14,666 research outputs found
Dual kinetic balance approach to basis set expansions for the Dirac equation
A new approach to finite basis sets for the Dirac equation is developed. It
solves the problem of spurious states and, as a result, improves the
convergence properties of basis set calculations. The efficiency of the method
is demonstrated for finite basis sets constructed from B splines by calculating
the one-loop self-energy correction for a hydrogenlike ion.Comment: 14 pages, 1 tabl
Bubbles on Manifolds with a U(1) Isometry
We investigate the construction of five-dimensional, three-charge
supergravity solutions that only have a rotational U(1) isometry. We show that
such solutions can be obtained as warped compactifications with a singular
ambi-polar hyper-Kahler base space and singular warp factors. We show that the
complete solution is regular around the critical surface of the ambi-polar
base. We illustrate this by presenting the explicit form of the most general
supersymmetric solutions that can be obtained from an Atiyah-Hitchin base space
and its ambi-polar generalizations. We make a parallel analysis using an
ambi-polar generalization of the Eguchi-Hanson base space metric. We also show
how the bubbling procedure applied to the ambi-polar Eguchi-Hanson metric can
convert it to a global AdS_2xS^3 compactification.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX; references adde
Breit corrections to individual atomic and molecular orbital energies
Several issues concerning Breit correction to electron-electron interaction in many-electron systems, which are important in precise atomic and molecular calculations, are presented. At first, perturbative versus self-consistent calculations of Breit correction were studied in selected cases. Second, the Z-dependence of Breit contribution per subshell is shown, based on values calculated for selected atoms with 30 ≤ Z ≤ 118. Third, the relations between magnetic and retardation parts of Breit interaction are analyzed. Finally, Gaunt contribution calculated for Kr, Xe, and Rn noble gas atoms and its iso-electronic HBr, HI, and HAt diatomic molecules has been compared to full-Breit atomic calculations. We found that Breit corrections should be treated by self-consistent calculations and that there is a functional dependence of those corrections for subshells as ϵnlBreit(Z)â‰a×Zb. We also found that molecular Gaunt corrections are close to their atomic counterparts for inner electrons though they are not for outer orbitals. In any case, accurate calculations must include retardation correction in addition to Gaunt.Fil: Koziol, Karol. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Modelado e Innovación Tecnológica. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Modelado e Innovación Tecnológica; ArgentinaFil: Giménez, Carlos Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Modelado e Innovación Tecnológica. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Modelado e Innovación Tecnológica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Aucar, Gustavo Adolfo. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Modelado e Innovación Tecnológica. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Modelado e Innovación Tecnológica; Argentin
Strength functions, entropies and duality in weakly to strongly interacting fermionic systems
We revisit statistical wavefunction properties of finite systems of
interacting fermions in the light of strength functions and their participation
ratio and information entropy. For weakly interacting fermions in a mean-field
with random two-body interactions of increasing strength , the
strength functions are well known to change, in the regime where level
fluctuations follow Wigner's surmise, from Breit-Wigner to Gaussian form. We
propose an ansatz for the function describing this transition which we use to
investigate the participation ratio and the information entropy during this crossover, thereby extending the known behavior valid in the
Gaussian domain into much of the Breit-Wigner domain. Our method also allows us
to derive the scaling law for the duality point , where
, and in both the weak () and strong
mixing () basis coincide as ,
where is the number of fermions. As an application, the ansatz function for
strength functions is used in describing the Breit-Wigner to Gaussian
transition seen in neutral atoms CeI to SmI with valence electrons changing
from 4 to 8
Relativistic J-matrix method
The relativistic version of the J-matrix method for a scattering problem on
the potential vanishing faster than the Coulomb one is formulated. As in the
non-relativistic case it leads to a finite algebraic eigenvalue problem. The
derived expression for the tangent of phase shift is simply related to the
non-relativistic case formula and gives the latter as a limit case. It is due
to the fact that the used basis set satisfies the ``kinetic balance
condition''.Comment: 21 pages, RevTeX, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Application of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy to Cytocompatibility Testing of Potential Orthopaedic Materials in Immortalised Osteoblast-Like Cell Lines
Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used in conjunction with in vitro cell culture to investigate cellular interactions with orthopaedic biomaterials. Transfected rat and human osteoblasts were seeded on two potential isoelastic hip prosthesis materials, carbon fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and epoxy. Titanium 318 alloy was employed as a control. Determination of the material surface contour, an important factor influencing cellular adhesion, proliferation and function, was performed using the industry standard Talysurf® and compared to analogous results obtained using the CLSM. The latter technique consistently gave higher values of material roughness but offers the advantage that it can be used to correlate roughness with cell distribution on the same samples, whereas Talysurf® measurement of roughness requires clean rigid samples. Image analysis and processing, performed on cells after attachment and culture on the materials for 48 hours, provided cell morphology data. Cells cultured on titanium were larger, with a higher percentage of cytoplasm, than those grown on either of the other materials. The macroscopic surface of epoxy resulted in smaller cells with altered morphology, which orientated themselves along carbon fibres. In conclusion, we believe CLSM offers great potential for investigating the cellular interactions of biomaterials involving minimal sample preparation, non-invasive optical sectioning of samples and minimal opportunity for generation of cellular deformation and sample preparation artefacts
On the formation and decay of a molecular ultracold plasma
Double-resonant photoexcitation of nitric oxide in a molecular beam creates a
dense ensemble of Rydberg states, which evolves to form a plasma of
free electrons trapped in the potential well of an NO spacecharge. The
plasma travels at the velocity of the molecular beam, and, on passing through a
grounded grid, yields an electron time-of-flight signal that gauges the plasma
size and quantity of trapped electrons. This plasma expands at a rate that fits
with an electron temperature as low as 5 K, colder that typically observed for
atomic ultracold plasmas. The recombination of molecular NO cations with
electrons forms neutral molecules excited by more than twice the energy of the
NO chemical bond, and the question arises whether neutral fragmentation plays a
role in shaping the redistribution of energy and particle density that directs
the short-time evolution from Rydberg gas to plasma. To explore this question,
we adapt a coupled rate-equations model established for atomic ultracold
plasmas to describe the energy-grained avalanche of electron-Rydberg and
electron-ion collisions in our system. Adding channels of Rydberg
predissociation and two-body, electron- cation dissociative recombination to
the atomic formalism, we investigate the kinetics by which this relaxation
distributes particle density and energy over Rydberg states, free electrons and
neutral fragments. The results of this investigation suggest some mechanisms by
which molecular fragmentation channels can affect the state of the plasma
Calculation of the two-photon decay rates of hydrogen-like ions by using B-polynomials
A new approach is laid out to investigate the two photon atomic transitions.
It is based on application of the finite basis solutions constructed from the
Bernstein Polynomial (B-Polynomial) sets. We show that such an approach
provides a very promising route for the relativistic second- (and even
higher-order) calculations since it allows for analytical evaluation of the
involved matrices elements. In order to illustrate possible applications of the
method and to verify its accuracy, detailed calculations are performed for the
2s_{1/2}-1s_{1/2} transition in neutral hydrogen and hydrogen-like ions, and
are compared with the theoretical predictions based on the well-established
B-spline-basis-set approach
COMT Val158Met Polymorphism, Executive Dysfunction, and Sexual Risk Behavior in the Context of HIV Infection and Methamphetamine Dependence
Catechol-O-methyltransferease (COMT) metabolizes prefrontal cortex dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter involved in executive behavior; the Val158Met genotype has been linked to executive dysfunction, which might increase sexual risk behaviors favoring HIV transmission. Main and interaction effects of COMT genotype and executive functioning on sexual risk behavior were examined. 192 sexually active nonmonogamous men completed a sexual behavior questionnaire, executive functioning tests, and were genotyped using blood-derived DNA. Main effects for executive dysfunction but not COMT on number of sexual partners were observed. A COMT x executive dysfunction interaction was found for number of sexual partners and insertive anal sex, significant for carriers of the Met/Met and to a lesser extent Val/Met genotypes but not Val/Val carriers. In the context of HIV and methamphetamine dependence, dopaminergic overactivity in prefrontal cortex conferred by the Met/Met genotype appears to result in a liability for executive dysfunction and potentially associated risky sexual behavior
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