6,008 research outputs found
Critical Lines and Massive Phases in Quantum Spin Ladders with Dimerization
We determine the existence of critical lines in dimerized quantum spin
ladders in their phase diagram of coupling constants using the finite-size DMRG
algorithm. We consider both staggered and columnar dimerization patterns, and
antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic inter-leg couplings. The existence of
critical phases depends on the precise combination of these patterns. The
nature of the massive phases separating the critical lines are characterized
with generalized string order parameters that determine their valence bond
solid (VBS) content.Comment: 9 pages 10 figure
Structural Properties of Thermoresponsive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-poly(ethyleneglycol) Microgels
The application of RNA interference to treat disease is an important yet challenging concept in modern medicine. In particular, small interfering RNA (siRNA) have shown tremendous promise in the treatment of cancer. However, siRNA show poor pharmacological properties, which presents a major hurdle for effective disease treatment especially through intravenous delivery routes. In response to these shortcomings, a variety of nanoparticle carriers have emerged, which are designed to encapsulate, protect, and transport siRNA into diseased cells. To be effective as carrier vehicles, nanoparticles must overcome a series of biological hurdles throughout the course of delivery. As a result, one promising approach to siRNA carriers is dynamic versatile nanoparticles that can perform several in vivo functions.
Over the last several years, our research group has investigated hydrogel nanoparticles (nanogels) as candidate delivery vehicles for therapeutics, including siRNA. Throughout the course of our research, we have developed higher order architectures composed entirely of hydrogel components, where several different hydrogel chemistries may be isolated in unique compartments of a single construct. In this Account, we summarize a subset of our experiences in the design and application of nanogels in the context of drug delivery, summarizing the relevant characteristics for these materials as delivery vehicles for siRNA.
Through the layering of multiple, orthogonal chemistries in a nanogel structure, we can impart multiple functions to the materials. We consider nanogels as a platform technology, where each functional element of the particle may be independently tuned to optimize the particle for the desired application. For instance, we can modify the shell compartment of a vehicle for cell-specific targeting or evasion of the innate immune system, whereas other compartments may incorporate fluorescent probes or regulate the encapsulation and release of macromolecular therapeutics.
Proof-of-principle experiments have demonstrated the utility of multifunctional nanogels. For example, using a simple core/shell nanogel architecture, we have recently reported the delivery of siRNA to chemosensitize drug resistant ovarian cancer cells. Ongoing efforts have resulted in several advanced hydrogel structures, including biodegradable nanogels and multicompartment spheres. In parallel, our research group has studied other properties of the nanogels, including their behavior in confined environments and their ability to translocate through small pores
Variational and Potential Formulation for Stochastic Partial Differential Equations
There is recent interest in finding a potential formulation for Stochastic
Partial Differential Equations (SPDEs). The rationale behind this idea lies in
obtaining all the dynamical information of the system under study from one
single expression. In this Letter we formally provide a general Lagrangian
formalism for SPDEs using the Hojman et al. method. We show that it is possible
to write the corresponding effective potential starting from an s-equivalent
Lagrangean, and that this potential is able to reproduce all the dynamics of
the system, once a special differential operator has been applied. This
procedure can be used to study the complete time evolution and spatial
inhomogeneities of the system under consideration, and is also suitable for the
statistical mechanics description of the problem. Keywords: stochastic partial
differential equations, variational formulation, effective potential. PACS:
45.20.Jj; 02.50.-r; 02.50.Ey.Comment: Letter, 4 pages, no figures; v2: references added, minor change
Valence Bond States: Link models
An isotropic anti-ferromagnetic quantum state on a square lattice is
characterized by symmetry arguments only. By construction, this quantum state
is the result of an underlying valence bond structure without breaking any
symmetry in the lattice or spin spaces. A detailed analysis of the correlations
of the quantum state is given (using a mapping to a 2D classical statistical
model and methods in field theory like mapping to the non-linear sigma model or
bosonization techniques) as well as the results of numerical treatments
(regarding exact diagonalization and variational methods). Finally, the
physical relevance of the model is motivated. A comparison of the model to
known anti-ferromagnetic Mott-Hubbard insulators is given by means of the
two-point equal-time correlation function obtained i) numerically from the
suggested state and ii) experimentally from neutron scattering on cuprates in
the anti-ferromagnetic insulator phase.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures; added references, corrected some typos, new
sections. Published versio
Complete-Graph Tensor Network States: A New Fermionic Wave Function Ansatz for Molecules
We present a new class of tensor network states that are specifically
designed to capture the electron correlation of a molecule of arbitrary
structure. In this ansatz, the electronic wave function is represented by a
Complete-Graph Tensor Network (CGTN) ansatz which implements an efficient
reduction of the number of variational parameters by breaking down the
complexity of the high-dimensional coefficient tensor of a
full-configuration-interaction (FCI) wave function. We demonstrate that CGTN
states approximate ground states of molecules accurately by comparison of the
CGTN and FCI expansion coefficients. The CGTN parametrization is not biased
towards any reference configuration in contrast to many standard quantum
chemical methods. This feature allows one to obtain accurate relative energies
between CGTN states which is central to molecular physics and chemistry. We
discuss the implications for quantum chemistry and focus on the spin-state
problem. Our CGTN approach is applied to the energy splitting of states of
different spin for methylene and the strongly correlated ozone molecule at a
transition state structure. The parameters of the tensor network ansatz are
variationally optimized by means of a parallel-tempering Monte Carlo algorithm
Re-Entrant Quantum Phase Transitions in Antiferromagnetic Spin-1 Ladders
In response to recent chemical attempts to construct higher-spin ladder
materials from organic polyradicals, we study the ground-state properties of a
wide class of antiferromagnetic spin-1 ladders. Employing various numerical
tools, we reveal the rich phase diagram and correct a preceding
nonlinear-sigma-model prediction. A variational analysis well interprets the
phase competition with particular emphasis on the {\it re-entrant phase
boundary} as a function of the rung interaction.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures embedded, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Vol. 71, No. 5, 1250
(2002
Foodways in transition: food plants, diet and local perceptions of change in a Costa Rican Ngäbe community
Background
Indigenous populations are undergoing rapid ethnobiological, nutritional and socioeconomic transitions while being increasingly integrated into modernizing societies. To better understand the dynamics of these transitions, this article aims to characterize the cultural domain of food plants and analyze its relation with current day diets, and the local perceptions of changes given amongst the Ngäbe people of Southern Conte-Burica, Costa Rica, as production of food plants by its residents is hypothesized to be drastically in recession with an decreased local production in the area and new conservation and development paradigms being implemented.
Methods
Extensive freelisting, interviews and workshops were used to collect the data from 72 participants on their knowledge of food plants, their current dietary practices and their perceptions of change in local foodways, while cultural domain analysis, descriptive statistical analyses and development of fundamental explanatory themes were employed to analyze the data.
Results
Results show a food plants domain composed of 140 species, of which 85 % grow in the area, with a medium level of cultural consensus, and some age-based variation. Although many plants still grow in the area, in many key species a decrease on local production–even abandonment–was found, with much reduced cultivation areas. Yet, the domain appears to be largely theoretical, with little evidence of use; and the diet today is predominantly dependent on foods bought from the store (more than 50 % of basic ingredients), many of which were not salient or not even recognized as ‘food plants’ in freelists exercises. While changes in the importance of food plants were largely deemed a result of changes in cultural preferences for store bought processed food stuffs and changing values associated with farming and being food self-sufficient, Ngäbe were also aware of how changing household livelihood activities, and the subsequent loss of knowledge and use of food plants, were in fact being driven by changes in social and political policies, despite increases in forest cover and biodiversity.
Conclusions
Ngäbe foodways are changing in different and somewhat disconnected ways: knowledge of food plants is varied, reflecting most relevant changes in dietary practices such as lower cultivation areas and greater dependence on food from stores by all families. We attribute dietary shifts to socioeconomic and political changes in recent decades, in particular to a reduction of local production of food, new economic structures and agents related to the State and globalization
A RT-qPCR system using a degenerate probe for specific identification and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variants of concern
Fast surveillance strategies are needed to control the spread of new emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and gain time for evaluation of their pathogenic potential. This was essential for the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) that replaced the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) and is currently the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant circulating worldwide. RT-qPCR strategies complement whole genome sequencing, especially in resource lean countries, but mutations in the targeting primer and probe sequences of new emerging variants can lead to a failure of the existing RT-qPCRs. Here, we introduced an RT-qPCR platform for detecting the Delta- and the Omicron variant simultaneously using a degenerate probe targeting the key ΔH69/V70 mutation in the spike protein. By inclusion of the L452R mutation into the RT-qPCR platform, we could detect not only the Delta and the Omicron variants, but also the Omicron sub-lineages BA.1, BA.2 and BA.4/BA.5. The RT-qPCR platform was validated in small- and large-scale. It can easily be incorporated for continued monitoring of Omicron sub-lineages, and offers a fast adaption strategy of existing RT-qPCRs to detect new emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants using degenerate probes.</p
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