349 research outputs found
Space-time properties of the higher twist amplitudes
A consistent and intuitive description of the twist-4 corrections to the
hadron structure functions is presented in a QCD-improved parton model using
time-ordered perturbative theory, where the collinear singularities are
naturally eliminated. We identify the special propagators with the backward
propagators of partons in time order.Comment: 18 Pages, Latex, 8 Ps figures, To appear in Phys. Rev.
Ginkgo biloba extract for essential hypertension: A systemic review
AbstractBackgroundGinkgo biloba extract (GBE), a traditional natural herbal product, is often used in the treatment of essential hypertension (EH) as complementary therapy in China and European countries.AimTo critically assess the current clinical evidence of efficacy and safety of GBE for EH.Methods7 electronic databases (Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, VIP, CBM, Wanfang data, and CNKI) were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of GBE for EH. Methodological quality was assessed independently using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.ResultsA total of 9 RCTs with 1012 hypertensive patients were identified and reviewed. Most RCTs were of high risk of bias with flawed study design and poor methodological quality. 6 trials demonstrated potential positive effect of GBE as complementary therapy on BP reduction when compared with antihypertensive drug therapy; however, it was not associated with a statistically significant effect on both SBP and DBP reduction in 3 other trials. Despite the positive findings, there were so many methodological limitations and significant clinical heterogeneity. Most of the trials did not report adverse effects, and the safety of GBE is still uncertain.ConclusionNo confirmative conclusions on the efficacy and safety of GBE for EH could be drawn. More rigorous trials are warranted to support their clinical use
Relativistic mean-field study of neutron-rich nuclei
A relativistic mean-field model is used to study the ground-state properties
of neutron-rich nuclei. Nonlinear isoscalar-isovector terms, unconstrained by
present day phenomenology, are added to the model Lagrangian in order to modify
the poorly known density dependence of the symmetry energy. These new terms
soften the symmetry energy and reshape the theoretical neutron drip line
without compromising the agreement with existing ground-state information. A
strong correlation between the neutron radius of 208Pb and the binding energy
of valence orbitals is found: the smaller the neutron radius of 208Pb, the
weaker the binding energy of the last occupied neutron orbital. Thus, models
with the softest symmetry energy are the first ones to drip neutrons. Further,
in anticipation of the upcoming one-percent measurement of the neutron radius
of 208Pb at the Thomas Jefferson Laboratory, a close relationship between the
neutron radius of 208Pb and neutron radii of elements of relevance to atomic
parity-violating experiments is established.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Near-threshold Production in Heavy-ion Collisions
Within a hadronic transport model we study in detail contributions to kaon
yields and momentum spectra from various baryon (resonance)-baryon (resonance)
and interactions in heavy-ion collisions at beam energies near the
free-space kaon production threshold. It is found that the finite lifetime of
baryon resonances affects significantly the shape of kaon spectra, and the high
energy parts of the kaon spectra are dominated by kaons from processes. resonances are found to contribute
about 10\% to the kaon yield. Effects of boosting the Fermi momentum
distributions of the two colliding nuclei into their center of mass frame,
centrality of the reaction as well as the nuclear equation of state on kaon
yields and spectra are also discussed. Model calculations on ,
and spectra for the reaction of Au+Au at GeV are
compared with the experimental data from the KaoS collaboration.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures available upon request. TAMU preprint #940403
The Upper Critical Field in Disordered Two-Dimensional Superconductors
We present calculations of the upper critical field in superconducting films
as a function of increasing disorder (as measured by the normal state
resistance per square). In contradiction to previous work, we find that there
is no anomalous low-temperature positive curvature in the upper critical field
as disorder is increased. We show that the previous prediction of this effect
is due to an unjustified analytical approximation of sums occuring in the
perturbative calculation. Our treatment includes both a careful analysis of
first-order perturbation theory, and a non-perturbative resummation technique.
No anomalous curvature is found in either case. We present our results in
graphical form.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Unitary limit and quantum interference effect in disordered two-dimensional crystals with nearly half-filled bands
Based on the self-consistent -matrix approximation, the quantum
interference (QI) effect is studied with the diagrammatic technique in
weakly-disordered two-dimensional crystals with nearly half-filled bands. In
addition to the usual 0-mode cooperon and diffuson, there exist -mode
cooperon and diffuson in the unitary limit due to the particle-hole symmetry.
The diffusive -modes are gapped by the deviation from the exactly-nested
Fermi surface. The conductivity diagrams with the gapped -mode cooperon or
diffuson are found to give rise to unconventional features of the QI effect.
Besides the inelastic scattering, the thermal fluctuation is shown to be also
an important dephasing mechanism in the QI processes related with the diffusive
-modes. In the proximity of the nesting case, a power-law
anti-localization effect appears due to the -mode diffuson. For large
deviation from the nested Fermi surface, this anti-localization effect is
suppressed, and the conductivity remains to have the usual logarithmic
weak-localization correction contributed by the 0-mode cooperon. As a result,
the dc conductivity in the unitary limit becomes a non-monotonic function of
the temperature or the sample size, which is quite different from the
prediction of the usual weak-localization theory.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure
Relaxation Effects in the Transition Temperature of Superconducting HgBa2CuO4+delta
In previous studies on a number of under- and overdoped high temperature
superconductors, including YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-y} and Tl_{2}Ba_{2}CuO_{6+\delta},
the transition temperature T_c has been found to change with time in a manner
which depends on the sample's detailed temperature and pressure history. This
relaxation behavior in T_c is believed to originate from rearrangements within
the oxygen sublattice. In the present high-pressure studies on
HgBa_{2}CuO_{4+\delta} to 0.8 GPa we find clear evidence for weak relaxation
effects in strongly under- and overdoped samples () with
an activation energy . For overdoped
HgBa_{2}CuO_{4+\delta} E_{A} increases under pressure more rapidly than
previously observed for YBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{6.41}, yielding an activation volume of
+11 \pm 5 cm^{3}; the dependence of T_c on pressure is markedly nonlinear, an
anomalous result for high-T_c superconductors in the present pressure range,
giving evidence for a change in the electronic and/or structural properties
near 0.4 GPa
A Green's function approach to transmission of massless Dirac fermions in graphene through an array of random scatterers
We consider the transmission of massless Dirac fermions through an array of
short range scatterers which are modeled as randomly positioned -
function like potentials along the x-axis. We particularly discuss the
interplay between disorder-induced localization that is the hallmark of a
non-relativistic system and two important properties of such massless Dirac
fermions, namely, complete transmission at normal incidence and periodic
dependence of transmission coefficient on the strength of the barrier that
leads to a periodic resonant transmission. This leads to two different types of
conductance behavior as a function of the system size at the resonant and the
off-resonance strengths of the delta function potential. We explain this
behavior of the conductance in terms of the transmission through a pair of such
barriers using a Green's function based approach. The method helps to
understand such disordered transport in terms of well known optical phenomena
such as Fabry Perot resonances.Comment: 22 double spaced single column pages. 15 .eps figure
Nuclear transparency from quasielastic A(e,e'p) reactions uo to Q^2=8.1 (GeV/c)^2
The quasielastic (e,ep) reaction was studied on targets of
deuterium, carbon, and iron up to a value of momentum transfer of 8.1
(GeV/c). A nuclear transparency was determined by comparing the data to
calculations in the Plane-Wave Impulse Approximation. The dependence of the
nuclear transparency on and the mass number was investigated in a
search for the onset of the Color Transparency phenomenon. We find no evidence
for the onset of Color Transparency within our range of . A fit to the
world's nuclear transparency data reflects the energy dependence of the free
proton-nucleon cross section.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Surgery versus 5% imiquimod for nodular and superficial basal-cell carcinoma: five year results of the SINS randomised controlled trial
Background: We previously reported modest clinical 3-year benefit for topical imiquimod compared with surgery for superficial or nodular basal cell carcinoma (sBCC, nBCC) at low risk sites in our non-inferiority randomised controlled SINS trial. Here we report 5-year data. Methods: Participants were randomised to imiquimod 5% cream once daily (sBCC, 6 weeks; nBCC, 12 weeks) or excisional surgery (4 mm margin). Primary outcome was clinical absence of initial failure or signs of recurrence at 3 year dermatology review. Five year success was defined as 3 year success plus absence of recurrences identified through hospital, histopathology and general practitioner records.
Results: Of 501 participants randomised, 401 contributed to the modified intention-to-treat analyses at year 3 (primary outcome), 383 (96%) of whom had data at year 5. Five year success rates for imiquimod were 82·5% (170/206) compared to 97·7% (173/177) for surgery (relative risk of imiquimod success 0·84, 95% CI 0·77 to 0·91, p<0.001). These were comparable to year 3 success rates of 83·6% (178/213) and 98.4% (185/188), for imiquimod and surgery, respectively. Most imiquimod treatment failures occurred in year one.
Interpretation: Although surgery is clearly superior to imiquimod, this study shows sustained benefit for lesions that respond early to topical imiquimod
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