Contour methods for long-range Ising models: weakening nearest-neighbor interactions and adding decaying fields

We consider ferromagnetic long-range Ising models which display phase transitions. They are long-range one-dimensional Ising ferromagnets, in which the interaction is given by $J_{x,y} = J(|x-y|)\equiv \frac{1}{|x-y|^{2-\alpha}}$ with $\alpha \in [0, 1)$, in particular, $J(1)=1$. For this class of models one way in which one can prove the phase transition is via a kind of Peierls contour argument, using the adaptation of the Fr\"ohlich-Spencer contours for $\alpha \neq 0$, proposed by Cassandro, Ferrari, Merola and Presutti. As proved by Fr\"ohlich and Spencer for $\alpha=0$ and conjectured by Cassandro et al for the region they could treat, $\alpha \in (0,\alpha_{+})$ for $\alpha_+=\log(3)/\log(2)-1$, although in the literature dealing with contour methods for these models it is generally assumed that $J(1)\gg1$, we can show that this condition can be removed in the contour analysis. In addition, combining our theorem with a recent result of Littin and Picco we prove the persistence of the contour proof of the phase transition for any $\alpha \in [0,1)$. Moreover, we show that when we add a magnetic field decaying to zero, given by $h_x= h_*\cdot(1+|x|)^{-\gamma}$ and $\gamma >\max\{1-\alpha, 1-\alpha^* \}$ where $\alpha^*\approx 0.2714$, the transition still persists.Comment: 13 page

Collision of two general geodesic particles around a Kerr black hole

We obtain an explicit expression for the center-of-mass (CM) energy of two colliding general geodesic massive and massless particles at any spacetime point around a Kerr black hole. Applying this, we show that the CM energy can be arbitrarily high only in the limit to the horizon and then derive a formula for the CM energy of two general geodesic particles colliding near the horizon in terms of the conserved quantities of each particle and the polar angle. We present the necessary and sufficient condition for the CM energy to be arbitrarily high in terms of the conserved quantities of each particle. To have an arbitrarily high CM energy, the angular momentum of either of the two particles must be fine-tuned to the critical value $L_{i}=\Omega_{H}^{-1}E_{i}$, where $\Omega_{H}$ is the angular velocity of the horizon and $E_{i}$ and $L_{i}$ are the energy and angular momentum of particle $i$ ($=1,2$), respectively. We show that, in the direct collision scenario, the collision with an arbitrarily high CM energy can occur near the horizon of maximally rotating black holes not only at the equator but also on a belt centered at the equator. This belt lies between latitudes $\pm acos(\sqrt{3}-1)\simeq \pm 42.94^{\circ}$. This is also true in the scenario through the collision of a last stable orbit particle.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, minor correctio

Turbulence in a Sheared, Salt-Fingering-Favorable Environment: Anisotropy and Effective Diffusivities

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a shear layer with salt-fingering-favorable stratification have been performed for different Richardson numbers Ri and density ratios R[subscript]p. In the absence of shear (Ri = oo), the primary instability is square planform salt fingering, alternating cells of rising and sinking fluid. In the presence of shear, salt fingering takes the form of salt sheets, planar regions of rising and sinking fluid, aligned parallel to the sheared flow. After the onset of secondary instability, the flow becomes turbulent. The continued influence of the primary instability distorts the late-stage structure and hence biases isotropic estimates of the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate . In contrast, thermal and saline gradients evolve to become more isotropic than velocity gradients at their dissipation scales. Thus, the standard observational methodology of estimating the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate from vertical profiles of microscale gradients and assuming isotropy can underestimate its true value by a factor of 2–3, whereas estimates of thermal and saline dissipation rates using this approach are relatively accurate. Likewise, estimates of G from vertical profiles overestimate the true G by roughly a factor of 2. Salt sheets are ineffective at transporting momentum. Thermal and saline effective diffusivities decrease with decreasing Ri, despite the added energy source provided by background shear. After the transition to turbulence, the thermal to saline flux ratio and the effective Schmidt number remain close to the values predicted by linear theory

Genetic diversity of Sicyopterus japonicus as revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequencing

To examine the genetic diversity of Sicyopterus japonicus, 448 sites of the control region of the mitochondrial DNA were analyzed in 77 specimens from the four localities of Okinawa, Kochi, Wakayama, and Shizuoka in Japan. A total of 74 haplotypes were found in the individuals examined. The same haplotypes occurred in Okinawa and Kochi, Kochi and Wakayama, and two specimens in Wakayama. The average sequence in genetic characteristics within localities varied from 1.7% in Kochi, 1.6% in Wakayama to 1.4% in Okinawa. There was no significant difference in genetic characteristics among the three locations of Wakayama, Kochi, and Okinawa (10,000 times permutation test, P>0.05). The number of specimens from Shizuoka was too small to compare to the other three locations. The neighbor-joining tree of the mitochondrial DNA haplotypes for all specimens constructed from the Kimura\u27s two-parameter distances suggested no evidence of genetic subdivision of S. japonicus. These results suggested that this species has a single panmictic population and their larvae probably have a high dispersal ability during their oceanic stage

The effect of age on outcomes of coronary artery bypass surgery compared with balloon angioplasty or bare-metal stent implantation among patients with multivessel coronary disease. A collaborative analysis of individual patient data from 10 randomized trials.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess whether patient age modifies the comparative effectiveness of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: Increasingly, CABG and PCI are performed in older patients to treat multivessel disease, but their comparative effectiveness is uncertain. METHODS: Individual data from 7,812 patients randomized in 1 of 10 clinical trials of CABG or PCI were pooled. Age was analyzed as a continuous variable in the primary analysis and was divided into tertiles for descriptive purposes (≤56.2 years, 56.3 to 65.1 years, ≥65.2 years). The outcomes assessed were death, myocardial infarction and repeat revascularization over complete follow-up, and angina at 1 year. RESULTS: Older patients were more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, and 3-vessel disease compared with younger patients (p < 0.001 for trend). Over a median follow-up of 5.9 years, the effect of CABG versus PCI on mortality varied according to age (interaction p < 0.01), with adjusted CABG-to-PCI hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 1.23 (95% CI: 0.95 to 1.59) in the youngest tertile; 0.89 (95% CI: 0.73 to 1.10) in the middle tertile; and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.67 to 0.94) in the oldest tertile. The CABG-to-PCI hazard ratio of less than 1 for patients 59 years of age and older. A similar interaction of age with treatment was present for the composite outcome of death or myocardial infarction. In contrast, patient age did not alter the comparative effectiveness of CABG and PCI on the outcomes of repeat revascularization or angina. CONCLUSIONS: Patient age modifies the comparative effectiveness of CABG and PCI on hard cardiac events, with CABG favored at older ages and PCI favored at younger ages

A novel histone exchange factor, protein phosphatase 2Cγ, mediates the exchange and dephosphorylation of H2A–H2B

In eukaryotic nuclei, DNA is wrapped around a protein octamer composed of the core histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4, forming nucleosomes as the fundamental units of chromatin. The modification and deposition of specific histone variants play key roles in chromatin function. In this study, we established an in vitro system based on permeabilized cells that allows the assembly and exchange of histones in situ. H2A and H2B, each tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP), are incorporated into euchromatin by exchange independently of DNA replication, and H3.1-GFP is assembled into replicated chromatin, as found in living cells. By purifying the cellular factors that assist in the incorporation of H2A–H2B, we identified protein phosphatase (PP) 2C γ subtype (PP2Cγ/PPM1G) as a histone chaperone that binds to and dephosphorylates H2A–H2B. The disruption of PP2Cγ in chicken DT40 cells increased the sensitivity to caffeine, a reagent that disturbs DNA replication and damage checkpoints, suggesting the involvement of PP2Cγ-mediated histone dephosphorylation and exchange in damage response or checkpoint recovery in higher eukaryotes

Rate of telomere shortening and cardiovascular damage: a longitudinal study in the 1946 British Birth Cohort.

AIM: Cross-sectional studies reported associations between short leucocyte telomere length (LTL) and measures of vascular and cardiac damage. However, the contribution of LTL dynamics to the age-related process of cardiovascular (CV) remodelling remains unknown. In this study, we explored whether the rate of LTL shortening can predict CV phenotypes over 10-year follow-up and the influence of established CV risk factors on this relationship. METHODS AND RESULTS: All the participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) with measures of LTL and traditional CV risk factors at 53 and 60-64 years and common carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), cardiac mass and left ventricular function at 60-64 years were included. LTL was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction and available at both time points in 1033 individuals. While LTL at 53 years was not linked with any CV phenotype at 60-64 years, a negative association was found between LTL and cIMT at 60-64 years (β = -0.017, P = 0.015). However, the strongest association was found between rate of telomere shortening between 53 and 60-64 years and values of cIMT at 60-64 years (β = -0.020, P = 0.006). This association was not affected by adjustment for traditional CV risk factors. Cardiac measurements were not associated with cross-sectional or longitudinal measures of LTL. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the rate of progression of cellular ageing in late midlife (reflected by the rate of LTL attrition) relates to vascular damage, independently from contribution of CV risk factor exposure

On the lack of strong O-line excess in the Coma cluster outskirts from Suzaku

About half of the baryons in the local Universe are thought to reside in the so-called warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) at temperatures of 0.1-10 million K. Thermal soft excess emission in the spectrum of some cluster outskirts that contains OVII and/or OVIII emission lines is regarded as evidence of the WHIM, although the origin of the lines is controversial due to strong Galactic and solar system foreground emission. We observed the Coma-11 field, where the most prominent thermal soft excess has ever been reported, with Suzaku XIS in order to make clear the origin of the excess. We did not confirm OVII or OVIII excess emission. The OVII and OVIII intensity in Coma-11 is more than 5 sigma below that reported before and we obtained 2 sigma upper limits of 2.8 and 2.9 photons cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1 for OVII and OVIII, respectively. The intensities are consistent with those in another field (Coma-7) that we measured, and with other measurements in the Coma outskirts (Coma-7 and X Com fields with XMM-Newton). We did not confirm the spatial variation within Coma outskirts. The strong oxygen emission lines previously reported are likely due to solar wind charge exchange.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap