824 research outputs found

    Randomized Trials or Population-based Registries

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    Kondo decoherence: finding the right spin model for iron impurities in gold and silver

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    We exploit the decoherence of electrons due to magnetic impurities, studied via weak localization, to resolve a longstanding question concerning the classic Kondo systems of Fe impurities in the noble metals gold and silver: which Kondo-type model yields a realistic description of the relevant multiple bands, spin and orbital degrees of freedom? Previous studies suggest a fully screened spin SS Kondo model, but the value of SS remained ambiguous. We perform density functional theory calculations that suggest S=3/2S = 3/2. We also compare previous and new measurements of both the resistivity and decoherence rate in quasi 1-dimensional wires to numerical renormalization group predictions for S=1/2,1S=1/2,1 and 3/2, finding excellent agreement for S=3/2S=3/2.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, shortened for PR

    Two dimensional Sen connections in general relativity

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    The two dimensional version of the Sen connection for spinors and tensors on spacelike 2-surfaces is constructed. A complex metric γAB\gamma_{AB} on the spin spaces is found which characterizes both the algebraic and extrinsic geometrical properties of the 2-surface $\$ . The curvature of the two dimensional Sen operator Δe\Delta_e is the pull back to $\$ of the anti-self-dual part of the spacetime curvature while its `torsion' is a boost gauge invariant expression of the extrinsic curvatures of $\$ . The difference of the 2 dimensional Sen and the induced spin connections is the anti-self-dual part of the `torsion'. The irreducible parts of Δe\Delta_e are shown to be the familiar 2-surface twistor and the Weyl--Sen--Witten operators. Two Sen--Witten type identities are derived, the first is an identity between the 2 dimensional twistor and the Weyl--Sen--Witten operators and the integrand of Penrose's charge integral, while the second contains the `torsion' as well. For spinor fields satisfying the 2-surface twistor equation the first reduces to Tod's formula for the kinematical twistor.Comment: 14 pages, Plain Tex, no report numbe

    On the Energy-Momentum Density of Gravitational Plane Waves

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    By embedding Einstein's original formulation of GR into a broader context we show that a dynamic covariant description of gravitational stress-energy emerges naturally from a variational principle. A tensor TGT^G is constructed from a contraction of the Bel tensor with a symmetric covariant second degree tensor field Φ\Phi and has a form analogous to the stress-energy tensor of the Maxwell field in an arbitrary space-time. For plane-fronted gravitational waves helicity-2 polarised (graviton) states can be identified carrying non-zero energy and momentum.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

    Another positivity proof and gravitational energy localizations

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    Two locally positive expressions for the gravitational Hamiltonian, one using 4-spinors the other special orthonormal frames, are reviewed. A new quadratic 3-spinor-curvature identity is used to obtain another positive expression for the Hamiltonian and thereby a localization of gravitational energy and positive energy proof. These new results provide a link between the other two methods. Localization and prospects for quasi-localization are discussed.Comment: 14 pages REVTe

    A simple cost-effective high performance liquid chromatographic assay of sulphadoxine in whole blood spotted on filter paper for field studies

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Artesunate plus sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine is one of the four artemisinin-based combination therapies currently recommended by WHO as first-line treatment for falciparum malaria. Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine is also used for intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy. Drug use patterns and drug pharmacokinetics are important factors impacting the spread of drug resistant parasites hence it is imperative to monitor the effect of pharmacokinetic variability on therapeutic efficacy. Unfortunately, information on the pharmacokinetics of sulphadoxine in children and pregnant women with malaria is very limited. Methods for the assay of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine have been previously reported, but they are not cost-effective and practicable in analytical laboratories in low resource areas where malaria is endemic. Efforts in this study were thus devoted to development and evaluation of a simple, cost-effective and sensitive method for quantification of sulphadoxine in small capillary samples of whole blood dried on filter paper.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sulphadoxine was determined in whole blood by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection at 340 nm. Sulisoxazole (SLX) was used as internal standard. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a Beckman Coulter ODS C<sub>18 </sub>and a mobile phase consisting of 0.05 M phosphate buffer-methanol-acetonitrile (70:17:13 V/V/V) containing 1% triethylamine solution.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Standard curves from sulphadoxine-spiked blood added to filter paper were linear over the concentration range studied. Linear regression analysis yielded correlation coefficient r<sup>2 </sup>> 0.99 (n = 6). Extraction recoveries were about 82-85%. The limit of quantification was 120 ng/ml while the within and between assay coefficient of variations were < 10%. The inter-day precision was < 5.8% and inter-day accuracy ranged from 4.1 to 5.3%. There was no interference from endogenous compounds or any of the commonly used anti-malarial, analgesic and anti-infective drugs with the peaks of SDX or the internal standard.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The recovery and accuracy of determination of SDX from whole blood filter paper samples using the method described in this study is satisfactory, thus making the method a valuable tool in epidemiological studies and therapeutic drug monitoring in developing endemic countries. Furthermore, the applicability of the method in studying the pharmacokinetic disposition of SDX in a patient suggests that the method is suitable in malaria endemic areas.</p

    A Quadratic Spinor Lagrangian for General Relativity

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    We present a new finite action for Einstein gravity in which the Lagrangian is quadratic in the covariant derivative of a spinor field. Via a new spinor-curvature identity, it is related to the standard Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian by a total differential term. The corresponding Hamiltonian, like the one associated with the Witten positive energy proof is fully four-covariant. It defines quasi-local energy-momentum and can be reduced to the one in our recent positive energy proof. (Fourth Prize, 1994 Gravity Research Foundation Essay.)Comment: 5 pages (Plain TeX), NCU-GR-94-QSL

    Freely falling 2-surfaces and the quasi-local energy

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    We derive an expression for effective gravitational mass for any closed spacelike 2-surface. This effective gravitational energy is defined directly through the geometrical quantity of the freely falling 2-surface and thus is well adapted to intuitive expectation that the gravitational mass should be determined by the motion of test body moving freely in gravitational field. We find that this effective gravitational mass has reasonable positive value for a small sphere in the non-vacuum space-times and can be negative for vacuum case. Further, this effective gravitational energy is compared with the quasi-local energy based on the (2+2)(2+2) formalism of the General Relativity. Although some gauge freedoms exist, analytic expressions of the quasi-local energy for vacuum cases are same as the effective gravitational mass. Especially, we see that the contribution from the cosmological constant is the same in general cases.Comment: 11 pages, no figures, REVTeX. Estimation of the effective mass of small spheres in non-vaccum spacetime and Schwarzschild spacetime are added. The negativity of the latter is discusse

    Conserved superenergy currents

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    We exploit once again the analogy between the energy-momentum tensor and the so-called ``superenergy'' tensors in order to build conserved currents in the presence of Killing vectors. First of all, we derive the divergence-free property of the gravitational superenergy currents under very general circumstances, even if the superenergy tensor is not divergence-free itself. The associated conserved quantities are explicitly computed for the Reissner-Nordstrom and Schwarzschild solutions. The remaining cases, when the above currents are not conserved, lead to the possibility of an interchange of some superenergy quantities between the gravitational and other physical fields in such a manner that the total, mixed, current may be conserved. Actually, this possibility has been recently proved to hold for the Einstein-Klein-Gordon system of field equations. By using an adequate family of known exact solutions, we present explicit and completely non-obvious examples of such mixed conserved currents.Comment: LaTeX, 19 pages; improved version adding new content to the second section and some minor correction

    Modelling Deep Green tidal power plant using large eddy simulations and the actuator line method

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    The Deep Green technique for tidal power generation is suitable for moderate flows which is attractive since larger areas for tidal energy generation hereby can be used. It operates typically at mid-depth and can be seen as a “flying” kite with a turbine and generator attached underneath. It moves in a lying figure-eight path almost perpendicular to the tidal flow. Large eddy simulations and an adaption of the actuator line method (in order to describe arbitrary paths) are used to study the turbulent flow with and without Deep Green for a specific site. This methodology can in later studies be used for e.g. array analysis that include Deep Green interaction. It is seen that Deep Green creates a unique wake composed of two velocity deficit zones with increased velocity in each wake core. The flow has a tendency to be directed downwards which results in locally increased bottom shear. The persistence of flow disturbances of Deep Green can be scaled with its horizontal path width, Dy, with a velocity deficit of 5% at approximately 8–10Dy downstream of the power plant. The turbulence intensity and power deficit are approximately two times the undisturbed value and 10%, respectively, at 10Dy
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