305 research outputs found
On-site correlation in valence and core states of ferromagnetic nickel
We present a method which allows to include narrow-band correlation effects
into the description of both valence and core states and we apply it to the
prototypical case of nickel. The results of an ab-initio band calculation are
used as input mean-field eigenstates for the calculation of self-energy
corrections and spectral functions according to a three-body scattering
solution of a multi-orbital Hubbard hamiltonian. The calculated quasi-particle
spectra show a remarkable agreement with photoemission data in terms of band
width, exchange splitting, satellite energy position of valence states, spin
polarization of both the main line and the satellite of the 3p core level.Comment: 14 pages, 10 PostScript figures, RevTeX, submitted to PR
Gamma-ray and radio tests of the e+e- excess from DM annihilations
PAMELA and ATIC recently reported an excess in e+e- cosmic rays. We show that
if it is due to Dark Matter annihilations, the associated gamma-ray flux and
the synchrotron emission produced by e+e- in the galactic magnetic field
violate HESS and radio observations of the galactic center and HESS
observations of dwarf Spheroidals, unless the DM density profile is
significantly less steep than the benchmark NFW and Einasto profiles.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures; v2: normalizations fixed in Table 2 and typos
corrected (no changes in the analysis nor the results), some references and
comments added; v3: minor additions, matches published versio
The Shapes of Dirichlet Defects
If the vacuum manifold of a field theory has the appropriate topological
structure, the theory admits topological structures analogous to the D-branes
of string theory, in which defects of one dimension terminate on other defects
of higher dimension. The shapes of such defects are analyzed numerically, with
special attention paid to the intersection regions. Walls (co-dimension 1
branes) terminating on other walls, global strings (co-dimension 2 branes) and
local strings (including gauge fields) terminating on walls are all considered.
Connections to supersymmetric field theories, string theory and condensed
matter systems are pointed out.Comment: 24 pages, RevTeX, 21 eps figure
Inflation with racetrack superpotential and matter field
Several models of inflation with the racetrack superpotential for the volume
modulus coupled to a matter field are investigated. In particular, it is shown
that two classes of racetrack inflation models, saddle point and inflection
point ones, can be constructed in a fully supersymmetric framework with the
matter field F-term as a source of supersymmetry breaking and uplifting. Two
models of F-term supersymmetry breaking are considered: the Polonyi model and
the quantum corrected O'Raifeartaigh model. In the former case, both classes of
racetrack inflation models differ significantly from the corresponding models
with non-supersymmetric uplifting. The main difference is a quite strong
dominance of the inflaton by the matter field. In addition, fine-tuning of the
parameters is relaxed as compared to the original racetrack models. In the case
of the racetrack inflation models coupled to the O'Raifeartaigh model, the
matter field is approximately decoupled from the inflationary dynamics. In all
of the above models the gravitino mass is larger than the Hubble scale during
inflation. The possibility of having the gravitino much lighter than the Hubble
scale is also investigated. It is very hard to construct models with light
gravitino in which the volume modulus dominates inflation. On the other hand,
models in which the inflationary dynamics is dominated by the matter field are
relatively simple and seem to be more natural.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, references added, typos corrected, version to
be publishe
Quantifying the natural history of post-radical prostatectomy incontinence using objective pad test data
BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence (UI) following radical prostatectomy is a well-recognized risk of the surgery. In most patients post-operative UI improves over time. To date, there is limited objective, quantitative data on the natural history of the resolution of post-prostatectomy UI. The purpose of this study was to define the natural history of post radical prostatectomy incontinence using an objective quantitative tool, the 1-hour standard pad test. METHODS: 203 consecutive patients underwent radical prostatectomy by a single surgeon between 03/98 & 08/03. A standardized 1-hour pad test was administered at subsequent postoperative clinic visits. The gram weight of urine loss was recorded and subdivided into four groups defined according to the grams of urine loss: minimal (<1 g), mild (>1, <10 g), moderate (10–50 g) and severe (>50 g). Patients were evaluated: at 2 weeks (catheter removal), 6 weeks, 18 weeks, 30 weeks, 42 weeks and 54 weeks. The data set was analyzed for average urine loss as well as grams of urine loss at each time point, the percentage of patients and the distribution of patients in each category. RESULTS: Mean follow up was 118 weeks. The majority of patients experienced incontinence immediately after catheter removal at 2 weeks that gradually improved with time. While continued improvement was noted to 1 year, most patients who achieved continence did so by 18 weeks post-op. CONCLUSION: While the majority of patients experience mild to severe UI immediately following catheter removal, there is a rapid decrease in leaked weight during the first 18 weeks following RRP. Patients continue to improve out to 1 year with greater than 90% having minimal leakage by International Continence Society criteria
A global reference database of crowdsourced cropland data collected using the Geo-Wiki platform
A global reference data set on cropland was collected through a crowdsourcing campaign using the Geo-Wiki crowdsourcing tool. The campaign lasted three weeks, with over 80 participants from around the world reviewing almost 36,000 sample units, focussing on cropland identification. For quality assessment purposes, two additional data sets are provided. The first is a control set of 1,793 sample locations validated by students trained in satellite image interpretation. This data set was used to assess the quality of the crowd as the campaign progressed. The second data set contains 60 expert validations for additional evaluation of the quality of the contributions. All data sets are split into two parts: the first part shows all areas classified as cropland and the second part shows cropland average per location and user. After further processing, the data presented here might be suitable to validate and compare medium and high resolution cropland maps generated using remote sensing. These could also be used to train classification algorithms for developing new maps of land cover and cropland extent
A global reference database of crowdsourced cropland data collected using the Geo-Wiki platform
A global reference data set on cropland was collected through a crowdsourcing campaign using the Geo-Wiki crowdsourcing tool. The campaign lasted three weeks, with over 80 participants from around the world reviewing almost 36,000 sample units, focussing on cropland identification. For quality assessment purposes, two additional data sets are provided. The first is a control set of 1,793 sample locations validated by students trained in satellite image interpretation. This data set was used to assess the quality of the crowd as the campaign progressed. The second data set contains 60 expert validations for additional evaluation of the quality of the contributions. All data sets are split into two parts: the first part shows all areas classified as cropland and the second part shows cropland average per location and user. After further processing, the data presented here might be suitable to validate and compare medium and high resolution cropland maps generated using remote sensing. These could also be used to train classification algorithms for developing new maps of land cover and cropland extent
Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking: 20 Years of Progress
In human addicts, drug relapse and craving are often provoked by stress. Since 1995, this clinical scenario has been studied using a rat model of stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Here, we first discuss the generality of stress-induced reinstatement to different drugs of abuse, different stressors, and different behavioral procedures. We also discuss neuropharmacological mechanisms, and brain areas and circuits controlling stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We conclude by discussing results from translational human laboratory studies and clinical trials that were inspired by results from rat studies on stress-induced reinstatement. Our main conclusions are (1) The phenomenon of stress-induced reinstatement, first shown with an intermittent footshock stressor in rats trained to self-administer heroin, generalizes to other abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and alcohol, and is also observed in the conditioned place preference model in rats and mice. This phenomenon, however, is stressor specific and not all stressors induce reinstatement of drug seeking. (2) Neuropharmacological studies indicate the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, kappa/dynorphin, and several other peptide and neurotransmitter systems in stress-induced reinstatement. Neuropharmacology and circuitry studies indicate the involvement of CRF and noradrenaline transmission in bed nucleus of stria terminalis and central amygdala, and dopamine, CRF, kappa/dynorphin, and glutamate transmission in other components of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system (ventral tegmental area, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens). (3) Translational human laboratory studies and a recent clinical trial study show the efficacy of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists in decreasing stress-induced drug craving and stress-induced initial heroin lapse
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