8,339 research outputs found
A semiclassical analysis of the Efimov energy spectrum in the unitary limit
We demonstrate that the (s-wave) geometric spectrum of the Efimov energy
levels in the unitary limit is generated by the radial motion of a primitive
periodic orbit (and its harmonics) of the corresponding classical system. The
action of the primitive orbit depends logarithmically on the energy. It is
shown to be consistent with an inverse-squared radial potential with a lower
cut-off radius. The lowest-order WKB quantization, including the Langer
correction, is shown to reproduce the geometric scaling of the energy spectrum.
The (WKB) mean-squared radii of the Efimov states scale geometrically like the
inverse of their energies. The WKB wavefunctions, regularized near the
classical turning point by Langer's generalized connection formula, are
practically indistinguishable from the exact wave functions even for the lowest
() state, apart from a tiny shift of its zeros that remains constant for
large .Comment: LaTeX (revtex 4), 18pp., 4 Figs., already published in Phys. Rev. A
but here a note with a new referece is added on p. 1
An analytic model of rotationally inelastic collisions of polar molecules in electric fields
We present an analytic model of thermal state-to-state rotationally inelastic
collisions of polar molecules in electric fields. The model is based on the
Fraunhofer scattering of matter waves and requires Legendre moments
characterizing the "shape" of the target in the body-fixed frame as its input.
The electric field orients the target in the space-fixed frame and thereby
effects a striking alteration of the dynamical observables: both the phase and
amplitude of the oscillations in the partial differential cross sections
undergo characteristic field-dependent changes that transgress into the partial
integral cross sections. As the cross sections can be evaluated for a field
applied parallel or perpendicular to the relative velocity, the model also
offers predictions about steric asymmetry. We exemplify the field-dependent
quantum collision dynamics with the behavior of the Ne-OCS() and
Ar-NO() systems. A comparison with the close-coupling calculations
available for the latter system [Chem. Phys. Lett. \textbf{313}, 491 (1999)]
demonstrates the model's ability to qualitatively explain the field dependence
of all the scattering features observed
Comment on "Indispensable Finite Time Correlations for Fokker-Planck Equations from Time Series Data"
Comment on "Indispensable Finite Time Correlations for Fokker-Planck
Equations from Time Series Data"Comment: 2 pages, 1 figur
Persistence of Problematic Sexual Behaviors in Children
The purpose of this study was to identify personal and family predictors and correlates of persistence of problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) in children. Participants were the families of 49 children (ages 4–11 years) referred by Child Protective Services in 4 administrative districts of Quebec. Caregivers completed interviews and questionnaires twice at a 1-year interval. Results showed that 43% of children persisted with PSB. When age was controlled, greater exposure to sexualized behaviors in the family proved both a correlate and a predictor of PSB persistence in children 12 months later.\ud
Externalizing problems and somatic complaints emerged as correlates of PSB as well. Maltreatment subtypes did not predict PSB persistence
Generalised -manifolds
We define new Riemannian structures on 7-manifolds by a differential form of
mixed degree which is the critical point of a (possibly constrained)
variational problem over a fixed cohomology class. The unconstrained critical
points generalise the notion of a manifold of holonomy , while the
constrained ones give rise to a new geometry without a classical counterpart.
We characterise these structures by the means of spinors and show the
integrability conditions to be equivalent to the supersymmetry equations on
spinors in supergravity theory of type IIA/B with bosonic background fields. In
particular, this geometry can be described by two linear metric connections
with skew torsion. Finally, we construct explicit examples by using the device
of T-duality.Comment: 27 pages. v2: references added. v3: wrong argument (Theorem 3.3) and
example (Section 4.1) removed, further examples added, notation simplified,
all comments appreciated. v4:computation of Ricci tensor corrected, various
minor changes, final version of the paper to appear in Comm. Math. Phy
The G protein-gated potassium current I(K,ACh) is constitutively active in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation
Background— The molecular mechanism of increased background inward rectifier current (IK1) in atrial fibrillation (AF) is not fully understood. We tested whether constitutively active acetylcholine (ACh)-activated IK,ACh contributes to enhanced basal conductance in chronic AF (cAF).
Methods and Results— Whole-cell and single-channel currents were measured with standard voltage-clamp techniques in atrial myocytes from patients with sinus rhythm (SR) and cAF. The selective IK,ACh blocker tertiapin was used for inhibition of IK,ACh. Whole-cell basal current was larger in cAF than in SR, whereas carbachol (CCh)-activated IK,ACh was lower in cAF than in SR. Tertiapin (0.1 to 100 nmol/L) reduced IK,ACh in a concentration-dependent manner with greater potency in cAF than in SR (−logIC50: 9.1 versus 8.2; P<0.05). Basal current contained a tertiapin-sensitive component that was larger in cAF than in SR (tertiapin [10 nmol/L]-sensitive current at −100 mV: cAF, −6.7±1.2 pA/pF, n=16/5 [myocytes/patients] versus SR, −1.7±0.5 pA/pF, n=24/8), suggesting contribution of constitutively active IK,ACh to basal current. In single-channel recordings, constitutively active IK,ACh was prominent in cAF but not in SR (channel open probability: cAF, 5.4±0.7%, n=19/9 versus SR, 0.1±0.05%, n=16/9; P<0.05). Moreover, IK1 channel open probability was higher in cAF than in SR (13.4±0.4%, n=19/9 versus 11.4±0.7%, n=16/9; P<0.05) without changes in other channel characteristics.
Conclusions— Our results demonstrate that larger basal inward rectifier K+ current in cAF consists of increased IK1 activity and constitutively active IK,ACh. Blockade of IK,ACh may represent a new therapeutic target in AF
On the universality of small scale turbulence
The proposed universality of small scale turbulence is investigated for a set
of measurements in a cryogenic free jet with a variation of the Reynolds number
(Re) from 8500 to 10^6. The traditional analysis of the statistics of velocity
increments by means of structure functions or probability density functions is
replaced by a new method which is based on the theory of stochastic Markovian
processes. It gives access to a more complete characterization by means of
joint probabilities of finding velocity increments at several scales. Based on
this more precise method our results call in question the concept of
universality.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
"Tolerization" of human T-helper cell clones by chronic exposure to alloantigen
Induction of clonal anergy in T-helper (Th) cells may have a role in regulating immune responses. A model system for studying Th cell tolerization at the clonal level in vitro could be useful for investigating the mechanisms involved. Accordingly, alloreactive helper cells were maintained in culture with interleukin 2 (IL 2) by intermittent stimulation with specific antigen. Regardless of the frequency of antigen stimulation, clones of age less than ca. 35 population doublings (PD) were found to undergo antigen-specific autocrine clonal expansion in the absence of exogenous IL 2. Such young clones (designated as phase I) could therefore not be "tolerized" by frequent exposure to antigen. In contrast, most clones of age greater than ca. 35 PD could be tolerized by frequent exposure to antigen (designated as phase II clones). Their autocrine proliferation was then blocked, although they still recognized antigen specifically as shown by their retained ability to secrete interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The mechanism of response failure involved both an inability to upregulate IL 2 receptors in the absence of exogenous IL 2, as well as an inability to secrete IL 2. These defects were not overcome by stimulation with mitogens or calcium ionophore and phorbol esther in place of alloantigen. T-cell receptor, alpha, beta, and gamma-chain gene rearrangements remained identical in phase I and phase II clones. Tolerization of phase II clones could be avoided by increasing the period between antigen exposures. Despite this, whether or not phase II cells were capable of autocrine proliferation, they were found to have acquired the novel function of inducing suppressive activity in fresh lymphocytes. Suppressor-induction was blocked by the broadly reactive MHC class II-specific monoclonal antibody (moAb) TU39, but not by moAb preferentially reacting only with HLA-DR, DQ, or DP. Sequential immunoprecipitation on T-cell clones showed the presence of a putative non-DR, DQ, DP, TU39+ molecule on phase II clones. However, this molecule was also found on phase I clones. The nature of the TU39-blockable suppressor-inducing determinant present on phase II but not on (most) phase I clones thus remains to be clarified. In addition to suppressor-induction activity, phase II clones also acquired lytic potential as measured in a lectin approximation system. Cytotoxic (CTX) potential was also not influenced by the frequency of antigenic stimulation and could be viewed as a constitutive modulation of clonal functio
Cauchy boundaries in linearized gravitational theory
We investigate the numerical stability of Cauchy evolution of linearized
gravitational theory in a 3-dimensional bounded domain. Criteria of robust
stability are proposed, developed into a testbed and used to study various
evolution-boundary algorithms. We construct a standard explicit finite
difference code which solves the unconstrained linearized Einstein equations in
the 3+1 formulation and measure its stability properties under Dirichlet,
Neumann and Sommerfeld boundary conditions. We demonstrate the robust stability
of a specific evolution-boundary algorithm under random constraint violating
initial data and random boundary data.Comment: 23 pages including 3 figures and 2 tables, revte
Initial data for fluid bodies in general relativity
We show that there exist asymptotically flat almost-smooth initial data for
Einstein-perfect fluid's equation that represent an isolated liquid-type body.
By liquid-type body we mean that the fluid energy density has compact support
and takes a strictly positive constant value at its boundary. By almost-smooth
we mean that all initial data fields are smooth everywhere on the initial
hypersurface except at the body boundary, where tangential derivatives of any
order are continuous at that boundary.
PACS: 04.20.Ex, 04.40.Nr, 02.30.JrComment: 38 pages, LaTeX 2e, no figures. Accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev.
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