3,229 research outputs found
The low energy effective Lagrangian for photon interactions in any dimension
The subject of low energy photon-photon scattering is considered in arbitrary
dimensional space-time and the interaction is widened to include scattering
events involving an arbitrary number of photons. The effective interaction
Lagrangian for these processes in QED has been determined in a manifestly
invariant form. This generalisation resolves the structure of the weak-field
Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian and indicates that the component invariant
functions have coefficients related, not only to the space-time dimension, but
also to the coefficients of the Bernoulli polynomial.Comment: In the revised version, the results have been expressed in terms of
Bernoulli polynomials instead of generalized zeta functions; they agree for
spinor QED with those of Schubert and Schmidt (obtained differently by path
integral methods)
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Overlapping Climate Policies
Major carbon-pricing systems in Europe and North America involve multiple jurisdictions (countries or states). Individual jurisdictions often pursue additional Initiatives â such as unilateral carbon price oors, legislation to phase out coal, aviation taxes or support programs for renewable energy â that overlap with the wider carbon-pricing system. We develop a general framework to study how the climate benefit of such overlapping policies depends on their design, location and timing. Some policies leverage additional climate benefits elsewhere in the system while others backfire by raising aggregate emissions. Our model encompasses almost every type of carbon-pricing system used in practice
Absence of nitroglycerin-induced heparin resistance in healthy volunteers
A previously described nitroglycerin-induced heparin resistance could not be verified by in-vitro experiments or in a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial in healthy volunteers. A clinically relevant attenuation of the anticoagulant effect of a heparin bolus (40 U.kgâ1) by a concomitant infusion of nitroglycerin (100 ”g.minâ1) was absent. Activated partial thromboplastin time was not significantly different under nitroglycerin infusion as compared to placebo after heparin injection. Concentrations and activities of antithrombin III and heparin cofactor II remained unchanged during nitroglycerin infusion. An interaction of these two frequently combined drugs in patients with active thromboembolic disease or after a prolonged concomitant intravenous administration cannot be ruled out. Since this is of clinical importance, furt her studies must clarify a possible nitroglycerin-induced heparin resistanc
Successful Cessation Programs that Reduce Comorbidity May Explain Surprisingly Low Smoking Rates Among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
A recent, non-peer-reviewed meta-analysis suggests that smoking may reduce the risk of hospitalization with COVID-19 because the prevalence of smoking among hospitalized COVID-19 is less than that of the general population. However, there are alternative explanations for this phenomena based on (1) the failure to report, or accurately record, smoking history during emergency hospital admissions and (2) a pre-disposition to avoid smoking among COVID-19 patients with tobacco-related comorbidities (a type of âreverseâ causation). For example, urine testing of hospitalized patients in Australia for cotinine showed that smokers were under-counted by 37% because incoming patients failed to inform staff about their smoking behavior. Face-to-face interviews can introduce bias into the responses to attitudinal and behavioral questions not present in the self-completion interviews typically used to measure smoking prevalence in the general population. Subjects in face-to-face interviews may be unwilling to admit socially undesirable behavior and attitudes under direct questioning. Reverse causation may also contribute to the difference between smoking prevalence in the COVID-19 and general population. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 may be simply less prone to use tobacco than the general population. A potentially robust âreverse causationâ hypothesis for reduced prevalence of smokers in the COVID-19 population is the enrichment of patients in that population with serious comorbidities that motivates them to quit smoking. We judge that this âsmoking cessationâ mechanism may account for a significant fraction of the reduced prevalence of smokers in the COVID-19 population. Testing this hypothesis will require a focused research program
Time Asymmetric Quantum Physics
Mathematical and phenomenological arguments in favor of asymmetric time
evolution of micro-physical states are presented.Comment: Tex file with 2 figure
A Note on Domain Walls and the Parameter Space of N=1 Gauge Theories
We study the spectrum of BPS domain walls within the parameter space of N=1
U(N) gauge theories with adjoint matter and a cubic superpotential. Using a low
energy description obtained by compactifying the theory on R^3 x S^1, we
examine the wall spectrum by combining direct calculations at special points in
the parameter space with insight drawn from the leading order potential between
minimal walls, i.e those interpolating between adjacent vacua. We show that the
multiplicity of composite BPS walls -- as characterised by the CFIV index --
exhibits discontinuities on marginal stability curves within the parameter
space of the maximally confining branch. The structure of these marginal
stability curves for large N appears tied to certain singularities within the
matrix model description of the confining vacua.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, 6 eps figures; v2: references adde
Effects of Intravenous Aspirin on Prostaglandin Synthesis and Kidney Function in Intensive Care Patients
The effects of intravenous acetylsalicylic acid (1.0 g bolus) on renal function and prostaglandin synthesis were evaluated in a prospective, controlled study in eight patients in an intensive care unit. Four of these patients had congestive heart failure. Administration of acetylsalicylic acid caused significant antidiuresis (â56%), antinatriuresis (â82%), renin suppression (â26%) and decreased GFR (â41%). All of these changes were completely reversible within 1-2 hours and tended to be more pronounced in the patients with congestive heart failure. Urinary excretion of prostaglandin E was depressed profoundly (â93%) and did not return to more than 45% of control 6 h after the administration of acetylsalicylic acid. We conclude that intravenous acetylsalicylic acid affects kidney function in a manner similar to other prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors. Its effects are, however, short-lived. The inhibition of urinary PGE2 excretion outlasts GFR depression, antidiuresis, antinatriuresis and renin suppression by several hour
Bone mineral content after renal transplantation
Forearm bone mineral content (BMC), as evaluated by photonabsorption densitometry, was measured in 28 cadaver kidney donor recipients who entered the study 8 weeks postoperatively and were followed up for 18 months. BMC decreased signifiantly (p<0.05) but marginally in placebo-treated patients (n=14) (initial BMC 1.09±0.25 g/cm; final BMC 1.05±0.24). Fourteen patients were prophylactically given 1,25(OH)2vitamin D3 in a dose which avoided hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria (sim0.25 ”g/day); under 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 prophylaxis a significant decrease of forearm BMC was observed no longer (initial BMC 0.94±0.21 g/cm; final BMC 0.95±0.21), but the difference between placebo and 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 narrowly missed statistical significance (p=0.066).
It is concluded that the decrease of forearm BMC is negligible in transplant recipients with low steroid regimens. The data suggest a trend for prophylaxis with 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 to slightly ameliorate forearm (cortical) BMC loss
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