Computed tomography measures of nutrition in patients with end-stage liver disease provide a novel approach to characterize deficits

Aim Patients with cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease (ESLD) develop severe nutrition deficits that impact on morbidity and mortality. Laboratory measures of nutrition fail to fully assess clinical deficits in muscle mass and fat stores. This study employs computed tomography imaging to assess muscle mass and subcutaneous and visceral fat stores in patients with ESLD. Methods This 1:1 case-control study design compares ESLD patients with healthy controls. Study patients were selected from a database of ESLD patients using a stratified method to assure a representative sample based on age, body mass index (BMI), gender, and model for end-stage liver disease score (MELD). Control patients were trauma patients with a low injury severity score (<10) who had a CT scan during evaluation. Cases and controls were matched for age +/- 5 years, gender, and BMI +/- 2. Results There were 90 subjects and 90 controls. ESLD patients had lower albumin levels (p<0.001), but similar total protein levels (p=0.72). ESLD patients had a deficit in muscle mass (-19%, p<0.001) and visceral fat (-13%, p<0.001), but similar subcutaneous fat (-1%, p=0.35). ESLD patients at highest risk for sarcopenia included those over age 60, BMI< 25.0, and female gender. We found degree of sarcopenia to be independent of MELD score. Conclusions These results support previous research demonstrating substantial nutrition deficits in ESLD patients that are not adequately measured by laboratory testing. Patients with ESLD have significant deficits of muscle and visceral fat stores, but a similar amount of subcutaneous fat

Gravity-driven instability in a spherical Hele-Shaw cell

A pair of concentric spheres separated by a small gap form a spherical Hele-Shaw cell. In this cell an interfacial instability arises when two immiscible fluids flow. We derive the equation of motion for the interface perturbation amplitudes, including both pressure and gravity drivings, using a mode coupling approach. Linear stability analysis shows that mode growth rates depend upon interface perimeter and gravitational force. Mode coupling analysis reveals the formation of fingering structures presenting a tendency toward finger tip-sharpening.Comment: 13 pages, 4 ps figures, RevTex, to appear in Physical Review

Thickness Estimation of Epitaxial Graphene on SiC using Attenuation of Substrate Raman Intensity

A simple, non-invasive method using Raman spectroscopy for the estimation of the thickness of graphene layers grown epitaxially on silicon carbide (SiC) is presented, enabling simultaneous determination of thickness, grain size and disorder using the spectra. The attenuation of the substrate Raman signal due to the graphene overlayer is found to be dependent on the graphene film thickness deduced from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy of the surfaces. We explain this dependence using an absorbing overlayer model. This method can be used for mapping graphene thickness over a region and is capable of estimating thickness of multilayer graphene films beyond that possible by XPS and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES).Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Abelian varieties with isogenous reductions

If A and B are abelian varieties over a number field K such that there are non-trivial geometric homomorphisms of abelian varieties between reductions of A and B at most primes of K, then there exists a non-trivial (geometric) homomorphism from A to B defined over an algebraic closure of K.Comment: Final version, with French abstract; to appear in Comptes Rendus - S\'erie Math\'ematiqu

Hyperspherical partial wave calculation for double photoionization of the helium atom at 20 eV excess energy

Hyperspherical partial wave approach has been applied here in the study of double photoionization of the helium atom for equal energy sharing geometry at 20 eV excess energy. Calculations have been done both in length and velocity gauges and are found to agree with each other, with the CCC results and with experiments and exhibit some advantages of the corresponding three particle wave function over other wave functions in use.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, submitted to J. Phys B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys; v2 - revised considerably, rewritten using ioplatex clas

Dynamics of Coronal Bright Points as seen by Sun Watcher using Active Pixel System detector and Image Processing (SWAP), Atmospheric Imaging Assembly AIA), and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI)

The \textit{Sun Watcher using Active Pixel system detector and Image Processing}(SWAP) on board the \textit{PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy\todash 2} (PROBA\todash 2) spacecraft provides images of the solar corona in EUV channel centered at 174 \AA. These data, together with \textit{Atmospheric Imaging Assembly} (AIA) and the \textit{Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager} (HMI) on board \textit{Solar Dynamics Observatory} (SDO), are used to study the dynamics of coronal bright points. The evolution of the magnetic polarities and associated changes in morphology are studied using magnetograms and multi-wavelength imaging. The morphology of the bright points seen in low-resolution SWAP images and high-resolution AIA images show different structures, whereas the intensity variations with time show similar trends in both SWAP 174 and AIA 171 channels. We observe that bright points are seen in EUV channels corresponding to a magnetic-flux of the order of $10^{18}$ Mx. We find that there exists a good correlation between total emission from the bright point in several UV\todash EUV channels and total unsigned photospheric magnetic flux above certain thresholds. The bright points also show periodic brightenings and we have attempted to find the oscillation periods in bright points and their connection to magnetic flux changes. The observed periods are generally long (10\todash 25 minutes) and there is an indication that the intensity oscillations may be generated by repeated magnetic reconnection