1,208 research outputs found
Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling of a Bose Condensate
We study, by means of a variational method, the stability of a condensate in
a magnetically trapped atomic Bose gas with a negative scattering length and
find that the condensate is unstable in general. However, for temperatures
sufficiently close to the critical temperature the condensate turns out to be
metastable. For that case we determine in the usual WKB approximation the decay
rate of the condensate due to macroscopic quantum fluctuations. When
appropriate, we also calculate the decay rate due to thermal fluctuations. An
important feature of our approach is that (nonsingular) phase fluctuations of
the condensate are taken into account exactly.Comment: Invited paper for the Journal of Statistical Physic
DIFFUSION IN ONE DIMENSIONAL RANDOM MEDIUM AND HYPERBOLIC BROWNIAN MOTION
Classical diffusion in a random medium involves an exponential functional of
Brownian motion. This functional also appears in the study of Brownian
diffusion on a Riemann surface of constant negative curvature. We analyse in
detail this relationship and study various distributions using stochastic
calculus and functional integration.Comment: 18 page
Forward Neutron Production at the Fermilab Main Injector
We have measured cross sections for forward neutron production from a variety
of targets using proton beams from the Fermilab Main Injector. Measurements
were performed for proton beam momenta of 58 GeV/c, 84 GeV/c, and 120 GeV/c.
The cross section dependence on the atomic weight (A) of the targets was found
to vary as where is for a beam momentum of
58 GeV/c and 0.540.05 for 120 GeV/c. The cross sections show reasonable
agreement with FLUKA and DPMJET Monte Carlos. Comparisons have also been made
with the LAQGSM Monte Carlo.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review D. This version
incorporates small changes suggested by referee and small corrections in the
neutron production cross sections predicted by FLUK
Measurement of Charged Pion Production Yields off the NuMI Target
The fixed-target MIPP experiment, Fermilab E907, was designed to measure the
production of hadrons from the collisions of hadrons of momenta ranging from 5
to 120 GeV/c on a variety of nuclei. These data will generally improve the
simulation of particle detectors and predictions of particle beam fluxes at
accelerators. The spectrometer momentum resolution is between 3 and 4%, and
particle identification is performed for particles ranging between 0.3 and 80
GeV/c using , time-of-flight and Cherenkov radiation measurements. MIPP
collected events of 120 GeV Main Injector protons striking a
target used in the NuMI facility at Fermilab. The data have been analyzed and
we present here charged pion yields per proton-on-target determined in bins of
longitudinal and transverse momentum between 0.5 and 80 GeV/c, with combined
statistical and systematic relative uncertainties between 5 and 10%.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figure
Biomacromolecules in Recent Phosphate-Shelled Brachiopods: Identification and Characterization of Chitin Matrix
Abstract: Phosphate-shelled brachiopods differ in filter-feeding lifestyle, with Lingula anatina an active infaunal burrower, and Discinisca tenuis a shallow marine epibenthic animal. The shells of these animals are built of organophosphatic constituents, the organic fibres/sheets reinforced with calcium phosphate to provide a sophisticated ultrastructural robustness. This investigation examined the nature of the organic fibres in order to improve understanding of how living organisms produce hierarchically structured biomaterials. Unlike powdered samples commonly used in previous studies, organic fibres were isolated for the first time and the shell fractions were purified, in order to study the content and nature of the biopolymer fibres. Biochemical methods including Calcofluor staining revealed a chitin matrix. Ultrastructural analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis, and spectroscopic analyses show that the core polysaccharide framework is composed of layers of β-chitin sheets and/or fibrils that are coated with a fibrous organic matrix. There is more chitin matrix in the L. anatina shells (26.6 wt.%) compared to the D. tenuis shells (12.9 wt.%). Taken together, the data show that the chitin matrix contributes to increased skeletal strength, making L. anatina highly adapted for life as an active burrower. In comparison, D. tenuis contains less chitin and lives as attached epibenthos in a shallow marine environment. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] First spectroscopic evidence of β-chitin sheets in recent organophosphatic brachiopods. © 2021, The Author(s).OBAA is grateful to Uppsala University for support through the VR Project number 2018-03390. The research for this paper was supported by the Swedish Research Council (VR Project no. 2018-03390 to LEH, GAB and SCG), by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41720104002, 41621003 and 41890844 to NWU members), and by a Zhongjian Yang Scholarship to LEH from the Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an. GAB’s research is also funded by a 1000 Talent Shaanxi Province Fellowship at Northwest University, Xi’an
Patterns and Collective Behavior in Granular Media: Theoretical Concepts
Granular materials are ubiquitous in our daily lives. While they have been a
subject of intensive engineering research for centuries, in the last decade
granular matter attracted significant attention of physicists. Yet despite a
major efforts by many groups, the theoretical description of granular systems
remains largely a plethora of different, often contradicting concepts and
approaches. Authors give an overview of various theoretical models emerged in
the physics of granular matter, with the focus on the onset of collective
behavior and pattern formation. Their aim is two-fold: to identify general
principles common for granular systems and other complex non-equilibrium
systems, and to elucidate important distinctions between collective behavior in
granular and continuum pattern-forming systems.Comment: Submitted to Reviews of Modern Physics. Full text with figures (2Mb
pdf) avaliable at
http://mti.msd.anl.gov/AransonTsimringReview/aranson_tsimring.pdf Community
responce is appreciated. Comments/suggestions send to [email protected]
Evaluation of the Diabetes Health Plan to Improve Diabetes Care and Prevention
Investigators from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and members of the leadership and data analysis teams at UnitedHealthcare (UHC) are partnering to evaluate the Diabetes Health Plan (DHP), an innovative disease-specific insurance product designed by UHC specifically for patients with prediabetes or diabetes. The DHP provides improved access to care management, telephone coaching, and enhanced Internet-based communication with enrollees. The evaluation will use a quasi-experimental design, comparing patients from employer groups that offer the DHP with patients from groups that do not, to determine the effect of the DHP on incidence of diabetes, adherence to metformin, and costs of care among patients with prediabetes. Other factors studied will be cardiovascular risk factor control, adherence to preventive services, health care use, and costs of care among patients with existing diabetes
Stroke prevalence amongst sickle cell disease patients in Nigeria: a multi-centre study
Background: Stroke is a life-changing, debilitating complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Previous studies had recorded high stroke prevalence amongst this group of patients. Nigeria has a large population of people affected by this condition and this study aims to assess the stroke prevalence in this large population.Methodology: Stroke prevalence data from 14 physicians working in 11 tertiary health centres across the country was collated by doctors using the sickle cell registers and patient case notes. This data was then collated and used to obtain the overall stroke prevalence in adult and children.Results: The stroke prevalence in sickle cell disease patients in Nigeria was observed to be 12.4 per 1000 patients. Prevalence in the adult patients was 17.7 per 1000 patients and 7.4 per 1000 patients in children. Twenty three percent of the affected patients had more than stroke episode.Conclusion: The stroke prevalence in Nigeria is lower than previously recorded rates and further studies will be required to investigate other factors which may play a role.Keywords: sickle cell, stroke, Nigeria, prevalenc
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