12,196 research outputs found
Decoherence of Semiclassical Wigner Functions
The Lindblad equation governs general markovian evolution of the density
operator in an open quantum system. An expression for the rate of change of the
Wigner function as a sum of integrals is one of the forms of the Weyl
representation for this equation. The semiclassical description of the Wigner
function in terms of chords, each with its classically defined amplitude and
phase, is thus inserted in the integrals, which leads to an explicit
differential equation for the Wigner function. All the Lindblad operators are
assumed to be represented by smooth phase space functions corresponding to
classical variables. In the case that these are real, representing hermitian
operators, the semiclassical Lindblad equation can be integrated. There results
a simple extension of the unitary evolution of the semiclassical Wigner
function, which does not affect the phase of each chord contribution, while
dampening its amplitude. This decreases exponentially, as governed by the time
integral of the square difference of the Lindblad functions along the classical
trajectories of both tips of each chord. The decay of the amplitudes is shown
to imply diffusion in energy for initial states that are nearly pure.
Projecting the Wigner function onto an orthogonal position or momentum basis,
the dampening of long chords emerges as the exponential decay of off-diagonal
elements of the density matrix.Comment: 23 pg, 2 fi
Preliminary molecular phylogeny for Galerucinae sensu lato (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) based on rRNA gene for Large Subunit 28S with emphasis on Neotropical species.
Quantum cosmology of scalar-tensor theories and self-adjointness
In this paper, the problem of the self-adjointness for the case of a quantum
minisuperspace Hamiltonian retrieved from a Brans-Dicke (BD) action is
investigated. Our matter content is presented in terms of a perfect fluid, onto
which the Schutz's formalism will be applied. We use the von Neumann theorem
and the similarity with the Laplacian operator in one of the variables to
determine the cases where the Hamiltonian is self-adjoint and if it admits
self-adjoint extensions. For the latter, we study which extension is physically
more suitable.Comment: Latex file, 12 pages. Small changes made in the paper, and a a new
appendix adde
Hydroxytamoxifen interaction with human erythrocyte membrane and induction of permeabilization and subsequent hemolysis
4-Hydroxytamoxifen (OHTAM) is the most active metabolite of the widely prescribed anticancer drug tamoxifen (TAM) used in breast cancer therapy. This work describes the effects of OHTAM on isolated human erythrocytes, using standardized test conditions, to check for a putative contribution to the TAM-induced hemolysis and to study basic mechanisms involved in the interaction of OHTAM with cell membranes. Incubation of isolated human erythrocytes with relatively high concentrations of OHTAM results in a concentration-dependent hemolysis, its hemolytic effect being about one-third of that induced by TAM. OHTAM-induced hemolysis is prevented by either [alpha]-tocopherol ([alpha]-T) or [alpha]-tocopherol acetate ([alpha]-TAc) and it occurs in the absence of oxygen consumption and hemoglobin oxidation, ruling out the oxidative damage of erythrocytes. However, OHTAM remarkably increases the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes, increasing the susceptibility of erythrocytes to hypotonic lysis. Additionally, the hemoglobin release induced by OHTAM is preceded by a rapid efflux of intracellular K+. Therefore, our data suggest that OHTAM-induced hemolysis does not contribute to TAM-induced hemolytic anemia and it is a much weaker toxic drug as compared with TAM. Moreover, at variance with the membrane disrupting effects of TAM, OHTAM promotes perturbation of the membrane's backbone region due to its strong binding to proteins with consequent formation of membrane paths of permeability to small solutes and retention of large solutes like hemoglobin, followed by osmotic swelling and cell lysis. The prevention of OHTAM-induced hemolysis by [alpha]-T and [alpha]-TAc is probably committed to the permeability sealing resulting from structural stabilization of membrane.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TCP-44B2835-2/1/29f8930b906a9b147f7df74b698fdbb
Euler-Lagrange equations for composition functionals in calculus of variations on time scales
In this paper we consider the problem of the calculus of variations for a
functional which is the composition of a certain scalar function with the
delta integral of a vector valued field , i.e., of the form
. Euler-Lagrange
equations, natural boundary conditions for such problems as well as a necessary
optimality condition for isoperimetric problems, on a general time scale, are
given. A number of corollaries are obtained, and several examples illustrating
the new results are discussed in detail.Comment: Submitted 10-May-2009 to Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems
(DCDS-B); revised 10-March-2010; accepted 04-July-201
Quatis (nasua nasua) como reservatórios e amplificadores de patógenos transmitidos por carrapatos.
Mitochondrial and nuclear markers in populations of Brazilian Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.
Comissão organizadora: Renato Andreotti, Fernando Paiva, Wilson Werner Koller, Jacqueline Cavalcante Barros, Luiz Antonio Dias Leal, Jaqueline Matias
Compostos fenólicos totais em frutos silvestres e sua relação com as preferências alimentares de Cebus nigritus.
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