954 research outputs found
Enigma of ultraluminous X-ray sources may be resolved by 3D-spectroscopy (MPFS data)
The ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) were isolated in external galaxies for
the last 5 years. Their X-ray luminosities exceed 100-10000 times those of
brightest Milky Way black hole binaries and they are extremely variable. There
are two models for the ULXs, the best black hole candidates. 1. They are
supercritical accretion disks around a stellar mass black hole like that in
SS433, observed close to the disk axes. 2. They are Intermediate Mass Black
Holes (of 100-10000 solar masses). Critical observations which may throw light
upon the ULXs nature come from observations of nebulae around the ULXs. We
present results of 3D-spectroscopy of nebulae around several ULXs located in
galaxies at 3-6 Mpc distances. We found that the nebulae to be powered by their
central black holes. The nebulae are shocked and dynamically perturbed probably
by jets. The nebulae are compared with SS433 nebula (W50).Comment: Proceedings of the ESO and Euro3D Workshop "Science Perspectives for
3D Spectroscopy", Garching (Germany), October 10-14, 2005. M. Kissler-Patig,
M.M. Roth and J.R. Walsh (eds.
Reconstruction of superoperators from incomplete measurements
We present strategies how to reconstruct (estimate) properties of a quantum
channel described by the map E based on incomplete measurements. In a
particular case of a qubit channel a complete reconstruction of the map E can
be performed via complete tomography of four output states E[rho_j ] that
originate from a set of four linearly independent test states j (j = 1, 2, 3,
4) at the input of the channel. We study the situation when less than four
linearly independent states are transmitted via the channel and measured at the
output. We present strategies how to reconstruct the channel when just one, two
or three states are transmitted via the channel. In particular, we show that if
just one state is transmitted via the channel then the best reconstruction can
be achieved when this state is a total mixture described by the density
operator rho = I/2. To improve the reconstruction procedure one has to send via
the channel more states. The best strategy is to complement the total mixture
with pure states that are mutually orthogonal in the sense of the Bloch-sphere
representation. We show that unitary transformations (channels) can be uniquely
reconstructed (determined) based on the information of how three properly
chosen input states are transformed under the action of the channel.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Assembly of the Inner Perivitelline Layer, a Homo log of the Mammalian Zona Pellucida: An Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Study
The avian inner perivitelline layer (IPVL), a homologous structure to the mammalian zona pellucida, is deposited between the granulosa cells and the oocyte cell membrane during folliculogenesis. The glycoprotein meshwork of the IPVL forms a 3-dimensional matrix and possesses important functions in the fertilization process: it contributes to the binding of avian spermatozoa to the oocyte and induces acrosomal exocytosis. In contrast to the zona pellucida of mammals, the IPVL does not prevent the physiological polyspermy found in birds. Previous studies have shown that in the Japanese quail (Cotumix japonica) at least 5 glycoproteins are constituents of the IPVL (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3, ZP4, and ZPD). In this study, we investigated the spatiotennporal assembly pattern of the IPVL during folliculogenesis using immunohistochemical and ultrastructural methods. The obtained results clearly show that these glycoproteins are incorporated into the IPVL at distinct points during follicular development, supporting the hypothesis that ZP2 and ZP4 form a type of prematrix into which ZP1, ZP3, and ZPD are integrated at a later stage of development. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base
Probing vacuum birefringence by phase-contrast Fourier imaging under fields of high-intensity lasers
In vacuum high-intensity lasers can cause photon-photon interaction via the
process of virtual vacuum polarization which may be measured by the phase
velocity shift of photons across intense fields. In the optical frequency
domain, the photon-photon interaction is polarization-mediated described by the
Euler-Heisenberg effective action. This theory predicts the vacuum
birefringence or polarization dependence of the phase velocity shift arising
from nonlinear properties in quantum electrodynamics (QED). We suggest a method
to measure the vacuum birefringence under intense optical laser fields based on
the absolute phase velocity shift by phase-contrast Fourier imaging. The method
may serve for observing effects even beyond the QED vacuum polarization.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by Applied Physics
Feedback-control of quantum systems using continuous state-estimation
We present a formulation of feedback in quantum systems in which the best
estimates of the dynamical variables are obtained continuously from the
measurement record, and fed back to control the system. We apply this method to
the problem of cooling and confining a single quantum degree of freedom, and
compare it to current schemes in which the measurement signal is fed back
directly in the manner usually considered in existing treatments of quantum
feedback. Direct feedback may be combined with feedback by estimation, and the
resulting combination, performed on a linear system, is closely analogous to
classical LQG control theory with residual feedback.Comment: 12 pages, multicol revtex, revised and extende
Erasmus Language students in a British University – a case study
Students’ assessment of their academic experience is actively sought by Higher Education institutions, as evidenced in the National Student Survey introduced in 2005. Erasmus students, despite their growing numbers, tend to be excluded from these satisfaction surveys, even though they, too, are primary customers of a University. This study aims to present results from bespoke questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with a sample of Erasmus students studying languages in a British University. These methods allow us insight into the experience of these students and their assessment as a primary customer, with a focus on language learning and teaching, university facilities and student support. It investigates to what extent these factors influence their levels of satisfaction and what costs of adaptation if any, they encounter. Although excellent levels of satisfaction were found, some costs affect their experience. They relate to difficulties in adapting to a learning methodology based on a low number of hours and independent learning and to a guidance and support system seen as too stifling. The results portray this cohort’s British University as a well-equipped and well-meaning but ultimately overbearing institution, which may indicate that minimising costs can eliminate some sources of dissatisfaction
Polytrauma patients in the Netherlands and the USA: A bi-institutional comparison of processes and outcomes of care
Trauma Surger
Hall Effect and Resistivity in High-Tc Superconductors: The Conserving Approximation
The Hall coefficient (R_H) of high-Tc cuprates in the normal state shows the
striking non-Fermi liquid behavior: R_H follows a Curie-Weiss type temperature
dependence, and |R_H|>>1/|ne| at low temperatures in the under-doped compounds.
Moreover, R_H is positive for hole-doped compounds and is negative for
electron-doped ones, although each of them has a similar hole-like Fermi
surface. In this paper, we give the explanation of this long-standing problem
from the standpoint of the nearly antiferromagnetic (AF) Fermi liquid. We
consider seriously the vertex corrections for the current which are
indispensable to satisfy the conservation laws, which are violated within the
conventional Boltzmann transport approximation. The obtained total current J_k
takes an enhanced value and is no more perpendicular to the Fermi surface due
to the strong AF fluctuations. By virtue of this mechanism, the anomalous
behavior of R_H in high-Tc cuprates is neutrally explained. We find that both
the temperature and the (electron, or hole) doping dependences of R_H in
high-T_c cuprates are reproduced well by numerical calculations based on the
fluctuation-exchange (FLEX) approximation, applied to the single-band Hubbard
model. We also discuss the temperature dependence of R_H in other nearly AF
metals, e.g., V_2O_3, kappa-BEDT-TTF organic superconductors, and heavy fermion
systems close to the AF phase boundary.Comment: 19 pages, to appear in Phys. Rev. B, No.59, Vol.22, 199
Charged pion form factor between Q^2=0.60 and 2.45 GeV^2. II. Determination of, and results for, the pion form factor
The charged pion form factor, Fpi(Q^2), is an important quantity which can be
used to advance our knowledge of hadronic structure. However, the extraction of
Fpi from data requires a model of the 1H(e,e'pi+)n reaction, and thus is
inherently model dependent. Therefore, a detailed description of the extraction
of the charged pion form factor from electroproduction data obtained recently
at Jefferson Lab is presented, with particular focus given to the dominant
uncertainties in this procedure. Results for Fpi are presented for
Q^2=0.60-2.45 GeV^2. Above Q^2=1.5 GeV^2, the Fpi values are systematically
below the monopole parameterization that describes the low Q^2 data used to
determine the pion charge radius. The pion form factor can be calculated in a
wide variety of theoretical approaches, and the experimental results are
compared to a number of calculations. This comparison is helpful in
understanding the role of soft versus hard contributions to hadronic structure
in the intermediate Q^2 regime.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure
Association between alcohol intoxication and mortality in severe traumatic brain injury in the emergency department: a retrospective cohort
BackgroundAcute alcohol intoxication is very common in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Whether there is an independent association between alcohol intoxication and mortality is debated. This study hypothesized that alcohol intoxication is independently associated with less mortality after severe TBI (sTBI).MethodsThis retrospective observational cohort study included all patients with sTBI [head-Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) >= 3, corresponding to serious head injury or worse] admitted from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2016 in an academic level I trauma center. Patients were classified as with alcohol intoxication or without intoxication based on blood alcohol concentration or description of alcohol intoxication on admission. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Multivariable logistic regression analysis, including patient and injury characteristics, was used to assess independent association with alcohol intoxication.ResultsOf the 2865 TBI patients, 715 (25%) suffered from alcohol intoxication. They were younger (mean age 46 vs. 68 years), more often male (80 vs. 57%) and had a lower median Glasgow Coma Scale upon arrival (14 vs. 15) compared to the no-intoxication group. There was no difference in injury severity by head AIS or Rotterdam CT. Alcohol intoxication had an unadjusted association with in-hospital mortality [unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.38-0.68]; however, there was no independent association after adjusting for potentially confounding patient and injury characteristics (adjusted OR 0.72; 95% CI, 0.48-1.09).ConclusionIn this retrospective study, there was no independent association between alcohol intoxication and higher in-hospital mortality in emergency patients with sTBI.Trauma Surger
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