From Davydov solitons to decoherence-free subspaces: self-consistent propagation of coherent-product states

The self-consistent propagation of generalized $D_{1}$ [coherent-product] states and of a class of gaussian density matrix generalizations is examined, at both zero and finite-temperature, for arbitrary interactions between the localized lattice (electronic or vibronic) excitations and the phonon modes. It is shown that in all legitimate cases, the evolution of $D_{1}$ states reduces to the disentangled evolution of the component $D_{2}$ states. The self-consistency conditions for the latter amount to conditions for decoherence-free propagation, which complement the $D_{2}$ Davydov soliton equations in such a way as to lift the nonlinearity of the evolution for the on-site degrees of freedom. Although it cannot support Davydov solitons, the coherent-product ansatz does provide a wide class of exact density-matrix solutions for the joint evolution of the lattice and phonon bath in compatible systems. Included are solutions for initial states given as a product of a [largely arbitrary] lattice state and a thermal equilibrium state of the phonons. It is also shown that external pumping can produce self-consistent Frohlich-like effects. A few sample cases of coherent, albeit not solitonic, propagation are briefly discussed.Comment: revtex3, latex2e; 22 pages, no figs.; to appear in Phys.Rev.E (Nov.2001

Effect of irrigation and fertilization on methane and carbon dioxide emissions from paddy soil during the seedling stage in NE Spain

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Guía bibliográfica sobre Kuwait en las bibliotecas del MAEC (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación)

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Movement variability in stroke patients and controls performing two upper limb functional tasks: a new assessment methodology

Background: In the evaluation of upper limb impairment post stroke there remains a gap between detailed kinematic analyses with expensive motion capturing systems and common clinical assessment tests. In particular, although many clinical tests evaluate the performance of functional tasks, metrics to characterise upper limb kinematics are generally not applicable to such tasks and very limited in scope. This paper reports on a novel, user-friendly methodology that allows for the assessment of both signal magnitude and timing variability in upper limb movement trajectories during functional task performance. In order to demonstrate the technique, we report on a study in which the variability in timing and signal magnitude of data collected during the performance of two functional tasks is compared between a group of subjects with stroke and a group of individually matched control subjects. Methods: We employ dynamic time warping for curve registration to quantify two aspects of movement variability: 1) variability of the timing of the accelerometer signals' characteristics and 2) variability of the signals' magnitude. Six stroke patients and six matched controls performed several trials of a unilateral ('drinking') and a bilateral ('moving a plate') functional task on two different days, approximately 1 month apart. Group differences for the two variability metrics were investigated on both days. Results: For 'drinking from a glass' significant group differences were obtained on both days for the timing variability of the acceleration signals' characteristics (p = 0.002 and p = 0.008 for test and retest, respectively); all stroke patients showed increased signal timing variability as compared to their corresponding control subject. 'Moving a plate' provided less distinct group differences. Conclusion: This initial application establishes that movement variability metrics, as determined by our methodology, appear different in stroke patients as compared to matched controls during unilateral task performance ('drinking'). Use of a user-friendly, inexpensive accelerometer makes this methodology feasible for routine clinical evaluations. We are encouraged to perform larger studies to further investigate the metrics' usefulness when quantifying levels of impairment

Interactions among mitochondrial proteins altered in glioblastoma

Mitochondrial dysfunction is putatively central to glioblastoma (GBM) pathophysiology but there has been no systematic analysis in GBM of the proteins which are integral to mitochondrial function. Alterations in proteins in mitochondrial enriched fractions from patients with GBM were defined with label-free liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. 256 mitochondrially-associated proteins were identified in mitochondrial enriched fractions and 117 of these mitochondrial proteins were markedly (fold-change ≥2) and significantly altered in GBM (p ≤ 0.05). Proteins associated with oxidative damage (including catalase, superoxide dismutase 2, peroxiredoxin 1 and peroxiredoxin 4) were increased in GBM. Protein–protein interaction analysis highlighted a reduction in multiple proteins coupled to energy metabolism (in particular respiratory chain proteins, including 23 complex-I proteins). Qualitative ultrastructural analysis in GBM with electron microscopy showed a notably higher prevalence of mitochondria with cristolysis in GBM. This study highlights the complex mitochondrial proteomic adjustments which occur in GBM pathophysiology