4,445 research outputs found
A possible method for non-Hermitian and non--symmetric Hamiltonian systems
A possible method to investigate non-Hermitian Hamiltonians is suggested
through finding a Hermitian operator and defining the annihilation and
creation operators to be -pseudo-Hermitian adjoint to each other. The
operator represents the -pseudo-Hermiticity of Hamiltonians.
As an example, a non-Hermitian and non--symmetric Hamiltonian with
imaginary linear coordinate and linear momentum terms is constructed and
analyzed in detail. The operator is found, based on which, a real
spectrum and a positive-definite inner product, together with the probability
explanation of wave functions, the orthogonality of eigenstates, and the
unitarity of time evolution, are obtained for the non-Hermitian and
non--symmetric Hamiltonian. Moreover, this Hamiltonian turns out to be
coupled when it is extended to the canonical noncommutative space with
noncommutative spatial coordinate operators and noncommutative momentum
operators as well. Our method is applicable to the coupled Hamiltonian. Then
the first and second order noncommutative corrections of energy levels are
calculated, and in particular the reality of energy spectra, the
positive-definiteness of inner products, and the related properties (the
probability explanation of wave functions, the orthogonality of eigenstates,
and the unitarity of time evolution) are found not to be altered by the
noncommutativity.Comment: 15 pages, no figures; v2: clarifications added; v3: 16 pages, 1
figure, clarifications made clearer; v4: 19 pages, the main context is
completely rewritten; v5: 25 pages, title slightly changed, clarifications
added, the final version to appear in PLOS ON
Diabetic foot infections: current concept review
The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a current concept review on the diagnosis and management of diabetic foot infections which are among the most serious and frequent complications encountered in patients with diabetes mellitus. A literature review on diabetic foot infections with emphasis on pathophysiology, identifiable risk factors, evaluation including physical examination, laboratory values, treatment strategies and assessing the severity of infection has been performed in detail. Diabetic foot infections are associated with high morbidity and risk factors for failure of treatment and classification systems are also described. Most diabetic foot infections begin with a wound and once an infection occurs, the risk of hospitalization and amputation increases dramatically. Early identification of infection and prompt treatment may optimize the patient's outcome and provide limb salvage
Impact of seasonal variation, age and smoking status on human semen parameters: The Massachusetts General Hospital experience
BACKGROUND: To investigate the relationship of human semen parameters with season, age and smoking status. METHODS: The present study used data from subjects recruited into an ongoing cross-sectional study on the relationship between environmental agents and semen characteristics. Our population consisted of 306 patients who presented to the Vincent Memorial Andrology Laboratory of Massachusetts General Hospital for semen evaluation. Sperm concentration and motility were measured with computer aided sperm analysis (CASA). Sperm morphology was scored using Tygerberg Kruger strict criteria. Regression analyses were used to investigate the relationships between semen parameters and season, age and smoking status, adjusting for abstinence interval. RESULTS: Sperm concentration in the spring was significantly higher than in winter, fall and summer (p < 0.05). There was suggestive evidence of higher sperm motility and percent of sperm with normal morphology in the spring than in the other seasons. There were no statistically significant relationships between semen parameters and smoking status, though current smokers tended to have lower sperm concentration. We also did not find a statistically significant relationship between age and semen parameters. CONCLUSIONS: We found seasonal variations in sperm concentration and suggestive evidence of seasonal variation in sperm motility and percent sperm with normal morphology. Although smoking status was not a significant predictor of semen parameters, this may have been due to the small number of current smokers in the study
Noncommutative Particles in Curved Spaces
We present a formulation in a curved background of noncommutative mechanics,
where the object of noncommutativity is considered as an
independent quantity having a canonical conjugate momentum. We introduced a
noncommutative first-order action in D=10 curved spacetime and the covariant
equations of motions were computed. This model, invariant under diffeomorphism,
generalizes recent relativistic results.Comment: 1+15 pages. Latex. New comments and results adde
Noncommutative geometry inspired black holes in higher dimensions at the LHC
When embedding models of noncommutative geometry inspired black holes into
the peridium of large extra dimensions, it is natural to relate the
noncommutativity scale to the higher-dimensional Planck scale. If the Planck
scale is of the order of a TeV, noncommutative geometry inspired black holes
could become accessible to experiments. In this paper, we present a detailed
phenomenological study of the production and decay of these black holes at the
Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Noncommutative inspired black holes are relatively
cold and can be well described by the microcanonical ensemble during their
entire decay. One of the main consequences of the model is the existence of a
black hole remnant. The mass of the black hole remnant increases with
decreasing mass scale associated with noncommutative and decreasing number of
dimensions. The experimental signatures could be quite different from previous
studies of black holes and remnants at the LHC since the mass of the remnant
could be well above the Planck scale. Although the black hole remnant can be
very heavy, and perhaps even charged, it could result in very little activity
in the central detectors of the LHC experiments, when compared to the usual
anticipated black hole signatures. If this type of noncommutative inspired
black hole can be produced and detected, it would result in an additional mass
threshold above the Planck scale at which new physics occurs.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure
The Hidden Curriculum of Veterinary Education: Mediators and Moderators of Its Effects
The “hidden curriculum” has long been supposed to have an effect on students' learning during their clinical education, and in particular in shaping their ideas of what it means to be a professional. Despite this, there has been little evidence linking specific changes in professional attitudes to the individual components of the hidden curriculum. This study aimed to recognize those components that led to a change in students' professional attitudes at a UK veterinary school, as well as to identify the attitudes most affected. Observations were made of 11 student groups across five clinical rotations, followed by semi-structured interviews with 23 students at the end of their rotation experience. Data were combined and analyzed thematically, taking both an inductive and deductive approach. Views about the importance of technical competence and communication skills were promoted as a result of students' interaction with the hidden curriculum, and tensions were revealed in relation to their attitudes toward compassion and empathy, autonomy and responsibility, and lifestyle ethic. The assessment processes of rotations and the clinical service organization served to communicate the messages of the hidden curriculum, bringing about changes in student professional attitudes, while student-selected role models and the student rotation groups moderated the effects of these influences
Effects of habitat and livestock on nest productivity of the Asian houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii in Bukhara Province, Uzbekistan
To inform population support measures for the unsustainably hunted Asian houbara Chlamydotis macqueenii (IUCN Vulnerable) we examined potential habitat and land-use effects on nest productivity in the Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan. We monitored 177 nests across different semi-arid shrub assemblages (clay-sand and salinity gradients) and a range of livestock densities (0–80 km-2). Nest success (mean 51.4%, 95% CI 42.4–60.4%) was similar across four years; predation caused 85% of those failures for which the cause was known, and only three nests were trampled by livestock. Nesting begins within a few weeks of arrival when food appears scarce, but later nests were more likely to fail owing to the emergence of a key predator, suggesting foraging conditions on wintering and passage sites may be important for nest productivity. Nest success was similar across three shrub assemblages and was unrelated to landscape rugosity, shrub frequency or livestock density, but was greater with taller mean shrub height (range 13–67 cm) within 50 m. Clutch size (mean = 3.2 eggs) and per-egg hatchability in successful nests (87.5%) did not differ with laying date, shrub assemblage or livestock density. We therefore found no evidence that livestock density reduced nest productivity across the range examined, while differing shrub assemblages appeared to offer similar habitat quality. Asian houbara appear well-adapted to a range of semi-desert habitats and tolerate moderate disturbance by pastoralism. No obvious in situ mitigation measures arise from these findings, leaving regulation and control as the key requirement to render hunting sustainable
Facilitate Insight by Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation
Our experiences can blind us. Once we have learned to solve problems by one method, we often have difficulties in generating solutions involving a different kind of insight. Yet there is evidence that people with brain lesions are sometimes more resistant to this so-called mental set effect. This inspired us to investigate whether the mental set effect can be reduced by non-invasive brain stimulation. 60 healthy right-handed participants were asked to take an insight problem solving task while receiving transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the anterior temporal lobes (ATL). Only 20% of participants solved an insight problem with sham stimulation (control), whereas 3 times as many participants did so (p = 0.011) with cathodal stimulation (decreased excitability) of the left ATL together with anodal stimulation (increased excitability) of the right ATL. We found hemispheric differences in that a stimulation montage involving the opposite polarities did not facilitate performance. Our findings are consistent with the theory that inhibition to the left ATL can lead to a cognitive style that is less influenced by mental templates and that the right ATL may be associated with insight or novel meaning. Further studies including neurophysiological imaging are needed to elucidate the specific mechanisms leading to the enhancement
Noncommutative cosmological models coupled to a perfect fluid and a cosmological constant
In this work we carry out a noncommutative analysis of several
Friedmann-Robert-Walker models, coupled to different types of perfect fluids
and in the presence of a cosmological constant. The classical field equations
are modified, by the introduction of a shift operator, in order to introduce
noncommutativity in these models. We notice that the noncommutative versions of
these models show several relevant differences with respect to the
correspondent commutative ones.Comment: 27 pages. 7 figures. JHEP style.arXiv admin note: substantial text
overlap with arXiv:1104.481
Parity-Violating Electron Scattering from 4He and the Strange Electric Form Factor of the Nucleon
We have measured the parity-violating electroweak asymmetry in the elastic
scattering of polarized electrons from ^4He at an average scattering angle
= 5.7 degrees and a four-momentum transfer Q^2 = 0.091 GeV^2. From
these data, for the first time, the strange electric form factor of the nucleon
G^s_E can be isolated. The measured asymmetry of A_PV = (6.72 +/- 0.84 (stat)
+/- 0.21 (syst) parts per million yields a value of G^s_E = -0.038 +/- 0.042
(stat) +/- 0.010 (syst), consistent with zero
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