857 research outputs found
Analytical expression of the magneto-optical Kerr effect and Brillouin light scattering intensity arising from dynamic magnetization
Time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and Brillouin light
scattering (BLS) spectroscopy are important techniques for the investigation of
magnetization dynamics. Within this article, we calculate analytically the MOKE
and BLS signals from prototypical spin-wave modes in the ferromagnetic layer.
The reliability of the analytical expressions is confirmed by optically exact
numerical calculations. Finally, we discuss the dependence of the MOKE and BLS
signals on the ferromagnetic layer thickness
Quality of life (QoL) as predictive mediator variable for survival in patients with intracerebral neoplasma during radiotherapy
Background: The prognosis for patients with malignant astrocytoma or brain metastases is often fatal despite intensive therapy. Therefore we wished to elucidate whether the quality of life (QoL) is a determinant of overall survival (OAS). Patients and Methods: From 1997 to 2000 153 patients with brain tumours were screened; 39 patients (26%) refused to participate and further 47 patients were excluded (cerebral impairment 14%, amaurosis/language problems 3%, Karnofsky performance score < 50% 7%, death 8%, non-compliance 7%). Thus, 57 patients were analysed (33 with primary brain tumours, 24 with brain metastases). With the FACT-G questionnaire cancer-specific aspects of health-related QoL were assessed. Results: Patients with metastases showed a lower QoL in the physical sphere than patients with astrocytoma, but there were no significant differences in OAS. Median survival of patients with good QoL was 31.3 months versus 14.2 months in patients with bad QoL. Only the two variables `living with a spouse' and FACT-G sum score had a statistically significant influence on survival (p = 0.033 and p = 0.003) modelled by the Cox-PH regression. Patients who did not live with a spouse had shorter survival times than the other patients. Conclusion: Health-related QoL can serve to identify a patient group with higher risks of death
Coping of cancer patients during and after radiotherapy - a follow-up of 2 years
Aim: We wanted to understand coping strategies specific to different phases up to two years after radiotherapy, to identify patients who are at higher risk of mood disturbances and to characterise the association between coping strategies and psychosocial adaptation. Patients and Methods: From 1997 to 2001, 2,169 patients with different diagnoses were screened (27.8% refused to participate). Data of 276 patients from the beginning of radiotherapy (ti1) and 5 follow-up investigations (ti6/2 years) could be analysed. With the FKV ( Freiburg Questionnaire Coping with Disease) cancer-specific coping aspects were assessed. The association between coping styles and psychosocial adaptation was evaluated using the Questionnaire on Stress in Cancer Patients (QSC) and the questionnaire on Functional Assessment of Cancer Treatment (FACT-G). Results: `Active problem-orientated' coping and `distractions' are the most important coping strategies. Only `active problem-orientated' and `depressive' coping showed a significant decrease. We observed higher means on the scales of the FKV in women. Marital status ( single, married, divorced/widowed) had a significant influence on active problem-orientated coping and spirituality. Age, children, education, T/M status and curative/ palliative intention of treatment had no influence on coping styles. Breast cancer patients and lymphoma patients demonstrated the highest use of coping strategies after radiotherapy with a significant decrease of `active problem-orientated coping'. Depressive coping and minimizing importance at ti1 were associated with high psychosocial distress and low quality of life (QoL) at ti6. Conclusion: The correlation of coping mechanisms at the beginning of radiotherapy with low QoL and high psychosocial stress at 2 years could help to identify patients at risk for low psychosocial adaptation. Psychooncologically trained teams of physicians would best correspond to this profile of needs and would contribute significantly to an ameliorated adaptation of patients to cancer which could lead to higher life satisfaction
Temperature determination from the lattice gas model
Determination of temperature from experimental data has become important in
searches for critical phenomena in heavy ion collisions. Widely used methods
are ratios of isotopes (which rely on chemical and thermal equilibrium),
population ratios of excited states etc. Using the lattice gas model we propose
a new observable: where is the charge multiplicity and
is the charge of the fragmenting system. We show that the reduced multiplicity
is a good measure of the average temperature of the fragmenting system.Comment: 11 pages, 2 ps file
Irreversibility and Polymer Adsorption
Physisorption or chemisorption from dilute polymer solutions often entails
irreversible polymer-surface bonding. We present a theory of the
non-equilibrium layers which result. While the density profile and loop
distribution are the same as for equilibrium layers, the final layer comprises
a tightly bound inner part plus an outer part whose chains make only fN surface
contacts where N is chain length. The contact fractions f follow a broad
distribution, P(f) ~ f^{-4/5}, in rather close agreement with strong
physisorption experiments [H. M. Schneider et al, Langmuir v.12, p.994 (1996)].Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Universal Behavior of Lyapunov Exponents in Unstable Systems
We calculate the Lyapunov exponents in a classical molecular dynamics
framework. The system is composed of few hundreds particles interacting either
through Yukawa (Nuclear) or Slater-Kirkwood (Atomic) forces. The forces are
chosen to give an Equation of State that resembles the nuclear and the atomic
Equation Of State respectively near the critical point for liquid-gas
phase transition. We find the largest fluctuations for an initial "critical
temperature". The largest Lyapunov exponents are always positive and
can be very well fitted near this "critical temperature" with a functional form
, where the exponent is
independent of the system and mass number. At smaller temperatures we find that
, a universal behavior characteristic of an order
to chaos transition.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX, 3 figures not included available upon reques
Statistical nature of cluster emission in nuclear liquid-vapour phase coexistence
The emission of nuclear clusters is investigated within the framework of
isospin dependent lattice gas model and classical molecular dynamics model. It
is found that the emission of individual cluster which is heavier than proton
is almost Poissonian except near the transition temperature at which the system
is leaving the liquid-vapor phase coexistence and the thermal scaling is
observed by the linear Arrhenius plots which is made from the average
multiplicity of each cluster versus the inverse of temperature in the liquid
vapor phase coexistence. The slopes of the Arrhenius plots, {\it i.e.} the
"emission barriers", are extracted as a function of the mass or charge number
and fitted by the formula embodied with the contributions of the surface energy
and Coulomb interaction. The good agreements are obtained in comparison with
the data for low energy conditional barriers. In addition, the possible
influences of the source size, Coulomb interaction and "freeze-out" density and
related physical implications are discussed
Effects of Compression and Collective Expansion on Particle Emission from Central Heavy-Ion Reactions
Conditions under which compression occurs and collective expansion develops
in energetic reactions of heavy nuclei, are analyzed, together with their
effects on emitted light baryons and pions. Within transport simulations, it is
shown that shock fronts perpendicular to beam axis form in head-on reactions.
The fronts separate hot compressed matter from normal. As impact parameter
increases, the angle of inclination of the fronts relative to beam axis
decreases, and in-between the fronts a weak tangential discontinuity develops.
Hot matter exposed to the vacuum in directions perpendicular to shock motion
(and parallel to fronts), starts to expand sideways, early within reactions.
Expansion in the direction of shock motion follows after the shocks propagate
through nuclei, but due to the delay does not acquire same strength. Expansion
affects angular distributions, mean-energy components, shapes of spectra and
mean energies of different particles emitted into any one direction, and
further particle yields. Both the expansion and a collective motion associated
with the weak discontinuity, affect the magnitude of sideward flow within
reaction plane. Differences in mean particle energy components in and out of
the reaction plane in semicentral collisions, depend sensitively on the
relative magnitude of shock speed in normal matter and speed of sound in hot
matter.Comment: 71 pages, 33 figures (available on request), report MSUCL-94
Irreversible Adsorption from Dilute Polymer Solutions
We study irreversible polymer adsorption from dilute solutions theoretically.
Universal features of the resultant non-equilibrium layers are predicted. Two
cases are considered, distinguished by the value of the local monomer-surface
sticking rate Q: chemisorption (very small Q) and physisorption (large Q).
Early stages of layer formation entail single chain adsorption. While single
chain physisorption times tau_ads are typically microsecs, for chemisorbing
chains of N units we find experimentally accessible times tau_ads = Q^{-1}
N^{3/5}, ranging from secs to hrs. We establish 3 chemisorption universality
classes, determined by a critical contact exponent: zipping, accelerated
zipping and homogeneous collapse. For dilute solutions, the mechanism is
accelerated zipping: zipping propagates outwards from the first attachment,
accelerated by occasional formation of large loops which nucleate further
zipping. This leads to a transient distribution omega(s) \sim s^{-7/5} of loop
lengths s up to a size s_max \approx (Q t)^{5/3} after time t. By tau_ads the
entire chain is adsorbed. The outcome of the single chain adsorption episode is
a monolayer of fully collapsed chains. Having only a few vacant sites to adsorb
onto, late arriving chains form a diffuse outer layer. In a simple picture we
find for both chemisorption and physisorption a final loop distribution
Omega(s) \sim s^{-11/5} and density profile c(z) \sim z^{-4/3} whose forms are
the same as for equilibrium layers. In contrast to equilibrium layers, however,
the statistical properties of a given chain depend on its adsorption time; the
outer layer contains many classes of chain, each characterized by different
fraction of adsorbed monomers f. Consistent with strong physisorption
experiments, we find the f values follow a distribution P(f) \sim f^{-4/5}.Comment: 18 pages, submitted to Eur. Phys. J. E, expanded discussion sectio
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