Tunneling in Polymer Quantization and the Quantum Zeno Effect

As an application of the polymer quantization scheme, in this work we investigate the one dimensional quantum mechanical tunneling phenomenon from the perspective of polymer representation of a non-relativistic point particle and derive the transmission and reflection coefficients. Since any tunneling phenomenon inevitably evokes a tunneling time we attempt an analytical calculation of tunneling times by defining an operator well suited in discrete spatial geometry. The results that we come up with hint at appearance of the Quantum Zeno Effect in polymer framework.Comment: 21pp,3 figures, to be published in Phys. Lett.

Convergence in house prices across OECD countries: A panel data analysis

This study examines whether housing prices converged in OECD countries over the 1996–2015 period. The unconditional and conditional convergence hypotheses are tested via the system-GMM method using five-year span panel data of twenty OECD countries. The results reveal that there exists a significant convergence process within this country group. To test the conditional convergence hypothesis, the convergence equation is estimated also with some control variables that may reflect market activity and demand side impacts such as income level, construction, unemployment rate, permits for dwellings and share prices. The findings show that the speed of convergence is even higher when the above-mentioned variables are controlled

Hidden Spin-3/2 Field in the Standard Model

Here we show that a massive spin-3/2 field can hide in the SM spectrum in a way revealing itself only virtually. We study collider signatures and loop effects of this field, and determine its role in Higgs inflation and its potential as Dark Matter. We show that this spin-3/2 field has a rich linear collider phenomenology and motivates consideration of a neutrino-Higgs collider. We also show that study of Higgs inflation, dark matter and dark energy can reveal more about the neutrino and dark sector.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.

Paint Marketing and Factors Affecting the Consumers’ Paint Purchase Preference from the Viewpoint of Paint Industry Members in Turkey

The aim of this research was to examine the consumers' preference of paint purchase from the viewpoint of individuals employed in the Turkish paint industry. It was aimed to reach at least 278 individuals with a sampling error of 5%. Within this scope, 350 questionnaire forms were distributed and 330 were received back in the year of 2017. Since 4 of the returned questionnaires had a missing question, study was conducted with 326 questionnaires. The questionnaire form was used as the data collection tool. It included 5 questions about demographic characteristics, 17 questions concerning purchasing and using behaviors, and 29 questions regarding consumers' preferences of paints. Data analysis of the study was done using the SPSS 16 package program. Through the analysis of data, descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard error were presented. In addition, t test and ANOVA test were applied to test the relationship among variables. Based on research findings, the most important factors for the preference of paint purchase in Turkey were determined as the aging of existing wall painting, marriage and cleaning issues. Moreover, it was found out that the experiences of consumers were also effective for the paint purchase decision and preference. Within the scope of the study, it was determined that elder individuals, married and high income people were influenced by many factors in their preference for painting. On the other hand; young, single and low-income individuals were considering less factors in their paint preferences. In addition, it was detected that men were considering properties (features) such as the price and quality more than women in their purchasing preferences. Furthermore, the most important factor affecting the purchasing choice of consumers was determined as previous knowledge and experience. It was also found out that consumers did not frequently conduct market research before choosing the paint. Educational status of individuals was not an effective factor concerning paint preferences

Multi Time Scale World Models

Intelligent agents use internal world models to reason and make predictions about different courses of their actions at many scales. Devising learning paradigms and architectures that allow machines to learn world models that operate at multiple levels of temporal abstractions while dealing with complex uncertainty predictions is a major technical hurdle. In this work, we propose a probabilistic formalism to learn multi-time scale world models which we call the Multi Time Scale State Space (MTS3) model. Our model uses a computationally efficient inference scheme on multiple time scales for highly accurate long-horizon predictions and uncertainty estimates over several seconds into the future. Our experiments, which focus on action conditional long horizon future predictions, show that MTS3 outperforms recent methods on several system identification benchmarks including complex simulated and real-world dynamical systems. Code is available at this repository: https://github.com/ALRhub/MTS3.Comment: Accepted as spotlight at NeurIPS 202

Evaluation of bone marrow functions and new inflammatory markers in patients with immunocompetent herpes zoster

Background and Design: Herpes zoster (HZ) is a viral infection characterized by dermatomal vesicles caused by the reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV). There are conflicting reports regarding the effects of VZV on bone marrow functions. In this study, we aimed to evaluate bone marrow function and systemic inflammation in immunocompetent HZ patients. Materials and Methods: This study included patients aged ≥18 yr diagnosed with HZ and admitted to a dermatology outpatient clinic between June 2011 and June 2021. Hematological parameters in routine hemogram tests of patients with HZ and new inflammatory markers, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune inflammation index, and platelet-neutrophil ratio (PNR), were determined and compared with healthy control groups. Results: Thrombocytopenia was observed in 6.1% and lymphopenia in 8% of 461 HZ patients. The mean leukocyte (white blood cell), lymphocyte, neutrophil, eosinophil, and platelet (PLT) counts in HZ patients were statistically significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05). NLR and PLR values were statistically significantly higher in HZ patients than in the control group (p<0.05). PLT, eosinophil count, and PNR values were statistically lower in HZ patients aged ≥65 yr than in patients aged <65 yr, whereas mean platelet volume and NLR values were higher (p<0.05). Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia may occur in immunocompetent HZ patients. NLR and PLR values increase in HZ patients. The increase in inflammatory markers and decrease in platelet count are more evident in HZ patients aged ≥65 yr

The Role of Cerebral Embolic Protection Devices During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is the therapy of choice for patients with severe aortic stenosis who have prohibitive or high surgical risk. However, the benefit of TAVR is attenuated by the occurrence of major disabling stroke which is associated with increased mortality and early-reduced quality of life. Despite advances in TAVR technology, stroke remains a serious complication that is associated with significant negative outcomes. The majority of these occur in the acute phase following TAVR where cerebral embolic events are frequent. Cerebral embolic protection devices (CEPD) have been developed to minimize the risk of peri-procedural ischemic stroke during TAVR. CEPD have the potential to reduce intraprocedural burden of new silent ischemic injury. In this review we outline the etiology and incidence of stroke in TAVR population, and systematically review current evidence for cerebral embolic protection devices

Attractive versus Repulsive Excitonic Interactions of Colloidal Quantum Dots Control Blue- to Red-Shifting (and Non-shifting) Amplified Spontaneous Emission

Tunable, high-performance, two-photon absorption (TPA)-based amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from near-unity quantum efficiency colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) is reported. Besides the absolute spectral tuning of ASE, the relative spectral tuning of ASE peak with respect to spontaneous emission was shown through engineering excitonic interactions in quasi-type-II CdSe/CdS core/shell CQDs. With core shell size adjustments, it was revealed that Coulombic exciton-exciton interactions can be tuned to be attractive (type-I-like) or repulsive (type-II-like) leading to red- or blue-shifted ASE peak, respectively, and that nonshifting ASE can be achieved with the right core shell combinations. The possibility of obtaining ASE at a specific wavelength from both type-I-like and type-II-like CQDs was also demonstrated. The experimental observations were supported by parametric quantum-mechanical modeling, shedding light on the type-tunability. These excitonically engineered CQD-solids exhibited TPA-based ASE threshold as low as 6.5 mJ/cm(2) under 800 nm excitation, displaying one of the highest values of TPA cross-section of 44 660 GM