444 research outputs found
Modulation of the CD8+-T-cell response by CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in patients with Hepatitis B virus infection
CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells have been shown to maintain peripheral tolerance against self and foreign
antigens. In this study we analyzed the effect of circulating CD4+ CD25+ T cells on CD8+-T-cell responses of
patients with chronic and resolved hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We demonstrated that circulating CD4+
CD25+ T cells modulate the function and expansion of HBV-specific CD8+ cells ex vivo in all patients,
regardless of whether they have chronic or resolved HBV infection. The possible role of CD4+ CD25+ T cells
in the pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection is not supported by these data. However, these results might have
implications for optimizing future immunotherapeutic approaches to HBV treatment
Density anomaly in a competing interactions lattice gas model
We study a very simple model of a short-range attraction and an outer shell
repulsion as a test system for demixing phase transition and density anomaly.
The phase-diagram is obtained by applying mean field analysis and Monte Carlo
simulations to a two dimensional lattice gas with nearest-neighbors attraction
and next-nearest-neighbors repulsion (the outer shell). Two liquid phases and
density anomaly are found.
The coexistence line between these two liquid phases meets a critical line
between the fluid and the low density liquid at a tricritical point. The line
of maximum density emerges in the vicinity of the tricritical point, close to
the demixing transition
Potential energy landscape-based extended van der Waals equation
The inherent structures ({\it IS}) are the local minima of the potential
energy surface or landscape, , of an {\it N} atom system.
Stillinger has given an exact {\it IS} formulation of thermodynamics. Here the
implications for the equation of state are investigated. It is shown that the
van der Waals ({\it vdW}) equation, with density-dependent and
coefficients, holds on the high-temperature plateau of the averaged {\it IS}
energy. However, an additional ``landscape'' contribution to the pressure is
found at lower . The resulting extended {\it vdW} equation, unlike the
original, is capable of yielding a water-like density anomaly, flat isotherms
in the coexistence region {\it vs} {\it vdW} loops, and several other desirable
features. The plateau energy, the width of the distribution of {\it IS}, and
the ``top of the landscape'' temperature are simulated over a broad reduced
density range, , in the Lennard-Jones fluid. Fits to the
data yield an explicit equation of state, which is argued to be useful at high
density; it nevertheless reproduces the known values of and at the
critical point
Percolation transition and the onset of non exponential relaxation in fully frustrated models
We numerically study the dynamical properties of fully frustrated models in 2
and 3 dimensions. The results obtained support the hypothesis that the
percolation transition of the Kasteleyn-Fortuin clusters corresponds to the
onset of stretched exponential autocorrelation functions in systems without
disorder. This dynamical behavior may be due to the ``large scale'' effects of
frustration, present below the percolation threshold. Moreover these results
are consistent with the picture suggested by Campbell et al. in space of
configurations.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures, revised versio
Data report: X-ray fluorescence core scanning of IODP Site U1474 sediments, Natal Valley, southwest Indian Ocean, Expedition 361
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning was conducted on core sections from International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1474, located in the Natal Valley off the coast of South Africa. The data were collected at 2 mm resolution along the 255 m length of the splice, but this setting resulted in noisy data. This problem was addressed by applying a 10 point running sum on the XRF data prior to converting peak area to element intensities. This effectively integrates 10 measurements into 1, representing an average over 2 cm resolution, and significantly improves noise in the data. With 25 calibration samples, whose element concentrations were derived using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry, the XRF measurements were converted to concentrations using a univariate log-ratio calibration method. The resulting concentrations of terrigenously derived major elements (Al, Si, K, Ti, and Fe) are anticorrelated with Ca concentrations, indicating the main control on sediment chemistry is the variable proportion of terrigenous to in situ produced carbonate material
Invaded cluster simulations of the XY model in two and three dimensions
The invaded cluster algorithm is used to study the XY model in two and three
dimensions up to sizes 2000^2 and 120^3 respectively. A soft spin O(2) model,
in the same universality class as the 3D XY model, is also studied. The static
critical properties of the model and the dynamical properties of the algorithm
are reported. The results are K_c=0.45412(2) for the 3D XY model and
eta=0.037(2) for the 3D XY universality class. For the 2D XY model the results
are K_c=1.120(1) and eta=0.251(5). The invaded cluster algorithm does not show
any critical slowing for the magnetization or critical temperature estimator
for the 2D or 3D XY models.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures, problem viewing figures corrected in v
Political cycles in Greece's municipal employment
We consider the politically motivated fluctuations in Greece’s municipal employment, constructing a data-set from primary data and focusing on the composition of municipal employment in terms of employment relationship forms. Our analysis produces strong evidence of pre-electoral manipulation through increases in the number of contract employees. Considering a number of control variables and robustness checks does not affect the key results. Such variables include whether mayors run for reelection, incumbents’ political alignment with central government, partisan shifts, general elections, mayors’ turnover rate, and timing patterns. Our evidence provides insights into Greece’s political economy in the run-up to the current economic crisis
Cooling-rate effects in a model of (ideal?) glass
Using Monte Carlo simulations we study cooling-rate effects in a
three-dimensional Ising model with four-spin interaction. During coarsening,
this model develops growing energy barriers which at low temperature lead to
very slow dynamics. We show that the characteristic zero-temperature length
increases very slowly with the inverse cooling rate, similarly to the behaviour
of ordinary glasses. For computationally accessible cooling rates the model
undergoes an ideal glassy transition, i.e., the glassy transition for very
small cooling rate coincides a thermodynamic singularity. We also study cooling
of this model with a certain fraction of spins fixed. Due to such heterogeneous
crystalization seeds the final state strongly depends on the cooling rate.Only
for sufficiently fast cooling rate does the system end up in a glassy state
while slow cooling inevitably leads to a crystal phase.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
The Potts Fully Frustrated model: Thermodynamics, percolation and dynamics in 2 dimensions
We consider a Potts model diluted by fully frustrated Ising spins. The model
corresponds to a fully frustrated Potts model with variables having an integer
absolute value and a sign. This model presents precursor phenomena of a glass
transition in the high-temperature region. We show that the onset of these
phenomena can be related to a thermodynamic transition. Furthermore this
transition can be mapped onto a percolation transition. We numerically study
the phase diagram in 2 dimensions (2D) for this model with frustration and {\em
without} disorder and we compare it to the phase diagram of the model with
frustration {\em and} disorder and of the ferromagnetic model.
Introducing a parameter that connects the three models, we generalize the exact
expression of the ferromagnetic Potts transition temperature in 2D to the other
cases. Finally, we estimate the dynamic critical exponents related to the Potts
order parameter and to the energy.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, new result
Phase transitions in the Potts spin glass model
We have studied the Potts spin glass with 2-state Ising spins and s-state
Potts variables using a cluster Monte Carlo dynamics. The model recovers the +-
J Ising spin glass (SG) for s=1 and exhibits for all s a SG transition at
T_{SG}(s) and a percolation transition at higher temperature T_p(s). We have
shown that for all values of at T_p(s) there is a thermodynamical
transition in the universality class of a ferromagnetic s-state Potts model.
The efficiency of the cluster dynamics is compared with that of standard spin
flip dynamics.Comment: 8 pages, Latex, with 8 EPS fig
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