1,366 research outputs found
Lower and upper estimates on the excitation threshold for breathers in DNLS lattices
We propose analytical lower and upper estimates on the excitation threshold
for breathers (in the form of spatially localized and time periodic solutions)
in DNLS lattices with power nonlinearity. The estimation depending explicitly
on the lattice parameters, is derived by a combination of a comparison argument
on appropriate lower bounds depending on the frequency of each solution with a
simple and justified heuristic argument. The numerical studies verify that the
analytical estimates can be of particular usefulness, as a simple analytical
detection of the activation energy for breathers in DNLS lattices.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Far-from-constant mean curvature solutions of Einstein's constraint equations with positive Yamabe metrics
In this article we develop some new existence results for the Einstein
constraint equations using the Lichnerowicz-York conformal rescaling method.
The mean extrinsic curvature is taken to be an arbitrary smooth function
without restrictions on the size of its spatial derivatives, so that it can be
arbitrarily far from constant. The rescaled background metric belongs to the
positive Yamabe class, and the freely specifiable part of the data given by the
traceless-transverse part of the rescaled extrinsic curvature and the matter
fields are taken to be sufficiently small, with the matter energy density not
identically zero. Using topological fixed-point arguments and global barrier
constructions, we then establish existence of solutions to the constraints. Two
recent advances in the analysis of the Einstein constraint equations make this
result possible: A new type of topological fixed-point argument without
smallness conditions on spatial derivatives of the mean extrinsic curvature,
and a new construction of global super-solutions for the Hamiltonian constraint
that is similarly free of such conditions on the mean extrinsic curvature. For
clarity, we present our results only for strong solutions on closed manifolds.
However, our results also hold for weak solutions and for other cases such as
compact manifolds with boundary; these generalizations will appear elsewhere.
The existence results presented here for the Einstein constraints are
apparently the first such results that do not require smallness conditions on
spatial derivatives of the mean extrinsic curvature.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letters. (Abstract shortenned and other minor changes reflecting v4 version
of arXiv:0712.0798
Persistent clinical efficacy and safety of anti-tumour necrosis factor \textgreeka therapy with infliximab in patients with ankylosing spondylitis over 5 years: evidence for different types of response
Background: There is insufficient evidence for the long-term efficacy and safety of anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This is the first report on the treatment with infliximab over 5 years.Methods: As part of a multicentre randomised trial, 69 patients with active AS at baseline (BL) have been continuously treated with infliximab (5 mg/kg i.v. every 6 weeks)---except for a short discontinuation after 3 years (FU1). The primary outcome of this extension was remission according to the ASsessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) criteria at the end of year 5 of the study (FU2).Results: Of the 43 patients who completed year 3, 42 agreed to continue, 38 of which (90.5%) finished year 5 (55% of 69 initially). Partial clinical remission was achieved in 13 of 38 patients (34.2%) at FU1 and FU2. At FU2, the mean Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was 2.5±1.9 (BL:6.4, FU1:2.5). BASDAI values <4 were seen in 79% of patients at both, FU1 and FU2. ASAS 20% and 40% responses were seen in 32 (84%) and 24 (63%) patients at FU2, respectively. Most patients classified as non-responders at FU2 were part-time responders, as all but one patient achieved an ASAS 20% response at least once within the last 2 years. Three types of responders were identified. No major side effects occurred during years 4 and 5 of infliximab therapy.Conclusions: Infliximab is safe and efficacious in AS patients over 5 years. The majority of the patients remained on treatment and had rather persistent levels of low disease activity. Different response types could be identified
Plasticity of Drosophila Stat DNA binding shows an evolutionary basis for Stat transcription factor preferences
In vertebrates, seven signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins bind to palindromic sites separated by spacers of two or three nucleotides (STAT1), four nucleotides (STAT6) or three nucleotides (STAT2 to STAT5a/b). This diversity of binding sites provides specificity to counter semiredundancy and was thought to be a recent evolutionary acquisition. Here, we examine the natural DNA‐binding sites of the single Drosophila Stat and show that this is not the case. Rather, Drosophila Stat92E is able to bind to and activate target gene expression through both 3n and 4n spaced sites. Our experiments indicate that Stat92E has a higher binding affinity for 3n sites than for 4n sites and suggest that the levels of target gene expression can be modulated by insertion and/or deletion of single bases. Our results indicate that the ancestral STAT protein had the capacity to bind to 3n and 4n sites and that specific STAT binding preferences evolved with the radiation of the vertebrate STAT family
Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project: Unraveling Tarantula's Web. II. Optical and Near Infrared Star Formation History of the Starburst Cluster NGC 2070 in 30 Doradus
We present a study of the recent star formation of 30 Doradus in the Large
Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the panchromatic imaging survey Hubble Tarantula
Treasury Project (HTTP). In this paper we focus on the stars within 20 pc of
the center of the massive ionizing cluster of 30 Doradus, NGC 2070. We
recovered the star formation history by comparing deep optical and NIR
color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) with state-of-the-art synthetic CMDs generated
with the latest PARSEC models, which include all stellar phases from pre-main
sequence to post- main sequence. For the first time in this region we are able
to measure the star formation using intermediate and low mass stars
simultaneously. Our results suggest that NGC2070 experienced a prolonged
activity. In particular, we find that the star formation in the region: i)
exceeded the average LMC rate ~ 20 Myr ago; ii) accelerated dramatically ~ 7
Myr ago; and iii) reached a peak value 1-3 Myr ago. We did not find significant
deviations from a Kroupa initial mass function down to 0.5 Msun. The average
internal reddening E(B-V) is found to be between 0.3 and 0.4 mag.Comment: Submitted to Ap
The Newtonian Limit for Asymptotically Flat Solutions of the Vlasov-Einstein System
It is shown that there exist families of asymptotically flat solutions of the
Einstein equations coupled to the Vlasov equation describing a collisionless
gas which have a Newtonian limit. These are sufficiently general to confirm
that for this matter model as many families of this type exist as would be
expected on the basis of physical intuition. A central role in the proof is
played by energy estimates in unweighted Sobolev spaces for a wave equation
satisfied by the second fundamental form of a maximal foliation.Comment: 24 pages, plain TE
Optimal Constraint Projection for Hyperbolic Evolution Systems
Techniques are developed for projecting the solutions of symmetric hyperbolic
evolution systems onto the constraint submanifold (the constraint-satisfying
subset of the dynamical field space). These optimal projections map a field
configuration to the ``nearest'' configuration in the constraint submanifold,
where distances between configurations are measured with the natural metric on
the space of dynamical fields. The construction and use of these projections is
illustrated for a new representation of the scalar field equation that exhibits
both bulk and boundary generated constraint violations. Numerical simulations
on a black-hole background show that bulk constraint violations cannot be
controlled by constraint-preserving boundary conditions alone, but are
effectively controlled by constraint projection. Simulations also show that
constraint violations entering through boundaries cannot be controlled by
constraint projection alone, but are controlled by constraint-preserving
boundary conditions. Numerical solutions to the pathological scalar field
system are shown to converge to solutions of a standard representation of the
scalar field equation when constraint projection and constraint-preserving
boundary conditions are used together.Comment: final version with minor changes; 16 pages, 14 figure
Note. Colonisation of bench cover materials by Salmonella typhimurium
Due to the increasing requirements of food safety, it is of utmost importance to know the mechanisms that can determine the occurrence of the phenomenon commonly assigned by cross contamination, which can be expressed by the transference of harmful substances or microorganisms to the human food chain.
This is particularly susceptible during food preparation, because it can occur by the transference of the pathogen microorganisms from food to the surfaces where they had been prepared, and from
there to foods initially not contaminated, therefore initiating the cycle. This study attempted to investigate the colonisation by Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 13311 of marble and granite, two materials commonly used as bench covers in kitchens of many countries. These materials were selected because there is a lack of studies in the literature about their ability for bacterial colonisation. In addition, the colonisation of stainless steel (SS) 304, a material usually studied, was also analysed in terms of comparison.
Surface hydrophobicity and roughness were determined in order to explain the differences in the extent of adhesion. The results showed that SS was the material with a greater extent of colonisation by S. typhimurium, followed by marble and, almost to the same extent, by granite. S. typhimurium adheres to a greater extent to the most hydrophobic material and to the material with roughest surface.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PRAXIS SFRH/BPD/11553/2002, projecto POCI/AGR/59358/200
A theory of intense-field dynamic alignment and high harmonic generation from coherently rotating molecules and interpretation of intense-field ultrafast pump-probe experiments
A theory of ultra-fast pump-probe experiments proposed by us earlier [F.H.M.
Faisal et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 143001 (2007) and F.H.M. Faisal and A.
Abdurrouf, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 123005 (2008)] is developed here fully and
applied to investigate the phenomena of dynamic alignment and high harmonic
generation (HHG) from coherently rotating linear molecules. The theory provides
essentially analytical results for the signals that allow us to investigate the
simultaneous dependence of the HHG signals on the two externally available
control parameters, namely, the relative angle between the polarizations, and
the delay-time between the two pulses. It is applied to investigate the
characteristics of high harmonic emission from nitrogen and oxygen molecules
that have been observed experimentally in a number of laboratories. The results
obtained both in the time-domain and in the frequency-domain are compared with
the observed characteristics as well as directly with the data and are found to
agree remarkably well. In addition we have predicted the existence of a "magic"
polarization angle at which all modulations of the harmonic emission from
nitrogen molecule changes to a steady emission at the harmonic frequency. Among
other things we have also shown a correlation between the existence of the
"magic" or critical polarization angles and the symmetry of the active
molecular orbitals, that is deemed to be useful in connection with the "inverse
problem" of molecular imaging from the HHG data.Comment: 31 pages, 22 figures, and 140 equation
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