Ds+ -- Ds- Asymmetry in Photoproduction

Considering of the possible difference in strange and antistrange quark distributions inside nucleon, we investigate the Ds+ -- Ds- asymmetry in photoproduction in the framework of heavy-quark recombination mechanism. We adopt two distribution models of strange sea, those are the light-cone meson-baryon fluctuation model and the effective chiral quark model. Our results show that the asymmetry induced by the strange quark distributions is distinct, which is measurable in experiments. And, there are evident differences between the predictions of our calculation and previous estimation. Therefore, the experimental measurements on the Ds+ -- Ds- asymmetry may impose a unique restriction on the strange-antistrange distribution asymmetry models.Comment: 11 page, 5 figure

Currents and current correlations in a topological superconducting nanowire beam splitter

A beam splitter consisting of two normal leads coupled to one end of a topological superconducting nanowire via double quantum dot is investigated. In this geometry, the linear current cross-correlations at zero temperature change signs versus the overlap between the two Majorana bound states hosted by the nanowire. Under symmetric bias voltages the net current flowing through the nanowire is noiseless. These two features highlight the fermionic nature of such exotic Majorana excitations though they are based on the superconductivity. Moreover, there exists a unique local particle-hole symmetry inherited from the self-Hermitian property of Majorana bound states, which is apparently scarce in other systems. We show that such particular symmetry can be revealed through measuring the currents under complementary bias voltages.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

DsD_s Asymmetry in Photoproduction

By adopting two models of strange and antistrange quark distributions inside nucleon, the light-cone meson-baryon fluctuation model and the effective chiral quark model, we calculate the $D_s^+ - D_s^-$ asymmetry in photoproduction in the framework of heavy-quark recombination mechanism. We find that the effect of asymmetry of strange sea to the $D_s$ asymmetry is considerable and depending on the different models. Therefore, we expect that with the further study in electroproduction, e.g. at HERA and CEBAF, the experimental measurements on the $D_s^+ - D_s^-$ asymmetry may impose a strong restriction on the strange-antistrange distribution asymmetry models.Comment: 4 pages, talk presented by I. Caprini at the International Conference on QCD and Hadronic Physics, June 16-20 2005, Beijin

On the Theoretical Framework of the Study of Discourse Cohesion and Coherence

This paper looks back at the definitions of cohesion and coherence, the relationship between the two, and relevant theories. Though cohesion and coherence research has made great achievement, for various reasons, there is little consensus to the nature of coherence and coherence research approaches. Accordingly, the main theoretical framework of the present study is established on the foundation of Haliday and Hasan’s cohesive devices, Halliday’s two metafunctional notions in Systemic- Functional Grammar—thematic structure and information structure, van Dijk’s propositional macrostructure and Hasan’s generic structure

Transversus abdominis plane block reduces remifentanil and propofol consumption, evaluated by closed-loop titration guided by bispectral index.

The present prospective, randomized, double-blind study aimed to determine the impact of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block on propofol and remifentanil consumption, when administered by closed-loop titration guided by processed electroencephalography, i.e., bispectral index (BIS) values. Following institutional review board approval, 60 patients were scheduled for laparoscopic colectomy under general anesthesia. Patients were randomly assigned to receive bilateral TAP block with 20 ml 0.375% ropivacaine (TAP group) or 20 ml 0.9% saline [control (CON) group]. General anesthesia was maintained with propofol and remifentanil administration using closed-loop titration guided by BIS values. The primary outcome was perioperative propofol and remifentanil consumption. The secondary outcomes were hypertensive or hypotensive events requiring treatment, recovery time in PACU and time to first rescue analgesia following surgery. A total of 58 patients participated in the present study. At similar depths of anesthesia, as measured by BIS during the maintenance phase (45-55), patients who received TAP blocks required less propofol (4.2±1.3 vs. 5.5±1.6 mg/kg/h; P<0.001) and remifentanil (0.16±0.05 vs. 0.21±0.05 µg/kg/min; P<0.001). Time to extubation was significantly shorter in the TAP group (9.8±3.2 min) than in the CON group (14.2±4.9 min) (P<0.05). The requirement to treat hemodynamic change was also significantly lower (P<0.05). Pain score at 2 h after surgery was also significantly reduced in the TAP group compared with the CON group (P<0.05), whereas the time to first rescue analgesia was delayed in patients who received TAP block (P<0.05). Postoperative nausea and vomiting occurred at comparable rates in each group (P>0.05). In conclusion, TAP block combined with general anesthesia reduced propofol and remifentanil consumption, shortened time to tracheal extubation and promoted hemodynamic stability in laparoscopic colectomy