Comparing venous wall effects using the empty vein ablation technique with VELEX catheter, endovenous laser ablation and foam sclerotherapy in an animal model.

Objective: To describe residual intima and the average media thickness persisted after the empty vein ablation (EVA) technique, endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), and foam sclerotherapy (FS) in a sheep in vivo model.

Methods: Six iliofemoral and two jugular sheep vein axes were treated as follows: four with EVA (using polidocanol [POL] 0.5% or 1% with 1 or 3 minutes as contact time), two with FS (FS-1 and FS during Valsalva maneuver [FS-Val], POL1% for 10 minutes), and two with EVLA (1470 nm radial, 80 J/cm).

Advancements in sarcopenia diagnosis: from imaging techniques to non-radiation assessments.

Sarcopenia is a prevalent condition with significant clinical implications, and it is expected to escalate globally, demanding for effective diagnostic strategies, possibly at an early stage of the disease. Imaging techniques play a pivotal role in comprehensively evaluating sarcopenia, offering insights into both muscle quantity and quality. Among all the imaging techniques currently used for the diagnosis and follow up of sarcopenia, it is possible to distinguish two classes: Rx based techniques, using ionizing radiations, and non-invasive techniques, which are based on the use of safe and low risk diagnostic procedures.

Empty vein ablation (EVA) technique: an in-vivo animal model to assess the effects of sclerosing agent concentration and wall contact time on intima and media tunicae structure.

Background: Sclerotherapy is a cornerstone of the treatment of chronic venous disease, despite some technical aspects (e.g., sclerosant liquid agent concentration [SLAC] and contact time between sclerosant agent and vein wall [ctSA/VW]) to maximize outcomes remain an unsolved problem and a source of debate.

Density Dependent Gauge Field Inducing Emergent Su-Schrieffer-Heeger Physics, Solitons, and Condensates in a Discrete Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation.

We investigate a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation with dynamical, density-difference-dependent gauge fields. We find a ground-state transition from a plane wave condensate to a localized soliton state as the gauge coupling is varied. Interestingly we find a regime in which the condensate and soliton are both stable.

Dynamical self-trapping of two-dimensional binary solitons in cross-combined linear and nonlinear optical lattices.

Dynamical and self-trapping properties of two-dimensional (2D) binary mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates in cross-combined lattices, consisting of a one-dimensional (1D) linear optical lattice (LOL) in the x direction for the first component and a 1D nonlinear optical lattice (NOL) in the y direction for the second component, are analytically and numerically investigated. The existence and stability of 2D binary matter wave solitons in these settings are demonstrated both by variational analysis and by direct numerical integration of the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We find that in the absence of the NOL, binary solitons, stabilized by the action of the 1D LOL and by the attractive intercomponent interaction, can freely move in the y direction.

An innovative application of event structure analysis (ESA).

This paper presents an innovative application of event structure analysis (ESA). The key improvements incorporated on the method are: (i) a robust system for coding events; (ii) the use of causal process tracing tests for inferring necessary connections; (iii) the combination of ESA with network analyses. Finally, we propose five types of analysis for event network models ( critical elements, critical associations, critical connections, critical specific happenings, and critical antecedents) and exemplify some of them in a causal case study about the process of capability construction for open innovation management in an Industrial Electronic Manufacturer.

FNS allows efficient event-driven spiking neural network simulations based on a neuron model supporting spike latency.

Neural modelling tools are increasingly employed to describe, explain, and predict the human brain's behavior. Among them, spiking neural networks (SNNs) make possible the simulation of neural activity at the level of single neurons, but their use is often threatened by the resources needed in terms of processing capabilities and memory. Emerging applications where a low energy burden is required (e.

The Interplay between Phase Separation and Gene-Enhancer Communication: A Theoretical Study.

The phase separation occurring in a system of mutually interacting proteins that can bind on specific sites of a chromatin fiber is investigated here. This is achieved by means of extensive molecular dynamics simulations of a simple polymer model that includes regulatory proteins as interacting spherical particles. Our interest is particularly focused on the role played by phase separation in the formation of molecule aggregates that can join distant regulatory elements, such as gene promoters and enhancers, along the DNA.

On the Turbulence Modeling of Blood Flow in a Stenotic Vessel.

Blood flow dynamics in a stenosed, subject-specific carotid bifurcation is numerically simulated using direct numerical simulation (DNS) and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations closed with turbulence models. DNS is meant to provide a term of comparison for the RANS calculations, which include classic two-equations models (k-ε and k-ω) as well as a transitional three-equations eddy-viscosity model (kT-kL-ω). Pulsatile inlet conditions based on in vivo ultrasound measurements of blood velocity are used.

Dissipative solitons in the discrete Ginzburg-Landau equation with saturable nonlinearity.

The modulational instability of nonlinear plane waves and the existence of periodic and localized dissipative solitons and waves of the discrete Ginzburg-Landau equation with saturable nonlinearity are investigated. Explicit analytic expressions for periodic solutions with a zero and a finite background are derived and their stability properties investigated by means of direct numerical simulations. We find that while discrete periodic waves and solitons on a zero background are stable under time evolution, they may become modulationally unstable on finite backgrounds.

Patent portfolio management: literature review and a proposed model.

Introduction: Patents and patent portfolios are gaining attention in the last decades, from the called 'pro-patent era' to the recent billionaire transactions involving patent portfolios. The field is growing in importance, both theoretically and practically and despite having substantial literature on new product development portfolio management, we have not found an article relating this theory to patent portfolios.

Areas Covered: The paper develops a systematic literature review on patent portfolio management to organize the evolution and tendencies of patent portfolio management, highlighting distinctive features of patent portfolio management.

Optimal transport and von Neumann entropy in a Heisenberg XXZ chain out of equilibrium.

In this paper we investigate the spin currents and the von Neumann entropy (vNE) of a Heisenberg XXZ chain in contact with twisted XY-boundary magnetic reservoirs by means of the Lindblad master equation. Exact solutions for the stationary reduced density matrix are explicitly constructed for chains of small sizes by using a quantum symmetry operation of the system. These solutions are then used to investigate the optimal transport in the chain in terms of the vNE.

Behavior of magnetic currents in anisotropic Heisenberg spin chains out of equilibrium.

The behavior of the magnetic currents in one-dimensional Heisenberg XXZ spin chains kept out of equilibrium by boundary driving fields is investigated. In particular, the dependence of the spin currents on the anisotropy parameter Δ and on the boundary fields is studied both analytically and numerically in the framework of the Lindblad master equation formalism. We show that the spin current can be maximized with appropriate choices of the boundary fields, and for odd system sizes, N, we demonstrate the existence of additional symmetries that cause the current to be an odd function of Δ.

Linear superpositions of gap solitons in periodic Kerr media.

The existence of a type of soliton in periodic Kerr media constructed as a superposition of noninteracting gap solitons of different kinds (bright, dark, and periodic) is first demonstrated. The periodic modulation of the nonlinearity is used to suppress the cross-phase modulation between component solitons to allow the superimposed beam to propagate for long distances.

[Prevention of sudden death in heart failure patients: cardiac resynchronization therapy with or without defibrillation back-up].

The prevalence and incidence of heart failure are progressively increasing in both Europe and the United States. Despite many advances in diagnosis and therapy, morbidity and mortality remain high and long-term prognosis is still poor in most heart failure patients. The use of implantable devices, cardiac resynchronization therapy and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators plays a pivotal role in the treatment of heart failure.

Hierarchy of boundary-driven phase transitions in multispecies particle systems.

Interacting systems with K driven particle species on an open chain or chains that are coupled at the ends to boundary reservoirs with fixed particle densities are considered. We classify discontinuous and continuous phase transitions that are driven by adiabatic change of boundary conditions. We build minimal paths along which any given boundary-driven phase transition (BDPT) is observed and we reveal kinetic mechanisms governing these transitions.

Reduced-density-matrix spectrum and block entropy of permutationally invariant many-body systems.

Spectral properties of the reduced density matrix (RDM) of permutational invariant quantum many-body systems are investigated. The RDM block diagonalization which accounts for all symmetries of the Hamiltonian is achieved. The analytical expression of the RDM spectrum is provided for arbitrary parameters and rigorously proved in the thermodynamical limit.

[Risk stratification for sudden cardiac death: from the electrophysiological study to T-wave alternans].

T-wave alternans is a change, in the microvolt range, of T-wave amplitude on an ABABAB sequence. At present, various groups of patients have been evaluated, including those with myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and a clinical indication for programmed ventricular stimulation. In all clinical conditions analyzed, T-wave alternans analysis demonstrated a good diagnostic accuracy, suggesting a possible clinical use of the test in these settings.

Asymmetric simple exclusion process with periodic boundary driving.

We consider the asymmetric simple exclusion process (ASEP) on a semi-infinite chain which is coupled at the end to a reservoir with a particle density that changes periodically in time. It is shown that the density profile assumes a time-periodic sawtoothlike shape. This shape does not depend on initial conditions and is found analytically in the hydrodynamic limit.

Solitons in strongly driven discrete nonlinear Schrödinger-type models.

Discrete solitons in the Ablowitz-Ladik (AL) and discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (DNLS) equations with damping and strong rapid drive are investigated. The averaged equations have the forms of the parametric AL and DNLS equations. An additional type of parametric bright discrete soliton and cnoidal waves are found and the stability properties are analyzed.

Matter-wave solitons in radially periodic potentials.

We investigate two-dimensional (2D) states in Bose-Einstein condensates with self-attraction or self-repulsion, trapped in an axially symmetric optical-lattice potential periodic along the radius. The states trapped both in the central potential well and in remote circular troughs are studied. In the repulsive mode, a new soliton species is found, in the form of radial gap solitons.

Discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equations with arbitrarily high-order nonlinearities.

A class of discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equations with arbitrarily high-order nonlinearities is introduced. These equations are derived from the same Hamiltonian using different Poisson brackets and include as particular cases the saturable discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation and the Ablowitz-Ladik equation. As a common property, these equations possess three kinds of exact analytical stationary solutions for which the Peierls-Nabarro barrier is zero.