V. The Semiclassical Foldy-Wouthuysen Transformation and the Derivation of the Bloch Equation for Spin-1/2 Polarised Beams Using Wigner Functions

A semiclassical Foldy--Wouthuysen transformation of the Dirac equation is used to obtain the radiationless Bloch equation for the polarisation density.Comment: 7 pages. No figures. Latex. Paper 5 of a set of 5. others are physics/9901038 physics/9901041 physics/9901042 physics/990104

Spin decoherence in electron storage rings --- more from a simple model

This is an addendum to the paper "Some models of spin coherence and decoherence in storage rings" by one of the authors [1] in which spin diffusion in simple electron storage rings is studied. In particular, we illustrate in a compact way, a key implication in the Epilogue of [1], namely that the exact formalism of [1] delivers a rate of depolarisation which can differ from that obtained by the conventional treatments of spin diffusion which rely on the use of the derivative $\partial \hat n/\partial\eta$ [2,3,4]. As a vehicle we consider a ring with a Siberian Snake and electron polarisation in the plane of the ring (Machine II in [1]). For this simple setup with its one-dimensional spin motion, we avoid having to deal directly with the Bloch equation [5,6] for the polarisation density. Our treatment, which is deliberately pedagogical, shows that the use of $\partial \hat n/\partial\eta$ provides a very good approximation to the rate of spin depolarisation in the model considered. But it then shows that the exact rate of depolarisation can be obtained by replacing $\partial \hat n/\partial\eta$ by another derivative as suggested in the Epilogue of [1], while giving a heuristic justification for the new derivative.Comment: 17 page

Spin transport, spin diffusion and Bloch equations in electron storage rings

We show how, beginning with the Fokker--Planck equation for electrons emitting synchrotron radiation in a storage ring, the corresponding equation for spin motion can be constructed. This is an equation of the Bloch type for the polarisation density.Comment: 7 pages. No figures. Latex: Minor corrections in the tex

Can the Heinrich ratio be used to predict harm from medication errors?

The purpose of this study was to establish whether, for medication errors, there exists a fixed Heinrich ratio between the number of incidents which did not result in harm, the number that caused minor harm, and the number that caused serious harm. If this were the case then it would be very useful in estimating any changes in harm following an intervention. Serious harm resulting from medication errors is relatively rare, so it can take a great deal of time and resource to detect a significant change. If the Heinrich ratio exists for medication errors, then it would be possible, and far easier, to measure the much more frequent number of incidents that did not result in harm and the extent to which they changed following an intervention; any reduction in harm could be extrapolated from this

Improved fiberglass-to-metal joint produces lighter stronger fiberglass strut

Axial tension and compression are transmitted between end fittings and fiberglass tube without depending on glass-to-metal bonding, conventional fasteners or combination of these things. Joint design significantly reduces both structural weight of strut and its cross-sectional area

Type I interferons in tuberculosis: Foe and occasionally friend

Tuberculosis remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, and, despite its clinical significance, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of pathogenic and protective mechanisms triggered by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Type I interferons (IFN) regulate a broad family of genes that either stimulate or inhibit immune function, having both host-protective and detrimental effects, and exhibit well-characterized antiviral activity. Transcriptional studies have uncovered a potential deleterious role for type I IFN in active tuberculosis. Since then, additional studies in human tuberculosis and experimental mouse models of M. tuberculosis infection support the concept that type I IFN promotes both bacterial expansion and disease pathogenesis. More recently, studies in a different setting have suggested a putative protective role for type I IFN. In this study, we discuss the mechanistic and contextual factors that determine the detrimental versus beneficial outcomes of type I IFN induction during M. tuberculosis infection, from human disease to experimental mouse models of tuberculosis

Two-component radiation model of the sonoluminescing bubble

Based on the experimental data from Weninger, Putterman & Barber, Phys. Rev. (E), 54, R2205 (1996), we offer an alternative interpretation of their experimetal results. A model of sonoluminescing bubble which proposes that the electromagnetic radiation originates from two sources: the isotropic black body or bramsstrahlung emitting core and dipole radiation-emitting shell of accelerated electrons driven by the liquid-bubble interface is outlined.Comment: 5 pages Revtex, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Quasiperiodic spin-orbit motion and spin tunes in storage rings

We present an in-depth analysis of the concept of spin precession frequency for integrable orbital motion in storage rings. Spin motion on the periodic closed orbit of a storage ring can be analyzed in terms of the Floquet theorem for equations of motion with periodic parameters and a spin precession frequency emerges in a Floquet exponent as an additional frequency of the system. To define a spin precession frequency on nonperiodic synchro-betatron orbits we exploit the important concept of quasiperiodicity. This allows a generalization of the Floquet theorem so that a spin precession frequency can be defined in this case too. This frequency appears in a Floquet-like exponent as an additional frequency in the system in analogy with the case of motion on the closed orbit. These circumstances lead naturally to the definition of the uniform precession rate and a definition of spin tune. A spin tune is a uniform precession rate obtained when certain conditions are fulfilled. Having defined spin tune we define spin-orbit resonance on synchro--betatron orbits and examine its consequences. We give conditions for the existence of uniform precession rates and spin tunes (e.g. where small divisors are controlled by applying a Diophantine condition) and illustrate the various aspects of our description with several examples. The formalism also suggests the use of spectral analysis to ``measure'' spin tune during computer simulations of spin motion on synchro-betatron orbits.Comment: 62 pages, 1 figure. A slight extension of the published versio