524 research outputs found
The zebrafish xenograft platform-A novel tool for modeling KSHV-associated diseases
Kaposi\u27s sarcoma associated-herpesvirus (KSHV, also known as human herpesvirus-8) is a gammaherpesvirus that establishes life-long infection in human B lymphocytes. KSHV infection is typically asymptomatic, but immunosuppression can predispose KSHV-infected individuals to primary effusion lymphoma (PEL); a malignancy driven by aberrant proliferation of latently infected B lymphocytes, and supported by pro-inflammatory cytokines and angiogenic factors produced by cells that succumb to lytic viral replication. Here, we report the development of the firs
Chaos and flights in the atom-photon interaction in cavity QED
We study dynamics of the atom-photon interaction in cavity quantum
electrodynamics (QED), considering a cold two-level atom in a single-mode
high-finesse standing-wave cavity as a nonlinear Hamiltonian system with three
coupled degrees of freedom: translational, internal atomic, and the field. The
system proves to have different types of motion including L\'{e}vy flights and
chaotic walkings of an atom in a cavity. It is shown that the translational
motion, related to the atom recoils, is governed by an equation of a parametric
nonlinear pendulum with a frequency modulated by the Rabi oscillations. This
type of dynamics is chaotic with some width of the stochastic layer that is
estimated analytically. The width is fairly small for realistic values of the
control parameters, the normalized detuning and atomic recoil
frequency . It is demonstrated how the atom-photon dynamics with a
given value of depends on the values of and initial
conditions. Two types of L\'{e}vy flights, one corresponding to the ballistic
motion of the atom and another one corresponding to small oscillations in a
potential well, are found. These flights influence statistical properties of
the atom-photon interaction such as distribution of Poincar\'{e} recurrences
and moments of the atom position . The simulation shows different regimes of
motion, from slightly abnormal diffusion with at to a superdiffusion with at that
corresponds to a superballistic motion of the atom with an acceleration. The
obtained results can be used to find new ways to manipulate atoms, to cool and
trap them by adjusting the detuning .Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev.
Breakdown of correspondence in chaotic systems: Ehrenfest versus localization times
Breakdown of quantum-classical correspondence is studied on an experimentally
realizable example of one-dimensional periodically driven system. Two relevant
time scales are identified in this system: the short Ehrenfest time t_h and the
typically much longer localization time scale T_L. It is shown that
surprisingly weak modification of the Hamiltonian may eliminate the more
dramatic symptoms of localization without effecting the more subtle but
ubiquitous and rapid loss of correspondence at t_h.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, replaced with a version submitted to PR
Bragg spectroscopy of a Bose-Einstein condensate
Properties of a Bose-Einstein condensate were studied by stimulated,
two-photon Bragg scattering. The high momentum and energy resolution of this
method allowed a spectroscopic measurement of the mean-field energy and of the
intrinsic momentum uncertainty of the condensate. The coherence length of the
condensate was shown to be equal to its size. Bragg spectroscopy can be used to
determine the dynamic structure factor over a wide range of energy and momentum
transfers.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Vicarious Group Trauma among British Jews
This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11133-016-9337-4Given that literature on the intra- and inter-generational transmission of traumas is mainly based on secondary literature and focuses on the transmission of trauma memory in terms of the historical knowledge of group trauma, this article develops the theory of vicarious group trauma and tests this theory by exploring vicarious traumatization in the everyday lives of Jews in Britain through the methods of observation and in-depth interviewing. Vicarious group trauma is defined as a life or safety-threatening event or abuse that happened to some members of a social group but is felt by other members as their own experience because of their personal affiliation with the group. The article finds that the vicarious sensation of traumatic group experiences can create anxiety, elicit perceptions of threat and, by extension, hypervigilance among Jews. The findings demonstrate that group traumas of the past interpenetrate and interweave with members’ current lives and in this way can also become constitutive of their group identity. An institutional focus on threats to Jews can inform the construction and reinforcement of traumatization symptoms and accordingly vicarious group trauma. This article suggests an association between the level of involvement of group members in the collective’s social structure and the prominence of vicarious group trauma among them
Measurement of the branching ratio of pi^0 -> e^+e^- using K_L -> 3 pi^0 decays in flight
The branching ratio of the rare decay pi^0 -> e^+e^- has been measured in
E799-II, a rare kaon decay experiment using the KTeV detector at Fermilab. The
pi^0's were produced in fully-reconstructed K_L -> 3 pi^0 decays in flight. We
observed 275 candidate pi^0 -> e^+e^- events, with an expected background of
21.4 +- 6.2 events which includes the contribution from Dalitz decays. We
measured BR(pi^0 -> e^+e^-, x>0.95) = (6.09 +- 0.40 +- 0.24) times 10^{-8},
where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. This result is
the first significant observation of the excess rate for this decay above the
unitarity lower bound.Comment: New version shortened to PRL length limit. 5 pages, 4 figures.
Published in Phys. Rev. Let
Randomized Clinical Trial of Aspirin and Simvastatin for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Background—Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease that causes exercise limitation, heart failure, and death. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of aspirin and simvastatin in PAH.
Methods and Results—We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 2×2 factorial clinical trial of aspirin and simvastatin in patients with PAH receiving background therapy at 4 centers. A total of 92 patients with PAH were to be randomized to aspirin 81 mg or matching placebo and simvastatin 40 mg or matching placebo. The primary outcome was 6-minute walk distance at 6 months. Sixty-five subjects had been randomized when the trial was terminated by the Data Safety and Monitoring Board after an interim analysis showed futility in reaching the primary end point for simvastatin. After adjustment for baseline 6-minute walk distance, there was no significant difference in the 6-minute walk distance at 6 months between aspirin (n=32) and placebo (n=33; placebo-corrected difference −0.5 m, 95% confidence interval −28.4 to 27.4 m; P=0.97) or between simvastatin (n=32) and placebo (n=33; placebo-corrected difference −27.6 m, 95% confidence interval −59.6 to 4.3 m; P=0.09). There tended to be more major bleeding episodes with aspirin than with placebo (4 events versus 1 event, respectively; P=0.17).
Conclusions—Neither aspirin nor simvastatin had a significant effect on the 6-minute walk distance, although patients randomized to simvastatin tended to have a lower 6-minute walk distance at 6 months. These results do not support the routine treatment of patients with PAH with these medications
Primordialists and Constructionists: a typology of theories of religion
This article adopts categories from nationalism theory to classify theories of religion. Primordialist explanations are grounded in evolutionary psychology and emphasize the innate human demand for religion. Primordialists predict that religion does not decline in the modern era but will endure in perpetuity. Constructionist theories argue that religious demand is a human construct. Modernity initially energizes religion, but subsequently undermines it. Unpacking these ideal types is necessary in order to describe actual theorists of religion. Three distinctions within primordialism and constructionism are relevant. Namely those distinguishing: a) materialist from symbolist forms of constructionism; b) theories of origins from those pertaining to the reproduction of religion; and c) within reproduction, between theories of religious persistence and secularization. This typology helps to make sense of theories of religion by classifying them on the basis of their causal mechanisms, chronology and effects. In so doing, it opens up new sightlines for theory and research
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