Electromagnetic vertex function of the pion at T > 0

The matrix element of the electromagnetic current between pion states is calculated in quenched lattice QCD at a temperature of $T = 0.93 T_c$. The nonperturbatively improved Sheikholeslami-Wohlert action is used together with the corresponding ${\cal O}(a)$ improved vector current. The electromagnetic vertex function is extracted for pion masses down to $360 {\rm MeV}$ and momentum transfers $Q^2 \le 2.7 {\rm GeV}^2$.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

Effect of chemical disorder on NiMnSb investigated by Appearance Potential Spectroscopy: a theoretical study

The half-Heusler alloy NiMnSb is one of the local-moment ferromagnets with unique properties for future applications. Band structure calculations predict exclusively majority bands at the Fermi level, thus indicating {100%} spin polarization there. As one thinks about applications and the design of functional materials, the influence of chemical disorder in these materials must be considered. The magnetization, spin polarization, and electronic structure are expected to be sensitive to structural and stoichiometric changes. In this contribution, we report on an investigation of the spin-dependent electronic structure of NiMnSb. We studied the influence of chemical disorder on the unoccupied electronic density of states by use of the ab-initio Coherent Potential Approximation method. The theoretical analysis is discussed along with corresponding spin-resolved Appearance Potential Spectroscopy measurements. Our theoretical approach describes the spectra as the fully-relativistic self-convolution of the matrix-element weighted, orbitally resolved density of states.Comment: JPD submitte

Appropriate medication use in Dutch terminal care:study protocol of a multicentre stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial (the AMUSE study)

Background: Polypharmacy is common among patients with a limited life expectancy, even shortly before death. This is partly inevitable, because these patients often have multiple symptoms which need to be alleviated. However, the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in these patients is also common. Although patients and relatives are often willing to deprescribe medication, physicians are sometimes reluctant due to the lack of evidence on appropriate medication management for patients in the last phase of life. The aim of the AMUSE study is to investigate whether the use of CDSS-OPTIMED, a software program that gives weekly personalized medication recommendations to attending physicians of patients with a limited life expectancy, improves patients’ quality of life. Methods: A multicentre stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted among patients with a life expectancy of three months or less. The stepped-wedge cluster design, where the clusters are the different study sites, involves sequential crossover of clusters from control to intervention until all clusters are exposed. In total, seven sites (4 hospitals, 2 general practices and 1 hospice from the Netherlands) will participate in this study. During the control period, patients will receive ‘care as usual’. During the intervention period, CDSS-OPTIMED will be activated. CDSS-OPTIMED is a validated software program that analyses the use of medication based on a specific set of clinical rules for patients with a limited life expectancy. The software program will provide the attending physicians with weekly personalized medication recommendations. The primary outcome of this study is patients’ quality of life two weeks after baseline assessment as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire, quality of life question.Discussion: This will be the first study investigating the effect of weekly personalized medication recommendations to attending physicians on the quality of life of patients with a limited life expectancy. We hypothesize that the CDSS-OPTIMED intervention could lead to improved quality of life in patients with a life expectancy of three months or less. Trial registration: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05351281, Registration Date: April 11, 2022).</p

Resilience of beach grasses along a biogeomorphic successive gradient:Resource availability vs. clonal integration

Contains fulltext : 213623.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Biogeomorphological aspects of a model barrier island and its surroundings - Interactions between abiotic conditions and biota shaping the tidal and terrestrial landscape: A synthesis

Barrier islands occur in north-western Europe between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea along the coast of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Geomorphological units such as dunes and salt marshes are built by wind, water and sediment. The biota also feed back to the units by trapping sand and silt, transported by water and wind thus (de)stabilizing the local substrate and are able to modify their own abiotic environment. Hence, we refer to them as biogeomorphological units, thus including the role of engineering biota. We consider seven units: tidal basin, island head, intertidal flats, dune arc complex, wash-over complex, island tail with salt marsh, and green beach. We focus on the well-studied West-Frisian island of Schiermonnikoog, the Netherlands, from which we integrated published data. The biogeomorphological units are built with bioengineering species, and in turn provide habitats for plant- and animal species. These communities are subject to succession until climax stages with various timescales. These temporal aspects are derived from long-term measurements in the field, including the study of chronosequences. Biogeomorphological units also affect each other, including feed-backs from animals, plants and micro-organisms. Based on that we present a conceptual model of this particular barrier island. Knowledge gaps that can be identified include 1) interactions among geomorphological units, 2) interactions among these units and bio-engineers to come to biogeomorphological units, and 3) multiple spatialtemporal scales. Human interference such as Aatmospheric deposition applies to all islands and is difficult to manage. Other human interferences may, however, differ among individual islands and their surroundings. They can be managed such as various intensities of fisheries, sand suppletion, extraction of groundwater, the attitude of local people towards artificial sand-drift dikes and livestock grazing

Study of the finite temperature transition in 3-flavor QCD using the R and RHMC algorithms

We study the finite temperature transition in QCD with three flavors of equal masses using the R and RHMC algorithm on lattices with temporal extent N_{\tau}=4 and 6. For the transition temperature in the continuum limit we find r_0 T_c=0.429(8) for the light pseudo-scalar mass corresponding to the end point of the 1st order transition region. When comparing the results obtained with the R and RHMC algorithms for p4fat3 action we see no significant step-size errors down to a lightest pseudo-scalar mass of m_{ps} r_0=0.4.Comment: 13 pages, RevTeX, 10 figure

Pion structure from improved lattice QCD: form factor and charge radius at low masses

The charge form factor of the pion is calculated in lattice QCD. The non-perturbatively improved Sheikholeslami-Wohlert action is used together with the $\mathcal{O}(a)$ improved vector current. Other choices for the current are examined. The form factor is extracted for pion masses from 970 MeV down to 360 MeV and for momentum transfers $Q^2 \leq 2 \mathrm{GeV}^2$. The mean square charge radius is extracted, compared to previous determinations and its extrapolation to lower masses discussed.Comment: 12 pages REVTeX, 15 figures. Designation of currents clarified. Details concerning extraction of parameters added. Version accepted by Phys. Rev.