1,030 research outputs found
Preoperative B-type natriuretic peptides in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery: a cumulative meta-analysis
Background: A plethora of studies have shown elevated preoperative natriuretic peptide measurements to predict postoperative mortality and adverse cardiac events.Objectives: The current study aimed to demonstrate this overwhelming association and to show that further studies of this nature are unwarranted.Methods: A cumulative meta-analysis of 28 studies was conducted where the primary outcomes of mortality and adverse cardiac events were associated with elevated preoperative natriuretic peptides.Results: Cumulative meta-analysis demonstrated an odds ratio trending to a constant of 5.66, with a marked narrowing in the 95% confidence interval.Conclusions: Further studies aiming only to demonstrate an association between a preoperative natriuretic peptide threshold and the risk of postoperative adverse cardiac events are not justified. Future investigation should focus on the clinical implications of these data and the application of these findings with regard to further investigation, optimisation and appropriate adaptation of perioperative management.Keywords: BNP, major adverse cardiac event, myocardial injury, natriuretic peptides, non-cardiac surgery, NT-proBNP, outcome
Small optic suspensions for Advanced LIGO input optics and other precision optical experiments
We report on the design and performance of small optic suspensions developed
to suppress seismic motion of out-of-cavity optics in the Input Optics
subsystem of the Advanced LIGO interferometric gravitational wave detector.
These compact single stage suspensions provide isolation in all six degrees of
freedom of the optic, local sensing and actuation in three of them, and passive
damping for the other three
Time-resolved spectroscopy using synchrotron infrared pulses
Electron synchrotron storage rings, such as the VUV ring at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), produce short pulses of infrared (IR) radiation suitable for investigating the time-dependent phenomena in a variety of interesting experimental systems. In contrast to other pulses sources of IR, the synchrotron produces a continuum spectral output over the entire IR (and beyond), though at power levels typically below those obtained from laser systems. The infrared synchrotron radiation (IRSR) source is therefore well-suited as a probe using standard FTIR spectroscopic techniques. Here the authors describe the pump-probe spectroscopy facility being established at the NSLS and demonstrate the technique by measuring the photocarrier decay in a semiconductor
Dark-bright magneto-exciton mixing induced by Coulomb interaction in strained quantum wells
Coupled magneto-exciton states between allowed (`bright') and forbidden
(`dark') transitions are found in absorption spectra of strained
InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells with increasing magnetic field up to
30 T. We found large (~ 10 meV) energy splittings in the mixed states. The
observed anticrossing behavior is independent of polarization, and sensitive
only to the parity of the quantum confined states. Detailed experimental and
theoretical investigations indicate that the excitonic Coulomb interaction
rather than valence band complexity is responsible for the splittings. In
addition, we determine the spin composition of the mixed states.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Spatial Symmetry of Superconducting Gap in YBa2Cu3O7-\delta Obtained from Femtosecond Spectroscopy
The polarized femtosecond spectroscopies obtained from well characterized
(100) and (110) YBa2Cu3O7-\delta thin films are reported. This bulk-sensitive
spectroscopy, combining with the well-textured samples, serves as an effective
probe to quasiparticle relaxation dynamics in different crystalline
orientations. The significant anisotropy in both the magnitude of the
photoinduced transient reflectivity change and the characteristic relaxation
time indicates that the nature of the relaxation channel is intrinsically
different in various axes and planes. By the orientation-dependent analysis,
d-wave symmetry of the bulk-superconducting gap in cuprate superconductors
emerges naturally.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Physical Review B, Rapid
Communication
Theory for the ultrafast ablation of graphite films
The physical mechanisms for damage formation in graphite films induced by
femtosecond laser pulses are analyzed using a microscopic electronic theory. We
describe the nonequilibrium dynamics of electrons and lattice by performing
molecular dynamics simulations on time-dependent potential energy surfaces. We
show that graphite has the unique property of exhibiting two distinct laser
induced structural instabilities. For high absorbed energies (> 3.3 eV/atom) we
find nonequilibrium melting followed by fast evaporation. For low intensities
above the damage threshold (> 2.0 eV/atom) ablation occurs via removal of
intact graphite sheets.Comment: 5 pages RevTeX, 3 PostScript figures, submitted to Phys. Re
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Time resolved spectroscopy using synchrotron infrared pulses
Electron synchrotron storage rings, such as the VUV ring at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), produce short pulses of infrared (IR) radiation suitable for investigating the time-dependent phenomena in a variety of interesting experimental systems. In contrast to other pulses sources of IR, the synchrotron produces a continuum spectral output over the entire IR (and beyond), though at power levels typically below those obtained from laser systems. The infrared synchrotron radiation (IRSR) source is therefore well-suited as a probe using standard FTIR spectroscopic techniques. Here the authors describe the pump-probe spectroscopy facility being established at the NSLS and demonstrate the technique by measuring the photocarrier decay in a semiconductor
A Cryogenic Silicon Interferometer for Gravitational-wave Detection
The detection of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers by LIGO has opened the era of gravitational wave astronomy, revealing a previously hidden side of the cosmos. To maximize the reach of the existing LIGO observatory facilities, we have designed a new instrument that will have 5 times the range of Advanced LIGO, or greater than 100 times the event rate. Observations with this new instrument will make possible dramatic steps toward understanding the physics of the nearby universe, as well as observing the universe out to cosmological distances by the detection of binary black hole coalescences. This article presents the instrument design and a quantitative analysis of the anticipated noise floor
Substrate-transferred GaAs/AlGaAs crystalline coatings for gravitational-wave detectors: A review of the state of the art
In this Perspective we summarize the status of technological development for
large-area and low-noise substrate-transferred GaAs/AlGaAs (AlGaAs) crystalline
coatings for interferometric gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. These topics
were originally presented in a workshop{\dag} bringing together members of the
GW community from the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory
(LIGO), Virgo, and KAGRA collaborations, along with scientists from the
precision optical metrology community, and industry partners with extensive
expertise in the manufacturing of said coatings. AlGaAs-based crystalline
coatings present the possibility of GW observatories having significantly
greater range than current systems employing ion-beam sputtered mirrors. Given
the low thermal noise of AlGaAs at room temperature, GW detectors could realize
these significant sensitivity gains, while potentially avoiding cryogenic
operation. However, the development of large-area AlGaAs coatings presents
unique challenges. Herein, we describe recent research and development efforts
relevant to crystalline coatings, covering characterization efforts on novel
noise processes, as well as optical metrology on large-area (~10 cm diameter)
mirrors. We further explore options to expand the maximum coating diameter to
20 cm and beyond, forging a path to produce low-noise AlGaAs mirrors amenable
to future GW detector upgrades, while noting the unique requirements and
prospective experimental testbeds for these novel materials.Comment: 13pages, 3 figure
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