3,995 research outputs found
Analytical and numerical studies of disordered spin-1 Heisenberg chains with aperiodic couplings
We investigate the low-temperature properties of the one-dimensional spin-1
Heisenberg model with geometric fluctuations induced by aperiodic but
deterministic coupling distributions, involving two parameters. We focus on two
aperiodic sequences, the Fibonacci sequence and the 6-3 sequence. Our goal is
to understand how these geometric fluctuations modify the physics of the
(gapped) Haldane phase, which corresponds to the ground state of the uniform
spin-1 chain. We make use of different adaptations of the strong-disorder
renormalization-group (SDRG) scheme of Ma, Dasgupta and Hu, widely employed in
the study of random spin chains, supplemented by quantum Monte Carlo and
density-matrix renormalization-group numerical calculations, to study the
nature of the ground state as the coupling modulation is increased. We find no
phase transition for the Fibonacci chain, while we show that the 6-3 chain
exhibits a phase transition to a gapless, aperiodicity-dominated phase similar
to the one found for the aperiodic spin-1/2 XXZ chain. Contrary to what is
verified for random spin-1 chains, we show that different adaptations of the
SDRG scheme may lead to different qualitative conclusions about the nature of
the ground state in the presence of aperiodic coupling modulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review
What is there in the black box of dark energy: variable cosmological parameters or multiple (interacting) components?
The coincidence problems and other dynamical features of dark energy are
studied in cosmological models with variable cosmological parameters and in
models with the composite dark energy. It is found that many of the problems
usually considered to be cosmological coincidences can be explained or
significantly alleviated in the aforementioned models.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, talk given at IRGAC2006 (Barcelona, July 11-15,
2006), to appear in J. Phys.
Effects of intra- and inter-laminar resin content on the mechanical properties of toughened composite materials
Composite materials having multiphase toughened matrix systems and laminate architectures characterized by resin-rich interlaminar layers (RIL) have been the subject of much recent attention. Such materials are likely to find applications in thick compressively loaded structures such as the keel area of commercial aircraft fuselages. The effects of resin content and its interlaminar and intralaminar distribution on mechanical properties were investigated with test and analysis of two carbon-epoxy systems. The RIL was found to reduce the in situ strengthening effect for matrix cracking in laminates. Mode 2 fracture toughness was found to increase with increasing RIL thickness over the range investigated, and Mode 1 interlaminar toughness was negligibly affected. Compressive failure strains were found to increase with increasing resin content for specimens having no damage, holes, and impact damage. Analytical tools for predicting matrix cracking of off-axis plies and damage tolerance in compression after impact (CAI) were successfully applied to materials with RIL
Phase diagram of silica from computer simulation
We evaluate the phase diagram of the ``BKS'' potential [Van Beest, Kramer and
van Santen, Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 1955 (1990)], a model of silica widely used in
molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We conduct MD simulations of the liquid,
and three crystals (beta-quartz, coesite and stishovite) over wide ranges of
temperature and density, and evaluate the total Gibbs free energy of each
phase. The phase boundaries are determined by the intersection of these free
energy surfaces. Not unexpectedly for a classical pair potential, our results
reveal quantitative discrepancies between the locations of the BKS and real
silica phase boundaries. At the same time, we find that the topology of the
real phase diagram is reproduced, confirming that the BKS model provides a
satisfactory qualitative description of a silica-like material. We also compare
the phase boundaries with the locations of liquid-state thermodynamic anomalies
identified in previous studies of the BKS model.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Structural characterization of high temperature composites
Glass, ceramic, and carbon matrix composite materials have emerged in recent years with potential properties and temperature resistance which make them attractive for high temperature applications such as gas turbine engines. At the outset of this study, only flexural tests were available to evaluate brittle matrix composites at temperatures in the 600 to 1000 C range. The results are described of an ongoing effort to develop appropriate tensile, compression, and shear test methods for high temperature use. A tensile test for unidirectional composites was developed and used to evaluate the properties and behavior of ceramic fiber reinforced glass and glass-ceramic matrix composites in air at temperatures up to 1000 C. The results indicate generally efficient fiber reinforcement and tolerance to matrix cracking similar to polymer matrix composites. Limiting properties in these materials may be an inherently very low transverse strain to failure, and high temperature embrittlement due to fiber/matrix interface oxidation
Tourniquet Test for Dengue Diagnosis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Diagnostic Test Accuracy.
BACKGROUND: Dengue fever is a ubiquitous arboviral infection in tropical and sub-tropical regions, whose incidence has increased over recent decades. In the absence of a rapid point of care test, the clinical diagnosis of dengue is complex. The World Health Organisation has outlined diagnostic criteria for making the diagnosis of dengue infection, which includes the use of the tourniquet test (TT). PURPOSE: To assess the quality of the evidence supporting the use of the TT and perform a diagnostic accuracy meta-analysis comparing the TT to antibody response measured by ELISA. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the following databases to April, 2016: MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, BIOSIS, Web of Science, SCOPUS. STUDY SELECTION: Studies comparing the diagnostic accuracy of the tourniquet test with ELISA for the diagnosis of dengue were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent authors extracted data using a standardized form. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 16 studies with 28,739 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity for dengue diagnosis by TT was 58% (95% Confidence Interval (CI), 43%-71%) and the specificity was 71% (95% CI, 60%-80%). In the subgroup analysis sensitivity for non-severe dengue diagnosis was 55% (95% CI, 52%-59%) and the specificity was 63% (95% CI, 60%-66%), whilst sensitivity for dengue hemorrhagic fever diagnosis was 62% (95% CI, 53%-71%) and the specificity was 60% (95% CI, 48%-70%). Receiver-operator characteristics demonstrated a test accuracy (AUC) of 0.70 (95% CI, 0.66-0.74). CONCLUSION: The tourniquet test is widely used in resource poor settings despite currently available evidence demonstrating only a marginal benefit in making a diagnosis of dengue infection alone. REGISTRATION: The protocol for this systematic review was registered at PROSPERO: CRD42015020323
The J_1-J_2 antiferromagnet with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on the square lattice: An exact diagonalization study
We examine the influence of an anisotropic interaction term of
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) type on the groundstate ordering of the J_1-J_2
spin-1/2-Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the square lattice. For the DM term we
consider several symmetries corresponding to different crystal structures. For
the pure J_1-J_2 model there are strong indications for a quantum spin liquid
in the region of 0.4 < J_2/J_1 < 0.65. We find that a DM interaction influences
the breakdown of the conventional antiferromagnetic order by i) shifting the
spin liquid region, ii) changing the isotropic character of the groundstate
towards anisotropic correlations and iii) creating for certain symmetries a net
ferromagnetic moment.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX, 6 ps-figures, to appear in J. Phys.: Cond. Ma
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