1,545 research outputs found
Impact of microphysics on the growth of one-dimensional breath figures
Droplet patterns condensing on solid substrates (breath figures) tend to
evolve into a self-similar regime, characterized by a bimodal droplet size
distribution. The distributions comprise a bell-shaped peak of monodisperse
large droplets, and a broad range of smaller droplets. The size distribution of
the latter follows a scaling law characterized by a non-trivial polydispersity
exponent. We present here a numerical model for three-dimensional droplets on a
one-dimensional substrate (fiber) that accounts for droplet nucleation, growth
and merging. The polydispersity exponent retrieved using this model is not
universal. Rather it depends on the thickness of the fiber and on details of
the droplet interaction leading to merging. In addition, its values
consistently differ from the theoretical prediction by Blackman (Phys. Rev.
Lett., 2000). Possible causes of this discrepancy are pointed out
The future of insurance intermediation in the age of the digital platform economy
Today most insurance is sold by over a million brokers and independent agents acting as intermediaries between the insurance companies and their customers. Digitalization and changing customer behavior have fostered the development of insurtech businesses, and, more recently, multi-sided platforms are emerging as new market forms for insurance intermediation. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of how the emergence of the platform economy with a market dominated by multi-sided platforms potentially impacts insurance intermediation in the future. Using inductive content analysis on the results of a systematic literature review of the body of research on insurance intermediation, we identify the key functional roles fulfilled by insurance intermediaries. Applying these roles to a literature review on multi-sided platforms allows us to compare how different market forms and players embody the functional roles of intermediaries. Our findings suggest that multi-sided platforms are better able to perform certain roles in terms of agility, scale and scope, and we discuss the future role of platforms in insurance intermediation
Pion-nucleus optical potential valid up to the DELTA-resonance region
We present in this article an optical potential for the -nucleus
interaction that can be used in various studies involving -nucleus
channels. Based on earlier treatments of the low energy -nucleus optical
potential, we have derived a potential expression applicable from threshold up
to the -resonance region. We extracted the impulse approximation form
for this potential from the scattering amplitude and then added to it
kinematical and physical corrections. The kinematic corrections arise from
transforming the impulse approximation expression from the center of
mass frame to the -nucleus center of mass frame, while the physical
corrections arise mostly from the many-body nature of the -nucleus
interaction. By taking advantage of the experimental progress in our knowledge
of the process, we have updated earlier treatments with parameters
calculated from state-of-the-art experimental measurements.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review
Lessons to be learned from the coherent photoproduction of pseudoscalar mesons
We study the coherent photoproduction of pseudoscalar mesons---particularly
of neutral pions---placing special emphasis on the various sources that put
into question earlier nonrelativistic-impulse-approximation calculations. These
include: final-state interactions, relativistic effects, off-shell ambiguities,
and violations to the impulse approximation. We establish that, while
distortions play an essential role in the modification of the coherent cross
section, the uncertainty in our results due to the various choices of
optical-potential models is relatively small (of at most 30%). By far the
largest uncertainty emerges from the ambiguity in extending the many
on-shell-equivalent representations of the elementary amplitude off the mass
shell. Indeed, relativistic impulse-approximation calculations that include the
same pionic distortions, the same nuclear-structure model, and two sets of
elementary amplitudes that are identical on-shell, lead to variations in the
magnitude of the coherent cross section by up to factors of five. Finally, we
address qualitatively the assumption of locality implicit in most
impulse-approximation treatments, and suggest that the coherent reaction
probes---in addition to the nuclear density---the polarization structure of the
nucleus.Comment: Manuscript is 27 pages long and includes 11 eps figure
Cross-verification of independent quantum devices
Quantum computers are on the brink of surpassing the capabilities of even the
most powerful classical computers. This naturally raises the question of how
one can trust the results of a quantum computer when they cannot be compared to
classical simulation. Here we present a verification technique that exploits
the principles of measurement-based quantum computation to link quantum
circuits of different input size, depth, and structure. Our approach enables
consistency checks of quantum computations within a device, as well as between
independent devices. We showcase our protocol by applying it to five
state-of-the-art quantum processors, based on four distinct physical
architectures: nuclear magnetic resonance, superconducting circuits, trapped
ions, and photonics, with up to 6 qubits and 200 distinct circuits
A novel computer adaptive word list memory test optimized for remote assessment: Psychometric properties and associations with neurodegenerative biomarkers in older women without dementia
Introduction: This study established the psychometric properties and preliminary validity of the Stricker Learning Span (SLS), a novel computer adaptive word list memory test designed for remote assessment and optimized for smartphone use.
Methods: Women enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Specialized Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) were recruited via e-mail or phone to complete two remote cognitive testing sessions. Convergent validity was assessed through correlation with previously administered in-person neuropsychological tests (n = 96, ages 55-79) and criterion validity through associations with magnetic resonance imaging measures of neurodegeneration sensitive to Alzheimer\u27s disease (n = 47).
Results: SLS performance significantly correlated with the Auditory Verbal Learning Test and measures of neurodegeneration (temporal meta-regions of interest and entorhinal cortical thickness, adjusting for age and education). Test-retest reliabilities across two sessions were 0.71-0.76 (two-way mixed intraclass correlation coefficients).
Discussion: The SLS is a valid and reliable self-administered memory test that shows promise for remote assessment of aging and neurodegenerative disorders
Influence of the in-medium pion dispersion relation in heavy ion collisions
We investigate the influence of medium corrections to the pion dispersion
relation on the pion dynamics in intermediate energy heavy ion collisions. To
do so a pion potential is extracted from the in-medium dispersion relation and
used in QMD calculations and thus we take care of both, real and imaginary part
of the pion optical potential. The potentials are determined from different
sources, i.e. from the --hole model and from phenomenological
approaches. Depending on the strength of the potential a reduction of the
anti-correlation of pion and nucleon flow in non-central collisions is observed
as well as an enhancement of the high energetic yield in transverse pion
spectra. A comparison to experiments, in particular to -spectra for the
reaction Ca+Ca at 1 GeV/nucleon and the pion in-plane flow in Ne+Pb collisions
at 800 MeV/nucleon, generally favours a weak potential.Comment: 25 pages, using REVTeX, 6 postscript figures; replaced by published
versio
The PDZ domain of the SpoIVB serine peptidase facilitates multiple functions
During spore formation in Bacillus subtilis, the SpoIVB protein is a critical component of the sigma (K) regulatory checkpoint. SpoIVB has been shown to be a serine peptidase that is synthesized in the spore chamber and which self-cleaves, releasing active forms. These forms can signal proteolytic processing of the transcription factor sigma (K) in the outer mother cell chamber of the sporulating cell. This forms the basis of the sigma (K) checkpoint and ensures accurate sigma (K)-controlled gene expression. SpoIVB has also been shown to activate a second distinct process, termed the second function, which is essential for the formation of heat-resistant spores. In addition to the serine peptidase domain, SpoIVB contains a PDZ domain. We have altered a number of conserved residues in the PDZ domain by site-directed mutagenesis and assayed the sporulation phenotype and signaling properties of mutant SpoIVB proteins. Our work has revealed that the SpoIVB PDZ domain could be used for up to four distinct processes, (i) targeting of itself for trans proteolysis, (11) binding to the protease inhibitor BofC, (iii) signaling of pro-sigma (K) processing, and (iv) signaling of the second function of SpoIVB
Quasifree Pion Electroproduction from Nuclei in the Region
We present calculations of the reaction in the
distorted wave impulse approximation. The reaction allows for the study of the
production process in the nuclear medium without being obscured by the details
of nuclear transition densities. First, a pion electroproduction operator
suitable for nuclear calculations is obtained by extending the Blomqvist-Laget
photoproduction operator to the virtual photon case. The operator is gauge
invariant, unitary, reference frame independent, and describes the existing
data reasonably well. Then it is applied in nuclei to predict nuclear cross
sections under a variety of kinematic arrangements. Issues such as the effects
of gauge-fixing, the interference of the resonance with the
background, sensitivities to the quadrupole component of the
excitation and to the electromagnetic form factors, the role of final-state
interactions, are studied in detail. Methods on how to experimentally separate
the various pieces in the coincidence cross section are suggested. Finally, the
model is compared to a recent SLAC experiment.Comment: 27 pages in REVTEX, plus 22 PS figures embedded using psfig.sty
(included), uuencode
Utilisation of cardiac pacemakers over a 20-year period: Results from a nationwide pacemaker registry
The implantation of cardiac pacemakers has become a well-established therapy for conduction disorders and sinus node dysfunction. In many countries pacemaker registries have been initiated in order to collect information on patient characteristics, trends in numbers and the types of pacemakers used, to identify problematic devices, and for safety monitoring. For this utilisation study the Central Pacemaker Patients Registration (CPPR) from the Netherlands Pacemaker Registry Foundation (CPPR-SPRN) containing data collected for more than 20 years was used. During this period nearly 97,000 first pacemakers were implanted. Analyses show an increase in the rate of implanted devices. The change in pacemaker type from VVI to DDD, followed by biventricular stimulation, is reflected by the number of simultaneously implanted leads, which is partly a consequence of cardiac resynchronisation therapy. Our data demonstrate that indications for implantation and type of pacemaker are comparable with other European countries
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