652 research outputs found
Cosmological Constant, Gauge Hierarchy and Warped Geometry
It is suggested that the mechanism responsible for the resolution of the
gauge hierarchy problem within the warped geometry framework can be generalized
to provide a new explanation of the extremely tiny vacuum energy density rho_V
suggested by recent observations. We illustrate the mechanism with some 5D
examples in which the true vacuum energy is assumed to vanish, and rho_V is
associated with a false vacuum energy such that rho_V^{1/4} ~ TeV^2/M_{Pl} ~
10^{-3} eV, where M_{Pl} denotes the reduced Planck mass. We also consider a
quintessence-like solution to the dark energy problem.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures, section on quantum corrections added,
version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Syncytial nuclear aggregates in normal placenta show increased nuclear condensation, but apoptosis and cytoskeletal redistribution are uncommon
AbstractIntroductionSyncytial nuclear aggregates (SNAs) are increased in pregnancy complications; however, little is known about their origin or function. This study aimed to characterise SNAs in more detail than has been reported previously.MethodsImmunohistochemistry and morphological examination at the light and ultrastructural level were used to determine the nature and structure of SNAs.ResultsSNAs comprising bridges and syncytial knots had similar frequency with 974 per mm3 of villous tissue (IQR 717â1193) and 833 per mm3 (IQR 766â1190), respectively while there were approximately four times as many sectioning artefacts than knots and bridges combined. SNAs had increased proportions of condensed nuclei compared to the remaining syncytiotrophoblast (33.3% vs. 8.9%) and decreased proportions of euchromatic nuclei (0.0% vs. 16.2%), as assessed by examination of an electron micrograph archive. SNAs showed little evidence of apoptosis, with weak positivity for the apoptosis markers M30-neoepitope at 16.6% and TUNEL at 10.0%; strong staining was rarely seen for either marker. Immunofluorescence demonstrated rare association of actin (α, ÎČ or Îł) with SNAs, whereas tubulin was in close proximity to SNAs and cytokeratin was seen within and surrounding SNAs.DiscussionM30-positive SNAs traced through serial sections were significantly more likely to be syncytial knots or sectioning artefacts than bridges. Nuclei within SNAs showed signs consistent with degeneration; however, this is unlikely to be an apoptotic process. There are few changes in configuration of cytoskeletal proteins around SNAs.ConclusionsThese data suggest that the biogenesis and functional significance of SNAs still require resolution
Numerical Portrait of a Relativistic Thin Film BCS Superfluid
We present results of numerical simulations of the 2+1d Nambu - Jona-Lasinio
model with a non-zero baryon chemical potential mu including the effects of a
diquark source term. Diquark condensates, susceptibilities and masses are
measured as functions of source strength j. The results suggest that diquark
condensation does not take place in the high density phase mu>mu_c, but rather
that the condensate scales non-analytically with j implying a line of critical
points and long range phase coherence. Analogies are drawn with the low
temperature phase of the 2d XY model. The spectrum of the spin-1/2 sector is
also studied yielding the quasiparticle dispersion relation. There is no
evidence for a non-zero gap; rather the results are characteristic of a normal
Fermi liquid with Fermi velocity less than that of light. We conclude that the
high density phase of the model describes a relativistic gapless thin film BCS
superfluid.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figure
The Four-Fermi Model in Three Dimensions at Non-Zero Density and Temperature
The Four Fermi model with discrete chiral symmetry is studied in three
dimensions at non-zero chemical potential and temperature using the Hybrid
Monte Carlo algorithm. The number of fermion flavors is chosen large
to compare with analytic results. A first order chiral symmetry restoring
transition is found at zero temperature with a critical chemical potential
in good agreement with the large calculations. The critical index
of the correlation length is measured in good agreement with analytic
calculations. The two dimensional phase diagram (chemical potential vs.
temperature) is mapped out quantitatively. Finite size effects on relatively
small lattices and non-zero fermion mass effects are seen to smooth out the
chiral transition dramatically.Comment: 21 pages, sorry, no figure
Rurality as a predictor of perinatal mental health and wellâbeing in an Australian cohort
Objective
Perinatal emotional well-being is more than the presence or absence of depressive and anxiety disorders; it encompasses a wide range of factors that contribute to emotional well-being. This study compares perinatal well-being between women living in metropolitan and rural regions.
Design
Prospective, longitudinal cohort.
Participants/setting
Eight hundred and six women from Victoria and Western Australia recruited before 20âweeks of pregnancy and followed up to 12âmonths postpartum.
Main outcome measures
Rurality was assessed using the Modified Monash Model (MM Model) with 578 in metropolitan cities MM1, 185 in regional and large rural towns MM2-MM3 and 43 in rural to remote MM4-MM7. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV) was administered at recruitment to assess depression, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were measured using the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale and the State and Trait Anxiety Scale, respectively. Other measures included stressful events, diet, exercise, partner support, parenting and sleep.
Results
The prevalence of depressive disorders did not differ across rurality. There was also no difference in breastfeeding cessation, exercise, sleep or partner support. Women living in rural communities and who also had depression reported significantly higher parenting stress than metropolitan women and lower access to parenting activities.
Conclusions
Our study suggests while many of the challenges of the perinatal period were shared between women in all areas, there were important differences in parenting stress and access to activities. Furthermore, these findings suggest that guidelines and interventions designed for perinatal mental health should consider rurality
Second order gradient ascent pulse engineering
We report some improvements to the gradient ascent pulse engineering (GRAPE)
algorithm for optimal control of quantum systems. These include more accurate
gradients, convergence acceleration using the BFGS quasi-Newton algorithm as
well as faster control derivative calculation algorithms. In all test systems,
the wall clock time and the convergence rates show a considerable improvement
over the approximate gradient ascent.Comment: Submitted for publicatio
Observers in an accelerated universe
If the current acceleration of our Universe is due to a cosmological
constant, then a Coleman-De Luccia bubble will nucleate in our Universe. In
this work, we consider that our observations could be likely in this framework,
consisting in two infinite spaces, if a foliation by constant mean curvature
hypersurfaces is taken to count the events in the spacetime. Thus, we obtain
and study a particular foliation, which covers the existence of most observers
in our part of spacetime.Comment: revised version, accepted in EPJ
Quantum Phase Transitions and the Extended Coupled Cluster Method
We discuss the application of an extended version of the coupled cluster
method to systems exhibiting a quantum phase transition. We use the lattice
O(4) non-linear sigma model in (1+1)- and (3+1)-dimensions as an example. We
show how simple predictions get modified, leading to the absence of a phase
transition in (1+1) dimensions, and strong indications for a phase transition
in (3+1) dimensions
The (2+1)-dimensional Gross-Neveu model with a U(1) chiral symmetry at non-zero temperature
We present results from numerical simulations of the (2+1)-dimensional
Gross-Neveu model with a U(1) chiral symmetry and N_f=4 fermion species at
non-zero temperature. We provide evidence that there are two different chirally
symmetric phases, one critical and one with finite correlation length,
separated by a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. We have also
identified a regime above the critical temperature in which the fermions
acquire a screening mass even in the absence of chiral symmetry breaking,
analogous to the pseudogap behaviour observed in cuprate superconductors.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Global Phase Diagram of the Kondo Lattice: From Heavy Fermion Metals to Kondo Insulators
We discuss the general theoretical arguments advanced earlier for the T=0
global phase diagram of antiferromagnetic Kondo lattice systems, distinguishing
between the established and the conjectured. In addition to the well-known
phase of a paramagnetic metal with a "large" Fermi surface (P_L), there is also
an antiferromagnetic phase with a "small" Fermi surface (AF_S). We provide the
details of the derivation of a quantum non-linear sigma-model (QNLsM)
representation of the Kondo lattice Hamiltonian, which leads to an effective
field theory containing both low-energy fermions in the vicinity of a Fermi
surface and low-energy bosons near zero momentum. An asymptotically exact
analysis of this effective field theory is made possible through the
development of a renormalization group procedure for mixed fermion-boson
systems. Considerations on how to connect the AF_S and P_L phases lead to a
global phase diagram, which not only puts into perspective the theory of local
quantum criticality for antiferromagnetic heavy fermion metals, but also
provides the basis to understand the surprising recent experiments in
chemically-doped as well as pressurized YbRh2Si2. We point out that the AF_S
phase still occurs for the case of an equal number of spin-1/2 local moments
and conduction electrons. This observation raises the prospect for a global
phase diagram of heavy fermion systems in the Kondo-insulator regime. Finally,
we discuss the connection between the Kondo breakdown physics discussed here
for the Kondo lattice systems and the non-Fermi liquid behavior recently
studied from a holographic perspective.Comment: (v3) leftover typos corrected. (v2) Published version. 32 pages, 4
figures. Section 7, on the connection between the Kondo lattice systems and
the holographic models of non-Fermi liquid, is expanded. (v1) special issue
of JLTP on quantum criticalit
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