500 research outputs found
van der Waals Interaction Energy Between Two Atoms Moving With Uniform Acceleration
We consider the interatomic van der Waals interaction energy between two
neutral ground-state atoms moving in the vacuum space with the same uniform
acceleration. We assume the acceleration orthogonal to their separation, so
that their mutual distance remains constant. Using a model for the van der
Waals dispersion interaction based on the interaction between the instantaneous
atomic dipole moments, which are induced and correlated by the zero-point field
fluctuations, we evaluate the interaction energy between the two accelerating
atoms in terms of quantities expressed in the laboratory reference frame. We
find that the dependence of the van der Waals interaction between the atoms
from the distance is different with respect to the case of atoms at rest, and
the relation of our results with the Unruh effect is discussed. We show that in
the near zone a new term proportional to adds to the usual
behavior, and in the far zone a term proportional to adds to the usual
behavior, making the interaction of a longer range. We also find that
the interaction energy is time-dependent, and the physical meaning of this
result is discussed. In particular, we find acceleration-dependent corrections
to the (far zone) and (near zone) proportional to
; this suggests that significant changes to the van der Waals
interaction between the atoms could be obtained if sufficiently long times are
taken, without necessity of the extremely high accelerations required by other
known manifestations of the Unruh effect.Comment: 9 page
Renal disorders in pregnancy
Renal disorders in pregnancy are common. In high income countries, approximately 3% of pregnant women have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and often it is recognized for the first time during pregnancy. Approximately one fifth pregnant women developing preeclampsia before 30 weeks’ gestation have previously undiagnosed CKD, especially those with severe proteinuria. Defining and staging CKD in pregnancy is challenging: from one hand physiological hyperfiltration might significantly alter CKD staging. On the other hand, the application of equations for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is strongly discouraged during pregnancy. By analyzing data from the literature, it is reasonable to assume that serum creatinine and albuminuria should be considered the most appropriate tests both for diagnosing and monitoring pregnant women with CKD. Creatinine clearance is cumbersome and the collection of the 24-h urine sample is often inaccurate, while proteinuria is affected by several analytical pitfalls. Serum creatinine should be measured by traceable methods in order to make comparable results between different laboratories. Albuminuria can be screened by dipstick methods; however, any positive result must be confirmed by a quantitative measurement either on a 24-h urine sample or on a first morning urine sample, reporting results as albuminuria-to-creatininuria ratio. Nephelometric methods for albuminuria enable an accurate measurement even in a range of 5–15 mg/L. Any negative dipstick result must be carefully evaluated on the basis of history and clinical signs, tacking into account possible false negative results due to the presence of a protein mixture constituted either by a very low concentration of albumin or by globular proteins only. Cystatin C should be used in the first trimester to predict the risk of preeclampsia and that of gestational diabetes mellitus. Finally, pregnant women with proteinuria must be periodically checked for urinary tract infection (UTI) by urine cultures
Radiative heat transfer between metallic gratings using adaptive spatial resolution
We calculate the radiative heat transfer between two identical metallic
one-dimensional lamellar gratings. To this aim we present and exploit a
modification to the widely-used Fourier modal method, known as adaptive spatial
resolution, based on a stretch of the coordinate associated to the periodicity
of the grating. We first show that this technique dramatically improves the
rate of convergence when calculating the heat flux, allowing to explore smaller
separations. We then present a study of heat flux as a function of the grating
height, highlighting a remarkable amplification of the exchanged energy,
ascribed to the appearance of spoof-plasmon modes, whose behavior is also
spectrally investigated. Differently from previous works, our method allows us
to explore a range of grating heights extending over several orders of
magnitude. By comparing our results to recent studies we find a consistent
quantitative disagreement with some previously obtained results going up to
50\%. In some cases, this disagreement is explained in terms of an incorrect
connection between the reflection operators of the two gratings.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Some typos corrected with respect to the
previous versio
Casimir-Lifshitz force out of thermal equilibrium between dielectric gratings
We calculate the Casimir-Lifshitz pressure in a system consisting of two
different 1D dielectric lamellar gratings having two different temperatures and
immersed in an environment having a third temperature. The calculation of the
pressure is based on the knowledge of the scattering operators, deduced using
the Fourier Modal Method. The behavior of the pressure is characterized in
detail as a function of the three temperatures of the system as well as the
geometrical parameters of the two gratings. We show that the interplay between
non-equilibrium effects and geometrical periodicity offers a rich scenario for
the manipulation of the force. In particular, we find regimes where the force
can be strongly reduced for large ranges of temperatures. Moreover, a repulsive
pressure can be obtained, whose features can be tuned by controlling the
degrees of freedom of the system. Remarkably, the transition distance between
attraction and repulsion can be decreased with respect to the case of two
slabs, implying an experimental interest for the observation of repulsion.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, accepted on Phys. Rev.
Effects of a uniform acceleration on atom-field interactions
We review some quantum electrodynamical effects related to the uniform
acceleration of atoms in vacuum. After discussing the energy level shifts of a
uniformly accelerated atom in vacuum, we investigate the atom-wall
Casimir-Polder force for accelerated atoms, and the van der
Waals/Casimir-Polder interaction between two accelerated atoms. The possibility
of detecting the Unruh effect through these phenomena is also discussed in
detail.Comment: 6 pages. Special Issue: 20th Central European Workshop on Quantum
Optics - Stockholm - June 201
Non-thermal effects of acceleration in the resonance interaction between two uniformly accelerated atoms
We study the resonance interaction between two uniformly accelerated
identical atoms, one excited and the other in the ground state, prepared in a
correlated (symmetric or antisymmetric) state and interacting with the scalar
field or the electromagnetic field in the vacuum state. In this case (resonance
interaction), the interatomic interaction is a second-order effect in the
atom-field coupling. We separate the contributions of vacuum fluctuations and
radiation reaction to the resonance energy shift of the system, and show that
only radiation reaction contributes, while Unruh thermal fluctuations do not
affect the resonance interaction. We also find that beyond a characteristic
length scale related to the atomic acceleration, non-thermal effects in the
radiation reaction contribution change the distance-dependence of the resonance
interaction. Finally, we find that previously unidentified features appear,
compared with the scalar field case, when the interaction with the
electromagnetic field is considered, as a consequence of the peculiar nature of
the vacuum quantum noise of the electromagnetic field in a relativistically
accelerated background.Comment: 10 page
Using a physically-based model, tRIBS-Erosion, for investigating the effects of climate change in semi-arid headwater basins.
Soil erosion due to rainfall detachment and flow entrainment of soil particles is a physical process responsible
for a continuous evolution of landscapes. The rate and spatial distribution of this phenomenon depend on several
factors such as climate, hydrologic regime, geomorphic characteristics, and vegetation of a basin. Many studies
have demonstrated that climate-erosion linkage in particular influences basin sediment yield and landscape morphology.
Although soil erosion rates are expected to change in response to climate, these changes can be highly
non-linear and thus require mechanistic understanding of underlying causes. In this study, an integrated geomorphic
component of the physically-based, spatially distributed hydrological model, tRIBS, the TIN-based Real-time
Integrated Basin Simulator, is used to analyze the sensitivity of semi-arid headwater basins to climate change.
Downscaled outputs of global circulation models are used to inform a stochastic weather generator that produces
an ensemble of climate scenarios for an area in the Southwest U.S. The ensemble is used as input to the integrated
model that is applied to different headwater basins of the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed to understand
basin response to climate change in terms of runoff and sediment yield. Through a model application to multiple
catchments, a scaling relationship between specific sediment yield and drainage basin area is also addressed and
probabilistic inferences on future changes in catchment runoff and yield are drawn. Geomorphological differences
among catchments do not influence specific changes in runoff and sediment transport that are mostly determined by
precipitation changes. Despite a large uncertainty dictated by climate change projections and stochastic variability,
sediment transport is predicted to decrease despite a non-negligible possibility of larger runoff rates
Metabolomic analysis of plasma from GABAB(1) knock-out mice reveals decreased levels of elaidic trans-fatty acid
Mice lacking the GABAB(1) subunit of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type B receptors exhibit spontaneous seizures, hyperalgesia, hyperlocomotor activity, and memory impairment. Although mice lacking the GABAB(1) subunit are viable, they are sterile, and to generate knockout (KO) mice, it is necessary to cross heterozygous (HZ) mice. The aim of our study was to detect the metabolic differences between the three genotypes of GABAB(1) KO mice in order to further characterize this experimental animal model. Plasma samples were collected from wild-type (WT), HZ, and KO mice. Samples were analyzed by means of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) platform. Univariate t-test, and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were performed to compare the metabolic pattern of different genotypes. The metabolomic analysis highlighted differences between the three genotypes and identified some metabolites less abundant in KO mice, namely elaidic acid and other fatty acids, and chiro-inositol
NGAL and metabolomics: The single biomarker to reveal the metabolome alterations in kidney injury
Conditions affecting kidney structure and function can be considered acute or chronic, depending on their duration. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of a number of acute kidney diseases and consists of an abrupt decline in kidney function after an injury leading to functional and structural changes. The widespread availability of enabling technologies has accelerated the rate of novel biomarker discovery for kidney injury. The introduction of novel biomarkers in clinical practice will lead to better preventative and therapeutic interventions and to improve outcomes of critically ill patients. A number of biomarkers of functional change and cellular damage are under evaluation for early diagnosis, risk assessment, and prognosis of AKI. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has emerged as the most promising biomarker of kidney injury; this protein can be measured by commercially available methods in whole blood, plasma, serum, and urine. Concomitantly, metabolomics appears to be a snapshot of the chemical fingerprints identifying specific cellular processes. In this paper, we describe the role of NGAL for managing AKI and the potential benefits deriving from the combined clinical use of urine NGAL and metabolomics in kidney disease
Dynamical atom-wall Casimir-Polder effect after a sudden change of the atomic position
We investigate the dynamical Casimir-Polder force between an atom and a
conducting wall during the time evolution of the system from a partially
dressed state. This state is obtained by a sudden change of the atomic position
with respect to the plate. To evaluate the time-dependent atom-plate
Casimir-Polder force we solve the Heisenberg equations for the field and atomic
operators by an iterative technique. We find that the dynamical atom-plate
Casimir-Polder interaction exhibits oscillation in time, and can be attractive
or repulsive depending on time and the atom-wall distance. We also investigate
the time dependence of global observables, such as the field and atomic
Hamiltonians, and discuss some interesting features of the dynamical process
bringing the interaction energy to the equilibrium configuration.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics: Conference
Series (Proceedings of the DICE2022 Conference - Castiglioncello, Italy
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