657 research outputs found
Ab initio lattice results for Fermi polarons in two dimensions
We investigate the attractive Fermi polaron problem in two dimensions using
non-perturbative Monte Carlo simulations. We introduce a new Monte Carlo
algorithm called the impurity lattice Monte Carlo method. This algorithm
samples the path integral in a computationally efficient manner and has only
small sign oscillations for systems with a single impurity. As a benchmark of
the method, we calculate the universal polaron energy in three dimensions in
the scale-invariant unitarity limit and find agreement with published results.
We then present the first fully non-perturbative calculations of the polaron
energy in two dimensions and density correlations between the impurity and
majority particles in the limit of zero range interactions. We find evidence
for a smooth crossover transition from fermionic quasiparticle to molecular
state as a function of interaction strength.Comment: Includes new results on density-density correlations. Final version
as will appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Screening cultures for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a population at high risk for MRSA colonisation: identification of optimal combinations of anatomical sites
This retrospective study analysed the diagnostic yield of single-site, two-site, and three-site anatomical surveillance cultures in a population of 4,769 patients at high risk for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonisation. Cultures of seven anatomical sites were used as the gold standard against which to measure the sensitivity of MRSA detection. Detection rates for the seven single-sites, 21 two-site, and 35 three-site combinations are presented. Single-site swabbing only detected 50.5% (nose) of total cases, while three-site surveillance achieved a 92% (groin+nose+throat) sensitivity of detection at best. It is recommended that at least three anatomical sites should be screened for MRSA colonisation in these high-risk patients.Keywords: MRSA screening; optimal sensitivity; infection contro
Benchmark calculations for elastic fermion-dimer scattering
We present continuum and lattice calculations for elastic scattering between
a fermion and a bound dimer in the shallow binding limit. For the continuum
calculation we use the Skorniakov-Ter-Martirosian (STM) integral equation to
determine the scattering length and effective range parameter to high
precision. For the lattice calculation we use the finite-volume method of
L\"uscher. We take into account topological finite-volume corrections to the
dimer binding energy which depend on the momentum of the dimer. After
subtracting these effects, we find from the lattice calculation kappa a_fd =
1.174(9) and kappa r_fd = -0.029(13). These results agree well with the
continuum values kappa a_fd = 1.17907(1) and kappa r_fd = -0.0383(3) obtained
from the STM equation. We discuss applications to cold atomic Fermi gases,
deuteron-neutron scattering in the spin-quartet channel, and lattice
calculations of scattering for nuclei and hadronic molecules at finite volume.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
PMH14 HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURES OF PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AND POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
A computer model is presented that describes soleus H-reflex recruitment as a function of electric stimulus intensity. The model consists of two coupled non-linear transfer functions. The first transfer function describes the activation of muscle spindle (Ia) afferent terminals as a function of the electric stimulus intensity; whereas the second describes the activation of a number of motoneurons as a function of the number of active Ia afferent terminals. The effect of change in these transfer functions on the H-reflex recruitment curve is simulated. In spastic patients, a higher average maximal H-response amplitude is observed in combination with a decreased H-reflex threshold. Vibration of the Achilles tendon reduces the H-reflex amplitude, presumably by reducing the excitatory afferent input. Vibratory inhibition is diminished in spasticity. In the model, the afferent-motoneuron transfer function was modified to represent the possible alterations occurring in spasticity. The simulations show that vibratory suppression of the H-reflex is determined only in part by the inhibition level of the afferent input. With a constant level of presynaptic inhibition, the suppression of reflexes of different sizes may vary. A lowering of the motoneuron activation thresholds in spastic patients will directly contribute to a decrease of vibratory inhibition in spasticit
Topological phases for bound states moving in a finite volume
We show that bound states moving in a finite periodic volume have an energy
correction which is topological in origin and universal in character. The
topological volume corrections contain information about the number and mass of
the constituents of the bound states. These results have broad applications to
lattice calculations involving nucleons, nuclei, hadronic molecules, and cold
atoms. We illustrate and verify the analytical results with several numerical
lattice calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, version to appear in Phys. Rev. D Rapid
Communication
Non-relativistic bound states in a finite volume
We derive general results for the mass shift of bound states with angular
momentum l >= 1 in a periodic cubic box in two and three spatial dimensions.
Our results have applications to lattice simulations of hadronic molecules,
halo nuclei, and Feshbach molecules. The sign of the mass shift can be related
to the symmetry properties of the state under consideration. We verify our
analytical results with explicit numerical calculations. Moreover, we comment
on the relations connecting the effective range parameter, the binding momentum
of a given state and the asymptotic normalization coefficient of the
corresponding wave function. We give explicit expressions for this relation in
the shallow binding limit.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figure
Coherent instabilities in a semiconductor laser with fast gain recovery
We report the observation of a coherent multimode instability in quantum
cascade lasers (QCLs), which is driven by the same fundamental mechanism of
Rabi oscillations as the elusive Risken-Nummedal-Graham-Haken (RNGH)
instability predicted 40 years ago for ring lasers. The threshold of the
observed instability is significantly lower than in the original RNGH
instability, which we attribute to saturable-absorption nonlinearity in the
laser. Coherent effects, which cannot be reproduced by standard laser rate
equations, can play therefore a key role in the multimode dynamics of QCLs, and
in lasers with fast gain recovery in general.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Tolerance induction in memory CD4 T cells requires two rounds of antigen-specific activation
Autoimmune diseases are driven by immune cells that recognize self-tissues. A major goal for treatment strategies for autoimmune diseases is to turn off or tolerize self-reactive immune cells such as CD4 T cells that coordinate tissue damage in many autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are often diagnosed many years following their onset. The self-reactive CD4 T cells that must be tolerized, therefore, are previously activated or memory CD4 T cells. Little is known about whether tolerance can be induced in memory CD4 T cells. This paper demonstrates that memory CD4 T cells survive initial exposure to tolerance-inducing signals but that a second activation signal leads to cell death. This study has important implications for immunotherapeutic strategies for autoimmune diseases
A novel myelin P0–specific T cell receptor transgenic mouse develops a fulminant autoimmune peripheral neuropathy
Autoimmune-prone nonobese diabetic mice deficient for B7-2 spontaneously develop an autoimmune peripheral neuropathy mediated by inflammatory CD4+ T cells that is reminiscent of Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. To determine the etiology of this disease, CD4+ T cell hybridomas were generated from inflamed tissue–derived CD4+ T cells. A majority of T cell hybridomas were specific for myelin protein 0 (P0), which was the principal target of autoantibody responses targeting nerve proteins. To determine whether P0-specific T cell responses were sufficient to mediate disease, we generated a novel myelin P0–specific T cell receptor transgenic (POT) mouse. POT T cells were not tolerized or deleted during thymic development and proliferated in response to P0 in vitro. Importantly, when bred onto a recombination activating gene knockout background, POT mice developed a fulminant form of peripheral neuropathy that affected all mice by weaning age and led to their premature death by 3–5 wk of age. This abrupt disease was associated with the production of interferon γ by P0-specific T cells and a lack of CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Collectively, our data suggest that myelin P0 is a major autoantigen in autoimmune peripheral neuropathy
Target Displacements during Eye Blinks Trigger Automatic Recalibration of Gaze Direction
Eye blinks cause disruptions to visual input and are accompanied by rotations of the eyeball [1]. Like every motor action, these eye movements are subject to noise and introduce instabilities in gaze direction across blinks [2]. Accumulating errors across repeated blinks would be debilitating for visual performance. Here, we show that the oculomotor system constantly recalibrates gaze direction during blinks to counteract gaze instability. Observers were instructed to fixate a visual target while gaze direction was recorded and blinks were detected in real time. With every spontaneous blink-while eyelids were closed-the target was displaced laterally by 0.5° (or 1.0°). Most observers reported being unaware of displacements during blinks. After adapting for ∼35 blinks, gaze positions after blinks showed significant biases toward the new target position. Automatic eye movements accompanied each blink, and an aftereffect persisted for a few blinks after target displacements were eliminated. No adaptive gaze shift occurred when blinks were simulated with shutter glasses at random time points or actively triggered by observers, or when target displacements were masked by a distracting stimulus. Visual signals during blinks are suppressed by inhibitory mechanisms [3-6], so that small changes across blinks are generally not noticed [7, 8]. Additionally, target displacements during blinks can trigger automatic gaze recalibration, similar to the well-known saccadic adaptation effect [9-11]. This novel mechanism might be specific to the maintenance of gaze direction across blinks or might depend on a more general oculomotor recalibration mechanism adapting gaze position during intrinsically generated disruptions to visual input
- …