Atom laser dynamics in a tight-waveguide

We study the transient dynamics that arise during the formation of an atom laser beam in a tight waveguide. During the time evolution the density profile develops a series of wiggles which are related to the diffraction in time phenomenon. The apodization of matter waves, which relies on the use of smooth aperture functions, allows to suppress such oscillations in a time interval, after which there is a revival of the diffraction in time. The revival time scale is directly related to the inverse of the harmonic trap frequency for the atom reservoir.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of the 395th WE-Heraeus Seminar on "Time Dependent Phenomena in Quantum Mechanics ", organized by T. Kramer and M. Kleber (Blaubeuren, Germany, September 2007

Development of a Near-Field Bistatic Synthetic Aperture Radar for Complex Target Reconstruction

This paper begins with a description of the design, construction, and characterization of a small electromagnetic anechoic chamber, developed specifically to house a bistatic ISAR system for the analysis of rock samples. Particular emphasis is given to the practicalities of construction, with the intention of assisting those in a similar position, wishing to build an anechoic chamber on a tight budget. The second part of the paper outlines efficient algorithms that may be applied to the tomographic and topographic reconstruction of complex targets within the viewing geometry of this ISAR system

Hookworm Infection and Environmental Factors in Mbeya Region, Tanzania: A Cross-sectional, Population-based study.

Hookworm disease is one of the most common infections and cause of a high disease burden in the tropics and subtropics. Remotely sensed ecological data and model-based geostatistics have been used recently to identify areas in need for hookworm control. Cross-sectional interview data and stool samples from 6,375 participants from nine different sites in Mbeya region, south-western Tanzania, were collected as part of a cohort study. Hookworm infection was assessed by microscopy of duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears from one stool sample from each participant. A geographic information system was used to obtain remotely sensed environmental data such as land surface temperature (LST), vegetation cover, rainfall, and elevation, and combine them with hookworm infection data and with socio-demographic and behavioral data. Uni- and multivariable logistic regression was performed on sites separately and on the pooled dataset. Univariable analyses yielded significant associations for all ecological variables. Five ecological variables stayed significant in the final multivariable model: population density (odds ratio (OR) = 0.68; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.63-0.73), mean annual vegetation density (OR = 0.11; 95% CI = 0.06-0.18), mean annual LST during the day (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.75-0.88), mean annual LST during the night (OR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.44-1.64), and latrine coverage in household surroundings (OR = 1.02; 95% CI = 1.01-1.04). Interaction terms revealed substantial differences in associations of hookworm infection with population density, mean annual enhanced vegetation index, and latrine coverage between the two sites with the highest prevalence of infection. This study supports previous findings that remotely sensed data such as vegetation indices, LST, and elevation are strongly associated with hookworm prevalence. However, the results indicate that the influence of environmental conditions can differ substantially within a relatively small geographic area. The use of large-scale associations as a predictive tool on smaller scales is therefore problematic and should be handled with care

Electrical Conductivity of Fermi Liquids. II. Quasiparticle Transport

We develop a general theory of Fermi liquids to discuss the Kadowaki-Woods relation $A\propto \gamma^2$. We derive a formula for the ratio $A/\gamma^2$ which is expressed as a product of two dimensionless parameters $\alpha$ and $F$, where $\alpha$ represents a coupling constant for quasiparticle scattering and $F$ is a geometric factor determined by the shape of the Fermi surface. Then we argue that the universal ratio observed in heavy fermion compounds is reproduced under the conditions $\alpha\sim 1$ and $F\sim 20$. The former is regarded as a universality of Fermi liquids in a strong coupling regime, and the latter is corroborated by evaluating $F$ definitely in simple cases. It is noted that the proportional relation is just an example of the universal phenomena to be expected for the whole class of strong coupling Fermi liquids.Comment: 28 pages, 7 figures; J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol.67, No.1

Sound modes in hot nuclear matter

The propagation of the isoscalar and isovector sound modes in a hot nuclear matter is considered. The approach is based on the collisional kinetic theory and takes into account the temperature and memory effects. It is shown that the sound velocity and the attenuation coefficient are significantly influenced by the Fermi surface distortion (FSD). The corresponding influence is much stronger for the isoscalar mode than for the isovector one. The memory effects cause a non-monotonous behavior of the attenuation coefficient as a function of the relaxation time leading to a zero-to-first sound transition with increasing temperature. The mixing of both the isoscalar and the isovector sound modes in an asymmetric nuclear matter is evaluated. The condition for the bulk instability and the instability growth rate in the presence of the memory effects is studied. It is shown that both the FSD and the relaxation processes lead to a shift of the maximum of the instability growth rate to the longer wave length region.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Effects of Dementia Care Mapping on well-being and quality of life of older people with intellectual disability:A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND: The ageing of people with intellectual disability, accompanied with consequences like dementia, challenges intellectual disability-care staff and creates a need for supporting methods, with Dementia Care Mapping (DCM) as a promising possibility. This study examined the effect of DCM on the quality of life of older people with intellectual disability.METHODS: We performed a quasi-experimental study in 23 group homes for older people with intellectual disability in the Netherlands, comparing DCM (n = 113) with care-as-usual (CAU; n = 111). Using three measures, we assessed the staff-reported quality of life of older people with intellectual disability.RESULTS: DCM achieved no significantly better or worse quality of life than CAU. Effect sizes varied from 0.01 to -0.22. Adjustments for covariates and restriction of analyses to people with dementia yielded similar results.CONCLUSION: The finding that DCM does not increase quality of life of older people with intellectual disability contradicts previous findings and deserves further study.</p

Estimating the Need for Medical Intervention due to Sleep Disruption on the International Space Station

During ISS and shuttle missions, difficulties with sleep affect more than half of all US crews. Mitigation strategies to help astronauts cope with the challenges of disrupted sleep patterns can negatively impact both mission planning and vehicle design. The methods for addressing known detrimental impacts for some mission scenarios may have a substantial impact on vehicle specific consumable mass or volume or on the mission timeline. As part of the Integrated Medical Model (IMM) task, NASA Glenn Research Center is leading the development of a Monte Carlo based forecasting tool designed to determine the consumables required to address risks related to sleep disruption. The model currently focuses on the International Space Station and uses an algorithm that assembles representative mission schedules and feeds this into a well validated model that predicts relative levels of performance, and need for sleep (SAFTE Model, IBR Inc). Correlation of the resulting output to self-diagnosed needs for hypnotics, stimulants, and other pharmaceutical countermeasures, allows prediction of pharmaceutical use and the uncertainty of the specified prediction. This paper outlines a conceptual model for determining a rate of pharmaceutical utilization that can be used in the IMM model for comparison and optimization of mitigation methods with respect to all other significant medical needs and interventions

Schistosomiasis and neglected tropical diseases: towards integrated and sustainable control and a word of caution

In May 2001, the World Health Assembly (WHA) passed a resolution which urged member states to attain, by 2010, a minimum target of regularly administering anthelminthic drugs to at least 75% and up to 100% of all school-aged children at risk of morbidity. The refined global strategy for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis was issued in the following year and large-scale administration of anthelminthic drugs endorsed as the central feature. This strategy has subsequently been termed ‘preventive chemotherapy'. Clearly, the 2001 WHA resolution led the way for concurrently controlling multiple neglected tropical diseases. In this paper, we recall the schistosomiasis situation in Africa in mid-2003. Adhering to strategic guidelines issued by the World Health Organization, we estimate the projected annual treatment needs with praziquantel among the school-aged population and critically discuss these estimates. The important role of geospatial tools for disease risk mapping, surveillance and predictions for resource allocation is emphasised. We clarify that schistosomiasis is only one of many neglected tropical diseases and that considerable uncertainties remain regarding global burden estimates. We examine new control initiatives targeting schistosomiasis and other tropical diseases that are often neglected. The prospect and challenges of integrated control are discussed and the need for combining biomedical, educational and engineering strategies and geospatial tools for sustainable disease control are highlighted. We conclude that, for achieving integrated and sustainable control of neglected tropical diseases, a set of interventions must be tailored to a given endemic setting and fine-tuned over time in response to the changing nature and impact of control. Consequently, besides the environment, the prevailing demographic, health and social systems contexts need to be considere

Nonlinear voltage dependence of the shot noise in mesoscopic degenerate conductors with strong electron-electron scattering

It is shown that measurements of zero-frequency shot-noise can provide information on electron-electron interaction, because the strong interaction results in the nonlinear voltage dependence of the shot noise in metallic wires. This is due to the fact that the Wiedemann-Franz law is no longer valid in the case of considerable electron-electron interaction. The deviations from this law increase the noise power and make it dependent strongly on the ratio of electron-electron and electron-impurity scattering rates.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, revised version according to referee's comment