518 research outputs found
Phase transition in a mean-field model for sympatric speciation
We introduce an analytical model for population dynamics with intra-specific
competition, mutation and assortative mating as basic ingredients. The set of
equations that describes the time evolution of population size in a mean-field
approximation may be decoupled. We find a phase transition leading to sympatric
speciation as a parameter that quantifies competition strength is varied. This
transition, previously found in a computational model, occurs to be of first
order.Comment: accepted for Physica
Self Consistent Expansion In The Presence Of Electroweak Interactions
In the conventional approach to the expansion, electroweak
interactions are switched off and large QCD is treated in isolation. We
study the self-consistency of taking the large limit in the presence of
electroweak interaction. If the electroweak coupling constants are held
constant, the large counting rules are violated by processes involving
internal photon or weak boson lines. Anomaly cancellations, however, fix the
ratio of electric charges of different fermions. This allows a self-consistent
way to scale down the electronic charge in the large limit and hence
restoring the validity of the large counting rules.Comment: 9 pages in REVTeX, no figure
A hybrid ARIMA and artificial neural networks model to forecast particulate matter in urban areas: The case of Temuco, Chile
Air quality time series consists of complex linear and non-linear patterns and are difficult to forecast. Box-Jenkins Time Series (ARIMA) and multilinear regression (MLR) models have been applied to air quality forecasting in urban areas, but they have limited accuracy owing to their inability to predict extreme events. Artificial neural networks (ANN) can recognize non-linear patterns that include extremes. A novel hybrid model combining ARIMA and ANN to improve forecast accuracy for an area with limited air quality and meteorological data was applied to Temuco, Chile, where residential wood burning is a major pollution source during cold winters, using surface meteorological and PM10 measurements. Experimental results indicated that the hybrid model can be an effective tool to improve the PM10 forecasting accuracy obtained by either of the models used separately, and compared with a deterministic MLR. The hybrid model was able to capture 100% and 80% of alert and pre-emergency episodes, respectively. This approach demonstrates the potential to be applied to air quality forecasting in other cities and countries
Quantum Effects in Small-Capacitance Single Josephson Junctions
We have measured the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of
small-capacitance single Josephson junctions at low temperatures (T=0.02-0.6
K), where the strength of the coupling between the single junction and the
electromagnetic environment was controlled with one-dimensional arrays of dc
SQUIDs. The single-junction I-V curve is sensitive to the impedance of the
environment, which can be tuned IN SITU. We have observed Coulomb blockade of
Cooper-pair tunneling and even a region of negative differential resistance,
when the zero-bias resistance R_0' of the SQUID arrays is much higher than the
quantum resistance R_K = h/e^2 = 26 kohm. The negative differential resistance
is evidence of coherent single-Cooper-pair tunneling within the theory of
current-biased single Josephson junctions. Based on the theory, we have
calculated the I-V curves numerically in order to compare with the experimental
ones at R_0' >> R_K. The numerical calculation agrees with the experiments
qualitatively. We also discuss the R_0' dependence of the
single-Josephson-junction I-V curve in terms of the superconductor-insulator
transition driven by changing the coupling to the environment.Comment: 11 pages with 14 embedded figures, RevTeX4, final versio
Bendamustine: Safety and Efficacy in the Management of Indolent Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
Bendamustine (Treanda, Ribomustin) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of patients with rituximab refractory indolent lymphoma and is expected to turn into a frontline therapy option for indolent lymphoma. This compound with amphoteric properties was designed in the former Germany Democratic Republic in 1960s and re-discovered in 1990s with multiple successive well-designed studies. Bendamustine possesses a unique mechanism of action with potential antimetabolite properties, and only partial cross-resistance with other alkylators. Used in combination with rituximab in vitro, bendamustine shows synergistic effects against various leukemia and lymphoma cell lines. In clinical studies, bendamustine plus rituximab is highly effective in patients with relapsed-refractory indolent lymphoma, inducing remissions in 90% or more and a median progression-free survival of 23–24 months. The optimal dosing and schedule of bendamustine administration is largely undecided and varies among studies. Results of ongoing trials and dose-finding studies will help to further help ascertain the optimal place of bendamustine in the management of indolent NHL
Magnetic field-dependent interplay between incoherent and Fermi liquid transport mechanisms in low-dimensional tau phase organic conductors
We present an electrical transport study of the 2-dimensional (2D) organic
conductor tau-(P-(S,S)-DMEDT-TTF)_2(AuBr)_2(AuBr_2)_y (y = 0.75) at low
temperatures and high magnetic fields. The inter-plane resistivity rho_zz
increases with decreasing temperature, with the exception of a slight anomaly
at 12 K. Under a magnetic field B, both rho_zz and the in-plane resistivity
plane rho_xx show a pronounced negative and hysteretic magnetoresistance with
Shubnikov de Haas (SdH)oscillations being observed in some (high
quality)samples above 15 T. Contrary to the predicted single, star-shaped,
closed orbit Fermi surface from band structure calculations (with an expected
approximate area of 12.5% of A_FBZ), two fundamental frequencies F_l and F_h
are detected in the SdH signal. These orbits correspond to 2.4% and 6.8% of the
area of the first Brillouin zone(A_FBZ), with effective masses F_l = 4.0 +/-
0.5 and F_h = 7.3 +/- 0.1. The angular dependence, in tilted magnetic fields of
F_l and F_h, reveals the 2D character of the FS and Angular dependent
magnetoresistance (AMRO) further suggests a FS which is strictly 2-D where the
inter-plane hopping t_c is virtually absent or incoherent. The Hall constant
R_xy is field independent, and the Hall mobility increases by a factor of 3
under moderate magnetic fields. Our observations suggest a unique physical
situation where a stable 2D Fermi liquid state in the molecular layers are
incoherently coupled along the least conducting direction. The magnetic field
not only reduces the inelastic scattering between the 2D metallic layers, but
it also reveals the incoherent nature of interplane transport in the AMRO
spectrum. The apparent ferromagnetism of the hysteretic magnetoresistance
remains an unsolved problem.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figure
Poultry Drinking Water Used for Avian Influenza Surveillance
Samples of drinking water from poultry cages, which can be collected conveniently and noninvasively, provide higher rates of influenza (H9N2) virus isolation than do samples of fecal droppings. Studies to confirm the usefulness of poultry drinking water for detecting influenza (H5N1) should be conducted in disease-endemic areas
Risk for Infection with Highly Pathogenic Influenza A Virus (H5N1) in Chickens, Hong Kong, 2002
Infection was spread to commercial poultry farms through retail marking of live birds
A case-control study of peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA copy number and risk of renal cell carcinoma
ackground
Low mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number is a common feature of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and may influence tumor development. Results from a recent case-control study suggest that low mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood may be a marker for increased RCC risk. In an attempt to replicate that finding, we measured mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood DNA from a U.S. population-based case-control study of RCC.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Relative mtDNA copy number was measured in triplicate by a quantitative real-time PCR assay using DNA extracted from peripheral whole blood. Cases (n = 603) had significantly lower mtDNA copy number than controls (n = 603; medians 0.85, 0.91 respectively; P = 0.0001). In multiple logistic regression analyses, the lowest quartile of mtDNA copy number was associated with a 60% increase in RCC risk relative to the highest quartile (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1\u20132.2; Ptrend = 0.009). This association remained in analyses restricted to cases treated by surgery alone (OR Q1 = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0\u20132.1) and to localized tumors (2.0, 1.3\u20132.8).
Conclusions/Significance
Our findings from this investigation, to our knowledge the largest of its kind, offer important confirmatory evidence that low mtDNA copy number is associated with increased RCC risk. Additional research is needed to assess whether the association is replicable in prospective studies
The First VERITAS Telescope
The first atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of VERITAS (the Very Energetic
Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) has been in operation since February
2005. We present here a technical description of the instrument and a summary
of its performance. The calibration methods are described, along with the
results of Monte Carlo simulations of the telescope and comparisons between
real and simulated data. The analysis of TeV -ray observations of the
Crab Nebula, including the reconstructed energy spectrum, is shown to give
results consistent with earlier measurements. The telescope is operating as
expected and has met or exceeded all design specifications.Comment: Accepted by Astroparticle Physic
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