3,653 research outputs found
Network Synchronization in a Noisy Environment with Time Delays: Fundamental Limits and Trade-Offs
We study the effects of nonzero time delays in stochastic synchronization
problems with linear couplings in an arbitrary network. Using the known exact
threshold value from the theory of differential equations with delays, we
provide the synchronizability threshold for an arbitrary network. Further, by
constructing the scaling theory of the underlying fluctuations, we establish
the absolute limit of synchronization efficiency in a noisy environment with
uniform time delays, i.e., the minimum attainable value of the width of the
synchronization landscape. Our results have also strong implications for
optimization and trade-offs in network synchronization with delays.Comment: 3 figure
Design and Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering of Human Heart Valves
We developed a new fabrication technique for 3-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering of human heart valve tissue. A human aortic homograft was scanned with an X-ray computer tomograph. The data derived from the X-ray computed tomogram were processed by a computer-aided design program to reconstruct a human heart valve 3-dimensionally. Based on this stereolithographic model, a silicone valve model resembling a human aortic valve was generated. By taking advantage of the thermoplastic properties of polyglycolic acid as scaffold material, we molded a 3-dimensional scaffold for tissue engineering of human heart valves. The valve scaffold showed a deviation of only +/- 3-4% in height, length and inner diameter compared with the homograft. The newly developed technique allows fabricating custom-made, patient-specific polymeric cardiovascular scaffolds for tissue engineering without requiring any suture materials. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Base
The tensor part of the Skyrme energy density functional. III. Time-odd terms at high spin
This article extends previous studies on the effect of tensor terms in the
Skyrme energy density functional by breaking of time-reversal invariance. We
have systematically probed the impact of tensor terms on properties of
superdeformed rotational bands calculated within the cranked
Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approach for different parameterizations covering a
wide range of values for the isoscalar and isovector tensor coupling constants.
We analyze in detail the contribution of the tensor terms to the energies and
dynamical moments of inertia and study their impact on quasi-particle spectra.
Special attention is devoted to the time-odd tensor terms, the effect of
variations of their coupling constants and finite-size instabilities.Comment: 28 pages, 34 figure
Density-functional studies of tungsten trioxide, tungsten bronzes, and related systems
Tungsten trioxide adopts a variety of structures which can be intercalated
with charged species to alter the electronic properties, thus forming `tungsten
bronzes'. Similar optical effects are observed upon removing oxygen from WO_3,
although the electronic properties are slightly different. Here we present a
computational study of cubic and hexagonal alkali bronzes and examine the
effects on cell size and band structure as the size of the intercalated ion is
increased. With the exception of hydrogen (which is predicted to be unstable as
an intercalate), the behaviour of the bronzes are relatively consistent. NaWO_3
is the most stable of the cubic systems, although in the hexagonal system the
larger ions are more stable. The band structures are identical, with the
intercalated atom donating its single electron to the tungsten 5d valence band.
Next, this was extended to a study of fractional doping in the Na_xWO_3 system
(0 < x < 1). A linear variation in cell parameter, and a systematic change in
the position of the Fermi level up into the valence band was observed with
increasing x. In the underdoped WO_3-x system however, the Fermi level
undergoes a sudden jump into the conduction band at around x = 0.2. Lastly,
three compounds of a layered WO_4×a,wdiaminoalkane hybrid series were
studied and found to be insulating, with features in the band structure similar
to those of the parent WO_3 compound which relate well to experimental
UV-visible spectroscopy results.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure
A Study of Single-Particle Parity-Nonconserving Nuclear Matrix Elements
This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478
Weak decays of 4He-Lambda
We measured the lifetime and the mesonic and non-mesonic decay rates of the
4He-Lambda hypernucleus. The hypernuclei were created using a 750 MeV/c
momentum K- beam on a liquid 4He target by the reaction 4He(K-,pi-)4He-Lambda.
The 4He-Lambda lifetime was directly measured using protons from Lambda p -> n
p non-mesonic decay (also referred to as proton-stimulated decay) and was found
to have a value of tau = 245 +/- 24 ps. The mesonic decay rates were determined
from the observed numbers of pi-'s and pi0's as Gamma_pi-/Gamma_tot = 0.270 +/-
0.024 and Gamma_pi0/Gamma_tot = 0.564 +/- 0.036, respectively, and the values
of the proton- and neutron-stimulated decay rates were extracted as
Gamma_p/Gamma_tot = 0.169 +/- 0.019 and Gamma_n/Gamma_tot <= 0.032 (95% CL),
respectively. The effects of final-state interactions and possible 3-body
Lambda N N decay contributions were studied in the context of a simple model of
nucleon-stimulated decay. Nucleon-nucleon coincidence events were observed and
were used in the determination of the non-mesonic branching fractions. The
implications of the results of this analysis were considered for the empirical
Delta I = 1/2 rule and the decay rates of the 4H-Lambda hypernucleus.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, published in PRC, revised content to match
published versio
A Study of Single-Particle Parity-Nonconserving Nuclear Matrix Elements
This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478
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