Angularly localized Skyrmions

Quantized Skyrmions with baryon numbers $B=1,2$ and 4 are considered and angularly localized wavefunctions for them are found. By combining a few low angular momentum states, one can construct a quantum state whose spatial density is close to that of the classical Skyrmion, and has the same symmetries. For the B=1 case we find the best localized wavefunction among linear combinations of $j=1/2$ and $j=3/2$ angular momentum states. For B=2, we find that the $j=1$ ground state has toroidal symmetry and a somewhat reduced localization compared to the classical solution. For B=4, where the classical Skyrmion has cubic symmetry, we construct cubically symmetric quantum states by combining the $j=0$ ground state with the lowest rotationally excited $j=4$ state. We use the rational map approximation to compare the classical and quantum baryon densities in the B=2 and B=4 cases.Comment: 22 page

JPL Energy Consumption Program (ECP) documentation: A computer model simulating heating, cooling and energy loads in buildings

The engineering manual provides a complete companion documentation about the structure of the main program and subroutines, the preparation of input data, the interpretation of output results, access and use of the program, and the detailed description of all the analytic, logical expressions and flow charts used in computations and program structure. A numerical example is provided and solved completely to show the sequence of computations followed. The program is carefully structured to reduce both user's time and costs without sacrificing accuracy. The user would expect a cost of CPU time of approximately $5.00 per building zone excluding printing costs. The accuracy, on the other hand, measured by deviation of simulated consumption from watt-hour meter readings, was found by many simulation tests not to exceed + or - 10 percent margin

Relativistic Modification of the Gamow Factor

In processes involving Coulomb-type initial- and final-state interactions, the Gamow factor has been traditionally used to take into account these additional interactions. The Gamow factor needs to be modified when the magnitude of the effective coupling constant increases or when the velocity increases. For the production of a pair of particles under their mutual Coulomb-type interaction, we obtain the modification of the Gamow factor in terms of the overlap of the Feynman amplitude with the relativistic wave function of the two particles. As a first example, we study the modification of the Gamow factor for the production of two bosons. The modification is substantial when the coupling constant is large.Comment: 13 pages, in LaTe

Apolipoprotein AIV gene variant S347 is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease and lower plasma apolipoprotein AIV levels

The impact of common variants in the apolipoprotein gene cluster (APOC3-A4-A5) on prospective coronary heart disease (CHD) risk was examined in healthy UK men. Of the 2808 men followed over 9 years, 187 had a clinically defined CHD event. Examination of 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this group revealed that homozygotes for APOA4 S347 had significantly increased risk of CHD [hazard ratio (HR) of 2.07 (95%CI 1.04 to 4.12)], whereas men homozygous for APOC3 1100T were protected [HR 0.28 (95%CI 0.09 to 0.87)]. In stepwise multiple regression analysis, after entering all the variants and adjusting for established risk factors APOA4 T347S alone remained in the model. Using all nine SNPs, the highest risk-estimate haplotypes carried APOA4 S347 and rare alleles of the two flanking intergenic markers. The protective effect of APOC3 1100T could be explained by negative linkage disequilibrium with these alleles. To determine the association of APOA4 T347S with apoAIV levels, the relationship was examined in 1600 healthy young European men and women. S347 homozygotes had significantly lower apoAIV plasma levels (13.64±0.59 mg/dL) compared with carriers of the T347 allele (14.90±0.12 mg/dL) (P=0.035). These results demonstrate that genetic variation in and around APOA4, independent of the effects of triglyceride, is associated with risk of CHD and apoAIV levels, supporting an antiatherogenic role for apoAIV

Lens Galaxy Properties of SBS1520+530: Insights from Keck Spectroscopy and AO Imaging

We report on an investigation of the SBS 1520+530 gravitational lens system and its environment using archival HST imaging, Keck spectroscopic data, and Keck adaptive-optics imaging. The AO imaging has allowed us to fix the lens galaxy properties with a high degree of precision when performing the lens modeling, and the data indicate that the lens has an elliptical morphology and perhaps a disk. The new spectroscopic data suggest that previous determinations of the lens redshift may be incorrect, and we report an updated, though inconclusive, value z_lens = 0.761. We have also spectroscopically confirmed the existence of several galaxy groups at approximately the redshift of the lens system. We create new models of the lens system that explicitly account for the environment of the lens, and we also include improved constraints on the lensing galaxy from our adaptive-optics imaging. Lens models created with these new data can be well-fit with a steeper than isothermal mass slope (alpha = 2.29, with the density proportional to r^-alpha) if H_0 is fixed at 72 km/s/Mpc; isothermal models require H_0 ~ 50 km/s/Mpc. The steepened profile may indicate that the lens is in a transient perturbed state caused by interactions with a nearby galaxy.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Ap

The surface accessibility of α-bungarotoxin monitored by a novel paramagnetic probe

The surface accessibility of {alpha}-bungarotoxin has been investigated by using Gd2L7, a newly designed paramagnetic NMR probe. Signal attenuations induced by Gd2L7 on {alpha}-bungarotoxin C{alpha}H peaks of 1H-13C HSQC spectra have been analyzed and compared with the ones previously obtained in the presence of GdDTPA-BMA. In spite of the different molecular size and shape, for the two probes a common pathway of approach to the {alpha}-bungarotoxin surface can be observed with an equally enhanced access of both GdDTPA-BMA and Gd2L7 towards the protein surface side where the binding site is located. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that protein backbone flexibility and surface hydration contribute to the observed preferential approach of both gadolinium complexes specifically to the part of the {alpha}-bungarotoxin surface which is involved in the interaction with its physiological target, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Interference effects in f-deformed fields

We show how the introduction of an algeabric field deformation affects the interference phenomena. We also give a physical interpretation of the developed theory.Comment: 6 pages, Latex file, no figures, accepted by Physica Script