691 research outputs found
Efficiency and power of minimally nonlinear irreversible heat engines with broken time-reversal symmetry
We study the minimally nonlinear irreversible heat engines in which the
time-reversal symmetry for the systems may b e broken. The expressions for the
power and the efficiency are derived, in which the effects of the nonlinear
terms due to dissipations are included. We show that, as within the linear
responses, the minimally nonlinear irreversible heat engines enable attainment
of Carnot efficiency at positive power. We also find that the Curzon-Ahlborn
limit imposed on the efficiency at maximum power can be overcomed if the
time-reversal symmetry is broken
Berry Curvature and Phonon Hall Effect
We establish the general phonon dynamics of magnetic solids by incorporating
the Mead-Truhlar correction in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. The
effective magnetic-field acting on the phonons naturally emerges, giving rise
to the phonon Hall effect. A general formula of the intrinsic phonon Hall
conductivity is obtained by using the corrected Kubo formula with the energy
magnetization contribution incorporated properly. The resulting phonon Hall
conductivity is fully determined by the phonon Berry curvature and the
dispersions. Based on the formula, the topological phonon system could be
rigorously defined. In the low temperature regime, we predict that the phonon
Hall conductivity is proportional to for the ordinary phonon systems,
while that for the topological phonon systems has the linear dependence
with the quantized temperature coefficient.Comment: 11 pages, derivations added, published versio
The role of crosslinking density in surface stress and surface energy of soft solids
Surface stress and surface energy are two fundamental parameters that
determine the surface properties of any materials. While it is commonly
believed that the surface stress and surface energy of liquids are identical,
the relationship between the two parameters in soft polymeric gels remains
debatable. In this work, we measured the surface stress and surface energy of
soft silicone gels with varying weight ratios of crosslinkers in soft wetting
experiments. Above a critical density, , the surface stress was found to
increase significantly with crosslinking density while the surface energy
remained unchanged. In this regime, we can estimate a non-zero surface elastic
modulus that also increases with the ratio of crosslinkers. By comparing the
surface mechanics of the soft gels with their bulk rheology, the surface
properties near the critical density were found to be closely related to
the underlying percolation transition of the polymer networks.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Automated mitosis detection in histopathology based on non-gaussian modeling of complex wavelet coefficients
Diet overlap between the endemic fish Anablariflus grahami(Cyprinidae) and the exotic noodlefish Neosalanx taihuensis (Salangidae) in lake Fuxian, China
We studied diet composition and overlap of the exotic noodlefish (Neosalanx taihuensis) and the endemic fish Anaborilius grahami in a deep, oligotrophic lake in the Yunnan Plateau. A. grahami dominated the fish community in Lake Fuxian before the invasion of N. taihuensis in 1982, but it is now in the process of extinction, corresponding with an explosive increase in N. taihuensis population. Schoener's index (alpha=0.773) indicate that N. taihuensis and A. grahami have significant diet overlap, with both fish feeding mainly on zooplankton. An increased proportion of littoral prey, such as Procladius spp., Coleoptera, and epiphytes, in the diet of A. grahami indicated that this endemic fish shifted its main habitat from the off-shore zone in the late 1980s to the littoral zone at the present. A difference in reproduction between the two fishes, along with the overfishing, may have exacerbated the occupation of A. grahami's pelagic niche by N. taihuensis. The endemic species has shown large competitive disadvantage for food and space in the presence of N. taihuensis.We studied diet composition and overlap of the exotic noodlefish (Neosalanx taihuensis) and the endemic fish Anaborilius grahami in a deep, oligotrophic lake in the Yunnan Plateau. A. grahami dominated the fish community in Lake Fuxian before the invasion of N. taihuensis in 1982, but it is now in the process of extinction, corresponding with an explosive increase in N. taihuensis population. Schoener's index (alpha=0.773) indicate that N. taihuensis and A. grahami have significant diet overlap, with both fish feeding mainly on zooplankton. An increased proportion of littoral prey, such as Procladius spp., Coleoptera, and epiphytes, in the diet of A. grahami indicated that this endemic fish shifted its main habitat from the off-shore zone in the late 1980s to the littoral zone at the present. A difference in reproduction between the two fishes, along with the overfishing, may have exacerbated the occupation of A. grahami's pelagic niche by N. taihuensis. The endemic species has shown large competitive disadvantage for food and space in the presence of N. taihuensis
Effect of acupuncture on lung cancer-related fatigue: study protocol for a multi-center randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND:
Fatigue is one of the primary symptoms in lung cancer, with a prevalence of 88.0% in survivors of cancer, and an even higher prevalence post resection surgery. Effective fatigue control after lung cancer surgery is important for patient recovery and quality of life. Some studies have shown that acupuncture might be effective in treating cancer-related fatigue; however, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of suitable sample size are limited.
METHOD/DESIGN:
This is a multi-center, patient-blinded RCT. A total of 320 eligible patients will be recruited in four centers and randomly assigned to either the acupuncture group or the sham acupuncture group in a 1:1 ratio. Treatment will be given twice per week for 12 sessions. Treatment will be given at acupoints GV20, GV29, CV12, CV6, CV4, and bilateral LI4, LR3, SP6, ST36. The primary outcome will be assessed using the Chinese version of The Brief Fatigue Inventory. The secondary outcomes will be measured using The European Organization for Research and The Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. The primary outcome will be assessed at all main points (baseline, the 3rd week, the 6th week, and at follow up time points) and the secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline and the 6th week. Intention-to-treat analysis will be used in this RCT.
DISCUSSION:
This trial protocol provides an example of the clinical application acupuncture treatment in the management of lung cancer-related fatigue. If the acupuncture treatment protocol confirms that acupuncture is an effective and safe option for lung cancer-related fatigue, it can be adopted as a standardized treatment.
TRIAL REGISTRATION:
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900022831. Registered on 27 April 2019. URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=37823
Logarithmic corrections from ferromagnetic impurity ending bonds of open antiferromagnetic host chains
We analyze the logarithmic corrections due to ferromagnetic impurity ending
bonds of open spin 1/2 antiferromagnetic chains, using the density matrix
renormalization group technique. A universal finite size scaling for impurity contributions in the quasi-degenerate ground state
energy is demonstrated for a zigzag spin 1/2 chain at the critical next nearest
neighbor coupling and the standard Heisenberg spin 1/2 chain, in the long chain
limit. Using an exact solution for the latter case it is argued that one can
extract the impurity contributions to the entropy and specific heat from the
scaling analysis. It is also shown that a pure spin 3/2 open Heisenberg chain
belongs to the same universality class.Comment: 4 pages, 7 eps figure
The Arabidopsis RING-Type E3 Ligase TEAR1 Controls Leaf Development by Targeting the TIE1 Transcriptional Repressor for Degradation
Study on SnO2/graphene composites with superior electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries
NSFC [U1305246, 21321062]; Xiamen city [3502Z20121002]; Quanzhou "Tong-Jiang Scholar" program; Fujian "Min-Jiang Scholar" program; program for New Century Excellent Talents in University [NCET-13-0879]; Education and Scientific Research Foundation (Class A) for Young Teachers of Education Bureau of Fujian Province, China [JA13263]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [21353001]In this study, the in situ growth of tin dioxide (SnO2) nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been realized using a hydrothermal method. The size of the SnO2 nanoparticles in the SnO2/rGO composites prepared by three different procedures is about 5 nm, and they are well dispersed on rGO. When applied as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, we found that the composites synthesized from the stannous oxalate precursor showed the best rate performance and highest cyclic stability. The surface status of the composites, including interactions between SnO2 and rGO and surface chemical components, was investigated in detail in order to understand why the composites prepared using different procedures displayed vastly different electrochemical performances. The results presented here describe a new approach for the synthesis of uniform and nanosized metal-oxide/rGO composites with excellent electrochemical performance
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