696 research outputs found
Extended Universality of the Surface Curvature in Equilibrium Crystal Shapes
We investigate the universal property of curvatures in surface models which
display a flat phase and a rough phase whose criticality is described by the
Gaussian model. Earlier we derived a relation between the Hessian of the free
energy and the Gaussian coupling constant in the six-vertex model. Here we show
its validity in a general setting using renormalization group arguments. The
general validity of the relation is confirmed numerically in the RSOS model by
comparing the Hessian of the free energy and the Gaussian coupling constant in
a transfer matrix finite-size-scaling study. The Hessian relation gives clear
understanding of the universal curvature jump at roughening transitions and
facet edges and also provides an efficient way of locating the phase
boundaries.Comment: 19 pages, RevTex, 3 Postscript Figures, To appear in Phys. Rev.
Plastic Adaptation: A Neuronal Imperative Capable of Confounding the Goals of Stem Cell Replacement Therapy for either Huntington’s or Parkinson’s Disease
Although stem cell transplant therapy offers considerable promise for deteriorative diseases, the efficacy of its application may be mitigated by endogenous compensatory mechanisms in the host brain. Plastic compensation follows neurodegeneration, beginning at its very onset and minimizing early symptom expression. As researchers attempt to correlate symptom remission with the ability of transplanted cells to adopt specific cell phenotypes, they need to be vigilant of the possibility that competing, local compensatory effects may be altering the outcome. Clearly plastic compensatory mechanisms could confound desired transplant-derived improvements by supplanting the beneficial contributions of the transplants. As circuit-level adaptations occur, more explicit explorations of their relevance to neuronal transplantation success are needed. Conceptual models of undirected transplanted cells adopting preconceived appropriate roles require revision. The notion that newly transplanted neuronal precursors will incorporate themselves into host circuitry with mutual cooperation across both parties (i.e., transplant and host) without some symbiosis-promoting mechanism is naïve. Undirected local circuits could react to newly transplanted additions as intruders. We advocate that appropriate signaling from transplanted cells to the host environment is required to optimize the therapeutic relevance of transplantation. This review surveys critical signaling mechanisms that might promote symbiotic interdependence between the host and new transplants
Spin Wave Instability of Itinerant Ferromagnet
We show variationally that instability of the ferromagnetic state in the
Hubbard model is largely controlled by softening of a long-wavelength spin-wave
excitation, except in the over-doped strong-coupling region where the
individual-particle excitation becomes unstable first. A similar conclusion is
drawn also for the double exchange ferromagnet. Generally the spin-wave
instability may be regarded as a precursor of the metal-insulator transition.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
The Conical Point in the Ferroelectric Six-Vertex Model
We examine the last unexplored regime of the asymmetric six-vertex model: the
low-temperature phase of the so-called ferroelectric model. The original
publication of the exact solution, by Sutherland, Yang, and Yang, and various
derivations and reviews published afterwards, do not contain many details about
this regime. We study the exact solution for this model, by numerical and
analytical methods. In particular, we examine the behavior of the model in the
vicinity of an unusual coexistence point that we call the ``conical'' point.
This point corresponds to additional singularities in the free energy that were
not discussed in the original solution. We show analytically that in this point
many polarizations coexist, and that unusual scaling properties hold in its
vicinity.Comment: 28 pages (LaTeX); 8 postscript figures available on request
([email protected]). Submitted to Journal of Statistical Physics. SFU-DJBJDS-94-0
Renormalization Group Analysis of a Noisy Kuramoto-Sivashinsky Equation
We have analyzed the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation with a stochastic noise
term through a dynamic renormalization group calculation. For a system in which
the lattice spacing is smaller than the typical wavelength of the linear
instability occurring in the system, the large-distance and long-time behavior
of this equation is the same as for the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation in one and
two spatial dimensions. For the case the agreement is only qualitative.
On the other hand, when coarse-graining on larger scales the asymptotic flow
depends on the initial values of the parameters.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, revte
Finite-size scaling and the toroidal partition function of the critical asymmetric six-vertex model
Finite-size corrections to the energy levels of the asymmetric six-vertex
model transfer matrix are considered using the Bethe ansatz solution for the
critical region. The non-universal complex anisotropy factor is related to the
bulk susceptibilities. The universal Gaussian coupling constant is also
related to the bulk susceptibilities as , being the
Hessian of the bulk free energy surface viewed as a function of the two fields.
The modular covariant toroidal partition function is derived in the form of the
modified Coulombic partition function which embodies the effect of
incommensurability through two mismatch parameters. The effect of twisted
boundary conditions is also considered.Comment: 19 pages, 5 Postscript figure files in the form of uuencoded
compressed tar fil
Vicinal Surfaces and the Calogero-Sutherland Model
A miscut (vicinal) crystal surface can be regarded as an array of meandering
but non-crossing steps. Interactions between the steps are shown to induce a
faceting transition of the surface between a homogeneous Luttinger liquid state
and a low-temperature regime consisting of local step clusters in coexistence
with ideal facets. This morphological transition is governed by a hitherto
neglected critical line of the well-known Calogero-Sutherland model. Its exact
solution yields expressions for measurable quantities that compare favorably
with recent experiments on Si surfaces.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, 2 figures (.eps
Nivolumab versus investigator's choice in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck : efficacy and safety in CheckMate 141 by age
Objectives: Many patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) are 6565 years old; comorbidities and other age-related factors may affect their ability to tolerate traditional chemotherapy. Nivolumab is the only immunotherapy to significantly improve overall survival (OS) versus investigator's choice (IC) of single-agent chemotherapy at primary analysis in a phase 3 trial (CheckMate 141) in patients with recurrent/metastatic SCCHN post-platinum therapy. In this post hoc analysis, we report efficacy and safety by age. Patients and methods: Eligible patients were randomized 2:1 to nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks (n = 240) or IC (methotrexate, docetaxel, or cetuximab n = 121). The primary endpoint of the trial was OS. For this analysis, outcomes were analyzed by age < 65 and 6565 years. The data cut-off date was September 2017 (minimum follow-up 24.2 months). Results: At baseline, 68 patients (28.3%) receiving nivolumab and 45 patients (37.2%) receiving IC were 6565 years. Baseline characteristics were generally similar across age groups. OS and tumor response benefits with nivolumab versus IC were maintained regardless of age. The 30-month OS rates of 11.2% (<65 years) and 13.0% ( 6565 years) with nivolumab were more than tripled versus corresponding IC rates of 1.4% and 3.3%, respectively. The nivolumab arm had a lower rate of treatment-related adverse events versus IC regardless of age, consistent with the overall patient population. Conclusion: In CheckMate 141, nivolumab resulted in a higher survival versus IC in patients <65 and 6565 years, with a manageable safety profile in both age groups. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02105636
Kondo Effect in Fermi Systems with a Gap: A Renormalization Group Study
We present the results of a Wilson Renormalization Group study of the
single-impurity Kondo and Anderson models in a system with a gap in the
conduction electron spectrum. The behavior of the impurity susceptibility and
the zero-frequency response function, are discussed in the
cases with and without particle-hole symmetry. In addition, for the asymmetric
Anderson model the correlation functions, , are computed.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
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