2,040 research outputs found
Neutron Drops and Skyrme Energy-Density Functionals
The J=0 ground state of a drop of 8 neutrons and the lowest
1/2 and 3/2 states of 7-neutron drops, all in an external well, are
computed accurately with variational and Green's function Monte Carlo methods
for a Hamiltonian containing the Argonne two-nucleon and Urbana IX
three-nucleon potentials. These states are also calculated using Skyrme-type
energy-density functionals. Commonly used functionals overestimate the central
density of these drops and the spin-orbit splitting of 7-neutron drops.
Improvements in the functionals are suggested
Field-induced segregation of ferromagnetic nano-domains in PrSrMnO, detected by Mn NMR
The antiferromagnetic manganite PrSrMnO was investigated
at low temperature by means of magnetometry and Mn NMR. A field-induced
transition to a ferromagnetic state is detected by magnetization measurements
at a threshold field of a few tesla. NMR shows that the ferromagnetic phase
develops from zero field by the nucleation of microscopic ferromagnetic
domains, consisting of an inhomogeneous mixture of tilted and fully aligned
parts. At the threshold the NMR spectrum changes discontinuously into that of a
homogeneous, fully aligned, ferromagnetic state, suggesting a percolative
origin for the ferromagnetic transition.Comment: Latex 2.09 language. 4 pages, 3 figures, 23 references. Submitted to
physical Review
Many-body effects in 16O(e,e'p)
Effects of nucleon-nucleon correlations on exclusive reactions on
closed-shell nuclei leading to single-hole states are studied using
( MeV, ) as an example. The quasi-hole wave
function, calculated from the overlap of translationally invariant many-body
variational wave functions containing realistic spatial, spin and isospin
correlations, seems to describe the initial state of the struck proton
accurately inside the nucleus, however it is too large at the surface. The
effect of short-range correlations on the final state is found to be largely
cancelled by the increase in the transparency for the struck proton. It is
estimated that the values of the spectroscopic factors obtained with the DWIA
may increase by a few percent due to correlation effects in the final state.Comment: 21 Pages, PHY-7849-TH-9
Selecting and implementing overview methods: implications from five exemplar overviews
This is the final version of the article. Available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.Background
Overviews of systematic reviews are an increasingly popular method of evidence synthesis; there is a lack of clear guidance for completing overviews and a number of methodological challenges. At the UK Cochrane Symposium 2016, methodological challenges of five overviews were explored. Using data from these five overviews, practical implications to support methodological decision making of authors writing protocols for future overviews are proposed.
Methods
Methods, and their justification, from the five exemplar overviews were tabulated and compared with areas of debate identified within current literature. Key methodological challenges and implications for development of overview protocols were generated and synthesised into a list, discussed and refined until there was consensus.
Results
Methodological features of three Cochrane overviews, one overview of diagnostic test accuracy and one mixed methods overview have been summarised. Methods of selection of reviews and data extraction were similar. Either the AMSTAR or ROBIS tool was used to assess quality of included reviews. The GRADE approach was most commonly used to assess quality of evidence within the reviews.
Eight key methodological challenges were identified from the exemplar overviews. There was good agreement between our findings and emerging areas of debate within a recent published synthesis. Implications for development of protocols for future overviews were identified.
Conclusions
Overviews are a relatively new methodological innovation, and there are currently substantial variations in the methodological approaches used within different overviews. There are considerable methodological challenges for which optimal solutions are not necessarily yet known. Lessons learnt from five exemplar overviews highlight a number of methodological decisions which may be beneficial to consider during the development of an overview protocol.The overview conducted by Pollock [19] was supported by a project grant from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government. The overview conducted by McClurg [21] was supported by a project grant by the Physiotherapy Research Foundation. The overview by Hunt [22] was supported as part of doctoral programme funding by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC). The overview conducted by Estcourt [20] was supported by an NIHR Cochrane Programme Grant for the Safe and Appropriate Use of Blood Components. The overview conducted by Brunton [23] was commissioned by the Department of Health as part of an ongoing programme of work on health policy research synthesis.
Alex Pollock is employed by the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) Research Unit, which is supported by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government. Pauline Campbell is supported by the Chief Nurses Office of the Scottish Government
Driven transverse shear waves in a strongly coupled dusty plasma
The linear dispersion properties of transverse shear waves in a strongly
coupled dusty plasma are experimentally studied by exciting them in a
controlled manner with a variable frequency external source. The dusty plasma
is maintained in the strongly coupled fluid regime with (1 < Gamma << Gamma_c)
where Gamma is the Coulomb coupling parameter and Gamma_c is the
crystallization limit. A dispersion relation for the transverse waves is
experimentally obtained over a frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 2 Hz and found to
show good agreement with viscoelastic theoretical results.Comment: The manuscripts contains five pages and 6 figure
Why Did You Not Act on Our Suggestion? Regulatory and Growth-Oriented Opportunities During Ethical Review:A Case Study
Maternal mortality due to cardiovascular disease in the Netherlands:a 21-year experience
Objective Cardiovascular disorders are the leading cause of indirect maternal mortality in Europe. The aim of this study is to present an extensive overview concerning the specific cardiovascular causes of maternal death and to identify avoidable contributing care factors related to these deaths. Methods We assessed all cases of maternal death due to cardiovascular disorders collected by a systematic national confidential enquiry of maternal deaths published by the Dutch Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Committee on behalf of the Netherlands Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology over a 21-year period (1993-2013) in the Netherlands. Results There were 96 maternal cardiovascular deaths (maternal mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases 2.4/100,000 liveborn children). Causes were aortic dissection (n & x202f;= 20, 21%), ischaemic heart disease (n & x202f;= 17, 18%), cardiomyopathies (including peripartum cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, n & x202f;= 20, 21%) and (unexplained) sudden death (n & x202f;= 27, 28%). Fifty-five percent of the deaths occurred postpartum (n & x202f;= 55, 55%). Care factors that may have contributed to the adverse outcome were identified in 27 cases (28%). These factors were patient-related in 40% (pregnancy against medical advice, underestimation of symptoms) and healthcare-provider-related in 60% (symptoms not recognised, delay in diagnosis, delay in referral). Conclusion The maternal cardiovascular mortality ratio is low in the Netherlands and the main causes of maternal cardiovascular mortality are in line with other European reports. In a minority of cases, care factors that were possibly preventable were identified. Women with cardiovascular disease should be properly counselled about the risks of pregnancy and the symptoms of complications. Education of care providers regarding the incidence, presentation and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease during pregnancy is recommended
The Long Journey from Ab Initio Calculations to Density Functional Theory for Nuclear Large Amplitude Collective Motion
At present there are two vastly different ab initio approaches to the
description of the the many-body dynamics: the Density Functional Theory (DFT)
and the functional integral (path integral) approaches. On one hand, if
implemented exactly, the DFT approach can allow in principle the exact
evaluation of arbitrary one-body observable. However, when applied to Large
Amplitude Collective Motion (LACM) this approach needs to be extended in order
to accommodate the phenomenon of surface-hoping, when adiabaticity is strongly
violated and the description of a system using a single (generalized) Slater
determinant is not valid anymore. The functional integral approach on the other
hand does not appear to have such restrictions, but its implementation does not
appear to be straightforward endeavor. However, within a functional integral
approach one seems to be able to evaluate in principle any kind of observables,
such as the fragment mass and energy distributions in nuclear fission. These
two radically approaches can likely be brought brought together by formulating
a stochastic time-dependent DFT approach to many-body dynamics.Comment: 9 page
- …