7,601 research outputs found
What is the best macrolide for atypical pneumonia?
Erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin are equally effective in treating pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae or Chlamydophila (formerly Chlamydia) pneumoniae (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, small head-to-head trials). Macrolide choice can be based on other considerations--cost, side effects, and effectiveness against other suspected pathogens (SOR: C, expert opinion)
Evidence of Double Phonon Excitations in ^{16}O + ^{208}Pb Reaction
The fusion cross-sections for ^{16}O + ^{208}Pb, measured to high precision,
enable the extraction of the distribution of fusion barriers. This shows a
structure markedly different from the single-barrier which might be expected
for fusion of two doubly-closed shell nuclei. The results of exact coupled
channel calculations performed to understand the observations are presented.
These calculations indicate that coupling to a double octupole phonon excited
state in ^{208}Pb is necessary to explain the experimental barrier
distributions.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, To be published in the Proceedings of the FUSION
97 Conference, South Durras, Australia, March 1997 (J. Phys. G
Coupled-channels analysis of the O+Pb fusion barrier distribution
Analyses using simplified coupled-channels models have been unable to
describe the shape of the previously measured fusion barrier distribution for
the doubly magic O+Pb system. This problem was investigated by
re-measuring the fission excitation function for O+Pb with
improved accuracy and performing more exact coupled-channels calculations,
avoiding the constant-coupling and first-order coupling approximations often
used in simplified analyses. Couplings to the single- and 2-phonon states of
Pb, correctly taking into account the excitation energy and the phonon
character of these states, particle transfers, and the effects of varying the
diffuseness of the nuclear potential, were all explored. However, in contrast
to other recent analyses of precise fusion data, no satisfactory simultaneous
description of the shape of the experimental barrier distribution and the
fusion cross-sections for O+Pb was obtained.Comment: RevTex, 29 pages, 7 postscript figures, to appear in PR
Molecular evidence for gender differences in the migratory behaviour of a small seabird
Molecular sexing revealed an unexpectedly strong female bias in the sex ratio of pre-breeding European Storm Petrels (Hydrobates pelagicus), attracted to playback of conspecific calls during their northwards migration past SW Europe. This bias was consistent across seven years, ranging from 80.8% to 89.7% female (mean annual sex ratio ± SD = 85.5% female ±4.1%). The sex ratio did not differ significantly from unity (i.e., 50% female) among (i) Storm Petrel chicks at a breeding colony in NW France, (ii) adults found dead on beaches in Southern Portugal, (iii) breeding birds attending nest burrows in the UK, captured by hand, and (iv) adults captured near a breeding colony in the UK using copies of the same sound recordings as used in Southern Europe, indicating that females are not inherently more strongly attracted to playback calls than males. A morphological discriminant function analysis failed to provide a good separation of the sexes, showing the importance of molecular sexing for this species. We found no sex difference in the seasonal or nocturnal timing of migration past Southern Europe, but there was a significant tendency for birds to be caught in sex-specific aggregations. The preponderance of females captured in Southern Europe suggests that the sexes may differ in migration route or in their colony-prospecting behaviour during migration, at sites far away from their natal colonies. Such differences in migration behaviour between males and females are poorly understood but have implications for the vulnerability of seabirds to pollution and environmental change at sea during the non-breeding season
Entanglement and State Preparation
When a subset of particles in an entangled state is measured, the state of
the subset of unmeasured particles is determined by the outcome of the
measurement. This first measurement may be thought of as a state preparation
for the remaining particles. In this paper, we examine how the duration of the
first measurement effects the state of the unmeasured subsystem. The state of
the unmeasured subsytem will be a pure or mixed state depending on the nature
of the measurement.
In the case of quantum teleportation we show that there is an eigenvalue
equation which must be satisfied for accurate teleportation. This equation
provides a limitation to the states that can be accurately teleported.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Opening up the Quantum Three-Box Problem with Undetectable Measurements
One of the most striking features of quantum mechanics is the profound effect
exerted by measurements alone. Sophisticated quantum control is now available
in several experimental systems, exposing discrepancies between quantum and
classical mechanics whenever measurement induces disturbance of the
interrogated system. In practice, such discrepancies may frequently be
explained as the back-action required by quantum mechanics adding quantum noise
to a classical signal. Here we implement the 'three-box' quantum game of
Aharonov and Vaidman in which quantum measurements add no detectable noise to a
classical signal, by utilising state-of-the-art control and measurement of the
nitrogen vacancy centre in diamond.
Quantum and classical mechanics then make contradictory predictions for the
same experimental procedure, however classical observers cannot invoke
measurement-induced disturbance to explain this discrepancy. We quantify the
residual disturbance of our measurements and obtain data that rule out any
classical model by > 7.8 standard deviations, allowing us for the first time to
exclude the property of macroscopic state-definiteness from our system. Our
experiment is then equivalent to a Kochen-Spekker test of quantum
non-contextuality that successfully addresses the measurement detectability
loophole
Population-based study of autoimmune conditions and the risk of specific lymphoid malignancies
Some autoimmune conditions are associated with increased risk of lymphoid malignancies, but information on specific malignancy subtypes is limited. From the U.S. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database, we selected 44,350 lymphoid malignancy cases (≥67 years) and 122,531 population-based controls. Logistic regression was used to derive odds ratios (ORs) comparing the prevalence of autoimmune conditions in cases and controls, by lymphoid malignancy subtype, adjusted for gender, age at malignancy/selection, year of malignancy/selection, race and number of physician claims. The strongest associations observed by Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with rheumatoid arthritis (OR 1.4, 95%CI 1.2-1.5) and Sjögren syndrome (2.0, 1.5-2.8); T-cell lymphoma with hemolytic anemia (9.7, 4.3-22), psoriasis (3.1, 2.5-4.0), discoid lupus erythematosus (4.4, 2.3-8.4), and celiac disease (5.0, 2.4-14.); and marginal zone lymphoma with Sjögren syndrome (6.6, 4.6-9.5), systemic lupus erythematosus (2.8, 1.7-4.7), and hemolytic anemia (7.4, 3.1-18). Hodgkin lymphoma was associated with several autoimmune conditions. Multiple myeloma was associated only with pernicious anemia (1.5, 1.3-1.7). Several autoimmune conditions were associated with increased risk of lymphoid neoplasms, especially NHLs of diffuse large B-cell, marginal zone and T-cell subtypes. These results support a mechanism whereby chronic antigenic stimulation leads to lymphoid malignancy
Coupled-Bunch Beam Breakup due to Resistive-Wall Wake
The coupled-bunch beam breakup problem excited by the resistive wall wake is
formulated. An approximate analytic method of finding the asymptotic behavior
of the transverse bunch displacement is developed and solved.Comment: 8 page
Beta-delayed deuteron emission from 11Li: decay of the halo
The deuteron-emission channel in the beta-decay of the halo-nucleus 11Li was
measured at the ISAC facility at TRIUMF by implanting post-accelerated 11Li
ions into a segmented silicon detector. The events of interest were identified
by correlating the decays of 11Li with those of the daughter nuclei. This
method allowed the energy spectrum of the emitted deuterons to be extracted,
free from contributions from other channels, and a precise value for the
branching ratio B_d = 1.30(13) x 10-4 to be deduced for E(c.m.) > 200 keV. The
results provide the first unambiguous experimental evidence that the decay
takes place essentially in the halo of 11Li, and that it proceeds mainly to the
9Li + d continuum, opening up a new means to study of the halo wave function of
11Li.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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