477 research outputs found
Effective action approach and Carlson-Goldman mode in d-wave superconductors
We theoretically investigate the Carlson-Goldman (CG) mode in two-dimensional
clean d-wave superconductors using the effective ``phase only'' action
formalism. In conventional s-wave superconductors, it is known that the CG mode
is observed as a peak in the structure factor of the pair susceptibility
only just below the transition temperature T_c and only
in dirty systems. On the other hand, our analytical results support the
statement by Y.Ohashi and S.Takada, Phys.Rev.B {\bf 62}, 5971 (2000) that in
d-wave superconductors the CG mode can exist in clean systems down to the much
lower temperatures, . We also consider the manifestations of
the CG mode in the density-density and current-current correlators and discuss
the gauge independence of the obtained results.Comment: 23 pages, RevTeX4, 12 EPS figures; final version to appear in PR
A strong pair correlation bound implies the CLT for Sinai Billiards
For Dynamical Systems, a strong bound on multiple correlations implies the
Central Limit Theorem (CLT) [ChMa]. In Chernov's paper [Ch2], such a bound is
derived for dynamically Holder continuous observables of dispersing Billiards.
Here we weaken the regularity assumption and subsequently show that the bound
on multiple correlations follows directly from the bound on pair correlations.
Thus, a strong bound on pair correlations alone implies the CLT, for a wider
class of observables. The result is extended to Anosov diffeomorphisms in any
dimension.Comment: 13 page
Fraction of uninfected walkers in the one-dimensional Potts model
The dynamics of the one-dimensional q-state Potts model, in the zero
temperature limit, can be formulated through the motion of random walkers which
either annihilate (A + A -> 0) or coalesce (A + A -> A) with a q-dependent
probability. We consider all of the walkers in this model to be mutually
infectious. Whenever two walkers meet, they experience mutual contamination.
Walkers which avoid an encounter with another random walker up to time t remain
uninfected. The fraction of uninfected walkers is investigated numerically and
found to decay algebraically, U(t) \sim t^{-\phi(q)}, with a nontrivial
exponent \phi(q). Our study is extended to include the coupled
diffusion-limited reaction A+A -> B, B+B -> A in one dimension with equal
initial densities of A and B particles. We find that the density of walkers
decays in this model as \rho(t) \sim t^{-1/2}. The fraction of sites unvisited
by either an A or a B particle is found to obey a power law, P(t) \sim
t^{-\theta} with \theta \simeq 1.33. We discuss these exponents within the
context of the q-state Potts model and present numerical evidence that the
fraction of walkers which remain uninfected decays as U(t) \sim t^{-\phi},
where \phi \simeq 1.13 when infection occurs between like particles only, and
\phi \simeq 1.93 when we also include cross-species contamination.Comment: Expanded introduction with more discussion of related wor
Electron transport in nanotube--molecular wire hybrids
We study contact effects on electron transport across a molecular wire
sandwiched between two semi-infinite (carbon) nanotube leads as a model for
nanoelectrodes. Employing the Landauer scattering matrix approach we find that
the conductance is very sensitive to parameters such as the coupling strength
and geometry of the contact. The conductance exhibits markedly different
behavior in the two limiting scenarios of single contact and multiple contacts
between the molecular wire and the nanotube interfacial atoms. In contrast to a
single contact the multiple-contact configuration acts as a filter selecting
single transport channels. It exhibits a scaling law for the conductance as a
function of coupling strength and tube diameter. We also observe an unusual
narrow-to-broad-to-narrow behavior of conductance resonances upon decreasing
the coupling.Comment: 4 pages, figures include
Exploring the value of routinely collected data on EQ-5D-5L and other electronic patient-reported outcome measures as prognostic factors in adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer receiving immunotherapy
Objective
Investigate whether routinely collected electronic patient-reported outcome measures (ePROMs) add prognostic value to clinical and tumour characteristics for adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving immunotherapy.
Methods and analysis
We retrospectively analysed data from adults with advanced NSCLC commencing immunotherapy between April 2019 and June 2022. Prognostic factors were ePROMs on quality of life (EuroQoL five-dimension five-level (EQ-5D-5L); EuroQoL Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS)) and symptoms (patient-reported version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v5.0) completed at baseline and the first followup. We performed Cox proportional hazard regression for overall survival and time-to-progression as outcomes, and logistic regression for the onset of severe treatment toxicities (grade â„3).
Results
We included 379 patients; 161 (42.5%) completed ePROMs at baseline. Median overall survival and time-to-progression were 13.5 months (95% CI 11.3 to 16.7) and 10.5 months (95% CI 8.8 to 13.7), respectively. 36 (9.5%) experienced severe treatment toxicities during follow-up. Patients with lower EQ-5D-5L utility scores (HR per 0.1 unit increase 0.84, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.95) and higher symptom burden (HR 1.11; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.19) had poorer overall survival. This was also true for those with decreased EQ-VAS and increased symptom burden between baseline and the first follow-up. Lastly, only decreased EQ-5D-5L utility scores between baseline and the first follow-up were associated with shorter time-to-progression.
Conclusion
ePROMs may add prognostic value to clinical and tumour characteristics for overall survival in adults with advanced NSCLC receiving immunotherapy
The road to deterministic matrices with the restricted isometry property
The restricted isometry property (RIP) is a well-known matrix condition that
provides state-of-the-art reconstruction guarantees for compressed sensing.
While random matrices are known to satisfy this property with high probability,
deterministic constructions have found less success. In this paper, we consider
various techniques for demonstrating RIP deterministically, some popular and
some novel, and we evaluate their performance. In evaluating some techniques,
we apply random matrix theory and inadvertently find a simple alternative proof
that certain random matrices are RIP. Later, we propose a particular class of
matrices as candidates for being RIP, namely, equiangular tight frames (ETFs).
Using the known correspondence between real ETFs and strongly regular graphs,
we investigate certain combinatorial implications of a real ETF being RIP.
Specifically, we give probabilistic intuition for a new bound on the clique
number of Paley graphs of prime order, and we conjecture that the corresponding
ETFs are RIP in a manner similar to random matrices.Comment: 24 page
Remediation of salt-affected soil by the addition of organic matter: an investigation into improving glutinous rice productivity
Soil salinity may limit plant growth and development, and cause yield loss in crop species. This study aimed at remediating saline soil using organic matter (OM) treatment, before the cultivation of RD6 rice (Oryza sativa L. spp. indica). Physiological and morphological characters of rice plants, as well as crop yield, were evaluated from salt-affected soil with varying levels of salinity. The chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll pigments of rice plants grown in salt-affected soil (2% salt level) with the application of OM were maintained better than in plants grown without OM treatment. The degree of reduced photosynthetic pigments in rice plants was dependent on the level of salt contamination. Pigment content was positively related to maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) and quantum efficiency of PSII (ΦPSII), leading to reduced net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and reduced total grain weight (TGW). Photosynthetic abilities, including chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll pigments and ΦPSII, in rice plants grown with OM treatment were greater than in those cultivated in soil without the OM treatment, especially in high salt levels (1-2% salt). The remediation of salt-affected soil in paddy fields using OM should be applied further, as an effective way of enhancing food crop productivity
Managing risks to drivers in road transport
This report presents a number of case studies in managing risks to road transport drivers. The cases feature a variety of initiatives and interventions to protect drivers.In the road transport sector, as with any other, it is important to pay attention to working conditions in order to ensure a skilled and motivated workforce. Certain characteristics of the sector make it more difficult to practice risk management than in other sectors. But by taking account of how the sector operates in practice, and the characteristics of drivers themselves and the way they work, risks can be successfully manage
Black Hole Spin via Continuum Fitting and the Role of Spin in Powering Transient Jets
The spins of ten stellar black holes have been measured using the
continuum-fitting method. These black holes are located in two distinct classes
of X-ray binary systems, one that is persistently X-ray bright and another that
is transient. Both the persistent and transient black holes remain for long
periods in a state where their spectra are dominated by a thermal accretion
disk component. The spin of a black hole of known mass and distance can be
measured by fitting this thermal continuum spectrum to the thin-disk model of
Novikov and Thorne; the key fit parameter is the radius of the inner edge of
the black hole's accretion disk. Strong observational and theoretical evidence
links the inner-disk radius to the radius of the innermost stable circular
orbit, which is trivially related to the dimensionless spin parameter a_* of
the black hole (|a_*| < 1). The ten spins that have so far been measured by
this continuum-fitting method range widely from a_* \approx 0 to a_* > 0.95.
The robustness of the method is demonstrated by the dozens or hundreds of
independent and consistent measurements of spin that have been obtained for
several black holes, and through careful consideration of many sources of
systematic error. Among the results discussed is a dichotomy between the
transient and persistent black holes; the latter have higher spins and larger
masses. Also discussed is recently discovered evidence in the transient sources
for a correlation between the power of ballistic jets and black hole spin.Comment: 30 pages. Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Also to
appear in hard cover in the Space Sciences Series of ISSI "The Physics of
Accretion onto Black Holes" (Springer Publisher). Changes to Sections 5.2,
6.1 and 7.4. Section 7.4 responds to Russell et al. 2013 (MNRAS, 431, 405)
who find no evidence for a correlation between the power of ballistic jets
and black hole spi
An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics
For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types
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