Extended Bose Hubbard model for two leg ladder systems in artificial magnetic fields

We investigate the ground state properties of ultracold atoms with long range interactions trapped in a two leg ladder configuration in the presence of an artificial magnetic field. Using a Gross-Pitaevskii approach and a mean field Gutzwiller variational method, we explore both the weakly interacting and strongly interacting regime, respectively. We calculate the boundaries between the density-wave/supersolid and the Mott-insulator/superfluid phases as a function of magnetic flux and uncover regions of supersolidity. The mean-field results are confirmed by numerical simulations using a cluster mean field approach.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure

Anomalous pairing of bosons: Effect of multi body interactions in optical lattice

An interesting first order type phase transition between Mott lobes has been reported in Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 135302 (2012) for a two-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model in the presence of attractive three-body interaction. We re-visit the scenario in a system of ultracold bosons in a one-dimensional optical lattice using the density matrix renormalization group method and show that an unconventional pairing of particles occurs due to the competing two-body repulsive and three-body attractive interactions. This leads to a pair superfluid phase sandwiched between the Mott insulator lobes corresponding to densities $\rho=1$ and $\rho=3$ in the strongly interacting regime. We further extend our analysis to a two dimensional Bose-Hubbard model using the self consistent cluster-mean-field theory approach and confirm that the unconventional pair superfluid phase stabilizes in the region between the Mott lobes in contrast to the direct first order jump as predicted before. In the end we establish connection to the most general Bose-Hubbard model and analyse the fate of the pair superfluid phase in presence of an external trapping potential.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

CALPASTATIN OVER-EXPRESSION REDUCES CARDIAC FIBROSIS IN A MURINE MODEL OF TYPE 2 DIABETES

Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. Calpain, a calcium-dependent protease, is increased in diabetic hearts yet its role in diabetic heart disease has not been demonstrated. We hypothesized that inhibition of calpain activity via calpastatin (CAST) over-expression will reduce the onset of myocardial fibrosis, a hallmark of diabetic cardiomyopathy, in the Type 2 murine model, db/db. Histological analysis together with gene expression measurements showed calpastatin over-expression reduced collagen content in db/db-CAST hearts. In order to understand the mechanisms responsible for this change, fibroblasts and known mediators of collagen synthesis and degradation were studied. Results indicated that calpain-induced derangements in MMP activity, stimulation of immune cells and up- regulation of cytokines responsible for promoting fibroblast differentiation and proliferation were reversed by calpastatin over-expression. This study shows that calpain inhibition is an effective means of decreasing collagen accumulation in the diabetic heart

Thermal tolerance of acid adapted and non-adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica in ground beef

D-values of acid adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella were determined in meat serum and ground beef stored at 4 and -20°C as an indicator of thermal tolerance. Pathogens were acid adapted by growing in Tryptic Soy Broth with 1% glucose (TSB+1%G). Five-strain cocktail of both bacteria were grown and inoculated meat serum was heated to 58, 62, and 65°C, while inoculated ground beef was heated to 62 and 65°C on day 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 (4°C), and on day 1, 30, 60, 90, and 120 (-20°C). Higher (P\u3c0.05) D-values were observed for acid adapted E. coli O157:H7 in meat serum at 58, 62, and 65°C; and for acid adapted Salmonella at 58 and 62°C, but no difference (P\u3e0.05) was observed at 65°C. In ground beef D62-values of non-adapted E. coli O157:H7 were higher (P\u3c0.05) on day 21 and 28 (4°C) and on day 90 and 120 (-20°C). Higher (P\u3c0.05) D62-values were observed on day 21 and 28 at 4°C amongst non-adapted strains and on day 28 for acid adapted strains of Salmonella. Higher (P\u3c0.05) D62-values of acid adapted Salmonella were observed on day 30, 60, and 90 when stored at -20°C while no differences (P\u3e0.05) were observed in D65-values of acid adapted and non-adapted strains throughout storage (4 and -20°C);Toxicity of acid adapted E. coli O157:H7 to African Green Monkey kidney cells (Vero cells) was also determined. Vero cells were grown separately and subjected to toxin produced by acid adapted and non-adapted E. coli O157:H7 grown in laboratory media and meat serum. Comparison of toxicity was made after storing samples for 1 and 7 days at 4 and -20°C. No differences (P\u3e0.05) were observed between the toxicity of acid adapted and non-adapted cells in laboratory media and meat serum at both temperature. Higher (P\u3c0.05) toxicity was observed on day 1 as compared to day 7 at both storage temperatures. Higher (P\u3c0.05) verotoxin production was observed in meat serum inoculated with non-adapted cells on day 1 as compared to acid adapted cells

Implementing a Fall Screen and Prevention Program in the Primary Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Project

Significance and Background: Falls are a major health concern in the inpatient and outpatient clinical setting. They are costly for our healthcare system and lead to a sequela of challenges for patients, families and society. These challenges include fear of falling, injury, reduced quality of life, disability and death. Within the primary care setting, a fall risk assessment is required as part of the Welcome to Medicare examination. Primary care providers are reimbursed through the Medical Annual Wellness Visit. The goal of this quality improvement project was to implement a fall risk screening and intervention too for primary care patients aged 65 years and older. Purpose: This quality improvement project was to implement a fall screen and a fall prevention program. The goal of this project is for the provider to implement a unique fall prevention program for at risk patients and monitor their success during an 8-week time frame. Methods: The method used for this quality improvement project was The Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI) Model (PDSA). Outcome: After reviewing the data, it was found that 57.1% of at-risk patients received a fall prevention tool and 62.5% used one of the fall prevention resources provided. The final results were that 100% percent of these patients state that they did not have a fall during this 8-week allotted time slot. Discussion: The outcome of this quality improvement project ultimately concludes that a fall screening and a fall prevention tool should be a part of the annual wellness visit to patients receiving care in the primary care setting

Complete Traumatic Luxation of the Eyeball

Purpose: To report the computed tomography features of a case with complete luxation of the globe after a road traffic accident. Case Report: A 35-year-old male presented with pain, loss of vision, and bleeding from the left eye 48 hr after a road traffic accident. The ophthalmic examination of the left upper and lower eyelids showed edema with subcutaneous hematoma, crepitus, and complete blepharoptosis. On retracting the eyelids, the left eyeball was not visible and the patient was not able to perceive light. The left temporal region appeared filled with a soft, palpable globular structure situated beneath the temporalis muscle. A non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) of the head and orbits showed a comminuted and displaced fracture of the floor, medial, and lateral orbital walls in addition to a displaced tripod fracture of the left zygomatic bone. The intact left eyeball was seen below the temporalis muscle without any optic nerve or extraocular muscle attachment. The virtual reality reconstruction highlighted a contributory supero-temporal defect in the bony orbit, which appeared large enough to accommodate the intact eyeball. Conclusion: The computed tomography of the orbits provided a detailed location of the luxated eyeball and provided guidance in further management of the case

Enhancement of QoS in 802.11e for Real Time Traffic

“Quality of Service (QoS) requirements like good throughput and minimum access delay are challenging tasks to accomplish with regard to 802.11 WLAN protocols and Medium Access Control (MAC) functions. In this article, a distributed medium access scheme called EDCF, which is adopted in an upcoming standard IEEE802.11e to allow prioritized medium access for applications with QoS requirements, is described and discussed. Its performance is also evaluated via simulations using network simulator called OPNET