342 research outputs found
Monitoring dispersion and re-agglomeration phenomena during the manufacture of polymer nanocomposites
Amplitude and phase representation of quantum invariants for the time dependent harmonic oscillator
The correspondence between classical and quantum invariants is established.
The Ermakov Lewis quantum invariant of the time dependent harmonic oscillator
is translated from the coordinate and momentum operators into amplitude and
phase operators. In doing so, Turski's phase operator as well as
Susskind-Glogower operators are generalized to the time dependent harmonic
oscillator case. A quantum derivation of the Manley-Rowe relations is shown as
an example
Leveraging existing data to contextualize phase II clinical trial findings in oncology
More than 250 000 women are diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (EBC) in the USA each year. Of these, up to 30% have amplification of the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2). The current standard of care for HER2-positive (HER2þ) EBC is chemotherapy plus HER2-directed therapy to complete 1 year of treatment. There is growing interest in determining which patients with HER2þ tumors could achieve favorable outcomes with less chemotherapy through better HER2-targeting. The phase II Adjuvant Paclitaxel and Trastuzumab (APT) trial by Tolaney and colleagues provided compelling evidence that patients with small HER2þ tumors without nodal macrometastases can achieve highly favorable outcomes with paclitaxel and trastuzumab alone (TH), avoiding the toxicity associated with multi-agent chemotherapy regimens. Use of TH in this context has been widely adopted in the clinical setting despite the lack of a confirmatory phase III trial
Mycetoma caused by Madurella mycetomatis in immunocompromised patients: a case report and systematic literature review
The aim of this study was to review the available literature concerning Madura foot (“mycetoma”) caused by Madurella mycetomatis in immunocompromised patients. With a systematic literature search, we identified only three papers, describing a total of three immunocompromised patients. Hence, the clinical presentation and prognosis of the disease in this patient population have not yet been well described. In addition, we present a case from our institution, illustrating the complexity of the treatment of this rare disease. Although very rare in non-endemic countries, we emphasize that mycetoma should be included in the differential diagnoses of (immunocompromised) patients who have been residing in a geographical area where the disease is endemic and presenting with soft tissue inflammation of one of the extremities. </p
Electromagnetic radiation from collisions at almost the speed of light: an extremely relativistic charged particle falling into a Schwarzschild black hole
We investigate the electromagnetic radiation released during the high energy
collision of a charged point particle with a four-dimensional Schwarzschild
black hole. We show that the spectra is flat, and well described by a classical
calculation. We also compare the total electromagnetic and gravitational
energies emitted, and find that the former is supressed in relation to the
latter for very high energies. These results could apply to the astrophysical
world in the case charged stars and small charged black holes are out there
colliding into large black holes, and to a very high energy collision
experiment in a four-dimensional world. In this latter scenario the calculation
is to be used for the moments just after the black hole formation, when the
collision of charged debris with the newly formed black hole is certainly
expected. Since the calculation is four-dimensional, it does not directly apply
to Tev-scale gravity black holes, as these inhabit a world of six to eleven
dimensions, although our results should qualitatively hold when extrapolated
with some care to higher dimensions.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Exact eigenstate analysis of finite-frequency conductivity in graphene
We employ the exact eigenstate basis formalism to study electrical
conductivity in graphene, in the presence of short-range diagonal disorder and
inter-valley scattering. We find that for disorder strength, 5, the
density of states is flat. We, then, make connection, using the MRG approach,
with the work of Abrahams \textit{et al.} and find a very good agreement for
disorder strength, = 5. For low disorder strength, = 2, we plot the
energy-resolved current matrix elements squared for different locations of the
Fermi energy from the band centre. We find that the states close to the band
centre are more extended and falls of nearly as as we move away
from the band centre. Further studies of current matrix elements versus
disorder strength suggests a cross-over from weakly localized to a very weakly
localized system. We calculate conductivity using Kubo Greenwood formula and
show that, for low disorder strength, conductivity is in a good qualitative
agreement with the experiments, even for the on-site disorder. The intensity
plots of the eigenstates also reveal clear signatures of puddle formation for
very small carrier concentration. We also make comparison with square lattice
and find that graphene is more easily localized when subject to disorder.Comment: 11 pages,15 figure
Cardiovascular safety of celecoxib in acute myocardial infarction patients: a nested case-control study
The objective was to measure the impact of exposure to coxibs and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) on morbidity and mortality in older patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A nested case-control study was carried out using an exhaustive population-based cohort of patients aged 66 years and older living in Quebec (Canada) who survived a hospitalization for AMI (ICD-9 410) between 1999 and 2002. The main variables were all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) death, subsequent hospital admission for AMI, and a composite end-point including recurrent AMI or CV death. Conditional logistic regressions were used to estimate the risk of mortality and morbidity. A total of 19,823 patients aged 66 years and older survived hospitalization for AMI in the province of Quebec between 1999 and 2002. After controlling for covariables, the risk of subsequent AMI and the risk of composite end-point were increased by the use of rofecoxib. The risk of subsequent AMI was particularly high for new rofecoxib users (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.57–3.89). No increased risk was observed for celecoxib users. No increased risk of CV death was observed for patients exposed to coxibs or NSAIDs. Patients newly exposed to NSAIDs were at an increased risk of death (HR 2.22, 95% CI 1.30–3.77) and of composite end-point (HR 2.28, 95% CI 1.35–3.84). Users of rofecoxib and NSAIDs, but not celecoxib, were at an increased risk of recurrent AMI and of composite end-point. Surprisingly, no increased risk of CV death was observed. Further studies are needed to better understand these apparently contradictory results
Modeling magnetospheric fields in the Jupiter system
The various processes which generate magnetic fields within the Jupiter
system are exemplary for a large class of similar processes occurring at other
planets in the solar system, but also around extrasolar planets. Jupiter's
large internal dynamo magnetic field generates a gigantic magnetosphere, which
is strongly rotational driven and possesses large plasma sources located deeply
within the magnetosphere. The combination of the latter two effects is the
primary reason for Jupiter's main auroral ovals. Jupiter's moon Ganymede is the
only known moon with an intrinsic dynamo magnetic field, which generates a
mini-magnetosphere located within Jupiter's larger magnetosphere including two
auroral ovals. Ganymede's magnetosphere is qualitatively different compared to
the one from Jupiter. It possesses no bow shock but develops Alfv\'en wings
similar to most of the extrasolar planets which orbit their host stars within
0.1 AU. New numerical models of Jupiter's and Ganymede's magnetospheres
presented here provide quantitative insight into the processes that maintain
these magnetospheres. Jupiter's magnetospheric field is approximately
time-periodic at the locations of Jupiter's moons and induces secondary
magnetic fields in electrically conductive layers such as subsurface oceans. In
the case of Ganymede, these secondary magnetic fields influence the oscillation
of the location of its auroral ovals. Based on dedicated Hubble Space Telescope
observations, an analysis of the amplitudes of the auroral oscillations
provides evidence that Ganymede harbors a subsurface ocean. Callisto in
contrast does not possess a mini-magnetosphere, but still shows a perturbed
magnetic field environment. Callisto's ionosphere and atmospheric UV emission
is different compared to the other Galilean satellites as it is primarily been
generated by solar photons compared to magnetospheric electrons.Comment: Chapter for Book: Planetary Magnetis
Exposure to bioaerosols at open dumpsites: A case study of bioaerosols exposure from activities at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria
Activities associated with the open dumping of municipal solid waste has the potential for greater impact on the environment and public health compared to other forms of waste-to-land treatment of such wastes. However, there is a lack of quantitative data on the exposure to bioaerosols from open dumpsites, hence impeding the development of effective interventions that would reduce the risk of respiratory symptoms among scavengers and waste workers at such dumpsites. This study investigated exposure to bioaerosols at Olusosun open dumpsite, Lagos Nigeria using three methodologies; (1) Conducting a cross-sectional survey on the respiratory health of the population on the dumpsite, (2) Measuring bioaerosol concentrations in the ambient air by measuring four bioaerosols indicator groups (total bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus and total fungi) using a Anderson six stage impactor sampler, (3) Measuring activity related exposures to bioaerosols using an SKC button personal sampler.
After a cross sectional health survey of 149 participants (waste workers, scavengers, middlemen, food vendors and business owners), smokers reported higher symptoms of chronic cough (21%) and chronic phlegm (15%) compared to non-smokers (chronic cough 15%, chronic phlegm 13%). Years of work > 5 years showed no statistically significant association with chronic phlegm (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.4–3.4; p > 0.05) or asthma (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.6–5.2; p > 0.05). At the 95th percentile, the concentration of total bacteria was the highest (2189 CFU/m3), then gram negative bacteria (2188 CFU/m3), total fungi (843 CFU/m3) and Aspergillus fumigatus (441 CFU/m3) after ambient air sampling. A comparison of the data showed that the activity-based sampling (undertaken using body worn personal sampler) had higher bioaerosols concentrations (104 –106 CFU/m3), i.e. 2–3 logs higher than those recorded from static ambient air sampling. Bioaerosol exposure was highest during scavenging activities compared to waste sorting and site supervision. Particle size distributions showed that 41%, 46%, 76% and 63% of total bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus and total fungi respectively were of respirable sizes and would therefore be capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system, posing a greater human health risk. This study has shown that exposure to bioaerosols can be associated with activities undertaken at open dumpsites and may contribute to the high prevalence of the chronic respiratory symptoms among the workers in such environments
Does accelerating universe indicates Brans-Dicke theory
The evolution of universe in Brans-Dicke (BD) theory is discussed in this
paper.
Considering a parameterized scenario for BD scalar field
which plays the role of gravitational "constant" ,
we apply the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to investigate a global
constraints on BD theory with a self-interacting potential according to the
current observational data: Union2 dataset of type supernovae Ia (SNIa),
high-redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) data, observational Hubble data (OHD),
the cluster X-ray gas mass fraction, the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO), and
the cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. It is shown that an expanded
universe from deceleration to acceleration is given in this theory, and the
constraint results of dimensionless matter density and parameter
are, and
which is consistent with the
result of current experiment exploration, . In
addition, we use the geometrical diagnostic method, jerk parameter , to
distinguish the BD theory and cosmological constant model in Einstein's theory
of general relativity.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure
- …