27,199 research outputs found
Axistationary perfect fluids -- a tetrad approach
Stationary axisymmetric perfect fluid space-times are investigated using the
curvature description of geometries. Attention is focused on space-times with a
vanishing electric part of the Weyl tensor. It is shown that the only
incompressible axistationary magnetic perfect fluid is the interior
Schwarzschild solution. The existence of a rigidly rotating perfect fluid,
generalizing the interior Schwarzschild metric is proven. Theorems are stated
on Petrov types and electric/magnetic Weyl tensors.Comment: 12 page
A -adic RanSaC algorithm for stereo vision using Hensel lifting
A -adic variation of the Ran(dom) Sa(mple) C(onsensus) method for solving
the relative pose problem in stereo vision is developped. From two 2-adically
encoded images a random sample of five pairs of corresponding points is taken,
and the equations for the essential matrix are solved by lifting solutions
modulo 2 to the 2-adic integers. A recently devised -adic hierarchical
classification algorithm imitating the known LBG quantisation method classifies
the solutions for all the samples after having determined the number of
clusters using the known intra-inter validity of clusterings. In the successful
case, a cluster ranking will determine the cluster containing a 2-adic
approximation to the "true" solution of the problem.Comment: 15 pages; typos removed, abstract changed, computation error remove
Cooper pair formation in trapped atomic Fermi gases
We apply the closed time-path formalism to evaluate the dynamics of the BCS
transition to the superfluid state in trapped atomic Li. We find that the
Fokker-Planck equation for the probability distribution of the order parameter
is, sufficiently close to the critical temperature, identical to the equation
that describes the switching on of a single-mode laser.Comment: 4 pages revtex including 1 figur
Towards a Strategic Plan for Research to Support the Global Program to EIiminate Lymphatic FiIariasis: Summary of Immediate Needs and Opportunities for Research on Lymphatic Filariasis. 2.2 Essential tools – Drugs and Clinical Drug Trials
A series of advances during the past decade transformed
LF from a neglected disease of poor countries into a disease
now recognized as potentially eradicable. Principal among the
reasons for these advances were the identification of ivermectin
and albendazole as new, effective anti-filarial agents and
the discovery of new virtues for an old anti-filarial drug, DEC
(i.e., its single-dose efficacy and macrofilaricidal action).
These discoveries were essential for the subsequent creation
of the Global Program to Eliminate LF,1 whose very basis is
the large-scale use of DEC, ivermectin (Mectizan�; Merck
and Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ) and albendazole. Indeed, in many
endemic countries literally millions of tablets of these drugs
are distributed over a few short days each year (often on a
single day), making GPELF the largest chemotherapy program
ever undertaken.
Currently it is just these three drugs that are available for
use in single-dose, annual MDA programs. Albendazole is
co-administered with ivermectin in areas of Africa and Yemen
where LF and onchocerciasis are co-endemic. For all
other LF-endemic regions, albendazole is co-administered
with DEC. At the recommended dose levels, none of the
drugs is completely macrofilaricidal, although all appear to
inflict some lasting damage to adult worms. Both DEC and
ivermectin kill mf efficiently; albendazole, on the other hand,
has no direct effect on mf, but rather appears to suppress
embryogenesis in the adult female worm. An alternative
treatment strategy involving the use of DEC as a fortificant in
table/cooking salt for a period of 1−2 years is currently used
in just one country, but was a mainstay of the earlier, successful
LF elimination program in China
Species Limits and Phylogeography of North American Cricket Frogs (Acris: Hylidae)
Cricket frogs are widely distributed across the eastern United States and two species, the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans) and the southern cricket frog (A. gryllus) are currently recognized. We generated a phylogenetic hypothesis for Acris using fragments of nuclear and mitochondrial genes in separate and combined phylogenetic analyses. We also used distance methods and fixation indices to evaluate species limits within the genus and the validity of currently recognized subspecies of A. crepitans. The distributions of existing A. crepitans subspecies, defined by morphology and call types, do not match the distributions of evolutionary lineages recovered using our genetic data. We discuss a scenario of call evolution to explain this disparity. We also recovered distinct phylogeographic groups within A. crepitans and A. gryllus that are congruent with other codistributed taxa. Under a lineage-based species concept, we recognize Acris blanchardi as a distinct species. The importance of this revised taxonomy is discussed in light of the dramatic declines in A. blanchardi across the northern and western portions of its range
Deep Luminosity Functions of Old and Intermediate-Age Globular Clusters in NGC 1316: Evidence for Dynamical Evolution of Second-Generation Globular Clusters
The Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope has been
used to obtain deep high-resolution images of the giant early-type galaxy NGC
1316 which is an obvious merger remnant. These observations supersede previous,
shallower observations which revealed the presence of a population of
metal-rich globular clusters of intermediate age (~ 3 Gyr). We detect a total
of 1496 cluster candidates, almost 4 times as many as from the previous WFPC2
images. We confirm the bimodality of the color distribution of clusters, even
in V-I, with peak colors 0.93 and 1.06. The large number of detected clusters
allows us to evaluate the globular cluster luminosity functions as a function
of galactocentric radius. We find that the luminosity function of the inner 50%
of the intermediate-age, metal-rich (`red') population of clusters differs
markedly from that of the outer 50%. In particular, the luminosity function of
the inner 50% of the red clusters shows a clear flattening consistent with a
turnover that is about 1.0 mag fainter than the turnover of the blue clusters.
This constitutes the first direct evidence that metal-rich cluster populations
formed during major mergers of gas-rich galaxies can evolve dynamically
(through disruption processes) into the red, metal-rich cluster populations
that are ubiquitous in `normal' giant ellipticals.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters; 4 pages in emulateapj style.
3 figure
Retrospective Analysis of Clinical and Cost Outcomes Associated with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Complicated Skin and Skin Structure Infections Treated with Daptomycin, Vancomycin, or Linezolid
Objective. The objective of this analysis was to compare clinical and cost outcomes associated with patients who had suspected or documented methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections treated with daptomycin, vancomycin, or linezolid in complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSIs). Design. This was a retrospective analysis conducted from February to June of 2007. Appropriate data was collected, collated, and subsequently evaluated with the purpose of quantifying length of stay, antibiotic therapy duration, clinical cure rates, adverse drug events, and cost of hospitalization. Results. All 82 patients included in the analysis experienced clinical cure. The duration of antibiotic therapy was similar among the three groups yet the length of hospitalization was slightly shorter in the daptomycin group. Conclusions. The incidence of resistant staphylococcal infections is increasing; therefore, judicious use of MRSA active agents is paramount. Future studies are necessary to determine if MRSA treatment options can be stratified based on the severity of the infectious process
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