1,977 research outputs found
A mineralogical investigation of the Letaba copper-zinc and the monarch cinnabar deposits located in the Murchison Range of the Eastern Transvaal
Dissertation submitted for the degree of M.Sc. in the Faculty of
Science, at the University of the Witwaterarand, Johannesburg.
15 January, 1959
The randomly driven Ising ferromagnet, Part I: General formalism and mean field theory
We consider the behavior of an Ising ferromagnet obeying the Glauber dynamics
under the influence of a fast switching, random external field. After
introducing a general formalism for describing such systems, we consider here
the mean-field theory. A novel type of first order phase transition related to
spontaneous symmetry breaking and dynamic freezing is found. The
non-equilibrium stationary state has a complex structure, which changes as a
function of parameters from a singular-continuous distribution with Euclidean
or fractal support to an absolutely continuous one.Comment: 12 pages REVTeX/LaTeX format, 12 eps/ps figures. Submitted to Journal
of Physics
Temporally disordered Ising models
We present a study of the influence of different types of disorder on systems
in the Ising universality class by employing both a dynamical field theory
approach and extensive Monte Carlo simulations. We reproduce some well known
results for the case of quenched disorder (random temperature and random
field), and analyze the effect of four different types of time-dependent
disorder scarcely studied so far in the literature. Some of them are of obvious
experimental and theoretical relevance (as for example, globally fluctuating
temperatures or random fields). All the predictions coming from our field
theoretical analysis are fully confirmed by extensive simulations in two and
three dimensions, and novel qualitatively different, non-Ising transitions are
reported. Possible experimental setups designed to explore the described
phenomenologies are also briefly discussed.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. E. Rapid Comm. 4 page
Stationary Properties of a Randomly Driven Ising Ferromagnet
We consider the behavior of an Ising ferromagnet obeying the Glauber dynamics
under the influence of a fast switching, random external field. Analytic
results for the stationary state are presented in mean-field approximation,
exhibiting a novel type of first order phase transition related to dynamic
freezing. Monte Carlo simulations performed on a quadratic lattice indicate
that many features of the mean field theory may survive the presence of
fluctuations.Comment: 5 pages in RevTex format, 7 eps/ps figures, send comments to
"mailto:[email protected]", submitted to PR
A robust, scanning quantum system for nanoscale sensing and imaging
Controllable atomic-scale quantum systems hold great potential as sensitive
tools for nanoscale imaging and metrology. Possible applications range from
nanoscale electric and magnetic field sensing to single photon microscopy,
quantum information processing, and bioimaging. At the heart of such schemes is
the ability to scan and accurately position a robust sensor within a few
nanometers of a sample of interest, while preserving the sensor's quantum
coherence and readout fidelity. These combined requirements remain a challenge
for all existing approaches that rely on direct grafting of individual solid
state quantum systems or single molecules onto scanning-probe tips. Here, we
demonstrate the fabrication and room temperature operation of a robust and
isolated atomic-scale quantum sensor for scanning probe microscopy.
Specifically, we employ a high-purity, single-crystalline diamond nanopillar
probe containing a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) color center. We illustrate the
versatility and performance of our scanning NV sensor by conducting
quantitative nanoscale magnetic field imaging and near-field single-photon
fluorescence quenching microscopy. In both cases, we obtain imaging resolution
in the range of 20 nm and sensitivity unprecedented in scanning quantum probe
microscopy
Mortality of Patients with Hematological Malignancy after Admission to the Intensive Care Unit
Background: The admission of patients with malignancies to an intensive care unit (ICU) still remains a matter of substantial controversy. The identification of factors that potentially influence the patient outcome can help ICU professionals make appropriate decisions. Patients and Methods: 90 adult patients with hematological malignancy (leukemia 47.8%, high-grade lymphoma 50%) admitted to the ICU were analyzed retrospectively in this single-center study considering numerous variables with regard to their influence on ICU and day-100 mortality. Results: The median simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) II at ICU admission was 55 (ICU survivors 47 vs. 60.5 for non-survivors). The overall ICU mortality rate was 45.6%. With multivariate regression analysis, patients admitted with sepsis and acute respiratory failure had a significantly increased ICU mortality (sepsis odds ratio (OR) 9.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-99.7, p = 0.04; respiratory failure OR 13.72, 95% CI 1.39-136.15, p = 0.025). Additional factors associated with an increased mortality were: high doses of catecholamines (ICU: OR 7.37, p = 0.005; day 100: hazard ratio (HR) 2.96, p < 0.0001), renal replacement therapy (day 100: HR 1.93, p = 0.026), and high SAPS II (ICU: HR 1.05, p = 0.038; day 100: HR 1.2, p = 0.027). Conclusion: The decision for or against ICU admission of patients with hematological diseases should become increasingly independent of the underlying malignant disease
Isospin Dependence in the Odd-Even Staggering of Nuclear Binding Energies
The FRS-ESR facility at GSI provides unique conditions for precision
measurements of large areas on the nuclear mass surface in a single experiment.
Values for masses of 604 neutron-deficient nuclides (30<=Z<=92) were obtained
with a typical uncertainty of 30 microunits. The masses of 114 nuclides were
determined for the first time. The odd-even staggering (OES) of nuclear masses
was systematically investigated for isotopic chains between the proton shell
closures at Z=50 and Z=82. The results were compared with predictions of modern
nuclear models. The comparison revealed that the measured trend of OES is not
reproduced by the theories fitted to masses only. The spectral pairing gaps
extracted from models adjusted to both masses, and density related observables
of nuclei agree better with the experimental data.Comment: Physics Review Letters 95 (2005) 042501
http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v95/e04250
Associations between fruit and vegetable intake and quality of life
Abstract Dysregulation of the immune response to microbiota is associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can trigger intestinal fibrosis. MyD88 is a key component of microbiota signalling but its influence on intestinal fibrosis has not been clarified. Small bowel resections from donor-mice were transplanted subcutaneously into the neck of recipients C57BL/6 B6-MyD88tm1 Aki (MyD88−/−) and C57BL/6-Tg(UBC-green fluorescence protein (GFP))30Scha/J (GFP-Tg). Grafts were explanted up to 21 days after transplantation. Collagen layer thickness was determined using Sirius Red stained slides. In the mouse model of fibrosis collagen deposition and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) expression was equal in MyD88+/+ and MyD88−/−, indicating that MyD88 was not essential for fibrogenesis. Matrix metalloproteinase (Mmp)9 expression was significantly decreased in grafts transplanted into MyD88−/− recipients compared to MyD88+/+ recipients (0.2 ± 0.1 vs. 153.0 ± 23.1, respectively, p < 0.05), similarly recruitment of neutrophils was significantly reduced (16.3 ± 4.5 vs. 25.4 ± 3.1, respectively, p < 0.05). Development of intestinal fibrosis appears to be independent of MyD88 signalling indicating a minor role of bacterial wall compounds in the process which is in contrast to published concepts and theories. Development of fibrosis appears to be uncoupled from acute inflammation
Studies of aging and HV break down problems during development and operation of MSGC and GEM detectors for the Inner Tracking System of HERA-B
The results of five years of development of the inner tracking system of the
HERA-B experiment and first experience from the data taking period of the year
2000 are reported. The system contains 184 chambers, covering a sensitive area
of about 20 * 20 cm2 each. The detector is based on microstrip gas counters
(MSGCs) with diamond like coated (DLC) glass wafers and gas electron
multipliers (GEMs). The main problems in the development phase were gas
discharges in intense hadron beams and aging in a high radiation dose
environment. The observation of gas discharges which damage the electrode
structure of the MSGC led to the addition of the GEM as a first amplification
step. Spurious sparking at the GEM cannot be avoided completely. It does not
affect the GEM itself but can produce secondary damage of the MSGC if the
electric field between the GEM and the MSGC is above a threshold depending on
operation conditions. We observed that aging does not only depend on the dose
but also on the spot size of the irradiated area. Ar-DME mixtures had to be
abandoned whereas a mixture of 70% Ar and 30% CO2 showed no serious aging
effects up to about 40 mC/cm deposited charge on the anodes. X-ray measurements
indicate that the DLC of the MSGC is deteriorated by the gas amplification
process. As a consequence, long term gain variations are expected. The Inner
Tracker has successfully participated in the data taking at HERA-B during
summer 2000.Comment: 29 pages, 22 figure
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