408 research outputs found
Gauge-invariant Formulation of the Second-order Cosmological Perturbations
Gauge invariant treatments of the second order cosmological perturbation in a
four dimensional homogeneous isotropic universe filled with the perfect fluid
are completely formulated without any gauge fixing. We derive all components of
the Einstein equations in the case where the first order vector and tensor
modes are negligible. These equations imply that the tensor and the vector mode
of the second order metric perturbations may be generated by the scalar-scalar
mode coupling of the linear order perturbations as the result of the non-linear
effects of the Einstein equations.Comment: 5 pages, no figure. RevTeX; short letter version of gr-qc/0605108;
some details of explanations are adde
Regional effects unlikely to explain association between ozone and cardiovascular mortality in China
Direct Observation of Nonequivalent Fermi-Arc States of Opposite Surfaces in Noncentrosymmetric Weyl Semimetal NbP
We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy
(ARPES) on noncentrosymmetric Weyl semimetal candidate NbP, and determined the
electronic states of both Nb- and P-terminated surfaces corresponding to the
"opposite" surfaces of a polar crystal. We revealed a drastic difference in the
Fermi-surface topology between the opposite surfaces, whereas the Fermi arcs on
both surfaces are likely terminated at the surface projection of the same bulk
Weyl nodes. Comparison of the ARPES data with our first-principles band
calculations suggests notable difference in electronic structure at the
Nb-terminated surface between theory and experiment. The present result opens a
platform for realizing exotic quantum phenomena arising from unusual surface
properties of Weyl semimetals.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Levels of Octachlorostyrene in Mothers' Milk and Potential Exposure Among Infants in Sendai City, Japan 2012
Persistent organic pollutants can accumulate inside the human body, including in mothers’ milk, which may affect infant development. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine selected persistent organic pollutants in the milk of 100 mothers in Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. We used gas-chromatography-electron capture negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry to check for octachlorostyrene, dechlorane (Dec) plus, Dec 602, Dec 603, and Dec 604. Octachlorostyrene was detected in 86 samples at more than the method detection limit (84 pg g-lipid⁻¹) but no dechloranes were above the method detection limit (1 ng mL⁻¹ for dechlorane plus, Dec 602, and Dec 603; 20 ng mL⁻¹ for Dec 604). The mean octachlorostyrene concentration was 461 pg g-lipid−1, the median was 337 pg g-lipid⁻¹, and the standard deviation 450 pg g-lipid⁻¹. No baseline characteristics were associated with octachlorostyrene level except for mother’s occupation (stay-at-home mother, 353 ± 327 pg g-lipid⁻¹; others, 531 ± 509 pg g-lipid⁻¹). Octachlorostyrene was also significantly negatively correlated with lipid content (r = −0.35, p = 0.0004). However, the maximum intake of octachlorostyrene among infants in this study (3.5 ng/kg/day) was under the acceptable daily intake (30 ng/kg/day, derived from 12−month study in rats), and is therefore unlikely to pose a health risk
IL-8 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in nephrotic patients
IL-8 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in nephrotic patients. We studied the interleukin 8 (IL-8) gene expression by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the IL-8 serum concentration in patients with idiopathic minimal lesion nephrotic syndrome (IMLNS) and other glomerulopathies. PBMC from eight of the nine (IMLNS) patients in relapse demonstrated the presence of IL-8 mRNA. All three IMLNS patients in remission (P = 0.0026 when compared to patients in relapse) and the two patients with nephrotic syndrome with other glomerulopathies failed to elicit an IL-8 mRNA response. Eleven of the 12 IMLNS patients in relapse showed IL-8 serum concentration above the level of detection. Only one of the seven patients in remission had detectable serum levels of IL-8 (P = 0.0033 when compared to levels from IMLNS patients in relapse). IL-8 serum levels were not detectable in three patients with nephrotic syndrome and other glomerulopathies. Supernatants of PBMC cultures from IMLNS patients in relapse increased the 35sulfate uptake by rat GBM. This effect was abolished by the addition of anti-IL-8 neutralizing antibody to the culture media and reproduced by the addition to the media of IL-8 in concentrations found in the serum of IMLNS patients in relapse. Finally, the effect of IL-8 on the 35sulfate turnover of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) sulfated compounds was evaluated in vitro. A significant decrease in the percentage of residual 35sulfate incorporated in the GBM (41 ± 5, mean ± sem) was observed in cultures treated with IL-8 as compared to those that were not treated with IL-8 (58 ± 8, P < 0.01). Because IL-8 affects the metabolism of GBM compounds that may play a role in glomerular permeability, this lymphokine may have a potential pathogenic role in the proteinuria of IMLNS
Additional Evidence for the Surface Origin of the Peculiar Angular-Dependent Magnetoresistance Oscillations Discovered in a Topological Insulator Bi_{1-x}Sb_{x}
We present detailed data on the unusual angular-dependent magnetoresistance
oscillation phenomenon recently discovered in a topological insulator
Bi_{0.91}Sb_{0.09}. Direct comparison of the data taken before and after
etching the sample surface gives compelling evidence that this phenomenon is
essentially originating from a surface state. The symmetry of the oscillations
suggests that it probably comes from the (111) plane, and obviously a new
mechanism, such as a coupling between the surface and the bulk states, is
responsible for this intriguing phenomenon in topological insulators.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings manuscript for the 19th International
Conference on the Application of High Magnetic Fields in Semiconductor
Physics and Nanotechnology (HMF-19
Quasinormal Ringing for Acoustic Black Holes at Low Temperature
We investigate a condensed matter ``black hole'' analogue, taking the
Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation as a starting point. The linearized GP equation
corresponds to a wave equation on a black hole background, giving quasinormal
modes under some appropriate conditions. We suggest that we can know the
detailed characters and corresponding geometrical information about the
acoustic black hole by observing quasinormal ringdown waves in the low
temperature condensed matters.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, PRD accepted versio
The incidence of diabetes among the non-diabetic residents in Kawauchi village, Fukushima, who experienced evacuation after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster
OBJECTIVES: After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in 2011, residents of Kawauchi village who experienced evacuation had a high risk of suffering from diabetes and metabolic syndrome compared with non-evacuees. In addition to evacuation, lifestyle characteristics can be important factors influencing the development and prognosis of diabetes or glucose tolerance. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of evacuation (i.e., lifestyle changes) on the incidence of diabetes among the non-diabetic residents of Kawauchi village. METHODS: Design is retrospective cohort study. Annual health examination data of residents of Kawauchi village and control area (Ono town) in Fukushima prefecture from 2008 to 2017, as available from the Japanese National Health Insurance system. Participants were classified into three groups: "Diabetes (DM)" (FBG ≥ 126 mg/dL or HbA1c ≥ 6.5% or hospital visit for DM or usage of diabetic medication), "Borderline DM" (126 mg/dL > FBG ≥ 110 mg/dL or 6.5% > HbA1c ≥ 6.0%, and without hospital visit, and without diabetic medication), and "Normoglycemic" (FBG < 110 mg/dL and HbA1c < 6.0%, and without hospital visit, and without diabetic medication). New onset of diabetes was evaluated and the events or missing data were occurred at health checkup. For this survival analysis, 339 residents in Kawauchi and 598 residents in Ono were included. Average follow-up periods after 2010 were 3.9 years in Kawauchi village and 3.6 years in Ono town. RESULTS: Compared with the normoglycemic group, incidence of DM was much greater in the borderline DM group, where DM occurred among 38.2% of the group in 2012 and increased to over 60% cumulatively through 2017 in Kawauchi village. DM had a prevalence of 16.3% in 2012, and below 30% in 2017 in borderline DM group of Ono town. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was applied to non-DM groups at both study sites separately to evaluate the effects of lifestyle changes at each site. While BMI, BMI change, and the lack of regular exercise (HR = 1.29, 1.72, and 5.04, respectively) showed significant associations with the onset of diabetes in Ono town, only BMI and late-night dinner (HR = 1.21 and 4.86, respectively) showed significant associations with diabetes onset in Kawauchi village. CONCLUSIONS: The current results confirmed that diabetes incidence was increased 6 years after the Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Kawauchi. We also found changes in lifestyle habits, suggesting that diabetes prevention with promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors is an urgent priority
Conflict-related environmental damages on health: lessons learned from the past wars and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. The fighting has already caused unimaginable conditions and millions of people were forced to flee their homes. For decades, conflicts have been linked to environmental pollution, exposure to radioactivity and heavy metals as well as infectious diseases. The invasion may cause specific environmental risks, like the release of radioactive substances from nuclear power plants and contaminated soils. Because international collaboration is one of the most effective ways to address environmental problems, it is critical to establish scientific bodies within a global framework to identify concrete actions and tangible measures to provide immediate assistance to citizens. This commentary discusses the above issues from lessons learned from the past wars and the way forward in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Quantum Spin Excitations through the metal-to-insulator crossover in
We use inelastic neutron scattering to study the temperature dependence of
the spin excitations of a detwinned superconducting YBaCuO
( K). In contrast to earlier work on YBaCuO (
K), where the prominent features in the magnetic spectra consist of a sharp
collective magnetic excitation termed ``resonance'' and a large
( meV) superconducting spin gap, we find that the spin
excitations in YBaCuO are gapless and have a much broader
resonance. Our detailed mapping of magnetic scattering along the
/-axis directions at different energies reveals that spin
excitations are unisotropic and consistent with the ``hourglass''-like
dispersion along the -axis direction near the resonance, but they are
isotropic at lower energies. Since a fundamental change in the low-temperature
normal state of YBaCuO when superconductivity is suppressed
takes place at with a metal-to-insulator crossover (MIC), where the
ground state transforms from a metallic to an insulating-like phase, our
results suggest a clear connection between the large change in spin excitations
and the MIC. The resonance therefore is a fundamental feature of metallic
ground state superconductors and a consequence of high- superconductivity.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev.
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