Resonant radiation pressure on neutral particles in a waveguide

A theoretical analysis of electromagnetic forces on neutral particles in an hollow waveguide is presented. We show that the effective scattering cross section of a very small (Rayleigh) particle can be strongly modified inside a waveguide. The coupling of the scattered dipolar field with the waveguide modes induce a resonant enhanced backscattering state of the scatterer-guide system close to the onset of new modes. The particle effective cross section can then be as large as the wavelength even far from any transition resonance. As we will show, a small particle can be strongly accelerated along the guide axis while being highly confined in a narrow zone of the cross section of the guide.Comment: RevTeX,4 pages,3 PS figure

Assessment of quality of care given to diabetic patients at Jimma University Specialized Hospital diabetes follow-up clinic, Jimma, Ethiopia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sub-Saharan Africa is currently enduring the heaviest global burden of diabetes and diabetes care in such resource poor countries is far below standards. This study aims to describe the gaps in the care of Ethiopian diabetic patients at Jimma University Specialized Hospital.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>329 diabetic patients were selected as participants in the study, aged 15 years or greater, who have been active in follow-up for their diabetes for more than 1 year at the hospital. They were interviewed for their demographic characters and relevant clinical profiles. Their charts were simultaneously reviewed for characters related to diabetes and related morbidities. Descriptive statistics was used for most variables and Chi-square test, where necessary, was used to test the association among various variables. P-value of < 0.05 was used as statistical significance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Blood glucose determination was done for 98.5% of patients at each of the last three visits, but none ever had glycosylated haemoglobin results. The mean fasting blood sugar (FBS) level was 171.7 ± 63.6 mg/dl and 73.1% of patients had mean FBS levels above 130 mg/dl. Over 44% of patients have already been diagnosed to be hypertensive and 64.1% had mean systolic BP of > 130 and/or diastolic > 80 mmHg over the last three visits. Diabetes eye and neurologic evaluations were ever done for 42.9% and 9.4% of patients respectively. About 66% had urine test for albumin, but only 28.2% had renal function testing over the last 5 years. The rates for lipid test, electrocardiography, echocardiography, or ultrasound of the kidneys during the same time were < 5% for each. Diabetic neuropathy (25.0%) and retinopathy (23.1%) were the most common chronic complications documented among those evaluated for complications.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The overall aspects of diabetes care at the hospital were far below any recommended standards. Hence, urgent action to improve care for patients with diabetes is mandatory. Future studies examining patterns and prevalence of chronic complications using appropriate parameters is strongly recommended to see the true burden of diabetes.</p

Prompt Decays of General Neutralino NLSPs at the Tevatron

Recent theoretical developments have shown that gauge mediation has a much larger parameter space of possible spectra and mixings than previously considered. Motivated by this, we explore the collider phenomenology of gauge mediation models where a general neutralino is the lightest MSSM superpartner (the NLSP), focusing on the potential reach from existing and future Tevatron searches. Promptly decaying general neutralino NLSPs can give rise to final states involving missing energy plus photons, Zs, Ws and/or Higgses. We survey the final states and determine those where the Tevatron should have the most sensitivity. We then estimate the reach of existing Tevatron searches in these final states and discuss new searches (or optimizations of existing ones) that should improve the reach. Finally we comment on the potential for discovery at the LHC.Comment: 41 pages, minor changes, added refs and discussion of previous literatur

How do General Practitioners experience providing care for their psychotic patients?

BACKGROUND: In primary care, GPs usually provide care for patients with chronic diseases according to professional guidelines. However, such guidelines are not available in the Netherlands for patients with recurring psychoses. It seems that the specific difficulties that GPs experience in providing care for these patients hinder the development and implementation of such guidelines. This study aims to explore the chances and problems GPs meet when providing care for patients susceptible for recurring psychoses, including schizophrenia and related disorders, bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression. METHODS: A qualitative study of focus group discussions with practising GPs in both town and rural areas. Transcripts from three focus groups with 19 GPs were analysed with the computer program 'Kwalitan'. Theoretical saturation was achieved after these three groups. RESULTS: Analysis showed that eight categories of factors influenced the GPs' care for psychotic patients: patient presentation (acute vs. chronic phase), emotional impact, expertise, professional attitude, patient related factors, patient's family, practice organization, and collaboration with psychiatric specialists. CONCLUSION: Current primary care for psychotic patients depends very much on personal characteristics of the GP and the quality of local collaboration with the Mental Health Service. A quantitative study among GPs using a questionnaire based on the eight categories mentioned above would determine the extent of the problems and limitations experienced with this type of care. From the results of this quantitative study, new realistic guidelines could be developed to improve the quality of care for psychotic patients

Improved Response to Disasters and Outbreaks by Tracking Population Movements with Mobile Phone Network Data: A Post-Earthquake Geospatial Study in Haiti

Linus Bengtsson and colleagues examine the use of mobile phone positioning data to monitor population movements during disasters and outbreaks, finding that reports on population movements can be generated within twelve hours of receiving data

IS element IS16 as a molecular screening tool to identify hospital-associated strains of Enterococcus faecium

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hospital strains of <it>Enterococcus faecium </it>could be characterized and typed by various molecular methods (MLST, AFLP, MLVA) and allocated to a distinct clonal complex known as MLST CC17. However, these techniques are laborious, time-consuming and cost-intensive. Our aim was to identify hospital <it>E. faecium </it>strains and differentiate them from colonizing and animal variants by a simple, inexpensive and reliable PCR-based screening assay. We describe here performance and predictive value of a single PCR detecting the insertion element, IS<it>16</it>, to identify hospital <it>E. faecium </it>isolates within a collection of 260 strains of hospital, animal and human commensal origins.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Specific primers were selected amplifying a 547-bp fragment of IS<it>16</it>. Presence of IS<it>16 </it>was determined by PCR screenings among the 260 <it>E. faecium </it>isolates. Distribution of IS<it>16 </it>was compared with a prevalence of commonly used markers for hospital strains, <it>esp </it>and <it>hyl</it>_<it>Efm</it>. All isolates were typed by MLST and partly by PFGE. Location of IS<it>16 </it>was analysed by Southern hybridization of plasmid and chromosomal DNA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IS<it>16 </it>was exclusively distributed only among 155 invasive strains belonging to the clonal complex of hospital-associated strains ("CC17"; 28 MLST types) and various vancomycin resistance genotypes (<it>van</it>A/B/negative). The five invasive IS<it>16</it>-negative strains did not belong to the clonal complex of hospital-associated strains (CC17). IS<it>16 </it>was absent in all but three isolates from 100 livestock, food-associated and human commensal strains ("non-CC17"; 64 MLST types). The three IS<it>16</it>-positive human commensal isolates revealed MLST types belonging to the clonal complex of hospital-associated strains (CC17). The values predicting a hospital-associated strain ("CC17") deduced from presence and absence of IS<it>16 </it>was 100% and thus superior to screening for the presence of <it>esp </it>(66%) and/or <it>hyl</it>_{<it>Efm </it>}(46%). Southern hybridizations revealed chromosomal as well as plasmid localization of IS<it>16</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This simple screening assay for insertion element IS<it>16 </it>is capable of differentiating hospital-associated from human commensal, livestock- and food-associated <it>E. faecium </it>strains and thus allows predicting the epidemic strengths or supposed pathogenic potential of a given <it>E. faecium </it>isolate identified within the nosocomial setting.</p

IS element IS16 as a molecular screening tool to identify hospital-associated strains of Enterococcus faecium

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hospital strains of <it>Enterococcus faecium </it>could be characterized and typed by various molecular methods (MLST, AFLP, MLVA) and allocated to a distinct clonal complex known as MLST CC17. However, these techniques are laborious, time-consuming and cost-intensive. Our aim was to identify hospital <it>E. faecium </it>strains and differentiate them from colonizing and animal variants by a simple, inexpensive and reliable PCR-based screening assay. We describe here performance and predictive value of a single PCR detecting the insertion element, IS<it>16</it>, to identify hospital <it>E. faecium </it>isolates within a collection of 260 strains of hospital, animal and human commensal origins.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Specific primers were selected amplifying a 547-bp fragment of IS<it>16</it>. Presence of IS<it>16 </it>was determined by PCR screenings among the 260 <it>E. faecium </it>isolates. Distribution of IS<it>16 </it>was compared with a prevalence of commonly used markers for hospital strains, <it>esp </it>and <it>hyl</it>_<it>Efm</it>. All isolates were typed by MLST and partly by PFGE. Location of IS<it>16 </it>was analysed by Southern hybridization of plasmid and chromosomal DNA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IS<it>16 </it>was exclusively distributed only among 155 invasive strains belonging to the clonal complex of hospital-associated strains ("CC17"; 28 MLST types) and various vancomycin resistance genotypes (<it>van</it>A/B/negative). The five invasive IS<it>16</it>-negative strains did not belong to the clonal complex of hospital-associated strains (CC17). IS<it>16 </it>was absent in all but three isolates from 100 livestock, food-associated and human commensal strains ("non-CC17"; 64 MLST types). The three IS<it>16</it>-positive human commensal isolates revealed MLST types belonging to the clonal complex of hospital-associated strains (CC17). The values predicting a hospital-associated strain ("CC17") deduced from presence and absence of IS<it>16 </it>was 100% and thus superior to screening for the presence of <it>esp </it>(66%) and/or <it>hyl</it>_{<it>Efm </it>}(46%). Southern hybridizations revealed chromosomal as well as plasmid localization of IS<it>16</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This simple screening assay for insertion element IS<it>16 </it>is capable of differentiating hospital-associated from human commensal, livestock- and food-associated <it>E. faecium </it>strains and thus allows predicting the epidemic strengths or supposed pathogenic potential of a given <it>E. faecium </it>isolate identified within the nosocomial setting.</p

Magnetism and its microscopic origin in iron-based high-temperature superconductors

High-temperature superconductivity in the iron-based materials emerges from, or sometimes coexists with, their metallic or insulating parent compound states. This is surprising since these undoped states display dramatically different antiferromagnetic (AF) spin arrangements and N$\rm \acute{e}$el temperatures. Although there is general consensus that magnetic interactions are important for superconductivity, much is still unknown concerning the microscopic origin of the magnetic states. In this review, progress in this area is summarized, focusing on recent experimental and theoretical results and discussing their microscopic implications. It is concluded that the parent compounds are in a state that is more complex than implied by a simple Fermi surface nesting scenario, and a dual description including both itinerant and localized degrees of freedom is needed to properly describe these fascinating materials.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Review article, accepted for publication in Nature Physic

Care for patients with severe mental illness: the general practitioner's role perspective

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) experience distress and disabilities in several aspects of life, and they have a higher risk of somatic co-morbidity. Both patients and their family members need the support of an easily accessible primary care system. The willingness of general practitioners and the impeding factors for them to participate in providing care for patients with severe mental illness in the acute and the chronic or residual phase were explored. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of a sample of Dutch general practitioners spread over the Netherlands was carried out. This comprised 20 questions on the GP's 'Opinion and Task Perspective', 19 questions on 'Treatment and Experiences', and 27 questions on 'Characteristics of the General Practitioner and the Practice Organisation'. RESULTS: 186 general practitioners distributed over urban areas (49%), urbanised rural areas (38%) and rural areas (15%) of the Netherlands participated. The findings were as follows: GPs currently considered themselves as the first contact in the acute psychotic phase. In the chronic or residual phase GPs saw their core task as to diagnose and treat somatic co-morbidity. A majority would be willing to monitor the general health of these patients as well. It appeared that GP trainers and GPs with a smaller practice setting made follow-up appointments and were willing to monitor the self-care of patients with SMI more often than GPs with larger practices.GPs also saw their role as giving support and information to the patient's family.However, they felt a need for recognition of their competencies when working with mental health care specialists. CONCLUSION: GPs were willing to participate in providing care for patients with SMI. They considered themselves responsible for psychotic emergency cases, for monitoring physical health in the chronic phase, and for supporting the relatives of psychotic patients

Infective endocarditis caused by Salmonella enteritidis in a dialysis patient: a case report and literature review

BackgroundInfective endocarditis is significantly more common in haemodialysis patients as compared with the general population, the causative pathogen is generally Staphylococcus aureus; there have been no previously reported cases of infective endocarditis caused by a Salmonella species in haemodialysis patients.Case presentationWe report the case of a 68 year-old woman on haemodialysis who developed infective endocarditis as a result of Salmonella enteritidis. Although we treated the patient with ceftriaxone combined with ciprofloxacin, infective endocarditis was not detected early enough and unfortunately developed into cerebral septic emboli, which ultimately resulted in death.ConclusionAlthough there are several reports that Salmonella endocarditis without cardiac failure can be successfully treated with antibiotics alone, early surgical intervention is essential for some cases to prevent life-threatening complications. Transesophageal echocardiography should be performed in any patient with high clinical suspicion of infective endocarditis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case-report of Salmonella endocarditis in a haemodialysis patient