2,184 research outputs found
Theta dependence of the vacuum energy in the SU(3) gauge theory from the lattice
We report on a precise computation of the topological charge distribution in
the SU(3) Yang--Mills theory. It is carried out on the lattice with high
statistics Monte Carlo simulations by employing the definition of the
topological charge suggested by Neuberger's fermions. We observe significant
deviations from a Gaussian distribution. Our results disfavour the theta
behaviour of the vacuum energy predicted by instanton models, while they are
compatible with the expectation from the large Nc expansion.Comment: Plain latex, 4 pages, 2 figure
Thermodynamic formalism for dissipative quantum walks
We consider the dynamical properties of dissipative continuous-time quantum
walks on directed graphs. Using a large-deviation approach we construct a
thermodynamic formalism allowing us to define a dynamical order parameter, and
to identify transitions between dynamical regimes. For a particular class of
dissipative quantum walks we propose a quantum generalization of the the
classical PageRank vector, used to rank the importance of nodes in a directed
graph. We also provide an example where one can characterize the dynamical
transition from an effective classical random walk to a dissipative quantum
walk as a thermodynamic crossover between distinct dynamical regimes.Comment: 8 page
Validation of landslide hazard assessment by means of GPS monitoring technique ? a case study in the Dolomites (Eastern Alps, Italy)
International audienceIn the last years a research project aimed at the assessment of the landslide hazard and susceptibility in the high Cordevole river basin (Eastern Dolomites, Italy) have been carried out. The hazard map was made adopting the Swiss Confederation semi-deterministic approach that takes into account parameters such as velocity, geometry and frequency of landslides. Usually these parameters are collected by means of geological and morphological surveys, historical archive researches, aerophotogrammetric analysis etc. In this framework however the dynamics of an instable slope can be difficult to determine. This work aims at illustrating some progress in landslide hazard assessment using a modified version of the Swiss Confederation semi-deterministic approach in which the values of some parameters have been refined in order to accomplish more reliable results in hazard assessment. A validation of the accuracy of these new values, using GPS and inclinometric measurements, has been carried out on a test site located inside the high Cordevole river basin
Comment on "Nucleon elastic form factors and local duality"
We comment on the papers "Nucleon elastic form factors and local duality"
[Phys. Rev. {\bf D62}, 073008 (2000)] and "Experimental verification of
quark-hadron duality" [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 85}, 1186 (2000)]. Our main
comment is that the reconstruction of the proton magnetic form factor, claimed
to be obtained from the inelastic scaling curve thanks to parton-hadron local
duality, is affected by an artifact.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.
Site investigation and modelling at "La Maina" landslide (Carnian Alps, Italy)
International audienceThe Sauris reservoir is a hydroelectric basin closed downstream by a 136 m high, double arc concrete dam. The dam is firmly anchored to a consistent rock (Dolomia dello Schlern), but the Lower Triassic clayey formations, cropping out especially in the lower part of the slopes, have made the whole catchment basin increasingly prone to landslides. In recent years, the "La Maina landslide" has opened up several joints over a surface of about 100 000 m2, displacing about 1 500 000 m3 of material. Particular attention is now being given to the evolution of the instability area, as the reservoir is located at the foot of the landslide. Under the commission of the Regional Authority for Civil Protection a numerical modelling simulation in a pseudo-time condition of the slope was developed, in order to understand the risk for transport infrastructures, for some houses and for the reservoir and to take urgent mesaures to stabilize the slope. A monitoring system consisting of four inclinometers, three wire extensometers and ten GPS bench-mark pillars was immediately set up to check on surface and deep displacements. The data collected and the geological and geomorphological evidences was used to carry out a numerical simulation. The reliability of the results was checked by comparing the model with the morphological evidence of the movement. The mitigation measures were designed and realised following the indications provided by the model
Hard X-ray emission from the galaxy cluster A2256
After the positive detection by BeppoSAX of hard X-ray radiation up to ~80
keV in the Coma cluster spectrum, we present evidence for nonthermal emission
from A2256 in excess of thermal emission at a 4.6sigma confidence level. In
addition to this power law component, a second nonthermal component already
detected by ASCA could be present in the X-ray spectrum of the cluster, not
surprisingly given the complex radio morphology of the cluster central region.
The spectral index of the hard tail detected by the PDS onboard BeppoSAX is
marginally consistent with that expected by the inverse Compton model. A value
of ~0.05 microG is derived for the intracluster magnetic field of the extended
radio emission in the northern regions of the cluster, while a higher value of
\~0.5 microG could be present in the central radio halo, likely related to the
hard tail detected by ASCA.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures. To appear in ApJ
Adiabatic quantum algorithm for search engine ranking
We propose an adiabatic quantum algorithm for generating a quantum pure state
encoding of the PageRank vector, the most widely used tool in ranking the
relative importance of internet pages. We present extensive numerical
simulations which provide evidence that this algorithm can prepare the quantum
PageRank state in a time which, on average, scales polylogarithmically in the
number of webpages. We argue that the main topological feature of the
underlying web graph allowing for such a scaling is the out-degree
distribution. The top ranked entries of the quantum PageRank state
can then be estimated with a polynomial quantum speedup. Moreover, the quantum
PageRank state can be used in "q-sampling" protocols for testing properties of
distributions, which require exponentially fewer measurements than all
classical schemes designed for the same task. This can be used to decide
whether to run a classical update of the PageRank.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; closer to published versio
A multidisciplinary expert opinion on CINV and RINV, unmet needs and practical real-life approaches
Introduction: A range of combination chemotherapy regimens are currently used in clinical practice. However, international antiemetic guidelines often only categorize the emetogenic potential of single agents rather than the emetogenicity of combination chemotherapy regimens. To manage the nausea and vomiting induced by antineoplastic combinations, guidelines suggest antiemetics that are appropriate for the component drug with the highest emetogenic potential. Furthermore, antiemetic guidelines generally do not consider the influence of other factors, including individual patient characteristics, on the emetic effects of cancer treatments. Similarly, the emetogenic potential of radiotherapy is stratified only according to the site of radiation, while other factors contributing to emetic risk are overlooked. Areas covered: An Expert Panel was convened to examine unresolved issues and summarize the current clinical research on managing nausea and vomiting associated with combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Expert opinion: The panel identified the incidence of nausea and vomiting induced by multi-drug combination therapies currently used to treat cancer at different anatomic sites and by radiotherapy in the presence of other risk factors. Based on these data and the clinical experience of panel members, several suggestions are made for a practical approach to prevent or manage nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy regimens and radiation therapy
- …