499 research outputs found
International Wildlife Law : Understanding and Enhancing Its Role in Conservation
We gratefully acknowledge valuable input by Kees Bastmeijer, Sanja Bogojevic, Jennifer Dubrulle, and Han Somsen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Coherent states for the hydrogen atom: discrete and continuous spectra
We construct the systems of generalised coherent states for the discrete and
continuous spectra of the hydrogen atom. These systems are expressed in
elementary functions and are invariant under the (discrete spectrum)
and (continuous spectrum) subgroups of the dynamical symmetry group
of the hydrogen atom. Both systems of coherent states are particular
cases of the kernel of integral operator which interwines irreducible
representations of the group.Comment: 15 pages, LATEX, minor sign corrections, to appear in J.Phys.
Classical phase transitions in a one-dimensional short-range spin model
Ising's solution of a classical spin model famously demonstrated the absence
of a positive-temperature phase transition in one-dimensional equilibrium
systems with short-range interactions. No-go arguments established that the
energy cost to insert domain walls in such systems is outweighed by entropy
excess so that symmetry cannot be spontaneously broken. An archetypal way
around the no-go theorems is to augment interaction energy by increasing the
range of interaction. Here we introduce new ways around the no-go theorems by
investigating entropy depletion instead. We implement this for the Potts model
with invisible states.Because spins in such a state do not interact with their
surroundings, they contribute to the entropy but not the interaction energy of
the system. Reducing the number of invisible states to a negative value
decreases the entropy by an amount sufficient to induce a positive-temperature
classical phase transition. This approach is complementary to the long-range
interaction mechanism. Alternatively, subjecting positive numbers of invisible
states to imaginary or complex fields can trigger such a phase transition. We
also discuss potential physical realisability of such systems.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figure
Symmetry, complexity and multicritical point of the two-dimensional spin glass
We analyze models of spin glasses on the two-dimensional square lattice by
exploiting symmetry arguments. The replicated partition functions of the Ising
and related spin glasses are shown to have many remarkable symmetry properties
as functions of the edge Boltzmann factors. It is shown that the applications
of homogeneous and Hadamard inverses to the edge Boltzmann matrix indicate
reduced complexities when the elements of the matrix satisfy certain
conditions, suggesting that the system has special simplicities under such
conditions. Using these duality and symmetry arguments we present a conjecture
on the exact location of the multicritical point in the phase diagram.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figures; a few typos corrected. To be published in J.
Phys.
The Impossibility of a Perfectly Competitive Labor Market
Using the institutional theory of transaction cost, I demonstrate that the assumptions of the competitive labor market model are internally contradictory and lead to the conclusion that on purely theoretical grounds a perfectly competitive labor market is a logical impossibility. By extension, the familiar diagram of wage determination by supply and demand is also a logical impossibility and the neoclassical labor demand curve is not a well-defined construct. The reason is that the perfectly competitive market model presumes zero transaction cost and with zero transaction cost all labor is hired as independent contractors, implying multi-person firms, the employment relationship, and labor market disappear. With positive transaction cost, on the other hand, employment contracts are incomplete and the labor supply curve to the firm is upward sloping, again causing the labor demand curve to be ill-defined. As a result, theory suggests that wage rates are always and everywhere an amalgam of an administered and bargained price. Working Paper 06-0
Increased ventral striatal volume in college-aged binge drinkers
BACKGROUND
Binge drinking is a serious public health issue associated with cognitive, physiological, and anatomical differences from healthy individuals. No studies, however, have reported subcortical grey matter differences in this population. To address this, we compared the grey matter volumes of college-age binge drinkers and healthy controls, focusing on the ventral striatum, hippocampus and amygdala.
METHOD
T1-weighted images of 19 binge drinkers and 19 healthy volunteers were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry. Structural data were also covaried with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores. Cluster-extent threshold and small volume corrections were both used to analyze imaging data.
RESULTS
Binge drinkers had significantly larger ventral striatal grey matter volumes compared to controls. There were no between group differences in hippocampal or amygdalar volume. Ventral striatal, amygdalar, and hippocampal volumes were also negatively related to AUDIT scores across groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings stand in contrast to the lower ventral striatal volume previously observed in more severe forms of alcohol use disorders, suggesting that college-age binge drinkers may represent a distinct population from those groups. These findings may instead represent early sequelae, compensatory effects of repeated binge and withdrawal, or an endophenotypic risk factor
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Data Standards for the Genomes to Life Program
Existing GTL Projects already have produced volumes of dataand, over the course of the next five years, will produce an estimatedhundreds, or possibly thousands, of terabytes of data from hundreds ofexperiments conducted at dozens of laboratories in National Labs anduniversities across the nation. These data will be the basis forpublications by individual researchers, research groups, andmulti-institutional collaborations, and the basis for future DOEdecisions on funding further research in bioremediation. The short-termand long-term value of the data to project participants, to the DOE, andto the nation depends, however, on being able to access the data and onhow, or whether, the data are archived. The ability to access data is thestarting point for data analysis and interpretation, data integration,data mining, and development of data-driven models. Limited orinefficient data access means that less data are analyzed in acost-effective and timely manner. Data production in the GTL Program willlikely outstrip, or may have already outstripped, the ability to analyzethe data. Being able to access data depends on two key factors: datastandards and implementation of the data standards. For the purpose ofthis proposal, a data standard is defined as a standard, documented wayin which data and information about the data are describe. The attributesof the experiment in which the data were collected need to be known andthe measurements corresponding to the data collected need to bedescribed. In general terms, a data standard could be a form (electronicor paper) that is completed by a researcher or a document that prescribeshow a protocol or experiment should be described in writing.Datastandards are critical to data access because they provide a frameworkfor organizing and managing data. Researchers spend significant amountsof time managing data and information about experiments using labnotebooks, computer files, Excel spreadsheets, etc. In addition, dataoutput format varies for different equipment and usually need to beformatted differently for the variety of computer programs used todisplay and analyze the data. If, however, data for a given type ofexperiment were converted from vendor format to a format defined by adata standard, then researchers and software developers could save time.In addition, if data and information describing how they were obtainedwere available in a consistent format throughout the GTL Program,comparison and integration of results would be facilitated and a datarepository could be built to encourage project-wide data mining.Datastandards also are essential for archiving data sets. If data are storedtogether with the experiment metadata (i.e., information about the data)in an 'information/data package', then the data retain their value due tothe accessibility of information about measurement and analysisprocedures.DOE's commitment to developing data standards for the GTLProgram is needed to ensure that the most value is obtained from DOE'sexpenditures on experimental work and to provide a data repository thatcan be used as the basis for on-going model development. By developingdata standards for experiments conducted as part of the GTL Program, DOEhas the opportunity to facilitate data sharing not only within the DOEcommunity, but also with research institutes through theworld
Direction and magnitude of nicotine effects on the fMRI BOLD response are related to nicotine effects on behavioral performance
Considerable variability across individuals has been reported in both the behavioral and fMRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response to nicotine. We aimed to investigate (1) whether there is a heterogeneous effect of nicotine on behavioral and BOLD responses across participants and (2) if heterogeneous BOLD responses are associated with behavioral performance measures. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, 41 healthy participants (19 smokers)—drawn from a larger population-based sample—performed a visual oddball task after acute challenge with 1 mg nasal nicotine. fMRI data and reaction time were recorded during performance of the task. Across the entire group of subjects, we found increased activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, middle frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, post-central gyrus, planum temporal and frontal pole in the nicotine condition compared with the placebo condition. However, follow-up analyses of this difference in activation between the placebo and nicotine conditions revealed that some participants showed an increase in activation while others showed a decrease in BOLD activation from the placebo to the nicotine condition. A reduction of BOLD activation from placebo to nicotine was associated with a decrease in reaction time and reaction time variability and vice versa, suggesting that it is the direction of BOLD response to nicotine which is related to task performance. We conclude that the BOLD response to nicotine is heterogeneous and that the direction of response to nicotine should be taken into account in future pharmaco-fMRI research on the central action of nicotine
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