7,676 research outputs found
Confining properties of 2-color QCD at finite density
We study the confining properties of QCD with two colors across the finite
density phase transition. A disorder parameter detecting dual superconductivity
of the QCD vacuum is used as a probe for the confinement/deconfinement phase
transition.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, talk presented at Lattice 2006 (High Temperature
and Density
Thermal monopoles and selfdual dyons in the Quark-Gluon Plasma
We perform a numerical study of the excess of non-abelian gauge invariant
gluonic action around thermal abelian monopoles which populate the deconfined
phase of Yang-Mills theories. Our results show that the excess of magnetic
action is close to that of the electric one, so that thermal abelian monopoles
may be associated with physical objects carrying both electric and magnetic
charge, i.e. dyons. Thus, the quark gluon plasma is likely to be populated by
selfdual dyons, which may manifest themselves in the heavy-ion collisions via
the chiral magnetic effect. Thermodynamically, thermal monopoles provide a
negative contribution to the pressure of the system.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX 4.
Surviving on Mars: test with LISA simulator
We present the biological results of some experiments performed in the Padua
simulators of planetary environments, named LISA, used to study the limit of
bacterial life on the planet Mars. The survival of Bacillus strains for some
hours in Martian environment is shortly discussed.Comment: To be published on Highlights of Astronomy, Volume 15 XXVIIth IAU
General Assembly, August 2009 Ian F Corbett, ed. 2 pages, 1 figur
GREEND: An Energy Consumption Dataset of Households in Italy and Austria
Home energy management systems can be used to monitor and optimize
consumption and local production from renewable energy. To assess solutions
before their deployment, researchers and designers of those systems demand for
energy consumption datasets. In this paper, we present the GREEND dataset,
containing detailed power usage information obtained through a measurement
campaign in households in Austria and Italy. We provide a description of
consumption scenarios and discuss design choices for the sensing
infrastructure. Finally, we benchmark the dataset with state-of-the-art
techniques in load disaggregation, occupancy detection and appliance usage
mining
On the phase diagram of the Higgs SU(2) model
The Higgs SU(2) model with fixed Higgs length is usually believed to have two
different phases at high gauge coupling (\beta), separated by a line of first
order transitions but not distinuguished by any typical symmetry associated
with a local order parameter, as first proved by Fradkin and Shenker. We show
that in regions of the parameter space where it is usually supposed to be a
first order phase transition only a smooth crossover is in fact present.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Talk presented at The XXVI International
Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, July 14 - 19, 2008 - Williamsburg,
Virginia, US
Short report: molecular markers associated with Plasmodium falciparum resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is the first line antimalarial treatment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Using polymerase chain reaction, we assessed the prevalence of mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) (codons 108, 51, 59) and dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) (codons 437, 540) genes of Plasmodium falciparum, which have been associated with resistance to pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine, respectively. Four hundred seventy-four patients were sampled in Kilwa (N = 138), Kisangani (N = 112), Boende (N = 106), and Basankusu (N = 118). The proportion of triple mutations dhfr varied between sites but was always > 50%. The proportion of dhps double mutations was < 20%, with some sites as low as 0.9%. A quintuple mutation was present in 12.8% (16/125) samples in Kilwa; 11.9% (13/109) in Kisangani, 2.9% (3/102) in Boende, and 0.9% (1/112) in Basankusu. These results suggest high resistance to pyrimethamine alone or combined with sulfadoxine. Adding artesunate to SP does not seem a valid alternative to the current monotherapy
A pediatric digital storytelling system for third year medical students: The Virtual Pediatric Patients
BACKGROUND: Computer-based patient simulations (CBPS) are common, effective, instructional methods for medical students, but have limitations. The goal of this project was to describe the development of a CBPS designed to overcome some of these limitations and to perform an online evaluation. METHODS: In 1996, patients and families experiencing a common pediatric problem were interviewed, photographed and a chart review completed. A digital storytelling template was developed: 1. patient's story, evaluation and clinical course, 2. problem-based approach to the evaluation, and 3. discussion of disease process. The media was digitized and placed onto the Internet. The digital stories and a 10-question online survey were pilot tested. Online survey responses were collected from 1999–2003. Overall use of the digital stories was measured by computer server logs and by the number of hyperlinks to the CBPS. RESULTS: Eight stories were created using this system. Over 4.5 years, 814,148 digital story pages were read by 362,351 users. Hyperlink citations from other websites to the CBPS were 108. Online survey respondents (N = 393) described the overall quality as excellent or very good (88.4%). The stores were clearly written (92%) at an appropriate level (91.4%). Respondents felt they could begin to evaluate a similar case presentation (95.4%), and would remember the case in the future (91%). CONCLUSIONS: A new type of CBPS, the digital storytelling system, has been developed and evaluated which and appears to be successful in overcoming some of the limitations of earlier CBPS by featuring patient's stories in their own words, by focusing on problems rather than diseases, and by having stories that are quick for students to work through
Magnetic monopoles in high temperature QCD
We study the density and spatial distribution of thermal Abelian monopoles in
the deconfined phase of SU(2) pure gauge theory: they display non-trivial
interactions with a well defined continuum limit. The Maximal Abelian Gauge
(MAG) has been chosen to perform the Abelian projection. Questions related to
the choice of the Abelian projection, as well as possible directions for future
studies, are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, contribution to the 8th Conference on Quark
Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum, September 1-6, 2008, Mainz, German
Spatial targeted vector control is able to reduce malaria prevalence in the highlands of Burundi.
In a highland province of Burundi, indoor residual spraying and long-lasting insecticidal net distribution were targeted in the valley, aiming also to protect the population living on the hilltops. The impact on malaria indicators was assessed, and the potential additional effect of nets evaluated. After the intervention--and compared with the control valleys--children 1-9 years old in the treated valleys had lower risks of malaria infection (odds ratio, OR: 0.55), high parasite density (OR: 0.48), and clinical malaria (OR: 0.57). The impact on malaria prevalence was even higher in infants (OR: 0.14). Using nets did not confer an additional protective effect to spraying. Targeted vector control had a major impact on malaria in the high-risk valleys but not in the less-exposed hilltops. Investment in targeted and regular control measures associated with effective case management should be able to control malaria in the highlands
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