420 research outputs found
A theory of electromagnetism with uniquely defined potential and covariant conserved spin
A theory of electromagnetism is proposed that is based on the Fermi
Lagrangian, which is symmetric under electromagnetic spin rotation. Its
features are: - the four-potential is unambiguously determined by the
inhomogeneous wave equation and boundary conditions at infinity. - the Lorenz
condition and minimal coupling then follow from charge conservation. -
electromagnetic spin is conserved and spin operators can be defined without
sacrificing covariance. - quantisation is fully covariant, without redefining
the metric. - all experimental predictions are the same as in the standard
theory. This result proves that electromagnetic gauge invariance is redundant
as a fundamental principle of physics.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, 20 equation
Mean-field theory for Bose-Hubbard Model under a magnetic field
We consider the superfluid-insulator transition for cold bosons under an
effective magnetic field. We investigate how the applied magnetic field affects
the Mott transition within mean field theory and find that the critical hopping
strength , increases with the applied field. The increase in the
critical hopping follows the bandwidth of the Hofstadter butterfly at the given
value of the magnetic field. We also calculate the magnetization and superfluid
density within mean field theory.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, published versio
Time is vision in recurrent optic neuritis
In optic neuritis (ON) inflammation precedes onset of demyelination and axonal loss. The anti-inflammatory properties of corticosteroids may be most effective in the early inflammatory phase, but rapid patient recruitment remains a logistic challenge. The aim of the study was to review the effect of time to initiation of treatment on visual outcome in recurrent ON. A retrospective case note review of patients known to our centre with recurrent ON. The primary clinical outcome was change of best corrected high contrast visual acuity (BCVA). The secondary outcome was the change of optical coherence tomography (OCT) thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell layer (mGCL) from baseline and after a minimum of 3months following the episode of recurrent ON. Of 269 patients with a previous episode of ON, 54 experienced recurrent ON. In total 40 OCT documented episodes of relapsing ON were captured in 19 patients. Treatment within <2days led to better recovery of the BCVA (+0.02) and mGCL (-2.4µm) if compared to delayed treatment (BCVA -0.2, p=0.036, mGCL -25.6µm, p=0.019) or no corticosteroids treatment (BCVA -0.2, p=0.045, GCL -5.0µm, p=0.836). These data suggest a beneficial effect of hyperacute corticosteroid treatment. A pragmatic approach for a prospective treatment trial should consider patients with recurrent ON for logistic reasons
Image-guided in situ detection of bacterial biofilms in a human prosthetic knee infection model:a feasibility study for clinical diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections
Purpose Due to an increased human life expectancy, the need to replace arthritic or dysfunctional joints by prosthetics is higher than ever before. Prosthetic joints are unfortunately inherently susceptible to bacterial infection accompanied by biofilm formation. Accurate and rapid diagnosis is vital to increase therapeutic success. Yet, established diagnostic modalities cannot directly detect bacterial biofilms on prostheses. Therefore, the present study was aimed at investigating whether arthroscopic optical imaging can accurately detect bacterial biofilms on prosthetic joints. Methods Here, we applied a conjugate of the antibiotic vancomycin and the near-infrared fluorophore IRDye800CW, in short vanco-800CW, in combination with arthroscopic optical imaging to target and visualize biofilms on infected prostheses. Results We show in a human post-mortem prosthetic knee infection model that a staphylococcal biofilm is accurately detected in real time and distinguished from sterile sections in high resolution. In addition, we demonstrate that biofilms associated with the clinically most relevant bacterial species can be detected using vanco-800CW. Conclusion The presented image-guided arthroscopic approach provides direct visual diagnostic information and facilitates immediate appropriate treatment selection
Excitations of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a one-dimensional optical lattice
We investigate the low-lying excitations of a stack of weakly-coupled
two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates that is formed by a one-dimensional
optical lattice. In particular, we calculate the dispersion relations of the
monopole and quadrupole modes, both for the ground state as well as for the
case in which the system contains a vortex along the direction of the lasers
creating the optical lattice. Our variational approach enables us to determine
analytically the dispersion relations for an arbitrary number of atoms in every
two-dimensional condensate and for an arbitrary momentum. We also discuss the
feasibility of experimentally observing our results.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, minor changes,accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev.
Ultrafast Photoclick Reaction for Selective 18F-Positron Emission Tomography Tracer Synthesis in Flow
The development of very fast, clean, and selective methods for indirect labeling in PET tracer synthesis is an ongoing challenge. Here we present the development of an ultrafast photoclick method for the synthesis of short-lived 18F-PET tracers based on the photocycloaddition reaction of 9,10-phenanthrenequinones with electron-rich alkenes. The respective precursors are synthetically easily accessible and can be functionalized with various target groups. Using a flow photo-microreactor, the photoclick reaction can be performed in 60 s, and clinically relevant tracers for prostate cancer and bacterial infection imaging were prepared to demonstrate practicality of the method
Quantum phase transitions of light
Recently, condensed matter and atomic experiments have reached a length-scale
and temperature regime where new quantum collective phenomena emerge. Finding
such physics in systems of photons, however, is problematic, as photons
typically do not interact with each other and can be created or destroyed at
will. Here, we introduce a physical system of photons that exhibits strongly
correlated dynamics on a meso-scale. By adding photons to a two-dimensional
array of coupled optical cavities each containing a single two-level atom in
the photon-blockade regime, we form dressed states, or polaritons, that are
both long-lived and strongly interacting. Our zero temperature results predict
that this photonic system will undergo a characteristic Mott insulator
(excitations localised on each site) to superfluid (excitations delocalised
across the lattice) quantum phase transition. Each cavity's impressive photon
out-coupling potential may lead to actual devices based on these quantum
many-body effects, as well as observable, tunable quantum simulators. We
explicitly show that such phenomena may be observable in micro-machined diamond
containing nitrogen-vacancy colour centres and superconducting microwave
strip-line resonators.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures (2 in colour
Influence of personalized extended interval dosing on the natalizumab wearing-off effect - a sub-study of the NEXT-MS trial
Background and objectives: Wearing-off symptoms during natalizumab treatment in multiple sclerosis are characterized by an increase of MS-related symptoms prior to natalizumab administration. The influence of extended interval dosing (EID) on wearing-off symptoms are important to consider, as this might cause hesitancy in initiating or continuing EID. Methods: Participants of the NEXT-MS trial, in which treatment intervals are adjusted based on drug concentrations, were divided into two groups: an extended group containing participants with at least one week of additional interval extension, and a group with a fixed interval during the trial (range 4–7 weeks). Changes in the occurrence, frequency, onset, and severity of wearing-off symptoms were evaluated. Results: 255 participants were included (extended group n = 171, fixed group n = 84). The odds on occurrence of wearing-off symptoms in the extended group did not increase after extending the treatment interval. Additional analyses for frequency, onset, and severity of wearing-off symptoms showed no changes over time. Mean decrease in natalizumab drug concentration did not influence the frequency of wearing-off symptoms. Discussion: Wearing-off symptoms were not reinforced by further extending the natalizumab interval. Wearing-off symptoms might increase in a minority of patients after EID, although our data support the view that wearing-off symptoms appear to be unrelated to the decrease in natalizumab trough drug concentrations.</p
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