65 research outputs found
Registered Replication Report: Rand, Greene & Nowak(2012)
In an anonymous 4-person economic game, participants contributed more money to a common project (i.e., cooperated) when required to decide quickly than when forced to delay their decision (Rand, Greene & Nowak, 2012), a pattern consistent with the “social heuristics” hypothesis proposed by Rand and colleagues. The results of studies using time pressure have been mixed, with some replication attempts observing similar patterns (e.g., Rand et al., 2014) and others observing null effects (e.g., Tinghög et al., 2013, Verkoeijen et al., 2014). This Registered Replication Report (RRR) assessed the size and variability of the effect of time pressure on cooperative decisions by combining 21 separate, pre-registered replications of the critical conditions from Study 7 of the original paper (Rand et al., 2012). The primary planned analysis used data from all participants who were randomly assigned to conditions and who met the protocol inclusion criteria (an intent-to-treat approach that included the 65.9% of participants in the Time Pressure condition and 7.5% in the Forced Delay condition who did not adhere to the time constraints), and observed a difference in contributions of -0.37 percentage points, compared to an 8.6 percentage point difference calculated from the original data. Analyzing the data as the original paper did, including data only for participants who complied with the time constraints, the RRR observed a 10.37 percentage point difference in contributions compared to a 15.31 percentage point difference in the original study. In combination, the results of the intent-to-treat analysis and the compliant-only analysis are consistent with the presence of selection biases and the absence of a causal effect of time pressure on cooperatio
Copolymer adsorption kinetics at a selective liquid-liquid interface: Scaling theory and computer experiment
We consider the adsorption kinetics of a regular block-copolymer of total
length and block size at a selective liquid-liquid interface in the
limit of strong localization. We propose a simple analytic theory based on
scaling considerations which describes the relaxation of the initial coil into
a flat-shaped layer. The characteristic times for attaining equilibrium values
of the gyration radius components perpendicular and parallel to the interface
are predicted to scale with chain length and block length as
(here is the Flory exponent)
and as , although initially the rate of coil
flattening is expected to decrease with block size as . Since
typically for multiblock copolymers, our results suggest that the
flattening dynamics proceeds faster perpendicular rather than parallel to the
interface. We also demonstrate that these scaling predictions agree well with
the results of extensive Monte Carlo simulations of the localization dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submited to Europhys. Let
Semiclassical theory for many-body Fermionic systems
We present a treatment of many-body Fermionic systems that facilitates an
expression of the well-known quantities in a series expansion of the Planck's
constant. The ensuing semiclassical result contains to a leading order of the
response function the classical time correlation function of the observable
followed by the Weyl-Wigner series, on top of these terms are the
periodic-orbit correction terms. The treatment given here starts from linear
response assumption of the many-body theory and in its connection with
semiclassical theory, it makes no assumption of the integrability of classical
dynamics underlying the one-body quantal system. Applications of the framework
are also discussed.Comment: 18 pages, Te
Quantum computers in phase space
We represent both the states and the evolution of a quantum computer in phase
space using the discrete Wigner function. We study properties of the phase
space representation of quantum algorithms: apart from analyzing important
examples, such as the Fourier Transform and Grover's search, we examine the
conditions for the existence of a direct correspondence between quantum and
classical evolutions in phase space. Finally, we describe how to directly
measure the Wigner function in a given phase space point by means of a
tomographic method that, itself, can be interpreted as a simple quantum
algorithm.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Phys Rev
Anatomy of quantum chaotic eigenstates
The eigenfunctions of quantized chaotic systems cannot be described by
explicit formulas, even approximate ones. This survey summarizes (selected)
analytical approaches used to describe these eigenstates, in the semiclassical
limit. The levels of description are macroscopic (one wants to understand the
quantum averages of smooth observables), and microscopic (one wants
informations on maxima of eigenfunctions, "scars" of periodic orbits, structure
of the nodal sets and domains, local correlations), and often focusses on
statistical results. Various models of "random wavefunctions" have been
introduced to understand these statistical properties, with usually good
agreement with the numerical data. We also discuss some specific systems (like
arithmetic ones) which depart from these random models.Comment: Corrected typos, added a few references and updated some result
Features of Time-independent Wigner Functions
The Wigner phase-space distribution function provides the basis for Moyal's
deformation quantization alternative to the more conventional Hilbert space and
path integral quantizations. General features of time-independent Wigner
functions are explored here, including the functional ("star") eigenvalue
equations they satisfy; their projective orthogonality spectral properties;
their Darboux ("supersymmetric") isospectral potential recursions; and their
canonical transformations. These features are illustrated explicitly through
simple solvable potentials: the harmonic oscillator, the linear potential, the
Poeschl-Teller potential, and the Liouville potential.Comment: 18 pages, plain LaTex, References supplemente
A distinct role for B1b lymphocytes in T cell-independent immunity
Pathogenesis of infectious disease is not only determined by the virulence of the microbe but also by the immune status of the host. Vaccination is the most effective means to control infectious diseases. A hallmark of the adaptive immune system is the generation of B cell memory, which provides a long-lasting protective antibody response that is central to the concept of vaccination. Recent studies revealed a distinct function for B1b lymphocytes, a minor subset of mature B cells that closely resembles that of memory B cells in a number of aspects. In contrast to the development of conventional B cell memory, which requires the formation of germinal centers and T cells, the development of B1b cell-mediated long-lasting antibody responses occurs independent of T cell help. T cell-independent (TI) antigens are important virulence factors expressed by a number of bacterial pathogens, including those associated with biological threats. TI antigens cannot be processed and presented to T cells and therefore are known to possess restricted T cell-dependent (TD) immunogenicity. Nevertheless, specific recognition of TI antigens by B1b cells and the highly protective antibody responses mounted by them clearly indicate a crucial role for this subset of B cells. Understanding the mechanisms of long-term immunity conferred by B1b cells may lead to improved vaccine efficacy for a variety of TI antigens
Severe neurological outcomes after very early bilateral nephrectomies in patients with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD)
To test the association between bilateral nephrectomies in patients with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) and long-term clinical outcome and to identify risk factors for severe outcomes, a dataset comprising 504 patients from the international registry study ARegPKD was analyzed for characteristics and complications of patients with very early (� 3 months; VEBNE) and early (4�15 months; EBNE) bilateral nephrectomies. Patients with very early dialysis (VED, onset � 3 months) without bilateral nephrectomies and patients with total kidney volumes (TKV) comparable to VEBNE infants served as additional control groups. We identified 19 children with VEBNE, 9 with EBNE, 12 with VED and 11 in the TKV control group. VEBNE patients suffered more frequently from severe neurological complications in comparison to all control patients. Very early bilateral nephrectomies and documentation of severe hypotensive episodes were independent risk factors for severe neurological complications. Bilateral nephrectomies within the first 3 months of life are associated with a risk of severe neurological complications later in life. Our data support a very cautious indication of very early bilateral nephrectomies in ARPKD, especially in patients with residual kidney function, and emphasize the importance of avoiding severe hypotensive episodes in this at-risk cohort. © 2020, The Author(s)
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