13,847 research outputs found
Scalar Field Oscillations Contributing to Dark Energy
We use action-angle variables to describe the basic physics of coherent
scalar field oscillations in the expanding universe. These analytical mechanics
methods have some advantages, like the identification of adiabatic invariants.
As an application, we show some instances of potentials leading to equations of
state with , thus contributing to the dark energy that causes the
observed acceleration of the universe.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, Latex file. Sec.II reduced, discussion on sound
speed added in Sec.IV, new references added. Accepted for publication in
Physical Review
Intracranial fusarium fungal abscess in an immunocompetent patient: case report and review of the literature.
Introduction Fusarium spp is an omnipresent fungal species that may lead to fatal infections in immunocompromised populations. Spontaneous intracranial infection by Fusarium spp in immunocompetent individuals is exceedingly rare. Case Report An immunocompetent 33-year-old Hispanic woman presented with persistent headaches and was found to have a contrast-enhancing mass in the left petrous apex and prepontine cistern. She underwent a subsequent craniotomy for biopsy and partial resection that revealed a Fusarium abscess. She had a left transient partial oculomotor palsy following the operation that resolved over the next few weeks. She was treated with long-term intravenous antifungal therapy and remained at her neurologic baseline 18 months following the intervention. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Fusarium spp brain abscess in an immunocompetent patient. Treatment options include surgical intervention and various antifungal medications. Conclusion This case demonstrates the rare potential of intracranial Fusarium infection in the immunocompetent host, as well as its successful treatment with surgical aspiration and antifungal therapy
pi-Junction behavior and Andreev bound states in Kondo quantum dots with superconducting leads
We investigate the temperature- and coupling-dependent transport through
Kondo dot contacts with symmetric superconducting s-wave leads. For finite
temperature T we use a superconducting extension of a selfconsistent auxiliary
boson scheme, termed SNCA, while at T=0 a perturbative renormalization group
treatment is applied. The finite-temperature phase diagram for the 0--pi
transition of the Josephson current in the junction is established and related
to the phase-dependent position of the subgap Kondo resonance with respect to
the Fermi energy. The conductance of the contact is evaluated in the zero-bias
limit. It approaches zero in the low-temperature regime, however, at finite T
its characteristics are changed through the coupling- and temperature-dependent
0--pi transition.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
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Blue light regenerates functional visual pigments in mammals through a retinyl-phospholipid intermediate.
The light absorbing chromophore in opsin visual pigments is the protonated Schiff base of 11-cis-retinaldehyde (11cRAL). Absorption of a photon isomerizes 11cRAL to all-trans-retinaldehyde (atRAL), briefly activating the pigment before it dissociates. Light sensitivity is restored when apo-opsin combines with another 11cRAL to form a new visual pigment. Conversion of atRAL to 11cRAL is carried out by enzyme pathways in neighboring cells. Here we show that blue (450-nm) light converts atRAL specifically to 11cRAL through a retinyl-phospholipid intermediate in photoreceptor membranes. The quantum efficiency of this photoconversion is similar to rhodopsin. Photoreceptor membranes synthesize 11cRAL chromophore faster under blue light than in darkness. Live mice regenerate rhodopsin more rapidly in blue light. Finally, whole retinas and isolated cone cells show increased photosensitivity following exposure to blue light. These results indicate that light contributes to visual-pigment renewal in mammalian rods and cones through a non-enzymatic process involving retinyl-phospholipids.It is currently thought that visual pigments in vertebrate photoreceptors are regenerated exclusively through enzymatic cycles. Here the authors show that mammalian photoreceptors also regenerate opsin pigments in light through photoisomerization of N-ret-PE (N-retinylidene-phosphatidylethanolamine
Unusual Radiographic Presentation of Pneumocystis Pneumonia in a Patient with AIDS.
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) typically presents as an interstitial and alveolar process with ground glass opacities on chest computed tomography (CT). The absence of ground glass opacities on chest CT is thought to have a high negative predictive value for PCP in individuals with AIDS. Here, we report a case of PCP in a man with AIDS who presented to our hospital with subacute shortness of breath and a nonproductive cough. While his chest CT revealed diffuse nodular rather than ground glass opacities, bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial biopsies confirmed the diagnosis of PCP and did not identify additional pathogens. PCP was not the expected diagnosis based on chest CT, but it otherwise fit well with the patient's clinical and laboratory presentation. In the era of combination antiretroviral therapy, routine prophylaxis for PCP, and increased use of computed tomography, it may be that PCP will increasingly present with nonclassical chest radiographic patterns. Clinicians should be aware of this presentation when selecting diagnostic and management strategies
Splash control of drop impacts with geometric targets
Drop impacts on solid and liquid surfaces exhibit complex dynamics due to the
competition of inertial, viscous, and capillary forces. After impact, a liquid
lamella develops and expands radially, and under certain conditions, the outer
rim breaks up into an irregular arrangement of filaments and secondary
droplets. We show experimentally that the lamella expansion and subsequent
break up of the outer rim can be controlled by length scales that are of
comparable dimension to the impacting drop diameter. Under identical impact
parameters, ie. fluid properties and impact velocity, we observe unique
splashing dynamics by varying the target cross-sectional geometry. These
behaviors include: (i) geometrically-shaped lamellae and (ii) a transition in
splashing stability, from regular to irregular splashing. We propose that
regular splashes are controlled by the azimuthal perturbations imposed by the
target cross-sectional geometry and that irregular splashes are governed by the
fastest-growing unstable Plateau-Rayleigh mode
Onsager-Manning-Oosawa condensation phenomenon and the effect of salt
Making use of results pertaining to Painleve III type equations, we revisit
the celebrated Onsager-Manning-Oosawa condensation phenomenon for charged stiff
linear polymers, in the mean-field approximation with salt. We obtain
analytically the associated critical line charge density, and show that it is
severely affected by finite salt effects, whereas previous results focused on
the no salt limit. In addition, we obtain explicit expressions for the
condensate thickness and the electric potential. The case of asymmetric
electrolytes is also briefly addressed.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
High Resolution X-Ray Spectra of Capella: Initial Results from the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer
High resolution spectra of the active binary Capella (G8 III + G1 III)
covering the energy range 0.4-8.0 keV (1.5-30 Angstroms) show a large number of
emission lines, demonstrating the performance of the HETGS. A preliminary
application of plasma diagnostics provides information on coronal temperatures
and densities. Lines arising from different elements in a range of ionization
states indicate that Capella has plasma with a broad range of temperatures,
from log T = 6.3 to 7.2, generally consistent with recent results from
observations with the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) and the Advanced
Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA). The electron density is
determined from He-like O VII lines, giving the value N_e=10^10 cm^-3 at
T_e=2*10^6 K; He-like lines formed at higher temperatures give only upper
limits to the electron density. The density and emission measure from O VII
lines together indicate that the coronal loops are significantly smaller than
the stellar radius.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures (1 color) accepted for ApJ
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