448 research outputs found
Geometry of B×B-orbit closures in equivariant embeddings
No full textAbstractLet X denote an equivariant embedding of a connected reductive group G over an algebraically closed field k. Let B denote a Borel subgroup of G and let Z denote a B×B-orbit closure in X. When the characteristic of k is positive and X is projective we prove that Z is globally F-regular. As a consequence, Z is normal and Cohen–Macaulay for arbitrary X and arbitrary characteristics. Moreover, in characteristic zero it follows that Z has rational singularities. This extends earlier results by the second author and M. Brion
Next-Generation Sequencing: Application in Liver Cancer—Past, Present and Future?
No full textHepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the third most deadly malignancy worldwide characterized by phenotypic and molecular heterogeneity. In the past two decades, advances in genomic analyses have formed a comprehensive understanding of different underlying pathobiological layers resulting in hepatocarcinogenesis. More recently, improvements of sophisticated next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have enabled complete and cost-efficient analyses of cancer genomes at a single nucleotide resolution and advanced into valuable tools in translational medicine. Although the use of NGS in human liver cancer is still in its infancy, great promise rests in the systematic integration of different molecular analyses obtained by these methodologies, i.e., genomics, transcriptomics and epigenomics. This strategy is likely to be helpful in identifying relevant and recurrent pathophysiological hallmarks thereby elucidating our limited understanding of liver cancer. Beside tumor heterogeneity, progress in translational oncology is challenged by the amount of biological information and considerable “noise” in the data obtained from different NGS platforms. Nevertheless, the following review aims to provide an overview of the current status of next-generation approaches in liver cancer, and outline the prospects of these technologies in diagnosis, patient classification, and prediction of outcome. Further, the potential of NGS to identify novel applications for concept clinical trials and to accelerate the development of new cancer therapies will be summarized
CFD based prediction method for the notional permeability of rubble mound breakwaters
No full textIn this thesis, a general method to predict the notional permeability for various structure lay-outs is developed. A numerical model is used to find a characteristic value for different structure lay-outs: the three structures for which Van der Meer determined the P-value, and a fourth structure of which the P-value has to be predicted. The P-value of the fourth structure is predicted by interpolation of the characteristic value of this structure between the characteristic values found for the structures of Van der Meer. The numerical model used is the RANS-VOF model OpenFoam. The developed prediction method uses the total wave induced water pressure over the armour layer as characteristic value. The prediction method is validated for a structure lay-out for which (Kik, 2011) found a P-value of 0.37 by means of physical model testing. A P-value of 0.38 was found by (Kluwen, 2012) for the same structure lay-out by means of more physical model testing. The prediction method predicts a P-value in line with the P-value found by (Kik, 2011) and (Kluwen, 2012). The predicted P-value is 0.35 with this prediction method. A sensitivity assessment has been performed by varying the wave conditions, the porosity of the porous layers of the structure and the Forchheimer parameters applied in the numerical simulations. Results show that the prediction is not very sensitive to changes in the wave conditions or changes in the Forchheimer parameters. And although not confirmed by tests, it seems that the prediction method is not very sensitive for changes in the applied porosities of the porous layers of the structure with unknown P-value. Therefore, the method seems to be a robust method and can be practically used in engineering projects. With this new prediction method for the notional permeability of a breakwater, it is possible to make a more accurate estimate on the notional permeability for more complex rubble mound structures. A more accurate estimate of the notional permeability will improve the accuracy of the initial design of the armour layer in early stages of a project. A next step to further improve the predictions of the notional permeability and to gain a better understanding of the damage of the armour layer of a rubble mound breakwater, is to research the correlation between the wave induced water pressure over the armour layer, the discharge through the armour layer and the flow velocity on top of the armour stones and to research how the combination of these three parameters has influence on the armour layer stability.Civil Engineering | Hydraulic Engineerin
Optimal infrastructure capacity of automated on-demand rail-bound transit systems
No full textFully-automated services potentially allow for greater flexibility in operations and lower marginal operational costs. The objective of this study is to determine the capacity requirements of an envisaged automated on-demand rail-bound transit system which offers a direct non-stop service. An optimization model is formulated for determining the optimal track and station platform capacities for an on-demand rail transit system so that passenger, infrastructure and operational costs are minimized. The macroscopic model allows for studying the underlying relations between technological, operational and demand parameters, optimal capacity settings and the obtained cost components. The model is applied to a series of numerical experiments followed by its application to part of the Dutch railway network. The performance is benchmarked against the existing service, suggesting that in-vehicle times can be reduced by 10% in the case study network while the optimal link and station capacity allocation is comparable to those currently available in the case study network. While network geometry and demand distribution are always the underlying determinants of both service frequencies and in-vehicle times, line configuration is only a determinant in the conventional system, whereas the automated on-demand rail service better caters for the prevailing demand relations, resulting in greater variations in service provision. A series of sensitivity analyses are performed to test the consequences of a range of network structures, technological capabilities, operational settings, cost functions and demand scenarios for future automated on-demand rail-bound systems.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Transport and Plannin
Genetic variation in the ABCG1 promoter
No full textOne of the major health risks of the Western world today is cardiovascular diseases. Low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are strongly related to the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A new cellular cholesterol transporter has been suggested to be of potential major importance for HDL formation and reverse cholesterol transport, the half ABC transporter, ABCG1. The impact of this gene in human atherosclerotic disease remains to be determined. With the aim to identify genetic variation in the ABCG1 promoter, we used a systematic approach in which we screened individuals selected from the general population with the lowest 2% and the highest 2% levels of HDL-C for age and gender. Twenty-three genetic variations were identified, ranging in allele frequency from 0.1 to 28%, and 18 of these have not been reported previously. Eight rare variants were exclusively identified in one of the extreme HDL-C groups indicating that they might affect HDL-C levels. The present promoter screening constitutes the basis for future in vivo and in vitro studies that will determine the role of ABCG1 for atherosclerosis development in humans and potentially suggest the gene as a target for therapeutic interventions.One of the major health risks of the Western world today is cardiovascular diseases. Low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are strongly related to the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A new cellular cholesterol transporter has been suggested to be of potential major importance for HDL formation and reverse cholesterol transport, the half ABC transporter, ABCG1. The impact of this gene in human atherosclerotic disease remains to be determined. With the aim to identify genetic variation in the ABCG1 promoter, we used a systematic approach in which we screened individuals selected from the general population with the lowest 2% and the highest 2% levels of HDL-C for age and gender. Twenty-three genetic variations were identified, ranging in allele frequency from 0.1 to 28%, and 18 of these have not been reported previously. Eight rare variants were exclusively identified in one of the extreme HDL-C groups indicating that they might affect HDL-C levels. The present promoter screening constitutes the basis for future in vivo and in vitro studies that will determine the role of ABCG1 for atherosclerosis development in humans and potentially suggest the gene as a target for therapeutic interventions
Supplementary material to ECOMAR: A data-driven framework for ecosystembased Maritime Spatial Planning in Danish marine waters
No full textProject manager Jesper H. Andersen This report contains, as said in the title, the supplementary material to the synthesis report from the ECOMAR project (2018- 2020). The supplementary material consists of three parts: 1) Annex A, being the data sets and layers dealing with human pressures and activities, 2) Annex B, being the data set related to ecosystem components and analogue data sets, and 3) Annex C, being additional data used for the mapping of potentially cumulative effects in Danish marine waters as well as maps of results mentioned, but not show in the synthesis report. For each data set, a specific reference to the data authoring organization as well as contact information for the Data Author. THE VELUX FOUNDATION
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The La Silla Schmidt Southern Survey
No full textWe present the La Silla Schmidt Southern Survey (LS4), a new wide-field,
time-domain survey to be conducted with the 1 m ESO Schmidt telescope. The 268
megapixel LS4 camera mosaics 32 2k4k fully depleted CCDs, providing a
20 deg field of view with pixel resolution. The LS4
camera will have excellent performance at longer wavelengths: in a standard 45
s exposure the expected 5 limiting magnitudes in , , are
21.5, 20.9, and 20.3 mag (AB), respectively. The telescope
design requires a novel filter holder that fixes different bandpasses over each
quadrant of the detector. Two quadrants will have band, while the other two
will be and band and color information will be obtained by dithering
targets across the different quadrants. The majority (90%) of the observing
time will be used to conduct a public survey that monitors the extragalactic
sky at both moderate (3 d) and high (1 d) cadence, as well as focused
observations within the Galactic bulge and plane. Alerts from the public survey
will be broadcast to the community via established alert brokers. LS4 will run
concurrently with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and
Time (LSST). The combination of LS4+LSST will enable detailed holistic
monitoring of many nearby transients: high-cadence LS4 observations will
resolve the initial rise and peak of the light curve while less-frequent but
deeper observations by LSST will characterize the years before and after
explosion. Here, we summarize the primary science objectives of LS4 including
microlensing events in the Galaxy, extragalactic transients, the search for
electromagnetic counterparts to multi-messenger events, and cosmology
Household enterprises in Vietnam : survival, growth, and living standards
No full textIn Vietnam almost a quarter of adults worked in nonfarm household enterprises in 1998. Based on household panel data from the Vietnam Living Standards Surveys of 1993 and 1998, the authors find some evidence that operating an enterprise leads to greater affluence. The data show that nonfarm household enterprises are most likely to be operated by urban households, by those with moderately good education, and by the children of proprietors. The authors were able to construct a panel of nonfarm household enterprises; 39 percent of enterprises operating in 1993 were still in business in 1998. Those in the (more affluent) south of the country were less likely to survive, as were smaller and younger businesses. A pattern emerges from the data. In poor areas the lack of education, credit, and effective demand limits the development of nonfarm household enterprises. In rich areas there is the attraction of wage labor. Nonfarm household enterprises are thus most important in the period of transition, when agriculture is declining in importance but before the formal sector becomes established. The authors expect these enterprises to continue to play a modest supporting role in fostering economic growth in Vietnam.Public Health Promotion,Housing&Human Habitats,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Microfinance,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Small and Medium Size Enterprises,Private Participation in Infrastructure,Microfinance
The La Silla Schmidt Southern Survey
No full textInternational audienceWe present the La Silla Schmidt Southern Survey (LS4), a new wide-field, time-domain survey to be conducted with the 1 m ESO Schmidt telescope. The 268 megapixel LS4 camera mosaics 32 2k4k fully depleted CCDs, providing a 20 deg field of view with pixel resolution. The LS4 camera will have excellent performance at longer wavelengths: in a standard 45 s exposure the expected 5 limiting magnitudes in , , are 21.5, 20.9, and 20.3 mag (AB), respectively. The telescope design requires a novel filter holder that fixes different bandpasses over each quadrant of the detector. Two quadrants will have band, while the other two will be and band and color information will be obtained by dithering targets across the different quadrants. The majority (90%) of the observing time will be used to conduct a public survey that monitors the extragalactic sky at both moderate (3 d) and high (1 d) cadence, as well as focused observations within the Galactic bulge and plane. Alerts from the public survey will be broadcast to the community via established alert brokers. LS4 will run concurrently with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The combination of LS4+LSST will enable detailed holistic monitoring of many nearby transients: high-cadence LS4 observations will resolve the initial rise and peak of the light curve while less-frequent but deeper observations by LSST will characterize the years before and after explosion. Here, we summarize the primary science objectives of LS4 including microlensing events in the Galaxy, extragalactic transients, the search for electromagnetic counterparts to multi-messenger events, and cosmology
The La Silla Schmidt Southern Survey
No full textWe present the La Silla Schmidt Southern Survey (LS4), a new wide-field, time-domain survey to be conducted with the 1 m ESO Schmidt telescope. The 268 megapixel LS4 camera mosaics 32 2k × 4k fully depleted CCDs, providing a ∼20 deg2 field of view with 1″ pixel−1 resolution. The LS4 camera will have excellent performance at longer wavelengths: in a standard 45 s exposure the expected 5σ limiting magnitudes in g, i, z are ∼21.5, ∼20.9, and ∼20.3 mag (AB), respectively. The telescope design requires a novel filter holder that fixes different bandpasses over each quadrant of the detector. Two quadrants will have i band, while the other two will be g and z band with color information obtained by dithering targets across the different quadrants. The majority (90%) of the observing time will be used to conduct a public survey that monitors the extragalactic sky at both moderate (3 days) and high (1 day) cadence, as well as focused observations within the Galactic plane and bulge. Alerts from the public survey will be broadcast to the community via established alert brokers. LS4 will run concurrently with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). The combination of LS4+LSST will enable detailed holistic monitoring of many nearby transients: high-cadence LS4 observations will resolve the initial rise and peak of the light curve while less-frequent but deeper observations by LSST will characterize the years before and after explosion. Here, we summarize the primary science objectives of LS4 including microlensing events in the Galaxy, extragalactic transients powered by massive black holes or stellar explosions, the search for electromagnetic counterparts to multi-messenger events, and supernova cosmology
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