850 research outputs found

    Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay With Urine Specimens in the Diagnosis of Acute Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in Women

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    Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefits achievable by Amplicor polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland) with urine specimens in addition to PACE 2 (Gen-Probe, Inc., San Diego, California) assay with cervical swab specimens in the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis in women

    A useful form of the recurrence relation between relativistic atomic matrix elements of radial powers

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    Recently obtained recurrence formulae for relativistic hydrogenic radial matrix elements are cast in a simpler and perhaps more useful form. This is achieved with the help of a new relation between the rar^a and the ÎČrb\beta r^b terms (ÎČ\beta is a 4×44\times 4 Dirac matrix and a,ba, b are constants) in the atomic matrix elements.Comment: 7 pages, no figure

    Flow convergence routing hypothesis for pool-riffle maintenance in alluvial rivers

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    The velocity reversal hypothesis is commonly cited as a mechanism for the maintenance of pool-riffle morphology. Although this hypothesis is based on the magnitude of mean flow parameters, recent studies have suggested that mean parameters are not sufficient to explain the dominant processes in many pool-riffle sequences. In this study, two- and three-dimensional models are applied to simulate flow in the pool-riffle sequence on Dry Creek, California, where the velocity reversal hypothesis was first proposed. These simulations provide an opportunity to evaluate the hydrodynamics underlying the observed reversals in near-bed and section-averaged velocity and are used to investigate the influence of secondary currents, the advection of momentum, and cross-stream flow variability. The simulation results support the occurrence of a reversal in mean velocity and mean shear stress with increasing discharge. However, the results indicate that the effects of flow convergence due to an upstream constriction and the routing of flow through the system are more significant in influencing pool-riffle morphology than the occurrence of a mean velocity reversal. The hypothesis of flow convergence routing is introduced as a more meaningful explanation of the mechanisms acting to maintain pool-riffle morphology

    Amount of external CME in groups of specialties: a nation-wide survey among Finnish doctors

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Continuing medical education (CME) is an integral part of continuing professional development and a prerequisite for good quality in health care. We aimed to describe and analyse the number of days spent in formal CME outside the workplace by specialty among Finnish doctors of working age.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The number of days in formal CME outside the workplace in 2005 reported by specialists was obtained from an annual postal survey, conducted by the Finnish Medical Association in March 2006, of all working-age doctors. Those who had attained their specialist degree before 2005 were included in the study. The 49 specialties were re-categorised into 15 groups. The mean reported number of days and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Differences were analysed by Poisson regression adjusted for relevant covariates.</p> <p>The response rate to the question about CME was 70.2% (7,374) among specialists. The median age (interquartile range) of the respondents was 49 years (from 44 to 55 years), and 51.7% (3,810) were female. The mean reported number of days in CME was 8.8 (95% CI 8.7-9.0). Neurologists and surgery specialists participated in CME the most frequently (10.3 and 10.4 days) and ophthalmologists the least (7.6 days). In comparison with anaesthesiology and intensive care specialists, most specialists reported having significantly more formal CME, and no group reported having less.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Significant variation was observed, and we therefore suggest studies seeking to account for this variation.</p> <p>The results have originally been published in Finnish in the Finnish Medical Journal.</p

    Recurrence relation for relativistic atomic matrix elements

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    Recurrence formulae for arbitrary hydrogenic radial matrix elements are obtained in the Dirac form of relativistic quantum mechanics. Our approach is inspired on the relativistic extension of the second hypervirial method that has been succesfully employed to deduce an analogous relationship in non relativistic quantum mechanics. We obtain first the relativistic extension of the second hypervirial and then the relativistic recurrence relation. Furthermore, we use such relation to deduce relativistic versions of the Pasternack-Sternheimer rule and of the virial theorem.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

    Relativistically extended Blanchard recurrence relation for hydrogenic matrix elements

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    General recurrence relations for arbitrary non-diagonal, radial hydrogenic matrix elements are derived in Dirac relativistic quantum mechanics. Our approach is based on a generalization of the second hypervirial method previously employed in the non-relativistic Schr\"odinger case. A relativistic version of the Pasternack-Sternheimer relation is thence obtained in the diagonal (i.e. total angular momentum and parity the same) case, from such relation an expression for the relativistic virial theorem is deduced. To contribute to the utility of the relations, explicit expressions for the radial matrix elements of functions of the form rλr^\lambda and ÎČrλ\beta r^\lambda ---where ÎČ\beta is a Dirac matrix--- are presented.Comment: 21 pages, to be published in J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. in Apri

    Relativistic Kramers-Pasternack Recurrence Relations

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    Recently we have evaluated the matrix elements ,where where O ={1,\beta, i\mathbf{\alpha n}\beta} arethestandardDiracmatrixoperatorsandtheangularbracketsdenotethequantum−mechanicalaveragefortherelativisticCoulombproblem,intermsofgeneralizedhypergeometricfunctions are the standard Dirac matrix operators and the angular brackets denote the quantum-mechanical average for the relativistic Coulomb problem, in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions _{3}F_{2}(1) $ for all suitable powers and established two sets of Pasternack-type matrix identities for these integrals. The corresponding Kramers--Pasternack three-term vector recurrence relations are derived here.Comment: 12 pages, no figures Will appear as it is in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Special Issue on Hight Presicion Atomic Physic

    Anti-glomerular basement membrane disease superimposed on membranous nephropathy: a case report and review of the literature

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Anti-glomerular basement membrane disease is a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by pulmonary hemorrhage, crescentic glomerulonephritis and the presence of circulating anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies. The simultaneous occurrence of both anti-glomerular basement membrane disease and membranous nephropathy is rare.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 59-year-old Hispanic man presented with acute onset of nausea and vomiting and was found to have renal insufficiency. Work-up included a kidney biopsy, which revealed anti-glomerular basement membrane disease with underlying membranous nephropathy. He was treated with emergent hemodialysis, intravenous corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, and cyclophosphamide without improvement in his renal function.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Simultaneous anti-glomerular basement membrane disease and membranous nephropathy is very rare. There have been 16 previous case reports in the English language literature that have been associated with a high mortality and morbidity, and a very high rate of renal failure resulting in hemodialysis. Co-existence of membranous nephropathy and anti-glomerular basement membrane disease may be immune-mediated, although the exact mechanism is not clear.</p
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