2,249 research outputs found
Feynman versus Bakamjian-Thomas in Light Front Dynamics
We compare the Bakamjian-Thomas (BT) formulation of relativistic few-body
systems with light front field theories that maintain closer contact with
Feynman diagrams. We find that Feynman diagrams distinguish Melosh rotations
and other kinematical quantities belonging to various composite subsystem
frames that correspond to different loop integrals. The BT formalism knows only
the rest frame of the whole composite system, where everything is evaluated.Comment: 5 page
Neutron Charge Radius: Relativistic Effects and the Foldy Term
The neutron charge radius is studied within a light-front model with
different spin coupling schemes and wave functions. The cancellation of the
contributions from the Foldy term and Dirac form factor to the neutron charge
form factor is verified for large nucleon sizes and it is independent of the
detailed form of quark spin coupling and wave function. For the physical
nucleon our results for the contribution of the Dirac form factor to the
neutron radius are insensitive to the form of the wave function while they
strongly depend on the quark spin coupling scheme.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, Latex, Int. J. Mod. Phys.
Dynamical description of vesicle growth and shape change
We systematize and extend the description of vesicle growth and shape change
using linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics. By restricting the study to shape
changes from spheres to axisymmetric ellipsoids, we are able to give a
consistent formulation which includes the lateral tension of the vesicle
membrane. This allows us to generalize and correct a previous calculation. Our
present calculations suggest that, for small growing vesicles, a prolate
ellipsoidal shape should be favored over oblate ellipsoids, whereas for large
growing vesicles oblates should be favored over prolates. The validity of this
prediction is examined in the light of the various assumptions made in its
derivation.Comment: 6 page
Thermodynamics of vesicle growth and instability
We describe the growth of vesicles, due to the accretion of lipid molecules
to their surface, in terms of linear irreversible thermodynamics. Our treatment
differs from those previously put forward by consistently including the energy
of the membrane in the thermodynamic description. We calculate the critical
radius at which the spherical vesicle becomes unstable to a change of shape in
terms of the parameters of the model. The analysis is carried out both for the
case when the increase in volume is due to the absorption of water and when a
solute is also absorbed through the walls of the vesicle.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.
Transition Form Factors between Pseudoscalar and Vector Mesons in Light-Front Dynamics
We study the transition form factors between pseudoscalar and vector mesons
using a covariant fermion field theory model in dimensions. Performing
the light-front calculation in the frame in parallel with the
manifestly covariant calculation, we note that the suspected nonvanishing
zero-mode contribution to the light-front current does not exist in our
analysis of transition form factors. We also perform the light-front
calculation in a purely longitudinal frame and confirm that the form
factors obtained directly from the timelike region are identical to the ones
obtained by the analytic continuation from the spacelike region. Our results
for the decay process satisfy the constraints on the
heavy-to-heavy semileptonic decays imposed by the flavor independence in the
heavy quark limit.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figure
Evolutionary Multi-Objective Design of SARS-CoV-2 Protease Inhibitor Candidates
Computational drug design based on artificial intelligence is an emerging
research area. At the time of writing this paper, the world suffers from an
outbreak of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. A promising way to stop the virus
replication is via protease inhibition. We propose an evolutionary
multi-objective algorithm (EMOA) to design potential protease inhibitors for
SARS-CoV-2's main protease. Based on the SELFIES representation the EMOA
maximizes the binding of candidate ligands to the protein using the docking
tool QuickVina 2, while at the same time taking into account further objectives
like drug-likeliness or the fulfillment of filter constraints. The experimental
part analyzes the evolutionary process and discusses the inhibitor candidates.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PPSN 202
Using social cognitive career theory to understand why students choose to study computer science
The aim of this research is to use Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to identify and understand reasons why students choose to study Computer Science (CS) at university. SCCT focuses on students’ prior experience, social support, self-efficacy and outcome expectation. The research is part motivated by the desire to increase female participation rates in CS, particularly in the UK. Policymakers can use the factors that both females and males identify as influencing their choice of studying CS to enhance the experiences of all students prior to coming to university, but female students in particular. The study uses a semi-structured interview with 17 mixed gender subjects currently studying CS at three Scottish universities. The findings are that social support from family, teachers, friends and mentors is a particularly important factor in choosing to study CS, especially for female subjects. The career paths offered by a CS degree is another major factor, not just the potential jobs, but also the general value of a CS education and the potential to make useful contributions to society. School education appeared to have limited influence, though exposure to problem solving, programming, online self-learning and internships are positive influences. The stereotypical view of CS students as ‘geeks’ is outdated and unhelpful – it is more appropriate to see them as ‘analytical’ or ‘over-achievers’. Subjects make many suggestions for improving the CS education provided at school, especially to make it more attractive to females, including: make it compulsory, teach it earlier, include more programming and problem solving, and increase the visibility of female exemplars and role models
Distribution and Molecular Evolution of Bacillus anthracis Genotypes in Namibia
The recent development of genetic markers for Bacillus anthracis has made it possible to monitor the spread and distribution of this pathogen during and between anthrax outbreaks. In Namibia, anthrax outbreaks occur annually in the Etosha National Park (ENP) and on private game and livestock farms. We genotyped 384 B. anthracis isolates collected between 1983–2010 to identify the possible epidemiological correlations of anthrax outbreaks within and outside the ENP and to analyze genetic relationships between isolates from domestic and wild animals. The isolates came from 20 animal species and from the environment and were genotyped using a 31-marker multi-locus-VNTR-analysis (MLVA) and, in part, by twelve single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and four single nucleotide repeat (SNR) markers. A total of 37 genotypes (GT) were identified by MLVA, belonging to four SNP-groups. All GTs belonged to the A-branch in the cluster- and SNP-analyses. Thirteen GTs were found only outside the ENP, 18 only within the ENP and 6 both inside and outside. Genetic distances between isolates increased with increasing time between isolations. However, genetic distance between isolates at the beginning and end of the study period was relatively small, indicating that while the majority of GTs were only found sporadically, three genetically close GTs, accounting for more than four fifths of all the ENP isolates, appeared dominant throughout the study period. Genetic distances among isolates were significantly greater for isolates from different host species, but this effect was small, suggesting that while species-specific ecological factors may affect exposure processes, transmission cycles in different host species are still highly interrelated. The MLVA data were further used to establish a model of the probable evolution of GTs within the endemic region of the ENP. SNR-analysis was helpful in correlating an isolate with its source but did not elucidate epidemiological relationships
Persistent anthrax as a major driver of wildlife mortality in a tropical rainforest
Anthrax is a globally important animal disease and zoonosis. Despite this, our current knowledge of anthrax ecology is largely limited to arid ecosystems, where outbreaks are most commonly reported. Here we show that the dynamics of an anthrax-causing agent, Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis, in a tropical rainforest have severe consequences for local wildlife communities. Using data and samples collected over three decades, we show that rainforest anthrax is a persistent and widespread cause of death for a broad range of mammalian hosts. We predict that this pathogen will accelerate the decline and possibly result in the extirpation of local chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) populations. We present the epidemiology of a cryptic pathogen and show that its presence has important implications for conservation
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