918 research outputs found
Multi-Player Quantum Games
Recently the concept of quantum information has been introduced into game
theory. Here we present the first study of quantum games with more than two
players. We discover that such games can possess a new form of equilibrium
strategy, one which has no analogue either in traditional games or even in
two-player quantum games. In these `pure' coherent equilibria, entanglement
shared among multiple players enables new kinds of cooperative behavior: indeed
it can act as a contract, in the sense that it prevents players from
successfully betraying one-another.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figs. Substantial revisons inc. new result
Visualizing Heavy Fermion Confinement and Pauli-Limited Superconductivity in Layered CeCoIn5
Layered material structures play a key role in enhancing electron-electron
interactions to create correlated metallic phases that can transform into
unconventional superconducting states. The quasi-two-dimensional electronic
properties of such compounds are often inferred indirectly through examination
of their bulk properties. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy and
spectroscopy to directly probe in cross section the quasi-two-dimensional
correlated electronic states of the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn5. Our
measurements reveal the strong confined nature of heavy quasi-particles,
anisotropy of tunneling characteristics, and layer-by-layer modulated behavior
of the precursor pseudogap gap phase in this compound. Examining the interlayer
coupled superconducting state at low temperatures, we find that the orientation
of line defects relative to the d-wave order parameter determines whether
in-gap states form due to scattering. Spectroscopic imaging of the anisotropic
magnetic vortex cores directly characterizes the short interlayer
superconducting coherence length and shows an electronic phase separation near
the upper critical in-plane magnetic field, consistent with a Pauli-limited
first-order phase transition into a pseudogap phase
Buoyancy Instabilities in Galaxy Clusters: Convection Due to Adiabatic Cosmic Rays and Anisotropic Thermal Conduction
Using a linear stability analysis and two and three-dimensional nonlinear
simulations, we study the physics of buoyancy instabilities in a combined
thermal and relativistic (cosmic ray) plasma, motivated by the application to
clusters of galaxies. We argue that cosmic ray diffusion is likely to be slow
compared to the buoyancy time on large length scales, so that cosmic rays are
effectively adiabatic. If the cosmic ray pressure is of
the thermal pressure, and the cosmic ray entropy (;
is the thermal plasma density) decreases outwards, cosmic rays drive an
adiabatic convective instability analogous to Schwarzschild convection in
stars. Global simulations of galaxy cluster cores show that this instability
saturates by reducing the cosmic ray entropy gradient and driving efficient
convection and turbulent mixing. At larger radii in cluster cores, the thermal
plasma is unstable to the heat flux-driven buoyancy instability (HBI), a
convective instability generated by anisotropic thermal conduction and a
background conductive heat flux. Cosmic-ray driven convection and the HBI may
contribute to redistributing metals produced by Type 1a supernovae in clusters.
Our calculations demonstrate that adiabatic simulations of galaxy clusters can
artificially suppress the mixing of thermal and relativistic plasma;
anisotropic thermal conduction allows more efficient mixing, which may
contribute to cosmic rays being distributed throughout the cluster volume.Comment: submitted to ApJ; 15 pages and 12 figures; abstract shortened to < 24
lines; for high resolution movies see
http://astro.berkeley.edu/~psharma/clustermovie.htm
Comparative Performance of Three Length-Based Mortality Estimators
Length‐based methods provide alternatives for estimating the instantaneous total mortality rate (Z) in exploited marine populations when data are not available for age‐based methods. We compared the performance of three equilibrium length‐based methods: the length‐converted catch curve (LCCC), the Beverton–Holt equation (BHE), and the length‐based spawning potential ratio (LB‐SPR) method. The LCCC and BHE are two historically common procedures that use length as a proxy for age. From a truncated length‐frequency distribution of fully selected animals, the LCCC estimates Z with a regression of the logarithm of catch at length by the midpoint of the length‐bins, while the BHE estimates Z as a function of the mean length. The LB‐SPR method is a likelihood‐based population dynamics model, which—unlike the LCCC and BHE—does not require data truncation. Using Monte Carlo simulations across a range of scenarios with varying mortality and life history characteristics, our study showed that neither the LCCC nor the BHE was uniformly superior in terms of bias or root mean square error across simulations, but these estimators performed better than LB‐SPR, which had the largest bias in most cases. Generally, if the ratio of natural mortality (M) to the von Bertalanffy growth rate parameter (K) is low, then the BHE is most preferred, although there is likely to be high bias and low precision. If M/K is high, then the LCCC and BHE performed better and similarly to each other. Differences in performance among commonly used truncation methods for the LCCC and BHE were small. The LB‐SPR method did not perform as well as the classical methods but may still be of interest because it provides estimates of a logistic selectivity curve. The M/K ratio provided the most contrast in the performance of the three methods, suggesting that it should be considered for predicting the likely performance of length‐based mortality estimators
Parker/buoyancy instabilities with anisotropic thermal conduction, cosmic rays, and arbitrary magnetic field strength
We report the results of a local stability analysis for a magnetized,
gravitationally stratified plasma containing cosmic rays. We account for
cosmic-ray diffusion and thermal conduction parallel to the magnetic field and
allow beta to take any value, where p is the plasma pressure and B is the
magnetic field strength. We take the gravitational acceleration to be in the
-z-direction and the equilibrium magnetic field to be in the y-direction, and
we derive the dispersion relation for small-amplitude instabilities and waves
in the large-|k_x| limit. We use the Routh-Hurwitz criterion to show
analytically that the necessary and sufficient criterion for stability in this
limit is n k_B dT/dz + dp_cr/dz + (1/8pi)dB^2/dz > 0, where T is the
temperature, n is the number density of thermal particles, and p_cr is the
cosmic-ray pressure. We present approximate analytical solutions for the normal
modes in the low- and high-diffusivity limits, show that they are consistent
with the derived stability criterion, and compare them to numerical results
obtained from the full, unapproximated, dispersion relation. Our results extend
earlier analyses of buoyancy instabilities in galaxy-cluster plasmas to the
beta <= 1 regime. Our results also extend earlier analyses of the Parker
instability to account for anisotropic thermal conduction, and show that the
interstellar medium is more unstable to the Parker instability than was
predicted by previous studies in which the thermal plasma was treated as
adiabatic.Comment: 36 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
Recommended from our members
Early Adoption of Dabigatran and Its Dosing in US Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Results From the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
Background: Dabigatran is a novel oral anticoagulant approved for thromboprophylaxis in atrial fibrillation. Adoption patterns of this new agent in community practice are unknown. Methods and Results: We studied patterns of dabigatran use among patients enrolled in the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT‐AF) Registry between June 2010 and August 2011 and followed for 12 months. Among 9974 atrial fibrillation patients included, 1217 (12%) were treated with dabigatran during the study. Overall, patients receiving dabigatran were younger (median age 72 versus 75 years, P<0.0001), more likely to be white (92% versus 89%, P=0.005), more likely to have private insurance (33% versus 25%, P<0.0001), and less likely to have prior cardiovascular disease (4% versus 33%, P<0.0001). They had more new‐onset atrial fibrillation (8.8% versus 4.1%, P<0.0001), lower CHADS2 scores (estimated risk based on the presence of congestive heart failure, hypertension, aged ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, and prior stroke or transient ischemic attack; mean 2.0 versus 2.3, P<0.0001), and lower Anticoagulation and Risk Factors in Atrial Fibrillation scores (mean 2.4 versus 2.8, P<0.0001). More than half (n=14/25, 56%) of patients with severe kidney disease were not prescribed reduced dosing, whereas 10% (n=91/920) with preserved renal function received lower dosing. Among patients not on dabigatran at baseline, 8% had dabigatran initiated during follow‐up. Patient education was significantly associated with switching from warfarin to dabigatran (adjusted odds ratio for postgraduate 1.73, P=0.007), whereas antiarrhythmic drug use significantly correlated with de novo adoption of dabigatran (adjusted odds ratio 2.4, P<0.0001). Conclusions: Patients receiving dabigatran were younger and at a lower risk of stroke and bleeding. Patients appeared to drive switching from warfarin, whereas clinical characteristics influenced de novo start of dabigatran. These data suggest cautious early uptake of dabigatran, and more careful attention to dosing adjustments is warranted. Clinical Trial Registration URL: Clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01165710
Use and Outcomes Associated With Bridging During Anticoagulation Interruptions in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Findings From the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF)
BACKGROUND: Temporary interruption of oral anticoagulation for procedures is often required, and some propose using bridging anticoagulation. However, the use and outcomes of bridging during oral anticoagulation interruptions in clinical practice are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF) registry is a prospective, observational registry study of US outpatients with atrial fibrillation. We recorded incident temporary interruptions of oral anticoagulation for a procedure, including the use and type of bridging therapy. Outcomes included multivariable-adjusted rates of myocardial infarction, stroke or systemic embolism, major bleeding, cause-specific hospitalization, and death within 30 days. Of 7372 patients treated with oral anticoagulation, 2803 overall interruption events occurred in 2200 patients (30%) at a median follow-up of 2 years. Bridging anticoagulants were used in 24% (n=665), predominantly low-molecular-weight heparin (73%, n=487) and unfractionated heparin (15%, n=97). Bridged patients were more likely to have had prior cerebrovascular events (22% versus 15%; P=0.0003) and mechanical valve replacements (9.6% versus 2.4%; P/=2 in 94% versus 95%; P=0.5). Bleeding events were more common in bridged than nonbridged patients (5.0% versus 1.3%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.84;
A genomic resource for the sedentary semi-endoparasitic reniform nematode, Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford & Oliveira.
The reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) is a sedentary semi-endoparasitic species that is pathogenic on many row crops, fruits, and vegetables. Here, the authors present a draft genome assembly of R. reniformis using small- and large-insert libraries sequenced on the Illumina GAIIx and MiSeq platforms. The reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) is a sedentary semi-endoparasitic species that is pathogenic on many row crops, fruits, and vegetables. Here, the authors present a draft genome assembly of R. reniformis using small- and large-insert libraries sequenced on the Illumina GAIIx and MiSeq platforms
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