245 research outputs found
Minimization of Radiation Exposure due to Computed Tomography in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Patient awareness and concern regarding the potential health risks from ionizing radiation have peaked recently (Coakley et al., 2011) following widespread press and media coverage of the projected cancer risks from the increasing use of computed tomography (CT) (Berrington et al., 2007). The typical young and educated patient with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may in particular be conscious of his/her exposure to ionising radiation as a result of diagnostic imaging. Cumulative effective doses (CEDs) in patients with IBD have been reported as being high and are rising, primarily due to the more widespread and repeated use of CT (Desmond et al., 2008). Radiologists, technologists, and referring physicians have a responsibility to firstly counsel their patients accurately regarding the actual risks of ionizing radiation exposure; secondly to limit the use of those imaging modalities which involve ionising radiation to clinical situations where they are likely to change management; thirdly to ensure that a diagnostic quality imaging examination is acquired with lowest possible radiation exposure. In this paper, we synopsize available evidence related to radiation exposure and risk and we report advances in low-dose CT technology and examine the role for alternative imaging modalities such as ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging which avoid radiation exposure
One-loop Quantum Gravity in Schwarzschild Spacetime
The quantum theory of linearized perturbations of the gravitational field of
a Schwarzschild black hole is presented. The fundamental operators are seen to
be the perturbed Weyl scalars and associated with the
Newman-Penrose description of the classical theory. Formulae are obtained for
the expectation values of the modulus squared of these operators in the
Boulware, Unruh and Hartle-Hawking quantum states. Differences between the
renormalized expectation values of both and
in the three quantum states are evaluated
numerically.Comment: 39 pages, 11 Postscript figures, using revte
Sprint interval and sprint continuous training increases circulating CD34+ cells and cardio-respiratory fitness in young healthy women
The improvement of vascular health in the exercising limb can be attained by sprint interval training (SIT).
However, the effects on systemic vascular function and on circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) which may contribute to endothelial repair have not been investigated. Additionally, a comparison between SIT and sprint continuous training (SCT) which is less time committing has not been made
Strange Attractors in Dissipative Nambu Mechanics : Classical and Quantum Aspects
We extend the framework of Nambu-Hamiltonian Mechanics to include dissipation
in phase space. We demonstrate that it accommodates the phase space
dynamics of low dimensional dissipative systems such as the much studied Lorenz
and R\"{o}ssler Strange attractors, as well as the more recent constructions of
Chen and Leipnik-Newton. The rotational, volume preserving part of the flow
preserves in time a family of two intersecting surfaces, the so called {\em
Nambu Hamiltonians}. They foliate the entire phase space and are, in turn,
deformed in time by Dissipation which represents their irrotational part of the
flow. It is given by the gradient of a scalar function and is responsible for
the emergence of the Strange Attractors.
Based on our recent work on Quantum Nambu Mechanics, we provide an explicit
quantization of the Lorenz attractor through the introduction of
Non-commutative phase space coordinates as Hermitian matrices in
. They satisfy the commutation relations induced by one of the two
Nambu Hamiltonians, the second one generating a unique time evolution.
Dissipation is incorporated quantum mechanically in a self-consistent way
having the correct classical limit without the introduction of external degrees
of freedom. Due to its volume phase space contraction it violates the quantum
commutation relations. We demonstrate that the Heisenberg-Nambu evolution
equations for the Quantum Lorenz system give rise to an attracting ellipsoid in
the dimensional phase space.Comment: 35 pages, 4 figures, LaTe
Theory of disk accretion onto supermassive black holes
Accretion onto supermassive black holes produces both the dramatic phenomena
associated with active galactic nuclei and the underwhelming displays seen in
the Galactic Center and most other nearby galaxies. I review selected aspects
of the current theoretical understanding of black hole accretion, emphasizing
the role of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and gravitational instabilities in
driving the actual accretion and the importance of the efficacy of cooling in
determining the structure and observational appearance of the accretion flow.
Ongoing investigations into the dynamics of the plunging region, the origin of
variability in the accretion process, and the evolution of warped, twisted, or
eccentric disks are summarized.Comment: Mostly introductory review, to appear in "Supermassive black holes in
the distant Universe", ed. A.J. Barger, Kluwer Academic Publishers, in pres
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