694 research outputs found
Risk factors for syngeneic graft-versus-host disease in adult hematopoietic stem cell transplants
Level statistics and eigenfunctions of pseudointegrable systems: dependence on energy and genus number
We study the level statistics (second half moment and rigidity
) and the eigenfunctions of pseudointegrable systems with rough
boundaries of different genus numbers . We find that the levels form energy
intervals with a characteristic behavior of the level statistics and the
eigenfunctions in each interval. At low enough energies, the boundary roughness
is not resolved and accordingly, the eigenfunctions are quite regular functions
and the level statistics shows Poisson-like behavior. At higher energies, the
level statistics of most systems moves from Poisson-like towards Wigner-like
behavior with increasing . Investigating the wavefunctions, we find many
chaotic functions that can be described as a random superposition of regular
wavefunctions. The amplitude distribution of these chaotic functions
was found to be Gaussian with the typical value of the localization volume
. For systems with periodic boundaries we find
several additional energy regimes, where is relatively close to the
Poisson-limit. In these regimes, the eigenfunctions are either regular or
localized functions, where is close to the distribution of a sine or
cosine function in the first case and strongly peaked in the second case. Also
an interesting intermediate case between chaotic and localized eigenfunctions
appears
R-parity preserving super-WIMP decays
We point out that when the decay of one electroweak scale super-WIMP state to
another occurs at second order in a super-weak coupling constant, this can
naturally lead to decay lifetimes that are much larger than the age of the
Universe, and create observable consequences for the indirect detection of dark
matter. We demonstrate this in a supersymmetric model with Dirac neutrinos,
where the right-handed scalar neutrinos are the lightest and next-to-lightest
supersymmetric partners. We show that this model produces a super-WIMP decay
rate scaling as m_nu^4/(weak scale)^3, and may significantly enhance the
fraction of energetic electrons and positrons over anti-protons in the decay
products. Such a signature is consistent with the observations recently
reported by the PAMELA experiment.Comment: 14 pages, v3 JHEP versio
Development of a tight-binding potential for bcc-Zr. Application to the study of vibrational properties
We present a tight-binding potential based on the moment expansion of the
density of states, which includes up to the fifth moment. The potential is
fitted to bcc and hcp Zr and it is applied to the computation of vibrational
properties of bcc-Zr. In particular, we compute the isothermal elastic
constants in the temperature range 1200K < T < 2000K by means of standard Monte
Carlo simulation techniques. The agreement with experimental results is
satisfactory, especially in the case of the stability of the lattice with
respect to the shear associated with C'. However, the temperature decrease of
the Cauchy pressure is not reproduced. The T=0K phonon frequencies of bcc-Zr
are also computed. The potential predicts several instabilities of the bcc
structure, and a crossing of the longitudinal and transverse modes in the (001)
direction. This is in agreement with recent ab initio calculations in Sc, Ti,
Hf, and La.Comment: 14 pages, 6 tables, 4 figures, revtex; the kinetic term of the
isothermal elastic constants has been corrected (Eq. (4.1), Table VI and
Figure 4
Symmetry Nonrestoration in a Gross-Neveu Model with Random Chemical Potential
We study the symmetry behavior of the Gross-Neveu model in three and two
dimensions with random chemical potential. This is equivalent to a four-fermion
model with charge conjugation symmetry as well as Z_2 chiral symmetry. At high
temperature the Z_2 chiral symmetry is always restored. In three dimensions the
initially broken charge conjugation symmetry is not restored at high
temperature, irrespective of the value of the disorder strength. In two
dimensions and at zero temperature the charge conjugation symmetry undergoes a
quantum phase transition from a symmetric state (for weak disorder) to a broken
state (for strong disorder) as the disorder strength is varied. For any given
value of disorder strength, the high-temperature behavior of the charge
conjugation symmetry is the same as its zero-temperature behavior. Therefore,
in two dimensions and for strong disorder strength the charge conjugation
symmetry is not restored at high temperature.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figure
Morphology and foliar chemistry of containerized Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. seedlings as affected by water availability and nutrition
• We present the results of a two-year (2007–2008) greenhouse study investigating the
effect of water availability and nitrogen fertilization on the growth, biomass
partitioning, and foliar nutrient content of Abies fraseri (Pursh)
Poir.
• Fertilizer and moisture content (irrigation) were varied in a factorial experiment
combining four levels of irrigation and three levels of fertilization to evaluate growth
and foliar nutrient content. In addition, a numerical optimization was used to estimate
appropriate levels of each factor necessary to achieve simulated goals for response
variables.
• Irrigation increased the height growth by 12 to 35% depending on the fertilization
treatment (p = 0.0001). Fertilization increased height growth by 10 to
26% (p = 0.02). A similar response was observed for stem diameter growth
(SDG). Total biomass accumulation increased as result of positive response of stem and
root biomass development, and foliar nitrogen content was positively affected by nitrogen
fertilization and negatively affected by irrigation. The numerical optimization for
simulated target growth and nitrogen content responses produced levels of input
combinations with high desirability factors to achieve the target responses.
• These results suggest that nutrient addition is a strong determining factor for early
development of this species. The improved growth efficiency in this study is likely
attributed to a combination of factors including, improved photosynthetic capacity,
decreased stomatal limitations, or increased resource allocation to stems
Morphology and foliar chemistry of containerized Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. seedlings as affected by water availability and nutrition
A two-site flexible clamp mechanism for RET-GDNF-GFRα1 assembly reveals both conformational adaptation and strict geometric spacing
RET receptor tyrosine kinase plays vital developmental and neuroprotective roles in metazoans. GDNF family ligands (GFLs) when bound to cognate GFRα co-receptors recognize and activate RET stimulating its cytoplasmic kinase function. The principles for RET ligand-co-receptor recognition are incompletely understood. Here, we report a crystal structure of the cadherin-like module (CLD1-4) from zebrafish RET revealing interdomain flexibility between CLD2 and CLD3. Comparison with a cryo-electron microscopy structure of a ligand-engaged zebrafish RETECD-GDNF-GFRα1a complex indicates conformational changes within a clade-specific CLD3 loop adjacent to the co-receptor. Our observations indicate that RET is a molecular clamp with a flexible calcium-dependent arm that adapts to different GFRα co-receptors, while its rigid arm recognizes a GFL dimer to align both membrane-proximal cysteine-rich domains. We also visualize linear arrays of RETECD-GDNF-GFRα1a suggesting that a conserved contact stabilizes higher-order species. Our study reveals that ligand-co-receptor recognition by RET involves both receptor plasticity and strict spacing of receptor dimers by GFL ligands
Evidence of Color Coherence Effects in W+jets Events from ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV
We report the results of a study of color coherence effects in ppbar
collisions based on data collected by the D0 detector during the 1994-1995 run
of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, at a center of mass energy sqrt(s) = 1.8
TeV. Initial-to-final state color interference effects are studied by examining
particle distribution patterns in events with a W boson and at least one jet.
The data are compared to Monte Carlo simulations with different color coherence
implementations and to an analytic modified-leading-logarithm perturbative
calculation based on the local parton-hadron duality hypothesis.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to Physics Letters
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
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