Reaction-diffusion processes in zero transverse dimensions as toy models for high-energy QCD

We examine numerically different zero-dimensional reaction-diffusion processes as candidate toy models for high-energy QCD evolution. Of the models examined -- Reggeon Field Theory, Directed Percolation and Reversible Processes -- only the latter shows the behaviour commonly expected, namely an increase of the scattering amplitude with increasing rapidity. Further, we find that increasing recombination terms, quantum loops and the heuristic inclusion of a running of the couplings, generically slow down the evolution.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figure

Interplay disorder-interaction in one dimensional quantum models

URL: http://www-spht.cea.fr/articles/S98/116 Compétition entre le désordre et les interactions dans des modèles quantiques unidimensionnels 210th WE-Heraeus Seminar (PILS'98), Berlin, Germany, October 6-9, 1998We show that the crossover from the weak interaction limit towards the strong interaction limit may be accompanied by a delocalization effect in one dimensional disordered quantum models. The spin degrees of freedom are frozen and the spatial wave functions remain symmetric or antisymmetric when the strength $U$ of a short range interaction is varied. The study concerns the excited states for two interacting particles and the ground state for a finite density of carriers. First, for two particles in a chain of length $L$, we establish a duality transformation mapping the behavior at weak $U$ onto the behavior at strong $U$. For intermediate $U$, the mixing of the one body states and the interaction induced delocalization effect are maximum. Furthermore, if $L \approx L_1$ (the one particle localization length), the system becomes weakly chaotic with critical spectral statistics. This weak chaos is related to the multifractality of the interaction matrix. For two particles starting close to each other, localization is reached in two steps. Before the time $t_1$ necessary to propagate over $L_1$, $U$ de-favors the propagation. On the contrary, $U$ favors a very slow delocalization after $t_1$, characterized by a $\log(t)$ spreading of the center of mass. Similarly, the curvatures of the energy levels with respect to an enclosed magnetic flux decrease as a function of $U$ for $LL_1$. The changes of the curvatures can be described by a conductance-like single scaling parameter. Second, using the density renormalization group algorithm, we have studied the ground state energy of a finite density of spinless fermions and its change under twisted boundary conditions. For a large disorder, a charge reorganization is induced by the interaction: When the system becomes instable between the inhomogeneous configuration driven by the random potential (Anderson insulator) and the homogeneous one driven by repulsive interactions (Mott insulator), the ground state sensitivity can be enhanced by orders of magnitude. In contrast, no enhancement occurs at weaker disorder, when there are many particles on a scale $L_1$. ----- Cet article est une revue des résultats obtenus récemment par les auteurs sur le rôle joué par l'interaction dans des systèmes unidimensionnels désordonnés. La première partie de l'article traite le problème de deux particules en interaction dans un potentiel aléatoire. On montre que les deux particules peuvent se propager de façon cohérente sur une distance $L_2$ beaucoup plus grande que la longueur de localisation $L_1$ d'une particule sans interaction. L'effet de délocalisation maximale se manifeste pour une valeur de l'interaction $U$ intermédiaire entre les deux limites $U=0$ et $U\to\infty$ et une transformation de dualité permet de passer d'une limite à l'autre. La structure multifractale des termes d'interaction de l'hamiltonien dans la base des états sans interaction influence la relation entre $L_2$ et $L_1$ et empêche la transition, engendrée par l'interaction, à un régime complètement chaotique. En changeant $U$ on parvient à un régime de ``chaos faible'', caractérisé par une statistique spectrale critique intermédiaire entre la statistique de Poisson (systèmes intégrables) et de Wigner (systèmes ergodiques). On montre que l'interaction est favorable au transport quand la longueur de localisation $L_1$ est plus petite que la taille $L$ du système et au contraire est défavorable quand $L_1>L$. Ceci est montré dans l'étude de la dynamique d'une paire de particules et de la courbure des niveaux énergétiques pour une boucle traversée par un flux d'Aharonov--Bohm. La deuxième partie de l'article étudie les propriétés de l'état fondamental d'un système de fermions sans spin. Des effets importants de délocalisation se manifestent quand le système devient instable entre les configurations limites $U=0$ (isolant d'Anderson) et $U\to\infty$ (isolant de Mott). La réorganisation des charges d'une limite à l'autre s'accompagne d'une grande sensibilité de l'énergie de l'état fondamental quand les conditions de bord de périodiques deviennent antipériodiques. L'article montre que l'effet de délocalisation semble persister à la limite thermodynamique. \hfill{G. Benenti

Unital Quantum Channels - Convex Structure and Revivals of Birkhoff's Theorem

The set of doubly-stochastic quantum channels and its subset of mixtures of unitaries are investigated. We provide a detailed analysis of their structure together with computable criteria for the separation of the two sets. When applied to O(d)-covariant channels this leads to a complete characterization and reveals a remarkable feature: instances of channels which are not in the convex hull of unitaries can return to it when either taking finitely many copies of them or supplementing with a completely depolarizing channel. In these scenarios this implies that a channel whose noise initially resists any environment-assisted attempt of correction can become perfectly correctable.Comment: 31 page

Performance and carcass characteristics of steers fed with two levels of metabolizable energy intake during summer and winter season

Climate change is producing an increase on extreme weather events around the world such as flooding, drought and extreme ambient temperatures impacting animal production and animal welfare. At present, there is a lack of studies addressing the effects of climatic conditions associated with energy intake in finishing cattle in South American feed yards. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of environmental variables and level of metabolizable energy intake above maintenance requirements (MEI) on performance and carcass quality of steers. In each experiment (winter and summer), steers were fed with 1.85 or 2.72 times of their requirements of metabolizable energy of maintenance. A total of 24 crossbred steers per experiment were used and located in four pens (26.25 m2/head) equipped with a Calan Broadbent Feeding System. Animals were fed with the same diet within each season, varying the amount offered to adjust the MEI treatments. Mud depth, mud scores, tympanic temperature (TT), environmental variables, average daily gain, respiration rates and carcass characteristics plus three thermal comfort indices were collected. Data analysis considered a factorial arrangement (Season and MEI). In addition, a repeated measures analysis was performed for TT and respiration rate. Mean values of ambient temperature, solar radiation and comfort thermal indices were greater in the summer experiment as expected (P<0.005). The mean values of TT were higher in steers fed with higher MEI and also in the summer season. The average daily gain was greater during summer v. winter (1.10±0.11 v. 0.36±0.06) kg/day, also when steers were fed 2.72 v. 1.85 MEI level (0.89±0.12 v. 0.57±0.10) kg/day. In summer, respiration rate increased in 41.2% in the afternoon. In winter, muddy conditions increased with time of feeding, whereas wind speed and rainfall had significant effects on TT and average daily gain. We conclude that MEI and environmental variables have direct effects on the physiology and performance of steers, including TT and average daily gain, particularly during the winter. In addition, carcass characteristics were affected by season but not by the level of MEI. Finally, due to the high variability of data as well as the small number of animals assessed in these experiments, more studies on carcass characteristics under similar conditions are required

Improved tensor-product expansions for the two-particle density matrix

We present a new density-matrix functional within the recently introduced framework for tensor-product expansions of the two-particle density matrix. It performs well both for the homogeneous electron gas as well as atoms. For the homogeneous electron gas, it performs significantly better than all previous density-matrix functionals, becoming very accurate for high densities and outperforming Hartree-Fock at metallic valence electron densities. For isolated atoms and ions, it is on a par with previous density-matrix functionals and generalized gradient approximations to density-functional theory. We also present analytic results for the correlation energy in the low density limit of the free electron gas for a broad class of such functionals.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Unidad Experimental Demostrativa con fines educativos y de extensión.

La cátedra de Introducción a la Producción Animal cuenta con una Unidad Experimental Demostrativa  (UED) con fines educativos, de investigación y extensión. Ubicada entre las Facultades de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales y de  Ciencias Veterinarias, en la ciudad de La Plata (34º 52´LS 57º 58´LO15 msnm), goza del privilegio de posibilitar la articulación con el alumnado, comunidad educativa en general, productores e institutos de investigación aledaños. Consiste en un conejar de 40 reproductores y en un hato caprino de 30 cabras. Esta ofrece a los estudiantes la oportunidad de profundizar temas específicos de la asignatura y participar de operaciones prácticas vinculadas a la disciplina. La UED cumple, en este sentido, un rol importante en la metodología de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la Zootecnia, acercando a los estudiantes a dos especies diferentes: caprinos, como representantes de los rumiantes, y conejos, como monogástricos de transición. Durante el desarrollo del curso los alumnos van aprendiendo diferentes labores y técnicas de manejo de ambas producciones (controles de peso, condición corporal, cronometría dentaria, administración de medicamentos, seguimiento productivo de las conejas, principales características de conformación externa de las diferentes razas caprinas, etc.). En ambos casos, pueden extrapolarse metodologías de manejo a otras especies de interés zootécnico. Como complemento de éstas actividades curriculares obligatorias, tanto el conejar como el hato caprino, contribuyen a incrementar la oferta de actividades optativas (pasantías y ayudantías) requeridas por el plan de estudios para completar la formación de grado. En cuanto a las líneas de investigación  y formación de posgrado la UED provee el sustento experimental a tres tesistas doctorales del área de Nutrición Animal, uno de ellos en la producción caprina y los otros en producción cunícola. Los resultados obtenidos sistemáticamente han podido transferirse a productores de la zona, aportando fundamentalmente herramientas de manejo en áreas sensibles de ambas producciones como la reproducción y la alimentación. En Cunicultura se ha difundido el manejo reproductivo intensivo, promoviendo intervalos entre partos de 35 días, mayor productividad y menor peso relativo de la alimentación de las madres en el balance económico del establecimiento. En producción caprina, actualmente se desarrollan líneas de investigación relacionadas con nutrición, efecto fisiológico de diversas dietas y su respuesta en la calidad de los productos obtenidos (composición de la leche caprina). En el ámbito de la extensión, se brinda el servicio a laboratorios e institutos, de provisión de material vivo y animales para experimentación, alojamiento, seguimiento y mantenimiento de los mismos.

PT-symmetric Solutions of Schrodinger Equation with position-dependent mass via Point Canonical Transformation

PT-symmetric solutions of Schrodinger equation are obtained for the Scarf and generalized harmonic oscillator potentials with the position-dependent mass. A general point canonical transformation is applied by using a free parameter. Three different forms of mass distributions are used. A set of the energy eigenvalues of the bound states and corresponding wave functions for target potentials are obtained as a function of the free parameter.Comment: 13 page

Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in U.S. Hospitals: Diversification of Circulating Lineages and Antimicrobial Resistance

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) is a major cause of health care-associated infections. CRAb is typically multidrug resistant, and infection is difficult to treat. Despite the urgent threat that CRAb poses, few systematic studies of CRAb clinical and molecular epidemiology have been conducted. The Study Network of Acinetobacter as a Carbapenem-Resistant Pathogen (SNAP) is designed to investigate the clinical characteristics and contemporary population structure of CRAb circulating in U.S. hospital systems using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Analysis of the initial 120 SNAP patients from four U.S. centers revealed that CRAb remains a significant threat to hospitalized patients, affecting the most vulnerable patients and resulting in 24% all-cause 30-day mortality. The majority of currently circulating isolates belonged to ST2Pas, a part of clonal complex 2 (CC2), which is the dominant drug-resistant lineage in the United States and Europe. We identified three distinct sublineages within CC2, which differed in their antibiotic resistance phenotypes and geographic distribution. Most concerning, colistin resistance (38%) and cefiderocol resistance (10%) were common within CC2 sublineage C (CC2C), where the majority of isolates belonged to ST2Pas/ST281Ox. Additionally, we identified ST499Pas as the most common non-CC2 lineage in our study. Our findings suggest a shift within the CRAb population in the United States during the past 10 years and emphasize the importance of real-time surveillance and molecular epidemiology in studying CRAb dissemination and clinical impact

Emergence of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidade) in non-flooded forest floor in Central Amazon, Brazil: a modified emergence trap model

Information concerning the potential natural breeding sites of phlebotomine sandflies are of high epidemiological importance. However, few studies have been conducted on the subject. This is due especially to the difficulties in finding as well as extracting immature sandflies that develop in the soil and organic matter of the forest floor. In the present study, a modified emergence trap model was tested in order to find potential breeding sites. This model was tested in the Pitinga Village, situated in the Presidente Figueredo municipality, in the State of Amazonas. Twenty-seven individuals belonging to nine species (Lutzomyia umbratilis,L. monstruosa,L. ayrozai,L. anduzei,L. trichopyga,L. davisi,L. geniculata,L. georgii e L. saulensis.) were collected. Lutzomyia umbratilis showed the highest number of individuals (37.1%) of all species captured in the area. The phlebotomine productivity was estimated as 2.2 sandflies per 100 m²/day. September showed the highest density of individuals, with a productivity of 5.8.Informações acerca de potenciais criadouros naturais de flebotomíneos sempre foram de fundamental interesse epidemiológico. Contudo, são poucas as informações advindas dos diversos estudos realizados até o momento. Isto se deve principalmente às dificuldades de localização e extração dos imaturos que se desenvolvem no solo e matéria orgânica do chão de florestas. No presente estudo o modelo modificado de armadilha de emergência foi testado na Vila do Pitinga, município de Presidente Figueiredo, Estado do Amazonas, a fim de localizar potenciais criadouros naturais. Vinte e sete indivíduos de nove espécies (Lutzomyia umbratilis,L. monstruosa,L. ayrozai,L. anduzei,L. trichopyga,L. davisi,L. geniculata,L. georgii e L. saulensis) foram coletados. Lutzomyia umbratilis foi a espécie com maior número de indivíduos, 10, representando 37,1% do total. A produção de flebotomíneos foi estimada em 2,2 flebotomíneos por 100 m² por dia. Em setembro, mês com maior número de indivíduos, esta produção foi de 5,8