837 research outputs found
Ray and wave chaos in asymmetric resonant optical cavities
Optical resonators are essential components of lasers and other
wavelength-sensitive optical devices. A resonator is characterized by a set of
modes, each with a resonant frequency omega and resonance width Delta
omega=1/tau, where tau is the lifetime of a photon in the mode. In a
cylindrical or spherical dielectric resonator, extremely long-lived resonances
are due to `whispering gallery' modes in which light circulates around the
perimeter trapped by total internal reflection. These resonators emit light
isotropically. Recently, a new category of asymmetric resonant cavities (ARCs)
has been proposed in which substantial shape deformation leads to partially
chaotic ray dynamics. This has been predicted to give rise to a universal,
frequency-independent broadening of the whispering-gallery resonances, and
highly anisotropic emission. Here we present solutions of the wave equation for
ARCs which confirm many aspects of the earlier ray-optics model, but also
reveal interesting frequency-dependent effects characteristic of quantum chaos.
For small deformations the lifetime is controlled by evanescent leakage, the
optical analogue of quantum tunneling. We find that the lifetime is much
shortened by a process known as `chaos-assisted tunneling'. In contrast, for
large deformations (~10%) some resonances are found to have longer lifetimes
than predicted by the ray chaos model due to `dynamical localization'.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX with 7 Postscript figure
The elliptic genus from split flows and Donaldson-Thomas invariants
We analyze a mixed ensemble of low charge D4-D2-D0 brane states on the
quintic and show that these can be successfully enumerated using attractor flow
tree techniques and Donaldson-Thomas invariants. In this low charge regime one
needs to take into account worldsheet instanton corrections to the central
charges, which is accomplished by making use of mirror symmetry. All the
charges considered can be realized as fluxed D6-D2-D0 and anti-D6-D2-D0 pairs
which we enumerate using DT invariants. Our procedure uses the low charge
counterpart of the picture developed Denef and Moore. By establishing the
existence of flow trees numerically and refining the index factorization
scheme, we reproduce and improve some results obtained by Gaiotto, Strominger
and Yin. Our results provide appealing evidence that the strong split flow tree
conjecture holds and allows to compute exact results for an important sector of
the theory. Our refined scheme for computing indices might shed some light on
how to improve index computations for systems with larger charges.Comment: 37 pages, 12 figure
Numerical Hermitian Yang-Mills Connections and Vector Bundle Stability in Heterotic Theories
A numerical algorithm is presented for explicitly computing the gauge
connection on slope-stable holomorphic vector bundles on Calabi-Yau manifolds.
To illustrate this algorithm, we calculate the connections on stable monad
bundles defined on the K3 twofold and Quintic threefold. An error measure is
introduced to determine how closely our algorithmic connection approximates a
solution to the Hermitian Yang-Mills equations. We then extend our results by
investigating the behavior of non slope-stable bundles. In a variety of
examples, it is shown that the failure of these bundles to satisfy the
Hermitian Yang-Mills equations, including field-strength singularities, can be
accurately reproduced numerically. These results make it possible to
numerically determine whether or not a vector bundle is slope-stable, thus
providing an important new tool in the exploration of heterotic vacua.Comment: 52 pages, 15 figures. LaTex formatting of figures corrected in
version 2
Numerical Hermitian Yang-Mills Connections and Kahler Cone Substructure
We further develop the numerical algorithm for computing the gauge connection
of slope-stable holomorphic vector bundles on Calabi-Yau manifolds. In
particular, recent work on the generalized Donaldson algorithm is extended to
bundles with Kahler cone substructure on manifolds with h^{1,1}>1. Since the
computation depends only on a one-dimensional ray in the Kahler moduli space,
it can probe slope-stability regardless of the size of h^{1,1}. Suitably
normalized error measures are introduced to quantitatively compare results for
different directions in Kahler moduli space. A significantly improved numerical
integration procedure based on adaptive refinements is described and
implemented. Finally, an efficient numerical check is proposed for determining
whether or not a vector bundle is slope-stable without computing its full
connection.Comment: 38 pages, 10 figure
Case study on the efficacy of a lanthanum-enriched clay (Phoslock®) in controlling eutrophication in Lake Het Groene Eiland (The Netherlands)
Lake Het Groene Eiland was created in the beginning of 2008 by construction of dikes for isolating it from the surrounding 220-ha water body. This so-called claustrum of 5 ha was treated using lanthanum-modified clay (Phoslock®) to control eutrophication and mitigate cyanobacterial nuisance. Cyanobacteria chlorophyll-a were significantly lower in the claustrum than those in the reference water body, where a massive bloom developed in summer, 2008. However, PO4-P and TP did not statistically differ in these two waters. TN and NO3-N were significantly lower in the claustrum, where dense submerged macrophytes beds developed. Lanthanum concentrations were elevated after the applications of the modified clay in the claustrum, but filterable lanthanum dropped rapidly below the Dutch standard of 10.1 μg l−1. During winter, dozens of Canada geese resided at the claustrum. Geese droppings contained an average of 2 mg PO4-P g−1 dry weight and 12 mg NH3-N g−1 dry weight and might present a growing source of nutrients to the water. Constructing the claustrum enabled unrestricted bathing in subsequent three summers, as no swimming bans had to be issued due to cyanobacteria blooms. However, the role of the modified clay in this positive outcome remains unclear, and longevity of the measures questionable.
A Recoding Method to Improve the Humoral Immune Response to an HIV DNA Vaccine
This manuscript describes a novel strategy to improve HIV DNA vaccine design. Employing a new information theory based bioinformatic algorithm, we identify a set of nucleotide motifs which are common in the coding region of HIV, but are under-represented in genes that are highly expressed in the human genome. We hypothesize that these motifs contribute to the poor protein expression of gag, pol, and env genes from the c-DNAs of HIV clinical isolates. Using this approach and beginning with a codon optimized consensus gag gene, we recode the nucleotide sequence so as to remove these motifs without modifying the amino acid sequence. Transfecting the recoded DNA sequence into a human kidney cell line results in doubling the gag protein expression level compared to the codon optimized version. We then turn both sequences into DNA vaccines and compare induced antibody response in a murine model. Our sequence, which has the motifs removed, induces a five-fold increase in gag antibody response compared to the codon optimized vaccine
de Branges-Rovnyak spaces: basics and theory
For a contractive analytic operator-valued function on the unit disk
, de Branges and Rovnyak associate a Hilbert space of analytic
functions and related extension space
consisting of pairs of analytic functions on the unit disk . This
survey describes three equivalent formulations (the original geometric de
Branges-Rovnyak definition, the Toeplitz operator characterization, and the
characterization as a reproducing kernel Hilbert space) of the de
Branges-Rovnyak space , as well as its role as the underlying
Hilbert space for the modeling of completely non-isometric Hilbert-space
contraction operators. Also examined is the extension of these ideas to handle
the modeling of the more general class of completely nonunitary contraction
operators, where the more general two-component de Branges-Rovnyak model space
and associated overlapping spaces play key roles. Connections
with other function theory problems and applications are also discussed. More
recent applications to a variety of subsequent applications are given in a
companion survey article
Teprotumumab for Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy
BACKGROUND: Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, a condition commonly associated with Graves’ disease, remains inadequately treated. Current medical therapies, which primarily consist of glucocorticoids, have limited efficacy and present safety concerns. Inhibition of the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR) is a new therapeutic strategy to attenuate the underlying autoimmune pathogenesis of ophthalmopathy. / METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine the efficacy and safety of teprotumumab, a human monoclonal antibody inhibitor of IGF-IR, in patients with active, moderate-to-severe ophthalmopathy. A total of 88 patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo or active drug administered intravenously once every 3 weeks for a total of eight infusions. The primary end point was the response in the study eye. This response was defined as a reduction of 2 points or more in the Clinical Activity Score (scores range from 0 to 7, with a score of ≥3 indicating active thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy) and a reduction of 2 mm or more in proptosis at week 24. Secondary end points, measured as continuous variables, included proptosis, the Clinical Activity Score, and results on the Graves’ ophthalmopathy–specific quality-of-life questionnaire. Adverse events were assessed. / RESULTS: In the intention-to-treat population, 29 of 42 patients who received teprotumumab (69%), as compared with 9 of 45 patients who received placebo (20%), had a response at week 24 (P<0.001). Therapeutic effects were rapid; at week 6, a total of 18 of 42 patients in the teprotumumab group (43%) and 2 of 45 patients in the placebo group (4%) had a response (P<0.001). Differences between the groups increased at subsequent time points. The only drug-related adverse event was hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes; this event was controlled by adjusting medication for diabetes. / CONCLUSIONS: In patients with active ophthalmopathy, teprotumumab was more effective than placebo in reducing proptosis and the Clinical Activity Score. (Funded by River Vision Development and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01868997.
Top Quarks as a Window to String Resonances
We study the discovery potential of string resonances decaying to
final state at the LHC. We point out that top quark pair production is a
promising and an advantageous channel for studying such resonances, due to
their low Standard Model background and unique kinematics. We study the
invariant mass distribution and angular dependence of the top pair production
cross section via exchanges of string resonances. The mass ratios of these
resonances and the unusual angular distribution may help identify their
fundamental properties and distinguish them from other new physics. We find
that string resonances for a string scale below 4 TeV can be detected via the
channel, either from reconstructing the semi-leptonic
decay or recent techniques in identifying highly boosted tops.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
Limited Awareness and Low Immediate Uptake of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis among Men Who Have Sex with Men Using an Internet Social Networking Site
Background: In 2010, the iPrEx trial demonstrated that oral antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduced the risk of HIV acquisition among high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM). The impact of iPrEx on PrEP knowledge and actual use among at-risk MSM is unknown. Online surveys were conducted to assess PrEP awareness, interest and experience among at-risk MSM before and after iPrEx, and to determine demographic and behavioral factors associated with these measures. Methods and Findings: Cross-sectional, national, internet-based surveys were administered to U.S. based members of the most popular American MSM social networking site 2 months before (n = 398) and 1 month after (n = 4 558) publication of iPrEx results. Comparisons were made between these samples with regards to PrEP knowledge, interest, and experience. Data were collected on demographics, sexual risk, and experience with post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with PrEP awareness, interest, and experience post-iPrEx. Most participants were white, educated, and indicated high-risk sexual behaviors. Awareness of PrEP was limited pre- and post-iPrEx (13% vs. 19%), whereas interest levels after being provided with a description of PrEP remained high (76% vs. 79%). PrEP use remained uncommon (0.7% vs. 0.9%). PrEP use was associated with PEP awareness (OR 7.46; CI 1.52–36.6) and PEP experience (OR 34.2; CI 13.3–88.4). PrEP interest was associated with older age (OR 1.01; CI 1.00–1.02), unprotected anal intercourse with ≥1 male partner in the prior 3 months (OR 1.40; CI 1.10–1.77), and perceiving oneself at increased risk for HIV acquisition (OR 1.20; CI 1.13–1.27). Conclusions: Among MSM engaged in online networking, awareness of PrEP was limited 1 month after the iPrEx data were released. Utilization was low, although some MSM who reported high-risk behaviors were interested in using PrEP. Studies are needed to understand barriers to PrEP utilization by at-risk MSM
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