Cosmological Implications of the Tetron Model of Elementary Particles

Based on a possible solution to the tetron spin problem, a modification of the standard Big Bang scenario is suggested, where the advent of a spacetime manifold is connected to the appearance of tetronic bound states. The metric tensor is constructed from tetron constituents and the reason for cosmic inflation is elucidated. Furthermore, there are natural dark matter candidates in the tetron model. The ratio of ordinary to dark matter in the universe is calculated to be 1:5.Comment: 23 page

MOD-0A 200 kW wind turbine generator design and analysis report

The design, analysis, and initial performance of the MOD-OA 200 kW wind turbine generator at Clayton, NM is documented. The MOD-OA was designed and built to obtain operation and performance data and experience in utility environments. The project requirements, approach, system description, design requirements, design, analysis, system tests, installation, safety considerations, failure modes and effects analysis, data acquisition, and initial performance for the wind turbine are discussed. The design and analysis of the rotor, drive train, nacelle equipment, yaw drive mechanism and brake, tower, foundation, electricl system, and control systems are presented. The rotor includes the blades, hub, and pitch change mechanism. The drive train includes the low speed shaft, speed increaser, high speed shaft, and rotor brake. The electrical system includes the generator, switchgear, transformer, and utility connection. The control systems are the blade pitch, yaw, and generator control, and the safety system. Manual, automatic, and remote control are discussed. Systems analyses on dynamic loads and fatigue are presented

The MOD-OA 200 kilowatt wind turbine generator design and analysis report

The project requirements, approach, system description, design requirements, design, analysis, system tests, installation safety considerations, failure modes and effects analysis, data acquisition, and initial performance for the MOD-OA 200 kw wind turbine generator are discussed. The components, the rotor, driven train, nacelle equipment, yaw drive mechanism and brake, tower, foundation, electrical system, and control systems are presented. The rotor includes the blades, hub and pitch change mechanism. The drive train includes the low speed shaft, speed increaser, high speed shaft, and rotor brake. The electrical system includes the generator, switchgear, transformer, and utility connection. The control systems are the blade pitch, yaw, and generator control, and the safety system. Manual, automatic, and remote control and Dynamic loads and fatigue are analyzed

Treatment exhaustion of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among individuals infected with HIV in the United Kingdon: multicentre cohort study

Objectives: To investigate whether there is evidence that an increasing proportion of HIV infected patients is starting to experience increases in viral load and decreases in CD4 cell count that are consistent with exhaustion of available treatment options. Design: Multicentre cohort study. Setting: Six large HIV treatment centres in southeast England. Participants: All individuals seen for care between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2002. Main outcome measures: Exposure to individual antiretroviral drugs and drug classes, CD4 count, plasma HIV RNA burden. Results: Information is available on 16 593 individuals (13 378 (80.6%) male patients, 10 340 (62.3%) infected via homosexual or bisexual sex, 4426 (26.7%) infected via heterosexual sex, median age 34 years). Overall, 10 207 of the 16 593 patients (61.5%) have been exposed to any antiretroviral therapy. This proportion increased from 41.2% of patients under follow up at the end of 1996 to 71.3% of those under follow up in 2002. The median CD4 count and HIV RNA burden of patients under follow up in each year changed from 270 cells/mm3 and 4.34 log10 copies/ml in 1996 to 408 cells/mm3 and 1.89 log10 copies/ml, respectively, in 2002. By 2002, 3060 (38%) of patients who had ever been treated with antiretroviral therapy had experienced all three main classes. Of these, around one quarter had evidence of “viral load failure” with all these three classes. Patients with three class failure were more likely to have an HIV RNA burden > 2.7 log10 copies/ml and a CD4 count < 200 cells/mm3. Conclusions: The proportion of individuals with HIV infection in the United Kingdom who have been treated has increased gradually over time. A substantial proportion of these patients seem to be in danger of exhausting their options for antiretroviral treatment. New drugs with low toxicity, which are not associated with cross resistance to existing drugs, are urgently needed for such patients

Double logarithms, ln2(1/x)ln^2(1/x), and the NLO DGLAP evolution for the non-singlet component of the nucleon spin structure function, g1g_1

Theoretical predictions show that at low values of Bjorken $x$ the spin structure function, $g_1$ is influenced by large logarithmic corrections, $ln^2(1/x)$, which may be predominant in this region. These corrections are also partially contained in the NLO part of the standard DGLAP evolution. Here we calculate the non-singlet component of the nucleon structure function, $g_1^{NS}=g_1^p-g_1^n$, and its first moment, using a unified evolution equation. This equation incorporates the terms describing the NLO DGLAP evolution and the terms contributing to the $ln^2(1/x)$ resummation. In order to avoid double counting in the overlapping regions of the phase-space, a unique way of including the NLO terms into the unified evolution equation is proposed. The scheme-independent results obtained from this unified evolution are compared to the NLO fit to experimental data, GRSV'2000. Analysis of the first moments of $g_1^{NS}$ shows that the unified evolution including the $ln^2(1/x)$ resummation goes beyond the NLO DGLAP analysis. Corrections generated by double logarithms at low $x$ influence the $Q^2$-dependence of the first moments strongly.Comment: 13 pages, latex, 2 figures; Appendix adde

Venus methane and water

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94590/1/grl6638.pd

Accessing the Longitudinally Polarized Photon Content of the Proton

We investigate the QED Compton process (QEDCS) in longitudinally polarized lepton-proton scattering both in the elastic and inelastic channels and show that the cross section can be expressed in terms of the polarized equivalent photon distribution of the proton. We provide the necessary kinematical constraints to extract the polarized photon content of the proton using this process at HERMES, COMPASS and eRHIC. We also discuss the suppression of the major background process coming from virtual Compton scattering. We point out that such an experiment can give valuable information on $g_1(x_B, Q^2)$ in the small $x_B$, broad $Q^2$ region at the future polarized collider eRHIC and especially in the lower $Q^2$, medium $x_B$ region in fixed target experiments.Comment: Version to appear in PR

Self-reported difficulties with everyday function, cognitive symptoms, and cognitive function in people with HIV

BACKGROUND: We determined factors associated with self-reported decline in activities of daily living (ADLs) and symptoms of cognitive impairment in HIV positive (HIV+) adults in five European clinics. METHODS: HIV+ adults underwent computerized and pen-and-paper neuropsychological tests and questionnaires of cognitive symptoms and ADLs. We considered cognitive function in five domains, psychosocial factors and clinical parameters as potentially associated with symptoms. Separate regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with decline in ADL (defined as self-reported decline affecting ≥2 ADLs and attributed to cognitive difficulties) and self-reported frequency of symptoms of cognitive impairment. We also estimated the diagnostic accuracy of both questionnaires as tests for cognitive impairment. RESULTS: 448 patients completed the assessments (mean age 45.8 years, 84% male, 87% white, median CD4 count 550 cells/mm, median time since HIV diagnosis 9.9 years, 81% virologically suppressed [HIV-1 plasma RNA <50 copies/mL]). Ninety-six (21.4%) reported decline in ADLs and attributed this to cognitive difficulties. Self-reported decline in ADLs and increased symptoms of cognitive impairment were both associated with worse performance on some cognitive tests. There were also strong associations with financial difficulties, depressive and anxiety symptoms, unemployment, and longer time since HIV diagnosis. Both questionnaires performed poorly as diagnostic tests for cognitive impairment. CONCLUSION: Patients' own assessments of everyday function and symptoms were associated with objectively-measured cognitive function. However, there were strong associations with other psychosocial issues including mood and anxiety disorders and socioeconomic hardship. This should be considered when assessing HIV-associated cognitive impairment in clinical care or research studies