220 research outputs found
Exact spinor-scalar bound states in a QFT with scalar interactions
We study two-particle systems in a model quantum field theory, in which
scalar particles and spinor particles interact via a mediating scalar field.
The Lagrangian of the model is reformulated by using covariant Green's
functions to solve for the mediating field in terms of the particle fields.
This results in a Hamiltonian in which the mediating-field propagator appears
directly in the interaction term. It is shown that exact two-particle
eigenstates of the Hamiltonian can be determined. The resulting relativistic
fermion-boson equation is shown to have Dirac and Klein-Gordon one-particle
limits. Analytic solutions for the bound state energy spectrum are obtained for
the case of massless mediating fields.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX, 1 figur
The phase free, longitudinal, magnetic component of vacuum electromagnetism
A charge moving in a reference laboratory system with constant velocity
{\bf V} in the -axis produces in the -axis a longitudinal, phase free,
vacuum magnetic field which is identified as the radiated field
of Evans, Vigier and others.Comment: ReVTeX file, 7pp., no figure
Bremsstrahlung radiation by a tunneling particle
We study the bremsstrahlung radiation of a tunneling charged particle in a
time-dependent picture. In particular, we treat the case of bremsstrahlung
during alpha-decay, which has been suggested as a promissing tool to
investigate the problem of tunneling times. We show deviations of the numerical
results from the semiclassical estimates. A standard assumption of a preformed
particle inside the well leads to sharp high-frequency lines in the
bremsstrahlung emission. These lines correspond to "quantum beats" of the
internal part of the wavefunction during tunneling arising from the
interference of the neighboring resonances in the well.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Eikonal Approximation to 5D Wave Equations as Geodesic Motion in a Curved 4D Spacetime
We first derive the relation between the eikonal approximation to the Maxwell
wave equations in an inhomogeneous anisotropic medium and geodesic motion in a
three dimensional Riemannian manifold using a method which identifies the
symplectic structure of the corresponding mechanics. We then apply an analogous
method to the five dimensional generalization of Maxwell theory required by the
gauge invariance of Stueckelberg's covariant classical and quantum dynamics to
demonstrate, in the eikonal approximation, the existence of geodesic motion for
the flow of mass in a four dimensional pseudo-Riemannian manifold. These
results provide a foundation for the geometrical optics of the five dimensional
radiation theory and establish a model in which there is mass flow along
geodesics. Finally we discuss the case of relativistic quantum theory in an
anisotropic medium as well. In this case the eikonal approximation to the
relativistic quantum mechanical current coincides with the geodesic flow
governed by the pseudo-Riemannian metric obtained from the eikonal
approximation to solutions of the Stueckelberg-Schr\"odinger equation. This
construction provides a model for an underlying quantum mechanical structure
for classical dynamical motion along geodesics on a pseudo-Riemannian manifold.
The locally symplectic structure which emerges is that of Stueckelberg's
covariant mechanics on this manifold.Comment: TeX file. 17 pages. Rewritten for clarit
Emergence of Anti-Cancer Drug Resistance: Exploring the Importance of the Microenvironmental Niche via a Spatial Model
Practically, all chemotherapeutic agents lead to drug resistance. Clinically,
it is a challenge to determine whether resistance arises prior to, or as a
result of, cancer therapy. Further, a number of different intracellular and
microenvironmental factors have been correlated with the emergence of drug
resistance. With the goal of better understanding drug resistance and its
connection with the tumor microenvironment, we have developed a hybrid
discrete-continuous mathematical model. In this model, cancer cells described
through a particle-spring approach respond to dynamically changing oxygen and
DNA damaging drug concentrations described through partial differential
equations. We thoroughly explored the behavior of our self-calibrated model
under the following common conditions: a fixed layout of the vasculature, an
identical initial configuration of cancer cells, the same mechanism of drug
action, and one mechanism of cellular response to the drug. We considered one
set of simulations in which drug resistance existed prior to the start of
treatment, and another set in which drug resistance is acquired in response to
treatment. This allows us to compare how both kinds of resistance influence the
spatial and temporal dynamics of the developing tumor, and its clonal
diversity. We show that both pre-existing and acquired resistance can give rise
to three biologically distinct parameter regimes: successful tumor eradication,
reduced effectiveness of drug during the course of treatment (resistance), and
complete treatment failure
Brownian motion of a charged particle in electromagnetic fluctuations at finite temperature
The fluctuation-dissipation theorem is a central theorem in nonequilibrium
statistical mechanics by which the evolution of velocity fluctuations of the
Brownian particle under a fluctuating environment is intimately related to its
dissipative behavior. This can be illuminated in particular by an example of
Brownian motion in an ohmic environment where the dissipative effect can be
accounted for by the first-order time derivative of the position. Here we
explore the dynamics of the Brownian particle coupled to a supraohmic
environment by considering the motion of a charged particle interacting with
the electromagnetic fluctuations at finite temperature. We also derive
particle's equation of motion, the Langevin equation, by minimizing the
corresponding stochastic effective action, which is obtained with the method of
Feynman-Vernon influence functional. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem is
established from first principles. The backreaction on the charge is known in
terms of electromagnetic self-force given by a third-order time derivative of
the position, leading to the supraohmic dynamics. This self-force can be argued
to be insignificant throughout the evolution when the charge barely moves. The
stochastic force arising from the supraohmic environment is found to have both
positive and negative correlations, and it drives the charge into a fluctuating
motion. Although positive force correlations give rise to the growth of the
velocity dispersion initially, its growth slows down when correlation turns
negative, and finally halts, thus leading to the saturation of the velocity
dispersion. The saturation mechanism in a suparohmic environment is found to be
distinctly different from that in an ohmic environment. The comparison is
discussed.Comment: accepter by Foundation of Physics, for IARD 6, 200
Actin Cytoskeleton and Golgi Involvement in Barley stripe mosaic virus Movement and Cell Wall Localization of Triple Gene Block Proteins
Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) induces massive actin filament thickening at the infection front of infected Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. To determine the mechanisms leading to actin remodeling, fluorescent protein fusions of the BSMV triple gene block (TGB) proteins were coexpressed in cells with the actin marker DsRed: Talin. TGB ectopic expression experiments revealed that TGB3 is a major elicitor of filament thickening, that TGB2 resulted in formation of intermediate DsRed:Talin filaments, and that TGB1 alone had no obvious effects on actin filament structure. Latrunculin B (LatB) treatments retarded BSMV cell-to-cell movement, disrupted actin filament organization, and dramatically decreased the proportion of paired TGB3 foci appearing at the cell wall (CW). BSMV infection of transgenic plants tagged with GFP-KDEL exhibited membrane proliferation and vesicle formation that were especially evident around the nucleus. Similar membrane proliferation occurred in plants expressing TGB2 and/or TGB3, and DsRed: Talin fluorescence in these plants colocalized with the ER vesicles. TGB3 also associated with the Golgi apparatus and overlapped with cortical vesicles appearing at the cell periphery. Brefeldin A treatments disrupted Golgi and also altered vesicles at the CW, but failed to interfere with TGB CW localization. Our results indicate that actin cytoskeleton interactions are important in BSMV cell-to-cell movement and for CW localization of TGB3
Resource flows and nutrient balances for crop and animal production in smallholder farming systems in eastern Uganda
Phylogenetics and Pathogenesis of Early Avian Influenza Viruses (H5N1), Nigeria
Three highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 and 4 Newcastle disease viruses were isolated from sick or dead chickens in southwestern Nigeria. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis placed them within H5N1 subclade 2.2.2. Intravenous and intranasal pathogenicity tests produced systemic disease with vascular endothelial cell tropism in chickens
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