91 research outputs found
Local and Global Casimir Energies: Divergences, Renormalization, and the Coupling to Gravity
From the beginning of the subject, calculations of quantum vacuum energies or
Casimir energies have been plagued with two types of divergences: The total
energy, which may be thought of as some sort of regularization of the
zero-point energy, , seems manifestly divergent. And
local energy densities, obtained from the vacuum expectation value of the
energy-momentum tensor, , typically diverge near
boundaries. The energy of interaction between distinct rigid bodies of whatever
type is finite, corresponding to observable forces and torques between the
bodies, which can be unambiguously calculated. The self-energy of a body is
less well-defined, and suffers divergences which may or may not be removable.
Some examples where a unique total self-stress may be evaluated include the
perfectly conducting spherical shell first considered by Boyer, a perfectly
conducting cylindrical shell, and dilute dielectric balls and cylinders. In
these cases the finite part is unique, yet there are divergent contributions
which may be subsumed in some sort of renormalization of physical parameters.
The divergences that occur in the local energy-momentum tensor near surfaces
are distinct from the divergences in the total energy, which are often
associated with energy located exactly on the surfaces. However, the local
energy-momentum tensor couples to gravity, so what is the significance of
infinite quantities here? For the classic situation of parallel plates there
are indications that the divergences in the local energy density are consistent
with divergences in Einstein's equations; correspondingly, it has been shown
that divergences in the total Casimir energy serve to precisely renormalize the
masses of the plates, in accordance with the equivalence principle.Comment: 53 pages, 1 figure, invited review paper to Lecture Notes in Physics
volume in Casimir physics edited by Diego Dalvit, Peter Milonni, David
Roberts, and Felipe da Ros
Solving integral equations in
A dispersive analysis of decays has been performed in the past
by many authors. The numerical analysis of the pertinent integral equations is
hampered by two technical difficulties: i) The angular averages of the
amplitudes need to be performed along a complicated path in the complex plane.
ii) The averaged amplitudes develop singularities along the path of integration
in the dispersive representation of the full amplitudes. It is a delicate
affair to handle these singularities properly, and independent checks of the
obtained solutions are demanding and time consuming. In the present article, we
propose a solution method that avoids these difficulties. It is based on a
simple deformation of the path of integration in the dispersive representation
(not in the angular average). Numerical solutions are then obtained rather
straightforwardly. We expect that the method also works for .Comment: 11 pages, 10 Figures. Version accepted for publication in EPJC. The
ancillary files contain an updated set of fundamental solutions. The
numerical differences to the former set are tiny, see the READMEv2 file for
detail
Electromagnetic Casimir densities for a wedge with a coaxial cylindrical shell
Vacuum expectation values of the field square and the energy-momentum tensor
for the electromagnetic field are investigated for the geometry of a wedge with
a coaxal cylindrical boundary. All boundaries are assumed to be perfectly
conducting and both regions inside and outside the shell are considered. By
using the generalized Abel-Plana formula, the vacuum expectation values are
presented in the form of the sum of two terms. The first one corresponds to the
geometry of the wedge without the cylindrical shell and the second term is
induced by the presence of the shell. The vacuum energy density induced by the
shell is negative for the interior region and is positive for the exterior
region. The asymptotic behavior of the vacuum expectation values are
investigated in various limiting cases. It is shown that the vacuum forces
acting on the wedge sides due to the presence of the cylindrical boundary are
always attractive.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure
Quark-mass dependence in decays
We study the quark-mass dependence of decays, based on a
dispersion-theoretical framework. We rely on the quark-mass-dependent
scattering phase shift for the pion-pion -wave extracted from unitarized
chiral perturbation theory. The dispersive representation then takes into
account the final-state rescattering among all three pions. The described
formalism may be used as an extrapolation tool for lattice QCD calculations of
three-pion decays, for which can serve as a paradigm case.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures; v2: added two references, version published in
EPJ
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Effects of orange juice formulation on prebiotic functionality using an in vitro colonic model sytem
A three-stage continuous fermentative colonic model system was used to monitor in vitro the effect of different orange juice formulations on prebiotic activity. Three different juices with and without Bimuno, a GOS mixture containing galactooligosaccharides (B-GOS) were assessed in terms of their ability to induce a bifidogenic microbiota. The recipe development was based on incorporating 2.75g B-GOS into a 250 ml serving of juice (65°Brix of concentrate juice). Alongside the production of B-GOS juice, a control juice - orange juice without any additional Bimuno and a positive control juice, containing all the components of Bimuno (glucose, galactose and lactose) in the same relative proportions with the exception of B-GOS were developed. Ion Exchange Chromotography analysis was used to test the maintenance of bimuno components after the production process. Data showed that sterilisation had no significant effect on concentration of B-GOS and simple sugars. The three juice formulations were digested under conditions resembling the gastric and small intestinal environments. Main bacterial groups of the faecal microbiota were evaluated throughout the colonic model study using 16S rRNA-based fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Potential effects of supplementation of the juices on microbial metabolism were studied measuring short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) using gas chromatography. Furthermore, B-GOS juices showed positive modulations of the microbiota composition and metabolic activity. In particular, numbers of faecal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were significantly higher when B-GOS juice was fermented compared to controls. Furthermore, fermentation of B-GOS juice resulted in an increase in Roseburia subcluster and concomitantly increased butyrate production, which is of potential benefit to the host. In conclusion, this study has shown B-GOS within orange juice can have a beneficial effect on the fecal microbiota
Dengue Incidence in Urban and Rural Cambodia: Results from Population-Based Active Fever Surveillance, 2006–2008
Dengue is a major public health problem in South-East Asia. Several dengue vaccine candidates are now in late-stage development and are being evaluated in clinical trials. Accurate estimates of true dengue disease burden will become an important factor in the public-health decision-making process for endemic countries once safe and effective vaccines become available. However, estimates of the true disease incidence are difficult to make, because national surveillance systems suffer from disease under-recognition and reporting. Dengue is mainly reported among children, and in some countries, such as Cambodia, the national case definition only includes hospitalized children. This study used active, community-based surveillance of febrile illness coupled with laboratory testing for DENV infection to identify cases of dengue fever in rural and urban populations. We found a high burden of dengue in young children and late adolescents in both rural and urban communities at a magnitude greater than previously described. The study also confirmed the previously observed focal nature of dengue virus transmission
Barriers and facilitators of effective self-management in asthma: systematic review and thematic synthesis of patient and healthcare professional views
Self-management is an established, effective approach to controlling asthma, recommended in guidelines. However, promotion, uptake and use among patients and health-care professionals remain low. Many barriers and facilitators to effective self-management have 25 been reported, and views and beliefs of patients and health care professionals have been explored in qualitative studies. We conducted a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research into self-management in patients, carers and health care professionals regarding self-management of asthma, to identify perceived barriers and facilitators associated with reduced effectiveness of asthma self-management interventions. Electronic databases and guidelines were searched systematically for qualitative literature that explored factors relevant to facilitators and barriers to uptake, adherence, or outcomes of self-management in patients with asthma. Thematic synthesis of the 56 included studies identified 11 themes: 1) partnership between patient and health care professional; 2) issues around medication; 3) education about asthma and its management; 4) health beliefs; 5) self-management interventions; 6) co-morbidities 7) mood disorders and anxiety; 8) social support; 9) non-pharmacological methods; 10) access to healthcare; 11) professional factors. From this, perceived barriers and facilitators were identified at the level of individuals with asthma (and carers), and health-care professionals. Future work addressing the concerns and beliefs of adults, adolescents and children (and carers) with asthma, effective communication and partnership, tailored support and education (including for ethnic minorities and at risk groups), and telehealthcare may improve how self-management is recommended by professionals and used by patients. Ultimately, this may achieve better outcomes for people with asthma
Developmental perspectives on interpersonal affective touch
In the last decade, philosophy, neuroscience and psychology alike have paid increasing attention to the study of interpersonal affective touch, which refers to the emotional and motivational facets of tactile sensation. Some aspects of affective touch have been linked to a neurophysiologically specialised system, namely the C tactile (CT) system. While the role of this sys-tem for affiliation, social bonding and communication of emotions have been widely investigated, only recently researchers have started to focus on the potential role of interpersonal affective touch in acquiring awareness of the body as our own, i.e. as belonging to our psychological ‘self’. We review and discuss recent developmental and adult findings, pointing to the central role of interpersonal affective touch in body awareness and social cognition in health and disorders. We propose that interpersonal affective touch, as an interoceptive modality invested of a social nature, can uniquely contribute to the ongoing debate in philosophy about the primacy of the relational nature of the minimal self
A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)
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