Density-matrix spectra for integrable models

The spectra which occur in numerical density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations for quantum chains can be obtained analytically for integrable models via corner transfer matrices. This is shown in detail for the transverse Ising chain and the uniaxial XXZ Heisenberg model and explains in particular their exponential character in these cases.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Ann. Physi

On Measuring Gravitomagnetism via Spaceborne Clocks: A Gravitomagnetic Clock Effect

DOI:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3889(199902)8:2<135The difference in the proper azimuthal periods of revolution of two standard clocks in direct and retrograde orbits about a central rotating mass is proportional to J/Mc^2, where J and M are, respectively, the proper angular momentum and mass of the source. In connection with this gravitomagnetic clock effect, we explore the possibility of using spaceborne standard clocks for detecting the gravitomagnetic field of the Earth. It is shown that this approach to the measurement of the gravitomagnetic field is, in a certain sense, theoretically equivalent to the Gravity Probe-B concept.This work has been supported in part by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Influence of migrating inhibitor concentration on corrosion resistance of steel reinforcement in concrete

To increase the service life and durability of reinforced concrete structures, new technologies have been developed, such as cathodic protection, re-alkalinization, chloride extraction, and the use of corrosion inhibitors. This study evaluated the influence of cement type, concrete cover thickness, and the addition of organic migrating corrosion inhibitor (MCI) on the corrosion resistance of the embedded steel in concrete against the induced action of chloride ions. To accomplish this, corrosion tests were carried out using electrode potential techniques simultaneously with acceleration cycles of chloride attack. Four mixtures with two levels of reinforcement cover (25 and 40 mm) were subjected to 30 weekly cycles of chemical attack: a reference mixture (without inhibitor) and three others adopting concentration levels of 0.30%, 0.45%, and 0.60% of MCI in the volume of concrete. The concrete properties (compressive strength, voids, specific gravity, and water absorption by immersion and capillarity) were verified. In the corrosion tests on reinforced concrete with lower cover thickness, the mixture with 0.60% MCI addition showed the best results: corrosion potential values less negative than -200 mV, with less than 10% probability of corrosion.Para aumentar a vida útil e durabilidade das estruturas de concreto armado foram desenvolvidas novas tecnologias como a proteção catódica, re-alcalinização, extração de cloreto, e o uso de inibidores de corrosão. Este estudo avaliou a influência do tipo de cimento, espessura do cobrimento de concreto e adição de inibidor de corrosão orgânico migratório (MCI) na resistência à corrosão do aço embutido no concreto contra a ação induzida de íons cloreto. Para isso, foram realizados ensaios de corrosão utilizando técnicas de potencial de eletrodo simultaneamente com ciclos de aceleração de ataque de cloretos. Quatro misturas com dois níveis de cobertura do aço (25 e 40 mm) foram submetidas a 30 ciclos semanais de ataque químico: uma mistura de referência (sem inibidor) e outras três adotando níveis de concentração de 0,30%, 0,45% e 0,60% de MCI em volume de concreto. As propriedades do concreto (resistência à compressão, índice de vazios, massa específica e absorção de água por imersão e capilaridade) foram verificadas. Nos ensaios de corrosão em concretos armados com menor espessura de cobrimento, a mistura com adição de 0,60% de MCI apresentou os melhores resultados: valores de potencial de corrosão inferiores a -200 mV, com probabilidade de corrosão inferior a 10%

Measuring Drivers’ Visual Attention in Work Zones

AbstractAssessing driver sensory and cognitive processes, and the effect of temporary traffic control devices upon those processes in work zones, can be somewhat difficult. Measuring vehicle speed, lane position, acceleration, braking, turning, etc. through in-vehicle instrumentation is easily accomplished, but understanding driver visual attention is much more challenging. For example, during construction projects, drivers often have difficulty identifying appropriate gaps for turning in order to access businesses, particularly at night. In addition, driveways are often delineated with channelizing drums that appear the same as all the other drums in the work zone. Researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute performed a study of driver eye-tracking in work zones to determine if drivers could more easily locate specific business driveways if alternative driveway delineation treatments were used. The evaluation was performed using paid participants driving instrumented vehicles equipped with dash-mounted eye-tracking equipment. Primary measures of effectiveness (MOE) were: participants’ glance distributions at various viewing regions during driveway approaches and average glance durations at driveway treatments. Overall, the data showed that drivers’ visual attention was different when the alternative delineation treatments were used, evidenced by a statistically significant increase in the number of treatment glances at the alternative treatments. There was little difference in the durations of the treatment glances during the daytime, probably due to the prevalence of other visual cues that are readily visible in the daytime. But glance durations at the alternative treatments were longer at night, indicative of the success of the treatment in attracting attention to the actual driveway location. Overall, while differences in the MOE were less pronounced during the day, the alternative channelizing treatments generally performed better than the standard drum treatment at night

Dynamisch-adaptive Kostenkalkulation für die Bauprojektentwicklung in vernetzten Systemen

Die Entwicklung von Projekten des Hoch- und Industriebaus ist durch eine Vielzahl von zu verarbeitenden Informationen und Bewertungsgrundlagen in den Planungsphasen der Bau-land- sowie der Hoch- und Industriebauentwicklung für die Kostenkalkulation geprägt. Die Identifizierung, Beschaffung, Verwaltung und Verarbeitung dieser nach Art, Form und Inhalt bei den Kommunikationspartnern verteilt vorliegenden Informationen führt zu komplexen Planungsprozessen. Zur Bewältigung dieser Komplexität ist die Bauprojektentwicklung kooperativ in vernetzten Systemen durchzuführen. Insbesondere kann die Kostenkalkulation auf Basis der sich zeitlich verändernden Fachinformation im Netz effizient, zeitnah und mit hoher Qualität durchgeführt werden. Die bisher eingesetzten Methoden und Verfahren unterstützen die Projektplaner bei der Datenerfassung und -verarbeitung der kostenrelevanten Informationen nur in lokalen Computernetzen. Die Erfassung von Kosteninformationen, wie zum Beispiel Kostenschätzungen zur Planung von Projekten oder die im Laufe der Projektentwicklung entstehenden Kosten, liegen jedoch verteilt bei den Projektpartnern vor. Es ist daher notwendig, zur Vermeidung von Erfassungs-fehlern und zur Steigerung der Kooperation der Projektpartner bei der wirtschaftlichen Kalkulation von Bauprojekten, den Projektpartnern eine rechnergestützte und projektweite Kalkulation unter Nutzung von Computernetzwerken zu ermöglichen. Die Autoren stellen ein agenten-basiertes Kooperationsmodell für die Kosten-Kalkulation in Rahmen der Bauprojektentwicklung in vernetzten Systemen vor, das durch Strukturierung der Planungsinformationen die selbständige Suche nach klar definierten Informationen auf Basis mobiler Internet-Agenten dynamisch-adaptiv unterstützt

Prohibitin 1 Modulates Mitochondrial Stress-Related Autophagy in Human Colonic Epithelial Cells

Autophagy is an adaptive response to extracellular and intracellular stress by which cytoplasmic components and organelles, including damaged mitochondria, are degraded to promote cell survival and restore cell homeostasis. Certain genes involved in autophagy confer susceptibility to Crohn's disease. Reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), both of which are increased during active inflammatory bowel disease, promote cellular injury and autophagy via mitochondrial damage. Prohibitin (PHB), which plays a role in maintaining normal mitochondrial respiratory function, is decreased during active inflammatory bowel disease. Restoration of colonic epithelial PHB expression protects mice from experimental colitis and combats oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the potential role of PHB in modulating mitochondrial stress-related autophagy in intestinal epithelial cells.We measured autophagy activation in response to knockdown of PHB expression by RNA interference in Caco2-BBE and HCT116 WT and p53 null cells. The effect of exogenous PHB expression on TNFα- and IFNγ-induced autophagy was assessed. Autophagy was inhibited using Bafilomycin A(1) or siATG16L1 during PHB knockdown and the affect on intracellular oxidative stress, mitochondrial membrane potential, and cell viability were determined. The requirement of intracellular ROS in siPHB-induced autophagy was assessed using the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine.TNFα and IFNγ-induced autophagy inversely correlated with PHB protein expression. Exogenous PHB expression reduced basal autophagy and TNFα-induced autophagy. Gene silencing of PHB in epithelial cells induces mitochondrial autophagy via increased intracellular ROS. Inhibition of autophagy during PHB knockdown exacerbates mitochondrial depolarization and reduces cell viability.Decreased PHB levels coupled with dysfunctional autophagy renders intestinal epithelial cells susceptible to mitochondrial damage and cytotoxicity. Repletion of PHB may represent a therapeutic approach to combat oxidant and cytokine-induced mitochondrial damage in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease

Towards the proteome of the marine bacterium Rhodopirellula baltica: mapping the soluble proteins

The marine bacterium Rhodopirellula baltica, a member of the phylum Planctomycetes, has distinct morphological properties and contributes to remineralization of biomass in the natural environment. On the basis of its recently determined complete genome we investigated its proteome by 2-DE and established a reference 2-DE gel for the soluble protein fraction. Approximately 1000 protein spots were excised from a colloidal Coomassie-stained gel (pH 4-7), analyzed by MALDI-MS and identified by PMF. The non-redundant data set contained 626 distinct protein spots, corresponding to 558 different genes. The identified proteins were classified into role categories according to their predicted functions. The experimentally determined and the theoretically predicted proteomes were compared. Proteins, which were most abundant in 2-DE gels and the coding genes of which were also predicted to be highly expressed, could be linked mainly to housekeeping functions in glycolysis, tricarboxic acid cycle, amino acid biosynthesis, protein quality control and translation. Absence of predictable signal peptides indicated a localization of these proteins in the intracellular compartment, the pirellulosome. Among the identified proteins, 146 contained a predicted signal peptide suggesting their translocation. Some proteins were detected in more than one spot on the gel, indicating post-translational modification. In addition to identifying proteins present in the published sequence database for R. baltica, an alternative approach was used, in which the mass spectrometric data was searched against a maximal ORF set, allowing the identification of four previously unpredicted ORFs. The 2-DE reference map presented here will serve as framework for further experiments to study differential gene expression of R. baltica in response to external stimuli or cellular development and compartmentalization

Theoretical study of the absorption spectra of the lithium dimer

For the lithium dimer we calculate cross sections for absorption of radiation from the vibrational-rotational levels of the ground X [singlet Sigma g +] electronic state to the vibrational levels and continua of the excited A [singlet Sigma u +] and B [singlet Pi u] electronic states. Theoretical and experimental data are used to characterize the molecular properties taking advantage of knowledge recently obtained from photoassociation spectroscopy and ultra-cold atom collision studies. The quantum-mechanical calculations are carried out for temperatures in the range from 1000 to 2000 K and are compared with previous calculations and measurements.Comment: 20 pages, revtex, epsf, 6 fig