1,013 research outputs found
Gravity wave amplification and phase crest re-organization over a shoal
In this experimental work, both wave amplification and phase evolution, due to a submerged mound, are studied. In addition to the classical surface wave measurements, the experimental study takes advantage of photographs that underline crest re-organization above and down-wave the shoal. In particular, together with wave amplification up to more than twice the incident wave, a wave steepening is observed in certain conditions in both the wave direction and in the cross-section. Due to a phase crest separation downstream of the shoal, steepening in the cross-shore direction is enhanced (up to 30% above the steepening along the main direction of propagation). Physical aspects are discussed through the analysis of the diffraction effects on the wave properties
Commonly Prescribed ÎČ-lactam Antibiotics Induce C.trachomatis Persistence/Stress in Culture at Physiologically Relevant Concentrations
Chlamydia trachomatis, the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease agent worldwide, enters a viable, non-dividing and non-infectious state (historically termed persistence and more recently referred to as the chlamydial stress response) when exposed to penicillin G in culture. Notably, penicillin G-exposed chlamydiae can reenter the normal developmental cycle upon drug removal and are resistant to azithromycin-mediated killing. Because penicillin G is less frequently prescribed than other Ă-lactams, the clinical relevance of penicillin G-induced chlamydial persistence/stress has been questioned. The goal of this study was to determine whether more commonly used penicillins also induce C. trachomatis serovar E persistence/stress. All penicillins tested, as well as clavulanic acid, induced formation of aberrant, enlarged reticulate bodies (RB) (called aberrant bodies or AB) characteristic of persistent/stressed chlamydiae. Exposure to the penicillins and clavulanic acid also reduced chlamydial infectivity by \u3e95%. None of the drugs tested significantly reduced chlamydial unprocessed 16S rRNA or genomic DNA accumulation, indicating that the organisms were viable, though non-infectious. Finally, recovery assays demonstrated that chlamydiae rendered essentially non-infectious by exposure to ampicillin, amoxicillin, carbenicillin, piperacillin, penicillin V, and clavulanic acid recovered infectivity after antibiotic removal. These data definitively demonstrate that several commonly used penicillins induce C. trachomatis persistence/stress at clinically relevant concentrations
Heavy Ion Physics at the LHC with the ATLAS Detector
The ATLAS detector at CERN will provide a high-resolution
longitudinally-segmented calorimeter and precision tracking for the upcoming
study of heavy ion collisions at the LHC (sqrt(s_NN)=5520 GeV). The calorimeter
covers |eta|<5 with both electromagnetic and hadronic sections, while the inner
detector spectrometer covers |eta|<2.5. ATLAS will study a full range of
observables necessary to characterize the hot and dense matter formed at the
LHC. Global measurements (particle multiplicities, collective flow) will
provide access into its thermodynamic and hydrodynamic properties. Measuring
complete jets out to 100's of GeV will allow detailed studies of energy loss
and its effect on jets. Quarkonia will provide a handle on deconfinement
mechanisms. ATLAS will also study the structure of the nucleon and nucleus
using forward physics probes and ultraperipheral collisions, both enabled by
segmented Zero Degree Calorimeters.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, submitted to the Proceedings of Quark Matter
2006, Shanghai, China, November 14-20, 200
High Level of Soluble HLA-G in the Female Genital Tract of Beninese Commercial Sex Workers Is Associated with HIV-1 Infection
Most HIV infections are transmitted across mucosal epithelium. Understanding the role of innate and specific mucosal immunity in susceptibility or protection against HIV infection, as well as the effect of HIV infection on mucosal immunity, are of fundamental importance. HLA-G is a powerful modulator of the immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate whether soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) expression in the female genital tract is associated with HIV-1 infection.Genital levels of sHLA-G were determined in 52 HIV-1-uninfected and 44 antiretroviral naĂŻve HIV-1-infected female commercial sex workers (CSWs), as well as 71 HIV-1-uninfected non-CSW women at low risk of exposure, recruited in Cotonou, Benin. HIV-1-infected CSWs had higher genital levels of sHLA-G compared with those in both the HIV-1-uninfected CSW (Pâ=â0.009) and non-CSW groups (Pâ=â0.0006). The presence of bacterial vaginosis (Pâ=â0.008), and HLA-G*01:01:02 genotype (Pâ=â0.002) were associated with higher genital levels of sHLA-G in the HIV-1-infected CSWs, whereas the HLA-G*01:04:04 genotype was also associated with higher genital level of sHLA-G in the overall population (Pâ=â0.038). When adjustment was made for all significant variables, the increased expression of sHLA-G in the genital mucosa remained significantly associated with both HIV-1 infection (Pâ=â0.02) and bacterial vaginosis (Pâ=â0.03).This study demonstrates that high level of sHLA-G in the genital mucosa is independently associated with both HIV-1 infection and bacterial vaginosis
On the Interpretation of High Velocity White Dwarfs as Members of the Galactic Halo
A detailed analysis of 32 of the 38 halo white dwarf candidates identified by
Oppenheimer et al. is presented, based on model atmosphere fits to observed
energy distributions built from optical BVRI and infrared JHK CCD photometry.
Effective temperatures and atmospheric compositions are determined for all
objects, as well as masses and cooling ages when trigonometric parallax
measurements are available. This sample is combined with that of other halo
white dwarf candidates and disk white dwarfs to study the nature of these
objects in terms of reduced proper motion diagrams, tangential velocities, and
stellar ages. We reaffirm the conclusions of an earlier analysis based on
photographic magnitudes of the same sample that total stellar ages must be
derived in order to associate a white dwarf with the old halo population, and
that this can only be accomplished through precise mass and distance
determinations.Comment: 31 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
A comparative study of Jet-quenching Schemes
The four major approximation schemes devised to study the modification of
jets in dense matter are outlined. The comparisons are restricted to basic
assumptions and approximations made in each case and the calculation
methodology used. Emergent underlying similarities between apparently disparate
methods brought about by the approximation schemes are exposed.
Parameterizations of the medium in each scheme are discussed in terms of the
transport coefficient . Discrepancies between the estimates obtained
from the four schemes are discussed. Recent developments in the basic theory
and phenomenology of energy loss are highlighted.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, latex, plenary presentation at the 19th
International Conference on Ultra-Relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions
(QM2006), Shanghai, China Nov. 14-20, 200
Event Reconstruction in the PHENIX Central Arm Spectrometers
The central arm spectrometers for the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic
Heavy Ion Collider have been designed for the optimization of particle
identification in relativistic heavy ion collisions. The spectrometers present
a challenging environment for event reconstruction due to a very high track
multiplicity in a complicated, focusing, magnetic field. In order to meet this
challenge, nine distinct detector types are integrated for charged particle
tracking, momentum reconstruction, and particle identification. The techniques
which have been developed for the task of event reconstruction are described.Comment: Accepted for publication in Nucl. Instrum. A. 34 pages, 23 figure
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