10,199 research outputs found
Remarkable change of tunneling conductance in YBCO films in fields up to 32.4T
We studied the tunneling density of states in YBCO films under strong
currents flowing along node directions. The currents were induced by fields of
up to 32.4T parallel to the film surface and perpendicular to the
planes. We observed a remarkable change in the tunneling conductance at high
fields where the gap-like feature shifts discontinuously from 15meV to a lower
bias of 11meV, becoming more pronounced as the field increases. The effect
takes place in increasing fields around 9T and the transition back to the
initial state occurs around 5T in decreasing fields. We argue that this
transition is driven by surface currents induced by the applied magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure
Star Formation Across the Taffy Bridge: UGC 12914/15
We present BIMA two-field mosaic CO(1-0) images of the Taffy galaxies (UGC
12914/15), which show the distinct taffy-like radio continuum emission bridging
the two spiral disks. Large amounts of molecular gas (1.4 x 10^{10} Msun, using
the standard Galactic CO-to-H conversion applicable to Galactic disk giant
molecular clouds [GMCs]) were clearly detected throughout the taffy bridge
between the two galaxies, which, as in the more extreme case of HI, presumably
results from a head-on collision between the two galaxies. The highest CO
concentration between the two galaxies corresponds to the H_alpha source in the
taffy bridge near the intruder galaxy UGC 12915. This HII region is also
associated with the strongest source of radio continuum in the bridge, and
shows both morphological and kinematic connections to UGC 12915. The overall CO
distribution of the entire system agrees well with that of the radio continuum
emission, particularly in the taffy bridge. This argues for the star formation
origin of a significant portion of the radio continuum emission. Compared to
the HI morphology and kinematics, which are strongly distorted owing to the
high-speed collision, CO better defines the orbital geometry and impact
parameter of the interaction, as well as the disk properties (e.g., rotation,
orientation) of the progenitor galaxies. Based on the 20cm-to-CO ratio maps, we
conclude that the starburst sites are primarily located in UGC 12915 and the
H_alpha source in the bridge and show that the molecular gas in the taffy
bridge is forming into stars with star formation efficiency comparable to that
of the target galaxy UGC 12914 and similar to that in the Galactic disk.Comment: Minor typo/style corrections to match with the published version (AJ,
Nov. issue). A single .ps.gz file of the entire paper can be downloaded from
http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/gao/Taffy/all.ps.g
Cumulative exposure to air pollution and long term outcomes after first acute myocardial infarction: A population-based cohort study. Objectives and methodology
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and epidemiological studies have consistently shown an increased risk for cardiovascular events in relation to exposure to air pollution. The Israel Study of First Acute Myocardial Infarction was designed to longitudinally assess clinical outcomes, psychosocial adjustment and quality of life in patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction. The current study, by introducing retrospective air pollution data, will examine the association between exposure to air pollution and outcome in myocardial infarction survivors. This report will describe the methods implemented and measures employed. The study specifically aims to examine the relationship between residential exposure to air pollution and long-term risk of recurrent coronary event, heart failure, stroke, cardiac and all-cause death in a geographically defined cohort of patients with myocardial infarction.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>All 1521 patients aged ≤65 years, admitted with first myocardial infarction between February 1992 and February 1993 to the 8 hospitals serving the population of central Israel, were followed for a median of 13 years. Data were collected on sociodemographic, clinical and environmental factors. Data from air quality monitoring stations will be incorporated retrospectively. Daily measures of air pollution will be summarised, allowing detailed maps to be developed in order to reflect chronic exposure for each participant.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study addresses some of the gaps in understanding of the prognostic importance of air pollution exposure after myocardial infarction, by allowing a sufficient follow-up period, using a well-defined community cohort, adequately controlling for multiple and multilevel confounding factors and providing extensive data on various outcomes.</p
Consenting to health record linkage: evidence from a multi-purpose longitudinal survey of a general population
Background: The British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) is the first long-running UK longitudinal survey with a non-medical focus and a sample covering the whole age range to have asked for permission to link to a range of administrative health records. This study determines whether informed consent led to selection bias and reflects on the value of the BHPS linked with health records for epidemiological research. Methods. Multivariate logistical regression is used, with whether the respondent gave consent to data linkage or not as the dependent variable. Independent variables were entered as four blocks; (i) a set of standard demographics likely to be found in most health registration data, (ii) a broader set of socio-economic characteristics, (iii) a set of indicators of health conditions and (iv) information about the use of health services. Results: Participants aged 16-24, males and those living in England were more likely to consent. Consent is not biased with respect to socio-economic characteristics or health. Recent users of GP services are underrepresented among consenters. Conclusions: Whilst data could only be linked for a minority of BHPS participants, the BHPS offers a great range of information on people's life histories, their attitudes and behaviours making it an invaluable source for epidemiological research. © 2012 Knies et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd
Spin screening of magnetic moments in superconductors
We consider ferromagnetic particles embedded into a superconductor and study
the screening of their magnetic moments by the spins of the Cooper pairs in the
superconductor. It is shown that a magnetic moment opposite to the one of the
ferromagnetic particle is induced in the superconductor. In the case of a small
itinerant ferromagnet grain and low temperatures the full screening of the
magnetic moment takes place, \textit{% i.e} the absolute value of the total
magnetic moment induced in the superconductor is equal to the one of the
ferromagnetic particle. In type II superconductors the proposed screening by
spins of the conduction electrons can be much stronger than the conventional
screening by Meissner currents.Comment: 7 pages; 2 figure
A Reflection Principle for the Control of Molecular Photodissociation in Solids: Model Simulation for F2 in Ar
Laser pulse induced photodissociation of molecules in rare gas solids is investigated by representative quantum wavepackets or classical trajectories which are directed towards, or away from cage exits, yielding dominant photodissociation into different neighbouring cages. The directionality is determined by a sequence of reflections inside the relief provided by the slopes of the potential energy surface of the excited system, which in turn depend on the initial preparation of the matrix isolated system, e.g. by laser pulses with different frequencies or by vibrational pre-excitation of the cage atoms. This reflection principle is demonstrated for a simple, two-dimensional model of F2 in Ar
QCD sum rules and thermal properties of Charmonium in the vector channel
The thermal evolution of the hadronic parameters of charmonium in the vector
channel, i.e. the J/psi resonance mass, coupling (leptonic decay constant),
total width, and continuum threshold is analyzed in the framework of thermal
Hilbert moment QCD sum rules. The continuum threshold , as in other
hadronic channels, decreases with increasing temperature until the PQCD
threshold s_0 = 4, m_Q^2 is reached at T \simeq 1.22T_c (m_Q is the charm quark
mass) and the J/psi mass is essentially constant in a wide range of
temperatures. The other hadronic parameters behave in a very different way from
those of light-light and heavy-light quark systems. The total width grows with
temperature up to T \simeq 1.04T_c beyond which it decreases sharply with
increasing T. The resonance coupling is also initially constant beginning to
increase monotonically around T \simeq T_c. This behavior strongly suggests
that the J/psi resonance might survive beyond the critical temperature for
deconfinement, in agreement with lattice QCD results.Comment: 4 pages, two figures, contribution to QCD 10, Montpellier 28th
June-2nd July 201
Mean Field Phase Diagram of SU(2)xSU(2) Lattice Higgs-Yukawa Model at Finite Lambda
The phase diagram of an SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R lattice Higgs-Yukawa model with
finite lambda is constructed using mean field theory. The phase diagram bears a
superficial resemblance to that for infinite lambda, however as lambda is
decreased the paramagnetic region shrinks in size. For small lambda the phase
transitions remain second order, and no new first order transitions are seen.Comment: 9 pages, 3 postscript figures, RevTex. To appear in PR
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