365 research outputs found
Quantum coherence generated by interference-induced state selectiveness
The relations between quantum coherence and quantum interference are
discussed. A general method for generation of quantum coherence through
interference-induced state selection is introduced and then applied to `simple'
atomic systems under two-photon transitions, with applications in quantum
optics and laser cooling.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Journal of Modern Optics'
special issue on quantum interferenc
The regulated four parameter one dimensional point interaction
The general four parameter point interaction in one dimensional quantum
mechanics is regulated. It allows the exact solution, but not the perturbative
one. We conjecture that this is due to the interaction not being asymptotically
free. We then propose a different breakup of unperturbed theory and
interaction, which now is asymptotically free but leads to the same physics.
The corresponding regulated potential can be solved both exactly and
perturbatively, in agreement with the conjecture.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, Tex fil
Equivalence of Local and Separable Realizations of the Discontinuity-Inducing Contact Interaction and Its Perturbative Renormalizability
We prove that the separable and local approximations of the
discontinuity-inducing zero-range interaction in one-dimensional quantum
mechanics are equivalent. We further show that the interaction allows the
perturbative treatment through the coupling renormalization.
Keywords: one-dimensional system, generalized contact interaction,
renormalization, perturbative expansion. PACS Nos: 3.65.-w, 11.10.Gh, 31.15.MdComment: ReVTeX 7pgs, doubl column, no figure, See also the website
http://www.mech.kochi-tech.ac.jp/cheon
Bessel Process and Conformal Quantum Mechanics
Different aspects of the connection between the Bessel process and the
conformal quantum mechanics (CQM) are discussed. The meaning of the possible
generalizations of both models is investigated with respect to the other model,
including self adjoint extension of the CQM. Some other generalizations such as
the Bessel process in the wide sense and radial Ornstein- Uhlenbeck process are
discussed with respect to the underlying conformal group structure.Comment: 28 Page
A new equation for the mid-plane potential of power law discs. II. Exact solutions and approximate formulae
The first-order ordinary differential equation (ODE) that describes the
mid-plane gravitational potential in flat finite size discs in which the
surface density is a power-law function of the radius R with exponent s (Hur\'e
& Hersant 2007) is solved exactly in terms of infinite series. The formal
solution of the ODE is derived and then converted into a series representation
by expanding the elliptic integral of the first kind over its modulus before
analytical integration. Inside the disc, the gravitational potential consists
of three terms: a power law of radius R with index 1+s, and two infinite series
of the variables R and 1/R. The convergence of the series can be accelerated,
enabling the construction of reliable approximations. At the lowest-order, the
potential inside large astrophysical discs (s ~ -1.5 +/- 1) is described by a
very simple formula whose accuracy (a few percent typically) is easily
increased by considering successive orders through a recurrence. A basic
algorithm is given. Applications concern all theoretical models and numerical
simulations where the influence of disc gravity must be checked and/or reliably
taken into account.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 13 pages, 8 figure
Effect of acute copper sulfate exposure on olfactory responses to amino acids and pheromones in goldfish (Carassius auratus)
Exposure of olfactory epithelium to environmentally relevant concentrations of copper disrupts olfaction in fish. To examine
the dynamics of recovery at both functional and morphological levels after acute copper exposure, unilateral exposure of goldfish olfactory epithelia to 100 μM CuSO4 (10 min) was followed by electro-olfactogram (EOG) recording and scanning electron microscopy. Sensitivity to amino acids (L-arginine
and L-serine), generally considered food-related odorants, recovered most rapidly (three days), followed by that to
catecholamines(3-O-methoxytyramine),bileacids(taurolithocholic acid) and the steroid pheromone, 17,20 -dihydroxy-4-pregnen-
3-one 20-sulfate, which took 28 days to reach full recovery. Sensitivity to the postovulatory pheromone prostaglandin F2R had
not fully recovered even at 28 days. These changes in sensitivity were correlated with changes in the recovery of ciliated and microvillous receptor cell types. Microvillous cells appeared largely unaffected by CuSO4 treatment. Cilia in
ciliated receptor neurones, however, appeared damaged one day post-treatment and were virtually absent after three days but
had begun to recover after 14 days. Together, these results support the hypothesis that microvillous receptor neurones detect amino acids whereas ciliated receptor neurones were not functional and are responsible for detection of social stimuli (bile acidsandpheromones).Furthermore, differences in sensitivity to copper may be due to different transduction pathways in
the different cell types
Kirchhoff's Rule for Quantum Wires
In this article we formulate and discuss one particle quantum scattering
theory on an arbitrary finite graph with open ends and where we define the
Hamiltonian to be (minus) the Laplace operator with general boundary conditions
at the vertices. This results in a scattering theory with channels. The
corresponding on-shell S-matrix formed by the reflection and transmission
amplitudes for incoming plane waves of energy is explicitly given in
terms of the boundary conditions and the lengths of the internal lines. It is
shown to be unitary, which may be viewed as the quantum version of Kirchhoff's
law. We exhibit covariance and symmetry properties. It is symmetric if the
boundary conditions are real. Also there is a duality transformation on the set
of boundary conditions and the lengths of the internal lines such that the low
energy behaviour of one theory gives the high energy behaviour of the
transformed theory. Finally we provide a composition rule by which the on-shell
S-matrix of a graph is factorizable in terms of the S-matrices of its
subgraphs. All proofs only use known facts from the theory of self-adjoint
extensions, standard linear algebra, complex function theory and elementary
arguments from the theory of Hermitean symplectic forms.Comment: 40 page
Annual variation in the levels of transcripts of sex-specific genes in the mantle of the common mussel, Mytilus edulis
Mytilus species are used as sentinels for the assessment of environmental health but sex or stage in the reproduction cycle is rarely considered even though both parameters are likely to influence responses to pollution. We have validated the use of a qPCR assay for sex identification and related the levels of transcripts to the reproductive cycle. A temporal study of mantle of Mytilus edulis found transcripts of male-specific vitelline coat lysin (VCL) and female-specific vitelline envelope receptor for lysin (VERL) could identify sex over a complete year. The levels of VCL/VERL were proportional to the numbers of sperm/ova and are indicative of the stage of the reproductive cycle. Maximal levels of VCL and VERL were found in February 2009 declining to minima between July - August before increasing and re-attaining a peak in February 2010. Water temperature may influence these transitions since they coincide with minimal water temperature in February and maximal temperature in August. An identical pattern of variation was found for a cryptic female-specific transcript (H5) but a very different pattern was observed for oestrogen receptor 2 (ER2). ER2 varied in a sex-specific way with male > female for most of the cycle, with a female maxima in July and a male maxima in December. Using artificially spawned animals, the transcripts for VCL, VERL and H5 were shown to be present in gametes and thus their disappearance from mantle is indicative of spawning. VCL and VERL are present at equivalent levels in February and July-August but during gametogenesis (August to January) and spawning (March to June) VCL is present at lower relative amounts than VERL. This may indicate sex-specific control mechanisms for these processes and highlight a potential pressure point leading to reduced reproductive output if environmental factors cause asynchrony to gamete maturation or release
Fanconi anemia genes are highly expressed in primitive CD34(+ )hematopoietic cells
BACKGROUND: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a complex recessive genetic disease characterized by progressive bone marrow failure (BM) and a predisposition to cancer. We have previously shown using the Fancc mouse model that the progressive BM failure results from a hematopoietic stem cell defect suggesting that function of the FA genes may reside in primitive hematopoietic stem cells. METHODS: Since genes involved in stem cell differentiation and/or maintenance are usually regulated at the transcription level, we used a semiquantitative RT-PCR method to evaluate FA gene transcript levels in purified hematopoietic stem cells. RESULTS: We show that most FA genes are highly expressed in primitive CD34-positive and negative cells compared to lower levels in more differentiated cells. However, in CD34(- )stem cells the Fancc gene was found to be expressed at low levels while Fancg was undetectable in this population. Furthermore, Fancg expression is significantly decreased in Fancc -/- stem cells as compared to wild-type cells while the cancer susceptibility genes Brca1 and Fancd1/Brac2 are upregulated in Fancc-/- hematopoietic cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that FA genes are regulated at the mRNA level, that increased Fancc expression in LTS-CD34(+ )cells correlates with a role at the CD34(+ )differentiation stage and that lack of Fancc affects the expression of other FA gene, more specifically Fancg and Fancd1/Brca2, through an unknown mechanism
Quantum Cosmology of Generalized Two--Dimensional Dilaton Gravity Models
The quantum cosmology of two-dimensional dilaton-gravity models is
investigated. A class of models is mapped onto the constrained
oscillator-ghost-oscillator model. A number of exact and approximate solutions
to the corresponding Wheeler-DeWitt equation are presented. A wider class of
minisuperspace models that can be solved in this fashion is identified.
Supersymmetric extensions to the induced gravity theory and the bosonic string
theory are then considered and closed-form solutions to the associated quantum
constraints are derived. The possibility of applying the third-quantization
procedure to two-dimensional dilaton-gravity is briefly discussed.Comment: 28 pages, late
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