3,215 research outputs found
Edge Current due to Majorana Fermions in Superfluid He A- and B-Phases
We propose a method utilizing edge current to observe Majorana fermions in
the surface Andreev bound state for the superfluid He A- and B-phases. The
proposal is based on self-consistent analytic solutions of quasi-classical
Green's function with an edge. The local density of states and edge mass
current in the A-phase or edge spin current in the B-phase can be obtained from
these solutions. The edge current carried by the Majorana fermions is partially
cancelled by quasiparticles (QPs) in the continuum state outside the superfluid
gap. QPs contributing to the edge current in the continuum state are
distributed in energy even away from the superfluid gap. The effect of Majorana
fermions emerges in the depletion of the edge current by temperature within a
low-temperature range. The observations that the reduction in the mass current
is changed by -power in the A-phase and the reduction in the spin current
is changed by -power in the B-phase establish the existence of Majorana
fermions. We also point out another possibility for observing Majorana fermions
by controlling surface roughness.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, published versio
Meteor radiant mapping with MU radar
The radiant point mapping of meteor showers with the MU radar by using a modified mapping method originally proposed by Morton and Jones (1982) was carried out. The modification is that each meteor echo was weighted by using the beam pattern of the radar system. A preliminary result of the radiant point mapping of the Geminids meteor shower in 1989 is presented
A Nonlinear Adiabatic Theorem for Coherent States
We consider the propagation of wave packets for a one-dimensional nonlinear
Schrodinger equation with a matrix-valued potential, in the semi-classical
limit. For an initial coherent state polarized along some eigenvector, we prove
that the nonlinear evolution preserves the separation of modes, in a scaling
such that nonlinear effects are critical (the envelope equation is nonlinear).
The proof relies on a fine geometric analysis of the role of spectral
projectors, which is compatible with the treatment of nonlinearities. We also
prove a nonlinear superposition principle for these adiabatic wave packets.Comment: 21 pages, no figur
Evidence for time-reversal symmetry breaking of the superconducting state near twin-boundary interfaces in FeSe
Junctions and interfaces consisting of unconventional superconductors provide
an excellent experimental playground to study exotic phenomena related to the
phase of the order parameter. Not only the complex structure of unconventional
order parameters have an impact on the Josephson effects, but also may
profoundly alter the quasi-particle excitation spectrum near a junction. Here,
by using spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we visualize the
spatial evolution of the local density of states (LDOS) near twin boundaries
(TBs) of the nodal superconductor FeSe. The rotation of the
crystallographic orientation across the TB twists the structure of the
unconventional order parameter, which may, in principle, bring about a
zero-energy LDOS peak at the TB. The LDOS at the TB observed in our study, in
contrast, does not exhibit any signature of a zero-energy peak and an apparent
gap amplitude remains finite all the way across the TB. The low-energy
quasiparticle excitations associated with the gap nodes are affected by the TB
over a distance more than an order of magnitude larger than the coherence
length . The modification of the low-energy states is even more
prominent in the region between two neighboring TBs separated by a distance
. In this region the spectral weight near the Fermi level
(0.2~meV) due to the nodal quasiparticle spectrum is almost
completely removed. These behaviors suggest that the TB induces a fully-gapped
state, invoking a possible twist of the order parameter structure which breaks
time-reversal symmetry.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Around ten percent of most recent Cochrane reviews included outcomes in their literature search strategy and were associated with potentially exaggerated results: A research-on-research study
[Objectives] To assess the proportion of the recent Cochrane reviews that included outcomes in their literature search strategy, how often they acknowledged these limitations, and how qualitatively different the results of outcomes included and not included in the search strategy were. [Design and Setting] We identified all the Cochrane reviews of the interventions published in 2020 that used a search strategy connecting outcome terms with “AND.” Reviews were defined as acknowledging the limitations of searching for outcomes if they mentioned them in the discussion. We compared the characteristics of outcomes included and not included in the search strategy. [Results] Of the 523 Cochrane reviews published in 2020, 51 (9.8%) included outcomes in their search strategy. Only one review acknowledged it as a limitation. Forty-seven (92%) assessed outcomes not included in the search strategy. Outcomes included in the search strategies tended to include a larger number of studies and show their effects in favor of the intervention. [Conclusions] Around ten percent of the recent Cochrane reviews included outcomes in their search, which may have resulted in more outcomes significantly in favor of the intervention. Reviewers should be more explicit in acknowledging the potential implications of searching for outcomes
Development of a novel DDS for site-specific PEGylated proteins
Because of the shifted focus in life science research from genome analyses to genetic and protein function analyses, we now know functions of numerous proteins. These analyses, including those of newly identified proteins, are expected to contribute to the identification of proteins of therapeutic value in various diseases. Consequently, pharmacoproteomic-based drug discovery and development of protein therapies attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. Clinical applications of most of these proteins are, however, limited because of their unexpectedly low therapeutic effects, resulting from the proteolytic degradation in vivo followed by rapid removal from the circulatory system. Therefore, frequent administration of excessively high dose of a protein is required to observe its therapeutic effect in vivo. This often results in impaired homeostasis in vivo and leads to severe adverse effects. To overcome these problems, we have devised a method for chemical modification of proteins with polyethylene glycol (PEGylation) and other water-soluble polymers. In addition, we have established a method for creating functional mutant proteins (muteins) with desired properties, and developed a site-specific polymer-conjugation method to further improve their therapeutic potency. In this review, we are introducing our original protein-drug innovation system mentioned above
Acoustic radiation controls friction: Evidence from a spring-block experiment
Brittle failures of materials and earthquakes generate acoustic/seismic waves
which lead to radiation damping feedbacks that should be introduced in the
dynamical equations of crack motion. We present direct experimental evidence of
the importance of this feedback on the acoustic noise spectrum of
well-controlled spring-block sliding experiments performed on a variety of
smooth surfaces. The full noise spectrum is quantitatively explained by a
simple noisy harmonic oscillator equation with a radiation damping force
proportional to the derivative of the acceleration, added to a standard viscous
term.Comment: 4 pages including 3 figures. Replaced with version accepted in PR
The impact of continuity correction methods in Cochrane reviews with single-zero trials with rare events: A meta-epidemiological study.
Meta-analyses examining dichotomous outcomes often include single-zero studies, where no events occur in intervention or control groups. These pose challenges, and several methods have been proposed to address them. A fixed continuity correction method has been shown to bias estimates, but it is frequently used because sometimes software (e.g., RevMan software in Cochrane reviews) uses it as a default. We aimed to empirically compare results using the continuity correction with those using alternative models that do not require correction. To this aim, we reanalyzed the original data from 885 meta-analyses in Cochrane reviews using the following methods: (i) Mantel-Haenszel model with a fixed continuity correction, (ii) random effects inverse variance model with a fixed continuity correction, (iii) Peto method (the three models available in RevMan), (iv) random effects inverse variance model with the treatment arm continuity correction, (v) Mantel-Haenszel model without correction, (vi) logistic regression, and (vii) a Bayesian random effects model with binominal likelihood. For each meta-analysis we calculated ratios of odds ratios between all methods, to assess how the choice of method may impact results. Ratios of odds ratios <0.8 or <1.25 were seen in ~30% of the existing meta-analyses when comparing results between Mantel-Haenszel model with a fixed continuity correction and either Mantel-Haenszel model without correction or logistic regression. We concluded that injudicious use of the fixed continuity correction in existing Cochrane reviews may have substantially influenced effect estimates in some cases. Future updates of RevMan should incorporate less biased statistical methods
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