6,625 research outputs found
A Narrative Review on C3 Glomerulopathy: A Rare Renal Disease
In April 2012, a group of nephrologists organized a consensus conference in Cambridge (UK) on type II membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and decided to use a new terminology, "C3 glomerulopathy" (C3 GP). Further knowledge on the complement system and on kidney biopsy contributed toward distinguishing this disease into three subgroups: dense deposit disease (DDD), C3 glomerulonephritis (C3 GN), and the CFHR5 nephropathy. The persistent presence of microhematuria with or without light or heavy proteinuria after an infection episode suggests the potential onset of C3 GP. These nephritides are characterized by abnormal activation of the complement alternative pathway, abnormal deposition of C3 in the glomeruli, and progression of renal damage to end-stage kidney disease. The diagnosis is based on studying the complement system, relative genetics, and kidney biopsies. The treatment gap derives from the absence of a robust understanding of their natural outcome. Therefore, a specific treatment for the different types of C3 GP has not been established. Recommendations have been obtained from case series and observational studies because no randomized clinical trials have been conducted. Current treatment is based on corticosteroids and antiproliferative drugs (cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil), monoclonal antibodies (rituximab) or complement inhibitors (eculizumab). In some cases, it is suggested to include sessions of plasma exchange
On the Path Integral Representation for Spin Systems
We propose a classical constrained Hamiltonian theory for the spin. After the
Dirac treatment we show that due to the existence of second class constraints
the Dirac brackets of the proposed theory represent the commutation relations
for the spin. We show that the corresponding partition function, obtained via
the Fadeev-Senjanovic procedure, coincides with the one obtained using coherent
states. We also evaluate this partition function for the case of a single spin
in a magnetic field.Comment: To be published in J.Phys. A: Math. and Gen. Latex file, 12 page
Quantum Critical Dynamics of A Qubit Coupled to An Isotropic Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick Bath
We explore a dynamic signature of quantum phase transition (QPT) in an
isotropic Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model by studying the time evolution of a
central qubit coupled to it. We evaluate exactly the time-dependent purity,
which can be used to measure quantum coherence, of the central qubit. It is
found that distinctly different behaviors of the purity as a function of the
parameter reveal clearly the QPT point in the system. It is also clarified that
the present model is equivalent to an anti Jaynes-Cummings model under certain
conditions.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Decoherence induced by interacting quantum spin baths
We study decoherence induced on a two-level system coupled to a
one-dimensional quantum spin chain. We consider the cases where the dynamics of
the chain is determined by the Ising, XY, or Heisenberg exchange Hamiltonian.
This model of quantum baths can be of fundamental importance for the
understanding of decoherence in open quantum systems, since it can be
experimentally engineered by using atoms in optical lattices. As an example,
here we show how to implement a pure dephasing model for a qubit system coupled
to an interacting spin bath. We provide results that go beyond the case of a
central spin coupled uniformly to all the spins of the bath, in particular
showing what happens when the bath enters different phases, or becomes
critical; we also study the dependence of the coherence loss on the number of
bath spins to which the system is coupled and we describe a
coupling-independent regime in which decoherence exhibits universal features,
irrespective of the system-environment coupling strength. Finally, we establish
a relation between decoherence and entanglement inside the bath. For the Ising
and the XY models we are able to give an exact expression for the decay of
coherences, while for the Heisenberg bath we resort to the numerical
time-dependent Density Matrix Renormalization Group.Comment: 18 pages, 20 figure
Adiabatic dynamics in a spin-1 chain with uniaxial single-spin anisotropy
We study the adiabatic quantum dynamics of an anisotropic spin-1 XY chain
across a second order quantum phase transition. The system is driven out of
equilibrium by performing a quench on the uniaxial single-spin anisotropy, that
is supposed to vary linearly in time. We show that, for sufficiently large
system sizes, the excess energy after the quench admits a non trivial scaling
behavior that is not predictable by standard Kibble-Zurek arguments for
isolated critical points or extended critical regions. This emerges from a
competing effect of many accessible low-lying excited states, inside the whole
continuous line of critical points.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, published versio
Exact solution for a diffusive nonequilibrium steady state of an open quantum chain
We calculate a nonequilibrium steady state of a quantum XX chain in the
presence of dephasing and driving due to baths at chain ends. The obtained
state is exact in the limit of weak driving while the expressions for one- and
two-point correlations are exact for an arbitrary driving strength. In the
steady state the magnetization profile and the spin current display diffusive
behavior. Spin-spin correlation function on the other hand has long-range
correlations which though decay to zero in either the thermodynamical limit or
for equilibrium driving. At zero dephasing a nonequilibrium phase transition
occurs from a ballistic transport having short-range correlations to a
diffusive transport with long-range correlations.Comment: 5 page
A neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis tuned inter-hemispheric communication
Purpose: This work investigates how a direct bidirectional connection between brain and hand prosthesis modifies the bi-hemispheric sensorimotor system devoted to the movement control of the lost limb. Hand prostheses are often unable to satisfy users' expectations, mostly due to the poor performance of their interfacing system. Neural Interfaces implanted inside nerves of the stump offer the advantage of using the bidirectional neural pathways 'naturally' dispatching signals to control proper hand actions and feed-back sensations. Learning to control a neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis and decode sensory information was previously observed to reduce the inter-hemispheric asymmetry of cortical motor maps and the clinical symptoms of phantom limb syndrome. Methods: Electroencephalographic (EEG) data was analysed using Functional Source Separation (FSS), a semi-blind method that incorporates prior knowledge about the signal of interest into data decomposition to give access to cortical patch activities. Results: Bi-hemispheric cortices showed normalization of their activity (topographical and spectral patterns) and of functional connectivity between homologous hand controlling areas, during the delivery of the motor command to the cybernetic prosthesis. Conclusions: The re-establishment of central-peripheral communication with the lost limb induced by a neurally-interfaced hand prosthesis produces beneficial plastic reorganization, not only restructuring contralateral directly-connected control areas, but also their functional balance within the bi-hemispheric system necessary for motor control
Ground state fidelity and quantum phase transitions in free Fermi systems
We compute the fidelity between the ground states of general quadratic
fermionic hamiltonians and analyze its connections with quantum phase
transitions. Each of these systems is characterized by a real
matrix whose polar decomposition, into a non-negative and a unitary
, contains all the relevant ground state (GS) information. The boundaries
between different regions in the GS phase diagram are given by the points of,
possibly asymptotic, singularity of . This latter in turn implies a
critical drop of the fidelity function. We present general results as well as
their exemplification by a model of fermions on a totally connected graph.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
How to foster Sustainable Continuous Improvement: A cause-effect relations map of Lean soft practices
Lean Management (LM) represents a complex socio-technical system where both technical and social practices should be consistently implemented and integrated in order to foster a Continuous Improvement (CI) culture. Despite initial gains in operational performances due to the implementation of the most common and well-established Lean techniques, the great majority of the companies approaching Lean Manufacturing fail in achieving sustainable outcomes in the long term, and most of them eventually come back to their traditional way of doing business. Recognized the pivotal role of soft practices, the purpose of this study is to investigate the role played by the human factor in fostering the establishment of a Sustainable Continuous Improvement (SCI) environment. Starting from surveying the literature, a comprehensive framework including all the relevant soft practices related to LM has been developed. Then, authors proposed, for the first time, Decision-Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) analysis applied to soft practices of SCI, that provides an innovative understanding of the relevant soft practices which foster SCI by showing cause-effect association among them. The proposed methodology reveals precious insights for scholars and practitioners who intend to approach and apply SCI. The impact relations map shows that some soft practices are initiators and some others enablers of the SCI and allows to identify the most relevant Critical Success Factors (CSF) and interrelationships amongst them. Results show that the key for a SCI is represented by a full engagement of the workforce, which must be triggered and supported by Top Management with the use of some leverages such as an effective communication, training and use of Kaizen events
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