14,548 research outputs found
Density of states in graphene with vacancies: midgap power law and frozen multifractality
The density of states (DoS), , of graphene is investigated
numerically and within the self-consistent T-matrix approximation (SCTMA) in
the presence of vacancies within the tight binding model. The focus is on
compensated disorder, where the concentration of vacancies, and
, in both sub-lattices is the same. Formally, this model belongs to
the chiral symmetry class BDI. The prediction of the non-linear sigma-model for
this class is a Gade-type singularity . Our numerical data is compatible with this
result in a preasymptotic regime that gives way, however, at even lower
energies to , . We take this finding as an evidence that similar to the case
of dirty d-wave superconductors, also generic bipartite random hopping models
may exhibit unconventional (strong-coupling) fixed points for certain kinds of
randomly placed scatterers if these are strong enough. Our research suggests
that graphene with (effective) vacancy disorder is a physical representative of
such systems.Comment: References updated onl
The Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale: Adaptation and Validation for Young Adolescents
Emotional self-efficacy (ESE) is an important aspect of emotional functioning, with current measures for children and adolescents focused on the measurement of self-beliefs in relation to the management of emotions. In the present study, we report the psychometric properties of the first adaptation of the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale for youth (Youth-ESES) that measures additional aspects of ESE, such as perceiving and understanding emotions and helping others modulate their emotions. Participants were 192 young adolescents aged 11 to 13 years from a U.K. state school. They completed the Youth-ESES and measures of ability emotional intelligence (EI) and cognitive ability. Results support the same four-factor structure that has been previously documented using the adult version of the ESES, with the four subscales being largely independent from cognitive ability and only moderately related to ability EI. However, the four subscales were less differentiated in the present study compared with adult data previously published, suggesting that there is a strong general factor underlying young adolescents’ ESE scores. Overall, the results suggest that the adapted Youth-ESES can be reliably used with youth, and that confidence in how a young person feels about his or her emotional functioning remains distinct from emotional skill
An estimate of attributable cases of alzheimer disease and vascular dementia due to modifiable risk factors. the impact of primary prevention in europe and in italy
Background:
Up to 53.7% of all cases of dementia are assumed to be due to Alzheimer disease (AD), while 15.8% are considered to be due to vascular dementia (VaD). In Europe, about 3 million cases of AD could be due to 7 potentially modifiable risk factors: diabetes, midlife hypertension and/or obesity, physical inactivity, depression, smoking, and low educational level.
Aims:
To estimate the number of VaD cases in Europe and the number of AD and VaD cases in Italy attributable to these 7 potentially modifiable risk factors.
Methods:
Assuming the nonindependence of the 7 risk factors, the adjusted combined population attributable risk (PAR) was estimated for AD and VaD.
Results:
In Europe, adjusted combined PAR was 31.4% for AD and 37.8% for VaD. The total number of attributable cases was 3,033,000 for AD and 873,000 for VaD. In Italy, assuming a 20% reduction of the prevalence of each risk factor, adjusted combined PAR decreased from 45.2 to 38.9% for AD and from 53.1 to 46.6% for VaD, implying a 6.4 and 6.5% reduction in the prevalence of AD and VaD, respectively.
Conclusion:
A relevant reduction of AD and VaD cases in Europe and Italy could be obtained through primary prevention
Oscillating Neutrinos from the Galactic Center
It has recently been demonstrated that the -ray emission spectrum of
the EGRET-identified, central Galactic source 2EG J1746-2852 can be well fitted
by positing that these photons are generated by the decay of 's produced
in p-p scattering at or near an energizing shock. Such scattering also produces
charged pions which decay leptonically.The ratio of -rays to neutrinos
generated by the central Galactic source may be accurately determined and a
well-defined and potentially-measurable high energy neutrino flux at Earth is
unavoidable. An opportunity, therefore, to detect neutrino oscillations over an
unprecedented scale is offered by this source. In this paper we assess the
prospects for such an observation with the generation of neutrino \v{C}erenkov
telescopes now in the planning stage. We determine that the next generation of
detectors may find an oscillation signature in the Galactic Center (GC) signal.Comment: 45 pages, LaTeX, uses ApJ style, some minor revisions, this final
version to be published in ApJ
Quantum entanglement between a nonlinear nanomechanical resonator and a microwave field
We consider a theoretical model for a nonlinear nanomechanical resonator
coupled to a superconducting microwave resonator. The nanomechanical resonator
is driven parametrically at twice its resonance frequency, while the
superconducting microwave resonator is driven with two tones that differ in
frequency by an amount equal to the parametric driving frequency. We show that
the semi-classical approximation of this system has an interesting fixed point
bifurcation structure. In the semi-classical dynamics a transition from stable
fixed points to limit cycles is observed as one moves from positive to negative
detuning. We show that signatures of this bifurcation structure are also
present in the full dissipative quantum system and further show that it leads
to mixed state entanglement between the nanomechanical resonator and the
microwave cavity in the dissipative quantum system that is a maximum close to
the semi-classical bifurcation. Quantum signatures of the semi-classical
limit-cycles are presented.Comment: 36 pages, 18 figure
Spin relaxometry of single nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond nanocrystals for magnetic noise sensing
We report an experimental study of the longitudinal relaxation time ()
of the electron spin associated with single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects
hosted in nanodiamonds (ND). We first show that decreases over three
orders of magnitude when the ND size is reduced from 100 to 10 nm owing to the
interaction of the NV electron spin with a bath of paramagnetic centers lying
on the ND surface. We next tune the magnetic environment by decorating the ND
surface with Gd ions and observe an efficient -quenching, which
demonstrates magnetic noise sensing with a single electron spin. We estimate a
sensitivity down to electron spins detected within 10 s, using a
single NV defect hosted in a 10-nm-size ND. These results pave the way towards
-based nanoscale imaging of the spin density in biological samples.Comment: Main text with 4 figures together with supplemental informatio
Early transitions and tertiary enrolment: The cumulative impact of primary and secondary effects on entering university in Germany
Our aim is to assess how the number of working class students entering German universities can effectively be increased. Therefore, we estimate the proportion of students from the working class that would successfully enter university if certain policy interventions were in place to eliminate primary effects (performance differentials between social classes) and/or secondary effects (choice differentials net of performance) at different transition points. We extend previous research by analysing the sequence of transitions between elementary school enrolment and university enrolment and by accounting for the impact that manipulations at earlier transitions have on the performance distribution and size of the student ‘risk-set’ at subsequent transitions. To this end, we develop a novel simulation procedure which also seeks to find viable solutions to the shortcomings in the German data landscape. Our findings show that interventions are most effective if they take place early in the educational career. Neutralizing secondary effects at the transition to upper secondary school proves to be the single most effective means to increase participation rates in tertiary education among working class students. However, this comes at the expense of lower average performance levels. (DIPF/author
Lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and stable-isotope stratigraphy of cores from ODP Leg 105 site surveys, Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay
Trigger weight (TWC) and piston (PC) cores obtained from surveys of the three sites drilled during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 105 were studied in detail for benthic foraminiferal assemblages, total carbonate (all sites), planktonic foraminiferal abundances (Sites 645 and 647), and stable isotopes (Sites 646 and 647). These high-resolution data provide the link between modern environmental conditions represented by the sediment in the TWC and the uppermost cores of the ODP holes. This link provides essential control data for interpretating late Pleistocene paleoceanographic records from these core holes. At Site 645 in Baffin Bay, local correlation is difficult because the area is dominated by ice-rafted deposits and by debris flows and/or turbidite sedimentation. At the two Labrador Sea sites (646 and 647), the survey cores and uppermost ODP cores can be correlated. High-resolution data from the site survey cores also provide biostratigraphic data that refine the interpretations compiled from core-catcher samples at each ODP site
Novel Sets of Coupling Expansion Parameters for low-energy pQCD
In quantum theory, physical amplitudes are usually presented in the form of
Feynman perturbation series in powers of coupling constant \al . However, it
is known that these amplitudes are not regular functions at
For QCD, we propose new sets of expansion parameters {\bf w}_k(\as) that
reflect singularity at \as=0 and should be used instead of powers \as^k.
Their explicit form is motivated by the so called Analytic Perturbation Theory.
These parameters reveal saturation in a strong coupling case at the level
\as^{eff}(\as\gg1)={\bf w}_1(\as\gg 1) \sim 0.5 . They can be used for
quanitative analysis of divers low-energy amplitudes.
We argue that this new picture with non-power sets of perturbation expansion
parameters, as well as the saturation feature, is of a rather general nature.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Part. Nucl. Phys. Let
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