16 research outputs found

    The first muon spin rotation experiment

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    The February 15, 1957 issue of Physical Review Letters shows the first muon precession curve resulting from the stopping of `85 MeV' muons in graphite, and the resulting counting rate in a gate of fixed delay, duration, and orientation, as a function of an applied vertical magnetic field. The purpose of the four-day experiment was to test the conservation of parity in the weak interactions. It involved the sudden recognition that existing muon beams would be polarized if parity were not conserved, together with the appreciation that the angular distribution of decay electrons from the population of stopped muons could be observed (much more reliably and sensitively) by the variation with time or current of the detections in a fixed counter telescope than by the measurement of the decay asymmetry of nominally fixed muon spins. This retrospective paper explains the context, the state of the art at the time, and what we expected as a consequence of this experiment. We went on to study more accurately the magnetic moment of the muon, its gyromagnetic ratio-g-and only to a small extent used mu SR to investigate the environment of the muon in matter. Much of the paper treats the instrumentation of the time - especially that adopted in the early 1950s. The essential tools of nanosecond-range coincidence circuits and adiabatic light pipes for scintillation counters are discussed. The paper closes with some later work of the author and his colleagues - measurements of the magnetic moment of the muon and especially the CERN measurement of muon g-2. An expanded version of this presentation is posted at http:// www.fas.org/RLG. (7 refs)

    Clinical response of clozapine as a treatment for delirious mania

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    Delirious mania is an understudied psychiatric disorder with a mortality rate as high as 75%. Previous case studies suggest that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an effective treatment for delirious mania, though this procedure may not always be a viable option. We describe the case of a 20-year old patient, with no previous psychiatric history, who developed delirious mania over the course of four months. ECT was not a viable option for this patient due to his religious beliefs, so alternative treatment modalities were explored. After failing trials of risperidone and olanzapine, significant improvements in symptoms were exhibited with a trial of clozapine. We propose that clozapine may be an effective option in cases of delirious mania, when ECT is not a viable option. Additional research is still necessary to understand the pathology of this condition and potential treatment modalities

    Does a Preoperative Educational Class Increase Patient Compliance

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    Past studies have shown successful outcomes regarding the use of various interventional education methods in improving patient compliance. At our institution, different educational resources are offered and encouraged, including a 2-hour–long educational class, to prepare patients who are undergoing total joint arthroplasty procedures. Given the significant impact that patient compliance with preoperative instruction can have on overall outcomes of these procedures, this study was intended to assess the effects that the educational classes can have on patient compliance with this institution’s 6-point preoperative total joint arthroplasty protocol. The study analyzed 2 groups, those who did and did not attend the preoperative classes, and compliance rates were compared between the 2. It was hypothesized that patients who did attend the classes would be more compliant to the protocol compared to those who did not. Although results from the study showed that there were no significant differences in adherence between the 2 groups, future quality assessment studies can build off this in order to move toward achieving optimal patient compliance with preoperative instructions
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