690 research outputs found
Gauge field theories with covariant star-product
A noncommutative gauge theory is developed using a covariant star-product
between differential forms defined on a symplectic manifold, considered as the
space-time. It is proven that the field strength two-form is gauge covariant
and satisfies a deformed Bianchi identity. The noncommutative Yang-Mills action
is defined using a gauge covariant metric on the space-time and its gauge
invariance is proven up to the second order in the noncommutativity parameter.Comment: Dedicated to Ioan Gottlieb on the occasion of his 80th birthday
anniversary. 12 page
Dissociative electron attachment to the H2O molecule. II. Nuclear dynamics on coupled electronic surfaces within the local complex potential model
We report the results of a first-principles study of dissociative electron
attachment to H2O. The cross sections are obtained from nuclear dynamics
calculations carried out in full dimensionality within the local complex
potential model by using the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method.
The calculations employ our previously obtained global, complex-valued,
potential-energy surfaces for the three (doublet B1, doublet A1, and doublet
B2) electronic Feshbach resonances involved in this process. These three
metastable states of H2O- undergo several degeneracies, and we incorporate both
the Renner-Teller coupling between the B1 and A1 states as well as the conical
intersection between the A1 and B2 states into our treatment. The nuclear
dynamics are inherently multidimensional and involve branching between
different final product arrangements as well as extensive excitation of the
diatomic fragment. Our results successfully mirror the qualitative features of
the major fragment channels observed, but are less successful in reproducing
the available results for some of the minor channels. We comment on the
applicability of the local complex potential model to such a complicated
resonant system.Comment: Corrected version of Phys Rev A 75, 012711 (2007
Dissociative electron attachment to the H2O molecule. I. Complex-valued potential-energy surfaces for the 2B1, 2A1, and 2B2 metastable states of the water anion
We present the results of calculations defining global, three-dimensional
representations of the complex-valued potential-energy surfaces of the doublet
B1, doublet A1, and doublet B2 metastable states of the water anion that
underlie the physical process of dissociative electron attachment to water. The
real part of the resonance energies is obtained from configuration-interaction
calculations performed in a restricted Hilbert space, while the imaginary part
of the energies (the widths) is derived from complex Kohn scattering
calculations. A diabatization is performed on the 2A1 and 2B2 surfaces, due to
the presence of a conical intersection between them. We discuss the
implications that the shapes of the constructed potential-energy surfaces will
have upon the nuclear dynamics of dissociative electron attachment to H2O.
This work originally appeared as Phys Rev A 75, 012710 (2007). Typesetting
errors in the published version have been corrected here.Comment: Corrected version of PRA 75, 012710 (2007
Predicting participation in group parenting education in an Australian sample: The role of attitudes, norms, and control factors
We examined the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting intentions to participate in group parenting education. One hundred and seventy-six parents (138 mothers and 38 fathers) with a child under 12 years completed TPB items assessing attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and two additional social influence variables (self-identity and group norm). Regression analyses supported the TPB predictors of participation intentions with self-identity and group norm also significantly predicting intentions. These findings offer preliminary support for the TPB, along with additional sources of social influence, as a useful predictive model of participation in parenting education
Norm estimates of complex symmetric operators applied to quantum systems
This paper communicates recent results in theory of complex symmetric
operators and shows, through two non-trivial examples, their potential
usefulness in the study of Schr\"odinger operators. In particular, we propose a
formula for computing the norm of a compact complex symmetric operator. This
observation is applied to two concrete problems related to quantum mechanical
systems. First, we give sharp estimates on the exponential decay of the
resolvent and the single-particle density matrix for Schr\"odinger operators
with spectral gaps. Second, we provide new ways of evaluating the resolvent
norm for Schr\"odinger operators appearing in the complex scaling theory of
resonances
Wave packet evolution approach to ionization of hydrogen molecular ion by fast electrons
The multiply differential cross section of the ionization of hydrogen
molecular ion by fast electron impact is calculated by a direct approach, which
involves the reduction of the initial 6D Schr\"{o}dinger equation to a 3D
evolution problem followed by the modeling of the wave packet dynamics. This
approach avoids the use of stationary Coulomb two-centre functions of the
continuous spectrum of the ejected electron which demands cumbersome
calculations. The results obtained, after verification of the procedure in the
case atomic hydrogen, reveal interesting mechanisms in the case of small
scattering angles.Comment: 7 pages, 8 Postscript figure
Global State Measures of the Dentate Gyrus Gene Expression System Predict Antidepressant-Sensitive Behaviors
Background
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine are the most common form of medication treatment for major depression. However, approximately 50% of depressed patients fail to achieve an effective treatment response. Understanding how gene expression systems respond to treatments may be critical for understanding antidepressant resistance.
Methods
We take a novel approach to this problem by demonstrating that the gene expression system of the dentate gyrus responds to fluoxetine (FLX), a commonly used antidepressant medication, in a stereotyped-manner involving changes in the expression levels of thousands of genes. The aggregate behavior of this large-scale systemic response was quantified with principal components analysis (PCA) yielding a single quantitative measure of the global gene expression system state.
Results
Quantitative measures of system state were highly correlated with variability in levels of antidepressant-sensitive behaviors in a mouse model of depression treated with fluoxetine. Analysis of dorsal and ventral dentate samples in the same mice indicated that system state co-varied across these regions despite their reported functional differences. Aggregate measures of gene expression system state were very robust and remained unchanged when different microarray data processing algorithms were used and even when completely different sets of gene expression levels were used for their calculation.
Conclusions
System state measures provide a robust method to quantify and relate global gene expression system state variability to behavior and treatment. State variability also suggests that the diversity of reported changes in gene expression levels in response to treatments such as fluoxetine may represent different perspectives on unified but noisy global gene expression system state level responses. Studying regulation of gene expression systems at the state level may be useful in guiding new approaches to augmentation of traditional antidepressant treatments
Assessing the Cultural Appropriateness of UPLIFT for African Americans With Epilepsy: A Community Engaged Approach
Background: In trials of Project UPLIFT, a distance-delivered, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention, there was improvement in the mental health of people with epilepsy/seizure disorder. In these trials, however, African Americans have been few. Thus, as this program is disseminated, it is desirable to ensure that it is culturally appropriate for minority populations.
Methods: To determine the appropriateness of Project UPLIFT for African Americans, we engaged in three main research activities: 1) the formation and involvement of an epilepsy community advisory board; 2) qualitative interviews with healthcare providers who serve this community; and 3) focus groups with African American adults living with epilepsy or seizure disorder and main support persons of African American adults living with epilepsy or seizure disorder.
Results: The epilepsy community advisory board provided recommendations for the most appropriate language to use when engaging and recruiting the target population. Healthcare providers indicated that psychosocial concerns of African American persons living with epilepsy seemed to be different from those among patients of other racial groups. They indicated that Project UPLIFT might be useful for this group. Focus groups revealed experiences of living with and supporting someone with epilepsy and provided favorable feedback on the UPLIFT intervention.
Conclusions: Formative feedback indicates that Project UPLIFT may be useful for African Americans with epilepsy. These data will be used to guide a forthcoming randomized, controlled trial to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention with this group
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