329 research outputs found
Place-Based Evaluation for Infrastructure and Spatial Projects: An Introduction
This book brings together experts in the fields of spatial planning, landuse and infrastructure management to explore the emerging agenda of spatially-oriented integrated evaluation. It weaves together the latest theories, case studies, methods, policy and practice to examine and assess the values, impacts, benefits and the overall success in integrated land-use management. In doing so, the book clarifies the nature and roles of evaluation and puts forward guidance for future policy and practice
Coulomb Correlations and Magnetic Anisotropy in ordered CoPt and FePt alloys
We present results of the magneto-crystalline anisotropy energy (MAE)
calculations for chemically ordered CoPt and FePt alloys taking into
account the effects of strong electronic correlations and spin-orbit coupling.
The local spin density + Hubbard U approximation (LSDA+U) is shown to provide a
consistent picture of the magnetic ground state properties when intra-atomic
Coulomb correlations are included for both 3 and 5 elements. Our results
demonstrate significant and complex contribution of correlation effects to
large MAE of these material.Comment: revised version; 4 pages, 2 figure
Isolated limb perfusion for local gene delivery: efficient and targeted adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into soft tissue sarcomas
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential of isolated limb perfusion (ILP) for
efficient and tumor-specific adenovirus-mediated gene transfer in
sarcoma-bearing rats. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: A major concern in
adenovirus-mediated gene therapy in cancer is the transfer of genes to
organs other than the tumor, especially organs with a rapid cell turnover.
Adjustment of the vector delivery route might be an option creating tumor
specificity in therapeutic gene expression. METHODS: Rat hind limb
sarcomas (5-10 mm) were transfected with recombinant adenoviruses.
Intratumoral luciferase expression after ILP was compared with systemic
administration, regional infusion, or intratumoral injection using a
similar dose of adenoviruses carrying the luciferase marker gene.
Localization studies using lacZ as a marker gene were performed to
evaluate the intratumoral distribution of transfected cells after both ILP
and intratumoral injection. RESULTS: Intratumoral luciferase activity
after ILP or intratumoral administration was significantly higher compared
with regional infusion or systemic administration. After ILP, luciferase
gene expression was minimal in extratumoral organs, whether outside or
inside the isolated circuit. Localization studies demonstrated that
transfection was confined to tumor cells lying along the needle track
after intratumoral injection, whereas after ILP, lacZ expression was found
in viable tumor cells and in the tumor-associated vasculature.
CONCLUSIONS: Using ILP, efficient and tumor-specific gene transfection can
be achieved. The ILP technique might be useful for the delivery of
recombinant adenoviruses carrying therapeutic gene constructs to enhance
tumor control
Quantum spin systems at positive temperature
We develop a novel approach to phase transitions in quantum spin models based
on a relation to their classical counterparts. Explicitly, we show that
whenever chessboard estimates can be used to prove a phase transition in the
classical model, the corresponding quantum model will have a similar phase
transition, provided the inverse temperature and the magnitude of the
quantum spins \CalS satisfy \beta\ll\sqrt\CalS. From the quantum system we
require that it is reflection positive and that it has a meaningful classical
limit; the core technical estimate may be described as an extension of the
Berezin-Lieb inequalities down to the level of matrix elements. The general
theory is applied to prove phase transitions in various quantum spin systems
with \CalS\gg1. The most notable examples are the quantum orbital-compass
model on and the quantum 120-degree model on which are shown to
exhibit symmetry breaking at low-temperatures despite the infinite degeneracy
of their (classical) ground state.Comment: 47 pages, version to appear in CMP (style files included
Plankton lattices and the role of chaos in plankton patchiness
Spatiotemporal and interspecies irregularities in planktonic populations have been widely observed. Much research into the drivers of such plankton patches has been initiated over the past few decades but only recently have the dynamics of the interacting patches themselves been considered. We take a coupled lattice approach to model continuous-in-time plankton patch dynamics, as opposed to the more common continuum type reaction-diffusion-advection model, because it potentially offers a broader scope of application and numerical study with relative ease. We show that nonsynchronous plankton patch dynamics (the discrete analog of spatiotemporal irregularity) arise quite naturally for patches whose underlying dynamics are chaotic. However, we also observe that for parameters in a neighborhood of the chaotic regime, smooth generalized synchronization of nonidentical patches is more readily supported which reduces the incidence of distinct patchiness. We demonstrate that simply associating the coupling strength with measurements of (effective) turbulent diffusivity results in a realistic critical length of the order of 100 km, above which one would expect to observe unsynchronized behavior. It is likely that this estimate of critical length may be reduced by a more exact interpretation of coupling in turbulent flows
Scaling violations: Connections between elastic and inelastic hadron scattering in a geometrical approach
Starting from a short range expansion of the inelastic overlap function,
capable of describing quite well the elastic pp and scattering data,
we obtain extensions to the inelastic channel, through unitarity and an impact
parameter approach. Based on geometrical arguments we infer some
characteristics of the elementary hadronic process and this allows an excellent
description of the inclusive multiplicity distributions in and
collisions. With this approach we quantitatively correlate the violations of
both geometrical and KNO scaling in an analytical way. The physical picture
from both channels is that the geometrical evolution of the hadronic
constituents is principally reponsible for the energy dependence of the
physical quantities rather than the dynamical (elementary) interaction itself.Comment: 16 pages, aps-revtex, 11 figure
Lack of a standardised UK care pathway resulting in national variations in management and outcomes of paediatric small area scalds
Tito's Bunker
Inclusion of Amoy Gardens (2003/07) in international group exhibition Tito's Bunker at WĂĽrttembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart, curated by Iris Dressler and Hans D. Christ. The exhibition reconsiders the socio-political text of a nuclear bunker built between 1953 and 1979 in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, for Josip Broz Tito, former prime minister of Yugoslavia
Pulsar kicks from a dark-matter sterile neutrino
We show that a sterile neutrino with mass in the 1-20 keV range and a small
mixing with the electron neutrino can simultaneously explain the origin of the
pulsar motions and the dark matter in the universe. An asymmetric neutrino
emission from a hot nascent neutron star can be the explanation of the observed
pulsar velocities. In addition to the pulsar kick mechanism based on resonant
neutrino transitions, we point out a new possibility: an asymmetric
off-resonant emission of sterile neutrinos. The two cases correspond to
different values of the masses and mixing angles. In both cases we identify the
ranges of parameters consistent with the pulsar kick, as well as cosmological
constraints.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; final version; discussion and references adde
Jamming at Zero Temperature and Zero Applied Stress: the Epitome of Disorder
We have studied how 2- and 3- dimensional systems made up of particles
interacting with finite range, repulsive potentials jam (i.e., develop a yield
stress in a disordered state) at zero temperature and applied stress. For each
configuration, there is a unique jamming threshold, , at which
particles can no longer avoid each other and the bulk and shear moduli
simultaneously become non-zero. The distribution of values becomes
narrower as the system size increases, so that essentially all configurations
jam at the same in the thermodynamic limit. This packing fraction
corresponds to the previously measured value for random close-packing. In fact,
our results provide a well-defined meaning for "random close-packing" in terms
of the fraction of all phase space with inherent structures that jam. The
jamming threshold, Point J, occurring at zero temperature and applied stress
and at the random close-packing density, has properties reminiscent of an
ordinary critical point. As Point J is approached from higher packing
fractions, power-law scaling is found for many quantities. Moreover, near Point
J, certain quantities no longer self-average, suggesting the existence of a
length scale that diverges at J. However, Point J also differs from an ordinary
critical point: the scaling exponents do not depend on dimension but do depend
on the interparticle potential. Finally, as Point J is approached from high
packing fractions, the density of vibrational states develops a large excess of
low-frequency modes. All of these results suggest that Point J may control
behavior in its vicinity-perhaps even at the glass transition.Comment: 21 pages, 20 figure
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