2,503 research outputs found
Semi-fermionic representation of SU(N) Hamiltonians
We represent the generators of the SU(N) algebra as bilinear combinations of
Fermi operators with imaginary chemical potential. The distribution function,
consisting of a minimal set of discrete imaginary chemical potentials, is found
for arbitrary N. This representation leads to the conventional temperature
diagram technique with standard Feynman codex, except that the Matsubara
frequencies are determined by neither integer nor half-integer numbers. The
real-time Schwinger-Keldysh formalism is formulated in the framework of complex
distribution functions. We discuss the continuous large N and SU(2) large spin
limits. We illustrate the application of this technique for magnetic and
spin-liquid states of the Heisenberg model.Comment: 11 pages, 7 EPS figures included, extended versio
From predicting to analyzing {HIV}-1 resistance to broadly neutralizing antibodies
Treatment with broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) has recently proven effective against HIV-1 infections in humanized mice, non-human primates, and humans. For optimal treatment, susceptibility of the patient’s viral strains to a particular bNAb has to be ensured. Since no computational approaches are so far available, susceptibility can only be tested in expensive and time-consuming neutralization experiments. Here, we present well-performing computational models (AUC up to 0.84) that can predict HIV-1 resistance to bNAbs given the envelope sequence of the virus. Having learnt important binding sites of the bNAbs from the envelope sequence, the models are also biologically meaningful and useful for epitope recognition. Additional to the prediction result, we provide a motif logo that displays the contribution of the pivotal residues of the test sequence to the prediction. As our prediction models are based on non-linear kernels, we introduce a new visualization technique to improve the model interpretability. Moreover, we confirmed previous experimental findings that there is a trend towards antibody resistance for the subtype B population of the virus. While previous experiments considered rather small and selected cohorts, we were able to show a similar trend for the global HIV-1 population comprising all major subtypes by predicting the neutralization sensitivity for around 36,000 HIV-1 sequences- a scale-up which is very difficult to achieve in an experimental setting
Creation of ventricular septal defects on the beating heart in a new pig model
Background/ Aims: So far, surgical and interventional therapies for muscular ventricular septal defects ( mVSDs) beyond the moderator band have had their limitations. Thus, alternative therapeutic strategies should be developed. We present a new animal model for the evaluation of such strategies. Methods: In a pig model ( n = 9), anterolateral thoracotomy was performed for exposure of the left ventricle. mVSDs were created under two- and three- dimensional echocardiography with a 7.5- mm sharp punch instrument, which was forwarded via a left ventricular puncture without extracorporeal circulation. Results: Creation of mVSDs was successful in all animals ( n = 9) confirmed by echocardiography, hemodynamic measurements and autopsy. The defects were located in the midmuscular ( n = 4), apical ( n = 1), inlet ( n = 2) and anterior part ( n = 2) of the muscular septum. All animals were hemodynamically stable for further procedures. The diameter and shunt volume of the mVSDs were 4.8 - 7.3 mm ( mean: 5.9 mm) and 12.9 - 41.3% ( mean: 22.1%), respectively. Autopsy confirmed in all animals the creation of a substantial defect. Conclusion: The described new technique for creation of an mVSD on the beating heart in a pig model is suitable for the evaluation of new therapeutic strategies for mVSD closure. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel
Strongly Time-Variable Ultra-Violet Metal Line Emission from the Circum-Galactic Medium of High-Redshift Galaxies
We use cosmological simulations from the Feedback In Realistic Environments
(FIRE) project, which implement a comprehensive set of stellar feedback
processes, to study ultra-violet (UV) metal line emission from the
circum-galactic medium of high-redshift (z=2-4) galaxies. Our simulations cover
the halo mass range Mh ~ 2x10^11 - 8.5x10^12 Msun at z=2, representative of
Lyman break galaxies. Of the transitions we analyze, the low-ionization C III
(977 A) and Si III (1207 A) emission lines are the most luminous, with C IV
(1548 A) and Si IV (1394 A) also showing interesting spatially-extended
structures. The more massive halos are on average more UV-luminous. The UV
metal line emission from galactic halos in our simulations arises primarily
from collisionally ionized gas and is strongly time variable, with
peak-to-trough variations of up to ~2 dex. The peaks of UV metal line
luminosity correspond closely to massive and energetic mass outflow events,
which follow bursts of star formation and inject sufficient energy into
galactic halos to power the metal line emission. The strong time variability
implies that even some relatively low-mass halos may be detectable. Conversely,
flux-limited samples will be biased toward halos whose central galaxy has
recently experienced a strong burst of star formation. Spatially-extended UV
metal line emission around high-redshift galaxies should be detectable by
current and upcoming integral field spectrographs such as the Multi Unit
Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Large Telescope and Keck Cosmic Web
Imager (KCWI).Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Partition Function Zeros of a Restricted Potts Model on Lattice Strips and Effects of Boundary Conditions
We calculate the partition function of the -state Potts model
exactly for strips of the square and triangular lattices of various widths
and arbitrarily great lengths , with a variety of boundary
conditions, and with and restricted to satisfy conditions corresponding
to the ferromagnetic phase transition on the associated two-dimensional
lattices. From these calculations, in the limit , we determine
the continuous accumulation loci of the partition function zeros in
the and planes. Strips of the honeycomb lattice are also considered. We
discuss some general features of these loci.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
The compact Q=2 Abelian Higgs model in the London limit: vortex-monopole chains and the photon propagator
The confining and topological properties of the compact Abelian Higgs model
with doubly-charged Higgs field in three space-time dimensions are studied. We
consider the London limit of the model. We show that the monopoles are forming
chain-like structures (kept together by ANO vortices) the presence of which is
essential for getting simultaneously permanent confinement of singly-charged
particles and breaking of the string spanned between doubly-charged particles.
In the confinement phase the chains are forming percolating clusters while in
the deconfinement (Higgs) phase the chains are of finite size. The described
picture is in close analogy with the synthesis of the Abelian monopole and the
center vortex pictures in confining non--Abelian gauge models. The screening
properties of the vacuum are studied by means of the photon propagator in the
Landau gauge.Comment: 27 pages, 37 figure
Phonon Bloch oscillations in acoustic-cavity structures
We describe a semiconductor multilayer structure based in acoustic phonon
cavities and achievable with MBE technology, designed to display acoustic
phonon Bloch oscillations. We show that forward and backscattering Raman
spectra give a direct measure of the created phononic Wannier-Stark ladder. We
also discuss the use of femtosecond laser impulsions for the generation and
direct probe of the induced phonon Bloch oscillations. We propose a gedanken
experiment based in an integrated phonon source-structure-detector device, and
we present calculations of pump and probe time dependent optical reflectivity
that evidence temporal beatings in agreement with the Wannier-Stark ladder
energy splitting.Comment: PDF file including 4 figure
Renormalization group analysis of the 2D Hubbard model
Salmhofer [Commun. Math. Phys. 194, 249 (1998)] has recently developed a new
renormalization group method for interacting Fermi systems, where the complete
flow from the bare action of a microscopic model to the effective low-energy
action, as a function of a continuously decreasing infrared cutoff, is given by
a differential flow equation which is local in the flow parameter. We apply
this approach to the repulsive two-dimensional Hubbard model with nearest and
next-nearest neighbor hopping amplitudes. The flow equation for the effective
interaction is evaluated numerically on 1-loop level. The effective
interactions diverge at a finite energy scale which is exponentially small for
small bare interactions. To analyze the nature of the instabilities signalled
by the diverging interactions we extend Salmhofers renormalization group for
the calculation of susceptibilities. We compute the singlet superconducting
susceptibilities for various pairing symmetries and also charge and spin
density susceptibilities. Depending on the choice of the model parameters
(hopping amplitudes, interaction strength and band-filling) we find
commensurate and incommensurate antiferromagnetic instabilities or d-wave
superconductivity as leading instability. We present the resulting phase
diagram in the vicinity of half-filling and also results for the density
dependence of the critical energy scale.Comment: 16 pages, RevTeX, 16 eps figure
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