635 research outputs found

    Recent developments in multilevel optimization

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    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

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    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 electron–positron 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 SrCu2_2(BO3_3)2_2

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    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 SrCu2_2(BO3_3)2_2. 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 x=Jâ€Č/Jx=J'/J of nearest and next-nearest neighbour interactions is varied, and locate the transition at xc=0.691(6)x_c=0.691(6). 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 112−124^{112-124}Sb and Isospin Admixture in 100−124^{100-124}Sn Isotopes

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    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 112−124^{112-124}Sb isotopes and the isospin admixture in 100−124^{100-124}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 100−124^{100-124}Sn isotopes are calculated, and the dependence of the differential cross section and the volume integral JFJ_{F} for the Sn(3^{3}He,t)Sb reactions at E(3^{3}He)=200=200 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 100^{100}Sn isotope is in good agreement with Colo et al.'s estimates (4−5(4-5%), and the obtained values for the volume integral change within the error range of the value reported by Fujiwara et al. (53±\pm5 MeV fm3^{3}). Moreover, it is concluded that although the differential cross section of the isobar analog resonance for the (3^{3}He,t) reactions is not sensitive to pairing correlations between nucleons, a considerable effect on the isospin admixtures in N≈ZN\approx Z 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

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    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 mean = 136 fragments, range = 15–409) 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

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    Double-Îł\gamma 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 Îł\gamma-bands, and on the relative position of single-Îł\gamma and double-Îł\gamma bands is studied in detail. As an example of a realistic calculation, spectra and transitions of the highly Îł\gamma-anharmonic nuclei 164^{164}Dy, 166^{166}Er, and 168^{168}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

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    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

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    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

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    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 (L2–3, L3–4) and two degenerated, injured IVDs (L4–5, L5–6) 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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