977 research outputs found
The pre-WDVV ring of physics and its topology
We show how a simplicial complex arising from the WDVV
(Witten-Dijkgraaf-Verlinde-Verlinde) equations of string theory is the
Whitehouse complex. Using discrete Morse theory, we give an elementary proof
that the Whitehouse complex is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of
spheres of dimension . We also verify the Cohen-Macaulay
property. Additionally, recurrences are given for the face enumeration of the
complex and the Hilbert series of the associated pre-WDVV ring.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 2 table
Higher Spin Fields in Siegel Space, Currents and Theta Functions
Dynamics of four-dimensional massless fields of all spins is formulated in
the Siegel space of complex symmetric matrices. It is shown that
the unfolded equations of free massless fields, that have a form of
multidimensional Schrodinger equations, naturally distinguish between positive-
and negative-frequency solutions of relativistic field equations, i.e.
particles and antiparticles. Multidimensional Riemann theta functions are shown
to solve massless field equations in the Siegel space. We establish the
correspondence between conserved higher-spin currents in four-dimensional
Minkowski space and those in the ten-dimensional matrix space. It is shown that
global symmetry parameters of the current in the matrix space should be
singular to reproduce a nonzero current in Minkowski space. The \D-function
integral evolution formulae for 4d massless fields in the Fock-Siegel space are
obtained. The generalization of the proposed scheme to higher dimensions and
systems of higher ranks is considered.Comment: LaTeX, 38 pages, v.3: clarifications, acknowledgements and references
added, typos corrected, v.4: more comments and references added, typos
corrected, the version to appear in JHE
Persistent Edge Current In the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect
We study the persistent edge current in the fractional quantum Hall effect.
We give the grand partition functions for edge excitations of hierarchical
states coupled to an Aharanov-Bohm flux and derive the exact formula of the
persistent edge current. For -th hierarchical states with , it exhibits
anomalous oscillations in its flux dependence at low temperatures. The current
as a function of flux goes to the sawtooth function with period in
the zero temperature limit. This phenomenon provides a new evidence for exotic
condensation in the fractional quantum Hall effect. We propose experiments of
measuring the persistent edge current to confirm the existence of the
hierarchy.Comment: RevTex. 4 pages, 2 figure
Nanoquartz in Late Permian C1 coal and the high incidence of female lung cancer in the Pearl River Origin area: a retrospective cohort study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Pearl River Origin area, Qujing District of Yunnan Province, has one of the highest female lung cancer mortality rates in China. Smoking was excluded as a cause of the lung cancer excess because almost all women were non-smokers. Crystalline silica embedded in the soot emissions from coal combustion was found to be associated with the lung cancer risk in a geographical correlation study. Lung cancer rates tend to be higher in places where the Late Permian C1 coal is produced. Therefore, we have hypothesized the two processes: C1 coal combustion --> nanoquartz in ambient air --> lung cancer excess in non-smoking women.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>We propose to conduct a retrospective cohort study to test the hypothesis above. We will search historical records and compile an inventory of the coal mines in operation during 1930–2009. To estimate the study subjects' retrospective exposure, we will reconstruct the historical exposure scenario by burning the coal samples, collected from operating or deserted coal mines by coal geologists, in a traditional firepit of an old house. Indoor air particulate samples will be collected for nanoquartz and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) analyses. Bulk quartz content will be quantified by X-ray diffraction analysis. Size distribution of quartz will be examined by electron microscopes and by centrifugation techniques. Lifetime cumulative exposure to nanoquartz will be estimated for each subject. Using the epidemiology data, we will examine whether the use of C1 coal and the cumulative exposure to nanoquartz are associated with an elevated risk of lung cancer.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The high incidence rate of lung cancer in Xuan Wei, one of the counties in the current study area, was once attributed to high indoor air concentrations of PAHs. The research results have been cited for qualitative and quantitative cancer risk assessment of PAHs by the World Health Organization and other agencies. If nanoquartz is found to be the main underlying cause of the lung cancer epidemic in the study area, cancer potency estimates for PAHs by the international agencies based on the lung cancer data in this study setting should then be updated.</p
Topological wave functions and heat equations
It is generally known that the holomorphic anomaly equations in topological
string theory reflect the quantum mechanical nature of the topological string
partition function. We present two new results which make this assertion more
precise: (i) we give a new, purely holomorphic version of the holomorphic
anomaly equations, clarifying their relation to the heat equation satisfied by
the Jacobi theta series; (ii) in cases where the moduli space is a Hermitian
symmetric tube domain , we show that the general solution of the anomaly
equations is a matrix element \IP{\Psi | g | \Omega} of the
Schr\"odinger-Weil representation of a Heisenberg extension of , between an
arbitrary state and a particular vacuum state .
Based on these results, we speculate on the existence of a one-parameter
generalization of the usual topological amplitude, which in symmetric cases
transforms in the smallest unitary representation of the duality group in
three dimensions, and on its relations to hypermultiplet couplings, nonabelian
Donaldson-Thomas theory and black hole degeneracies.Comment: 50 pages; v2: small typos fixed, references added; v3: cosmetic
changes, published version; v4: typos fixed, small clarification adde
Portable stove use is associated with lower lung cancer mortality risk in lifetime smoky coal users
Domestic fuel combustion from cooking and heating, to which about 3 billion people worldwide are exposed, is associated with increased lung cancer risk. Lung cancer incidence in Xuanwei is the highest in China, and the attributable risk of lung cancer from unvented smoky coal burning is greater than 90%. To evaluate any lung cancer mortality reduction after changing from unvented stoves to portable stoves, we used lifetime smoky coal users in a retrospective cohort of all farmers born during 1917–1951 and residing in Xuanwei in 1976. Of the 42 422 enrolled farmers, 4054 lifetime smoky coal users changed to portable stoves, 4364 did not change, and 1074 died of lung cancer. Lung cancer morality associated with stove change was assessed by product-limit survival curves and multivariate Cox regression models. Both men (P<0.0001) and women (P<0.0001) who changed to portable stoves had a significantly increased probability of survival compared with those who did not change. Portable stoves were associated with decreased risk of lung cancer mortality in male participants (hazard ratio (HR)=0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.46–0.82) and female participants (HR=0.41, 95% CI=0.29–0.57). Portable stove use is associated with reduced lung cancer mortality risk, highlighting a cost-effective intervention that could substantially benefit health in developing countries
Analytic Representation of Finite Quantum Systems
A transform between functions in R and functions in Zd is used to define the
analogue of number and coherent states in the context of finite d-dimensional
quantum systems. The coherent states are used to define an analytic
representation in terms of theta functions. All states are represented by
entire functions with growth of order 2, which have exactly d zeros in each
cell. The analytic function of a state is constructed from its zeros. Results
about the completeness of finite sets of coherent states within a cell are
derived
Chromogenic detection of yam mosaic virus by closed-tube reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (CT-RT-LAMP)
A closed-tube reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (CT-RT-LAMP) assay was developed for the detection of yam mosaic virus (YMV, genus Potyvirus) infecting yam (Dioscorea spp.). The assay uses a set of six oligonucleotide primers targeting the YMV coat protein region, and the amplification products in YMV-positive samples are visualized by chromogenic detection with SYBR Green I dye. The CT-RT-LAMP assay detected YMV in leaf and tuber tissues of infected plants. The assay is 100 times more sensitive in detecting YMV than standard RT-PCR, while maintaining the same specificity
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