287,999 research outputs found
Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer with one and two photon pairs
No full textWe study the Hong-Ou-Mandel interferomeier in the regime of spontaneous parametric down-conversion with high pump beam power at the crystal. In this regime one and two photons from a pump pulsed laser beam generate one and two pairs of photons, respectively. These photons are then directed to the beam splitter of the interferometer and detected at its exit in coincidence. An interesting phenomenon is observed: The reduction of the visibility of the Hong-Ou-Mandel coincidence peak (or dip) with the increase of pump power. We study the relation between the visibility of the fourth-order interference pattern and the power of the pumping laser beam for type I and type II phase-matching crystals. Our theoretical calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results
A climate stress-test of the financial system
No full textThe urgency of estimating the impact of climate risks on the financial system is increasingly recognized among scholars and practitioners. By adopting a network approach to financial dependencies, we look at how climate policy risk might propagate through the financial system. We develop a network-based climate stress-test methodology and apply it to large Euro Area banks in a 'green' and a 'brown' scenario. We find that direct and indirect exposures to climate-policy-relevant sectors represent a large portion of investors' equity portfolios, especially for investment and pension funds. Additionally, the portion of banks' loan portfolios exposed to these sectors is comparable to banks' capital. Our results suggest that climate policy timing matters. An early and stable policy framework would allow for smooth asset value adjustments and lead to potential net winners and losers. In contrast, a late and abrupt policy framework could have adverse systemic consequences
Biomarkers for prediction and targeted prevention of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases: evaluation of drug clinical efficacy
No full textNeurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease
(PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are considered
disorders of multifactorial origin, inevitably progressive and
having a long preclinical period. Therefore, the availability
of biological markers or biomarkers (BMs) for early disease
diagnosis will impact the management of AD and PD in
several dimensions; it will 1) help to capture high-risk
individuals before symptoms develop, a stage where
prevention efforts might be expected to have their greatest
impact; 2) provide a measure of disease progression that
can be evaluated objectively, while clinical measures are
much less accurate; 3) help to discriminate between true
AD or PD and other causes of a similar clinical syndrome;
4) delineate pathophysiological processes responsible for
the disease; 5) determine the clinical efficacy of novel,
disease-modifying (neuroprotective) strategies. In the long
run the availability of reliable BMs will significantly
advance the research and therapeutics of AD and PD
Assignment of NUFIP1 (Nuclear FMRP Interacting Protein 1) gene to chromosome 13q14 and assignment of a pseudogene to chromosome 6q12
No full textCharacterizing crystallizations among Lins-Mandel 4-coloured graphs
No full textIn [Discr. Math. 57 (1985), 261-284], Lins and Mandel introduce a class of 3-manifolds represented by 4-coloured graphs S(b,l,t,c) depending on a 4-tuple (b,l,t,c) of positive integers; moreover, they prove that, if the following conditions hold , , if l odd, then S(b,l,t,c) is a crystallization of an (orientable) 3-manifold.In this paper we show that the above conditions are also necessary: hence, they characterize crystallizations among Lins-Mandel graphs
Effects of sodium n-dipropylacetate, muscimol hydrobromide and (R,S) nipecotic acid amide on isolation-induced aggressive behavior in mice
No full textAn inhibitor of GABA-T (sodium n-dipropylacetate), a GABA agonist (muscimol hydrobromide) and an inhibitor of GABA uptake (R,S) nipecotic acid amide were administered to DBA/2 isolated aggressive mice throughout three successive daily experimental sessions. Aggressive responses, measured by an automated device, were inhibited by the highest doses of the three drugs in each daily session. At the lowest doses, sodium n-dipropylacetate and nipecotic acid amide failed to inhibit aggression in the first session while they were effective in the subsequent sessions. Muscimol was effective in the first session but did not differ significantly from saline in the second and third session. The highest doses of these three drugs did not affect spontaneous motor activity, indicating that the observed drug effects are rather specific
Beauty or money? Statistical analysis
No full textThere are many studies investigating relationship between paintings' meta information (author, age, etc.) and their prices, however, there is limited research on how people's aesthetic perception of paintings is related to their prices. To bridge this gap, we designed a website (pollart1000.com) collecting survey responses on people's opinions regarding aesthetic values of paintings; survey and data were complemented with price information. Comprehensive statistical analysis of that data is presented, including scoring of the best and worst works, correlations between variables, typology of respondents, and more. The results quantify relationships between aesthetic values and art prices. Particularly, we showed that aesthetic preference is inclined to figurative and innovational rather than to abstract art and that relations between price and aesthetic values are rather weak except of special cases
A mortality study of beryllium workers
No full textWe aimed at investigating mortality among beryllium-exposed workers, according to solubility of beryllium and beryllium compounds. We conducted an historical cohort study of 16,115 workers employed during 1925–2008 in 15 facilities, including eight entailing exposure to insoluble beryllium and seven entailing exposure to soluble/mixed beryllium compounds, who were followed up for mortality until 2011. Data were analyzed using indirect standardization and Cox regression modeling. Lung cancer standardized mortality ratio (SMR, national reference rates) was 1.02 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94–1.10) in the whole cohort, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.75–1.03) in the insoluble beryllium subcohort, and 1.09 (95% CI: 0.99–1.09) in the soluble/mixed beryllium subcohort. For lung cancer, there was an association with period of hire in soluble/mixed beryllium plants but not in insoluble plants, and, conversely, employment in soluble/mixed plants was associated with increased mortality only among workers hired before 1955. There was no trend with duration of employment. Mortality from chronic beryllium disease increased, in particular, among workers hired before 1955 in soluble/mixed beryllium facilities. There was no increase in lung cancer mortality in the entire cohort and lung cancer mortality was not increased among beryllium workers hired in 1955 or later in soluble/mixed beryllium facilities, or at any time among those employed in insoluble beryllium facilities. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
gamma-Aminobutyric acid in brain areas of isolated aggressive or non-aggressive inbred strains of mice.
No full textIn order to investigate the effects of social isolation on aggressive behavior and GABA levels in different brain areas, inbred mice of the C57 Bl/6 and the DBA/2 strains were housed individually over a period of 8 weeks. Social isolation induced a clear increase of aggressive responses only in the DBA/2 strain and a decrease of GABA levels in septum, striatum, olfactory bulb and posterior colliculus in both the C57Bl/6 and in the DBA/2 strains. An increase of neurotransmitter concentration was observed in amygdala of DBA mice. DBA mice when compared to C57 mice showed significantly lower levels of GABA in olfactory bulb and striatum. These results are discussed in light of several previous studies which have pointed out a correlation between a deficiency of GABA mediated inhibition in some brain areas and different kinds of aggressive behavior as well as the possibility of a blockade of aggressive behavior by potentiation of GABAergic mediated inhibition. A possible suggestion emerging from our results is that the aggressive responses exhibited by isolated DBA mice but not by isolated C57 mice may be related to lower levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter in the olfactory bulb and striatum
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