90 research outputs found
Casimir effect due to a single boundary as a manifestation of the Weyl problem
The Casimir self-energy of a boundary is ultraviolet-divergent. In many cases
the divergences can be eliminated by methods such as zeta-function
regularization or through physical arguments (ultraviolet transparency of the
boundary would provide a cutoff). Using the example of a massless scalar field
theory with a single Dirichlet boundary we explore the relationship between
such approaches, with the goal of better understanding the origin of the
divergences. We are guided by the insight due to Dowker and Kennedy (1978) and
Deutsch and Candelas (1979), that the divergences represent measurable effects
that can be interpreted with the aid of the theory of the asymptotic
distribution of eigenvalues of the Laplacian discussed by Weyl. In many cases
the Casimir self-energy is the sum of cutoff-dependent (Weyl) terms having
geometrical origin, and an "intrinsic" term that is independent of the cutoff.
The Weyl terms make a measurable contribution to the physical situation even
when regularization methods succeed in isolating the intrinsic part.
Regularization methods fail when the Weyl terms and intrinsic parts of the
Casimir effect cannot be clearly separated. Specifically, we demonstrate that
the Casimir self-energy of a smooth boundary in two dimensions is a sum of two
Weyl terms (exhibiting quadratic and logarithmic cutoff dependence), a
geometrical term that is independent of cutoff, and a non-geometrical intrinsic
term. As by-products we resolve the puzzle of the divergent Casimir force on a
ring and correct the sign of the coefficient of linear tension of the Dirichlet
line predicted in earlier treatments.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure, minor changes to the text, extra references
added, version to be published in J. Phys.
Weyl problem and Casimir effects in spherical shell geometry
We compute the generic mode sum that quantifies the effect on the spectrum of
a harmonic field when a spherical shell is inserted into vacuum. This
encompasses a variety of problems including the Weyl spectral problem and the
Casimir effect of quantum electrodynamics. This allows us to resolve several
long-standing controversies regarding the question of universality of the
Casimir self-energy; the resolution comes naturally through the connection to
the Weyl problem. Specifically we demonstrate that in the case of a scalar
field obeying Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions on the shell surface the
Casimir self-energy is cutoff-dependent while in the case of the
electromagnetic field perturbed by a conductive shell the Casimir self-energy
is universal. We additionally show that an analog non-relativistic Casimir
effect due to zero-point magnons takes place when a non-magnetic spherical
shell is inserted inside a bulk ferromagnet.Comment: 9 pages, minor changes, additional references added, version to be
published in Phys. Rev.
Coenzyme Q10 supplementation improves metabolic parameters, liver function and mitochondrial respiration in rats with high doses of atorvastatin and a cholesterol-rich diet
CoQ10 and Cognition a Review and Study Protocol for a 90-Day Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Cognitive Effects of Ubiquinol in the Healthy Elderly
Introduction: With an aging population there is an important need for the development of effective treatments for the amelioration of cognitive decline. Multiple mechanisms underlie age-related cognitive decline including cerebrovascular disease, oxidative stress, reduced antioxidant capacity and mitochondrial dysfunction. CoQ10 is a novel treatment which has the potential to improve brain function in healthy elderly populations due to established beneficial effects on mitochondrial function, vascular function and oxidative stress.Methods and Analysis: We describe the protocol for a 90-day randomized controlled trial which examines the efficacy of Ubiquinol (200 mg/day) vs. placebo for the amelioration of cognitive decline in a healthy (non-demented) elderly sample, aged 60 years and over. The primary outcome is the effect of Ubiquinol at 90 days compared to baseline on CogTrack composite measures of cognition. Additional cognitive measures, as well as measures of cardiovascular function, oxidative stress, liver function and mood will also be monitored across 30-, 60- and 90- day time points. Data analyses will involve repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).Discussion: This study will be the first of its kind to provide important clinical and mechanistic data regarding the efficacy of Ubiquinol as a treatment for age-related cognitive decline in the healthy elderly with important implications for productivity and quality of life within this age group.Clinical Trial Registration: The trial has been registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTRN12618001841268)
The “Mevalonate hypothesis”: a cholesterol-independent alternative for the etiology of atherosclerosis
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Therapy with coenzyme Q.sub.10 of patients having AIDS or other retroviral diseases
Therapy with a pharmaceutical formulation of coenzyme Q.sub.10 (CoQ.sub.10) of patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, known by the acronym AIDS and of patients with other retroviral diseases including the AIDS-related complex known as ARC is useful to reduce or negate opportunistic infections, adenopathy and other undesirable clinical symptoms. CoQ.sub.10 therapy may be used in conjunction with antibiotic therapy to prevent or suppress secondary opportunistic infections.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste
Question Formulation Skills Training Using a Rubric with First-Year Medical Students. Dataset
The attached dataset consists of survey responses organized in the following manner.
Column 1: De-identified student number
Column 2: Cohort Class of 2022
Column 3: Pre-Test Score
Differential Alphavirus Defective RNA Diversity between Intracellular and Extracellular Compartments Is Driven by Subgenomic Recombination Events
Our understanding of viral defective RNAs (D-RNAs), or truncated viral genomes, comes largely from passaging studies in tissue culture under artificial conditions and/or packaged viral RNAs. Here, we show that specific populations of alphavirus D-RNAs arise de novo and that they are not packaged into virions, thus imposing a transmission bottleneck and impeding their prior detection. This raises important questions about the roles of D-RNAs, both in nature and in tissue culture, during viral infection and whether their influence is constrained by packaging requirements. Further, during the course of these studies, we found a novel type of alphavirus D-RNA that is enriched intracellularly; dubbed subgenomic D-RNAs (sgD-RNAs), they are defined by deletion boundaries between the capsid-E3 region and the E1-3′ untranslated region (UTR) and are common to chikungunya, Mayaro, Sindbis, and Aura viruses. These sgD-RNAs are enriched intracellularly and do not appear to be selectively packaged, and additionally, they may exist as subgenome-derived transcripts.Alphaviruses are positive-sense RNA arboviruses that can cause either a chronic arthritis or a potentially lethal encephalitis. Like other RNA viruses, alphaviruses produce truncated, defective viral RNAs featuring large deletions during replication. These defective RNAs (D-RNAs) have primarily been isolated from virions after high-multiplicity-of-infection passaging. Here, we aimed to characterize both intracellular and packaged viral D-RNA populations during early-passage infections under the hypothesis that D-RNAs arise de novo intracellularly that may not be packaged and thus have remained undetected. To this end, we generated next-generation sequencing libraries using RNA derived from passage 1 (P1) stock chikungunya virus (CHIKV) 181/clone 25, intracellular virus, and P2 virions and analyzed samples for D-RNA expression, followed by diversity and differential expression analyses. We found that the diversity of D-RNA species is significantly higher for intracellular D-RNA populations than P2 virions and that specific populations of D-RNAs are differentially expressed between intracellular and extracellular compartments. Importantly, these trends were likewise observed in a murine model of CHIKV AF15561 infection, as well as in vitro studies using related Mayaro, Sindbis, and Aura viruses. Additionally, we identified a novel subtype of subgenomic D-RNA that is conserved across arthritogenic alphaviruses. D-RNAs specific to intracellular populations were defined by recombination events specifically in the subgenomic region, which were confirmed by direct RNA nanopore sequencing of intracellular CHIKV RNAs. Together, these studies show that only a portion of D-RNAs generated intracellularly are packaged and D-RNAs readily arise de novo in the absence of transmitted template
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