1,002 research outputs found
Trainingen tegen de vogelgriep
Indonesië is wereldwijd het hardst getroffen door de vogelgriep. In een poging het virus de kop in te drukken, vroeg de Indonesische overheid in 2004 Nederland om hulp met de bestrijding. Sindsdien werken Wageningen International en het Centraal Veterinair Instituut (CVI) samen met GD Deventer en Universiteit Utrecht aan een strategie om de vogelpest op West-Java onder controle te krijge
Southern Hemisphere automated supernova search
The Perth Astronomy Research Group has developed an automated supernova search program, using the 61 cm Perth–Lowell reflecting telescope at Perth Observatory in Western Australia, equipped with a CCD camera. The system is currently capable of observing about 15 objects per hour, using 3 min exposures, and has a detection threshold of 18th–19th magnitude. The entire system has been constructed using low‐cost IBM‐compatible computers. Two original discoveries (SN 1993K, SN 1994R) have so far been made during automated search runs. This paper describes the hardware and software used for the supernova search program, and shows some preliminary results from the search system
Field trial for assessment of avian influenza vaccination effectiveness in Indonesia
The aim of this field study was to determine the efficacy of vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus strain H5N1 in Indonesia. A limited, prototype clinical trial was performed using a standardised treatment group, in which poultry flocks were vaccinated at least twice with a selected H5N1 vaccine, and a control group comprising flocks treated with nonstandardised procedures chosen by the farmer. Each group consisted of six flocks comprising either layers or native chickens. Haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody levels were determined by regular serum sampling, and outbreak surveillance relied on non-Al-vaccinated sentinel birds. After three vaccinations high antibody titres were produced in the treatment group, and the percentage of layers with an HI titre > 40 was approximately 90%. Although no conclusions can be drawn regarding reduction of virus transmission, this study demonstrated that 11 farms remained free from Al during the observation period, and that a surveillance programme based on differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) can be implemented
Provenance of the upper Eocene Castle Rock Conglomerate, south Denver Basin, Colorado, U.S.A.
The Castle Rock Conglomerate contains distinctive clasts from the Colorado Front Range, and when combined with detrital zircon ages, the unit can be subdivided into two lithofacies. Precambrian quartzites and stretched-pebble conglomerates from Coal Creek Canyon (to the northwest of the Castle Rock Conglomerate outcrop belt) and detrital zircons from Precambrian and Tertiary igneous rocks identify a northern provenance with detritus derived from tens of kilometers northwest of Denver, Colorado. A second source, composed of mainly granite from the Pikes Peak batholith, lies in the southern Front Range west of the Castle Rock Conglomerate outcrop belt. Both the north and west lithofacies can be mapped in the Castle Rock Conglomerate outcrop belt by using the presence (north) and absence (west) of Coal Creek Canyon quartzite clasts. This distinction is confirmed by detrital zircon ages. The north lithofacies dominates the present-day, northernmost outcrops, but dilution and interbedding with west lithofacies increase as the southeast-flowing basin axial paleodrainage meets piedmont tributaries that carried Pikes Peak batholith detritus from the west and southwest. The basin axial drainage transported coarse conglomerate southward about 120 km during Castle Rock Conglomerate deposition (36.7-34.0 Ma). The Precambrian quartzite exposed in Coal Creek Canyon is interpreted to be an important point source that can be useful in provenance studies of sediments shed from the Colorado Front Range. Additionally, detrital zircons from Laramide-age igneous rocks show potential for improved stratigraphic resolution in Paleogene strata of the Denver Basin
Multiple Transitions to Chaos in a Damped Parametrically Forced Pendulum
We study bifurcations associated with stability of the lowest stationary
point (SP) of a damped parametrically forced pendulum by varying
(the natural frequency of the pendulum) and (the amplitude of the external
driving force). As is increased, the SP will restabilize after its
instability, destabilize again, and so {\it ad infinitum} for any given
. Its destabilizations (restabilizations) occur via alternating
supercritical (subcritical) period-doubling bifurcations (PDB's) and pitchfork
bifurcations, except the first destabilization at which a supercritical or
subcritical bifurcation takes place depending on the value of . For
each case of the supercritical destabilizations, an infinite sequence of PDB's
follows and leads to chaos. Consequently, an infinite series of period-doubling
transitions to chaos appears with increasing . The critical behaviors at the
transition points are also discussed.Comment: 20 pages + 7 figures (available upon request), RevTex 3.
Macroscopic Quantum Fluctuations in the Josephson Dynamics of Two Weakly Linked Bose-Einstein Condensates
We study the quantum corrections to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for two
weakly linked Bose-Einstein condensates. The goals are: 1) to investigate
dynamical regimes at the borderline between the classical and quantum behaviour
of the bosonic field; 2) to search for new macroscopic quantum coherence
phenomena not observable with other superfluid/superconducting systems. Quantum
fluctuations renormalize the classical Josephson oscillation frequencies. Large
amplitude phase oscillations are modulated, exhibiting collapses and revivals.
We describe a new inter-well oscillation mode, with a vanishing (ensemble
averaged) mean value of the observables, but with oscillating mean square
fluctuations. Increasing the number of condensate atoms, we recover the
classical Gross-Pitaevskii (Josephson) dynamics, without invoking the
symmetry-breaking of the Gauge invariance.Comment: Submitte
The pharmacokinetics and toxicity of morning vs. evening tobramycin dosing for pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis:A randomised comparison
AbstractBackgroundCircadian variation in renal toxicity of aminoglycosides has been demonstrated in animal and human studies. People with CF are frequently prescribed aminoglycosides. Altered pharmacokinetics of aminoglycosides are predictive of toxicity.AimTo investigate whether the time of day of aminoglycoside administration modulates renal excretion of tobramycin and toxicity in children with CF. To determine whether circadian rhythms are disrupted in children with CF during hospital admission.MethodsChildren (age 5–18years) with CF scheduled for tobramycin therapy were randomly allocated to receive tobramycin at 0800 or 2000h. Serum tobramycin levels were drawn at 1h and between 3.5 and 5h post-infusion between days 5 and 9 of therapy. Melatonin levels were measured serially at intervals from 1800h in the evening until 1200h on the next day. Circadian rhythm was categorised as normal when dim light melatonin onset was demonstrated between 1800 and 2200h and/or peak melatonin levels were observed during the night. Weight and spirometry were measured at the start and end of the therapy. Urinary biomarkers of kidney toxicity (KIM1, NAG, NGAL, IL-18 and CysC) were assayed at the start and end of the course of tobramycin.ResultsEighteen children were recruited to the study. There were no differences in renal clearance between the morning and evening groups. The increase in urinary KIM-1 was greater in the evening dosage group compared to the morning group (mean difference, 0.73ng/mg; 95% CI, 0.14 to 1.32; p=0.018). There were no differences in the other urinary biomarkers. There was normal circadian rhythm in 7/11 participants (64%).ConclusionsRenal elimination of tobramycin was not affected by the time of day of administration. Urinary KIM-1 raises the possibility of greater nephrotoxicity with evening administration. Four children showed disturbed circadian rhythm and high melatonin levels (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01207245)
Spin instabilities and quantum phase transitions in integral and fractional quantum Hall states
The inter-Landau-level spin excitations of quantum Hall states at filling
factors nu=2 and 4/3 are investigated by exact numerical diagonalization for
the situation in which the cyclotron (hbar*omega_c) and Zeeman (E_Z) splittings
are comparable. The relevant quasiparticles and their interactions are studied,
including stable spin wave and skyrmion bound states. For nu=2, a spin
instability at a finite value of epsilon=hbar*omega_c-E_Z leads to an abrupt
paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition, in agreement with the mean-field
approximation. However, for nu=4/3 a new and unexpected quantum phase
transition is found which involves a gradual change from paramagnetic to
ferromagnetic occupancy of the partially filled Landau level as epsilon is
decreased.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.Let
A Laser Frequency Comb System for Absolute Calibration of the VTT Echelle Spectrograph
A wavelength calibration system based on a laser frequency comb (LFC) was
developed in a co-operation between the Kiepenheuer-Institut f\"ur
Sonnenphysik, Freiburg, Germany and the Max-Planck-Institut f\"ur Quantenoptik,
Garching, Germany for permanent installation at the German Vacuum Tower
Telescope (VTT) on Tenerife, Canary Islands. The system was installed
successfully in October 2011. By simultaneously recording the spectra from the
Sun and the LFC, for each exposure a calibration curve can be derived from the
known frequencies of the comb modes that is suitable for absolute calibration
at the meters per second level. We briefly summarize some topics in solar
physics that benefit from absolute spectroscopy and point out the advantages of
LFC compared to traditional calibration techniques. We also sketch the basic
setup of the VTT calibration system and its integration with the existing
echelle spectrograph.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; Solar Physics 277 (2012
Quantum Hall ferromagnets, cooperative transport anisotropy, and the random field Ising model
We discuss the behaviour of a quantum Hall system when two Landau levels with
opposite spin and combined filling factor near unity are brought into energetic
coincidence using an in-plane component of magnetic field. We focus on the
interpretation of recent experiments under these conditions [Zeitler et al,
Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 866 (2001); Pan et al, Phys. Rev. B 64, 121305 (2001)], in
which a large resistance anisotropy develops at low temperatures. Modelling the
systems involved as Ising quantum Hall ferromagnets, we suggest that this
transport anisotropy reflects domain formation induced by a random field
arising from isotropic sample surface roughness.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Physical Review
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