601 research outputs found
Glassy Spin Dynamics in Non-Fermi-Liquid UCu_{5-x}Pd_x, x = 1.0 and 1.5
Local f-electron spin dynamics in the non-Fermi-liquid heavy-fermion alloys
UCu_{5-x}Pd_x, x = 1.0 and 1.5, have been studied using muon spin-lattice
relaxation. The sample-averaged asymmetry function Gbar(t) indicates strongly
inhomogeneous spin fluctuations, and exhibits the scaling Gbar(t,H) =
Gbar(t/H^\gamma) expected from glassy dynamics. At 0.05 K \gamma(x=1.0) = 0.35
\pm 0.1, but \gamma(x=1.5) = 0.7 \pm 0.1. This is in contrast to inelastic
neutron scattering results, which yield \gamma = 0.33 for both concentrations.
There is no sign of static magnetism \gtrsim 10^{-3} \mu_B/U ion in either
material above 0.05 K. Our results strongy suggest that both alloys are quantum
spin glasses.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Physical Review Letter
Ruled Laguerre minimal surfaces
A Laguerre minimal surface is an immersed surface in the Euclidean space
being an extremal of the functional \int (H^2/K - 1) dA. In the present paper,
we prove that the only ruled Laguerre minimal surfaces are up to isometry the
surfaces R(u,v) = (Au, Bu, Cu + D cos 2u) + v (sin u, cos u, 0), where A, B, C,
D are fixed real numbers. To achieve invariance under Laguerre transformations,
we also derive all Laguerre minimal surfaces that are enveloped by a family of
cones. The methodology is based on the isotropic model of Laguerre geometry. In
this model a Laguerre minimal surface enveloped by a family of cones
corresponds to a graph of a biharmonic function carrying a family of isotropic
circles. We classify such functions by showing that the top view of the family
of circles is a pencil.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures. Minor correction: missed assumption (*) added to
Propositions 1-2 and Theorem 2, missed case (nested circles having nonempty
envelope) added in the proof of Pencil Theorem 4, missed proof that the arcs
cut off by the envelope are disjoint added in the proof of Lemma
Curved Tails in Polymerization-Based Bacterial Motility
The curved actin ``comet-tail'' of the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a
visually striking signature of actin polymerization-based motility. Similar
actin tails are associated with Shigella flexneri, spotted-fever Rickettsiae,
the Vaccinia virus, and vesicles and microspheres in related in vitro systems.
We show that the torque required to produce the curvature in the tail can arise
from randomly placed actin filaments pushing the bacterium or particle. We find
that the curvature magnitude determines the number of actively pushing
filaments, independent of viscosity and of the molecular details of force
generation. The variation of the curvature with time can be used to infer the
dynamics of actin filaments at the bacterial surface.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Latex2
SU(N) Evolution of a Frustrated Spin Ladder
Recent studies indicate that the weakly coupled spin-1/2 Heisenberg
antiferromagnet with next nearest neighbor frustration supports massive spinons
when suitably tuned. The straightforward SU(N) generalization of the low energy
ladder Hamiltonian yields two independent SU(N) Thirring models with N-1
multiplets of massive ``spinon'' excitations. We study the evolution of the
complete set of low-energy dynamical structure factors using form factors.
Those corresponding to the smooth (staggered) magnetizations are qualitatively
different (the same) in the N=2 and N>2 cases. The absence of single-particle
peaks preserves the notion of spinons stabilized by frustration. In contrast to
the ladder, we note that the N=infinity limit of the four chain magnet is not a
trivial free theory.Comment: 10 pages, RevTex, 5 figures; SU(N) approach clarifie
Temperature and Photoperiod Effects on Sterility in a Cytoplasmic Male-Sterile Soybean
Manual cross-pollination to produce large quantities of hybrid soybean seed is difficult and time consuming. An environmentally stable sterility system is one of the necessary components to produce large quantities of hybrid seed. The objective of this study was to subject cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) BC5F1 plants, from a cross of a Chinese Glycine max wild-type soybean with a Chinese wild annual soybean G. soja (male parent) and controls, to a variety of different temperature and photoperiod treatments to test whether CMS is stable under various environmental conditions. Plants were grown in growth chambers under controlled temperature, photoperiod, and irradiance regimes until pod set, and then they were transferred to a glasshouse until they matured. Plants were evaluated for time of anthesis after photoperiod induction (13 h light/11 h dark) and fertility or sterility. Anther squash and pod set data showed that sterility of the CMS line was stable under all environmental conditions tested, whereas fertility-restored control plants remained fertile. Extreme environmental conditions led to delayed floral induction and/or stunted growth
A Phenomenological Analysis of Heavy Hadron Lifetimes
A phenomenological analysis of lifetimes of bottom and charmed hadrons within
the framework of the heavy quark expansion is performed. The baryon matrix
element is evaluated using the bag model and the nonrelativistic quark model.
We find that bottom-baryon lifetimes follow the pattern
.
However, neither the lifetime ratio nor the
absolute decay rates of the baryon and mesons can be explained.
One way of solving both difficulties is to allow the presence of linear
corrections by scaling the inclusive nonleptonic width with the fifth power of
the hadron mass rather than the heavy quark mass . The hierarchy
of bottom baryon lifetimes is dramatically modified to
: The
longest-lived among bottom baryons in the OPE prescription now
becomes shortest-lived. The replacement of by in nonleptonic
widths is natural and justified in the PQCD-based factorization approach
formulated in terms of hadron-level kinematics. For inclusive charmed baryon
decays, we argue that since the heavy quark expansion does not converge, local
duality cannot be tested in this case. We show that while the ansatz of
substituting the heavy quark mass by the hadron mass provides a much better
description of the charmed-baryon lifetime {\it ratios}, it appears unnatural
and unpredictive for describing the {\it absolute} inclusive decay rates of
charmed baryons, contrary to the bottom case.Comment: 35 pages, to appear in Phys. Rev. The CDF result on the lifetime
ratio of Lambda_b and B_d is discusse
A longitudinal study into the new and long-term use of self-monitoring blood glucose strips in the UK
Aims
To determine the impact of self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) strip use in patients with type 2 diabetes in the UK.
Methods
The study period was April 1, 2004 to July 31, 2005. Data from primary care was extracted from The Health Improvement Network database. Patients identified with diabetes and matching the inclusion criteria were defined as new users of SMBG, prevalent users, or non-users. Patients were also defined as treated with insulin, with oral agents (OA), or not pharmacologically treated. Change in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at baseline and after 12 months was compared.
Results
2559 patients met the inclusion criteria. For new users, HbA1c fell by 0.59% (P=0.399) for those treated with insulin, 1.52% (P<0.001) for those treated with OA, and 0.51% (P<0.001) for no treatment. In prevalent users, changes were 0.31% (P<0.001), 0.34% (P<0.001), and 0.09% (P=0.456), respectively. In non-users, changes were 0.28% (P=0.618), 0.42% (P<0.001), and an increase of 0.05% (P=0.043), respectively. A significant decrease in mean HbA1c was associated with increasing strip use in OA patients newly initiated on strips.
Conclusion
This observational study showed a significant decrease in HbA1c for new users of SMBG treated either non-pharmacologically or with OA, and for prevalent users treated with insulin or OA. Reduced HbA1c with increasing strip use was observed but was only significant for OA-treated new users. This suggests that SMBG use has a role in the treatment of non-insulin treated patients with type 2 diabetes
Metastable States in Spin Glasses and Disordered Ferromagnets
We study analytically M-spin-flip stable states in disordered short-ranged
Ising models (spin glasses and ferromagnets) in all dimensions and for all M.
Our approach is primarily dynamical and is based on the convergence of a
zero-temperature dynamical process with flips of lattice animals up to size M
and starting from a deep quench, to a metastable limit. The results (rigorous
and nonrigorous, in infinite and finite volumes) concern many aspects of
metastable states: their numbers, basins of attraction, energy densities,
overlaps, remanent magnetizations and relations to thermodynamic states. For
example, we show that their overlap distribution is a delta-function at zero.
We also define a dynamics for M=infinity, which provides a potential tool for
investigating ground state structure.Comment: 34 pages (LaTeX); to appear in Physical Review
Lifetime Differences, direct CP Violation and Partial Widths in D0 Meson Decays to K+K- and pi+pi-
We describe several measurements using the decays D0->K+K- and pi+pi-. We
find the ratio of partial widths, Gamma(D0->K+K-)/Gamma(D0->pi+pi-), to be
2.96+/-0.16+/-0.15, where the first error is statistical and the second is
systematic. We observe no evidence for direct CP violation, obtaining A_CP(KK)
= (0.0+/-2.2+/-0.8)% and A_CP(pipi = (1.9+/-3.2+/-0.8)%. In the limit of no CP
violation we measure the mixing parameter y_CP = -0.012+/-0.025+/-0.014 by
measuring the lifetime difference between D0->K+ K- or pi+pi- and the CP
neutral state, D0->K-pi+. We see no evidence for mixing.Comment: 14 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PRD, Rapid Communicatio
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