Asymmetric simple exclusion process on a ring conditioned on enhanced flux

We show that in the asymmetric simple exclusion process (ASEP) on a ring, conditioned on carrying a large flux, the particle experience an effective long-range potential which in the limit of very large flux takes the simple form $U= -2\sum_{i\neq j}\log|\sin\pi(n_{i}/L-n_{j}/L)|$, where $n_{1}n_{2},\ldots n_{N}$ are the particle positions, similar to the effective potential between the eigenvalues of the circular unitary ensemble in random matrices. Effective hopping rates and various quasistationary probabilities under such a conditioning are found analytically using the Bethe ansatz and determinantal free fermion techniques. Our asymptotic results extend to the limit of large current and large activity for a family of reaction-diffusion processes with on-site exclusion between particles. We point out an intriguing generic relation between classical stationary probability distributions for conditioned dynamics and quantum ground state wave functions, in particular, in the case of exclusion processes, for free fermions.Comment: submitted to J. Stat. Mec

Novel oral anticoagulants in primary care in patients with atrial fibrillation: a cross-sectional comparison before and after their introduction

Background: Novel oral anticoagulation (NOAC) has been introduced in recent years, but data on use in atrial fibrillation (AF) in primary care setting is scarce. In Germany, General Practitioners are free to choose type of oral anticoagulation (OAC) in AF. Our aim was to explore changes in prescription-rates of OAC in German primary care before and after introduction of NOAC on the market. Methods: Data of a representative morbidity registration project in primary care in Germany (CONTENT) were analysed. Patients with AF in 2011 or 2014 were included (before and after broad market authorization of NOAC, respectively). We defined three independent groups: patients from 2011 without follow-up (group A), patients from 2014 but without previous record in 2011 (group B) and patients with AF and records in 2011 and 2014 (group C). Results: 2642 patients were included. Group A (n = 804) and B (n = 755) were comparable regarding patient characteristics. 87.3% of group A and 84.8% of group B had CHA2DS2-VASc-Score ≥ 2, indicating a need for oral anticoagulation (OAC). Prescription of OAC increased from 23.1% (n = 186) to 42.8% (n = 323, p < .01) with stable use of vitamin-k-antagonist (22.6–24.9%). NOAC increased from 0.6 to 19.2% (p < .01). Monotherapy with Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) decreased from 15.3% (n = 123) to 8.2% (n = 62, p < .01). In group C (n = 1083), OAC increased from 35.3 to 55.4% (p < .01), with stable prescription rate of vitamin-k-antagonist (34.4–35.7%). NOAC increased from 0.9 to 21.5% (p < .01). Conclusions: In summary, our study showed a significant increase of OAC over time, which is fostered by the use of NOAC but with a stable rate of VKA and a sharp decrease of ASA. Patients on VKA are rarely switched to NOAC, but new patients with AF are more likely to receive NOAC

Reaction-controlled diffusion

The dynamics of a coupled two-component nonequilibrium system is examined by means of continuum field theory representing the corresponding master equation. Particles of species A may perform hopping processes only when particles of different type B are present in their environment. Species B is subject to diffusion-limited reactions. If the density of B particles attains a finite asymptotic value (active state), the A species displays normal diffusion. On the other hand, if the B density decays algebraically ~t^{-a} at long times (inactive state), the effective attractive A-B interaction is weakened. The combination of B decay and activated A hopping processes gives rise to anomalous diffusion, with mean-square displacement ~ t^{1-a} for a < 1. Such algebraic subdiffusive behavior ensues for n-th order B annihilation reactions (n B -> 0) with n >=3, and n = 2 for d < 2. The mean-square displacement of the A particles grows only logarithmically with time in the case of B pair annihilation (n = 2) and d >= 2 dimensions. For radioactive B decay (n = 1), the A particles remain localized. If the A particles may hop spontaneously as well, or if additional random forces are present, the A-B coupling becomes irrelevant, and conventional diffusion is recovered in the long-time limit.Comment: 7 pages, revtex, no figures; latest revised versio

Reaction behaviour of dinuclear copper(I) complexes with m-xylyl-based ligands towards dioxygen

Intramolecular ligand hydroxylation was observed during the reactions of dioxygen with the dicopper(I) complexes of the ligands L1 (L1 = &#945;,&#945;'-bis[(2-pyridylethyl)amino]-m-xylene) and L3 (L3 = &#945;,&#945;'-bis[N-(2-pyridylethyl)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]-m-xylene). The dinuclear copper(I) complex [Cu2L3](ClO4)2 (3) and the dicopper(II) complex [Cu2(L1-O)(OH)(ClO4)]ClO4 (1) were characterized by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. Furthermore, phenolate-bridged complexes were synthesized with the ligand L2-OH (structurally characterized [Cu2(L2-O)Cl3] (7) with L2 = &#945;,&#945;'-bis[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridylethyl)amino]-m-xylene; synthesized from the reaction between [Cu2(L2-O)(OH)](ClO4)2 (2) and Cl-) and Me-L3-OH: [Cu2(Me-L3-O)(&#956; -X)](ClO4)2&#183;nH2O (Me-L3-OH = 2,6-bis[N-(2-pyridylethyl)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)amino]-4-methylphenol and X = C3H3N2- (prz) (4), MeCO2- (5) and N3- (6)). The magnetochemical characteristics of compounds 4-7 were determined by temperature-dependent magnetic studies, revealing their antiferromagnetic behaviour [-2J (in cm-1) values: -92 for 4, -86 for 5 and -88 for 6; -374 for 7]

The Making Assessment Count (MAC) consortium- maximising assessment and feedback design by working together

The Making Assessment Count (MAC) project started at the University of Westminster in 2008. It sought to align staff and student expectations of feedback and support greater use of feed-forward approaches. A baseline analysis of staff views in the School of Life Sciences suggested that students did not make strategic use of the feedback they received. A similar analysis of the student position revealed that as a group they felt that the feedback provided to them was often insufficiently helpful. To address this dichotomy, a MAC process was developed in the School of Life Sciences and trialled with a cohort of about 350 first year undergraduate students. The process was based on a student-centred, three-stage model of feedback: Subject specific, Operational, and Strategic (SOS model). The student uses the subject tutor’s feedback on an assignment to complete an online self-review questionnaire delivered by a simple tool. The student answers are processed by a web application called e-Reflect to generate a further feedback report. Contained within this report are personalised graphical representations of performance, time management, satisfaction and other operational feedback designed to help the student reflect on their approach to preparation and completion of future work. The student then writes in an online learning journal, which is shared with their personal tutor to support the personal tutorial process and the student’s own development plan (PDP). Since the initial development and implementation of the MAC process within Life Sciences at Westminster, a consortium of universities has worked together to maximise the benefits of the project outcomes and collaboratively explore how the SOS model and e-Reflect can be exploited in different institutional and subject contexts. This paper presents and discusses an evaluation of the use of the MAC process within Life Sciences at Westminster from both staff and student perspective. In addition, the paper will show how the consortium is working to develop a number of scenarios for utilisation of the process as a whole as well as the key individual process components, the SOS model and e-Reflec

On the Transition Rate of the Fe X RED Coronal Line

We present a lifetime measurement of the 3s 23p 5 2 Po 1/2 first excited fine-structure level of the ground state configuration in chlorine-like Fe X, which relaxes to the ground state through a magnetic dipole (M1) transition (the so-called red coronal line) with a wavelength accurately determined to 637.454(1) nm. Moreover, the Zeeman splitting of line was observed. The lifetime of 14.2(2) ms is the most precise one measured in the red wavelength region and agrees well with advanced theoretical predictions and an empirically scaled interpolation based on experimental values from the same isoelectronic sequence