611 research outputs found
Thermal Radiation from Nucleons and Mesons
Thermal photon emission rates due to meson-nucleon interactions have been
evaluated. An exhaustive set of reactions involving p(\bar p), n(\bar n), rho,
omega, a_1, pi and eta is seen to provide a sizeable contribution to the
emission rate from hot hadronic matter. Contributions from baryonic resonances
are found to be negligibly small
A comparison of twin birthweight data from Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, Japan and South Korea: are genetic and environmental variations in birthweight similar in Caucasians and East Asians?
Birthweight has implications for physical and mental health in later life. Using data from Caucasian twins collected in Australia, the Netherlands and the United States, and from East Asian twins collected in Japan and South Korea, we compared the total phenotypic, genetic and environmental variances of birthweight between Caucasians and East Asians. Model-fitting analyses yielded four major findings. First, for both males and females, the total phenotypic variances of birthweight were about 45% larger in Caucasians than in East Asians. The larger phenotypic variances were mainly attributable to a greater shared environmental variance of birthweight in Caucasians (ranging from 62% to 67% of variance) than Asians (48% to 53%). Second, the genetic variance of birthweight was equal in Caucasians and East Asians for both males and females, explaining a maximum of 17% of variance. Third, small variations in total phenotypic variances of birthweight within Caucasians and within East Asians were mainly due to differences in nonshared environmental variances. We speculate that maternal effects (both genetic and environmental) explain the large shared environmental variance in birthweight and may account for the differences in phenotypic variance in birthweight between Caucasians and East Asians. Recent molecular findings and specific environmental factors that are subsumed by maternal effects are discussed
<君が代丸>についての歴史的考察
朝鮮半島が植民地であった当時、鉄道省管轄下の指定航路で、日本と朝鮮半島および満州を結ぶ日本の基幹路線であった、関釜連絡船以外の主要な連絡船としては、済州道と大阪を結ぶしかなかった。本論文では、という船が、どのような船なのか、その歴史的実像を明らかにしたい
Linear Contraction Behavior of Low-Carbon, Low-Alloy Steels During and After Solidification Using Real-Time Measurements
A technique for measuring the linear contraction during and after solidification of low-alloy steel was developed and used for examination of two commercial low-carbon and low-alloy steel grades. The effects of several experimental parameters on the contraction were studied. The solidification contraction behavior was described using the concept of rigidity in a solidifying alloy, evolution of the solid fraction, and the microstructure development during solidification. A correlation between the linear contraction properties in the solidification range and the hot crack susceptibility was proposed and used for the estimation of hot cracking susceptibility for two studied alloys and verified with the real casting practice. The technique allows estimation of the contraction coefficient of commercial steels in a wide range of temperatures and could be helpful for computer simulation and process optimization during continuous casting. © 2013 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International
Control of inflammation by stromal Hedgehog pathway activation restrains colitis
Inflammation disrupts tissue architecture and function, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of diverse diseases; the signals that promote or restrict tissue inflammation thus represent potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Here, we report that genetic or pharmacologic Hedgehog pathway inhibition intensifies colon inflammation (colitis) in mice. Conversely, genetic augmentation of Hedgehog response and systemic small-molecule Hedgehog pathway activation potently ameliorate colitis and restrain initiation and progression of colitis-induced adenocarcinoma. Within the colon, the Hedgehog protein signal does not act directly on the epithelium itself, but on underlying stromal cells to induce expression of IL-10, an immune-modulatory cytokine long known to suppress inflammatory intestinal damage. IL-10 function is required for the full protective effect of small-molecule Hedgehog pathway activation in colitis; this pharmacologic augmentation of Hedgehog pathway activity and stromal IL-10 expression are associated with increased presence of CD4(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells. We thus identify stromal cells as cellular coordinators of colon inflammation and suggest their pharmacologic manipulation as a potential means to treat colitis.11138Ysciescopu
Measurement of the Xi-p Scattering Cross Sections at Low Energy
In this paper we report cross-section measurements for elastic and
inelastic scatterings at low energy using a scintillating fiber active target.
Upper limit on the total cross-section for the elastic scattering was found to
be 24 mb at 90% confidence level, and the total cross section for the
reaction was found to be mb. We
compare the results with currently competing theoretical estimates.Comment: 9 page
Brownian motion of a charged particle in electromagnetic fluctuations at finite temperature
The fluctuation-dissipation theorem is a central theorem in nonequilibrium
statistical mechanics by which the evolution of velocity fluctuations of the
Brownian particle under a fluctuating environment is intimately related to its
dissipative behavior. This can be illuminated in particular by an example of
Brownian motion in an ohmic environment where the dissipative effect can be
accounted for by the first-order time derivative of the position. Here we
explore the dynamics of the Brownian particle coupled to a supraohmic
environment by considering the motion of a charged particle interacting with
the electromagnetic fluctuations at finite temperature. We also derive
particle's equation of motion, the Langevin equation, by minimizing the
corresponding stochastic effective action, which is obtained with the method of
Feynman-Vernon influence functional. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem is
established from first principles. The backreaction on the charge is known in
terms of electromagnetic self-force given by a third-order time derivative of
the position, leading to the supraohmic dynamics. This self-force can be argued
to be insignificant throughout the evolution when the charge barely moves. The
stochastic force arising from the supraohmic environment is found to have both
positive and negative correlations, and it drives the charge into a fluctuating
motion. Although positive force correlations give rise to the growth of the
velocity dispersion initially, its growth slows down when correlation turns
negative, and finally halts, thus leading to the saturation of the velocity
dispersion. The saturation mechanism in a suparohmic environment is found to be
distinctly different from that in an ohmic environment. The comparison is
discussed.Comment: accepter by Foundation of Physics, for IARD 6, 200
Opinion dynamics: models, extensions and external effects
Recently, social phenomena have received a lot of attention not only from
social scientists, but also from physicists, mathematicians and computer
scientists, in the emerging interdisciplinary field of complex system science.
Opinion dynamics is one of the processes studied, since opinions are the
drivers of human behaviour, and play a crucial role in many global challenges
that our complex world and societies are facing: global financial crises,
global pandemics, growth of cities, urbanisation and migration patterns, and
last but not least important, climate change and environmental sustainability
and protection. Opinion formation is a complex process affected by the
interplay of different elements, including the individual predisposition, the
influence of positive and negative peer interaction (social networks playing a
crucial role in this respect), the information each individual is exposed to,
and many others. Several models inspired from those in use in physics have been
developed to encompass many of these elements, and to allow for the
identification of the mechanisms involved in the opinion formation process and
the understanding of their role, with the practical aim of simulating opinion
formation and spreading under various conditions. These modelling schemes range
from binary simple models such as the voter model, to multi-dimensional
continuous approaches. Here, we provide a review of recent methods, focusing on
models employing both peer interaction and external information, and
emphasising the role that less studied mechanisms, such as disagreement, has in
driving the opinion dynamics. [...]Comment: 42 pages, 6 figure
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