1,032 research outputs found
Melting of regular and decoupled vortex lattices in BSCCO crystals
The angular dependence of the first-order phase transition (FOT) in the
vortex lattice in BiSrCaCuO crystals was investigated
by a low frequency AC shielding technique (with the AC field ), in
which the static-field component parallel to - () was varied with
the in-plane field held constant. The linear decrease of the
FOT field with increasing ends at a
temperature--dependent critical value of . A new transition,
marked by the abrupt drop of the -plane shielding current, appears at this
point. We draw a new phase diagram with and field
components as coordinates; this features at least two distinct regions in the
vortex solid phase, that are determined by the different interplay between the
pancake vortex-- and Josephson vortex lattice.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures Paper submitted to the conference proceedings of
M2S-2000 Houston, T
The BAPRAS screening tool for reimbursement in a postbariatric population
Introduction: Reimbursement of body-contouring surgery (BCS) is a worldwide problem: there is no objective instrument to decide which postbariatric patients should qualify for reimbursement. The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) has developed a screening tool for this purpose. In this study, we used a modified version of this screening tool in a postbariatric population and describe which patients would qualify for reimbursement using this tool. Methods: In this cross-sectional study postbariatric patients were asked to fill in an online questionnaire based on the BAPRAS screening tool with questions regarding complaints of overhanging skin and medical history. Weight loss data were extracted from a prospective database. The BODY-Q was added to assess patient-reported outcomes. Results: Patients who wanted to undergo BCS (n = 90) had higher screening tool scores and lower BODY-Q scores compared to patients who did not want BCS (n = 24). In total, 25 patients (26%) qualified for reimbursement, these patients had higher weight loss (33.5% versus 29.2%, p = 0.008), lower BMI (27.3 kg/m2 versus 30.4 kg/m2, p = 0.014) and more medical (4.0 versus 2.0, p = 0.004) and psychological complaints (88% versus 61%, p = 0.009). There was a significant, negative correlation between the screening tool scores and almost all BODY-Q scales. Conclusions: Patients with a desire for BCS have more complaints of excess skin, which negatively impacts their well-being. With the modified BAPRAS screening tool, patients with the best weight (loss) and most medical and psychological complaints of excess skin qualified for referral and reimbursement of BCS
Defect-unbinding and the Bose-glass transition in layered superconductors
The low-field Bose-glass transition temperature in heavy-ion irradiated
Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8+d increases progressively with increasing density of
irradiation-induced columnar defects, but saturates for densities in excess of
1.5 x10^9 cm^-2. The maximum Bose-glass temperature corresponds to that above
which diffusion of two-dimensional pancake vortices between different vortex
lines becomes possible, and above which the ``line-like'' character of vortices
is lost. We develop a description of the Bose-glass line that is in excellent
quantitative agreement with the experimental line obtained for widely different
values of track density and material parameters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Vortex Solid-Liquid Transition in BiSrCaCuO with a High Density of Strong Pins
The introduction of a large density of columnar defects in %underdoped
BiSrCaCuO crystals does not, at sufficiently low
vortex densities, increase the irreversibility line beyond the first order
transition (FOT) field of pristine crystals. At such low fields, the flux line
wandering length behaves as in pristine
%BiSrCaCuO crystals. Next, vortex positional
correlations along the --axis in the vortex Bose glass at fields above the
FOT are smaller than in the low--field vortex solid. Third, the
Bose-glass-to-vortex liquid transition is signaled by a rapid decrease in
c-axis phase correlations. These observations are understood in terms of the
``discrete superconductor'' model.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures Submitted to Phys. Rev. B Rapid Comm. 16-1-2004
Revised version 18-3-200
Magnetization Decay due to Vortex Phase Boundary Motion in BSCCO
We identify a new regime of decay of the irreversible magnetization in clean
BiSrCaCuO crystals, at induction values close to the
``second peak field'' at which the bulk critical current density steeply
increases. A time window is identified during which the decay of the induction
is controlled by the slow propagation of the phase transformation front across
the sample.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures Paper submitted to the conference proceedings of
M2S-2000 Houston T
Pet-related bacterial zoonotic infections:Three cases of severe infections in the immunocompromised host
Pets can have many positive effects on their owners. However, close contact with pets offers optimal conditions for transmission of micro-organisms. Especially immunocompromised patients are at risk for zoonotic infections. Here we describe the diagnosis, microbiology and treatment of three patients with severe zoonotic infections with Helicobacter canis, Pasteurella multocida and Capnocytophaga canimorsus. With this case report we would like to emphasize the importance of awareness for pet-related zoonotic infections in immunocompromised patients
First order phase transition from the vortex liquid to an amorphous solid
We present a systematic study of the topology of the vortex solid phase in
superconducting BiSrCaCuO samples with low doses of
columnar defects. A new state of vortex matter imposed by the presence of
geometrical contours associated with the random distribution of columns is
found. The results show that the first order liquid-solid transition in this
vortex matter does not require a structural symmetry change.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
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