23,047 research outputs found
Corner transfer matrix renormalization group method for two-dimensional self-avoiding walks and other O(n) models
We present an extension of the corner transfer matrix renormalisation group
(CTMRG) method to O(n) invariant models, with particular interest in the
self-avoiding walk class of models (O(n=0)). The method is illustrated using an
interacting self-avoiding walk model. Based on the efficiency and versatility
when compared to other available numerical methods, we present CTMRG as the
method of choice for two-dimensional self-avoiding walk problems.Comment: 4 pages 7 figures Substantial rewrite of previous version to include
calculations of critical points and exponents. Final version accepted for
publication in PRE (Rapid Communications
Drugs for neglected diseases: a failure of the market and a public health failure?
Infectious diseases cause the suffering of hundreds of millions of people, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. Effective, affordable and easy-to-use medicines to fight these diseases are nearly absent. Although science and technology are sufficiently advanced to provide the necessary medicines, very few new drugs are being developed. However, drug discovery is not the major bottleneck. Today's R&D-based pharmaceutical industry is reluctant to invest in the development of drugs to treat the major diseases of the poor, because return on investment cannot be guaranteed. With national and international politics supporting a free market-based world order, financial opportunities rather than global health needs guide the direction of new drug development. Can we accept that the dearth of effective drugs for diseases that mainly affect the poor is simply the sad but inevitable consequence of a global market economy? Or is it a massive public health failure, and a failure to direct economic development for the benefit of society? An urgent reorientation of priorities in drug development and health policy is needed. The pharmaceutical industry must contribute to this effort, but national and international policies need to direct the global economy to address the true health needs of society. This requires political will, a strong commitment to prioritize health considerations over economic interests, and the enforcement of regulations and other mechanisms to stimulate essential drug development. New and creative strategies involving both the public and the private sector are needed to ensure that affordable medicines for today's neglected diseases are developed. Priority action areas include advocating an essential medicines R&D agenda, capacity-building in and technology transfer to developing countries, elaborating an adapted legal and regulatory framework, prioritizing funding for essential drug development and securing availability, accessibility, distribution and rational use of these drugs
Determination of Frequency and Distribution of Hessian Fly (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) Biotypes in the Northeastern Soft Wheat Region
Fifteen collections of Hessian flies from the northern soft winter wheat region of the United States were used to determine the composition and frequency of biotypes. The wheat cultivars \u27Seneca\u27 (H7Hs), \u27Monon\u27 (H3), \u27Knox 62\u27 (~, H7Hg), and \u27Abe\u27 (Hs) were used as differentials. Biotypes J and L replaced biotype B as the prevalent biotype in Indiana, since wheat cultivars having the Hs and the H6 genes have been grown. Biotype GP, the least virulent of any Hessian fly biotypes, was still present in New York indicating that wheat cuItivars with no genes for resistance are still being grown there. The genetic variability of Hessian fly biotypes that enables them to overcome the resistance in wheat cultivars is discussed
The Adsorption and Collapse Transitions in a Linear Polymer Chain near an Attractive Wall
We deduce the qualitative phase diagram of a long flexible neutral polymer
chain immersed in a poor solvent near an attracting surface using
phenomenological arguments. The actual positions of the phase boundaries are
estimated numerically from series expansion up to 19 sites of a self-attracting
self avoiding walk in three dimensions. In two dimensions, we calculate
analytically phase boundaries in some cases for a partially directed model.
Both the numerical as well as analytical results corroborate the proposed
qualitative phase diagram.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, revte
Filtering and Forecasting With Misspecified ARCH Models II: Making the Right Forecast With the Wrong Model
A companion paper (Nelson (1992)) showed that in data observed at high frequencies, an ARCH model may do a good job at estimating conditional variances, even when the ARCH model is severely misspecified. While such models may perform reasonably well at filtering (i.e., at estimating unobserved instantaneous conditional variances) they may perform disastrously at medium and long term forecasting. In this paper, we develop conditions under which a misspecified ARCH model successfully performs both tasks, filtering and forecasting. The key requirement (in addition to the conditions for consistent filtering) is that the ARCH model correctly specifies the functional form of the first two conditional moments of all state variables. We apply these results to a diffusion model employed in the options pricing literature, the stochastic volatility model of Hull and White (1987), Scott (1987), and Wiggins (1987)
Clustering Phase Transitions and Hysteresis: Pitfalls in Constructing Network Ensembles
Ensembles of networks are used as null models in many applications. However,
simple null models often show much less clustering than their real-world
counterparts. In this paper, we study a model where clustering is enhanced by
means of a fugacity term as in the Strauss (or "triangle") model, but where the
degree sequence is strictly preserved -- thus maintaining the quenched
heterogeneity of nodes found in the original degree sequence. Similar models
had been proposed previously in [R. Milo et al., Science 298, 824 (2002)]. We
find that our model exhibits phase transitions as the fugacity is changed. For
regular graphs (identical degrees for all nodes) with degree k > 2 we find a
single first order transition. For all non-regular networks that we studied
(including Erdos - Renyi and scale-free networks) we find multiple jumps
resembling first order transitions, together with strong hysteresis. The latter
transitions are driven by the sudden emergence of "cluster cores": groups of
highly interconnected nodes with higher than average degrees. To study these
cluster cores visually, we introduce q-clique adjacency plots. We find that
these cluster cores constitute distinct communities which emerge spontaneously
from the triangle generating process. Finally, we point out that cluster cores
produce pitfalls when using the present (and similar) models as null models for
strongly clustered networks, due to the very strong hysteresis which
effectively leads to broken ergodicity on realistic time scales.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure
The competition of hydrogen-like and isotropic interactions on polymer collapse
We investigate a lattice model of polymers where the nearest-neighbour
monomer-monomer interaction strengths differ according to whether the local
configurations have so-called ``hydrogen-like'' formations or not. If the
interaction strengths are all the same then the classical -point
collapse transition occurs on lowering the temperature, and the polymer enters
the isotropic liquid-drop phase known as the collapsed globule. On the other
hand, strongly favouring the hydrogen-like interactions give rise to an
anisotropic folded (solid-like) phase on lowering the temperature. We use Monte
Carlo simulations up to a length of 256 to map out the phase diagram in the
plane of parameters and determine the order of the associated phase
transitions. We discuss the connections to semi-flexible polymers and other
polymer models. Importantly, we demonstrate that for a range of energy
parameters two phase transitions occur on lowering the temperature, the second
being a transition from the globule state to the crystal state. We argue from
our data that this globule-to-crystal transition is continuous in two
dimensions in accord with field-theory arguments concerning Hamiltonian walks,
but is first order in three dimensions
An Ammonia Spectral Atlas of Dense Cores in Perseus
We present ammonia observations of 193 dense cores and core candidates in the
Perseus molecular cloud made using the Robert F. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. We
simultaneously observed the NH3(1,1), NH3(2,2), CCS (2_1 -> 1_0) and CC34S (2_1
-> 1_0) transitions near 23 GHz for each of the targets with a spectral
resolution of dv ~ 0.024 km/s. We find ammonia emission associated with nearly
all of the (sub)millimeter sources as well as at several positions with no
associated continuum emission. For each detection, we have measured physical
properties by fitting a simple model to every spectral line simultaneously.
Where appropriate, we have refined the model by accounting for low optical
depths, multiple components along the line of sight and imperfect coupling to
the GBT beam. For the cores in Perseus, we find a typical kinetic temperature
of T=11 K, a typical column density of N(NH3)~ 10^14.5 /cm^2 and velocity
dispersions ranging from sigma_v = 0.07 km/s to 0.7 km/s. However, many cores
with velocity dispersions > 0.2 km/s show evidence for multiple velocity
components along the line of sight.Comment: 19 pages; Accepted to ApJS; version with high resolution figures
available at http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/COMPLETE/papers/nh3-paper1.pdf ;
online data at
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/COMPLETE/data_html_pages/GBT_NH3.htm
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