502 research outputs found
The Boson peak and the phonons in glasses
Despite the presence of topological disorder, phonons seem to exist also in
glasses at very high frequencies (THz) and they remarkably persist into the
supercooled liquid. A universal feature of such a systems is the Boson peak, an
excess of states over the standard Debye contribution at the vibrational
density of states. Exploiting the euclidean random matrix theory of vibrations
in amorphous systems we show that this peak is the signature of a phase
transition in the space of the stationary points of the energy, from a
minima-dominated phase (with phonons) at low energy to a saddle-point dominated
phase (without phonons). The theoretical predictions are checked by means of
numeric simulations.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Slow dynamics in
complex sistems", Sendai (Japan) 200
Anderson Localization in Euclidean Random Matrices
We study spectra and localization properties of Euclidean random matrices.
The problem is approximately mapped onto that of a matrix defined on a random
graph. We introduce a powerful method to find the density of states and the
localization threshold. We solve numerically an exact equation for the
probability distribution function of the diagonal element of the the resolvent
matrix, with a population dynamics algorithm, and we show how this can be used
to find the localization threshold. An application of the method in the context
of the Instantaneous Normal Modes of a liquid system is given.Comment: 4 page
Regulatory networks and connected components of the neutral space
The functioning of a living cell is largely determined by the structure of
its regulatory network, comprising non-linear interactions between regulatory
genes. An important factor for the stability and evolvability of such
regulatory systems is neutrality - typically a large number of alternative
network structures give rise to the necessary dynamics. Here we study the
discretized regulatory dynamics of the yeast cell cycle [Li et al., PNAS, 2004]
and the set of networks capable of reproducing it, which we call functional.
Among these, the empirical yeast wildtype network is close to optimal with
respect to sparse wiring. Under point mutations, which establish or delete
single interactions, the neutral space of functional networks is fragmented
into 4.7 * 10^8 components. One of the smaller ones contains the wildtype
network. On average, functional networks reachable from the wildtype by
mutations are sparser, have higher noise resilience and fewer fixed point
attractors as compared with networks outside of this wildtype component.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Experiences of patients with Poland syndrome of diagnosis and care in Italy: A pilot survey
Background: Poland Syndrome (PS) is a rare congenital malformation involving functional and aesthetic impairments. Early diagnosis and timely therapeutic approaches play an important role in improving the quality of life of patients and kindred. This study aims to explore healthcare experiences of the diagnosis of patients affected by PS and to investigate the factors associated with diagnostic delay in Italy. Results: Seventy-two patients affected by PS were asked to fill in a self-administered questionnaire on: a) diagnostic path; b) perceived quality of care received after diagnosis; c) knowledge of the rights and the socio-economic hardships related to their disease; d) evaluation of the integration of various professional skills involved in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach; e) perception of the social support provided by the Italian Association of Poland Syndrome (AISP). The average age at diagnosis was around 14 years; diagnosis was made at birth in only 31.58% of cases. Although typical symptomatology had appeared on average at an early age (4 months), only 23 patients (40.35%) received an early diagnosis (within the first year of life). Just over half of the patients (n = 30) were diagnosed in their region of origin, while 27 were diagnosed elsewhere. Furthermore, 12.28% were self-diagnoses. Among the patients who were diagnosed outside their region, 15 (88.24%) stated they had foregone some visits or treatments owing to costs and/or organizational issues. Conclusions: An analysis of the patients' experiences highlights several gaps and a lack of homogeneity in the diagnostic and therapeutic follow-up of PS patients in Italy. A specific national diagnostic and therapeutic path is essential to guarantee patients complete and appropriate health services, compliant with the ethical principles of non-discrimination, justice and empathy. Implementation of an effective information and research network and empowerment of patients' associations are necessary conditions to encourage clinical collaboration and improve the quality of life of people living with rare diseases
On the origin of the Boson peak in globular proteins
We study the Boson Peak phenomenology experimentally observed in globular
proteins by means of elastic network models. These models are suitable for an
analytic treatment in the framework of Euclidean Random Matrix theory, whose
predictions can be numerically tested on real proteins structures. We find that
the emergence of the Boson Peak is strictly related to an intrinsic mechanical
instability of the protein, in close similarity to what is thought to happen in
glasses. The biological implications of this conclusion are also discussed by
focusing on a representative case study.Comment: Proceedings of the X International Workshop on Disordered Systems,
Molveno (2006
Study of MicroPattern Gaseous detectors with novel nanodiamond based photocathodes for single photon detection in EIC RICH
Identification of high momentum hadrons at the future EIC is crucial, gaseous
RICH detectors are therefore viable option. Compact collider setups impose to
construct RICHes with small radiator length, hence significantly limiting the
number of detected photons. More photons can be detected in the far UV region,
using a windowless RICH approach. QE of CsI degrades under strong irradiation
and air contamination. Nanodiamond based photocathodes (PCs) are being
developed as an alternative to CsI. Recent development of layers of
hydrogenated nanodiamond powders as an alternative photosensitive material and
their performance, when coupled to the THick Gaseous Electron Multipliers
(THGEM)-based detectors, are the objects of an ongoing R\&D. We report about
the initial phase of our studies.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figures, RICH2018 conference proceedin
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