Shiga toxin/verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli infections: practical clinical perspectives

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli strains that produce Shiga toxins/verotoxins are rare, but important, causes of human disease. They are responsible for a spectrum of illnesses that range from the asymptomatic to the life-threatening hemolytic-uremic syndrome; diseases caused by E. coli belonging to serotype O157:H7 are exceptionally severe. Each illness has a fairly predictable trajectory, and good clinical practice at one phase can be inappropriate at other phases. Early recognition, rapid and definitive microbiology, and strategic selection of tests increase the likelihood of good outcomes. The best management of these infections consists of avoiding antibiotics, antimotility agents, and narcotics and implementing aggressive intravenous volume expansion, especially in the early phases of illness. </jats:p

The Photodissociation of 8B^8B and the Solar Neutrino Problem

The extraction of the photodissociation cross sections of $^8B$ from Coulomb dissociation experiments is investigated. A careful study is done on the contributions of the E1, E2 and M1 multipolarities to the breakup. A comparison with the data of a recent experiment is performed. It is shown that the extraction of the radiative capture cross sections $^7Be(p,\ \gamma)^8B$ which are relevant for the solar neutrino problem is not affected appreciably by Coulomb reacceleration. A non-perturbative model is used for the purpose. Emphasis is put on the perspectives for future experiments which are planned at the University of Notre Dame, RIKEN (Japan), and GSI (Germany). An analysis of the total yields of ``photon-point" processes in inelastic electron scattering is also done.Comment: 23 pages, plain Latex. 12 figures available upon request

Mesoscale convective vortex formation in a weakly sheared moist neutral environment

J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 1443-1466The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/JAS3898.

Finite temperature scaling theory for the collapse of Bose-Einstein condensate

We show how to apply the scaling theory in an inhomogeneous system like harmonically trapped Bose condensate at finite temperatures. We calculate the temperature dependence of the critical number of particles by a scaling theory within the Hartree-Fock approximation and find that there is a dramatic increase in the critical number of particles as the condensation point is approached.Comment: Published online [6 pages, 3 figures

Hydrodynamic behavior in expanding thermal clouds of Rb-87

We study hydrodynamic behavior in expanding thermal clouds of Rb-87 released from an elongated trap. At our highest densities the mean free path is smaller than the radial size of the cloud. After release the clouds expand anisotropically. The cloud temperature drops by as much as 30%. This is attributed to isentropic cooling during the early stages of the expansion. We present an analytical model to describe the expansion and to estimate the cooling. Important consequences for time-of-flight thermometry are discussed.Comment: 7 pages with 2 figure

Adjustment to colostomy: stoma acceptance, stoma care self-efficacy and interpersonal relationships

‘The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.’ Copyright Blackwell Publishing. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04446.xThis paper is a report of a study to examine adjustment and its relationship with stoma acceptance and social interaction, and the link between stoma care self-efficacy and adjustment in the presence of acceptance and social interactions.Peer reviewe

A Monitor of Beam Polarization Profiles for the TRIUMF Parity Experiment

TRIUMF experiment E497 is a study of parity violation in pp scattering at an energy where the leading term in the analyzing power is expected to vanish, thus measuring a unique combination of weak-interaction flavour conserving terms. It is desired to reach a level of sensitivity of 2x10^-8 in both statistical and systematic errors. The leading systematic errors depend on transverse polarization components and, at least, the first moment of transverse polarization. A novel polarimeter that measures profiles of both transverse components of polarization as a function of position is described.Comment: 19 pages LaTeX, 10 PostScript figures. To appear in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section

Parity Violation in Proton-Proton Scattering

Measurements of parity-violating longitudinal analyzing powers (normalized asymmetries) in polarized proton-proton scattering provide a unique window on the interplay between the weak and strong interactions between and within hadrons. Several new proton-proton parity violation experiments are presently either being performed or are being prepared for execution in the near future: at TRIUMF at 221 MeV and 450 MeV and at COSY (Kernforschungsanlage Juelich) at 230 MeV and near 1.3 GeV. These experiments are intended to provide stringent constraints on the set of six effective weak meson-nucleon coupling constants, which characterize the weak interaction between hadrons in the energy domain where meson exchange models provide an appropriate description. The 221 MeV is unique in that it selects a single transition amplitude (3P2-1D2) and consequently constrains the weak meson-nucleon coupling constant h_rho{pp}. The TRIUMF 221 MeV proton-proton parity violation experiment is described in some detail. A preliminary result for the longitudinal analyzing power is Az = (1.1 +/-0.4 +/-0.4) x 10^-7. Further proton-proton parity violation experiments are commented on. The anomaly at 6 GeV/c requires that a new multi-GeV proton-proton parity violation experiment be performed.Comment: 13 Pages LaTeX, 5 PostScript figures, uses espcrc1.sty. Invited talk at QULEN97, International Conference on Quark Lepton Nuclear Physics -- Nonperturbative QCD Hadron Physics & Electroweak Nuclear Processes --, Osaka, Japan May 20--23, 199

Parity Violation in Proton-Proton Scattering at 221 MeV

TRIUMF experiment 497 has measured the parity violating longitudinal analyzing power, A_z, in pp elastic scattering at 221.3 MeV incident proton energy. This paper includes details of the corrections, some of magnitude comparable to A_z itself, required to arrive at the final result. The largest correction was for the effects of first moments of transverse polarization. The addition of the result, A_z=(0.84 \pm 0.29 (stat.) \pm 0.17 (syst.)) \times 10^{-7}, to the pp parity violation experimental data base greatly improves the experimental constraints on the weak meson-nucleon coupling constants h^{pp}_\rho and h^{pp}_\omega, and has implications for the interpretation of electron parity violation experiments.Comment: 17 pages RevTeX, 14 PostScript figures. Revised version with additions suggested by Phys. Rev.

Mean-field analysis of collapsing and exploding Bose-Einstein condensates

The dynamics of collapsing and exploding trapped Bose-Einstein condensat es caused by a sudden switch of interactions from repulsive to attractive a re studied by numerically integrating the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with atomic loss for an axially symmetric trap. We investigate the decay rate of condensates and the phenomena of bursts and jets of atoms, and compare our results with those of the experiments performed by E. A. Donley {\it et al.} [Nature {\bf 412}, 295 (2001)]. Our study suggests that the condensate decay and the burst production is due to local intermittent implosions in the condensate, and that atomic clouds of bursts and jets are coherent. We also predict nonlinear pattern formation caused by the density instability of attractive condensates.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, axi-symmetric results are adde