879 research outputs found
Inelastic cotunneling in quantum dots and molecules with weakly broken degeneracies
We calculate the nonlinear cotunneling conductance through interacting
quantum dot systems in the deep Coulomb blockade regime using a rate equation
approach based on the T-matrix formalism, which shows in the concerned regions
very good agreement with a generalized master equation approach. Our focus is
on inelastic cotunneling in systems with weakly broken degeneracies, such as
complex quantum dots or molecules. We find for these systems a characteristic
gate dependence of the non-equilibrium cotunneling conductance. While on one
side of a Coulomb diamond the conductance decreases after the inelastic
cotunneling threshold towards its saturation value, on the other side it
increases monotonously even after the threshold. We show that this behavior
originates from an asymmetric gate voltage dependence of the effective
cotunneling amplitudes.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures; revised published versio
Odor naming and interpretation performance in 881 schizophrenia subjects: association with clinical parameters
BACKGROUND: Olfactory function tests are sensitive tools for assessing sensory-cognitive processing in schizophrenia. However, associations of central olfactory measures with clinical outcome parameters have not been simultaneously studied in large samples of schizophrenia patients. METHODS: In the framework of the comprehensive phenotyping of the GRAS (Göttingen Research Association for Schizophrenia) cohort, we modified and extended existing odor naming (active memory retrieval) and interpretation (attribute assignment) tasks to evaluate them in 881 schizophrenia patients and 102 healthy controls matched for age, gender and smoking behavior. Associations with emotional processing, neuropsychological test performance and disease outcome were studied. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients underperformed controls in both olfactory tasks. Odor naming deficits were primarily associated with compromised cognition, interpretation deficits with positive symptom severity and general alertness. Contrasting schizophrenia extreme performers of odor interpretation (best versus worst percentile; N=88 each) and healthy individuals (N=102) underscores the obvious relationship between impaired odor interpretation and psychopathology, cognitive dysfunctioning, and emotional processing (all p<0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The strong association of performance in higher olfactory measures, odor naming and interpretation, with lead symptoms of schizophrenia and determinants of disease severity highlights their clinical and scientific significance. Based on the results obtained here in an exploratory fashion in a large patient sample, the development of an easy-to-use clinical test with improved psychometric properties may be encouraged
The importance of initial-final state correlations for the formation of fragments in heavy ion collisions
Using quantum molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the formation of
fragments in symmetric reactions between beam energies of E=30AMeV and 600AMeV.
After a comparison with existing data we investigate some observables relevant
to tackle equilibration: dsigma/dErat, the double differential cross section
dsigma/pt.dpz.dpt,... Apart maybe from very energetic E>400AMeV and very
central reactions, none of our simulations gives evidence that the system
passes through a state of equilibrium. Later, we address the production
mechanisms and find that, whatever the energy, nucleons finally entrained in a
fragment exhibit strong initial-final state correlations, in coordinate as well
as in momentum space. At high energy those correlations resemble the ones
obtained in the participant-spectator model. At low energy the correlations are
equally strong, but more complicated; they are a consequence of the Pauli
blocking of the nucleon-nucleon collisions, the geometry, and the excitation
energy. Studying a second set of time-dependent variables (radii,
densities,...), we investigate in details how those correlations survive the
reaction especially in central reactions where the nucleons have to pass
through the whole system. It appears that some fragments are made of nucleons
which were initially correlated, whereas others are formed by nucleons
scattered during the reaction into the vicinity of a group of previously
correlated nucleons.Comment: 45 pages text + 20 postscript figures Accepted for publication in
Physical Review
Preadult polytoxicomania—strong environmental underpinnings and first genetic hints
Considering the immense societal and personal costs and suffering associated with multiple drug use or “polytoxicomania”, better understanding of environmental and genetic causes is crucial. While previous studies focused on single risk factors and selected drugs, effects of early-accumulated environmental risks on polytoxicomania were never addressed. Similarly, evidence of genetic susceptibility to particular drugs is abundant, while genetic predisposition to polytoxicomania is unexplored. We exploited the GRAS data collection, comprising information on N~2000 deep-phenotyped schizophrenia patients, to investigate effects of early-life environmental risk accumulation on polytoxicomania and additionally provide first genetic insight. Preadult accumulation of environmental risks (physical or sexual abuse, urbanicity, migration, cannabis, alcohol) was strongly associated with lifetime polytoxicomania (p = 1.5 × 10−45; OR = 31.4), preadult polytoxicomania with OR = 226.6 (p = 1.0 × 10−33) and adult polytoxicomania with OR = 17.5 (p = 3.4 × 10−24). Parallel accessibility of genetic data from GRAS patients and N~2100 controls for genome-wide association (GWAS) and phenotype-based genetic association studies (PGAS) permitted the creation of a novel multiple GWAS–PGAS approach. This approach yielded 41 intuitively interesting SNPs, potentially conferring liability to preadult polytoxicomania, which await replication upon availability of suitable deep-phenotyped cohorts anywhere world-wide. Concisely, juvenile environmental risk accumulation, including cannabis and alcohol as starter/gateway drugs, strongly predicts polytoxicomania during adolescence and adulthood. This pivotal message should launch more effective sociopolitical measures to prevent this deleterious psychiatric condition
Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation on cognitive functioning in brain disorders:a meta-analysis
Background Cognition is commonly affected in brain disorders. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may have procognitive effects, with high tolerability. This meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in improving cognition, in schizophrenia, depression, dementia, Parkinson's disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis. Methods A PRISMA systematic search was conducted for randomized controlled trials. Hedges' g was used to quantify effect sizes (ES) for changes in cognition after TMS/tDCS v. sham. As different cognitive functions may have unequal susceptibility to TMS/tDCS, we separately evaluated the effects on: attention/vigilance, working memory, executive functioning, processing speed, verbal fluency, verbal learning, and social cognition. Results We included 82 studies (n = 2784). For working memory, both TMS (ES = 0.17, p = 0.015) and tDCS (ES = 0.17, p = 0.021) showed small but significant effects. Age positively moderated the effect of TMS. TDCS was superior to sham for attention/vigilance (ES = 0.20, p = 0.020). These significant effects did not differ across the type of brain disorder. Results were not significant for the other five cognitive domains. Conclusions Our results revealed that both TMS and tDCS elicit a small trans-diagnostic effect on working memory, tDCS also improved attention/vigilance across diagnoses. Effects on the other domains were not significant. Observed ES were small, yet even slight cognitive improvements may facilitate daily functioning. While NIBS can be a well-tolerated treatment, its effects appear domain specific and should be applied only for realistic indications (i.e. to induce a small improvement in working memory or attention)
A benzene interference single-electron transistor
Interference effects strongly affect the transport characteristics of a
benzene single-electron transistor (SET) and for this reason we call it
interference SET (I-SET). We focus on the effects of degeneracies between
many-body states of the isolated benzene. We show that the particular current
blocking and selective conductance suppression occurring in the benzene I-SET
are due to interference effects between the orbitally degenerate states.
Further we study the impact of reduced symmetry due to anchor groups or
potential drop over the molecule. We identify in the quasi-degeneracy of the
involved molecular states the necessary condition for the robustness of the
results.Comment: 17pages, 9 figures, revised versio
A Streamlined Strategy for Biohydrogen Production with Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans, an Alkaliphilic Bacterium
Biofuels are anticipated to enable a shift from fossil fuels for renewable transportation and manufacturing fuels, with biohydrogen considered attractive since it could offer the largest reduction of global carbon budgets. Currently, lignocellulosic biohydrogen production remains inefficient with pretreatments that are heavily fossil fuel-dependent. However, bacteria using alkali-treated biomass could streamline biofuel production while reducing costs and fossil fuel needs. An alkaliphilic bacterium, Halanaerobium
hydrogeniformans, is described that is capable of biohydrogen production at levels rivaling neutrophilic strains, but at pH 11 and hypersaline conditions. H. hydrogeniformans ferments a variety of 5- and 6-carbon sugars derived from hemicellulose and cellulose including cellobiose, and forms the end products hydrogen, acetate, and formate. Further, it can also produce biohydrogen from switchgrass and straw pretreated at temperatures far lower than any previously reported and in solutions compatible with growth. Hence, this bacterium can potentially increase the efficiency and efficacy of biohydrogen production from renewable biomass resources
Breakup Density in Spectator Fragmentation
Proton-proton correlations and correlations of protons, deuterons and tritons
with alpha particles from spectator decays following 197Au + 197Au collisions
at 1000 MeV per nucleon have been measured with two highly efficient detector
hodoscopes. The constructed correlation functions, interpreted within the
approximation of a simultaneous volume decay, indicate a moderate expansion and
low breakup densities, similar to assumptions made in statistical
multifragmentation models.
PACS numbers: 25.70.Pq, 21.65.+f, 25.70.Mn, 25.75.GzComment: 11 pages, LaTeX with 3 included figures; Also available from
http://www-kp3.gsi.de/www/kp3/aladin_publications.htm
Breakup Conditions of Projectile Spectators from Dynamical Observables
Momenta and masses of heavy projectile fragments (Z >= 8), produced in
collisions of 197Au with C, Al, Cu and Pb targets at E/A = 600 MeV, were
determined with the ALADIN magnetic spectrometer at SIS. An analysis of
kinematic correlations between the two and three heaviest projectile fragments
in their rest frame was performed. The sensitivity of these correlations to the
conditions at breakup was verified within the schematic SOS-model. The data
were compared to calculations with statistical multifragmentation models and to
classical three-body calculations. Classical trajectory calculations reproduce
the dynamical observables. The deduced breakup parameters, however, differ
considerably from those assumed in the statistical multifragmentation models
which describe the charge correlations. If, on the other hand, the analysis of
kinematic and charge correlations is performed for events with two and three
heavy fragments produced by statistical multifragmentation codes, a good
agreement with the data is found with the exception that the fluctuation widths
of the intrinsic fragment energies are significantly underestimated. A new
version of the multifragmentation code MCFRAG was therefore used to investigate
the potential role of angular momentum at the breakup stage. If a mean angular
momentum of 0.75/nucleon is added to the system, the energy fluctuations
can be reproduced, but at the same time the charge partitions are modified and
deviate from the data.
PACS numbers: 25.70.Mn, 25.70.Pq, 25.75.Ld, 25.75.-qComment: 38 pages, RevTeX with 21 included figures; Also available from
http://www-kp3.gsi.de/www/kp3/aladin_publications.htm
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