An exactly solvable phase transition model: generalized statistics and generalized Bose-Einstein condensation

In this paper, we present an exactly solvable phase transition model in which the phase transition is purely statistically derived. The phase transition in this model is a generalized Bose-Einstein condensation. The exact expression of the thermodynamic quantity which can simultaneously describe both gas phase and condensed phase is solved with the help of the homogeneous Riemann-Hilbert problem, so one can judge whether there exists a phase transition and determine the phase transition point mathematically rigorously. A generalized statistics in which the maximum occupation numbers of different quantum states can take on different values is introduced, as a generalization of Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure

Part-time work and health in late careers : evidence from a longitudinal and cross-national study

In this exploratory study, we examine how older workers' part-time employment and health are associated in four countries promoting this type of employment in late careers but with a different welfare regime: the United States, Germany, Sweden, and Italy. Using data from two large representative panel surveys and conducting multichannel sequence analysis, we identified the most typical interlocked employment and health trajectories for each welfare regime and for three different age groups of women and men. We found that there is more heterogeneity in these trajectories in countries with a liberal welfare regime and among older age groups. Overall, women are more strongly represented in the part-time employment trajectories associated with lower health levels. In countries with a social-democratic or corporatist welfare regime, part-time employment in late careers tends to be associated with good health. Our findings suggest that the combination of a statutory right to work part-time in late careers with a more generous welfare regimes, may simultaneously maintain workers’ health and motivate them to remain active in the labor force

High orders of the perturbation theory for hydrogen atom in magnetic field

The states of hydrogen atom with principal quantum number $n\le3$ and zero magnetic quantum number in constant homogeneous magnetic field ${\cal H}$ are considered. The coefficients of energy eigenvalues expansion up to 75th order in powers of ${\cal H}^2$ are obtained for these states. The series for energy eigenvalues and wave functions are summed up to ${\cal H}$ values of the order of atomic magnetic field. The calculations are based on generalization of the moment method, which may be used in other cases of the hydrogen atom perturbation by a polynomial in coordinates potential.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX, 6 figures (ps, eps

A structural and biochemical model of processive chitin synthesis

Chitin synthases (CHS) produce chitin, an essential component of the fungal cell wall. The molecular mechanism of processive chitin synthesis is not understood, limiting the discovery of new inhibitors of this enzyme class. We identified the bacterial glycosyltransferase NodC as an appropriate model system to study the general structure and reaction mechanism of CHS. A high throughput screening-compatible novel assay demonstrates that a known inhibitor of fungal CHS also inhibit NodC. A structural model of NodC, on the basis of the recently published BcsA cellulose synthase structure, enabled probing of the catalytic mechanism by mutagenesis, demonstrating the essential roles of the DD and QXXRW catalytic motifs. The NodC membrane topology was mapped, validating the structural model. Together, these approaches give insight into the CHS structure and mechanism and provide a platform for the discovery of inhibitors for this antifungal target

Mechanisms of redundancy and specificity of the Aspergillus fumigatus Crh transglycosylases

Transglycosylases strengthen the fungal cell wall by forming a rigid network of crosslinks. Here, Fang et al. show that the five Crh transglycosylases of Aspergillus fumigatus are dispensable for cell wall integrity in vitro, and solve the crystal structure of Crh5 in complex with chitooligosaccharides

Charge-order transition in the extended Hubbard model on a two-leg ladder

We investigate the charge-order transition at zero temperature in a two-leg Hubbard ladder with additional nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsion V using the Density Matrix Renormalization Group technique. We consider electron densities between quarter and half filling. For quarter filling and U=8t, we find evidence for a continuous phase transition between a homogeneous state at small V and a broken-symmetry state with "checkerboard" [wavevector Q=(pi,pi)] charge order at large V. This transition to a checkerboard charge-ordered state remains present at all larger fillings, but becomes discontinuous at sufficiently large filling. We discuss the influence of U/t on the transition and estimate the position of the tricritical points.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figs, minor changes, accepted for publication in PRB R

Phase diagram of the quarter-filled extended Hubbard model on a two-leg ladder

We investigate the ground-state phase diagram of the quarter-filled Hubbard ladder with nearest-neighbor Coulomb repulsion V using the Density Matrix Renormalization Group technique. The ground-state is homogeneous at small V, a ``checkerboard'' charge--ordered insulator at large V and not too small on-site Coulomb repulsion U, and is phase-separated for moderate or large V and small U. The zero-temperature transition between the homogeneous and the charge-ordered phase is found to be second order. In both the homogeneous and the charge-ordered phases the existence of a spin gap mainly depends on the ratio of interchain to intrachain hopping. In the second part of the paper, we construct an effective Hamiltonian for the spin degrees of freedom in the strong-coupling charge-ordered regime which maps the system onto a frustrated spin chain. The opening of a spin gap is thus connected with spontaneous dimerization.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, submitted to PRB, presentation revised, new results added (metallic phase at small U and V

Bond-charge Interaction in the extended Hubbard chain

We study the effects of bond-charge interaction (or correlated hopping) on the properties of the extended ({\it i.e.,} with both on-site ($U$) and nearest-neighbor ($V$) repulsions) Hubbard model in one dimension at half-filling. Energy gaps and correlation functions are calculated by Lanczos diagonalization on finite systems. We find that, irrespective of the sign of the bond-charge interaction, $X$, the charge--density-wave (CDW) state is more robust than the spin--density-wave (SDW) state. A small bond-charge interaction term is enough to make the differences between the CDW and SDW correlation functions much less dramatic than when $X=0$. For $X=t$ and fixed $V<2t$ ($t$ is the uncorrelated hopping integral), there is an intermediate phase between a charge ordered phase and a phase corresponding to singly-occupied sites, the nature of which we clarify: it is characterized by a succession of critical points, each of which corresponding to a different density of doubly-occupied sites. We also find an unusual slowly decaying staggered spin-density correlation function, which is suggestive of some degree of ordering. No enhancement of pairing correlations was found for any $X$ in the range examined.Comment: 10 pages, 7 PostScript figures, RevTeX 3; to appear in Phys Rev

Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking: 20 Years of Progress

In human addicts, drug relapse and craving are often provoked by stress. Since 1995, this clinical scenario has been studied using a rat model of stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Here, we first discuss the generality of stress-induced reinstatement to different drugs of abuse, different stressors, and different behavioral procedures. We also discuss neuropharmacological mechanisms, and brain areas and circuits controlling stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We conclude by discussing results from translational human laboratory studies and clinical trials that were inspired by results from rat studies on stress-induced reinstatement. Our main conclusions are (1) The phenomenon of stress-induced reinstatement, first shown with an intermittent footshock stressor in rats trained to self-administer heroin, generalizes to other abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and alcohol, and is also observed in the conditioned place preference model in rats and mice. This phenomenon, however, is stressor specific and not all stressors induce reinstatement of drug seeking. (2) Neuropharmacological studies indicate the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, kappa/dynorphin, and several other peptide and neurotransmitter systems in stress-induced reinstatement. Neuropharmacology and circuitry studies indicate the involvement of CRF and noradrenaline transmission in bed nucleus of stria terminalis and central amygdala, and dopamine, CRF, kappa/dynorphin, and glutamate transmission in other components of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system (ventral tegmental area, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens). (3) Translational human laboratory studies and a recent clinical trial study show the efficacy of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists in decreasing stress-induced drug craving and stress-induced initial heroin lapse