974 research outputs found
Highly Entangled Ground States in Tripartite Qubit Systems
We investigate the creation of highly entangled ground states in a system of
three exchange-coupled qubits arranged in a ring geometry. Suitable magnetic
field configurations yielding approximate GHZ and exact W ground states are
identified. The entanglement in the system is studied at finite temperature in
terms of the mixed-state tangle tau. By adapting a steepest-descent
optimization algorithm we demonstrate that tau can be evaluated efficiently and
with high precision. We identify the parameter regime for which the equilibrium
entanglement of the tripartite system reaches its maximum.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Harness processes and harmonic crystals
In the Hammersley harness processes the real-valued height at each site i in
Z^d is updated at rate 1 to an average of the neighboring heights plus a
centered random variable (the noise). We construct the process "a la Harris"
simultaneously for all times and boxes contained in Z^d. With this
representation we compute covariances and show L^2 and almost sure time and
space convergence of the process. In particular, the process started from the
flat configuration and viewed from the height at the origin converges to an
invariant measure. In dimension three and higher, the process itself converges
to an invariant measure in L^2 at speed t^{1-d/2} (this extends the convergence
established by Hsiao). When the noise is Gaussian the limiting measures are
Gaussian fields (harmonic crystals) and are also reversible for the process.Comment: 21 pages. Revised version with minor changes. Version almost
identical to the one to be published in SP
Distinction of disorder, classical and quantum vibrational contributions to atomic mean-square amplitudes in dielectric pentachloronitrobenzene
The solid-state molecular disorder of pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) and its
role in causing anomalous dielectric properties are investigated. Normal
coordinate analysis (NCA) of atomic mean-square displacement parameters (ADPs)
is employed to distinguish disorder contributions from classical and
quantum-mechanical vibrational contributions. The analysis relies on
multitemperature (5-295 K) single-crystal neutron-diffraction data. Vibrational
frequencies extracted from the temperature dependence of the ADPs are in good
agreement with THz spectroscopic data. Aspects of the static disorder revealed
by this work, primarily tilting and displacement of the molecules, are compared
with corresponding results from previous, much more in-depth and time-consuming
Monte Carlo simulations; their salient findings are reproduced by this work,
demonstrating that the faster NCA approach provides reliable constraints for
the interpretation of diffuse scattering. The dielectric properties of PCNB can
thus be rationalized by an interpretation of the temperature-dependent ADPs in
terms of thermal motion and molecular disorder. The use of atomic displacement
parameters in the NCA approach is nonetheless hostage to reliable neutron data.
The success of this study demonstrates that state-of-the-art single-crystal
Laue neutron diffraction affords sufficiently fast the accurate data for this
type of study. In general terms, the validation of this work opens up the field
for numerous studies of solid-state molecular disorder in organic materials.Comment: Now published in Physical Review
Relevant baseline characteristics for describing patients with knee osteoarthritis: results from a Delphi survey
BACKGROUND: Inclusion/exclusion criteria and baseline characteristics are essential for assessing the applicability of trial results to a given patient and the comparability of study populations for meta-analyses. This Delphi survey aimed to generate a set of baseline characteristics for describing patients with knee osteoarthritis enrolled in clinical studies. METHODS: Survey participants comprised clinical experts (n =â23; mean age 54 y; from 4 continents) that had authored at least two randomized trials on knee osteoarthritis. First, given a prepared list of baseline patient characteristics, the experts were asked to add characteristics they considered important for assessing comparability of patient populations in different trials that evaluated the efficacy of non-surgical interventions for treating knee osteoarthritis. Next, they were asked to rate the importance of each characteristic, on a scale of 0 (not important) to 10 (highly important), according to three outcome categories: pain, function, and structure. RESULTS: Participants identified 121 baseline characteristics. A rating â„7 points was assigned to 39 characteristics (e.g., age, depression, global knee pain, daily dose of pain killers, Kellgren-Lawrence grading); of these, 20 were related to pain, 15 to function, and 23 to structural outcomes. Global knee pain was the only baseline characteristic that fulfilled among experts the predefined consensus criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Experts identified a large number of characteristics for describing patients with knee osteoarthritis. Disagreement and uncertainty prevailed over the relevance of these characteristics. Our findings justified further efforts to define appropriate, broadly acceptable sets of baseline characteristics for describing patients with knee osteoarthritis
Thermodynamics of Random Ferromagnetic Antiferromagnetic Spin-1/2 Chains
Using the quantum Monte Carlo Loop algorithm, we calculate the temperature
dependence of the uniform susceptibility, the specific heat, the correlation
length, the generalized staggered susceptibility and magnetization of a
spin-1/2 chain with random antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic couplings, down
to very low temperatures. Our data show a consistent scaling behavior in all
the quantities and support strongly the conjecture drawn from the approximate
real-space renormalization group treatment.A statistical analysis scheme is
developed which will be useful for the search of scaling behavior in numerical
and experimental data of random spin chains.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, RevTe
Picosecond-laser-induced structural modifications in the bulk of single-crystal diamond
Arrays of through laser-graphitized microstructureshavebeenfabricatedintypeIIasingle-crystal1.2-mmthick diamond plates by multipulse laser irradiation with 10-ps pulses at λ=532 nm wavelength. Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy studies of the bulk microstructures have evidenced the diamond transformation to amorphous carbon and graphitic phases and the formation of radiation defects pronounced in the PL spectra as the self-interstitial related center, the 3H center, at 504 nm. It is found that the ultrafast-laser-induced structural modiïŹcations in the bulk of single-crystal diamond plates occur along{111}planes, known as the planes of the lowest cleavage energy and strength in diamond
GlacialWater: A Dynamic Microbial Medium
Microbial communities and nutrient dynamics in glaciers and ice sheets continuously change as the hydrological conditions within and on the ice change. Glaciers and ice sheets can be considered bioreactors as microbiomes transform nutrients that enter these icy systems and alter the meltwater chemistry. Global warming is increasing meltwater discharge, affecting nutrient and cell export, and altering proglacial systems. In this review, we integrate the current understanding of glacial hydrology, microbial activity, and nutrient and carbon dynamics to highlight their interdependence and variability on daily and seasonal time scales, as well as their impact on proglacial environments
Sex differences in swimming disciplinesâcan women outperform men in swimming?
In recent years, the interest of female dominance in long-distance swimming has grown where several newspaper articles have been published speculating about female performance and dominanceâespecially in open-water ultra-distance swimming. The aim of this narrative review is to review the scientific literature regarding the difference between the sexes for all swimming strokes (i.e., butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle and individual medley), di erent distances (i.e., from sprint to ultra-distances), extreme conditions (i.e., cold water), different ages and swimming integrated in multi-sports disciplines, such as triathlon, in various age groups and over calendar years. The influence of various physiological, psychological, anthropometrical and biomechanical aspects to potentially explain the female dominance was also discussed. The data bases Scopus and PUBMED were searched by April 2020 for the terms âsexâdifferenceâswimmingâ. Long-distance open-water swimmers and pool swimmers of different ages and performance levels were mainly investigated. In open-water long-distance swimming events of the âTriple Crown of Open Water Swimmingâ with the âCatalina Channel Swimâ, the âEnglish Channel Swimâ and the âManhattan Island Marathon Swimâ, women were about 0.06 km/h faster than men. In master swimmers (i.e., age groups 25â29 to 90â94 years) competing in the FINA (FĂ©dĂ©ration Internationale de Natation) World Championships in pool swimming in freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, individual medley and in 3000-m open-water swimming, women master swimmers appeared able to achieve similar performances as men in the oldest age groups (i.e., older than 75â80 years). In boys and girls aged 5â18 yearsâand listed in the all-time top 100 U.S. freestyle swimming performances from 50 m to 1500 mâthe five fastest girls were faster than the five fastest boys until the age of ~10 years. After the age of 10 years, and until the age of 17 years, however, boys were increasingly faster than girls. Therefore, women tended to decrease the existing sex differences in specific age groups (i.e., younger than 10 years and older than 75â80 years) and swimming strokes in pool-swimming or even to overperform men in long-distance open-water swimming (distance of ~30 km), especially under extreme weather conditions (water colder than ~20Âș C). Two main variables may explain why women can swim faster than men in open-water swimming events: (i) the long distance of around 30 km, (ii) and water colder than ~20 C. Future studies may investigate more detailed (e.g., anthropometry) the very young (75â80 years) age groups in swimming.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Acute treatment with omecamtiv mecarbil to increase contractility in acute heart failure
Background:
Omecamtiv mecarbil (OM) is a selective cardiac myosin activator that increases myocardial function in healthy volunteers and in patients with chronic heart failure.
Objectives:
This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, tolerability, safety, and efficacy of OM in patients with acute heart failure (AHF).
Methods:
Patients admitted for AHF with left ventricular ejection fraction â€40%, dyspnea, and elevated plasma concentrations of natriuretic peptides were randomized to receive a double-blind, 48-h intravenous infusion of placebo or OM in 3 sequential, escalating-dose cohorts.
Results:
In 606 patients, OM did not improve the primary endpoint of dyspnea relief (3 OM dose groups and pooled placebo: placebo, 41%; OM cohort 1, 42%; cohort 2, 47%; cohort 3, 51%; p = 0.33) or any of the secondary outcomes studied. In supplemental, pre-specified analyses, OM resulted in greater dyspnea relief at 48 h (placebo, 37% vs. OM, 51%; p = 0.034) and through 5 days (p = 0.038) in the high-dose cohort. OM exerted plasma concentration-related increases in left ventricular systolic ejection time (p < 0.0001) and decreases in end-systolic dimension (p < 0.05). The adverse event profile and tolerability of OM were similar to those of placebo, without increases in ventricular or supraventricular tachyarrhythmias. Plasma troponin concentrations were higher in OM-treated patients compared with placebo (median difference at 48 h, 0.004 ng/ml), but with no obvious relationship with OM concentration (p = 0.95).
Conclusions:
In patients with AHF, intravenous OM did not meet the primary endpoint of dyspnea improvement, but it was generally well tolerated, it increased systolic ejection time, and it may have improved dyspnea in the high-dose group. (Acute Treatment with Omecamtiv Mecarbil to Increase Contractility in Acute Heart Failure [ATOMIC-AHF]; NCT01300013)
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