Solutions of the bound state Faddeev-Yakubovsky equations in three dimensions by using NN and 3N potential models

A recently developed three-dimensional approach (without partial-wave decomposition) is considered to investigate solutions of Faddeev-Yakubovsky integral equations in momentum space for three- and four-body bound states, with the inclusion of three-body forces. In the calculations of the binding energies, spin-dependent nucleon-nucleon (NN) potential models (named, S$_{3}$, MT-I/III, YS-type and P$_{5.5}$GL) are considered along with the scalar two-meson exchange three-body potential. Good agreement of the presently reported results with the ones obtained by other techniques are obtained, demonstrating the advantage of an approach in which the formalism is much more simplified and easy to manage for direct computation.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure and 6 tables; to appear in Physical review

Laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal inguinal hernia repair in the elderly: A prospective control study

Inguinal hernia (IH) repair can be obtained with both open and laparoscopic techniques, which are usually performed using a transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) or a totally extraperitoneal (TEP) approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the results of laparoscopic TEP IH repair in the elderly ( 6565 years old) are different with respect to results obtained in younger patients. One hundred and four consecutive patients (four women and 100 men, median age of 57 years, range=21-85 years) with unilateral (N=21, 20.2%) or bilateral (N=83, 79.8%) IH were prospectively enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age: group A (N=68, 65.4%) aged <65 years and group B (N=36, 34.6%) aged 6565 years. The mean operative time was not significantly different between groups (48\ub120 vs. 52\ub120 min, p=0.33). One case of increased PaCO2 was observed in each group (p=0.72) and two and one case of pneumoperitoneum (p=0.57) in groups A and B, respectively. Two (1.9%) patients (one in each group; p=0.55) required TEP conversion. Mild postoperative complications developed in four patients of each group (p=0.44). After one-year follow-up, three (2.9%) recurrences occurred (group 1=1, group 2=2, p=0.55), both in patients who had undergone direct IH repair. The overall postoperative relative risk of complications related to age was 1.08 (95% confidence interval=0.91-1.27, p=0.53). In conclusion, our results suggest that in patients with IH scheduled for TEP repair, age does not represent a contraindication to surgery in terms of complication rate and postoperative results

Nucleon-nucleon scattering within a multiple subtractive renormalization approach

A methodology to renormalize the nucleon-nucleon interaction, using a recursive multiple subtraction approach to construct the kernel of the scattering equation, is presented. We solve the subtracted scattering equation with the next-leading-order (NLO) and next-to-next-leading-order (NNLO) interactions. The results are presented for all partial waves up to $j=2$, fitted to low-energy experimental data. In our renormalizaton group invariant method, when introducing the NLO and NNLO interactions, the subtraction energy emerges as a renormalization scale and the momentum associated with it comes to be about the QCD scale ($\Lambda_{QCD}$), irrespectively to the partial wave.Comment: Final versio

Enhanced Coupling Values in Coupled Microstrip Lines using Metamaterials

In this paper, we show how metamaterials can be used to enhance the coupling values of microstrip directional couplers. Coupling between regular coplanar microstrip lines, in fact, is limited, due to the small ratios between the characteristic impedances of even and odd TEM modes supported by the structure. The broadside configuration or the employment of an overlay are often utilized to overcome this limitation, leading, however, to more bulky components. On the other hand, the employment of metamaterials with a negative real part of the permittivity is able to increase the coupling values, while keeping the profile of the structure very low. A quasi-static model of the structure is developed and physical insights on the operation of the proposed component and on the role of the metamaterial loading are also given. Simple design formulae derived through a conformal mapping technique are presented and validated through proper full wave numerical simulations

Four-boson scale near a Feshbach resonance

We show that an independent four-body momentum scale $\mu_{(4)}$ drives the tetramer binding energy for fixed trimer energy (or three-body scale $\mu_{(3)}$) and large scattering length ($a$). The three- and four-body forces from the one-channel reduction of the atomic interaction near a Feshbach resonance disentangle $\mu_{(4)}$ and $\mu_{(3)}$. The four-body independent scale is also manifested through a family of Tjon-lines, with slope given by $\mu_{(4)}/\mu_{(3)}$ for $a^{-1}=0$. There is the possibility of a new renormalization group limit cycle due to the new scale

Domain formation of modulation instability in spin-orbit-Rabi coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equation with cubic-quintic interactions

The effect of two- and three-body interactions on the modulation instability (MI) domain formation of a spin-orbit (SO) and Rabi-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate is studied within a quasi-one-dimensional model. To this aim, we perform numerical and analytical investigations of the associated dispersion relations derived from the corresponding coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The interplay between the linear (SO and Rabi) couplings with the nonlinear cubic-quintic interactions are explored in the mixture, considering miscible and immiscible configurations, with a focus on the impact in the analysis of experimental realizations with general binary coupled systems, in which nonlinear interactions can be widely varied together with linear couplings.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

Sing for me, Mama! Infants' discrimination of novel vowels in song

When adults speak or sing with infants, they sound differently than in adult communication. Infant-directed (ID) communication helps caregivers to regulate infants’ emotions, and helps infants to process speech information, at least from ID-speech. However, it is largely unclear whether infants might also process speech information presented in ID-singing. Therefore, we examined whether infants discriminate vowels in ID-singing, as well as potential differences with ID-speech. Using an Alternating-Trial-Preference-Procedure, infants aged 4-6 and 8-10 months were tested on their discrimination of an unfamiliar non-native vowel contrast presented in ID-like speech and singing. Relying on models of early speech sound perception, we expected that infants in their first half year of life would discriminate the vowels, in contrast to older infants whose non-native sound perception should deteriorate, at least in ID-like speech. Our results showed that infants of both age groups were able to discriminate the vowels in ID-like singing, while only the younger group discriminated the vowels in ID-like speech. These results show that infants process speech sound information in song from early on. They also hint at diverging perceptual or attentional mechanisms guiding infants’ sound processing in ID-speech vs. -singing towards the end of the first year of life