6,120 research outputs found
On the Symmetric Space Sigma-Model Kinematics
The solvable Lie algebra parametrization of the symmetric spaces is
discussed. Based on the solvable Lie algebra gauge two equivalent formulations
of the symmetric space sigma model are studied. Their correspondence is
established by inspecting the normalization conditions and deriving the field
transformation laws.Comment: 17 page
Symmetric space sigma-model dynamics: Current formalism
After explicitly constructing the symmetric space sigma model lagrangian in
terms of the coset scalars of the solvable Lie algebra gauge in the current
formalism we derive the field equations of the theory.Comment: 10 page
Dynamic PRA: an Overview of New Algorithms to Generate, Analyze and Visualize Data
State of the art PRA methods, i.e. Dynamic PRA
(DPRA) methodologies, largely employ system
simulator codes to accurately model system dynamics.
Typically, these system simulator codes (e.g., RELAP5 )
are coupled with other codes (e.g., ADAPT,
RAVEN that monitor and control the simulation. The
latter codes, in particular, introduce both deterministic
(e.g., system control logic, operating procedures) and
stochastic (e.g., component failures, variable uncertainties)
elements into the simulation. A typical DPRA analysis is
performed by:
1. Sampling values of a set of parameters from the
uncertainty space of interest
2. Simulating the system behavior for that specific set of
parameter values
3. Analyzing the set of simulation runs
4. Visualizing the correlations between parameter values
and simulation outcome
Step 1 is typically performed by randomly sampling
from a given distribution (i.e., Monte-Carlo) or selecting
such parameter values as inputs from the user (i.e.,
Dynamic Event Tre
The effect of initial pH and retention time on boron removal by continuous electrocoagulation process
In this study, factors influencing boron removal via the continuous electrocoagulation process were investigated at lab-scale. Different influent pH values (4, 5, 6, 7.45 and 9) and contact times (10, 25, 50 and 100 min) were examined as variable parameters. Plate-type aluminium electrodes with 5 mm distance between them were used. All the experiments were conducted in continuous mode and the current density was kept constant at 5 A throughout the whole experimental period. The initial boron concentration was selected to be 1000 mg L-1. The first set of experiments concerning the influence of the influent pH showed that the highest boron removal (67%) was obtained at pH=6 since it was the optimal pH for boron precipitation through aluminium borate formation. Under the constant current density of the study and with the initial pH adjusted to 6, increasing the duration of the electrocoagulation process from 10 to 100 min resulted in raising the boron removal from 45 to 79% during the second set of experiments. The greater duration of the electrocagulation process enabled higher aluminium dissolution, thus allowing the existence of a higher number of coagulants within the reactor. Moreover, it enhanced boron precipitation because of the longer contact time between the boron ions and the coagulants. After optimizing significant parameters such as the influent pH and the electrocagulation duration, the continuous electrocoagulation process was found to constitute an effective alternative for boron removal
Effect of Coulomb interactions on the physical observables of graphene
We give an update of the situation concerning the effect of electron-electron
interactions on the physics of a neutral graphene system at low energies. We
revise old renormalization group results and the use of 1/N expansion to
address questions of the possible opening of a low-energy gap, and the
magnitude of the graphene fine structure constant. We emphasize the role of
Fermi velocity as the only free parameter determining the transport and
electronic properties of the graphene system and revise its renormalization by
Coulomb interactions in the light of recent experimental evidence.Comment: Proceedings of the Nobel Symposium on graphene 2010, to appear as a
special issue in Physica Script
Common denominators in the immunobiology of IgG4 autoimmune diseases: What do glomerulonephritis, pemphigus vulgaris, myasthenia gravis, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and autoimmune encephalitis have in common?
IgG4 autoimmune diseases (IgG4-AID) are an emerging group of autoimmune diseases that are caused by pathogenic autoantibodies of the IgG4 subclass. It has only recently been appreciated, that members of this group share relevant immunobiological and therapeutic aspects even though different antigens, tissues and organs are affected: glomerulonephritis (kidney), pemphigus vulgaris (skin), thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (hematologic system) muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) in myasthenia gravis (peripheral nervous system) and autoimmune encephalitis (central nervous system) to give some examples. In all these diseases, patients’ IgG4 subclass autoantibodies block protein-protein interactions instead of causing complement mediated tissue injury, patients respond favorably to rituximab and share a genetic predisposition: at least five HLA class II genes have been reported in individual studies to be associated with several different IgG4-AID. This suggests a role for the HLA class II region and specifically the DRβ1 chain for aberrant priming of autoreactive T-cells toward a chronic immune response skewed toward the production of IgG4 subclass autoantibodies. The aim of this review is to provide an update on findings arguing for a common pathogenic mechanism in IgG4-AID in general and to provide hypotheses about the role of distinct HLA haplotypes, T-cells and cytokines in IgG4-AID
Wormholes supported by chiral fields
We consider static, spherically symmetric solutions of general relativity
with a nonlinear sigma model (NSM) as a source, i.e., a set of scalar fields
(so-called chiral fields) parametrizing a target
space with a metric . For NSM with zero potential , it
is shown that the space-time geometry is the same as with a single scalar field
but depends on . If the matrix is positive-definite, we obtain
the Fisher metric, originally found for a canonical scalar field with positive
kinetic energy; otherwise we obtain metrics corresponding to a phantom scalar
field, including singular and nonsingular horizons (of infinite area) and
wormholes. In particular, the Schwarzschild metric can correspond to a
nontrivial chiral field configuration, which in this case has zero
stress-energy. Some explicit examples of chiral field configurations are
considered. Some qualitative properties of NSM configurations with nonzero
potentials are pointed out.Comment: 5 two-column pages, to appear in Grav. Cosmo
Thalassemia mutations in Gaziantep, Turkey
Ninety-eight postnatal and six prenatal cases of thalassemia were studied by the reverse dot-blot hybridization technique in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey. We found the following mutations: IVS 1.110 (G>A) in 29.1%, IVS 2.1 (G>A) in 12.3%, IVS 1.1 (G>A) in 7.7%, Codon 8 (-AA) in 5.6%, -30 (T>A) in 4.6%, IVS 1.6 (T>C) in 4.6%, Codon 39 (C>T) in 3.6%, Codon 44 (-C) in 3.1%, IVS 2.745 (C>G) in 1.5%, Codon 8/9 (+G) in 2.1%, Codon 36/37 (-T) in 2.1%, IVS 1.5 (G>C) in 2.1%, Codon 22 (7pb del) in 0.5%, Codon 5 (-CT) in 0.5% while 20.9% were undetermined. 54 of the thalassemia patients were homozygotes, 12 were compound heterozygous and 31 were heterozygotes. In one allele of 5 thalassemia patients, - thalassemia mutation (3.7 single gene deletions in 1 patient, anti-3.7 gene triplication in 4 patients) wasdetermined at the same time. Finally, this is the first comprehensive study in this region and percentage of and - globin genes mutation is 2.6 and 79.4%, respectively
Overview of experimental results in PbPb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 2.76 TeV by the CMS Collaboration
The CMS experiment at the LHC is a general-purpose apparatus with a set of
large acceptance and high granularity detectors for hadrons, electrons, photons
and muons, providing unique capabilities for both proton-proton and ion-ion
collisions. The data collected during the November 2010 PbPb run at sqrt{s_NN}
= 2.76 TeV was analyzed and multiple measurements of the properties of the hot
and dense matter were obtained. Global event properties, detailed study of jet
production and jet properties, isolated photons, quarkonia and weak bosons were
measured and compared to pp data and Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, proceedings for Quark Matter 2011, Annecy,
France, May 23-28, 201
Oscillating axion bubbles as alternative to supermassive black holes at galactic centers
Recent observations of near-infrared and X-ray flares from Sagittarius A*,
which is believed to be a supermassive black hole at the Galactic center, show
that the source exhibits about 20-minute periodic variability. Here we provide
arguments based on a quantitative analysis that supermassive objects at
galactic centers may be bubbles of dark matter axions rather than black holes.
An oscillating axion bubble can explain periodic variability of Sagittarius A*
and yields the axion mass about 0.6 meV which fits in the open axion mass
window. The bubble scenario with no other free parameters explains lack of
supermassive "black holes" with mass M<10^6 M_{Sun}. Low-mass bubbles decay
fast and as a result are very rare. We also found that the mass of an axion
bubble can not exceed 1.5\times 10^9 M_{Sun}, in agreement with the upper limit
on the supermassive "black hole" mass obtained from observations. Our finding,
if confirmed, suggests that Einstein general relativity is invalid for strong
gravity and the gravitational field for the bubble effectively becomes
repulsive at large potential. Imaging a shadow of the "black hole" at the
Galactic center with VLBI in the next decade can distinguish between the black
hole and the oscillating axion bubble scenarios. In the case of axion bubble, a
steady shadow will not be observed. Instead, the shadow will appear and
disappear periodically with a period of about 20 min.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, added derivation of the exponential metric based
on superposition principl
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