2,281 research outputs found
Atom-molecule dark states in a Bose-Einstein condensate
We have created a dark quantum superposition state of a Rb Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC) and a degenerate gas of Rb ground state molecules in a
specific ro-vibrational state using two-color photoassociation. As a signature
for the decoupling of this coherent atom-molecule gas from the light field we
observe a striking suppression of photoassociation loss. In our experiment the
maximal molecule population in the dark state is limited to about 100 Rb
molecules due to laser induced decay. The experimental findings can be well
described by a simple three mode model.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Fractal Conductance Fluctuations in Gold--Nanowires
A detailed analysis of magneto-conductance fluctuations of quasiballistic
gold-nanowires of various lengths is presented. We find that the variance
when analyzed for much
smaller than the correlation field varies according to with indicating that the graph of
vs. is fractal. We attribute this behavior to the existence of
long-lived states arising from chaotic trajectories trapped close to regular
classical orbits. We find that decreases with increasing length of the
wires.Comment: 5 pages, Revtex with epsf, 4 Postscript figures, final version
accepted as Phys. Rev. Let
Photoassociation of sodium in a Bose-Einstein condensate
We report on the formation of ultra-cold Na molecules using single-photon
photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate. The photoassociation rate,
linewidth and light shift of the J=1, vibrational level of the
\mterm{A}{1}{+}{u} molecular bound state have been measured. We find that the
photoassociation rate constant increases linearly with intensity, even where it
is predicted that many-body effects might limit the rate. Our observations are
everywhere in good agreement with a two-body theory having no free parameters.Comment: Fixes to the figures and references. Just the normal human stupidity
type stuff, nothing Earth-shatterin
Patient engagement with antibiotic messaging in secondary care: a qualitative feasibility study of the âreview & reviseâ experience
Background: We aimed to investigate and optimise the acceptability and usefulness of a patient leaflet about antibiotic prescribing decisions made during hospitalisation, and to explore individual patient experiences and preferences regarding the process of antibiotic prescription âreview & reviseâ which is a key strategy to minimise antibiotic overuse in hospitals.
Methods: In this qualitative study, run within the feasibility study of a large, cluster-randomised stepped wedge trial of 36 hospital organisations, a series of semi-structured, think-aloud telephone interviews were conducted and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Fifteen adult patients who had experienced a recent acute medical hospital admission during which they had been prescribed antimicrobials and offered a patient leaflet about antibiotic prescribing were recruited to the study.
Results: Participants reacted positively to the leaflet, reporting that it was both an accessible and important source of information which struck the appropriate balance between informing and reassuring. Participants all valued open communication with clinicians, and were keen to be involved in antibiotic prescribing decisions, with individuals reporting positive experiences regarding antibiotic prescription changes or stopping. Many participants had prior experience or knowledge of antibiotics and resistance, and generally welcomed efforts to reduce antibiotic usage. Overall, there was a feeling that healthcare professionals (HCPs) are trusted experts providing the most appropriate treatment for individual patient conditions.
Conclusions: This study offers novel insights into how patients within secondary care are likely to respond to messages advocating a reduction in the use of antibiotics through the âreview & reviseâ approach. Due to the level of trust that patients place in their care provider, encouraging HCPs within secondary care to engage patients with greater communication and information provision could provide great advantages in the drive to reduce antibiotic use. It may also be beneficial for HCPs to view patient experiences as cumulative events that have the potential to impact future behaviour around antibiotic use. Finally, pre-testing messages about antibiotic prescribing and resistance is vital to dispelling any misconceptions either around effectiveness of treatment for patients, or perceptions of how messages may be received
Genotoxic mixtures and dissimilar action: Concepts for prediction and assessment
This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. This article is distributed under the terms of the
creative commons Attribution license which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s)and the source are credited.Combinations of genotoxic agents have frequently been assessed without clear assumptions regarding their expected (additive) mixture effects, often leading to claims of synergisms that might in fact be compatible with additivity. We have shown earlier that the combined effects of chemicals, which induce micronuclei (MN) in the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay in Chinese hamster ovary-K1 cells by a similar mechanism, were additive according to the concept of concentration addition (CA). Here, we extended these studies and investigated for the first time whether valid additivity expectations can be formulated for MN-inducing chemicals that operate through a variety of mechanisms, including aneugens and clastogens (DNA cross-linkers, topoisomerase II inhibitors, minor groove binders). We expected that their effects should follow the additivity principles of independent action (IA). With two mixtures, one composed of various aneugens (colchicine, flubendazole, vinblastine sulphate, griseofulvin, paclitaxel), and another composed of aneugens and clastogens (flubendazole, doxorubicin, etoposide, melphalan and mitomycin C), we observed mixture effects that fell between the additivity predictions derived from CA and IA. We achieved better agreement between observation and prediction by grouping the chemicals into common assessment groups and using hybrid CA/IA prediction models. The combined effects of four dissimilarly acting compounds (flubendazole, paclitaxel, doxorubicin and melphalan) also fell within CA and IA. Two binary mixtures (flubendazole/paclitaxel and flubendazole/doxorubicin) showed effects in reasonable agreement with IA additivity. Our studies provide a systematic basis for the investigation of mixtures that affect endpoints of relevance to genotoxicity and show that their effects are largely additive.UK Food Standards Agenc
Magnetic state of plutonium ion in metallic Pu and its compounds
By LDA+U method with spin-orbit coupling (LDA+U+SO) the magnetic state and
electronic structure have been investigated for plutonium in \delta and \alpha
phases and for Pu compounds: PuN, PuCoGa5, PuRh2, PuSi2, PuTe, and PuSb. For
metallic plutonium in both phases in agreement with experiment a nonmagnetic
ground state was found with Pu ions in f^6 configuration with zero values of
spin, orbital, and total moments. This result is determined by a strong
spin-orbit coupling in 5f shell that gives in LDA calculation a pronounced
splitting of 5f states on f^{5/2} and f^{7/2} subbands. A Fermi level is in a
pseudogap between them, so that f^{5/2} subshell is already nearly completely
filled with six electrons before Coulomb correlation effects were taken into
account. The competition between spin-orbit coupling and exchange (Hund)
interaction (favoring magnetic ground state) in 5f shell is so delicately
balanced, that a small increase (less than 15%) of exchange interaction
parameter value from J_H=0.48eV obtained in constrain LDA calculation would
result in a magnetic ground state with nonzero spin and orbital moment values.
For Pu compounds investigated in the present work, predominantly f^6
configuration with nonzero magnetic moments was found in PuCoGa5, PuSi2, and
PuTe, while PuN, PuRh2, and PuSb have f^5 configuration with sizeable magnetic
moment values. Whereas pure jj coupling scheme was found to be valid for
metallic plutonium, intermediate coupling scheme is needed to describe 5f shell
in Pu compounds. The results of our calculations show that both spin-orbit
coupling and exchange interaction terms in the Hamiltonian must be treated in a
general matrix form for Pu and its compounds.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX; changed discussion on reference pape
The physics of dipolar bosonic quantum gases
This article reviews the recent theoretical and experimental advances in the
study of ultracold gases made of bosonic particles interacting via the
long-range, anisotropic dipole-dipole interaction, in addition to the
short-range and isotropic contact interaction usually at work in ultracold
gases. The specific properties emerging from the dipolar interaction are
emphasized, from the mean-field regime valid for dilute Bose-Einstein
condensates, to the strongly correlated regimes reached for dipolar bosons in
optical lattices.Comment: Review article, 71 pages, 35 figures, 350 references. Submitted to
Reports on Progress in Physic
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