956 research outputs found
Assessment of Autoimmune Responses Associated with Asbestos Exposure in Libby, Montana, USA
Systemic autoimmune responses are associated with certain environmental exposures, including crystalline particles such as silica. Positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests have been reported in small cohorts exposed to asbestos, but many questions remain regarding the prevalence, pattern, and significance of autoantibodies associated with asbestos exposures. The population in Libby, Montana, provides a unique opportunity for such a study because of both occupational and environmental exposures that have occurred as a result of the mining of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite near the community. As part of a multifaceted assessment of the impact of asbestos exposures on this population, this study explored the possibility of exacerbated autoimmune responses. Age- and sex-matched sets of 50 serum samples from Libby and Missoula, Montana (unexposed), were tested for ANA on HEp-2 cells using indirect immune, fluorescence. Data included frequency of positive tests, ANA titers, staining patterns, and scored fluorescence intensity, all against known controls. Serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), rheumatoid factor, and antibodies to extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) were also tested. The Libby samples showed significantly higher frequency of positive ANA and ENA tests, increased mean fluorescence intensity and titers of the ANAs, and higher serum IgA, compared with Missoula samples. In the Libby samples, positive correlations were found between ANA titers and both lung disease severity and extent of exposure. The results support the hypothesis that asbestos exposure is associated with autoimmune responses and suggests that a relationship exists between those responses and asbestos-related disease processes
A proposal for continuous loading of an optical dipole trap with magnetically guided ultra cold atoms
The capture of a moving atom by a non-dissipative trap, such as an optical
dipole trap, requires the removal of the excessive kinetic energy of the atom.
In this article we develop a mechanism to harvest ultra cold atoms from a
guided atom beam into an optical dipole trap by removing their directed kinetic
energy. We propose a continuous loading scheme where this is accomplished via
deceleration by a magnetic potential barrier followed by optical pumping to the
energetically lowest Zeeman sublevel. We theoretically investigate the
application of this scheme to the transfer of ultra cold chromium atoms from a
magnetically guided atom beam into a deep optical dipole trap. We discuss the
realization of a suitable magnetic field configuration. Based on numerical
simulations of the loading process we analyze the feasibility and efficiency of
our loading scheme.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Separation and Characterization of Respirable Amphibole Fibers from Libby, Montana
The vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana, was in operation for over 70 yr and was contaminated with asbestos-like amphibole fibers. The mining, processing, and shipping of this vermiculite led to significant fiber inhalation exposure throughout the community, and residents of Libby have developed numerous pulmonary diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. The present study describes the separation of Libby 6-mix into respirable and nonrespirable size fractions by means of aqueous elutriation. The elutriator, designed to separate fibers with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 2.5 ÎŒm (respirable) from larger fibers, used an upward flow rate of 3.4 Ă 10â4 cm sâ1. The resultant respirable fraction constituted only 13% of the raw Libby 6-mix mass, and less than 2% of the fibers in the elutriated fraction had aerodynamic diameters exceeding 2.5 ÎŒm. Surface area of the elutriated fibers was 5.3 mâ2 gâ1, compared to 0.53 mâ2 gâ1 for the raw fibers. There were no detectable differences in chemical composition between the larger and smaller fibers. Such harvesting of respirable fractions will allow toxicological studies to be conducted within a controlled laboratory setting, utilizing fiber sizes that may more accurately simulate historical exposure of Libby residentsâ lungs. Importantly, this work describes a method that allows the use of material enriched in more uniform respirable material than raw Libby 6-mix, making comparisons with other known fiber preparations more valid on a mass basis
Determination of the s-wave Scattering Length of Chromium
We have measured the deca-triplet s-wave scattering length of the bosonic
chromium isotopes Cr and Cr. From the time constants for
cross-dimensional thermalization in atomic samples we have determined the
magnitudes and ,
where . By measuring the rethermalization rate of Cr over a
wide temperature range and comparing the temperature dependence with the
effective-range theory and single-channel calculations, we have obtained strong
evidence that the sign of is positive. Rescaling our Cr
model potential to Cr strongly suggests that is positive,
too.Comment: v3: corrected typo in y-axis scaling of Figs. 3 and
Laser cooling of a magnetically guided ultra cold atom beam
We report on the transverse laser cooling of a magnetically guided beam of
ultra cold chromium atoms. Radial compression by a tapering of the guide is
employed to adiabatically heat the beam. Inside the tapered section heat is
extracted from the atom beam by a two-dimensional optical molasses
perpendicular to it, resulting in a significant increase of atomic phase space
density. A magnetic offset field is applied to prevent optical pumping to
untrapped states. Our results demonstrate that by a suitable choice of the
magnetic offset field, the cooling beam intensity and detuning, atom losses and
longitudinal heating can be avoided. Final temperatures below 65 microkelvin
have been achieved, corresponding to an increase of phase space density in the
guided beam by more than a factor of 30.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Continuous optical loading of a Bose-Einstein Condensate
The continuous pumping of atoms into a Bose-Einstein condensate via
spontaneous emission from a thermal reservoir is analyzed. We consider the case
of atoms with a three-level scheme, in which one of the atomic
transitions has a very much shorter life-time than the other one. We found that
in such scenario the photon reabsorption in dense clouds can be considered
negligible. If in addition inelastic processes can be neglected, we find that
optical pumping can be used to continuously load and refill Bose-Einstein
condensates, i.e. provides a possible way to achieve a continuous atom laser.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
Emergence of chaotic scattering in ultracold Er and Dy
We show that for ultracold magnetic lanthanide atoms chaotic scattering
emerges due to a combination of anisotropic interaction potentials and Zeeman
coupling under an external magnetic field. This scattering is studied in a
collaborative experimental and theoretical effort for both dysprosium and
erbium. We present extensive atom-loss measurements of their dense magnetic
Feshbach resonance spectra, analyze their statistical properties, and compare
to predictions from a random-matrix-theory inspired model. Furthermore,
theoretical coupled-channels simulations of the anisotropic molecular
Hamiltonian at zero magnetic field show that weakly-bound, near threshold
diatomic levels form overlapping, uncoupled chaotic series that when combined
are randomly distributed. The Zeeman interaction shifts and couples these
levels, leading to a Feshbach spectrum of zero-energy bound states with
nearest-neighbor spacings that changes from randomly to chaotically distributed
for increasing magnetic field. Finally, we show that the extreme temperature
sensitivity of a small, but sizeable fraction of the resonances in the Dy and
Er atom-loss spectra is due to resonant non-zero partial-wave collisions. Our
threshold analysis for these resonances indicates a large collision-energy
dependence of the three-body recombination rate
Mechanical detection and pain thresholds: comparability of devices using stepped and ramped stimuli
Quantitative sensory testing is used to assess somatosensory function in humans. The protocol of the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS) provides comprehensive normative values using defined tools; however, some of these may not be feasible in low-resource settings. Objectives: To compare the standard DFNS devices for assessment of mechanosensory function to a low resource tool, the Sorri-Bauru-monofilaments. Methods: Mechanical detection thresholds (MDT), pain thresholds (MPT), and suprathreshold pinprick ratings (pain sensitivity: MPS) were measured over cheek, hand dorsum, and fingertip in 13 healthy subjects (7 female, aged 21-44 years). Mechanical detection threshold was assessed with DFNS standard glass monofilaments (0.25-512 mN, 0.5 mm tip) and nylon monofilaments (Sorri-Bauru; 0.5-3000 mN). MPT was assessed with DFNS standard cylindrical probes (8-512 mN, 0.25 mm tip), Sorri-Bauru monofilaments, and with ramped stimuli using an electronic von Frey aesthesiometer (10 mN/s or 100 mN/s, 0.20 mm tip). MPS was measured in response to stepped and ramped pinpricks (128 and 256 mN). Results: Mechanical detection thresholds were the same for DFNS and Sorri-Bauru monofilaments. For MPT, Sorri-Bauru filaments yielded lower values than PinPricks over face but not hand. Pain thresholds were higher at all test sites for ramped than stepped pinpricks (P < 0.01). Suprathreshold ratings were lower for ramped than stepped pinpricks (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Sorri-Bauru filaments are acceptable substitutes for DFNS standards in estimating tactile sensitivity, but are not consistent with standard probes for pinprick sensitivity because of their nonstandardized tips. Ramped stimuli overestimated MPT and underestimated MPS due to reaction time artefacts and therefore need their own normative values
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