581 research outputs found
Symmetric eikonal model for projectile-electron excitation and loss in relativistic ion-atom collisions
At impact energies GeV/u the projectile-electron
excitation and loss occurring in collisions between highly charged ions and
neutral atoms is already strongly influenced by the presence of atomic
electrons. In order to treat these processes in collisions with heavy atoms we
generalize the symmetric eikonal model, used earlier for considerations of
electron transitions in ion-atom collisions within the scope of a three-body
Coulomb problem. We show that at asymptotically high collision energies this
model leads to an exact transition amplitude and is very well suited to
describe the projectile-electron excitation and loss at energies above a few
GeV/u. In particular, by considering a number of examples we demonstrate
advantages of this model over the first Born approximation at impact energies
--30 GeV/u, which are of special interest for atomic physics
experiments at the future GSI facilities.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
The UNSW Extrasolar Planet Search: Methods and First Results from a Field Centred on NGC 6633
We report on the current status of the University of New South Wales
Extrasolar Planet Search project, giving details of the methods we use to
obtain millimagnitude precision photometry using the 0.5m Automated Patrol
Telescope. We use a novel observing technique to optimally broaden the PSF and
thus largely eliminate photometric noise due to intra-pixel sensitivity
variations on the CCD. We have observed 8 crowded Galactic fields using this
technique during 2003 and 2004. Our analysis of the first of these fields
(centred on the open cluster NGC 6633) has yielded 49 variable stars and 4
shallow transit candidates. Follow-up observations of these candidates have
identified them as eclipsing binary systems. We use a detailed simulation of
our observations to estimate our sensitivity to short-period planets, and to
select a new observing strategy to maximise the number of planets detected.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, version published in MNRAS Updated figures,
references, and additional discussion in section
Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg effect in a model of interacting tunneling systems
The Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg (LZS) effect in a model system of interacting
tunneling particles is studied numerically and analytically. Each of N
tunneling particles interacts with each of the others with the same coupling J.
This problem maps onto that of the LZS effect for a large spin S=N/2. The
mean-field limit N=>\infty corresponds to the classical limit S=>\infty for the
effective spin. It is shown that the ferromagnetic coupling J>0 tends to
suppress the LZS transitions. For N=>\infty there is a critical value of J
above which the staying probability P does not go to zero in the slow sweep
limit, unlike the standard LZS effect. In the same limit for J>0 LZS
transitions are boosted and P=0 for a set of finite values of the sweep rate.
Various limiting cases such as strong and weak interaction, slow and fast sweep
are considered analytically. It is shown that the mean-field approach works
well for arbitrary N if the interaction J is weak.Comment: 13 PR pages, 15 Fig
The Impact of HAART on the Respiratory Complications of HIV Infection: Longitudinal Trends in the MACS and WIHS Cohorts
Objective: To review the incidence of respiratory conditions and their effect on mortality in HIV-infected and uninfected individuals prior to and during the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Design: Two large observational cohorts of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men (Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study [MACS]) and women (Women's Interagency HIV Study [WIHS]), followed since 1984 and 1994, respectively. Methods: Adjusted odds or hazards ratios for incident respiratory infections or non-infectious respiratory diagnoses, respectively, in HIV-infected compared to HIV-uninfected individuals in both the pre-HAART (MACS only) and HAART eras; and adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratios for mortality in HIV-infected persons with lung disease during the HAART era. Results: Compared to HIV-uninfected participants, HIV-infected individuals had more incident respiratory infections both pre-HAART (MACS, odds ratio [adjusted-OR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-2.7; p<0.001) and after HAART availability (MACS, adjusted-OR, 1.5; 95%CI 1.3-1.7; p<0.001; WIHS adjusted-OR, 2.2; 95%CI 1.8-2.7; p<0.001). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was more common in MACS HIV-infected vs. HIV-uninfected participants pre-HAART (hazard ratio [adjusted-HR] 2.9; 95%CI, 1.02-8.4; p = 0.046). After HAART availability, non-infectious lung diseases were not significantly more common in HIV-infected participants in either MACS or WIHS participants. HIV-infected participants in the HAART era with respiratory infections had an increased risk of death compared to those without infections (MACS adjusted-HR, 1.5; 95%CI, 1.3-1.7; p<0.001; WIHS adjusted-HR, 1.9; 95%CI, 1.5-2.4; p<0.001). Conclusion: HIV infection remained a significant risk for infectious respiratory diseases after the introduction of HAART, and infectious respiratory diseases were associated with an increased risk of mortality. © 2013 Gingo et al
Bound-bound pair production in relativistic collisions
Electron-positron pair production is considered in the relativistic collision
of a nucleus and an anti-nucleus, in which both leptons are created in bound
states of the corresponding nucleus-lepton system. Compared to free and
bound-free pair production this process is shown to display a qualitatively
different dependency both on the impact energy and charged of the colliding
particles. Interestingly, at high impact energies the cross section for this
process is found to be larger than that for the analogous atomic process of
non-radiative electron capture although the latter does not involve the
creation of new particles.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Simultaneous loss and excitation of projectile electrons in relativistic collisions of U(1s) ions with atoms
We study relativistic collisions between helium-like uranium ions initially
in the ground state and atoms in which, in a single collision event, one of the
electrons of the ion is emitted and the other is transferred into an excited
state of the residual hydrogen-like ion. We consider this two-electron process
at not very high impact energies, where the action of the atom on the electrons
of the ion can be well approximated as occurring solely due to the interaction
with the nucleus of the atom and, hence, the process can be regarded as a
four-body problem. Using the independent electron model we show that a very
substantial improvement in the calculated cross sections is obtained if,
instead of the first order approximation, the relativistic symmetric eikonal
and continuum-distorted-wave-eikonal-initial-state models are employed to
describe the single-electron probabilities for the excitation and loss,
respectively.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, submitted to J.Phys.
Epidemiological study of E. coli O157:H7 isolated in Northern Ireland using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
In Northern Ireland over the last 7 years, there is a mean of 41.9 laboratory reports per annum of human gastrointestinal infection (range 19-54) caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7. In the preceding years 1992-1996, reports were 5.4 per annum, whereas in 1997-2000, reports increased from 30 to 54 per annum. This high level has continued on an annual basis to date. The aim of this study was therefore to retrospectively examine this period of exponential increase in reports to help ascertain the genetic relatedness of strains employing pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), as no data on the molecular epidemiology of E. coli O157:H7 in Northern Ireland has yet been published. Clinical isolates (n=84) were PFGE typed employing Xba I digestion and resulting band profiles demonstrated the presence of 13, 9 and 16 clonal types, for 1997, 1998 and 1999, respectively. In 1998, five clonal types remained from 1997 with the introduction of 4 new clonal types, whereas in 1999, 10 new clonal types were observed, accounting for over half (58%) of the E. coli O157 isolates for that year. These data suggest that, unlike gastrointestinal infections due to thermophilic campylobacters, there was considerable genetic evolution of PFGE clonal types of E. coli O157, through the displacement and emergence of genotypes. Further studies are now required to find the environmental reservoirs of these common clonal types of clinical E. coli O157:H7 in Northern Ireland to help define sources and routes of transmission of this infection locally
Examining health-related quality of life in pediatric cancer patients with febrile neutropenia: Factors predicting poor recovery in children and their parents
Background
The impact febrile neutropenia (FN) has on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children with cancer and their families is poorly understood. We sought to characterize the course of child and parent HRQoL during and following FN episodes.
Method
Data on HRQoL were collected in the multisite Australian Predicting Infectious ComplicatioNs in Children with Cancer (PICNICC) study. Participants were enrolled between November 2016 to January 2018. The Child Health Utility (CHU9D) was used to assess HRQoL in children (N = 167 FN events) and the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL-8D) was used to assess HRQoL parents (N = 218 FN events) at three time points: 0–3 days, 7-days and 30-days following the onset of FN. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to characterize the course of HRQoL.
Findings
For children, three distinct groups were identified: persistently low HRQoL over the 30-day course of follow-up (chronic: N = 78/167; 47%), increasing HRQoL after the onset of FN to 30 days follow-up (recovering: N = 36/167; 22%), and persistently high HRQoL at all three timepoints (resilient: N = 53/167; 32%). Applying these definitions, parents were classified into two distinct groups: chronic (N = 107/218, 49%) and resilient (N = 111/218, 51%). The child being male, having solid cancer, the presence of financial stress, and relationship difficulties between the parent and child were significant predictors of chronic group membership for both parents and children. Children classified as high-risk FN were significantly more likely to belong to the recovery group. Being female, having blood cancers and the absence of financial or relationship difficulties were predictive of both parents and children being in the resilient group.
Interpretation
Approximately half the children and parents had chronically low HRQoL scores, which did not improve following resolution of the FN episode. The child's sex, cancer type, and presence of financial and relationship stress were predictive of chronic group membership for both parents and children. These families may benefit from increased financial and psychosocial support during anti-cancer treatment
High harmonic generation and periodic level crossings
Published versio
Effect of Advanced HIV Infection on the Respiratory Microbiome
RATIONALE:
Previous work found the lung microbiome in healthy subjects infected with HIV was similar to that in uninfected subjects. We hypothesized the lung microbiome from subjects infected with HIV with more advanced disease would differ from that of an uninfected control population.
OBJECTIVES:
To measure the lung microbiome in an HIV-infected population with advanced disease.
METHODS:
16s RNA gene sequencing was performed on acellular bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from 30 subjects infected with HIV with advanced disease (baseline mean CD4 count, 262 cells/mm(3)) before and up to 3 years after starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and compared with 22 uninfected control subjects.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
The lung microbiome in subjects infected with HIV with advanced disease demonstrated decreased alpha diversity (richness and diversity) and greater beta diversity compared with uninfected BAL. Differences improved with HAART, but still persisted up to 3 years after starting therapy. Population dispersion in the group infected with HIV was significantly greater than in the uninfected cohort and declined after treatment. There were differences in the relative abundance of some bacteria between the two groups at baseline and after 1 year of therapy. After 1 year on HAART, HIV BAL contained an increased abundance of Prevotella and Veillonella, bacteria previously associated with lung inflammation.
CONCLUSIONS:
The lung microbiome in subjects infected with HIV with advanced disease is altered compared with an uninfected population both in diversity and bacterial composition. Differences remain up to 3 years after starting HAART. We speculate an altered lung microbiome in HIV infection may contribute to chronic inflammation and lung complications seen in the HAART era
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