8,003 research outputs found
Glueball Matrix Elements on Anisotropic Lattices
The glueball-to-vacuum matrix elements of local gluonic operators in scalar,
tensor, and pseudoscalar channels are investigated numerically on several
anisotropic lattices with the spatial lattice spacing in the range 0.1fm --
0.2fm. These matrix elements are needed to predict the glueball branching
ratios in radiative decays which will help to identify the glueball
states in experiments. Two types of improved local gluonic operators are
constructed for a self-consistent check, and the finite volume effects are also
studied. The lattice spacing dependence of our results is very small and the
continuum limits are reliably extrapolated.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, Lattice2003 (spectrum
Seasonal variation in denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia process rates and corresponding key functional genes along an estuarine nitrate gradient
This research investigated spatial-temporal variation in benthic bacterial community structure, rates of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) processes and abundances of corresponding genes and transcripts at three sitesâthe estuary-head, mid-estuary and the estuary mouth (EM) along the nitrate gradient of the Colne estuary over an annual cycle. Denitrification rates declined down the estuary, while DNRA rates were higher at the estuary head and middle than the EM. In four out of the six 2-monthly time-points, rates of DNRA were greater than denitrification at each site. Abundance of gene markers for nitrate-reduction (nitrate reductase narG and napA), denitrification (nitrite reductase nirS) and DNRA (DNRA nitrite reductase nrfA) declined along the estuary with significant relationships between denitrification and nirS abundance, and DNRA and nrfA abundance. Spatially, rates of denitrification, DNRA and corresponding functional gene abundances decreased along the estuary. However, temporal correlations between rate processes and functional gene and transcript abundances were not observed
Probing onset of strong localization and electron-electron interactions with the presence of direct insulator-quantum Hall transition
We have performed low-temperature transport measurements on a disordered
two-dimensional electron system (2DES). Features of the strong localization
leading to the quantum Hall effect are observed after the 2DES undergoes a
direct insulator-quantum Hall transition with increasing the perpendicular
magnetic field. However, such a transition does not correspond to the onset of
strong localization. The temperature dependences of the Hall resistivity and
Hall conductivity reveal the importance of the electron-electron interaction
effects to the observed transition in our study.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Energy band structure and intrinsic coherent properties in two weakly linked Bose Einstein Condensates
The energy band structure and energy splitting due to quantum tunneling in
two weakly linked Bose-Einstein condensates were calculated by using the
instanton method. The intrinsic coherent properties of Bose Josephson junction
were investigated in terms of energy splitting. For , the
energy splitting is small and the system is globally phase coherent. In the
opposite limit, , the energy splitting is large and the
system becomes a phase dissipation. Our reslults suggest that one should
investigate the coherence phenomna of BJJ in proper condition such as
.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. A, 2 figure
Exploring multiple drivers of cooperative governance: a paired case comparison of vegetable growing cooperatives in the UK and China
This is the final version. Available on open access from Wageningen Academic Publishers via the DOI in this record.âŻFarmersâ collective action via cooperatives is critical to achieving a wide range of economic and social benefits that lead to sustainable development and enhance the welfare of rural communities. Adopting a qualitative case study method, the paper compares the development and governance attributes of two cooperatives and seeks to identify how non-economic conditions explain their differences. The cases are selected from the United Kingdom and China, representing different cultural and legislation contexts, to explore the role of culture and legislation in formulating the governance of farmer cooperatives. The results demonstrate that: (1) the formation of member groups due to considerable member heterogeneity may lead to the skewed allocation of control rights and income rights; (2) legislation play an important role in formulating the governance of cooperatives; and (3) national culture potentially has influence on cooperative governance, but direct evidence is in insufficient.National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social ScienceBritish Academ
GPU-based Iterative Cone Beam CT Reconstruction Using Tight Frame Regularization
X-ray imaging dose from serial cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans raises a clinical
concern in most image guided radiation therapy procedures. It is the goal of
this paper to develop a fast GPU-based algorithm to reconstruct high quality
CBCT images from undersampled and noisy projection data so as to lower the
imaging dose. For this purpose, we have developed an iterative tight frame (TF)
based CBCT reconstruction algorithm. A condition that a real CBCT image has a
sparse representation under a TF basis is imposed in the iteration process as
regularization to the solution. To speed up the computation, a multi-grid
method is employed. Our GPU implementation has achieved high computational
efficiency and a CBCT image of resolution 512\times512\times70 can be
reconstructed in ~5 min. We have tested our algorithm on a digital NCAT phantom
and a physical Catphan phantom. It is found that our TF-based algorithm is able
to reconstrct CBCT in the context of undersampling and low mAs levels. We have
also quantitatively analyzed the reconstructed CBCT image quality in terms of
modulation-transfer-function and contrast-to-noise ratio under various scanning
conditions. The results confirm the high CBCT image quality obtained from our
TF algorithm. Moreover, our algorithm has also been validated in a real
clinical context using a head-and-neck patient case. Comparisons of the
developed TF algorithm and the current state-of-the-art TV algorithm have also
been made in various cases studied in terms of reconstructed image quality and
computation efficiency.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, accepted by Phys. Med. Bio
Reexamination of a multisetting Bell inequality for qudits
The class of d-setting, d-outcome Bell inequalities proposed by Ji and
collaborators [Phys. Rev. A 78, 052103] are reexamined. For every positive
integer d > 2, we show that the corresponding non-trivial Bell inequality for
probabilities provides the maximum classical winning probability of the
Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt-like game with d inputs and d outputs. We also
demonstrate that the general classical upper bounds given by Ji et al. are
underestimated, which invalidates many of the corresponding correlation
inequalities presented thereof. We remedy this problem, partially, by providing
the actual classical upper bound for d less than or equal to 13 (including
non-prime values of d). We further determine that for prime value d in this
range, most of these probability and correlation inequalities are tight, i.e.,
facet-inducing for the respective classical correlation polytope. Stronger
lower and upper bounds on the quantum violation of these inequalities are
obtained. In particular, we prove that once the probability inequalities are
given, their correlation counterparts given by Ji and co-workers are no longer
relevant in terms of detecting the entanglement of a quantum state.Comment: v3: Published version (minor rewordings, typos corrected, upper
bounds in Table III improved/corrected); v2: 7 pages, 1 figure, 4 tables
(substantially revised with new results on the tightness of the correlation
inequalities included); v1: 7.5 pages, 1 figure, 4 tables (Comments are
welcome
In vitro and in vivo characterization of potent antileishmanial methionine aminopeptidase 1 inhibitors
Leishmania major is the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). No human vaccine is available for CL, and current drug regimens present several drawbacks, such as emerging resistance, severe toxicity, medium effectiveness, and/or high cost. Thus, the need for better treatment options against CL is a priority. In the present study, we validate the enzyme methionine aminopeptidase 1 of L. major (MetAP1Lm), a metalloprotease that catalyzes the removal of N-terminal methionine from peptides and proteins, as a chemotherapeutic target against CL infection. The in vitro antileishmanial activities of eight novel MetAP1 inhibitors (OJT001 to OJT008) were investigated. Three compounds, OJT006, OJT007, and OJT008, demonstrated potent antiproliferative effects in macrophages infected with L. major amastigotes and promastigotes at submicromolar concentrations, with no cytotoxicity against host cells. Importantly, the leishmanicidal effect in transgenic L. major promastigotes overexpressing MetAP1Lm was diminished by almost 10-fold in comparison to the effect in wild-type promastigotes. Furthermore, the in vivo activities of OJT006, OJT007, and OJT008 were investigated in L. major-infected BALB/c mice. In comparison to the footpad parasite load in the control group, OJT008 decreased the footpad parasite load significantly, by 86%, and exhibited no toxicity in treated mice. We propose MetAP1 inhibitor OJT008 as a potential chemotherapeutic candidate against CL infection caused by L. major infection
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