1,816 research outputs found
Testing for Antiphospholipid Antibody (aPL) Specificities in Retrospective âNormalâ Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF)
Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been found in the blood of patients with systemic and
neurological disease. The rare reports of aPL in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) have been limited mostly to
IgG and IgM anticardiolipin (aCL). Our published finding of IgA aPE in the CSF of a young stroke
victim prompted us to establish ânormalâ CSF aPL values for a panel of aPL, which included aCL,
antiphosphatidylserine (aPS), antiphosphatidylethanolamine (aPE) and antiphosphatidylcholine (aPC).
CSF samples were tested by ELISA for IgG, IgM and IgA aPL. In addition, the CSF samples were
tested for activity in the presence and absence of phospholipid (PL) binding plasma-proteins. A total of
24 data points were obtained for each CSF sample.We tested 59 CSF samples obtained from 59 patients
who were undergoing evaluation for systemic or neurologic diseases. All CSF samples had normal
protein, glucose and cell counts. Ten of the 59 CSF samples (17%) had elevated aPL optical density
(OD) values an order of magnitude higher than the other 49 CSF samples for one or more aPL
specificity and/or isotype. One CSF sample had both PL-binding protein dependent and independent
IgG aPE activity. Another CSF sample showed both IgG aPE and aPC reactivity. The remaining eight
CSF samples showed single aPL findings; IgG aPE (5), IgG aPC (1), IgG aCL (1) and IgM aPC (1).
Seven of 10 patients with elevated CSF values were females. As expected, most ânormalâ aPL OD
values were substantially lower in CSF than those we have reported in blood samples from volunteer
blood donors
Complete Atrioventricular Heart Block From an Epilepsy Treatment
Atrioventricular (AV) heart block without adequate escape rhythm can result in sudden cardiac arrest and death. We report complete (third degree) AV block in a 16 year-old boy as a late effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). He experienced brief, daily, complex partial seizures, treated with lamotrigine, levetiracetam, and the placement of Model 102 VNS at age 4. Electroencephalography (EEG) showed generalized slow spike-and-wave discharges consistent with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. At age 12, his VNS was changed to Model 303 PereniaDURA/Model 103 Demipulse generator, set at an output current of 2.25 mA on a standard 30 seconds on, 5 minutes off paradigm. At age 16, he experienced episodes of sudden collapse followed by unconsciousness. Holter monitor showed 15 second symptomatic complete AV block without escape (Figure 1). The patient was taking psychotropic medication with potential cardiac side effects: methylphenidate (tachycardia), guanfacine (first degree AV block), and haloperidol (prolonged QT interval, Torsades de Pointes). Haloperidol, methylphenidate, and VNS were stopped without further symptoms. Off these medications, the VNS was resumed at reduced current (1.25 mA), with re-occurrence of symptomatic AV block. Again, the VNS was stopped and symptoms/heart block ceased. Psychotropic medication was resumed without any side effects
The equation of state for two-dimensional hard-sphere gases: Hard-sphere gases as ideal gases with multi-core boundaries
The equation of state for a two-dimensional hard-sphere gas is difficult to
calculate by usual methods. In this paper we develop an approach for
calculating the equation of state of hard-sphere gases, both for two- and
three-dimensional cases. By regarding a hard-sphere gas as an ideal gas
confined in a container with a multi-core (excluded sphere) boundary, we treat
the hard-sphere interaction in an interacting gas as the boundary effect on an
ideal quantum gas; this enables us to treat an interacting gas as an ideal one.
We calculate the equation of state for a three-dimensional hard-sphere gas with
spin , and compare it with the results obtained by other methods. By this
approach the equation of state for a two-dimensional hard-sphere gas can be
calculated directly.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur
Quantum Disordered Regime and Spin Gap in the Cuprate Superconductors
We discuss the crossover from the quantum critical, , to the quantum
disordered regime in high-T materials in relation to the experimental data
on the nuclear relaxation, bulk susceptibility, and inelastic neutron
scattering. In our scenario, the spin excitations develop a gap
well above T, which is supplemented by the
quasiparticle gap below T. The above experiments yield consistent estimates
for the value of the spin gap, which increases as the correlation length
decreases.Comment: 14 pages, REVTeX v3.0, PostScript file for 3 figures is attached,
UIUC-P-93-07-06
Order-Disorder Transition in a Two-Layer Quantum Antiferromagnet
We have studied the antiferromagnetic order -- disorder transition occurring
at in a 2-layer quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet as the inter-plane
coupling is increased. Quantum Monte Carlo results for the staggered structure
factor in combination with finite-size scaling theory give the critical ratio
between the inter-plane and in-plane coupling constants.
The critical behavior is consistent with the 3D classical Heisenberg
universality class. Results for the uniform magnetic susceptibility and the
correlation length at finite temperature are compared with recent predictions
for the 2+1-dimensional nonlinear -model. The susceptibility is found
to exhibit quantum critical behavior at temperatures significantly higher than
the correlation length.Comment: 11 pages (5 postscript figures available upon request), Revtex 3.
Anomalous finite size spectrum in the S=1/2 two dimensional Heisenberg model
We study the low energy spectrum of the nearest neighbor Heisenberg model on
a square lattice as a function of the total spin S. By quantum Monte Carlo
simulation we compute this spectrum for the s=1/2, s=1 and s=3/2 Heisenberg
models. We conclude that the nonlinear sigma model prediction for the low
energy spectrum is always verified for large enough system size. However the
crossover to the correct scaling regime is particularly slow just for the s=1/2
Heisenberg model. The possibility to detect this unexpected anomaly with finite
temperature experiments on s=1/2 isotropic quantum antiferromagnets is also
discussed.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX + 5 encapsulated postscript figure
Spin Dependence of Correlations in Two-Dimensional Quantum Heisenberg Antiferromagnets
We present a series expansion study of spin-S square-lattice Heisenberg
antiferromagnets. The numerical data are in excellent agreement with recent
neutron scattering measurements. Our key result is that the correlation length
for S>1/2 strongly deviates from the exact T->0 (renormalized classical, or RC)
scaling prediction for all experimentally and numerically accessible
temperatures. We note basic trends with S of the experimental and series
expansion correlation length data and propose a scaling crossover scenario to
explain them.Comment: 5 pages, REVTeX file. PostScript file for the paper with embedded
figures available via WWW at http://xxx.lanl.gov/ps/cond-mat/9503143
Progress in Monte Carlo calculations of Fermi systems: normal liquid 3He
The application of the diffusion Monte Carlo method to a strongly interacting
Fermi system as normal liquid He is explored. We show that the fixed-node
method together with the released-node technique and a systematic method to
analytically improve the nodal surface constitute an efficient strategy to
improve the calculation up to a desired accuracy. This methodology shows
unambiguously that backflow correlations, when properly optimized, are enough
to generate an equation of state of liquid He in excellent agreement with
experimental data from equilibrium up to freezing.Comment: 14 pages, 3 eps figure
Bi-layer Heisenberg model studied by the Schwinger-boson Gutzwiller-projection method
A two-dimensional bi-layer, square lattice Heisenberg model with different
intraplane() and interplane() couplings is
investigated. The model is first solved in the Schwinger boson mean-field
approximation. %It is shown that order-disorder transition occurs as the
interplane Coupling %is increased. The critical ratio is J_{\perp/\p=4.48J
Then the solution is Gutzwiller projected to satisfy the local constraint that
there should be only one boson at each site. For these wave functions, we
perform variational Monte Carlo simulation up to sites.
It is shown that the N\'eel order is destroyed as the interplane coupling is
increased. The obtained critical value, , is
smaller than that by the mean-field theory. Excitation spectrum is calculated
by a single mode approximation. It is shown that energy gap develops once the
N\'eel order is destroyed.Comment: 19 pages(including figure captions) RevTex3.0, 10 figures, available
upon reques
Bragg spectroscopy of a Bose-Einstein condensate
Properties of a Bose-Einstein condensate were studied by stimulated,
two-photon Bragg scattering. The high momentum and energy resolution of this
method allowed a spectroscopic measurement of the mean-field energy and of the
intrinsic momentum uncertainty of the condensate. The coherence length of the
condensate was shown to be equal to its size. Bragg spectroscopy can be used to
determine the dynamic structure factor over a wide range of energy and momentum
transfers.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
- âŠ