A cluster model with random anisotropy for hysteresis jumps in CeNi1−x_{1-x}Cux_{x} alloys

Some Cerium compounds exhibit hysteresis cycles with sharp macroscopic jumps in the magnetization at very low temperatures. This effect is attributed to the formation of clusters in which the anisotropy competes with the applied magnetic field. Here, we present a simple model where a lattice of ferromagnetically coupled spins is separated in clusters of random sizes and with random anisotropy. Within this model, we obtain hysteresis cycles presenting jumps that behave in a similar way that the experimental ones, and that disappear when increasing the temperature. The results are in good agreement with the hysteresis cycles measured at very low temperatures in CeNi$_{1-x}$Cu$_{x}$ and the comparison with these experimental results allows to discriminate the relative importance of the mechanisms driving the thermal evolution of the cycles.Comment: Accepted in PR

Integration of Dirac-Jacobi structures

We study precontact groupoids whose infinitesimal counterparts are Dirac-Jacobi structures. These geometric objects generalize contact groupoids. We also explain the relationship between precontact groupoids and homogeneous presymplectic groupoids. Finally, we present some examples of precontact groupoids.Comment: 10 pages. Brief changes in the introduction. References update

Physical activity trends in spanish adolescents

Este estudio se propone conocer la evolución de la práctica de actividad física moderada-vigorosa y examinar si la tendencia se mantiene en función de factores sociodemográficos, como el sexo y la edad, así como de factores socioeconómicos y su influencia según la comunidad autónoma. La muestra está compuesta de adolescentes españoles de 11 a 18 años de las ediciones 2002 y 2006 del estudio Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC). Los principales resultados muestran que, a pesar de un cierto aumento en el nivel de actividad física en los cuatro años que distan entre ambas ediciones (especialmente en los adolescentes más pequeños), estos niveles se encuentran todavía lejos de las recomendaciones. Asimismo, los datos señalan como necesidades más urgentes promover un estilo de vida activo en los adolescentes de 13 años en adelante (especialmente en las chicas) y en los adolescentes de niveles socioeconómicos más bajos de determinadas comunidades autónomasThis study tries to find out the tendency of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and to assess whether the trends are maintained with regard to socio-demographic factors such as sex and age, and also socio-economic factors and how they vary depending on the region. The sample comprises Spanish adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years, from the 2002 and 2006 surveys of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. The main results reveal that, despite a certain increase in physical activity level in the four years span between both surveys (particularly in younger adolescents), these levels are still a long way from the recommendations. Likewise, data highlight, as immediate needs, the promotion of an active lifestyle among adolescents from 13 years onwards (particularly among the girls) and also among adolescents of lower socio-economic status in some regionsEsta investigación ha sido realizada gracias a los sucesivos convenios de colaboración firmados entre el Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo y la Universidad de Sevilla para la ejecución del estudio HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) en Españ

Magnetic Field scaling of Relaxation curves in Small Particle Systems

We study the effects of the magnetic field on the relaxation of the magnetization of small monodomain non-interacting particles with random orientations and distribution of anisotropy constants. Starting from a master equation, we build up an expression for the time dependence of the magnetization which takes into account thermal activation only over barriers separating energy minima, which, in our model, can be computed exactly from analytical expressions. Numerical calculations of the relaxation curves for different distribution widths, and under different magnetic fields H and temperatures T, have been performed. We show how a \svar scaling of the curves, at different T and for a given H, can be carried out after proper normalization of the data to the equilibrium magnetization. The resulting master curves are shown to be closely related to what we call effective energy barrier distributions, which, in our model, can be computed exactly from analytical expressions. The concept of effective distribution serves us as a basis for finding a scaling variable to scale relaxation curves at different H and a given T, thus showing that the field dependence of energy barriers can be also extracted from relaxation measurements.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Cost effectiveness analysis of larval therapy for leg ulcers

Objective: To assess the cost effectiveness of larval therapy compared with hydrogel in the management of leg ulcers. Design: Cost effectiveness and cost utility analyses carried out alongside a pragmatic multicentre, randomised, open trial with equal randomisation. Population: Intention to treat population comprising 267 patients with a venous or mixed venous and arterial ulcers with at least 25% coverage of slough or necrotic tissue. Interventions: Patients were randomly allocated to debridement with bagged larvae, loose larvae, or hydrogel. Main outcome measure: The time horizon was 12 months and costs were estimated from the UK National Health Service perspective. Cost effectiveness outcomes are expressed in terms of incremental costs per ulcer-free day (cost effectiveness analysis) and incremental costs per quality adjusted life years (cost utility analysis). Results: The larvae arms were pooled for the main analysis. Treatment with larval therapy cost, on average, 96.70 pound ((sic)109.61; $140.57) more per participant per year (95% confidence interval -491.9 pound to 685.8) pound than treatment with hydrogel. Participants treated with larval therapy healed, on average, 2.42 days before those in the hydrogel arm (95% confidence interval -0.95 to 31. 91 days) and had a slightly better health related quality of life, as the annual difference in QALYs was 0.011 (95% confidence interval -0.067 to 0.071). However, none of these differences was statistically significant. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio for the base case analysis was estimated at 8826 pound per QALY gained and 40 pound per ulcer-free day. Considerable uncertainty surrounds the outcome estimates. Conclusions: Debridement of sloughy or necrotic leg ulcers with larval therapy is likely to produce similar health benefits and have similar costs to treatment with hydrogel. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN55114812 and National Research Register N0484123692

Effect of band filling in the Kondo lattice: A mean-field approach

The usual Kondo-lattice, including an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between nearest-neighboring localized spins, is treated here in a mean-field scheme that introduces two mean-field parameters: one associated with the local Kondo effect, and the other related to the magnetic correlations between localized spins. Phases with short-range magnetic correlations or coexistence between those and the Kondo effect are obtained. By varying the number of electrons in the conduction band, we notice that the Kondo effect tends to be suppressed away from half filling, while magnetic correlations can survive if the Heisenberg coupling is strong enough. An enhanced linear coefficient of the specific heat is obtained at low temperatures in the metallic state.Comment: 7 pages, ReVTeX two-column, 7 figure

Electromagnetic emission of white dwarf binary mergers

It has been recently proposed that the ejected matter from white dwarf (WD) binary mergers can produce transient, optical and infrared emission similar to the "kilonovae" of neutron star (NS) binary mergers. To confirm this we calculate the electromagnetic emission from WD-WD mergers and compare with kilonova observations. We simulate WD-WD mergers leading to a massive, fast rotating, highly magnetized WD with an adapted version of the smoothed-particle-hydrodynamics (SPH) code Phantom. We thus obtain initial conditions for the ejecta such as escape velocity, mass and initial position and distribution. The subsequent thermal and dynamical evolution of the ejecta is obtained by integrating the energy-conservation equation accounting for expansion cooling and a heating source given by the fallback accretion onto the newly-formed WD and its magneto-dipole radiation. We show that magnetospheric processes in the merger can lead to a prompt, short gamma-ray emission of up to $\approx 10^{46}$ erg in a timescale of $0.1$-$1$ s. The bulk of the ejecta initially expands non-relativistically with velocity $0.01 c$ and then it accelerates to $0.1 c$ due to the injection of fallback accretion energy. The ejecta become transparent at optical wavelengths around $\sim 7$ days post-merger with a luminosity $10^{41}$-$10^{42}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The X-ray emission from the fallback accretion becomes visible around $\sim 150$-$200$ day post-merger with a luminosity of $10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$. We also predict the post-merger time at which the central WD should appear as a pulsar depending on the value of the magnetic field and rotation period.Comment: 12 pages, Accepted for publication in JCA

Note About Hamiltonian Structure of Non-Linear Massive Gravity

We perform the Hamiltonian analysis of non-linear massive gravity action studied recently in arXiv:1106.3344 [hep-th]. We show that the Hamiltonian constraint is the second class constraint. As a result the theory possesses an odd number of the second class constraints and hence all non physical degrees of freedom cannot be eliminated.Comment: 15 page