1,556 research outputs found
Topological analysis of polymeric melts: Chain length effects and fast-converging estimators for entanglement length
Primitive path analyses of entanglements are performed over a wide range of
chain lengths for both bead spring and atomistic polyethylene polymer melts.
Estimators for the entanglement length N_e which operate on results for a
single chain length N are shown to produce systematic O(1/N) errors. The
mathematical roots of these errors are identified as (a) treating chain ends as
entanglements and (b) neglecting non-Gaussian corrections to chain and
primitive path dimensions. The prefactors for the O(1/N) errors may be large;
in general their magnitude depends both on the polymer model and the method
used to obtain primitive paths. We propose, derive and test new estimators
which eliminate these systematic errors using information obtainable from the
variation of entanglement characteristics with chain length. The new estimators
produce accurate results for N_e from marginally entangled systems. Formulas
based on direct enumeration of entanglements appear to converge faster and are
simpler to apply.Comment: Major revisions. Developed near-ideal estimators which operate on
multiple chain lengths. Now test these on two very different model polymers
Identifying children with Cystic Fibrosis in population-scale routinely collected data in Wales
IntroductionThe challenges in identifying a cohort of people with a rare condition can be addressed by routinely collected, population-scale electronic health record (EHR) data, which provide large volumes of data at a national level. This paper describes the challenges of accurately identifying a cohort of children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) using EHR and their validation against the UK CF Registry.ObjectivesTo establish a proof of principle and provide insight into the merits of linked data in CF research; to identify the benefits of access to multiple data sources, in particular the UK CF Registry data, and to demonstrate the opportunity it represents as a resource for future CF research.MethodsThree EHR data sources were used to identify children with CF born in Wales between 1st January 1998 and 31st August 2015 within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. The UK CF Registry was later acquired by SAIL and linked to the EHR cohort to validate the cases and explore the reasons for misclassifications.ResultsWe identified 352 children with CF in the three EHR data sources. This was greater than expected based on historical incidence rates in Wales. Subsequent validation using the UK CF Registry found that 257 (73%) of these were true cases. Approximately 98.7% (156/158) of individuals identified as CF cases in all three EHR data sources were confirmed as true cases; but this was only the case for 19.8% (20/101) of all those identified in just a single data source.ConclusionIdentifying health conditions in EHR data can be challenging, so data quality assurance and validation is important or the merit of the research is undermined. This retrospective review identifies some of the challenges in identifying CF cases and demonstrates the benefits of linking cases across multiple data sources to improve quality
Angular Correlations in Internal Pair Conversion of Aligned Heavy Nuclei
We calculate the spatial correlation of electrons and positrons emitted by
internal pair conversion of Coulomb excited nuclei in heavy ion collisions. The
alignment or polarization of the nucleus results in an anisotropic emission of
the electron-positron pairs which is closely related to the anisotropic
emission of -rays. However, the angular correlation in the case of
internal pair conversion exhibits diverse patterns. This might be relevant when
investigating atomic processes in heavy-ion collisions performed at the Coulomb
barrier.Comment: 27 pages + 6 eps figures, uses revtex.sty and epsf.sty,
tar-compressed and uuencoded with uufile
On the Geometry of Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanical Systems
We consider some simple examples of supersymmetric quantum mechanical systems
and explore their possible geometric interpretation with the help of geometric
aspects of real Clifford algebras. This leads to natural extensions of the
considered systems to higher dimensions and more complicated potentials.Comment: 18 page
Measurement of the 187Re({\alpha},n)190Ir reaction cross section at sub-Coulomb energies using the Cologne Clover Counting Setup
Uncertainties in adopted models of particle+nucleus optical-model potentials
directly influence the accuracy in the theoretical predictions of reaction
rates as they are needed for reaction-network calculations in, for instance,
{\gamma}-process nucleosynthesis. The improvement of the {\alpha}+nucleus
optical-model potential is hampered by the lack of experimental data at
astrophysically relevant energies especially for heavier nuclei. Measuring the
Re187({\alpha},n)Ir190 reaction cross section at sub-Coulomb energies extends
the scarce experimental data available in this mass region and helps
understanding the energy dependence of the imaginary part of the
{\alpha}+nucleus optical-model potential at low energies. Applying the
activation method, after the irradiation of natural rhenium targets with
{\alpha}-particle energies of 12.4 to 14.1 MeV, the reaction yield and thus the
reaction cross section were determined via {\gamma}-ray spectroscopy by using
the Cologne Clover Counting Setup and the method of {\gamma}{\gamma}
coincidences. Cross-section values at five energies close to the
astrophysically relevant energy region were measured. Statistical model
calculations revealed discrepancies between the experimental values and
predictions based on widely used {\alpha}+nucleus optical-model potentials.
However, an excellent reproduction of the measured cross-section values could
be achieved from calculations based on the so-called Sauerwein-Rauscher
{\alpha}+nucleus optical-model potential. The results obtained indicate that
the energy dependence of the imaginary part of the {\alpha}+nucleus
optical-model potential can be described by an exponential decrease. Successful
reproductions of measured cross sections at low energies for {\alpha}-induced
reactions in the mass range 141{\leq}A{\leq}187 confirm the global character of
the Sauerwein-Rauscher potential
Coupling to haloform molecules in intercalated C60?
For field-effect-doped fullerenes it was reported that the superconducting
transition temperature Tc is markedly larger for C60.2CHX_3 (X=Cl, Br)
crystals, than for pure C60. Initially this was explained by the expansion of
the volume per C60-molecule and the corresponding increase in the density of
states at the Fermi level in the intercalated crystals. On closer examination
it has, however, turned out to be unlikely that this is the mechanism behind
the increase in Tc. An alternative explanation of the enhanced transition
temperatures assumes that the conduction electrons not only couple to the
vibrational modes of the C60-molecule, but also to the modes of the
intercalated molecules. We investigate the possibility of such a coupling. We
find that, assuming the ideal bulk structure of the intercalated crystal, both
a coupling due to hybridization of the molecular levels, and a coupling via
dipole moments should be very small. This suggests that the presence of the
gate-oxide in the field-effect-devices strongly affects the structure of the
fullerene crystal at the interface.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, to be published in PRB (rapid communication
Derivation of Boltzmann Principle
We present a derivation of Boltzmann principle
based on classical mechanical models of thermodynamics. The argument is based
on the heat theorem and can be traced back to the second half of the nineteenth
century with the works of Helmholtz and Boltzmann. Despite its simplicity, this
argument has remained almost unknown. We present it in a modern, self-contained
and accessible form. The approach constitutes an important link between
classical mechanics and statistical mechanics
Analysis of the Accuracy of Prediction of the Celestial Pole Motion
VLBI observations carried out by global networks provide the most accurate
values of the precession-nutation angles determining the position of the
celestial pole; as a rule, these results become available two to four weeks
after the observations. Therefore, numerous applications, such as satellite
navigation systems, operational determination of Universal Time, and space
navigation, use predictions of the coordinates of the celestial pole. In
connection with this, the accuracy of predictions of the precession- nutation
angles based on observational data obtained over the last three years is
analyzed for the first time, using three empiric nutation models---namely,
those developed at the US Naval Observatory, the Paris Observatory, and the
Pulkovo Observatory. This analysis shows that the last model has the best of
accuracy in predicting the coordinates of the celestial pole. The rms error for
a one-month prediction proposed by this model is below 100 microarcsecond.Comment: 13 p
Principle of Maximum Entropy Applied to Rayleigh-B\'enard Convection
A statistical-mechanical investigation is performed on Rayleigh-B\'enard
convection of a dilute classical gas starting from the Boltzmann equation. We
first present a microscopic derivation of basic hydrodynamic equations and an
expression of entropy appropriate for the convection. This includes an
alternative justification for the Oberbeck-Boussinesq approximation. We then
calculate entropy change through the convective transition choosing mechanical
quantities as independent variables. Above the critical Rayleigh number, the
system is found to evolve from the heat-conducting uniform state towards the
convective roll state with monotonic increase of entropy on the average. Thus,
the principle of maximum entropy proposed for nonequilibrium steady states in a
preceding paper is indeed obeyed in this prototype example. The principle also
provides a natural explanation for the enhancement of the Nusselt number in
convection.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures; typos corrected; Eq. (66a) corrected to remove a
double counting for ; Figs. 1-4 replace
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