmic scale factor. We verify this scaling relation by (i) examining the internal structure of a statistical sample of virialized halos that form in our 3D cosmological simulations and by (ii) merging multiple solitons to create individual virialized objects. Sufficient simulation resolution is achieved by adaptive mesh refinement and graphic processing units acceleration. From this scaling relation, present dwarf satellite galaxies are predicted to have kiloparsec-sized cores and a minimum mass of ∼10(8)M⊙, capable of solving the small-scale controversies in the cold dark matter model. Moreover, galaxies of 2×10(12)M⊙ at z=8 should have massive solitonic cores of ∼2×10(9)M⊙ within ∼60 pc. Such cores can provide a favorable local environment for funneling the gas that leads to the prompt formation of early stellar spheroids and quasars.
Summary Homelessness has serious implications for the health of individuals and populations. Primary health-care programmes specifically tailored to homeless individuals might be more effective than ...standard primary health care. Standard case management, assertive community treatment, and critical time intervention are effective models of mental health-care delivery. Housing First, with immediate provision of housing in independent units with support, improves outcomes for individuals with serious mental illnesses. Many different types of interventions, including case management, are effective in the reduction of substance misuse. Interventions that provide case management and supportive housing have the greatest effect when they target individuals who are the most intensive users of services. Medical respite programmes are an effective intervention for homeless patients leaving the hospital. Although the scientific literature provides guidance on interventions to improve the health of homeless individuals, health-care providers should also seek to address social policies and structural factors that result in homelessness.
Here we report urine-derived cell (UDC) culture and subsequent use for cloning which resulted in the successful development of cloned canine pups, which have remained healthy into adulthood. Bovine ...UDCs were used in vitro to establish comparative differences between cell sources. UDCs were chosen as a readily available and noninvasive source for obtaining cells. We analyzed the viability of cells stored in urine over time and could consistently culture cells which had remained in urine for 48hrs. Cells were shown to be viable and capable of being transfected with plasmids. Although primarily of epithelial origin, cells were found from multiple lineages, indicating that they enter the urine from more than one source. Held in urine, at 4°C, the majority of cells maintained their membrane integrity for several days. When compared to in vitro fertilization (IVF) derived embryos or those from traditional SCNT, UDC derived embryos did not differ in total cell number or in the number of DNA breaks, measured by TUNEL stain. These results indicate that viable cells can be obtained from multiple species' urine, capable of being used to produce live offspring at a comparable rate to other cell sources, evidenced by a 25% pregnancy rate and 2 live births with no losses in the canine UDC cloning trial. This represents a noninvasive means to recover the breeding capacity of genetically important or infertile animals. Obtaining cells in this way may provide source material for human and animal studies where cells are utilized.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Making R&D portfolio decision is difficult, because long lead times of R&D and market and technology dynamics lead to unavailable and unreliable collected data for portfolio management. The objective ...of this research is to develop a fuzzy R&D portfolio selection model to hedge against the R&D uncertainty. Fuzzy set theory is applied to model uncertain and flexible project information. Since traditional project valuation methods often underestimate the risky project, a fuzzy compound-options model is used to evaluate the value of each R&D project. The R&D portfolio selection problem is formulated as a fuzzy zero–one integer programming model that can handle both uncertain and flexible parameters to determine the optimal project portfolio. A new transformation method based on qualitative possibility theory is developed to convert the fuzzy portfolio selection model into a crisp mathematical model from the risk-averse perspective. The transformed model can be solved by an optimization technique. An example is used to illustrate the proposed approach. We conclude that the proposed approach can assist decision makers in selecting suitable R&D portfolios, while there is a lack of reliable project information.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among liver transplant (LT) recipients. With a rising burden of posttransplantation metabolic disease, increases in cardiovascular‐related morbidity ...and mortality may reduce life expectancy after LT. It is unknown if the risk of long‐term major cardiovascular events (MCEs) differs among LT recipients with varying diabetic states. We performed a retrospective cohort study of LT recipients from 2003 through 2013 to compare the incidence of MCEs among patients (1) without diabetes, (2) with pretransplantation diabetes, (3) with de novo transient posttransplantation diabetes, and (4) with de novo sustained posttransplantation diabetes. We analyzed 994 eligible patients (39% without diabetes, 24% with pretransplantation diabetes, 16% with transient posttransplantation diabetes, and 20% with sustained posttransplantation diabetes). Median follow‐up was 54.7 months. Overall, 12% of patients experienced a MCE. After adjustment for demographic and clinical variables, sustained posttransplantation diabetes was the only state associated with a significantly increased risk of MCEs (subdistribution hazard ratio 1.95, 95% confidence interval 1.20–3.18). Patients with sustained posttransplantation diabetes mellitus had a 13% and 27% cumulative incidence of MCEs at 5 and 10 years, respectively. While pretransplantation diabetes has traditionally been associated with cardiovascular disease, the long‐term risk of MCEs is greatest in LT recipients with sustained posttransplantation diabetes mellitus.
In a retrospective cohort study of 994 liver transplant recipients utilizing adjusted competing risk regression models, sustained posttransplant diabetes mellitus is the only diabetic state associated with a significantly increased risk of long‐term major atherosclerotic cardiac events and cardiac arrest.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a recently discovered class of approximately 18-24 nucleotide RNA molecules that negatively regulate target mRNAs. All studied multicellular eukaryotes utilise miRNAs to ...regulate basic cellular functions including proliferation, differentiation, and death. It is now apparent that abnormal miRNA expression is a common feature of human malignancies. In this review, we will discuss how miRNAs influence tumorigenesis by acting as oncogenes and tumour suppressors.
Intra-granular Acicular Ferrite (IAF), as one of the most well-known desirable microstructure of ferrite with a chaotic crystallographic orientation, can not only refine the microstructure and retard ...the propagation of cleavage crack but also provide excellent combination of strength and toughness in steel. The effect of adding cerium on microstructure and controlling proper cerium-based inclusions in order to improve properties in low-carbon commercial steel (SS400) were investigated. The type of inclusions can be controlled by changing S/O ratio and Ce content. Without Ce modification, MnS is a dominate inclusion. After adding Ce, the stable inclusion phases change from AlCeO
to Ce
O
S. The optimum amount of cerium, 0.0235 wt.%, lead in proper grain refinement and formation of cerium oxide, oxy-sulfide and sulfide inclusions. Having a high amount of cerium results in increasing the number of inclusions significantly as a result it cannot be effective enough and the inclusions will act like barriers for others. It is found that the inclusions with a size of about 4∼7 μm can serve as heterogeneous nucleation sites for AF formation. Thermodynamic calculations have been applied to predict the inclusion formation in this molten steel as well, which show a good agreement with experimental one.
Shutter-speed model analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging allows estimation of mean intracellular water molecule lifetime (a measure of cellular energy metabolism) and volume transfer ...constant (a measure of hemodynamics). The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic utility of pretreatment mean intracellular water molecule lifetime and volume transfer constant in predicting overall survival in patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck and to stratify p16-positive patients based upon survival outcome.
A cohort of 60 patients underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging before treatment. Median, mean intracellular water molecule lifetime and volume transfer constant values from metastatic nodes were computed from each patient. Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to associate mean intracellular water molecule lifetime and volume transfer constant and their combination with overall survival for the first 2 years, 5 years, and beyond (median duration, >7 years).
By the last date of observation, 18 patients had died, and median follow-up for surviving patients (
= 42) was 8.32 years. Patients with high mean intracellular water molecule lifetime (4 deaths) had significantly (
= .01) prolonged overall survival by 5 years compared with those with low mean intracellular water molecule lifetime (13 deaths). Similarly, patients with high mean intracellular water molecule lifetime (4 deaths) had significantly (
= .006) longer overall survival at long-term duration than those with low mean intracellular water molecule lifetime (14 deaths). However, volume transfer constant was a significant predictor for only the 5-year follow-up period. There was some evidence (
< .10) to suggest that mean intracellular water molecule lifetime and volume transfer constant were associated with overall survival for the first 2 years. Patients with high mean intracellular water molecule lifetime and high volume transfer constant were associated with significantly (
< .01) longer overall survival compared with other groups for all follow-up periods. In addition, p16-positive patients with high mean intracellular water molecule lifetime and high volume transfer constant demonstrated a trend toward the longest overall survival.
A combined analysis of mean intracellular water molecule lifetime and volume transfer constant provided the best model to predict overall survival in patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Transient receptor potential ion channel vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) is expressed in skin keratinocytes and plays an important role in thermal and chemical nociceptions in the ...periphery. The presence of TRPV3 inhibitors would improve our understanding of TRPV3 function and help to develop receptor‐specific analgesics. However, little is known about physiological substances that specifically inhibit TRPV3 activity. Here, we investigated whether 17(R)‐resolvin D1 (17R‐RvD1), a naturally occurring pro‐resolving lipid specifically affects TRPV3 activity.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We examined the effect of 17R‐RvD1 on sensory TRP channels using Ca2+ imaging and whole cell electrophysiology experiments in a HEK cell heterologous expression system, cultured sensory neurons and keratinocytes. We also examined changes in sensory TRP agonist‐specific acute licking/flicking or flinching behaviours and mechanical and thermal pain behaviours using Hargreaves, Randall‐Selitto and von Frey assay systems in the absence and presence of inflammation.
KEY RESULTS We showed that 17R‐RvD1 specifically suppresses TRPV3‐mediated activity at nanomolar and micromolar concentrations. The voltage‐dependence of TRPV3 activation by camphor was shifted rightwards by 17R‐RvD1, which indicates its inhibitory mechanism is as a result of a shift in voltage‐dependence. Consistently, TRPV3‐specific acute pain behaviours were attenuated by locally injected 17R‐RvD1. Moreover, the administration of 17R‐RvD1 significantly reversed the thermal hypersensitivity that occurs during an inflammatory response. Knockdown of epidermal TRPV3 blunted these antinociceptive effects of 17R‐RvD1.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 17R‐RvD1 is a novel natural inhibitory substance specific for TRPV3. The results of our behavioural studies suggest that 17R‐RvD1 has acute analgesic potential via TRPV3‐specific mechanisms.
We uncovered two critical issues in earlier studies: (a) some studies have shown that mobile learning technology is not beneficial for all students due to complexity of learning environments and ...student prior knowledge, skills, and experience and (b) familiarity of students with the authentic environments in which they learn using mobile technology did not receive much attention in earlier studies. To address these issues, we designed three learning tasks for a class of 26 junior high school students. The students applied language skills by completing the tasks in authentic environments individually in a first task, loosely collaborating with peers in a second task, and tightly collaborating with peers in a third task. A mobile learning system was also designed in this study to support students to accomplish the tasks. The aim of this study was to explore students' learning experiences using the learning system, their perceptions towards the system, and to assess how differently the students perform on the three tasks. According to our design, in the first task, the students took pictures of objects and described them orally or in writing using the mobile learning system. In the second task, after the students completed assignments, each student received comments from a partner through the system. In comments, the partner indicated flaws in student assignments and suggested how to fix them. In the third task, the students completed assignments, shared them using the system, and then exchanged comments with their partners face to face regarding issues related to their completed assignments and suggested how to improve them. Such learning behaviours in the three tasks enabled the students to practise writing and speaking skills. Our results demonstrate that most of the students highly valued our learning system and intend to use it in the future. Furthermore, the results show that the students performed best when they collaborated; namely, student performance was enhanced the most after the third task that required tight collaboration. Based on our results, we learned that students' familiarity with authentic environments is very important and beneficial for their learning. In addition, we learned that even in complex environment, less skilled and experienced students with low prior knowledge can perform well when they tightly collaborate with more skilled and experienced students with high prior knowledge, and our learning system can facilitate such collaboration.
Lay Description
What is currently known about the subject matter:
Mobile technology supports application of new knowledge outside of school
The results of most related studies on mobile learning have been positive
We identified some gaps in earlier studies on mobile learning
What our paper adds to this:
We filled the void in the literature
We tested the feasibility of our proposed approach
We explored learning experiences, perceptions and performance of students
The implications of study findings for practitioners:
Learning experiences include Learning, Collaboration and Authenticity
Our approach was useful for language learning in familiar authentic contexts
Students had positive perceptions towards our approach
Students performed best when they tightly collaborated
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