283 research outputs found
History effects and pinning regimes in solid vortex matter
We propose a phenomenological model that accounts for the history effects
observed in ac susceptibility measurements in YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals [Phys.
Rev. Lett. 84, 4200 (2000) and Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 504 (2001)]. Central to the
model is the assumption that the penetrating ac magnetic field modifies the
vortex lattice mobility, trapping different robust dynamical states in
different regions of the sample. We discuss in detail on the response of the
superconductor to an ac magnetic field when the vortex lattice mobility is not
uniform inside the sample. We begin with an analytical description for a simple
geometry (slab) and then we perform numerical calculations for a strip in a
transverse magnetic field which include relaxation effects. In calculations,
the vortex system is assumed to coexist in different pinning regimes. The
vortex behavior in the regions where the induced current density j has been
always below a given threshold (j_c^>) is described by an elastic Campbell-like
regime (or a critical state regime with local high critical current density,
j_c^>). When the VS is shaken by symmetrical (e.g. sinusoidal) ac fields, the
critical current density is modified to j_c^) at
regions where vortices have been forced to oscillate by a current density
larger than j_c^>. Experimentally, an initial state with high critical current
density (j_c^>) can be obtained by zero field cooling, field cooling (with no
applied ac field) or by shaking the vortex lattice with an asymmetrical (e.g.
sawtooth) field. We compare our calculations with experimental ac
susceptibility results in YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. To be published in PR
Polyakov Loops versus Hadronic States
The order parameter for the pure Yang-Mills phase transition is the Polyakov
loop which encodes the symmetries of the Z_N center of the SU(N) gauge group.
On the other side the physical degrees of freedom of any asymptotically free
gauge theory are hadronic states. Using the Yang-Mills trace anomaly and the
exact Z_N symmetry we construct a model able to communicate to the hadrons the
information carried by the order parameter.Comment: RevTex4 2-col., 6 pages, 2 figures. Typos fixed and added a paragraph
in the conclusion
CASSETTE—clindamycin adjunctive therapy for severe Staphylococcus aureus treatment evaluation: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Background
Exotoxins are important virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus. Clindamycin, a protein synthesis inhibitor antibiotic, is thought to limit exotoxin production and improve outcomes in severe S. aureus infections. However, randomised prospective data to support this are lacking.
Methods
An open-label, multicentre, randomised controlled trial (RCT) will compare outcome differences in severe S. aureus infection between standard treatment (flucloxacillin/cefazolin in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus; and vancomycin/daptomycin in methicillin-resistant S. aureus) and standard treatment plus an additional clindamycin given for 7 days. We will include a minimum of 60 participants (both adult and children) in the pilot study. Participants will be enrolled within 72 h of an index culture. Severe infections will include septic shock, necrotising pneumonia, or multifocal and non-contiguous skin and soft tissue/osteoarticular infections. Individuals who are immunosuppressed, moribund, with current severe diarrhoea or Clostridiodes difficile infection, pregnant, and those with anaphylaxis to β-lactams or lincosamides will be excluded.
The primary outcomes measure is the number of days alive and free (1 or 0) of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) within the first 14 days post randomisation. The secondary outcomes measure will include all-cause mortality at 14, 42, and 90 days, time to resolution of SIRS, proportion with microbiological treatment failure, and rate of change of C-reactive protein over time. Impacts of inducible clindamycin resistance, strain types, methicillin susceptibility, and presence of various exotoxins will also be analysed.
Discussion
This study will assess the effect of adjunctive clindamycin on patient-centred outcomes in severe, toxin-mediated S. aureus infections. The pilot study will provide feasibility for a much larger RCT.
Trial registration
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12617001416381p. Registered on 6 October 2017
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MBE growth of GaInAsSb p/n junction diodes for thermophotovoltaic applications
This paper reports recent progress in the development of quaternary III-V thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices based on MBE grown Ga{sub x}In{sub 1{minus}x}As{sub y}Sb{sub 1{minus}y}. TPV is of great interest for a variety of applications. The objective of this work is to develop a TPV cell which is tunable to the emission spectrum of a heated blackbody, at temperatures in the range of 1200--1473 K. One aspect of this tuning is to match the band gap, E{sub gap}, of the photovoltaic device to the peak output of the heat source., An advantage of the quarternary III-V semiconductor systems is that devices can be fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy on a suitable binary substrate, such as GaSb or InAs, and the band gap and lattice constant can be adjusted more or less independently, to match requirements. Quarternary cells, with band-gaps in the 0.5 to 0.72 eV range, have been fabricated and tested. For 0.54 eV devices the authors obtained V{sub oc} = 0.3 V and I{sub sc} = 1.5 amperes/cm{sup 2} under infrared illumination of a 1200 K blackbody. Under high illumination levels the V{sub oc} and I{sub sc} ranged from 0.5 V at 3 amperes/cm{sup 2} for 0.72 eV devices to 0.31 V at 1.2 amperes/cm{sup 2} for 0.5 eV devices, indicating good photovoltaic device characteristics over the range of bandgaps. The diode ideality factor for 0.54 eV devices ranged from 2.45 at low illumination indicating tunneling-dominated dark current, to 1.7 at high illumination intensity indicating recombination-generation dominated dark currents
Partial Deconfinement in Color Superconductivity
We analyze the fate of the unbroken SU(2) color gauge interactions for 2
light flavors color superconductivity at non zero temperature. Using a simple
model we compute the deconfining/confining critical temperature and show that
is smaller than the critical temperature for the onset of the superconductive
state itself. The breaking of Lorentz invariance, induced already at zero
temperature by the quark chemical potential, is shown to heavily affect the
value of the critical temperature and all of the relevant features related to
the deconfining transition. Modifying the Polyakov loop model to describe the
SU(2) immersed in the diquark medium we argue that the deconfinement transition
is second order. Having constructed part of the equation of state for the 2
color superconducting phase at low temperatures our results are relevant for
the physics of compact objects featuring a two flavor color superconductive
state.Comment: 9 pp, 4 eps-figs, version to appear in PR
Clindamycin adjunctive therapy for severe Staphylococcus aureus treatment evaluation (CASSETTE)—an open-labelled pilot randomized controlled trial
Background
Combination antibiotic therapy with an antitoxin agent, such as clindamycin, is included in some guidelines for severe, toxin-mediated Staphylococcus aureus infections. The evidence to support this practice is currently limited to in vitro, animal and observational human case-series data, with no previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Objectives
This pilot RCT aimed to determine the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial to examine if adjunctive clindamycin with standard therapy has greater efficacy than standard therapy alone for S. aureus infections.
Methods
We performed an investigator-initiated, open-label, multicentre, pilot RCT (ACTRN12617001416381p) in adults and children with severe S. aureus infections, randomized to standard antibiotic therapy with or without clindamycin for 7 days.
Results
Over 28 months, across nine sites, 127 individuals were screened and 34 randomized, including 11 children (32%). The primary outcome—number of days alive and free of systemic inflammatory response syndrome ≤14 days—was similar between groups: clindamycin (3 days [IQR 1–6]) versus standard therapy (4 days [IQR 0–8]). The 90 day mortality was 0% (0/17) in the clindamycin group versus 24% (4/17) in the standard therapy group. Secondary outcomes—microbiological relapse, treatment failure or diarrhoea—were similar between groups.
Conclusions
As the first clinical trial assessing adjunctive clindamycin for S. aureus infections, this study indicates feasibility and that adults and children can be incorporated into one trial using harmonized endpoints, and there were no safety concerns. The CASSETTE trial will inform the definitive S. aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) trial, which includes an adjunctive clindamycin domain and participants with non-severe disease
Exact Solution for the Critical State in Thin Superconductor Strips with Field Dependent or Anisotropic Pinning
An exact analytical solution is given for the critical state problem in long
thin superconductor strips in a perpendicular magnetic field, when the critical
current density j_c(B) depends on the local induction B according to a simple
three-parameter model. This model describes both isotropic superconductors with
this j_c(B) dependence, but also superconductors with anisotropic pinning
described by a dependence j_c(theta) where theta is the tilt angle of the flux
lines away from the normal to the specimen plane
Using systems thinking to understand how the South West - School Health Research Network can improve adolescent health and well-being: a qualitative process evaluation
Schools offer a valuable setting to promote good health and mental well-being amongst young people. Schools are complex systems and therefore systems interventions are needed to improve pupil health and well-being. This paper presents a qualitative process evaluation of the South West- School Health Research Network, a systems level intervention. The evaluation is based on interviews with school staff, local authorities and wider stakeholders. Given the complexity of England's educational system there is a need to intervene and monitor health at multiple levels and to ensure close partnership working to effectively improve adolescent health through schools
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