2,441 research outputs found
Logarithmic correction to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of the BTZ black hole
We derive an exact expression for the partition function of the Euclidean BTZ
black hole. Using this, we show that for a black hole with large horizon area,
the correction to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy is , in
agreement with that for the Schwarzschild black hole obtained in the canonical
gravity formalism and also in a Lorentzian computation of BTZ black hole
entropy. We find that the right expression for the logarithmic correction in
the context of the BTZ black hole comes from the modular invariance associated
with the toral boundary of the black hole.Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages, typos corrected, clarifications adde
Site occupancy of Fe in ternary Ni<SUB>75-x</SUB>Fe<SUB>x+y</SUB>Al<SUB>25-y</SUB> alloys
The results of a detailed structural and magnetic study clearly indicate that regardless of the thermal history of the samples, Fe has a strong preference for the Ni sites in Ni-poor (nonstoichiometric) Ni75Al25 alloys. Fe substitution has a profound effect on the nature of magnetism in Ni25Al25
Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Pd(II), Cd(II) & UO2(II) Chelates of Schiff Bases Derived from o-Aminobenzenesulphonic Acid & 2-Aminoethanesulphonic Acid & 2-Hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde
61-6
Relapsing cytomegalovirus infection in solid organ transplant recipients
Efforts to prevent relapsed cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients present clinical challenges. Historically, SOT recipients treated with short courses of ganciclovir, without documented clearance of viremia, had relapse rates of 23–33%. Current treatment often includes much longer courses of valganciclovir, and persistence of viremia at the end of treatment is rare. We sought to determine the rate and risk factors for relapse under those treatment conditions. Records of 1760 SOT recipients from January 2003 to June 2007 were reviewed; 105 cases of CMV viremia were identified. Relapse occurred in 20/105 (19%); 50% had end-organ disease at the time of relapse. Most patients received approximately 3 months of valganciclovir. Clearance of viremia was documented in 19/20 patients with relapse. Multivariable analysis identified receipt of a thoracic organ and diabetes mellitus as risk factors for relapse. Despite long treatment courses with valganciclovir and documented clearance of viremia, CMV relapse remains common among SOT recipients. Better understanding of the epidemiology of CMV among SOT recipients and validation of risk factors for disease relapse should be the focus of future prospective trials. Such trials should include different treatment durations and extended monitoring for relapse.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73013/1/j.1399-3062.2009.00443.x.pd
Bose Metals and Insulators on Multi-Leg Ladders with Ring Exchange
We establish compelling evidence for the existence of new
quasi-one-dimensional descendants of the d-wave Bose liquid (DBL), an exotic
two-dimensional quantum phase of uncondensed itinerant bosons characterized by
surfaces of gapless excitations in momentum space [O. I. Motrunich and M. P. A.
Fisher, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 75}, 235116 (2007)]. In particular, motivated by a
strong-coupling analysis of the gauge theory for the DBL, we study a model of
hard-core bosons moving on the -leg square ladder with frustrating four-site
ring exchange. Here, we focus on four- and three-leg systems where we have
identified two novel phases: a compressible gapless Bose metal on the four-leg
ladder and an incompressible gapless Mott insulator on the three-leg ladder.
The former is conducting along the ladder and has five gapless modes, one more
than the number of legs. This represents a significant step forward in
establishing the potential stability of the DBL in two dimensions. The latter,
on the other hand, is a fundamentally quasi-one-dimensional phase that is
insulating along the ladder but has two gapless modes and incommensurate power
law transverse density-density correlations. In both cases, we can understand
the nature of the phase using slave-particle-inspired variational wave
functions consisting of a product of two distinct Slater determinants, the
properties of which compare impressively well to a density matrix
renormalization group solution of the model Hamiltonian. Stability arguments
are made in favor of both quantum phases by accessing the universal low-energy
physics with a bosonization analysis of the appropriate quasi-1D gauge theory.
We will briefly discuss the potential relevance of these findings to
high-temperature superconductors, cold atomic gases, and frustrated quantum
magnets.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures; this is the print version, only very minor
changes from v
Glaucoma: role of neuroprotective agents
Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy, considered as the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Glaucoma is characterized by selective death of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and a progressive loss of vision. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the most important risk factors for developing glaucoma and hence we mainly focus on lowering IOP to arrest the progression of glaucoma. However, many patients continue to demonstrate a clinically downhill course despite the control of initially raised IOP. In fact, some patients develop what is called normal tension glaucoma, not associated to an increased IOP. This emphasizes that several pressure-independent mechanisms are responsible for the development and progression of glaucomatous neuropathy and that high IOP and vascular insufficiency in the optic nerve head are only risk factors for the development of glaucoma, and are not the only target for the treatment of glaucoma. The reason is that the process of RGC death is thought to be biphasic, and the primary injury is followed by a slower secondary degeneration related to a noxious environment surrounding the apoptotic cells. This environment is characterized by changes in the extra-cellular ionic concentrations, increased amounts of free radicals, neurotrophins (NT) depletion and increased glutamate-induced excitotoxicity due to high extra-cellular glutamate levels, which binds to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors leading to an abnormally high intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Neuroprotection is a process that attempts to preserve the remaining cells that are still vulnerable to damage, and the main aim of neuroprotective therapy is to employ pharmacologic or other means to attenuate the hostility of the environment surrounding the degenerating cells, or to supply the cells with the tools to deal with this aggression, providing resilience to the insult. Several agents have been reported neuroprotective in glaucoma, both in clinical assays, such as Ca2+ channel blockers, and in experimental studies, such as betaxolol, brimonidine, NMDA antagonists, nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, NT and Ginkgo biloba extract. Most neuroprotective agents for glaucoma have proved beneficial effects over RGC, not showing effects over IOP. However, when analyzing classically used medications for glaucoma, it becomes difficult to understand if its effect over the progression of glaucoma is due to neuroprotective pathways or by means of lowering IOP. The ideal anti-glaucoma drug would be one that when applied topically, reduces IOP, but also probes to reach the retina in appropriate amounts, and activates specific receptors in the retina to attenuate RGC death. In this review, we will examine currently advocated neuroprotective drug-based strategies in the potential management of glaucoma
Exotic Gapless Mott Insulators of Bosons on Multi-Leg Ladders
We present evidence for an exotic gapless insulating phase of hard-core
bosons on multi-leg ladders with a density commensurate with the number of
legs. In particular, we study in detail a model of bosons moving with direct
hopping and frustrating ring exchange on a 3-leg ladder at filling.
For sufficiently large ring exchange, the system is insulating along the ladder
but has two gapless modes and power law transverse density correlations at
incommensurate wave vectors. We propose a determinantal wave function for this
phase and find excellent comparison between variational Monte Carlo and density
matrix renormalization group calculations on the model Hamiltonian, thus
providing strong evidence for the existence of this exotic phase. Finally, we
discuss extensions of our results to other -leg systems and to -layer
two-dimensional structures.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; v3 is the print version; supplemental material
attache
Metal-insulator transition induced by 16O -18O oxygen isotope exchange in colossal negative magnetoresistance manganites
The effect of 16O-18O isotope exchange on the electric resistivity was
studied for (La(1-y)Pr(y))0.7Ca0.3MnO3 ceramic samples. Depending on y, this
mixed perovskite exhibited different types of low-temperature behavior ranging
from ferromagnetic metal (FM) to charge ordered (CO) antiferromagnetic
insulator. It was found that at y=0.75, the substitution of 16O by 18O results
in the reversible transition from a FM to a CO insulator at zero magnetic
field. The applied magnetic field (H >= 2 T) transformed the sample with 18O
again to the metallic state and caused the increase in the FM transition
temperature Tc of the 16O sample. As a result, the isotope shift of Tc at H = 2
T was as high as 63 K. Such unique sensitivity of the system to oxygen isotope
exchange, giving rise even to the metal-insulator transition, is discussed in
terms of the isotope dependence of the effective electron bandwidth which
shifts the balance between the CO and FM phases.Comment: 5 pages (RevTeX), 2 eps figures included, to appear in J. Appl. Phys.
83, (1998
Study of MPLNET-Derived Aerosol Climatology over Kanpur, India, and Validation of CALIPSO Level 2 Version 3 Backscatter and Extinction Products
The level 2 aerosol backscatter and extinction profiles from the NASA Micropulse Lidar Network (MPLNET) at Kanpur, India, have been studied from May 2009 to September 2010. Monthly averaged extinction profiles from MPLNET shows high extinction values near the surface during October March. Higher extinction values at altitudes of 24 km are observed from April to June, a period marked by frequent dust episodes. Version 3 level 2 Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) aerosol profile products have been compared with corresponding data from MPLNET over Kanpur for the above-mentioned period. Out of the available backscatter profiles, the16 profiles used in this study have time differences less than 3 h and distances less than 130 km. Among these profiles, four cases show good comparison above 400 m with R2 greater than 0.7. Comparison with AERONET data shows that the aerosol type is properly identified by the CALIOP algorithm. Cloud contamination is a possible source of error in the remaining cases of poor comparison. Another source of error is the improper backscatter-to-extinction ratio, which further affects the accuracy of extinction coefficient retrieval
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