635 research outputs found
Recent developments in multilevel optimization
Recent developments in multilevel optimization are briefly reviewed. The general nature of the multilevel design task, the use of approximations to develop and solve the analysis design task, the structure of the formal multidiscipline optimization problem, a simple cantilevered beam which demonstrates the concepts of multilevel design and the basic mathematical details of the optimization task and the system level are among the topics discussed
Computational forms for binary particle interactions at different levels of anisotropy
Particle interactions are key elements of many dynamical systems. In the context of systems described by a Boltzmann equation, such interactions may be described by a collision integral, a multidimensional integral over the momentum-phase space of the interaction. This integral is often simplified by assuming isotropic particle distributions; however, such an assumption places constraints on the dynamics of the system. This paper presents computational forms of the collision integral for relativistic, binary interactions at three levels of anisotropy, including a novel form in the isotropic case. All these forms are split into two parts, an absorption and an emission spectrum, which may be pre-calculated via numerical integration for simulation purposes. We demonstrate the use of these forms by comparison with the analytically integrated, isotropic emission spectrum of electronâpositron annihilation, which are shown to agree to numerical precision. The emission spectrum is then further extended to axisymmetric particle distributions, where two-dimensional spectral maps can be generated to provide new insight
Various series expansions for a Heisenberg antiferromagnet model for SrCu(BO)
We use a variety of series expansion methods at both zero and finite
temperature to study an antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin model proposed
recently by Miyahara and Ueda for the quasi two-dimensional material
SrCu(BO). We confirm that this model exhibits a first-order quantum
phase transition at T=0 between a gapped dimer phase and a gapless N\'eel phase
when the ratio of nearest and next-nearest neighbour interactions is
varied, and locate the transition at . Using longer series we are
able to give more accurate estimates of the model parameters by fitting to the
high temperature susceptibility data.Comment: RevTeX, 13 figure
The Effect of the Pairing Interaction on the Energies of Isobar Analog Resonances in Sb and Isospin Admixture in Sn Isotopes
In the present study, the effect of the pairing interaction and the isovector
correlation between nucleons on the properties of the isobar analog resonances
(IAR) in Sb isotopes and the isospin admixture in Sn
isotopes is investigated within the framework of the quasiparticle random phase
approximation (QRPA). The form of the interaction strength parameter is related
to the shell model potential by restoring the isotopic invariance of the
nuclear part of the total Hamiltonian. In this respect, the isospin admixtures
in the Sn isotopes are calculated, and the dependence of the
differential cross section and the volume integral for the
Sn(He,t)Sb reactions at E(He) MeV occurring by the excitation
of IAR on mass number A is examined. Our results show that the calculated value
for the isospin mixing in the Sn isotope is in good agreement with Colo
et al.'s estimates , and the obtained values for the volume integral
change within the error range of the value reported by Fujiwara et al.
(535 MeV fm). Moreover, it is concluded that although the
differential cross section of the isobar analog resonance for the (He,t)
reactions is not sensitive to pairing correlations between nucleons, a
considerable effect on the isospin admixtures in isotopes can be
seen with the presence of these correlations.Comment: 16 pages, 5 EPS figures and 2 tables, Late
Lead Bullet Fragments in Venison from Rifle-Killed Deer: Potential for Human Dietary Exposure
Human consumers of wildlife killed with lead ammunition may be exposed to health risks associated with lead ingestion. This hypothesis is based on published studies showing elevated blood lead concentrations in subsistence hunter populations, retention of ammunition residues in the tissues of hunter-killed animals, and systemic, cognitive, and behavioral disorders associated with human lead body burdens once considered safe. Our objective was to determine the incidence and bioavailability of lead bullet fragments in hunter-killed venison, a widely-eaten food among hunters and their families. We radiographed 30 eviscerated carcasses of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) shot by hunters with standard lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets under normal hunting conditions. All carcasses showed metal fragments (geometric meanâ=â136 fragments, rangeâ=â15â409) and widespread fragment dispersion. We took each carcass to a separate meat processor and fluoroscopically scanned the resulting meat packages; fluoroscopy revealed metal fragments in the ground meat packages of 24 (80%) of the 30 deer; 32% of 234 ground meat packages contained at least one fragment. Fragments were identified as lead by ICP in 93% of 27 samples. Isotope ratios of lead in meat matched the ratios of bullets, and differed from background lead in bone. We fed fragment-containing venison to four pigs to test bioavailability; four controls received venison without fragments from the same deer. Mean blood lead concentrations in pigs peaked at 2.29 ”g/dL (maximum 3.8 ”g/dL) 2 days following ingestion of fragment-containing venison, significantly higher than the 0.63 ”g/dL averaged by controls. We conclude that people risk exposure to bioavailable lead from bullet fragments when they eat venison from deer killed with standard lead-based rifle bullets and processed under normal procedures. At risk in the U.S. are some ten million hunters, their families, and low-income beneficiaries of venison donations
Anharmonic double-phonon excitations in the interacting boson model
Double- vibrations in deformed nuclei are analyzed in the context of
the interacting boson model. A simple extension of the original version of the
model towards higher-order interactions is required to explain the observed
anharmonicities of nuclear vibrations. The influence of three- and four-body
interactions on the moments of inertia of ground- and -bands, and on
the relative position of single- and double- bands is studied
in detail. As an example of a realistic calculation, spectra and transitions of
the highly -anharmonic nuclei Dy, Er, and Er
are interpreted in this approach.Comment: 38 pages, TeX (ReVTeX). 15 ps figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
A first estimate of triply heavy baryon masses from the pNRQCD perturbative static potential
Within pNRQCD we compute the masses of spin-averaged triply heavy baryons
using the now-available NNLO pNRQCD potentials and three-body variational
approach. We focus in particular on the role of the purely three-body
interaction in perturbation theory. This we find to be reasonably small and of
the order 25 MeV Our prediction for the Omega_ccc baryon mass is 4900(250) in
keeping with other approaches. We propose to search for this hitherto
unobserved state at B factories by examining the end point of the recoil
spectrum against triple charm.Comment: 18 figures, 21 page
Field dependent thermodynamics and Quantum Critical Phenomena in the dimerized spin system Cu2(C5H12N2)2Cl4
Experimental data for the uniform susceptibility, magnetization and specific
heat for the material Cu2(C5H12N2)2Cl4 (abbreviated CuHpCl) as a function of
temperature and external field are compared with those of three different
dimerized spin models: alternating spin-chains, spin-ladders and the bilayer
Heisenberg model. It is shown that because this material consists of weakly
coupled spin-dimers, much of the data is insensitive to how the dimers are
coupled together and what the effective dimensionality of the system is. When
such a system is tuned to the quantum critical point by application of a field,
the dimensionality shows up in the power-law dependences of thermodynamic
quantities on temperature. We discuss the temperature window for such a quantum
critical behavior in CuHpCl.Comment: Revtex, 5 pages, 4 figures (postscript
Single cell RNA-sequence analyses reveal uniquely expressed genes and heterogeneous immune cell involvement in the rat model of intervertebral disc degeneration
Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is characterized by a loss of cellularity, and changes in cell-mediated activity that drives anatomic changes to IVD structure. In this study, we used single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of degenerating tissues of the rat IVD following lumbar disc puncture. Two control, uninjured IVDs (L2â3, L3â4) and two degenerated, injured IVDs (L4â5, L5â6) from each animal were examined either at the two- or eight-week post-operative time points. The cells from these IVDs were extracted and transcriptionally profiled at the single-cell resolution. Unsupervised cluster analysis revealed the presence of four known cell types in both non-degenerative and degenerated IVDs based on previously established gene markers: IVD cells, endothelial cells, myeloid cells, and lymphoid cells. As a majority of cells were associated with the IVD cell cluster, sub-clustering was used to further identify the cell populations of the nucleus pulposus, inner and outer annulus fibrosus. The most notable difference between control and degenerated IVDs was the increase of myeloid and lymphoid cells in degenerated samples at two- and eight-weeks post-surgery. Differential gene expression analysis revealed multiple distinct cell types from the myeloid and lymphoid lineages, most notably macrophages and B lymphocytes, and demonstrated a high degree of immune specificity during degeneration. In addition to the heterogenous infiltrating immune cell populations in the degenerating IVD, the increased number of cells in the AF sub-cluster expressing Ngf and Ngfr, encoding for p75NTR, suggest that NGF signaling may be one of the key mediators of the IVD crosstalk between immune and neuronal cell populations. These findings provide the basis for future work to understand the involvement of select subsets of non-resident cells in IVD degeneration
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