8,183 research outputs found
The Hodge ring of Kaehler manifolds
We determine the structure of the Hodge ring, a natural object encoding the
Hodge numbers of all compact Kaehler manifolds. As a consequence of this
structure, there are no unexpected relations among the Hodge numbers, and no
essential differences between the Hodge numbers of smooth complex projective
varieties and those of arbitrary Kaehler manifolds. The consideration of
certain natural ideals in the Hodge ring allows us to determine exactly which
linear combinations of Hodge numbers are birationally invariant, and which are
topological invariants. Combining the Hodge and unitary bordism rings, we are
also able to treat linear combinations of Hodge and Chern numbers. In
particular, this leads to a complete solution of a classical problem of
Hirzebruch's.Comment: Dedicated to the memory of F. Hirzebruch. To appear in Compositio
Mat
InSb charge coupled infrared imaging device: The 20 element linear imager
The design and fabrication of the 8585 InSb charge coupled infrared imaging device (CCIRID) chip are reported. The InSb material characteristics are described along with mask and process modifications. Test results for the 2- and 20-element CCIRID's are discussed, including gate oxide characteristics, charge transfer efficiency, optical mode of operation, and development of the surface potential diagram
Open-source development experiences in scientific software: the HANDE quantum Monte Carlo project
The HANDE quantum Monte Carlo project offers accessible stochastic algorithms
for general use for scientists in the field of quantum chemistry. HANDE is an
ambitious and general high-performance code developed by a
geographically-dispersed team with a variety of backgrounds in computational
science. In the course of preparing a public, open-source release, we have
taken this opportunity to step back and look at what we have done and what we
hope to do in the future. We pay particular attention to development processes,
the approach taken to train students joining the project, and how a flat
hierarchical structure aids communicationComment: 6 pages. Submission to WSSSPE
Metastable Quantum Phase Transitions in a Periodic One-dimensional Bose Gas: Mean-Field and Bogoliubov Analyses
We generalize the concept of quantum phase transitions, which is
conventionally defined for a ground state and usually applied in the
thermodynamic limit, to one for \emph{metastable states} in \emph{finite size
systems}. In particular, we treat the one-dimensional Bose gas on a ring in the
presence of both interactions and rotation. To support our study, we bring to
bear mean-field theory, i.e., the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation, and linear
perturbation or Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory. Both methods give a consistent
result in the weakly interacting regime: there exist \emph{two topologically
distinct quantum phases}. The first is the typical picture of superfluidity in
a Bose-Einstein condensate on a ring: average angular momentum is quantized and
the superflow is uniform. The second is new: one or more dark solitons appear
as stationary states, breaking the symmetry, the average angular momentum
becomes a continuous quantity, and the phase of the condensate can be
continuously wound and unwound
Universal Mandelbrot Set as a Model of Phase Transition Theory
The study of Mandelbrot Sets (MS) is a promising new approach to the phase
transition theory. We suggest two improvements which drastically simplify the
construction of MS. They could be used to modify the existing computer programs
so that they start building MS properly not only for the simplest families.
This allows us to add one more parameter to the base function of MS and
demonstrate that this is not enough to make the phase diagram connectedComment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Novel performance-based technique for predicting maintenance strategy of bitumen stabilised ballast
Despite being the most used worldwide, railway ballasted tracks presents high maintenance cost related to ballast settlement and particle degradation. With the aim of reducing life cycle costs, bitumen stabilised ballast (BSB) has been recently proposed as a relatively cheap alternative maintenance solution to be applied to existing tracks. This study aims at assessing the potential advantages of this technology, defining a novel maintenance strategy of traditional ballasted track- beds. A protocol for the application of the BSB technology and its associated maintenance strategy is defined. To estimate minor and major maintenance operations of BSB scenario in comparison to traditional ballasted track-bed, an integrated model, based on laboratory tests, combining the evolution of track irregularities and ballast contamination with traffic, was used. Results together with a sensitivity analysis related to main parameters adopted revealed that the application of BSB is expected to provide a significant increase of intervals between both minor and major maintenance activities
The effect of adding comorbidities to current centers for disease control and prevention central-line–associated bloodstream infection risk-adjustment methodology
BACKGROUNDRisk adjustment is needed to fairly compare central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates between hospitals. Until 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) methodology adjusted CLABSI rates only by type of intensive care unit (ICU). The 2017 CDC models also adjust for hospital size and medical school affiliation. We hypothesized that risk adjustment would be improved by including patient demographics and comorbidities from electronically available hospital discharge codes.METHODSUsing a cohort design across 22 hospitals, we analyzed data from ICU patients admitted between January 2012 and December 2013. Demographics and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) discharge codes were obtained for each patient, and CLABSIs were identified by trained infection preventionists. Models adjusting only for ICU type and for ICU type plus patient case mix were built and compared using discrimination and standardized infection ratio (SIR). Hospitals were ranked by SIR for each model to examine and compare the changes in rank.RESULTSOverall, 85,849 ICU patients were analyzed and 162 (0.2%) developed CLABSI. The significant variables added to the ICU model were coagulopathy, paralysis, renal failure, malnutrition, and age. The C statistics were 0.55 (95% CI, 0.51–0.59) for the ICU-type model and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.60–0.69) for the ICU-type plus patient case-mix model. When the hospitals were ranked by adjusted SIRs, 10 hospitals (45%) changed rank when comorbidity was added to the ICU-type model.CONCLUSIONSOur risk-adjustment model for CLABSI using electronically available comorbidities demonstrated better discrimination than did the CDC model. The CDC should strongly consider comorbidity-based risk adjustment to more accurately compare CLABSI rates across hospitals.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1019–1024</jats:sec
Bound state energies and phase shifts of a non-commutative well
Non-commutative quantum mechanics can be viewed as a quantum system
represented in the space of Hilbert-Schmidt operators acting on non-commutative
configuration space. Within this framework an unambiguous definition can be
given for the non-commutative well. Using this approach we compute the bound
state energies, phase shifts and scattering cross sections of the non-
commutative well. As expected the results are very close to the commutative
results when the well is large or the non-commutative parameter is small.
However, the convergence is not uniform and phase shifts at certain energies
exhibit a much stronger then expected dependence on the non-commutative
parameter even at small values.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
Computational simulations of thrombolytic therapy in acute ischaemic stroke
Ischaemic stroke can occur when an artery to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. The use of thrombolytic agents, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), to dissolve the occluding clot is limited by the risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), a known side effect associated with tPA. We developed a computational thrombolysis model for a 3D patient-specific artery coupled with a compartmental model for temporal concentrations of tPA and lysis proteins during intravenous infusion of tPA, in order to evaluate the effects of tPA dose on the efficacy of thrombolytic therapy and the risk of ICH. The model was applied to a 3-mm-long fibrin clot with two different fibrin fibre radii in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) – a setting relevant to ischaemic stroke, and results for different tPA dose levels and fibrin fibre radii were compared. Our simulation results showed that clot lysis was accelerated at higher tPA doses at the expense of a substantial increase in the risk of ICH. It was also found that a fine clot with a smaller fibre radius dissolved much slowly than a coarse clot due to a slower tPA penetration into the clots
The Large, Oxygen-Rich Halos of Star-Forming Galaxies Are A Major Reservoir of Galactic Metals
The circumgalactic medium (CGM) is fed by galaxy outflows and accretion of
intergalactic gas, but its mass, heavy element enrichment, and relation to
galaxy properties are poorly constrained by observations. In a survey of the
outskirts of 42 galaxies with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph onboard the
Hubble Space Telescope, we detected ubiquitous, large (150 kiloparsec) halos of
ionized oxygen surrounding star-forming galaxies, but we find much less ionized
oxygen around galaxies with little or no star formation. This ionized CGM
contains a substantial mass of heavy elements and gas, perhaps far exceeding
the reservoirs of gas in the galaxies themselves. It is a basic component of
nearly all star-forming galaxies that is removed or transformed during the
quenching of star formation and the transition to passive evolution.Comment: This paper is part of a set of three papers on circumgalactic gas
observed with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on HST, to be published in
Science, together with related papers by Tripp et al. and Lehner & Howk, in
the November 18, 2011 edition. This version has not undergone final
copyediting. Please see Science online for the final printed versio
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