bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acute Arsine Poisoning Confirmed by Speciation Analysis of Arsenic Compounds in the Plasma and Urine by HPLC‐ICP‐MS
Authors: Yoshimura Yukihiro , Endo Yoko , Shimoda Yasuyo , Yamanaka Kenzo , Endo Ginji 
Published: November 2010

Acute Arsine Poisoning Conirmed by Speciation Analysis of Arsenic Compounds in the Plasma and Urine by HPLC‐ICP‐MS: Yukihiro Yoshimura, et al. Department of Infectious Disease, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital—ObjectivesArsine, a potent hemolytic agent, is widely used in the semiconductor industry. We report a case of arsine poisoning conirmed by arsenic speciation analysis in serum and urine that occurred in a recycling factory.CaseA male worker in his twenties noticed hematuria 3 h after inishing work and was admitted into our hospital 34 h later. Speciation analysis of arsenics in serum and urine samples was performed using HPLCICP‐MS. On admission, anemia, hematuria, and renal and liver dysfunction were observed. His clinicalcondition had improved remarkably after 5‐days of transfusion and 4 units of RBC transfusion. The total arsenic content in the serum was 244.8 µg/l at admission and 97.1 µg/l at discharge. In the speciation analysis, four kinds of As compounds derived from arsine metabolism were detected in serum and urine. The concentrations of arsenite (AsIII), arsenate (AsV), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in serum at admission were 45.8, 5.2, 17.9 and 9.3 µg/l, respectively. The concentrations of AsIII, AsV and MMA decreased with biological half‐lives (BHL) of 30.1, 43.0, and 96.3 h, respectively, while that of DMA was increased towards discharge. The urinary AsIII, AsV, MMA, and DMA concentrations at discharge were384.5, 20.8, 547.4 and 1816.3 µg/g creatinine, respectively. These concentrations in urine subsequently decreased and their BHL was 15 days.ConclusionThe results of the present study suggest that arsine is quickly metabolized to AsCII and then metabolized via MMA to DMA in humans.
Change in Coping Strategies Following Intensive Intervention for Special‐service Military Personnel as Civil Emergency Responders
Authors: Bian Yongqiao , Xiong Hongyan , Zhang Lu , Tang Tian , Liu Zhen , Xu Rufu , Lin Hui , Xu Bing 
Published: November 2010

Change in Coping Strategies Following Intensive Intervention for Special‐service Military Personnel as Civil Emergency Responders: Yongqiao Bian, et al. Department of Military Epidemiology, College of Military Prevention, Third Military Medical University, ChinaObjectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of a coping training program for the Chinese Special‐Service Military Personnel (SSMP) as civil emergency responders.MethodsA parallel control trial was carried out in four specialservice units (camps) stationed in Chongqing, China from Feb. 14th to May 30th, 2009. A total of 396 subjects were recruited and were randomly divided into an intervention group (n=201) and a control group (n=195) by clustering. Over the trial, participants in the intervention group Received an additional coping‐training program with 14 weekly two‐hour sessions while the control group continued their normal work.ResultsOf all 396 participants, 343 attended all the sessions and completed the given measures. In comparison to their own scores in coping strategies at pre‐intervention, significant and positive changes were observed in the intervention group (n=176) at post‐intervention. Except for the strategy of self‐blaming, the coping strategies including problem‐solving, help‐seeking, avoidance, fantasy and rationalization were improved. The descending order of the absolute change values over the trial in 5 coping strategies was fantasy, help‐seeking, avoidance, problem‐solving and rationalization. In addition, most subscales of social support and self consistency, as powerful predictors of coping strategies, changed significantly over the intervention, while these changes were not observed in the control group (n=167). Conclusions: With the combined use of modular contents and procedural methods, our intervention not only led to fewer choices of immature coping strategies like fantasy, escape and rationalization, but also raised the use of mature coping strategies such as problemsolving and help‐seeking. Accordingly, the intervention will be very helpful for regular coping training of Special‐Service Units, something which can be verified and generalized for the whole SSMP in a future study.
An invariant of nonpositively curved contact manifolds
Authors: Kuessner Thilo 
Published: November 2010

Abstract
We define an invariant of contact structures and foliations (on Riemannian manifolds of nonpositive sectional curvature) which is upper semi-continuous with respect to deformations and thus gives an obstruction to the topology of foliations which can be approximated by isotopies of a given contact structure.
Unbounded solutions of third order delayed differential equations with damping term
Authors: Bartušek Miroslav , Cecchi Mariella , Došlá Zuzana , Marini Mauro 
Published: November 2010

Abstract
Globally positive solutions for the third order differential equation with the damping term and delay, $$
x''' + q(t)x'(t) - r(t)f(x(\phi (t))) = 0,
$$ are studied in the case where the corresponding second order differential equation $$
y'' + q(t)y = 0
$$ is oscillatory. Necessary and sufficient conditions for all nonoscillatory solutions of (*) to be unbounded are given. Furthermore, oscillation criteria ensuring that any solution is either oscillatory or unbounded together with its first and second derivatives are presented. The comparison of results with those in the case when (**) is nonoscillatory is given, as well.
Short-wave excitations in non-local Gross-Pitaevskii model
Authors: Ivashin Anatoly , Poluektov Yuri 
Published: November 2010

Abstract
We show that a non-local form of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation describes not only long-wave excitations, but also the short-wave ones in Bose-condensate systems. At certain parameter values, the excitation spectrum mimics the Landau spectrum of quasi-particle excitations in superfluid helium with roton minimum. The excitation wavelength, at which the roton minimum exists, is close to the inter-particle interaction range. We determine how the roton gap and the effective roton mass depend on the interaction potential parameters, and show that the existence domain of the spectrum with a roton minimum is reduced if one accounts for an inter-particle attraction.
Numerical analysis of the Anderson localization
Authors: Markoš P. 
Published: November 2010

Numerical analysis of the Anderson localizationThe aim of this paper is to demonstrate, by simple numerical simulations, the main transport properties of disordered electron systems. These systems undergo the metal insulator transition when either Fermi energy crosses the mobility edge or the strength of the disorder increases over critical value. We study how disorder affects the energy spectrum and spatial distribution of electronic eigenstates in the diffusive and insulating regime, as well as in the critical region of the metal-insulator transition. Then, we introduce the transfer matrix and conductance, and we discuss how the quantum character of the electron propagation influences the transport properties of disordered samples. In the weakly disordered systems, the weak localization and anti-localization as well as the universal conductance fluctuation are numerically simulated and discussed. The localization in the one dimensional system is described and interpreted as a purely quantum effect. Statistical properties of the conductance in the critical and localized regimes are demonstrated. Special attention is given to the numerical study of the transport properties of the critical regime and to the numerical verification of the single parameter scaling theory of localization. Numerical data for the critical exponent in the orthogonal models in dimension 2 <
Guide to mathematical concepts of quantum theory
Authors: Heinosaari Teiko , Ziman Mario 
Published: November 2010

Guide to mathematical concepts of quantum theoryQuantum Theory is one of the pillars of modern science developed over the last hundred years. In this review paper we introduce, step by step, the quantum theory understood as a mathematical model describing quantum experiments. We start with splitting the experiment into two parts: a preparation process and a measurement process leading to a registration of a particular outcome. These two ingredients of the experiment are represented by states and effects, respectively. Further, the whole picture of quantum measurement will be developed and concepts of observables, instruments and measurement models representing the three different descriptions on experiments will be introduced. In the second stage, we enrich the model of the experiment by introducing the concept of quantum channel describing the system changes between preparations and measurements. At the very end we review the elementary properties of quantum entanglement. The text contains many examples and exercise covering also many topics from quantum information theory and quantum measurement theory. The goal is to give a mathematically clear and self-containing explanation of the main concepts of the modern language of quantum theory.
Electronic structure quantum Monte Carlo
Authors: Bajdich Michal , Mitas Lubos 
Published: November 2010

Electronic structure quantum Monte CarloQuantum Monte Carlo (QMC) is an advanced simulation methodology for studies of manybody quantum systems. The QMC approaches combine analytical insights with stochastic computational techniques for efficient solution of several classes of important many-body problems such as the stationary Schrödinger equation. QMC methods of various flavors have been applied to a great variety of systems spanning continuous and lattice quantum models, molecular and condensed systems, BEC-BCS ultracold condensates, nuclei, etc. In this review, we focus on the electronic structure QMC, i.e., methods relevant for systems described by the electron-ion Hamiltonians. Some of the key QMC achievements include direct treatment of electron correlation, accuracy in predicting energy differences and favorable scaling in the system size. Calculations of atoms, molecules, clusters and solids have demonstrated QMC applicability to real systems with hundreds of electrons while providing 90-95% of the correlation energy and energy differences typically within a few percent of experiments. Advances in accuracy beyond these limits are hampered by the so-called fixed-node approximation which is used to circumvent the notorious fermion sign problem. Many-body nodes of fermion states and their properties have therefore become one of the important topics for further progress in predictive power and efficiency of QMC calculations. Some of our recent results on the wave function nodes and related nodal domain topologies will be briefly reviewed. This includes analysis of few-electron systems and descriptions of exact and approximate nodes using transformations and projections of the highly-dimensional nodal hypersurfaces into the 3D space. Studies of fermion nodes offer new insights into topological properties of eigenstates such as explicit demonstrations that generic fermionic ground states exhibit the minimal number of two nodal domains. Recently proposed trial wave functions based on Pfaffians with pairing orbitals are presented and their nodal properties are tested in calculations of first row atoms and molecules. Finally, backflow "dressed" coordinates are introduced as another possibility for capturing correlation effects and for decreasing the fixed-node bias.
Statistical physics of hard optimization problems
Authors: Zdeborová Lenka 
Published: November 2010

Statistical physics of hard optimization problemsOptimization is fundamental in many areas of science, from computer science and information theory to engineering and statistical physics, as well as to biology or social sciences. It typically involves a large number of variables and a cost function depending on these variables. Optimization problems in the non-deterministic polynomial (NP)-complete class are particularly difficult, it is believed that the number of operations required to minimize the cost function is in the most difficult cases exponential in the system size. However, even in an NP-complete problem the practically arising instances might, in fact, be easy to solve. The principal question we address in this article is: How to recognize if an NP-complete constraint satisfaction problem is typically hard and what are the main reasons for this? We adopt approaches from the statistical physics of disordered systems, in particular the cavity method developed originally to describe glassy systems. We describe new properties of the space of solutions in two of the most studied constraint satisfaction problems - random satisfiability and random graph coloring. We suggest a relation between the existence of the so-called frozen variables and the algorithmic hardness of a problem. Based on these insights, we introduce a new class of problems which we named "locked" constraint satisfaction, where the statistical description is easily solvable, but from the algorithmic point of view they are even more challenging than the canonical satisfiability.
Quantum theory of unambiguous measurements
Authors: Sedlák Michal 
Published: November 2010

Quantum theory of unambiguous measurementsIn the present paper I formulate a framework that accommodates many unambiguous discrimination problems. I show that the prior information about any type of constituent (state, channel, or observable) allows us to reformulate the discrimination among finite number of alternatives as the discrimination among finite number of average constituents. Using this framework I solve several unambiguous tasks. I present a solution to optimal unambiguous comparison of two ensembles of unknown quantum states. I consider two cases: 1) The two unknown states are arbitrary pure states of qudits. 2) Alternatively, they are coherent states of single-mode optical fields. For this case I propose simple and optimal experimental setup composed of beam-splitters and a photodetector. As a second tasks I consider an unambiguous identification (UI) of coherent states. In this task identical quantum systems are prepared in coherent states and labeled as unknown and reference states, respectively. The promise is that one reference state is the same as the unknown state and the task is to find out unambiguously which one it is. The particular choice of the reference states is unknown to us, and only the probability distribution describing this choice is known. In a general case when multiple copies of unknown and reference states are available I propose a scheme consisting of beamsplitters and photodetectors that is optimal within linear optics. UI can be considered as a search in a quantum database, whose elements are the reference states and the query is represented by the unknown state. This perspective motivated me to show that reference states can be recovered after the measurement and might be used (with reduced success rate) in subsequent UI. Moreover, I analyze the influence of noise in preparation of coherent states on the performance of the proposed setup. Another problem I address is the unambiguous comparison of a pair of unknown qudit unitary channels. I characterize all solutions and identify the optimal ones. I prove that in optimal experiments for comparison of unitary channels the entanglement is necessary. The last task I studied is the unambiguous comparison of unknown non-degenerate projective measurements. I distinguish between measurement devices with apriori labeled and unlabeled outcomes. In both cases only the difference of the measurements can be concluded unambiguously. For the labeled case I derive the optimal strategy if each unknown measurement is used only once. However, if the apparatuses are not labeled, then each measurement device must be used (at least) twice. In particular, for qubit measurement apparatuses with unlabeled outcomes I derive the optimal test state in the two-shots scenario.
Serum hepatitis B surface antigen concentration correlates with HBV DNA level in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Su Tung-Hung , Hsu Ching-Sheng , Chen Chi-Ling , Liu Chen-Hua , Huang Yi-Wen , Tseng Tai-Chung , Liu Chun-Jen , Chen Pei-Jer , Lai Ming-Yang , Chen Ding-Shinn , Kao Jia-Horng 
Published: November 2010

Background Serum HBV DNA level is crucial in the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB); however, the assay is expensive and cannot be used widely. Therefore, we explored the possibility of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) quantification as a surrogate marker for HBV DNA level in CHB patients. Methods A total of 289 CHB patients were enrolled, 251 were evaluated at baseline and 75 of them were also evaluated during anti-HBV treatment. Another 38 on-treatment patients were used for validation. Serum HBsAg titre was quantified by an immunoassay and HBV DNA level by a PCR-based method. Baseline and on-treatment data were analysed. Results In parallel to log10 HBV DNA, the log10 HBsAg was high in both immune tolerance and immune clearance phases, and significantly decreased in the inactive carrier state and was again increased in the reactivation phase of the CHB infection. There was a positive correlation between log10 HBsAg and log10 HBV DNA, which was greater in patients with chronic hepatitis, hepatitis B e antigen- positivity, greater alanine aminotransferase or HBsAg levels at baseline and during pegylated interferon treatment. Log10 HBsAg could predict log10 HBV DNA independently. An HBsAg titre of >900 IU/ml at baseline or >1,500 IU/ml within the first year of treatment could predict an HBV DNA level of >20,000 IU/ml, especially in subgroups of chronic hepatitis with alanine aminotransferase levels >40 IU/l. The dynamics of HBsAg might also predict serial HBV DNA changes. In the validation group, 64% of patients with on-treatment HBV DNA levels >20,000 IU/ml could be correctly predicted. Conclusions Serum HBsAg concentration might serve as a surrogate marker of HBV DNA level in CHB patients.
Polyclonal dissemination of tetracycline resistance among Streptococcus pyogenes paediatric isolates from Brazil
Authors: Smeesters Pierre Robert , Cadar Sabina , Drèze Pierre-Alexandre , Campos Dioclécio , Van Melderen Laurence 
Published: November 2010

Introduction: Scarce data are available on Group A Streptococcus (GAS) antibiotic resistance in South America. Methodology: The antibiotic susceptibility patterns of GAS recovered from symptomatic children living in the central part of Brazil during a prospective epidemiological study were analyzed. Results: No isolates were resistant to penicillin or macrolides. Sixty-one percent of the isolates were highly resistant to tetracycline, of which 85% harboured the tetM resistance gene. Ninety-five percent of these tetracycline resistant isolates were also resistant to minocycline. Thirty different emm-types were associated with tetracycline resistance. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that tetracycline resistance arose independently in distantly related emm-types. Conclusions: A high level of GAS tetracycline resistance has been observed in the central part of Brazil due to the polyclonal dissemination of resistant emm-types.
Salmonella enterica Serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A are avirulent in newborn and infant mice even when expressing virulence plasmid genes of Salmonella Typhimurium
Authors: Santander Javier , Curtiss III Roy 
Published: November 2010

Background: Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A are human host-restricted pathogens. Therefore, there is no small susceptible animal host that can be used to assess the virulence and safety of vaccine strains derived from these Salmonella serovars. However, infant mice have been used to evaluate virulence and colonization by another human host-restricted pathogen, Vibrio cholerae. Methodology: The possibility that infant mice host could be adapted for Salmonella led us to investigate the susceptibility of newborn and infant mice to oral infection with S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium causes enteric fever in adult mice and this system has been used as a model for human typhoid. The pSTV virulence plasmid, not present in S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A, plays an essential role in S. Typhimurium colonization and systemic infection of mice. We also conjugated pSTV into S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A serovars and evaluated these transconjugants in newborn and infant mice. Results: We determined that the spv virulence genes from the S. Typhimurium virulence plasmid are expressed in S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A in a RpoS dependent fashion. Also, we determined that S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A with and without pSTV transiently colonize newborn and infant mice tissues. Conclusion: Newborn and infant mice infected with S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A do not succumb to the infection and that carriage of the S. Typhimurium virulence plasmid, pSTV, did not influence these results.
Clarithromycin-based triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori treatment in peptic ulcer patients
Authors: Felga Guilherme , Silva Fernando Marcuz , Barbuti Ricardo Correa , Navarro-Rodriguez Tomas , Zaterka Schlioma , Eisig Jaime Natan 
Published: November 2010

Introduction: The scheme proton pump inhibitor/amoxicillin/clarithromycin (PPI/AC) is still the first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections despite evidence suggesting its failure in up to 20% to 30% of patients. Methodology: This study involved 493 patients who were prescribed omeprazole (20 mg twice a day) or another proton pump inhibitor in equivalent dosage, amoxicillin (1 g twice a day), and clarithromycin (500 mg twice a day) for seven days. Efficacy was determined by negative urease test and absence of H. pylori on gastric biopsy samples twelve weeks after the end of treatment. Safety was defined according to the adverse effects reported. Mean age of the patients was (± SD) 48.96 ± 13, and demographic and clinical data were recorded for correlation with treatment outcomes. Results: Out of 493 patients, 316 (64.1%) presented duodenal ulcer, 111 (22.5%) gastric ulcer, and 66 (14.4%) simultaneous gastric and duodenal ulcers. Additionally, 267 (54.2%) patients had at least one risk factor for peptic ulcer disease, smoking being the most common (99 [36.5%]). Successful eradication was achieved in 408 patients. The eradication rates per protocol, and according to the intention to treat, were 88.8% and 82.7%, respectively. Of 164 (35.5%) patients who presented adverse effects, 100 (61%) reported them as mild and only six (3.7%) patients had to discontinue treatment. Previous use of tobacco and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs was the only risk factor for treatment failure (P 0.00). Conclusion: PPI/AC is still a valuable and remarkably tolerable option for first-line H. pylori eradication in Brazil.