70,327 research outputs found
Physical Origin of Density Dependent Force of the Skyrme Type within the Quark Meson Coupling Model
A density dependent, effective nucleon-nucleon force of the Skyrme type is
derived from the quark-meson coupling model -- a self-consistent, relativistic
quark level description of nuclear matter. This new formulation requires no
assumption that the mean scalar field is small and hence constitutes a
significant advance over earlier work. The similarity of the effective
interaction to the widely used SkM force encourages us to apply it to a
wide range of nuclear problems, beginning with the binding energies and charge
distributions of doubly magic nuclei. Finding acceptable results in this
conventional arena, we apply the same effective interaction, within the
Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approach, to the properties of nuclei far from
stability. The resulting two neutron drip lines and shell quenching are quite
satisfactory. Finally, we apply the relativistic formulation to the properties
of dense nuclear matter in anticipation of future application to the properties
of neutron stars.Comment: 2 references added, some changes in the tex
Range-resolved signal processing for fibre segment interferometry applied to dynamic long-gauge length strain sensing
A range-resolved interferometric signal processing technique using sinusoidal optical frequency modulation is applied to fibre segment interferometry. Here, six optical fibre segments of gauge length 12.5 cm are used as interferometric strain sensors and are formed between seven weak, broadband fibre Bragg gratings, acting as in-fibre partial reflectors. In a very simple and cost-effective optical setup using injection current modulation of a laser diode source, interferometric measurement of acoustic wave propagation in a metal rod is used to demonstrate the capabilities of the technique
Elastic precursor of the transformation from glycolipid-nanotube to -vesicle
By the combination of optical tweezer manipulation and digital video
microscopy, the flexural rigidity of single glycolipid "nano" tubes has been
measured below the transition temperature at which the lipid tubules are
transformed into vesicles. Consequently, we have found a clear reduction of the
rigidity obviously before the transition as temperature increasing. Further
experiments of infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and differential scanning
calorimetry (DSC) have suggested a microscopic change of the tube walls,
synchronizing with the precursory softening of the nanotubes.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
DY determinants, possibly associated with novel class II molecules, stimulate autoreactive CD4+ T cells with suppressive activity
A set of T cell clones (TCC) isolated from HLA-DR-, Dw-, DQ-matched allogeneic MLCs was found to proliferate autonomously when stimulated with cells carrying a wide range of class I or II specificities. This apparently unrestricted proliferation was relatively weak, and only low levels of IL-2 were present in the supernatants of stimulated cells. Autologous as well as allogeneic PBMC and B lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL) were capable of stimulating such clones, which were also restimulated by suppressive, but not by helper, TCC. Moreover, such clones displayed the unusual property of autostimulation. mAb inhibition experiments suggested that class II- or class II-restricted antigens were involved in stimulation. Thus, certain "broad" mAbs (TU39, SG520) reacting with multiple locus products inhibited activation of these reagents, but none of those reacting more specifically with DR (TU34, TU37, L243, Q2/70, SG157), DQ (TU22, SPV- L3, Leu 10), or DP (B7/21), or mixtures of these mAbs, were able to do so. Evidence from sequential immunoprecipitation experiments suggested that mAb TU39 bound class II-like molecules other than DR, DQ, and DP on TCC and B-LCL, and it is therefore proposed that such putative novel class II-like molecules may carry the stimulating determinants for these autoreactive clones. DY-reactive clones lacked helper activity for B cells but mediated potent suppressive activity on T cell proliferative responses that was not restricted by the HLA type of the responding cells. Suppressive activity was induced in normal PBMC by such clones, as well as by independent suppressive clones, which was also inhibited only by mAb TU39. These findings lead to the proposal that DY-reactive autostimulatory cells may constitute a self- maintaining suppressive circuit, the level of activity of which would be regulated primarily by the availability of IL-2 in the microenvironmen
Economical quantum cloning in any dimension
The possibility of cloning a d-dimensional quantum system without an ancilla
is explored, extending on the economical phase-covariant cloning machine found
in [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 60}, 2764 (1999)] for qubits. We prove the impossibility
of constructing an economical version of the optimal universal cloning machine
in any dimension. We also show, using an ansatz on the generic form of cloning
machines, that the d-dimensional phase-covariant cloner, which optimally clones
all uniform superpositions, can be realized economically only in dimension d=2.
The used ansatz is supported by numerical evidence up to d=7. An economical
phase-covariant cloner can nevertheless be constructed for d>2, albeit with a
lower fidelity than that of the optimal cloner requiring an ancilla. Finally,
using again an ansatz on cloning machines, we show that an economical version
of the Fourier-covariant cloner, which optimally clones the computational basis
and its Fourier transform, is also possible only in dimension d=2.Comment: 8 pages RevTe
Polygons on a Rotating Fluid Surface
We report a novel and spectacular instability of a fluid surface in a
rotating system. In a flow driven by rotating the bottom plate of a partially
filled, stationary cylindrical container, the shape of the free surface can
spontaneously break the axial symmetry and assume the form of a polygon
rotating rigidly with a speed different from that of the plate. With water we
have observed polygons with up to 6 corners. It has been known for many years
that such flows are prone to symmetry breaking, but apparently the polygonal
surface shapes have never been observed. The creation of rotating internal
waves in a similar setup was observed for much lower rotation rates, where the
free surface remains essentially flat. We speculate that the instability is
caused by the strong azimuthal shear due to the stationary walls and that it is
triggered by minute wobbling of the rotating plate. The slight asymmetry
induces a tendency for mode-locking between the plate and the polygon, where
the polygon rotates by one corner for each complete rotation of the plate
Persistence effects in deterministic diffusion
In systems which exhibit deterministic diffusion, the gross parameter
dependence of the diffusion coefficient can often be understood in terms of
random walk models. Provided the decay of correlations is fast enough, one can
ignore memory effects and approximate the diffusion coefficient according to
dimensional arguments. By successively including the effects of one and two
steps of memory on this approximation, we examine the effects of
``persistence'' on the diffusion coefficients of extended two-dimensional
billiard tables and show how to properly account for these effects, using walks
in which a particle undergoes jumps in different directions with probabilities
that depend on where they came from.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Protocol for a mixed-methods exploratory investigation of care following intensive care discharge: the REFLECT study
© Author(s) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.INTRODUCTION: A substantial number of patients discharged from intensive care units (ICUs) subsequently die without leaving hospital. It is unclear how many of these deaths are preventable. Ward-based management following discharge from ICU is an area that patients and healthcare staff are concerned about. The primary aim of REFLECT (Recovery Following Intensive Care Treatment) is to develop an intervention plan to reduce in-hospital mortality rates in patients who have been discharged from ICU. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: REFLECT is a multicentre mixed-methods exploratory study examining ward care delivery to adult patients discharged from ICU. The study will be made up of four substudies. Medical notes of patients who were discharged from ICU and subsequently died will be examined using a retrospective case records review (RCRR) technique. Patients and their relatives will be interviewed about their post-ICU care, including relatives of patients who died in hospital following ICU discharge. Staff involved in the care of patients post-ICU discharge will be interviewed about the care of this patient group. The medical records of patients who survived their post-ICU stay will also be reviewed using the RCRR technique. The analyses of the substudies will be both descriptive and use a modified grounded theory approach to identify emerging themes. The evidence generated in these four substudies will form the basis of the intervention development, which will take place through stakeholder and clinical expert meetings. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained through the Wales Research and Ethics Committee 4 (17/WA/0107). We aim to disseminate the findings through international conferences, international peer-reviewed journals and social media. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN14658054.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
Turing's model for biological pattern formation and the robustness problem
One of the fundamental questions in developmental biology is how the vast range of pattern and structure we observe in nature emerges from an almost uniformly homogeneous fertilized egg. In particular, the mechanisms by which biological systems maintain robustness, despite being subject to numerous sources of noise, are shrouded in mystery. Postulating plausible theoretical models of biological heterogeneity is not only difficult, but it is also further complicated by the problem of generating robustness, i.e. once we can generate a pattern, how do we ensure that this pattern is consistently reproducible in the face of perturbations to the domain, reaction time scale, boundary conditions and so forth. In this paper, not only do we review the basic properties of Turing's theory, we highlight the successes and pitfalls of using it as a model for biological systems, and discuss emerging developments in the area
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