17,746 research outputs found
Is it possible to accommodate massive photons in the framework of a gauge-invariant electrodynamics?
The construction of an alternative electromagnetic theory that preserves
Lorentz and gauge symmetries, is considered. We start off by building up
Maxwell electrodynamics in (3+1)D from the assumption that the associated
Lagrangian is a gauge-invariant functional that depends on the electron and
photon fields and their first derivatives only. In this scenario, as
well-known, it is not possible to set up a Lorentz invariant gauge theory
containing a massive photon. We show nevertheless that there exist two
radically different electrodynamics, namely, the Chern-Simons and the Podolsky
formulations, in which this problem can be overcome. The former is only valid
in odd space-time dimensions, while the latter requires the presence of
higher-order derivatives of the gauge field in the Lagrangian. This theory,
usually known as Podolsky electrodynamics, is simultaneously gauge and Lorentz
invariant; in addition, it contains a massive photon. Therefore, a massive
photon, unlike the popular belief, can be adequately accommodated within the
context of a gauge-invariant electrodynamics.Comment: 10 page
Use of the painDETECT tool in rheumatoid arthritis suggests neuropathic and sensitization components in pain reporting.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune condition typified by systemic inflammation targeted toward synovial joints. Inhibition of proinflammatory networks by disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, eg, methotrexate and biologic therapies, including tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors, often leads to suppression of disease activity observed at the clinical level. However, despite the era of widespread use of disease-modifying treatments, there remain significant groups of patients who continue to experience pain. Our study formulated a pain assessment tool in the arthritis clinic to assess feasibility of measurements including the visual analog scale (VAS) and painDETECT to assess multimodal features of pain in people with established RA (n=100). Clinical measures of disease activity (Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints [DAS28]) were also recorded. Our data showed that despite the majority of subjects on at least one disease-modifying agent, the majority of patients reported severe pain (54%) by VAS, despite well-controlled clinical disease, with mean DAS28 2.07±0.9. Using the painDETECT questionnaire, 67% of patients had unlikely neuropathic pain. A significant proportion of subjects (28%) had possible neuropathic pain and 5% had features of likely neuropathic pain by painDETECT scoring. We found a positive correlation between VAS and painDETECT (R (2)=0.757). Of note, the group who had likely or probable neuropathic pain also showed significantly increased pain reporting by VAS (P30) also had statistically higher proportions of pain reporting (VAS 89.0±0.7 mm) compared with subjects who had a normal body mass index (VAS 45.2±21.8 mm), P<0.05. Our findings suggest that multimodal features of pain perception exist in RA, including neuropathic and sensitization elements, perhaps explaining why a subgroup of people with RA continue to experience ongoing pain, despite their apparent suppression of inflammation
Sonically-enhanced widgets: comments on Brewster and Clarke, ICAD 1997
This paper presents a review of the research surrounding the paper âThe Design and Evaluation of a Sonically Enhanced Tool Paletteâ by Brewster and Clarke from ICAD 1997. A historical perspective is given followed by a discussion of how this work has fed into current developments in the area
SIGMA and XTE observations of the soft X-ray transient XTEJ1755-324
We present observations of the X-ray transient XTEJ1755-324 performed during
summer 1997 with the XTE satellite and with the SIGMA hard X-ray telescope
onboard the GRANAT observatory. The source was first detected in soft X-rays
with XTE on July 25 1997 with a rather soft X-ray spectrum and its outburst was
monitored in soft X-rays up to November 1997. On September 16 it was first
detected in hard X-rays by the French soft gamma ray telescope SIGMA during a
Galactic Center observation. The flux was stronger on September 16 and 17
reaching a level of about 110 mCrab in the 40-80 keV energy band. On the same
days the photon index of the spectrum was determined to be alpha =-2.3 +/- 0.9
(1 sigma error) while the 40-150 keV luminosity was about 8 x 10^{36} erg/s for
a distance of 8.5 kpc. SIGMA and XTE results on this source indicate that this
source had an ultrasoft-like state during its main outburst and a harder
secondary outburst in September. These characteristics make the source similar
to X-Nova Muscae 1991, a well known black hole candidate.Comment: 19 pages LaTeX, 6 Postscript figures included, Accepted by
Astrophysical Journa
Parallel Evolution of Quasi-separatrix Layers and Active Region Upflows
Persistent plasma upflows were observed with Hinode's EUV Imaging
Spectrometer (EIS) at the edges of active region (AR) 10978 as it crossed the
solar disk. We analyze the evolution of the photospheric magnetic and velocity
fields of the AR, model its coronal magnetic field, and compute the location of
magnetic null-points and quasi-sepratrix layers (QSLs) searching for the origin
of EIS upflows. Magnetic reconnection at the computed null points cannot
explain all of the observed EIS upflow regions. However, EIS upflows and QSLs
are found to evolve in parallel, both temporarily and spatially. Sections of
two sets of QSLs, called outer and inner, are found associated to EIS upflow
streams having different characteristics. The reconnection process in the outer
QSLs is forced by a large-scale photospheric flow pattern which is present in
the AR for several days. We propose a scenario in which upflows are observed
provided a large enough asymmetry in plasma pressure exists between the
pre-reconnection loops and for as long as a photospheric forcing is at work. A
similar mechanism operates in the inner QSLs, in this case, it is forced by the
emergence and evolution of the bipoles between the two main AR polarities. Our
findings provide strong support to the results from previous individual case
studies investigating the role of magnetic reconnection at QSLs as the origin
of the upflowing plasma. Furthermore, we propose that persistent reconnection
along QSLs does not only drive the EIS upflows, but it is also responsible for
a continuous metric radio noise-storm observed in AR 10978 along its disk
transit by the Nan\c{c}ay Radio Heliograph.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure
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