4,087 research outputs found
An exploration of the experiences and utility of functional electrical stimulation for foot drop in people with multiple sclerosis
Purpose: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is effective in improving walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with foot drop. There is limited research exploring peopleâs experiences of using this device. This study aims to explore the utility, efficacy, acceptability, and impact on daily life of the device in people with MS.
Methods: An interpretative phenomenological approach was employed. Ten participants who had used FES for 12 months were interviewed. Transcripts were analysed, and emergent themes identified.
Results: Nine participants continued to use the device. Three relevant super-ordinate themes were identified; impact of functional electrical stimulation, sticking with functional electrical stimulation, and autonomy and control. Participants reported challenges using the device; however, all reported positive physical and psychological benefits. Intrinsic and external influences such as; access to professional help, the influence of others, an individualâs ability to adapt, and experiences using the device, influenced their decisions to continue with the device. A thematic model of these factors was developed.
Conclusions: This study has contributed to our understanding of people with MS experiences of using the device and will help inform prescribing decisions and support the continued, appropriate use of FES over the longer term
Deformations of the fermion realization of the sp(4) algebra and its subalgebras
With a view towards future applications in nuclear physics, the fermion
realization of the compact symplectic sp(4) algebra and its q-deformed versions
are investigated. Three important reduction chains of the sp(4) algebra are
explored in both the classical and deformed cases. The deformed realizations
are based on distinct deformations of the fermion creation and annihilation
operators. For the primary reduction, the su(2) sub-structure can be
interpreted as either the spin, isospin or angular momentum algebra, whereas
for the other two reductions su(2) can be associated with pairing between
fermions of the same type or pairing between two distinct fermion types. Each
reduction provides for a complete classification of the basis states. The
deformed induced u(2) representations are reducible in the action spaces of
sp(4) and are decomposed into irreducible representations.Comment: 28 pages, LaTeX 12pt article styl
Local Density Approximation for proton-neutron pairing correlations. I. Formalism
In the present study we generalize the self-consistent
Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) theory formulated in the coordinate space to the
case which incorporates an arbitrary mixing between protons and neutrons in the
particle-hole (p-h) and particle-particle (p-p or pairing) channels. We define
the HFB density matrices, discuss their spin-isospin structure, and construct
the most general energy density functional that is quadratic in local
densities. The consequences of the local gauge invariance are discussed and the
particular case of the Skyrme energy density functional is studied. By varying
the total energy with respect to the density matrices the self-consistent
one-body HFB Hamiltonian is obtained and the structure of the resulting mean
fields is shown. The consequences of the time-reversal symmetry, charge
invariance, and proton-neutron symmetry are summarized. The complete list of
expressions required to calculate total energy is presented.Comment: 22 RevTeX page
An Algebraic Pairing Model with Sp(4) Symmetry and its Deformation
A fermion realization of the compact symplectic sp(4) algebra provides a
natural framework for studying isovector pairing correlations in nuclei. While
these correlations manifest themselves most clearly in the binding energies of
0^+ ground states, they also have a large effect on the energies of excited
states, including especially excited 0^+ states. In this article we consider
non-deformed as well as deformed algebraic descriptions of pairing through the
reductions of sp_{(q)}(4) to different realizations of u_{(q)}(2) for single-j
and multi-j orbitals. The model yields a classification scheme for completely
paired 0^{+} states of even-even and odd-odd nuclei in the 1d_{3/2}, 1f_{7/2},
and 1f_{5/2}2p_{1/2}2p_{3/2}1g_{9/2} shells. Phenomenological non-deformed and
deformed isospin-breaking Hamiltonians are expressed in terms of the generators
of the dynamical symmetry groups Sp(4) and Sp_{q}(4). These Hamiltonians are
related to the most general microscopic pairing problem, including isovector
pairing and isoscalar proton-neutron interaction along with non-linear
interaction in the deformed extension. In both the non-deformed and deformed
cases the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian are fit to the relevant Coulomb
corrected experimental 0^{+} energies and this, in turn, allows us to estimate
the interaction strength parameters, to investigate isovector-pairing
properties and symmetries breaking, and to predict the corresponding energies.
While the non-deformed theory yields results that are comparable to other
theories for light nuclei, the deformed extension, which takes into account
higher-order interactions between the particles, gives a better fit to the
data. The multi-shell applications of the model provide for reasonable
predictions of energies of exotic nuclei.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures minor changes; improvements to achieve a better
and clearer presentation of our messages and idea
Magnetic fileds of coalescing neutron stars and the luminosity function of short gamma-ray burst
Coalescing neutron star binaries are believed to be the most reliable sources
for ground-based detectors of gravitational waves and likely progenitors of
short gamma-ray bursts. In the process of coalescence, magnetic fields of
neutron stars can induce interesting observational manifestations and affect
the form of gravitational wave signal. In this papaer we use the population
synthesis method to model the expected distribution of neutron star magnetic
fields during the coalescence under different assumptions on the initial
parameters of neutron stars and their magnetic field evolution. We discuss
possible elecotrmagnetic phenomena preceding the coalescence of magnetized
neutron star binaries and the effect of magnetic field on the gravitational
wave signal. We find that a log-normal (Gaussian in logarithms) distribution of
the initial magnetic fields of neutron stars, which agrees with observed
properties of radio pulsars, produces the distribution of the magnetic field
energy during the coalescence that adequately describes the observed luminosity
function of short gamma-ray bursts under different assumptions on the field
evolution and initial parameters of neutron stars. This agreement lends further
support to the model of coalescing neutron star binaries as progenitors of
gamma-ray bursts.Comment: v.2, LATEX, 25 pages, inc. 7 ps figures, Astron. Lett., in press.
Typos corrected, reference adde
Water quality and health in northern Canada: stored drinking water and acute gastrointestinal illness in Labrador Inuit
One of the highest self-reported incidence rates of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in the global peer-reviewed literature occurs in Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. This high incidence of illness could be due, in part, to the consumption of contaminated water, as many northern communities face challenges related to the quality of municipal drinking water. Furthermore, many Inuit store drinking water in containers in the home, which could increase the risk of contamination between source and point-of-use (i.e., water recontamination during storage). To examine this risk, this research characterized drinking water collection and storage practices, identified potential risk factors for water contamination between source and point-of-use, and examined possible associations between drinking water contamination and self-reported AGI in the Inuit community of Rigolet, Canada. The study included a cross-sectional census survey that captured data on types of drinking water used, household practices related to drinking water (e.g., how it was collected and stored), physical characteristics of water storage containers, and self-reported AGI. Additionally, water samples were collected from all identified drinking water containers in homes and analyzed for presence of Escherichia coli and total coliforms. Despite municipally treated tap water being available in all homes, 77.6% of households had alternative sources of drinking water stored in containers, and of these containers, 25.2% tested positive for total coliforms. The use of transfer devices and water dippers (i.e., smaller bowls or measuring cups) for the collection and retrieval of water from containers were both significantly associated with increased odds of total coliform presence in stored water (ORtransfer device = 3.4, 95% CI 1.2â11.7; ORdipper = 13.4, 95% CI 3.8â47.1). Twenty-eight-day period prevalence of self-reported AGI during the month before the survey was 17.2% (95% CI 13.0â22.5), which yielded an annual incidence rate of 2.4 cases per person per year (95% CI 1.8â3.1); no water-related risk factors were significantly associated with AGI. Considering the high prevalence of, and risk factors associated with, indicator bacteria in drinking water stored in containers, potential exposure to waterborne pathogens may be minimized through interventions at the household level
Hybrid Stars in a Strong Magnetic Field
We study the effects of high magnetic fields on the particle population and
equation of state of hybrid stars using an extended hadronic and quark SU(3)
non-linear realization of the sigma model. In this model the degrees of freedom
change naturally from hadrons to quarks as the density and/or temperature
increases. The effects of high magnetic fields and anomalous magnetic moment
are visible in the macroscopic properties of the star, such as mass, adiabatic
index, moment of inertia, and cooling curves. Moreover, at the same time that
the magnetic fields become high enough to modify those properties, they make
the star anisotropic.Comment: Revised version with updated reference
Stochastic pump effect and geometric phases in dissipative and stochastic systems
The success of Berry phases in quantum mechanics stimulated the study of
similar phenomena in other areas of physics, including the theory of living
cell locomotion and motion of patterns in nonlinear media. More recently,
geometric phases have been applied to systems operating in a strongly
stochastic environment, such as molecular motors. We discuss such geometric
effects in purely classical dissipative stochastic systems and their role in
the theory of the stochastic pump effect (SPE).Comment: Review. 35 pages. J. Phys. A: Math, Theor. (in press
Shear Viscosity and Oscillations of Neutron Star Crusts
We calculate the electron shear viscosity (determined by Coulomb electron
collisions) for a dense matter in a wide range of parameters typical for white
dwarf cores and neutron star crusts. In the density range from ~10^3 g cm^-3 to
10^7-10^10 g cm^-3 we consider the matter composed of widely abundant
astrophysical elements, from H to Fe. For higher densities, 10^10-10^14 g
cm^-3, we employ the ground-state nuclear composition, taking into account
finite sizes of atomic nuclei and the distribution of proton charge over the
nucleus. Numerical values of the viscosity are approximated by an analytic
expression convenient for applications. Using the approximation of
plane-parallel layer we study eigenfrequencies, eigenmodes and viscous damping
times of oscillations of high multipolarity, l~500-1000, localized in the outer
crust of a neutron star. For instance, at l~500 oscillations have frequencies f
>= 40 kHz and are localized not deeper than ~300 m from the surface. When the
crust temperature decreases from 10^9 K to 10^7 K, the dissipation time of
these oscillations (with a few radial nodes) decreases from ~1 year to 10-15
days.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figure
Physics of Neutron Star Crusts
The physics of neutron star crusts is vast, involving many different research
fields, from nuclear and condensed matter physics to general relativity. This
review summarizes the progress, which has been achieved over the last few
years, in modeling neutron star crusts, both at the microscopic and macroscopic
levels. The confrontation of these theoretical models with observations is also
briefly discussed.Comment: 182 pages, published version available at
<http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2008-10
- âŠ