2,215 research outputs found
Approximate resonance states in the semigroup decomposition of resonance evolution
The semigroup decomposition formalism makes use of the functional model for
class contractive semigroups for the description of the time evolution
of resonances. For a given scattering problem the formalism allows for the
association of a definite Hilbert space state with a scattering resonance. This
state defines a decomposition of matrix elements of the evolution into a term
evolving according to a semigroup law and a background term. We discuss the
case of multiple resonances and give a bound on the size of the background
term. As an example we treat a simple problem of scattering from a square
barrier potential on the half-line.Comment: LaTex 22 pages 3 figure
Metropolis simulations of Met-Enkephalin with solvent-accessible area parameterizations
We investigate the solvent-accessible area method by means of Metropolis
simulations of the brain peptide Met-Enkephalin at 300. For the energy
function ECEPP/2 nine atomic solvation parameter (ASP) sets are studied. The
simulations are compared with one another, with simulations with a distance
dependent electrostatic permittivity , and with vacuum
simulations (). Parallel tempering and the biased Metropolis
techniques RM are employed and their performance is evaluated. The measured
observables include energy and dihedral probability densities (pds), integrated
autocorrelation times, and acceptance rates. Two of the ASP sets turn out to be
unsuitable for these simulations. For all other systems selected configurations
are minimized in search of the global energy minima, which are found for the
vacuum and the system, but for none of the ASP models. Other
observables show a remarkable dependence on the ASPs. In particular, we find
three ASP sets for which the autocorrelations at 300K are considerably
smaller than for vacuum simulations.Comment: 10 pages and 8 figure
Beyond capitalism and liberal democracy: on the relevance of GDH Cole’s sociological critique and alternative
This article argues for a return to the social thought of the often ignored early 20th-century English thinker GDH Cole. The authors contend that Cole combined a sociological critique of capitalism and liberal democracy with a well-developed alternative in his work on guild socialism bearing particular relevance to advanced capitalist societies. Both of these, with their focus on the limitations on ‘free communal service’ in associations and the inability of capitalism to yield emancipation in either production or consumption, are relevant to social theorists looking to understand, critique and contribute to the subversion of neoliberalism. Therefore, the authors suggest that Cole’s associational sociology, and the invitation it provides to think of formations beyond capitalism and liberal democracy, is a timely and valuable resource which should be returned to
Hasbara 2.0: Israel’s Public Diplomacy in the Digital Age
The Internet has been a counter-public space for Palestinian liberation politics for over a decade, and digital technologies have become an increasingly important tool for solidarity groups across the world. However, the Israeli state and Zionist supporters worldwide are harnessing the same technologies and platforms to mobilize technology primarily to increase pro-Israel sentiments. The aims of this article are to examine hasbara [Israeli public diplomacy] through an exploration of similar diplomacy programmes; to illustrate how social media have affected the basic algorithms of hasbara; and to probe the assertions of hasbara in the light of pro-Palestinian solidarity. Through a study of public diplomacy, this article critically analyzes hasbara as a site of contestation and a method that is hampered by contradictions. On the one hand, there has been a massive growth in hasbara in recent years—indicated by the increase in funding for it and by its professionalized and centralized character; and on the other hand, hasbara has attracted sharp critiques in Israel for its reputed failures. To understand this contradiction, hasbara must be placed within the context of Israel’s settler-colonialism, which sets the state apart from other ‘post-conflict’ states. This article reviews the methods utilized in hasbara, as well as their readjustment in the context of recent wars. Events in 2014 illustrate that hasbara actually destabilizes Israel’s diplomacy. Online journalism and the suppression of solidarity for Palestine together stimulate more criticism and, in turn, help to shift public opinion. Paradoxically, therefore, adjustments (‘hasbara 2.0’) have underlined the image of Israel as a colonial power engaged in violent occupation
Anisotropic flow at RHIC: How unique is the number-of-constituent-quark scaling?
The transverse momentum dependence of the anisotropic flow for ,
, nucleon, , and is studied for Au+Au collisions at
GeV within two independent string-hadron transport
approaches (RQMD and UrQMD). Although both models reach only 60% of the
absolute magnitude of the measured , they both predict the particle type
dependence of , as observed by the RHIC experiments: exhibits a
hadron-mass hierarchy (HMH) in the low region and a
number-of-constituent-quark (NCQ) dependence in the intermediate region.
The failure of the hadronic models to reproduce the absolute magnitude of the
observed indicates that transport calculations of heavy ion collisions at
RHIC must incorporate interactions among quarks and gluons in the early, hot
and dense phase. The presence of an NCQ scaling in the string-hadron model
results suggests that the particle-type dependencies observed in heavy-ion
collisions at intermediate might be related to the hadronic cross
sections in vacuum rather than to the hadronization process itself.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures; A new author (H. Petersen) is added; A new
figure (fig.1) on time evolution of elliptic flow and number of collisions is
added; Version accepted for publication in J. Phys.
Entanglement-free Heisenberg-limited phase estimation
Measurement underpins all quantitative science. A key example is the
measurement of optical phase, used in length metrology and many other
applications. Advances in precision measurement have consistently led to
important scientific discoveries. At the fundamental level, measurement
precision is limited by the number N of quantum resources (such as photons)
that are used. Standard measurement schemes, using each resource independently,
lead to a phase uncertainty that scales as 1/sqrt(N) - known as the standard
quantum limit. However, it has long been conjectured that it should be possible
to achieve a precision limited only by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle,
dramatically improving the scaling to 1/N. It is commonly thought that
achieving this improvement requires the use of exotic quantum entangled states,
such as the NOON state. These states are extremely difficult to generate.
Measurement schemes with counted photons or ions have been performed with N <=
6, but few have surpassed the standard quantum limit and none have shown
Heisenberg-limited scaling. Here we demonstrate experimentally a
Heisenberg-limited phase estimation procedure. We replace entangled input
states with multiple applications of the phase shift on unentangled
single-photon states. We generalize Kitaev's phase estimation algorithm using
adaptive measurement theory to achieve a standard deviation scaling at the
Heisenberg limit. For the largest number of resources used (N = 378), we
estimate an unknown phase with a variance more than 10 dB below the standard
quantum limit; achieving this variance would require more than 4,000 resources
using standard interferometry. Our results represent a drastic reduction in the
complexity of achieving quantum-enhanced measurement precision.Comment: Published in Nature. This is the final versio
The Role of Color Neutrality in Nuclear Physics--Modifications of Nucleonic Wave Functions
The influence of the nuclear medium upon the internal structure of a
composite nucleon is examined. The interaction with the medium is assumed to
depend on the relative distances between the quarks in the nucleon consistent
with the notion of color neutrality, and to be proportional to the nucleon
density. In the resulting description the nucleon in matter is a superposition
of the ground state (free nucleon) and radial excitations. The effects of the
nuclear medium on the electromagnetic and weak nucleon form factors, and the
nucleon structure function are computed using a light-front constituent quark
model. Further experimental consequences are examined by considering the
electromagnetic nuclear response functions. The effects of color neutrality
supply small but significant corrections to predictions of observables.Comment: 37 pages, postscript figures available on request to
[email protected]
Relativistic Effects in the Scalar Meson Dynamics
A separable potential formalism is used to describe the and
interactions in the scalar-isoscalar states in the energy range
from the threshold up to 1.4 GeV. Introduction of relativistic
propagators into a system of Lippmann-Schwinger equations leads to a very good
description of the data ( per one degree of freedom). Three
poles are found in this energy region: fo(500) ( MeV,
MeV), fo(975) ( MeV, MeV) and
fo(1400) ( MeV, MeV). The fo(975) state can be
interpreted as a bound state. The fo(500) state may be
associated with the often postulated very broad scalar resonance under the
threshold (sometimes called or meson). The
scattering lengths in the and channels have also been
obtained. The relativistic approach provides qualitatively new results (e.g.
the appearance of the fo(500)) in comparison with previously used
nonrelativistic approach.Comment: 30 pages in LaTeX + 5 figures available on request. Preprint Orsay No
IPNO/TH 93-3
Baseline AMH Level Associated With Ovulation Following Ovulation Induction in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) reduces aromatase activity and sensitivity of follicles to FSH stimulation. Therefore, elevated serum AMH may indicate a higher threshold for response to ovulation induction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study sought to determine the association between AMH levels and ovulatory response to treatment among the women enrolled into the Pregnancy in PCOS II (PPCOS II) trial. This was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial in academic health centers throughout the United States Participants: A total of 748 women age 18-40 years, with PCOS and measured AMH levels at baseline, were included in this study. Couples were followed for up to five treatment cycles to determine ovulation (midluteal serum progesterone > 5 ng/mL) and the dose required to achieve ovulation. A lower mean AMH and AMH per follicle was observed among women who ovulated compared with women who never achieved ovulation during the study (geometric mean AMH, 5.54 vs 7.35 ng/mL; P = .0001; geometric mean AMH per follicle, 0.14 vs 0.18; P = .01) after adjustment for age, body mass index, T, and insulin level. As AMH levels increased, the dose of ovulation induction medication needed to achieve ovulation also increased. No associations were observed between antral follicle count and ovulation. These results suggest that high serum AMH is associated with a reduced response to ovulation induction among women with PCOS. Women with higher AMH levels may require higher doses of medication to achieve ovulation
The roles of herbal remedies in survival and quality of life among long-term breast cancer survivors - results of a prospective study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few data exist on survival or health-related quality of life (QOL) related to herbal remedy use among long-term breast cancer survivors. The objective of this report is to examine whether herbal remedy use is associated with survival or the health-related QOL of these long-term breast cancer survivors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 1999-2000, we collected the information of herbal remedy use and QOL during a telephone interview with 371 Los Angeles Non-Hispanic/Hispanic white women who had survived more than 10 years after breast cancer diagnosis. QOL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire. Patients were followed for mortality from the baseline interview through 2007. 299 surviving patients completed a second telephone interview on QOL in 2002-2004. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards methods to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality and applied multivariable linear regression models to compare average SF-36 change scores (follow-up - baseline) between herbal remedy users and non-users.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-nine percent of participants were herbal remedy users at baseline. The most commonly used herbal remedies were echinacea, herbal teas, and ginko biloba. Herbal remedy use was associated with non-statistically significant increases in the risks for all-cause (44 deaths, RR = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.62-2.64) and breast cancer (33 deaths, RR = 1.78, 95% CI = 0.72-4.40) mortality. Both herbal remedy users' and non-users' mental component summary scores on the SF-36 increased similarly from the first survey to the second survey (<it>P </it>= 0.16), but herbal remedy users' physical component summary scores decreased more than those of non-users (-5.7 vs. -3.2, <it>P </it>= 0.02).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data provide some evidence that herbal remedy use is associated with poorer survival and a poorer physical component score for health-related QOL among women who have survived breast cancer for at least 10 years. These conclusions are based on exploratory analyses of data from a prospective study using two-sided statistical tests with no correction for multiple testing and are limited by few deaths for mortality analysis and lack of information on when herbal remedy use was initiated or duration of or reasons for use.</p
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