36,250 research outputs found

    Outbreak of tropical rat mite (Ornithonyssus bacoti) dermatitis in a home for disabled persons

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    Five mentally handicapped individuals living in a home for disabled persons in Southern Germany were seen in our outpatient department with pruritic, red papules predominantly located in groups on the upper extremities, neck, upper trunk and face. Over several weeks 40 inhabitants and 5 caretakers were affected by the same rash. Inspection of their home and the sheds nearby disclosed infestation with rat populations and mites. Finally the diagnosis of tropical rat mite dermatitis was made by the identification of the arthropod Ornithonyssus bacoti or so-called tropical rat mite. The patients were treated with topical corticosteroids and antihistamines. After elimination of the rats and disinfection of the rooms by a professional exterminator no new cases of rat mite dermatitis occurred. The tropical rat mite is an external parasite occurring on rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters and various other small mammals. When the principal animal host is not available, human beings can become the victim of mite infestation. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Base

    Experimental determination of cosmic ray charged particle intensity profiles in the atmosphere

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    Absolute cosmic-ray free air ionization and charged particle fluxes and dose rates throughout the atmosphere were measured on a series of balloon flights that commenced in 1968. Argon-filled ionization chambers equipped with solid-state electrometers, with different gas pressures and steel wall thicknesses, and a pair of aluminum-wall Gm counters have provided the basic data. These data are supplemented by measurements with air-filled and tissue equivalent ionization chambers and a scintillation spectrometer. Laboratory experiments together with analyses of the theoretical aspects of the detector responses to cosmic radiation indicate that these profiles can be determined to an overall accuracy of + or - 5 percent

    The KATRIN Experiment

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    The KArlsruhe TRitium Neutrino mass experiment, KATRIN, aims to search for the mass of the electron neutrino with a sensitivity of 0.2 eV/c^2 (90% C.L.) and a detection limit of 0.35 eV/c^2 (5 sigma). Both a positive or a negative result will have far reaching implications for cosmology and the standard model of particle physics and will give new input for astroparticle physics and cosmology. The major components of KATRIN are being set up at the Karlsruhe Institut of Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany, and test measurements of the individual components have started. Data taking with tritium is scheduled to start in 2012.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, proceedings of the TAUP 2009 International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics, to be published in Journal of Physics, Conference Serie

    Money in monetary policy design: monetary cross-checking in the New-Keynesian model

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    In the New-Keynesian model, optimal interest rate policy under uncertainty is formulated without reference to monetary aggregates as long as certain standard assumptions on the distributions of unobservables are satisfied. The model has been criticized for failing to explain common trends in money growth and inflation, and that therefore money should be used as a cross-check in policy formulation (see Lucas (2007)). We show that the New-Keynesian model can explain such trends if one allows for the possibility of persistent central bank misperceptions. Such misperceptions motivate the search for policies that include additional robustness checks. In earlier work, we proposed an interest rate rule that is near-optimal in normal times but includes a cross-check with monetary information. In case of unusual monetary trends, interest rates are adjusted. In this paper, we show in detail how to derive the appropriate magnitude of the interest rate adjustment following a significant cross-check with monetary information, when the New-Keynesian model is the central bank’s preferred model. The cross-check is shown to be effective in offsetting persistent deviations of inflation due to central bank misperceptions. Keywords: Monetary Policy, New-Keynesian Model, Money, Quantity Theory, European Central Bank, Policy Under Uncertaint

    Fundamental investigation of stress corrosion cracking

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    Two principle areas studied were stress corrosion crack growth rates of a titanium alloy in liquid environments containing halide ions and pitting corrosion of titanium in bromide solutions. Two initial assumptions were made, that the rate of propagation was controlled by a macroscopic solution parameter and that this parameter was viscosity. A series of solutions were prepared using lithium chloride as the solute and water, methanol, glycerin, formic acid, acetone, dimethyl sulphoxide, etc. As solvents, these solutions were prepared with a 5:1 solvent-solute ratio. Viscosity was varied by changing the temperature and it was found: (1) In all solvents the velocity of cracking was proportional to the reciprocal of the viscosity. (2) Each solvent gave a separate relationship, (3) The temperature dependence and numerical values for the apparent activation energy of cracking and viscosity were the same

    The population of deformed bands in 48^{48}Cr by emission of 8^{8}Be from the 32^{32}S + 24^{24}Mg reaction

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    Using particle-γ\gamma coincidences we have studied the population of final states after the emission of 2 α\alpha-particles and of 8^{8}Be in nuclei formed in 32^{32}S+24^{24}Mg reactions at an energy of EL(32S)=130MeV\textrm{E}_{\rm L}(^{32}\textrm{S}) = 130 {\rm MeV}. The data were obtained in a setup consisting of the GASP γ\gamma-ray detection array and the multidetector array ISIS. Particle identification is obtained from the Δ\DeltaE and E signals of the ISIS silicon detector telescopes, the 8^{8}Be being identified by the instantaneous pile up of the Δ\DeltaE and E pulses. γ\gamma-ray decays of the 48^{48}Cr nucleus are identified with coincidences set on 2 α\alpha-particles and on 8^{8}Be. Some transitions of the side-band with Kπ=4−K^\pi=4^{-} show stronger population for 8^{8}Be emission relative to that of 2 α\alpha-particles (by a factor 1.5−1.81.5-1.8). This observation is interpreted as due to an enhanced emission of 8^{8}Be into a more deformed nucleus. Calculations based on the extended Hauser-Feshbach compound decay formalism confirm this observation quantitatively.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures accepted for publication in J. Phys.

    ALMA observations of the vibrationally-excited rotational CO transition v=1,J=3−2v=1, J=3-2 towards five AGB stars

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    We report the serendipitous detection with ALMA of the vibrationally-excited pure-rotational CO transition v=1,J=3−2v=1, J=3-2 towards five asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, oo Cet, R Aqr, R Scl, W Aql, and π1\pi^1 Gru. The observed lines are formed in the poorly-understood region located between the stellar surface and the region where the wind starts, the so-called warm molecular layer. We successfully reproduce the observed lines profiles using a simple model. We constrain the extents, densities, and kinematics of the region where the lines are produced. R Aqr and R Scl show inverse P-Cygni line profiles which indicate infall of material onto the stars. The line profiles of oo Cet and R Scl show variability. The serendipitous detection towards these five sources shows that vibrationally-excited rotational lines can be observed towards a large number of nearby AGB stars using ALMA. This opens a new possibility for the study of the innermost regions of AGB circumstellar envelopes.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, 2016MNRAS.463L..74
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