Quantum Resonances and Ratchets in Free-Falling Frames

Quantum resonance (QR) is defined in the free-falling frame of the quantum kicked particle subjected to gravity. The general QR conditions are derived. They imply the rationality of the gravity parameter $\eta$, the kicking-period parameter $\tau /(2\pi)$, and the quasimomentum $\beta$. Exact results are obtained concerning wave-packet evolution for arbitrary periodic kicking potentials in the case of integer $\tau /(2\pi)$ (the main QRs). It is shown that a quantum ratchet generally arises in this case for resonant $\beta$. The noninertial nature of the free-falling frame affects the ratchet by effectively changing the kicking potential to one depending on $(\beta ,\eta)$. For a simple class of initial wave packets, it is explicitly shown that the ratchet characteristics are determined to a large extent by symmetry properties and by number-theoretical features of $\eta$.Comment: To appear in Physical Review E (Rapid Communications

Estimation of the Tropical Cyclone Diurnal Cycle Using Simulated Observations from the NASA TROPICS Earth Venture Mission

No abstract availabl

A dynamical core for topological directed graphs

A topological graph, or quiver, is a directed graph where the edge and vertex spaces are topological spaces. The C*-algebra associated with the graph is a Cuntz-Pimsner algebra of an associated C*-correspondence over an abelian C*-algebra. For a given graph satisfying a properness hypothesis we construct and abstractly characterize a subgraph containing the iterative dynamical core of the original graph. The C*-algebra of this subgraph is a quotient of the C*-algebra of the graph, and under some additional assumptions is a crossed product C*-algebra by a shift endomorphism. This is accomplished using a composition product of topological graphs

Optical Probe of Quantum Shot Noise Reduction at a Single-Atom Contact

Visible and infra-red light emitted at a Ag-Ag(111) junction has been investigated from tunneling to single atom contact conditions with a scanning tunneling microscope. The light intensity varies in a highly nonlinear fashion with the conductance of the junction and exhibits a minimum at conductances close to the conductance quantum. The data are interpreted in terms of current noise at optical frequencies, which is characteristic of partially open transport channels

Opportunities for Improving the Drug Development Process: Results from a Survey of Industry and the FDA

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency is responsible for regulating the safety and efficacy of biopharmaceutical drug products. Furthermore, the FDA is tasked with speeding new medical innovations to market. These two missions create an inherent tension within the agency and between the agency and key stakeholders. Oftentimes, communications and interactions between regulated companies and the FDA suffer. The focus of this research is on the interactions between the FDA and the biopharmaceutical companies that perform drug R&D. To assess the current issues and state of communication and interaction between the FDA and industry, we carried out a survey of industry leadership in R&D and regulatory positions as well as senior leadership at the FDA who have responsibility for drug evaluation and oversight. Based on forty-nine industry and eight FDA interviews we conducted, we found that industry seeks additional structured and informal interactions with the FDA, especially during Phase II of development. Overall, industry placed greater value on additional communication than did the FDA. Furthermore, industry interviewees indicated that they were willing to pay PDUFA-like fees during clinical development to ensure that the FDA could hire additional, well-qualified staff to assist with protocol reviews and decision-making. Based on our survey and discussions, we uncovered several thematic opportunities to improve interactions between the FDA and industry and to reduce clinical development times: 1) develop metrics and goals at the FDA for clinical development times in exchange for PDUFA like fees; 2) establish an oversight board consisting of industry, agency officials, and premier external scientists (possibly at NIH or CDC) to evaluate and audit retrospectively completed and terminated drug projects; and 3) construct a knowledge database that can simultaneously protect proprietary data while allowing sponsor companies to understand safety issues and problems of previously developed/failed drug programs. While profound scientific and medical challenges face the FDA and industry, the first step to reducing development times and associated costs and facilitating innovation is to provide an efficient regulatory process that reduces unnecessary uncertainty and delays due to lack of communication and interaction.

q-Newton binomial: from Euler to Gauss

A counter-intuitive result of Gauss (formulae (1.6), (1.7) below) is made less mysterious by virtue of being generalized through the introduction of an additional parameter

Empirische Analyse der Nutzung elektronischer Zeitschriften

Elektronische (digitale) Zeitschriften spielen seit mehreren Jahren eine zunehmend wichtigere Rolle in der Informationsversorgung von Wissenschaft und Forschung. Während jedoch die Nutzungsformen sich so gut wie vollständig an den Standards des www mit all seinen Vorzügen orientieren, sind die Preisbildungsmechanismen noch stark an der Welt der gedruckten Zeitschriften orientiert. Sie unterliegen allerdings zur Zeit einem erheblichen Wandel, ohne dass erkennbar wäre, welche Preisstrukturen zukünftig den Markt bestimmen werden. Das seit November 2001 laufende DFG-Projekt "Perspektiven für den Bezug elektronischer Informationsressourcen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, die Marktsituation für elektronische Informationsversorgung im hochschulischen Bereich zu analysieren und davon ausgehend Perspektiven abzuleiten. In einer ersten Phase sollen zunächst die Nutzungsgewohnheiten seitens der Wissenschaftler und Studierenden untersucht werden. Die Ergebnisse werden in der vorliegenden Arbeit exemplarisch aufgezeigt, eine detaillierte Nutzungsanalyse wird zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt veröffentlicht.Since a couple of years digital journals will play an increasing role concerning information supply in the fields of science and research. But while access-mechanisms will be oriented as close as possible on the www standards , the mechanisms of price development are still influenced strongly by the printed world. At the moment they are undergoing some change but it is not seen which structures will determine the market in the near future. Within a project funded by the German Research Association (DFG), perspectives for acquisition of electronic information resources especially in German universities , the market situation should be analyzed and future activities should be recommended. In a first step the usage patterns of scientists and students have to be analyzed. The results are presented by giving selected examples whereas a more detailed analysis of usage patterns will be published later

Ausweg aus der Zeitschriftenkrise? Ein Entscheidungsmodell für den Bezug elektronischer Zeitschriften im konsortialen Rahmen

Die zunehmende Monopolisierung auf dem Markt für Informationsressourcen im akademischen Sektor führte in den vergangenen Jahren zu einer verstärkten Bildung von Bibliothekskonsortien auf der Abnehmerseite, die einen Gegenpol in Form einer Einkaufsgenossenschaft darstellen sollten [McCa02]. Diese Tendenzen lassen sich in verschiedenen Ländern wie etwa in Deutschland, England, der Schweiz und der Niederlande beobachten [Okerso]. In den USA sind Konsortien eher selten zu finden; das größte Konsortium ist hier OHIO-Link (http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/). In Deutschland richten sich die meisten Konsortien wegen der föderalen Finanzierungsstrukturen regional aus; überregionale bzw. deutschlandweite Konsortien sind derzeit noch selten. Ein Zusammenschluss auf thematischer Grundlage findet derzeit so gut wie gar nicht statt, vielmehr werden möglichst viele Bibliotheken in Konsortien unabhängig von den an den jeweiligen Standorten betriebenen Forschungsschwerpunkten eingebunden [AnDe02]...

Entanglement conditions and polynomial identities

We develop a rather general approach to entanglement characterization based on convexity properties and polynomial identities. This approach is applied to obtain simple and efficient entanglement conditions which work equally well in both discrete as well as continuous-variable environments. Examples of violations of our conditions are presented.Comment: 5 pages, no figure