577 research outputs found
Canonical, squeezed and fermionic coherent states in a right quaternionic Hilbert space with a left multiplication on it
Using a left multiplication defined on a right quaternionic Hilbert space, we
shall demonstrate that various classes of coherent states such as the canonical
coherent states, pure squeezed states, fermionic coherent states can be defined
with all the desired properties on a right quaternionic Hilbert space. Further,
we shall also demonstrate squeezed states can be defined on the same Hilbert
space, but the noncommutativity of quaternions prevents us in getting the
desired results.Comment: Conference paper. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1704.02946; substantial text overlap with arXiv:1706.0068
VLT/FORS2 view at z ∼ 6: Lyman-α emitter fraction and galaxy physical properties at the edge of the epoch of cosmic reionization
The fraction of Lyman- emitters among the galaxy population has been
found to increase from to and drop dramatically at .
This drop has been interpreted as an effect of an increasingly neutral
intergalactic medium with increasing redshift, while a LyC escape fraction
evolving with redshift. We report the result of a large VLT/FORS2 program
aiming to confirm spectroscopically a large galaxy sample at that has
been selected in several independent fields through the Lyman Break technique.
Combining those data with archival data, we create a large and homogeneous
sample of galaxies (), complete in terms of Ly
detection at for EW(Ly. We use this sample to derive
a new measurement of the LAE fraction at and derive the physical
properties of these galaxies through spectral energy distribution fitting. We
find a median LAE fraction at lower than in previous studies. The main
difference between LAEs and non-LAEs is that the latter are significantly
dustier. Using predictions of our SED fitting code accounting for nebular
emission, we find an effective Ly escape fraction
remarkably consistent with the
value derived by comparing UV luminosity function with Ly luminosity
function. We conclude that the drop in the LAE fraction from to
is less dramatic than previously found and the effect of an increasing IGM
neutral fraction is possibly observed at . Based on our derived
, we find that the IGM has a relatively small impact
on Ly photon visibility at , with a lower limit for the IGM
transmission to \lya\ photons, , likely due to the presence
of outflows. [abdridged
The effectiveness and satisfaction of web-based physiotherapy in people with spinal cord injury: a pilot randomised controlled trial
Study Design: Pilot randomised controlled trial.
Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness and participant satisfaction of web-based physiotherapy for people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
Setting: Community patients of a national spinal injury unit in a university teaching hospital, Scotland, UK.
Methods: Twenty-four participants were recruited and randomised to receive eight weeks of web-based physiotherapy (intervention), twice per week, or usual care (control). Individual exercise programmes were prescribed based upon participant’s abilities. The intervention was delivered via a website (www.webbasedphysio.com) and monitored and progressed remotely by the physiotherapist.
Results: Participants logged on to the website an average of 1.4±0.8 times per week. Between-group differences, although not significant were more pronounced for the 6 minute walk test. Participants were positive about using web-based physiotherapy and stated they would be happy to use it again and would recommend it to others. Overall it was rated as either good or excellent.
Conclusions: Web-based physiotherapy was feasible and acceptable for people with SCI. Participants achieved good compliance with the intervention, rated the programme highly and beneficial for health and well-being at various states post injury. The results of this study warrant further work with a more homogenous sample
A massive, quiescent galaxy at redshift of z=3.717
In the early Universe finding massive galaxies that have stopped forming
stars present an observational challenge as their rest-frame ultraviolet
emission is negligible and they can only be reliably identified by extremely
deep near-infrared surveys. These have revealed the presence of massive,
quiescent early-type galaxies appearing in the universe as early as z2,
an epoch 3 Gyr after the Big Bang. Their age and formation processes have now
been explained by an improved generation of galaxy formation models where they
form rapidly at z3-4, consistent with the typical masses and ages derived
from their observations. Deeper surveys have now reported evidence for
populations of massive, quiescent galaxies at even higher redshifts and earlier
times, however the evidence for their existence, and redshift, has relied
entirely on coarsely sampled photometry. These early massive, quiescent
galaxies are not predicted by the latest generation of theoretical models.
Here, we report the spectroscopic confirmation of one of these galaxies at
redshift z=3.717 with a stellar mass of 1.710 M whose
absorption line spectrum shows no current star-formation and which has a
derived age of nearly half the age of the Universe at this redshift. The
observations demonstrates that the galaxy must have quickly formed the majority
of its stars within the first billion years of cosmic history in an extreme and
short starburst. This ancestral event is similar to those starting to be found
by sub-mm wavelength surveys pointing to a possible connection between these
two populations. Early formation of such massive systems is likely to require
significant revisions to our picture of early galaxy assembly.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures. This is the final preprint corresponding closely
to the published version. Uploaded 6 months after publication in accordance
with Nature polic
CANDELSz7: A large spectroscopic survey of CANDELS galaxies in the reionization epoch
We present the results of CANDELSz7, an ESO large program aimed at confirming
spectroscopically a homogeneous sample of z~6 and z~7 star forming galaxies.
The candidates were selected in the GOODS-South, UDS and COSMOS fields using
the official CANDELS catalogs based on H160-band detections. Standard color
criteria, which were tailored depending on the ancillary multi-wavelength data
available for each field, were applied to select more than 160 candidate
galaxies at z~6 and z~7. Deep medium resolution FORS2 spectroscopic
observations were then conducted with integration times ranging from 12 to 20
hours, to reach a Lyalpha flux limit of approximately 1-3x 10-18 erg/s/cm^2 at
3sigma. For about 40% of the galaxies we could determine a spectroscopic
redshift, mainly through the detection of a single emission line that we
interpret as Lyalpha emission, or for some of the brightest objects (H160<
25.5) from the presence of faint continuum and sharp drop that we interpret as
a Lyman break. In this paper we present the redshifts and main properties of 65
newly confirmed high redshift galaxies. Adding previous proprietary and
archival data we assemble a sample of ~260 galaxies that we use to explore the
evolution of the Lyalpha fraction in Lyman break galaxies and the change in the
shape of the emission line between z~6 and z~7. We also discuss the accuracy of
the CANDELS photometric redshifts in this redshift range.STFC
ER
The Interstellar Medium In Galaxies Seen A Billion Years After The Big Bang
Evolution in the measured rest frame ultraviolet spectral slope and
ultraviolet to optical flux ratios indicate a rapid evolution in the dust
obscuration of galaxies during the first 3 billion years of cosmic time (z>4).
This evolution implies a change in the average interstellar medium properties,
but the measurements are systematically uncertain due to untested assumptions,
and the inability to measure heavily obscured regions of the galaxies. Previous
attempts to directly measure the interstellar medium in normal galaxies at
these redshifts have failed for a number of reasons with one notable exception.
Here we report measurements of the [CII] gas and dust emission in 9 typical
(~1-4L*) star-forming galaxies ~1 billon years after the big bang (z~5-6). We
find these galaxies have >12x less thermal emission compared with similar
systems ~2 billion years later, and enhanced [CII] emission relative to the
far-infrared continuum, confirming a strong evolution in the interstellar
medium properties in the early universe. The gas is distributed over scales of
1-8 kpc, and shows diverse dynamics within the sample. These results are
consistent with early galaxies having significantly less dust than typical
galaxies seen at z<3 and being comparable to local low-metallicity systems.Comment: Submitted to Nature, under review after referee report. 22 pages, 4
figures, 4 Extended Data Figures, 5 Extended Data table
Educational outreach to general practitioners reduces children's asthma symptoms: a cluster randomised controlled trial
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Childhood asthma is common in Cape Town, a province of South Africa, but is underdiagnosed by general practitioners. Medications are often prescribed inappropriately, and care is episodic. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of educational outreach to general practitioners on asthma symptoms of children in their practice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a cluster randomised trial with general practices as the unit of intervention, randomisation, and analysis. The setting is Mitchells Plain (population 300,000), a dormitory town near Cape Town. Solo general practitioners, without nurse support, operate from storefront practices. Caregiver-reported symptom data were collected for 318 eligible children (2 to 17 years) with moderate to severe asthma, who were attending general practitioners in Mitchells Plain. One year post-intervention follow-up data were collected for 271 (85%) of these children in all 43 practices.</p> <p>Practices randomised to intervention (21) received two 30-minute educational outreach visits by a trained pharmacist who left materials describing key interventions to improve asthma care. Intervention and control practices received the national childhood asthma guideline. Asthma severity was measured in a parent-completed survey administered through schools using a symptom frequency and severity scale. We compared intervention and control group children on the change in score from pre-to one-year post-intervention.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Symptom scores declined an additional 0.84 points in the intervention vs. control group (on a nine-point scale. p = 0.03). For every 12 children with asthma exposed to a doctor allocated to the intervention, one extra child will have substantially reduced symptoms.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Educational outreach was accepted by general practitioners and was effective. It could be applied to other health care quality problems in this setting.</p
Vitamin D supplementation and breast cancer prevention : a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
In recent years, the scientific evidence linking vitamin D status or supplementation to breast cancer has grown notably. To investigate the role of vitamin D supplementation on breast cancer incidence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing vitamin D with placebo or no treatment. We used OVID to search MEDLINE (R), EMBASE and CENTRAL until April 2012. We screened the reference lists of included studies and used the “Related Article” feature in PubMed to identify additional articles. No language restrictions were applied. Two reviewers independently extracted data on methodological quality, participants, intervention, comparison and outcomes. Risk Ratios and 95% Confident Intervals for breast cancer were pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 test. In sensitivity analysis, we assessed the impact of vitamin D dosage and mode of administration on treatment effects. Only two randomized controlled trials fulfilled the pre-set inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis included 5372 postmenopausal women. Overall, Risk Ratios and 95% Confident Intervals were 1.11 and 0.74–1.68. We found no evidence of heterogeneity. Neither vitamin D dosage nor mode of administration significantly affected breast cancer risk. However, treatment efficacy was somewhat greater when vitamin D was administered at the highest dosage and in combination with calcium (Risk Ratio 0.58, 95% Confident Interval 0.23–1.47 and Risk Ratio 0.93, 95% Confident Interval 0.54–1.60, respectively). In conclusions, vitamin D use seems not to be associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer development in postmenopausal women. However, the available evidence is still limited and inadequate to draw firm conclusions. Study protocol code: FARM8L2B5L
Early star-forming galaxies and the reionization of the Universe
Star forming galaxies represent a valuable tracer of cosmic history. Recent
observational progress with Hubble Space Telescope has led to the discovery and
study of the earliest-known galaxies corresponding to a period when the
Universe was only ~800 million years old. Intense ultraviolet radiation from
these early galaxies probably induced a major event in cosmic history: the
reionization of intergalactic hydrogen. New techniques are being developed to
understand the properties of these most distant galaxies and determine their
influence on the evolution of the universe.Comment: Review article appearing in Nature. This posting reflects a submitted
version of the review formatted by the authors, in accordance with Nature
publication policies. For the official, published version of the review,
please see http://www.nature.com/nature/archive/index.htm
Discovery of a z = 7.452 High Equivalent Width Lyman-α Emitter from the Hubble Space Telescope Faint Infrared Grism Survey
We present the results of an unbiased search for Lyα emission from continuum-selected 5.6 4σ) emission lines using two different automated detection methods, free of any visual inspection biases. Applying these methods on photometrically selected high-redshift candidates between 5.6 7 (140.3 ± 19.0 Å)
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