800 research outputs found
Planck scale effects on some low energy quantum phenomena
Almost all theories of Quantum Gravity predict modifications of the
Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle near the Planck scale to a so-called
Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP). Recently it was shown that the GUP
gives rise to corrections to the Schrodinger and Dirac equations, which in turn
affect all non-relativistic and relativistic quantum Hamiltonians. In this
paper, we apply it to superconductivity and the quantum Hall effect and compute
Planck scale corrections. We also show that Planck scale effects may account
for a (small) part of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. We obtain
(weak) empirical bounds on the undetermined GUP parameter from present-day
experiments.Comment: 5 pages. To appear in Physics Letters
Does the presence of connective tissue disease modify survival in patients with pulmonary fibrosis?
SummaryObjectivesPrevious studies into the survival differences between individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and those with connective tissue disease associated pulmonary fibrosis (CTD-PF) have yielded mixed results. The aim of this study is to compare the survival of individuals with CTD-PF to those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis clinical syndrome (IPF-CS) using data derived from The Health Improvement network, a large primary care database in the UK.MethodsIncident cases of CTD-PF and IPF-CS between the years 2000–2009 were identified. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier methods, stratified by type of connective tissue disease. Cox regression was then used to compare mortality rates between the groups, adjusting for age, gender and year of diagnosis.ResultsA total of 324 cases of CTD-PF and 2209 cases of IPF-CS were followed up over a mean period of 2.3 years. During this period, 113 (34.9%) cases of CTD-PF and 1073 (48.6%) cases of IPF-CS died. The mortality rates for cases with CTD-PF and IPF-CS were 123.6 per 1000 person years (95%CI: 102.8–148.9) and 229.8 per 1000 person years (95% CI: 216.4–244.0) respectively. After adjusting for age, sex and year of diagnosis, cases with CTD-PF had a better prognosis compared to those with IPF-CS (HR 0.76,95%CI: 0.62–0.92).ConclusionThe prognosis of individuals with CTD-PF appears to be significantly better than those with IPF-CS, but remains an important cause of death in patients with connective tissue disease, and requires more effective treatment options
Are the environmental niches of Vibrio cholerae O139 different from those of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor?
Background: Vibrio cholerae are known to be normal inhabitants of surface water. However, the environmental niches of the different strains of cholera are not well known, and therefore, populations at risk for cholera outbreaks cannot be clearly identified. Methods: This study identifies environmental risk factors for cholera caused by V. cholerae O1 El Tor and O139 and environmental niches of the two strains present in Matlab, a cholera endemic area of Bangladesh. The study year was 1993, the year that the O139 strain first appeared in the study area. Patients who had either strain of cholera identified in a laboratory were included in the study. A geographic information system was used to map the household locations of the patients, to describe the human sanitary environment and population density, and to address potential anthropogenic and environmental risk factors of the disease. Spatial point pattern and exploratory spatial data analysis techniques were used to define the environmental niches of the two cholera strains. Results: The study suggests the niches of O1 El Tor and O139 strains of V. cholerae appear to be similar, based on common environmental risk factors. Conclusions: The results of this study support a theory that O1 El Tor could possibly be replaced by the newer O139 strain in the future
Chiral properties of domain-wall fermions from eigenvalues of 4 dimensional Wilson-Dirac operator
We investigate chiral properties of the domain-wall fermion (DWF) system by
using the four-dimensional hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator. We first derive a
formula which connects a chiral symmetry breaking term in the five dimensional
DWF Ward-Takahashi identity with the four dimensional Wilson-Dirac operator,
and simplify the formula in terms of only the eigenvalues of the operator,
using an ansatz for the form of the eigenvectors. For a given distribution of
the eigenvalues, we then discuss the behavior of the chiral symmetry breaking
term as a function of the fifth dimensional length. We finally argue the chiral
property of the DWF formulation in the limit of the infinite fifth dimensional
length, in connection with spectra of the hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator in
the infinite volume limit as well as in the finite volume.Comment: Added a reference and modified the acknowledgmen
Magnetic-field and current-density distributions in thin-film superconducting rings and disks
We show how to calculate the magnetic-field and sheet-current distributions
for a thin-film superconducting annular ring (inner radius a, outer radius b,
and thickness d<<a) when either the penetration depth obeys lambda < d/2 or, if
lambda > d/2, the two-dimensional screening length obeys Lambda = 2 lambda^2/d
<< a for the following cases: (a) magnetic flux trapped in the hole in the
absence of an applied magnetic field, (b) zero magnetic flux in the hole when
the ring is subjected to an applied magnetic field, and (c) focusing of
magnetic flux into the hole when a magnetic field is applied but no net current
flows around the ring. We use a similar method to calculate the magnetic-field
and sheet-current distributions and magnetization loops for a thin,
bulk-pinning-free superconducting disk (radius b) containing a dome of magnetic
flux of radius a when flux entry is impeded by a geometrical barrier.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figure
Positronium Portal into Hidden Sector: A new Experiment to Search for Mirror Dark Matter
The understanding of the origin of dark matter has great importance for
cosmology and particle physics. Several interesting extensions of the standard
model dealing with solution of this problem motivate the concept of hidden
sectors consisting of SU(3)xSU(2)_LxU(1)_Y singlet fields. Among these models,
the mirror matter model is certainly one of the most interesting. The model
explains the origin of parity violation in weak interactions, it could also
explain the baryon asymmetry of the Universe and provide a natural ground for
the explanation of dark matter. The mirror matter could have a portal to our
world through photon-mirror photon mixing (epsilon). This mixing would lead to
orthopositronium (o-Ps) to mirror orthopositronium oscillations, the
experimental signature of which is the apparently invisible decay of o-Ps. In
this paper, we describe an experiment to search for the decay o-Ps -> invisible
in vacuum by using a pulsed slow positron beam and a massive 4pi BGO crystal
calorimeter. The developed high efficiency positron tagging system, the low
calorimeter energy threshold and high hermiticity allow the expected
sensitivity in mixing strength to be epsilon about 10^-9, which is more than
one order of magnitude below the current Big Bang Nucleosynthesis limit and in
a region of parameter space of great theoretical and phenomenological interest.
The vacuum experiment with such sensitivity is particularly timely in light of
the recent DAMA/LIBRA observations of the annual modulation signal consistent
with a mirror type dark matter interpretation.Comment: 40 pages, 29 Figures 2 Tables v2: Ref. added, Fig. 29 and some text
added to explain idea for backscattering e+ background suppression, corrected
typos v3: minor corrections: Eq 2.1 corrected (6 lines-> 5 lines), Eq.2.17:
two extra "-" signs remove
Neutrino-Deuteron Scattering in Effective Field Theory at Next-to-Next-to Leading Order
We study the four channels associated with neutrino-deuteron breakup
reactions at next-to-next to leading order in effective field theory. We find
that the total cross-section is indeed converging for neutrino energies up to
20 MeV, and thus our calculations can provide constraints on theoretical
uncertainties for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. We stress the importance of
a direct experimental measurement to high precision in at least one channel, in
order to fix an axial two-body counterterm.Comment: 32 pages, 14 figures (eps
Quantum spin systems at positive temperature
We develop a novel approach to phase transitions in quantum spin models based
on a relation to their classical counterparts. Explicitly, we show that
whenever chessboard estimates can be used to prove a phase transition in the
classical model, the corresponding quantum model will have a similar phase
transition, provided the inverse temperature and the magnitude of the
quantum spins \CalS satisfy \beta\ll\sqrt\CalS. From the quantum system we
require that it is reflection positive and that it has a meaningful classical
limit; the core technical estimate may be described as an extension of the
Berezin-Lieb inequalities down to the level of matrix elements. The general
theory is applied to prove phase transitions in various quantum spin systems
with \CalS\gg1. The most notable examples are the quantum orbital-compass
model on and the quantum 120-degree model on which are shown to
exhibit symmetry breaking at low-temperatures despite the infinite degeneracy
of their (classical) ground state.Comment: 47 pages, version to appear in CMP (style files included
Nuclear Alpha-Particle Condensates
The -particle condensate in nuclei is a novel state described by a
product state of 's, all with their c.o.m. in the lowest 0S orbit. We
demonstrate that a typical -particle condensate is the Hoyle state
( MeV, state in C), which plays a crucial role for
the synthesis of C in the universe. The influence of antisymmentrization
in the Hoyle state on the bosonic character of the particle is
discussed in detail. It is shown to be weak. The bosonic aspects in the Hoyle
state, therefore, are predominant. It is conjectured that -particle
condensate states also exist in heavier nuclei, like O,
Ne, etc. For instance the state of O at MeV
is identified from a theoretical analysis as being a strong candidate of a
condensate. The calculated small width (34 keV) of ,
consistent with data, lends credit to the existence of heavier Hoyle-analogue
states. In non-self-conjugated nuclei such as B and C, we discuss
candidates for the product states of clusters, composed of 's,
triton's, and neutrons etc. The relationship of -particle condensation
in finite nuclei to quartetting in symmetric nuclear matter is investigated
with the help of an in-medium modified four-nucleon equation. A nonlinear order
parameter equation for quartet condensation is derived and solved for
particle condensation in infinite nuclear matter. The strong qualitative
difference with the pairing case is pointed out.Comment: 71 pages, 41 figures, review article, to be published in "Cluster in
Nuclei (Lecture Notes in Physics) - Vol.2 -", ed. by C. Beck,
(Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2011
Diamond like carbon coatings for potential application in biological implants—a review
Production of wear debris has been linked to the failure of numerous hip implants. With the current focus on increasing the implant longevity, thus wear and corrosion resistance is important. Hard coatings have the potential to reduce the wear and corrosion. Diamond like Carbon (DLC) coatings exhibit properties that could make them viable for implants. This paper critically reviews previously published research into usage of DLC coatings for implants. Overall DLCs seem to be an effective coating for implants but with the variance in results, further testing is required for clarification of us
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