200 research outputs found
Electromagnetic Transition in Waveguide with Application to Lasers
The electromagnetic transition of two-level atomic systems in a waveguide is
calculated. Compared with the result in free space, the spontaneous emission
rate decrease because the phase space is smaller, and meanwhile, some resonance
appears in some cases. Moreover, the influence of non-uniform electromagnetic
field in a waveguide on absorption and stimulated emission is considered.
Applying the results to lasers, a method to enhance the laser power is
proposed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Tackling Systematic Errors in Quantum Logic Gates with Composite Rotations
We describe the use of composite rotations to combat systematic errors in
single qubit quantum logic gates and discuss three families of composite
rotations which can be used to correct off-resonance and pulse length errors.
Although developed and described within the context of NMR quantum computing
these sequences should be applicable to any implementation of quantum
computation.Comment: 6 pages RevTex4 including 4 figures. Will submit to Phys. Rev.
Atom gratings produced by large angle atom beam splitters
An asymptotic theory of atom scattering by large amplitude periodic
potentials is developed in the Raman-Nath approximation. The atom grating
profile arising after scattering is evaluated in the Fresnel zone for
triangular, sinusoidal, magneto-optical, and bichromatic field potentials. It
is shown that, owing to the scattering in these potentials, two
\QTR{em}{groups} of momentum states are produced rather than two distinct
momentum components. The corresponding spatial density profile is calculated
and found to differ significantly from a pure sinusoid.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure
Prostate cancer and Hedgehog signalling pathway
[Abstract] The Hedgehog (Hh) family of intercellular signalling proteins have come to be recognised as key mediators in many fundamental processes in embryonic development. Their activities are central to the growth, patterning and morphogenesis of many different regions within the bodies of vertebrates. In some contexts, Hh signals act as morphogens in the dose-dependent induction of distinct cell fates within a target field, in others as mitogens in the regulation of cell proliferation or as inducing factors controlling the form of a developing organ. These diverse functions of Hh proteins raise many intriguing questions about their mode of action. Various studies have now demonstrated the function of Hh signalling in the control of cell proliferation, especially for stem cells and stem-like progenitors. Abnormal activation of the Hh pathway has been demonstrated in a variety of human tumours. Hh pathway activity in these tumours is required for cancer cell proliferation and tumour growth. Recent studies have uncovered the role for Hh signalling in advanced prostate cancer and demonstrated that autocrine signalling by tumour cells is required for proliferation, viability and invasive behaviour. Thus, Hh signalling represents a novel pathway in prostate cancer that offers opportunities for prognostic biomarker development, drug targeting and therapeutic response monitoring
Near-IR Atlas of S0-Sa galaxies (NIRS0S)
An atlas of Ks-band images of 206 early-type galaxies is presented, including
160 S0-S0/a galaxies, 12 ellipticals, and 33 Sa galaxies. A majority of the
Atlas galaxies belong to a magnitude-limited (mB<12.5 mag) sample of 185 NIRS0S
(Near-IR S0 galaxy Survey) galaxies. To assure that mis-classified S0s are not
omitted, 25 ellipticals from RC3 classified as S0s in the Carnegie Atlas were
included in the sample. The images are 2-3 mag deeper than 2MASS images. Both
visual and photometric classifications are made. Special attention is paid to
the classification of lenses, coded in a systematic manner. A new lens-type,
called a 'barlens', is introduced. Also, boxy/peanut/x-shaped structures are
identified in many barred galaxies, even-though the galaxies are not seen in
edge-on view, indicating that vertical thickening is not enough to explain
them. Multiple lenses appear in 25% of the Atlas galaxies, which is a challenge
to the hierarchical evolutionary picture of galaxies. Such models need to
explain how the lenses were formed and survived in multiple merger events that
galaxies may have suffered during their lifetimes. Following the early
suggestion by van den Bergh, candidates of S0c galaxies are shown, which
galaxies are expected to be former Sc-type spirals stripped out of gas.Comment: 67 pages (include 16 figures and 6 tables). Accepted to MNRAS 2011
June 1
Methodologies for <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> evaluation of efficacy of antifungal and antibiofilm agents and surface coatings against fungal biofilms.
Unlike superficial fungal infections of the skin and nails, which are the most common fungal diseases in humans, invasive fungal infections carry high morbidity and mortality, particularly those associated with biofilm formation on indwelling medical devices. Therapeutic management of these complex diseases is often complicated by the rise in resistance to the commonly used antifungal agents. Therefore, the availability of accurate susceptibility testing methods for determining antifungal resistance, as well as discovery of novel antifungal and antibiofilm agents, are key priorities in medical mycology research. To direct advancements in this field, here we present an overview of the methods currently available for determining (i) the susceptibility or resistance of fungal isolates or biofilms to antifungal or antibiofilm compounds and compound combinations; (ii) the <i>in vivo</i> efficacy of antifungal and antibiofilm compounds and compound combinations; and (iii) the <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> performance of anti-infective coatings and materials to prevent fungal biofilm-based infections
Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19 : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050
Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.7-8.8) or 40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that 13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. 1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. 2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only 1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe
Correlated Production of p and p^bar in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
Correlations between p and pbar's at transverse momenta typical of enhanced
baryon production in Au+Au collisions are reported. The PHENIX experiment
measures same and opposite sign baryon pairs in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)
= 200 GeV. Correlated production of p and p^bar with the trigger particle from
the range 2.5 < p_T < 4.0 GeV/c and the associated particle with 1.8 < p_T <
2.5 GeV/c is observed to be nearly independent of the centrality of the
collisions. Same sign pairs show no correlation at any centrality. The
conditional yield of mesons triggered by baryons (and anti-baryons) and mesons
in the same pT range rises with increasing centrality, except for the most
central collisions, where baryons show a significantly smaller number of
associated mesons. These data are consistent with a picture in which hard
scattered partons produce correlated p and p^bar in the p_T region of the
baryon excess.Comment: 420 authors from 58 institutions, 21 pages,5 figures. Submitted to
Physics Letters B. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures
for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available
at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.
BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362
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