1,043 research outputs found
Experimental Study of Small-Scale Mineral Particles in the Atmosphere of Central Asia
Abstract⎯An experimental study of small-scale mineral particles in the atmosphere over Kyrgyzstan is carried
out. It is shown that the substance of the studied particles corresponds to quartz-enriched minerals, feldspars,
layered silicates, minerals containing lime carbonate, etc. Overall, there is a definite correspondence
between the mineral particle compositions in the atmosphere of Kyrgyzstan and in the other regions of Central
Asia. The constructed size-distribution functions of the particles agree with the results of studying the
dust aerosol properties in the deserts of Central Asia obtained in the southwestern part of Tajikistan in 1989
A macroscopic multifractal analysis of parabolic stochastic PDEs
It is generally argued that the solution to a stochastic PDE with
multiplicative noise---such as , where denotes
space-time white noise---routinely produces exceptionally-large peaks that are
"macroscopically multifractal." See, for example, Gibbon and Doering (2005),
Gibbon and Titi (2005), and Zimmermann et al (2000). A few years ago, we proved
that the spatial peaks of the solution to the mentioned stochastic PDE indeed
form a random multifractal in the macroscopic sense of Barlow and Taylor (1989;
1992). The main result of the present paper is a proof of a rigorous
formulation of the assertion that the spatio-temporal peaks of the solution
form infinitely-many different multifractals on infinitely-many different
scales, which we sometimes refer to as "stretch factors." A simpler, though
still complex, such structure is shown to also exist for the
constant-coefficient version of the said stochastic PDE.Comment: 41 page
Two-band second moment model and an interatomic potential for caesium
A semi-empirical formalism is presented for deriving interatomic potentials
for materials such as caesium or cerium which exhibit volume collapse phase
transitions. It is based on the Finnis-Sinclair second moment tight binding
approach, but incorporates two independent bands on each atom. The potential is
cast in a form suitable for large-scale molecular dynamics, the computational
cost being the evaluation of short ranged pair potentials. Parameters for a
model potential for caesium are derived and tested
Isolation of Bartonella species from rodents in Taiwan including a strain closely related to 'Bartonella rochalimae' from Rattus norvegicus
An increasing number of Bartonella species originally isolated from small mammals have been identified as emerging human pathogens. During an investigation of Bartonella infection in rodent populations carried out in Taiwan in 2006, a total of 58 rodents were tested. It was determined that 10.3% (6/58) of the animals were Bartonella bacteraemic. After PCR/RFLP analysis, four isolates were identified as Bartonella elizabethae and one isolate as Bartonella tribocorum. However, there was one specific isolate with an unrecognized PCR/RFLP pattern. After further sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the gltA, ftsZ and rpoB genes, and the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region, the results indicated that this specific isolate from Rattus norvegicus was closely related to human pathogenic 'Bartonella rochalimae'. Further studies need to be conducted to evaluate whether this rodent species could be a reservoir for 'B. rochalimae'
D-Theory: Field Theory via Dimensional Reduction of Discrete Variables
A new non-perturbative approach to quantum field theory --- D-theory --- is
proposed, in which continuous classical fields are replaced by discrete
quantized variables which undergo dimensional reduction. The 2-d classical O(3)
model emerges from the (2+1)-d quantum Heisenberg model formulated in terms of
quantum spins. Dimensional reduction is demonstrated explicitly by simulating
correlation lengths up to 350,000 lattice spacings using a loop cluster
algorithm. In the framework of D-theory, gauge theories are formulated in terms
of quantum links --- the gauge analogs of quantum spins. Quantum links are
parallel transporter matrices whose elements are non-commuting operators. They
can be expressed as bilinears of anticommuting fermion constituents. In quantum
link models dimensional reduction to four dimensions occurs, due to the
presence of a 5-d Coulomb phase, whose existence is confirmed by detailed
simulations using standard lattice gauge theory. Using Shamir's variant of
Kaplan's fermion proposal, in quantum link QCD quarks appear as edge states of
a 5-d slab. This naturally protects their chiral symmetries without
fine-tuning. The first efficient cluster algorithm for a gauge theory with a
continuous gauge group is formulated for the U(1) quantum link model. Improved
estimators for Wilson loops are constructed, and dimensional reduction to
ordinary lattice QED is verified numerically.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, including 9 encapsulated postscript figures.
Contribution to Lattice 97 by 5 authors, to appear in Nuclear Physics B
(Proceeding Supplements). Requires psfig.tex and espcrc2.st
Racial differences in user experiences and perceived value of electronic symptom monitoring in a cohort of black and white bladder and prostate cancer patients
Purpose: Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) are increasingly being used for symptom monitoring during routine cancer care, but have rarely been evaluated in diverse patient populations. We assessed ePRO user experiences and perceived value among Black and White cancer patients. Methods: We recruited 30 Black and 49 White bladder and prostate cancer patients from a single institution. Participants reported symptoms using either a web-based or automated telephone interface over 3 months and completed satisfaction surveys and qualitative interviews focused on user experiences and value. Using a narrative mixed methods approach, we evaluated overall and race-specific differences in ePRO user experiences and perceived value. Results: Most participants selected the web-based system, but Blacks were more likely to use the automated telephone-based system than Whites. In satisfaction surveys, Whites more commonly reported ease in understanding and reporting symptoms compared with Blacks. Blacks more often reported that the ePRO system was helpful in facilitating symptom-related discussions with clinicians. During interviews, Blacks described how the ePRO helped them recognize symptoms, while Whites found value in better understanding and tracking symptoms longitudinally. Blacks also expressed preferences for paper-based ePRO options due to perceived ease in better understanding of symptom items. Conclusion: Electronic patient-reported outcomes are perceived as valuable for variable reasons by Black and White cancer populations, with greater perceived value for communicating with clinicians reported among Blacks. To optimize equitable uptake of ePROs, oncology practices should offer several ePRO options (e.g., web-based, phone-based), as well as paper-based options, and consider the e-health literacy needs of patients during implementation
Wave scattering from self-affine surfaces
Electromagnetic wave scattering from a perfectly reflecting self-affine
surface is considered. Within the framework of the Kirchhoff approximation, we
show that the scattering cross section can be exactly written as a function of
the scattering angle via a centered symmetric Levy distribution for general
roughness amplitude, Hurst exponent and wavelength of the incident wave. The
amplitude of the specular peak, its width and its position are discussed as
well as the power law decrease (with scattering angle) of the scattering cross
section.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages including 2 figures. Submitted Phys. Rev. Let
The phase diagram of quantum systems: Heisenberg antiferromagnets
A novel approach for studying phase transitions in systems with quantum
degrees of freedom is discussed. Starting from the microscopic hamiltonian of a
quantum model, we first derive a set of exact differential equations for the
free energy and the correlation functions describing the effects of
fluctuations on the thermodynamics of the system. These equations reproduce the
full renormalization group structure in the neighborhood of a critical point
keeping, at the same time, full information on the non universal properties of
the model. As a concrete application we investigate the phase diagram of a
Heisenberg antiferromagnet in a staggered external magnetic field. At long
wavelengths the known relationship to the Quantum Non Linear Sigma Model
naturally emerges from our approach. By representing the two point function in
an approximate analytical form, we obtain a closed partial differential
equation which is then solved numerically. The results in three dimensions are
in good agreement with available Quantum Monte Carlo simulations and series
expansions. More refined approximations to the general framework presented here
and few applications to other models are briefly discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figure
Longitudinal broadening of near side jets due to parton cascade
Longitudinal broadening along direction on near side in
two-dimensional () di-hadron correlation
distribution has been studied for central Au+Au collisions at =
200 GeV, within a dynamical multi-phase transport model. It was found that the
longitudinal broadening is generated by a longitudinal flow induced by strong
parton cascade in central Au+Au collisions, in comparison with p+p collisions
at = 200 GeV. The longitudinal broadening may shed light on the
information about strongly interacting partonic matter at RHIC.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; accepted by Eur. Phys. J.
Self-adapting method for the localization of quantum critical points using Quantum Monte Carlo techniques
A generalization to the quantum case of a recently introduced algorithm (Y.
Tomita and Y. Okabe, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 86}, 572 (2001)) for the
determination of the critical temperature of classical spin models is proposed.
We describe a simple method to automatically locate critical points in
(Quantum) Monte Carlo simulations. The algorithm assumes the existence of a
finite correlation length in at least one of the two phases surrounding the
quantum critical point. We illustrate these ideas on the example of the
critical inter-chain coupling for which coupled antiferromagnetic S=1 spin
chains order at T=0. Finite-size scaling relations are used to determine the
exponents, and in agreement with previous
estimates.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, published versio
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