2,042 research outputs found
On universal decoherence under gravity: a perspective through the Equivalence Principle
In Nature Phys. 11, 668 (2015) (Ref. [1]), a composite particle prepared in a
pure initial quantum state and propagated in a uniform gravitational field is
shown to undergo a decoherence process at a rate determined by the
gravitational acceleration. By assuming Einstein's Equivalence Principle to be
valid, we demonstrate, first in a Lorentz frame with accelerating detectors,
and then directly in the Lab frame with uniform gravity, that the dephasing
between the different internal states arise not from gravity but rather from
differences in their rest mass, and the mass dependence of the de Broglie
wave's dispersion relation. We provide an alternative view to the situation
considered by Ref. [1], where we propose that gravity plays a kinematic role in
the loss of fringe visibility by giving the detector a transverse velocity
relative to the particle beam; visibility can be easily recovered by giving the
screen an appropriate uniform velocity. We finally propose that dephasing due
to gravity may in fact take place for certain modifications to the
gravitational potential where the Equivalence Principle is violated.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Intestinal histomorphology, autochthonous microbiota and growth performance of the oscar (Astronotus ocellatus Agassiz, 1831) following dietary administration of xylooligosaccharide
The present study investigates the changes in intestinal histomorphology, autochthonous microbiota and growth performance of the oscar, Astronotus ocellatus, following dietary administration of different levels of xylooligosaccharide (XOS). One hundred forty-four oscars (8.88 ± 0.23 g; n = 144) were randomly stocked in 12 aquaria (100-L) assigned to four treatments repeated in triplicate. Fish were fed a commercial diet, Biomar, supplemented with different levels (0 control, 0.5, 1, 2%) of XOS for 8 weeks. Treatments were investigated under static aerated water conditions with a 70% daily water exchange. Evaluation of intestinal histomorphology (villus height, enterocytes height and thickness of the tunica muscularis) revealed no significant differences between XOS-fed groups and the control treatment (P > 0.05). However, administration of XOS in the oscar diet increased the total autochthonous intestinal heterotrophic bacteria significantly (P < 0.05). Autochthonous lactic acid bacteria levels were also significantly elevated in XOS-fed groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, dietary XOS remarkably increased growth performance (control: 22.76 ± 2.79, 2% XOS: 29.13 ± 2. 8; n = 12) parameters of the oscar (P < 0.05). These results demonstrated the beneficial effects of XOS on the growth performance and intestinal microbiota of A. ocellatus. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH
The differential pencils with turning point on the half line
AbstractWe investigate the inverse spectral problem of recovering pencils of second-order differential operators on the half-line with turning point. Using the asymptotic distribution of the Weyl function, we give a formulation of the inverse problem and prove the uniqueness theorem for the solution of the inverse problem
Use of single-chain antibody derivatives for targeted drug delivery
Single-chain antibodies (scFvs), which contain only the variable domains of full-length antibodies, are relatively small molecules that can be used for selective drug delivery. In this review, we discuss how scFvs help improve the specificity and efficiency of drugs. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery using scFv-drug fusion peptides, siRNA delivery using scFv-conjugated nanoparticles, targeted delivery using scFv-viral peptide-fusion proteins, use of scFv in fusion with cell-penetrating peptides for effective targeted drug delivery, scFv-mediated targeted delivery of inorganic nanoparticles, scFv-mediated increase of tumor killing activity of granulocytes, use of scFv for tumor imaging, site-directed conjugation of scFv molecules to drug carrier systems, use of scFv to relieve pain and use of scFv for increasing drug loading efficiency are among the topics that are discussed here. © 2016, University of Michigan. All rights reserved
The optical potential of He in the eikonal approximation
The new data of the elastic scattering of He+C at about 40
MeV/nucleon are analyzed in the eikonal approximation. The He+C
phase-shift function is evaluated completely without any {\it ad hoc}
assumption by a Monte Carlo integration, which makes it possible to use a
realistic 6-nucleon wave function for a halo nucleus He. The effect of
the breakup of He on the elastic differential cross sections as well as the
optical potential is studied at different energies from 40 to 800 MeV/nucleon.
PACS number(s): 24.10.-i; 21.60.Ka; 25.60.Bx; 25.10.+s Keywords: Eikonal;
Glauber; Monte Carlo; Halo; BreakupComment: 13 pages, 9 figure
Monte Carlo integration in Glauber model analysis of reactions of halo nuclei
Reaction and elastic differential cross sections are calculated for light
nuclei in the framework of the Glauber theory. The optical phase-shift function
is evaluated by Monte Carlo integration. This enables us to use the most
accurate wave functions and calculate the phase-shift functions without
approximation. Examples of proton nucleus (e.g. p-He, p-Li) and
nucleus-nucleus (e.g. HeC) scatterings illustrate the effectiveness
of the method. This approach gives us a possibility of a more stringent
analysis of the high-energy reactions of halo nuclei.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure
QND measurements for future gravitational-wave detectors
Second-generation interferometric gravitational-wave detectors will be
operating at the Standard Quantum Limit, a sensitivity limitation set by the
trade off between measurement accuracy and quantum back action, which is
governed by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. We review several schemes
that allows the quantum noise of interferometers to surpass the Standard
Quantum Limit significantly over a broad frequency band. Such schemes may be an
important component of the design of third-generation detectors.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; In version 2, more tutorial information
on quantum noise in GW interferometer and several new items into Reference
list were adde
Assessing Service Quality at Optical Centers in Palestine Using SERVQUAL: Measuring Ambiguity
The main purpose of this article is to employ the SERVQUAL model to assess customersâ perceptions and expectations of service quality in the optical centers in the West Bank of Palestine, and to examine the impact of this service quality on their satisfaction. A focused critical review of the service quality literature was undertaken. Data was collected from a convenient and purposeful sample of 251 customers of optical centers in the West Bank via personally administered and online questionnaires. Data was analyzed, with the aid of SPSS, using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, regression analysis, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The findings indicate that SERVQUAL proved to be a good tool for the purpose of assessing the gaps between customersâ expectations and perceptions of the service quality of optical centers in the Palestinian context. The findings also confirmed that customers had higher service quality expectations than perceptions in all the five dimensions of SERVQUAL. The developed regression analysis model shows that tangibles, reliability, assurance, and empathy had a significant statistical impact on customersâ satisfaction. No studies, to the best knowledge of the authors, were conducted on customersâ perceptions and expectations of service quality in the optical centers in the Palestinian context. Limitations of the studyâs methodology and findings were discussed and avenues for further research suggested. The findings of this study could be valuable to interested parties including optometry regulators and managers of optical centers
Distributed adaptive fault-tolerant leader-following formation control of nonlinear uncertain second-order multi-agent systems
This paper presents a distributed integrated fault diagnosis and accommodation scheme for leaderâfollowing formation control of a class of nonlinear uncertain secondâorder multiâagent systems. The fault model under consideration includes both process and actuator faults, which may evolve abruptly or incipiently. The timeâvarying leader communicates with a small subset of follower agents, and each follower agent communicates to its directly connected neighbors through a bidirectional network with possibly asymmetric weights. A local fault diagnosis and accommodation component are designed for each agent in the distributed system, which consists of a fault detection and isolation module and a reconfigurable controller module comprised of a baseline controller and two adaptive faultâtolerant controllers, activated after fault detection and after fault isolation, respectively. By using appropriately the designed Lyapunov functions, the closedâloop stability and asymptotic convergence properties of the leaderâfollower formation are rigorously established under different modes of the faultâtolerant control system
Distributed AdaptiveFault-Tolerant Control of Uncertain Multi-Agent Systems
This brief paper presents a distributed adaptive fault-tolerant leader-following consensus control scheme for a class of nonlinear uncertain multi-agent systems under a bidirectional communication topology with possibly asymmetric weights and subject to process and actuator faults. A local fault-tolerant control (FTC) component is designed for each agent using local measurements and suitable information exchanged between neighboring agents. Each local FTC component consists of a fault diagnosis module and a reconfigurable controller module comprised of a baseline controller and two adaptive fault-tolerant controllers activated after fault detection and after fault isolation, respectively. By using an appropriately chosen Lyapunov function, the closed-loop stability and asymptotic convergence property of leaderâfollower consensus are rigorously established under different operating modes of the FTC system
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