Running with rugby balls: bulk renormalization of codimension-2 branes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, M.; Burgess, C. P.; van Nierop, L.; Salvio, A.

2013-01-01

We compute how one-loop bulk effects renormalize both bulk and brane effective interactions for geometries sourced by codimension-two branes. We do so by explicitly integrating out spin-zero, -half and -one particles in 6-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Scalar theories compactified to 4 dimensions on a flux-stabilized 2D geometry. (Our methods apply equally well for D dimensions compactified to D - 2 dimensions, although our explicit formulae do not capture all divergences when D > 6.) The renormalization of bulk interactions are independent of the boundary conditions assumed at the brane locations, and reproduce standard heat-kernel calculations. Boundary conditions at any particular brane do affect how bulk loops renormalize this brane's effective action, but not the renormalization of other distant branes. Although we explicitly compute our loops using a rugby ball geometry, because we follow only UV effects our results apply more generally to any geometry containing codimension-two sources with conical singularities. Our results have a variety of uses, including calculating the UV sensitivity of one-loop vacuum energy seen by observers localized on the brane. We show how these one-loop effects combine in a surprising way with bulk back-reaction to give the complete low-energy effective cosmological constant, and comment on the relevance of this calculation to proposed applications of codimension-two 6D models to solutions of the hierarchy and cosmological constant problems.

One-loop Pfaffians and large-field inflation in string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruehle, Fabian; Wieck, Clemens

2017-06-01

We study the consistency of large-field inflation in low-energy effective field theories of string theory. In particular, we focus on the stability of Kähler moduli in the particularly interesting case where the non-perturbative superpotential of the Kähler sector explicitly depends on the inflaton field. This situation arises generically due to one-loop corrections to the instanton action. The field dependence of the modulus potential feeds back into the inflationary dynamics, potentially impairing slow roll. We distinguish between world-sheet instantons from Euclidean D-branes, which typically yield polynomial one-loop Pfaffians, and gaugino condensates, which can yield exponential or periodic corrections. In all scenarios successful slow-roll inflation imposes bounds on the magnitude of the one-loop correction, corresponding to constraints on possible compactifications. While we put a certain emphasis on Type IIB constructions with mobile D7-branes, our results seem to apply more generally.

Closing the Feedback Loop: Ensuring Effective Action from Student Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Sarah

2003-01-01

Feedback from students can inform improvement in higher education institutions and be part of the students' role in university management. To be effective it is important to"close the loop": from student views, through identifying issues and delegating responsibility for action, to informing students of the action resulting from their expressed…

Beyond Poisson-Boltzmann: Fluctuation effects and correlation functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Netz, R. R.; Orland, H.

2000-02-01

We formulate the exact non-linear field theory for a fluctuating counter-ion distribution in the presence of a fixed, arbitrary charge distribution. The Poisson-Boltzmann equation is obtained as the saddle-point of the field-theoretic action, and the effects of counter-ion fluctuations are included by a loop-wise expansion around this saddle point. The Poisson equation is obeyed at each order in this loop expansion. We explicitly give the expansion of the Gibbs potential up to two loops. We then apply our field-theoretic formalism to the case of a single impenetrable wall with counter ions only (in the absence of salt ions). We obtain the fluctuation corrections to the electrostatic potential and the counter-ion density to one-loop order without further approximations. The relative importance of fluctuation corrections is controlled by a single parameter, which is proportional to the cube of the counter-ion valency and to the surface charge density. The effective interactions and correlation functions between charged particles close to the charged wall are obtained on the one-loop level.

Unexpected Extra-renal Effects of Loop Diuretics in the Preterm Neonate

PubMed Central

Cotton, Robert; Suarez, Sandra; Reese, Jeff

2012-01-01

The loop diuretics furosemide and bumetanide are commonly used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Furosemide, due to its actions on the ubiquitous NKCC1 co-transporter and its promotion of prostanoid production and release, also has non-diuretic effects on vascular smooth muscle, airways, the ductus arteriosus, and theoretically the gastrointestinal tract. Loop diuretics also affect the central nervous system through the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA. Conclusion The loop diuretics have a variety of biological effects that are potentially harmful as well as beneficial. Care should be taken with the use of these agents since the range of their effects may be broader than the single action sought by the prescribing physician. PMID:22536874

The ξ/ξ2nd ratio as a test for Effective Polyakov Loop Actions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caselle, Michele; Nada, Alessandro

2018-03-01

Effective Polyakov line actions are a powerful tool to study the finite temperature behaviour of lattice gauge theories. They are much simpler to simulate than the original (3+1) dimensional LGTs and are affected by a milder sign problem. However it is not clear to which extent they really capture the rich spectrum of the original theories, a feature which is instead of great importance if one aims to address the sign problem. We propose here a simple way to address this issue based on the so called second moment correlation length ξ2nd. The ratio ξ/ξ2nd between the exponential correlation length and the second moment one is equal to 1 if only a single mass is present in the spectrum, and becomes larger and larger as the complexity of the spectrum increases. Since both ξexp and ξ2nd are easy to measure on the lattice, this is an economic and effective way to keep track of the spectrum of the theory. In this respect we show using both numerical simulation and effective string calculations that this ratio increases dramatically as the temperature decreases. This non-trivial behaviour should be reproduced by the Polyakov loop effective action.

Inflationary magnetogenesis and non-local actions: the conformal anomaly

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

El-Menoufi, Basem Kamal, E-mail: bmahmoud@physics.umass.edu

2016-02-01

We discuss the possibility of successful magnetogenesis during inflation by employing the one-loop effective action of massless QED. The action is strictly non-local and results from the long distance fluctuations of massless charged particles present at the inflationary scale. Most importantly, it encodes the conformal anomaly of QED which is crucial to avoid the vacuum preservation in classical electromagnetism. In particular, we find a blue spectrum for the magnetic field with spectral index n{sub B} ≅ 2 − α{sub e} where α{sub e} depends on both the number of e-folds during inflation as well as the coefficient of the one-loop beta function. In particular,more » the sign of the beta function has important bearing on the final result. A low reheating temperature is required for the present day magnetic field to be consistent with the lower bound inferred on the field in the intergalactic medium.« less

Quantum equivalence of f (R) gravity and scalar-tensor theories in the Jordan and Einstein frames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohta, Nobuyoshi

2018-03-01

The f(R) gravity and scalar-tensor theory are known to be equivalent at the classical level. We study if this equivalence is valid at the quantum level. There are two descriptions of the scalar-tensor theory in the Jordan and Einstein frames. It is shown that these three formulations of the theories give the same determinant or effective action on shell, and thus they are equivalent at the quantum one-loop level on shell in arbitrary dimensions. We also compute the one-loop divergence in f(R) gravity on an Einstein space.

Radiative improvement of the lattice nonrelativistic QCD action using the background field method and application to the hyperfine splitting of quarkonium states.

PubMed

Hammant, T C; Hart, A G; von Hippel, G M; Horgan, R R; Monahan, C J

2011-09-09

We present the first application of the background field method to nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) on the lattice in order to determine the one-loop radiative corrections to the coefficients of the NRQCD action in a manifestly gauge-covariant manner. The coefficients of the σ·B term in the NRQCD action and the four-fermion spin-spin interaction are computed at the one-loop level; the resulting shift of the hyperfine splitting of bottomonium is found to bring the lattice predictions in line with experiment.

2PI effective action for the SYK model and tensor field theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, Dario; Gurau, Razvan

2018-05-01

We discuss the two-particle irreducible (2PI) effective action for the SYK model and for tensor field theories. For the SYK model the 2PI effective action reproduces the bilocal reformulation of the model without using replicas. In general tensor field theories the 2PI formalism is the only way to obtain a bilocal reformulation of the theory, and as such is a precious instrument for the identification of soft modes and for possible holographic interpretations. We compute the 2PI action for several models, and push it up to fourth order in the 1 /N expansion for the model proposed by Witten in [1], uncovering a one-loop structure in terms of an auxiliary bilocal action.

Stability of flat spacetime in quantum gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, R. D.

1987-12-01

In a previous paper, a modified effective-action formalism was developed which produces equations satisfied by the expectation value of the field, rather than the usual in-out average. Here this formalism is applied to a quantized scalar field in a background which is a small perturbation from Minkowski spacetime. The one-loop effective field equation describes the back reaction of created particles on the gravitational field, and is calculated in this paper to linear order in the perturbation. In this way we rederive an equation first found by Horowitz using completely different methods. This equation possesses exponentially growing solutions, so we confirm Horowitz's conclusion that flat spacetime is unstable in this approximation to the theory. The new derivation shows that the field equation is just as useful as the one-loop approximation to the in-out equation, contrary to earlier arguments. However, the instability suggests that the one-loop approximation cannot be trusted for gravity. These results are compared with the corresponding situation in QED and QCD.

Canonical structure of general relativity with a limiting curvature and its relation to loop quantum gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodendorfer, N.; Schäfer, A.; Schliemann, J.

2018-04-01

Chamseddine and Mukhanov recently proposed a modified version of general relativity that implements the idea of a limiting curvature. In the spatially flat, homogeneous, and isotropic sector, their theory turns out to agree with the effective dynamics of the simplest version of loop quantum gravity if one identifies their limiting curvature with a multiple of the Planck curvature. At the same time, it extends to full general relativity without any symmetry assumptions and thus provides an ideal toy model for full loop quantum gravity in the form of a generally covariant effective action known to all orders. In this paper, we study the canonical structure of this theory and point out some interesting lessons for loop quantum gravity. We also highlight in detail how the two theories are connected in the spatially flat, homogeneous, and isotropic sector.

Non-polynomial closed string field theory: loops and conformal maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Long; Kaku, Michio

1990-11-01

Recently, we proposed the complete classical action for the non-polynomial closed string field theory, which succesfully reproduced all closed string tree amplitudes. (The action was simultaneously proposed by the Kyoto group). In this paper, we analyze the structure of the theory. We (a) compute the explicit conformal map for all g-loop, p-puncture diagrams, (b) compute all one-loop, two-puncture maps in terms of hyper-elliptic functions, and (c) analyze their modular structure. We analyze, but do not resolve, the question of modular invariance.

Lattice corrections to the quark quasidistribution at one loop

DOE PAGES

Carlson, Carl E.; Freid, Michael

2017-05-12

Here, we calculate radiative corrections to the quark quasidistribution in lattice perturbation theory at one loop to leading orders in the lattice spacing. We also consider one-loop corrections in continuum Euclidean space. We find that the infrared behavior of the corrections in Euclidean and Minkowski space are different. Furthermore, we explore features of momentum loop integrals and demonstrate why loop corrections from the lattice perturbation theory and Euclidean continuum do not correspond with their Minkowski brethren, and comment on a recent suggestion for transcending the differences in the results. Finally, we examine the role of the lattice spacing a andmore » of the r parameter in the Wilson action in these radiative corrections.« less

Lattice corrections to the quark quasidistribution at one loop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carlson, Carl E.; Freid, Michael

Here, we calculate radiative corrections to the quark quasidistribution in lattice perturbation theory at one loop to leading orders in the lattice spacing. We also consider one-loop corrections in continuum Euclidean space. We find that the infrared behavior of the corrections in Euclidean and Minkowski space are different. Furthermore, we explore features of momentum loop integrals and demonstrate why loop corrections from the lattice perturbation theory and Euclidean continuum do not correspond with their Minkowski brethren, and comment on a recent suggestion for transcending the differences in the results. Finally, we examine the role of the lattice spacing a andmore » of the r parameter in the Wilson action in these radiative corrections.« less

Unexpected extra-renal effects of loop diuretics in the preterm neonate.

PubMed

Cotton, Robert; Suarez, Sandra; Reese, Jeff

2012-08-01

The loop diuretics furosemide and bumetanide are commonly used in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Furosemide, because of its actions on the ubiquitous Na(+) -K(+) -2Cl(-) isoform cotransporter and its promotion of prostanoid production and release, also has non-diuretic effects on vascular smooth muscle, airways, the ductus arteriosus and theoretically the gastrointestinal tract. Loop diuretics also affect the central nervous system through modulation of the GABA-A chloride channel.   The loop diuretics have a variety of biological effects that are potentially harmful as well as beneficial. Care should be taken with the use of these agents because the range of their effects may be broader than the single action sought by the prescribing physician. © 2012 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2012 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

On low-energy effective action in three-dimensional = 2 and = 4 supersymmetric electrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchbinder, I. L.; Merzlikin, B. S.; Samsonov, I. B.

2013-11-01

We discuss general structure of low-energy effective actions in = 2 and = 4 three-dimensional supersymmetric electrodynamics (SQED) in gauge superfield sector. There are specific terms in the effective action having no four-dimensional analogs. Some of these terms are responsible for the moduli space metric in the Coulomb branch of the theory. We find two-loop quantum corrections to the moduli space metric in the = 2 SQED and show that in the = 4 SQED the moduli space does not receive two-loop quantum corrections.

The International Conference on Amorphous and Liquid Semiconductors (9th).

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-12-11

loop effective action of a constant gluon field can be expressed in terms of the experimentally determinable A,.,• In the following chapter, the...regularization and Schwinger’s proper time method. The renormalization mass parameters appearing in the two treatments can then be related and the exact one

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs): role as guardians of inflammation.

PubMed

Prockop, Darwin J; Oh, Joo Youn

2012-01-01

Recent observations have demonstrated that one of the functions of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) is to serve as guardians against excessive inflammatory responses. One mode of action of the cells is that they are activated to express the interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist. A second mode of action is to create a negative feedback loop in which tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and other proinflammatory cytokines from resident macrophages activate MSCs to secrete the multifunctional anti-inflammatory protein TNF-α stimulated gene/protein 6 (TSG-6). The TSG-6 then reduces nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling in the resident macrophages and thereby modulates the cascade of proinflammatory cytokines. A third mode of action is to create a second negative feedback loop whereby lipopolysaccharide, TNF-α, nitric oxide, and perhaps other damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) from injured tissues and macrophages activate MSCs to secrete prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)). The PGE(2) converts macrophages to the phenotype that secretes IL-10. There are also suggestions that MSCs may produce anti-inflammatory effects through additional modes of action including activation to express the antireactive oxygen species protein stanniocalcin-1.

A simplifying feature of the heterotic one loop four graviton amplitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Anirban

2018-01-01

We show that the weight four modular graph functions that contribute to the integrand of the t8t8D4R4 term at one loop in heterotic string theory do not require regularization, and hence the integrand is simple. This is unlike the graphs that contribute to the integrands of the other gravitational terms at this order in the low momentum expansion, and these integrands require regularization. This property persists for an infinite number of terms in the effective action, and their integrands do not require regularization. We find non-trivial relations between weight four graphs of distinct topologies that do not require regularization by performing trivial manipulations using auxiliary diagrams.

Conservation of ζ with radiative corrections from heavy field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Takahiro; Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University,Kyoto, 606-8502; Urakawa, Yuko

2016-06-08

In this paper, we address a possible impact of radiative corrections from a heavy scalar field χ on the curvature perturbation ζ. Integrating out χ, we derive the effective action for ζ, which includes the loop corrections of the heavy field χ. When the mass of χ is much larger than the Hubble scale H, the loop corrections of χ only yield a local contribution to the effective action and hence the effective action simply gives an action for ζ in a single field model, where, as is widely known, ζ is conserved in time after the Hubble crossing time.more » Meanwhile, when the mass of χ is comparable to H, the loop corrections of χ can give a non-local contribution to the effective action. Because of the non-local contribution from χ, in general, ζ may not be conserved, even if the classical background trajectory is determined only by the evolution of the inflaton. In this paper, we derive the condition that ζ is conserved in time in the presence of the radiative corrections from χ. Namely, we show that when the dilatation invariance, which is a part of the diffeomorphism invariance, is preserved at the quantum level, the loop corrections of the massive field χ do not disturb the constant evolution of ζ at super Hubble scales. In this discussion, we show the Ward-Takahashi identity for the dilatation invariance, which yields a consistency relation for the correlation functions of the massive field χ.« less

Strings in bubbling geometries and dual Wilson loop correlators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilera-Damia, Jeremías; Correa, Diego H.; Fucito, Francesco; Giraldo-Rivera, Victor I.; Morales, Jose F.; Pando Zayas, Leopoldo A.

2017-12-01

We consider a fundamental string in a bubbling geometry of arbitrary genus dual to a half-supersymmetric Wilson loop in a general large representation R of the SU( N) gauge group in N=4 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills. We demonstrate, under some mild conditions, that the minimum value of the string classical action for a bubbling geometry of arbitrary genus precisely matches the correlator of a Wilson loop in the fundamental representation and one in a general large representation. We work out the case in which the large representation is given by a rectangular Young tableau, corresponding to a genus one bubbling geometry, explicitly. We also present explicit results in the field theory for a correlator of two Wilson loops: a large one in an arbitrary representation and a "small" one in the fundamental, totally symmetric or totally antisymmetric representation.

Noncommutative Jackiw-Pi model: One-loop renormalization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bufalo, R.; Ghasemkhani, M.; Alipour, M.

2018-06-01

In this paper, we study the quantum behavior of the noncommutative Jackiw-Pi model. After establishing the Becchi-Rouet-Store-Tyutin (BRST) invariant action, the perturbative renormalizability is discussed, allowing us to introduce the renormalized mass and gauge coupling. We then proceed to compute the one-loop correction to the basic 1PI functions, necessary to determine the renormalized parameters (mass and charge), next we discuss the physical behavior of these parameters.

Auxiliary field loop expansion of the effective action for a class of stochastic partial differential equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Fred; Dawson, John F.

2016-02-01

We present an alternative to the perturbative (in coupling constant) diagrammatic approach for studying stochastic dynamics of a class of reaction diffusion systems. Our approach is based on an auxiliary field loop expansion for the path integral representation for the generating functional of the noise induced correlation functions of the fields describing these systems. The systems we consider include Langevin systems describable by the set of self interacting classical fields ϕi(x , t) in the presence of external noise ηi(x , t) , namely (∂t - ν∇2) ϕ - F [ ϕ ] = η, as well as chemical reaction annihilation processes obtained by applying the many-body approach of Doi-Peliti to the Master Equation formulation of these problems. We consider two different effective actions, one based on the Onsager-Machlup (OM) approach, and the other due to Janssen-deGenneris based on the Martin-Siggia-Rose (MSR) response function approach. For the simple models we consider, we determine an analytic expression for the Energy landscape (effective potential) in both formalisms and show how to obtain the more physical effective potential of the Onsager-Machlup approach from the MSR effective potential in leading order in the auxiliary field loop expansion. For the KPZ equation we find that our approximation, which is non-perturbative and obeys broken symmetry Ward identities, does not lead to the appearance of a fluctuation induced symmetry breakdown. This contradicts the results of earlier studies.

ξ /ξ2 n d ratio as a tool to refine effective Polyakov loop models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caselle, Michele; Nada, Alessandro

2017-10-01

Effective Polyakov line actions are a powerful tool to study the finite temperature behavior of lattice gauge theories. They are much simpler to simulate than the original lattice model and are affected by a milder sign problem, but it is not clear to which extent they really capture the rich spectrum of the original theories. We propose here a simple way to address this issue based on the so-called second moment correlation length ξ2 n d . The ratio ξ /ξ2 n d between the exponential correlation length and the second moment one is equal to 1 if only a single mass is present in the spectrum, and it becomes larger and larger as the complexity of the spectrum increases. Since both ξ and ξ2 n d are easy to measure on the lattice, this is a cheap and efficient way to keep track of the spectrum of the theory. As an example of the information one can obtain with this tool, we study the behavior of ξ /ξ2 n d in the confining phase of the (D =3 +1 ) SU(2) gauge theory and show that it is compatible with 1 near the deconfinement transition, but it increases dramatically as the temperature decreases. We also show that this increase can be well understood in the framework of an effective string description of the Polyakov loop correlator. This nontrivial behavior should be reproduced by the Polyakov loop effective action; thus, it represents a stringent and challenging test of existing proposals, and it may be used to fine-tune the couplings and to identify the range of validity of the approximations involved in their construction.

Subleading soft graviton theorem for loop amplitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sen, Ashoke

2017-11-01

Superstring field theory gives expressions for heterotic and type II string loop amplitudes that are free from ultraviolet and infrared divergences when the number of non-compact space-time dimensions is five or more. We prove the subleading soft graviton theorem in these theories to all orders in perturbation theory for S-matrix elements of arbitrary number of finite energy external states but only one external soft graviton. We also prove the leading soft graviton theorem for arbitrary number of finite energy external states and arbitrary number of soft gravitons. Since our analysis is based on general properties of one particle irreducible effective action, the results are valid in any theory of quantum gravity that gives finite result for the S-matrix order by order in perturbation theory without violating general coordinate invariance.

Loop vertex expansion for higher-order interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivasseau, Vincent

2018-05-01

This note provides an extension of the constructive loop vertex expansion to stable interactions of arbitrarily high order, opening the way to many applications. We treat in detail the example of the (\\bar{φ } φ )^p field theory in zero dimension. We find that the important feature to extend the loop vertex expansion is not to use an intermediate field representation, but rather to force integration of exactly one particular field per vertex of the initial action.

Strings in bubbling geometries and dual Wilson loop correlators

DOE PAGES

Aguilera-Damia, Jeremias; Correa, Diego H.; Fucito, Francesco; ...

2017-12-20

We consider a fundamental string in a bubbling geometry of arbitrary genus dual to a half-supersymmetric Wilson loop in a general large representation R of the SU(N) gauge group in N = 4 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills. We demonstrate, under some mild conditions, that the minimum value of the string classical action for a bubbling geometry of arbitrary genus precisely matches the correlator of a Wilson loop in the fundamental representation and one in a general large representation. We work out the case in which the large representation is given by a rectangular Young tableau, corresponding to a genus one bubbling geometry,more » explicitly. Lastly, we also present explicit results in the field theory for a correlator of two Wilson loops: a large one in an arbitrary representation and a “small” one in the fundamental, totally symmetric or totally antisymmetric representation.« less

Strings in bubbling geometries and dual Wilson loop correlators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aguilera-Damia, Jeremias; Correa, Diego H.; Fucito, Francesco

We consider a fundamental string in a bubbling geometry of arbitrary genus dual to a half-supersymmetric Wilson loop in a general large representation R of the SU(N) gauge group in N = 4 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills. We demonstrate, under some mild conditions, that the minimum value of the string classical action for a bubbling geometry of arbitrary genus precisely matches the correlator of a Wilson loop in the fundamental representation and one in a general large representation. We work out the case in which the large representation is given by a rectangular Young tableau, corresponding to a genus one bubbling geometry,more » explicitly. Lastly, we also present explicit results in the field theory for a correlator of two Wilson loops: a large one in an arbitrary representation and a “small” one in the fundamental, totally symmetric or totally antisymmetric representation.« less

One-loop effective actions and higher spins. Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonora, L.; Cvitan, M.; Prester, P. Dominis; Giaccari, S.; Štemberga, T.

2018-01-01

In this paper we continue and improve the analysis of the effective actions obtained by integrating out a scalar and a fermion field coupled to external symmetric sources, started in the previous paper. The first subject we study is the geometrization of the results obtained there, that is we express them in terms of covariant Jacobi tensors. The second subject concerns the treatment of tadpoles and seagull terms in order to implement off-shell covariance in the initial model. The last and by far largest part of the paper is a repository of results concerning all two point correlators (including mixed ones) of symmetric currents of any spin up to 5 and in any dimensions between 3 and 6. In the massless case we also provide formulas for any spin in any dimension.

Renormalization of minimally doubled fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capitani, Stefano; Creutz, Michael; Weber, Johannes; Wittig, Hartmut

2010-09-01

We investigate the renormalization properties of minimally doubled fermions, at one loop in perturbation theory. Our study is based on the two particular realizations of Boriçi-Creutz and Karsten-Wilczek. A common feature of both formulations is the breaking of hyper-cubic symmetry, which requires that the lattice actions are supplemented by suitable counterterms. We show that three counterterms are required in each case and determine their coefficients to one loop in perturbation theory. For both actions we compute the vacuum polarization of the gluon. It is shown that no power divergences appear and that all contributions which arise from the breaking of Lorentz symmetry are cancelled by the counterterms. We also derive the conserved vector and axial-vector currents for Karsten-Wilczek fermions. Like in the case of the previously studied Boriçi-Creutz action, one obtains simple expressions, involving only nearest-neighbour sites. We suggest methods how to fix the coefficients of the counterterms non-perturbatively and discuss the implications of our findings for practical simulations.

Breaking a habit: a further role of the phonological loop in action control.

PubMed

Saeki, Erina; Baddeley, Alan D; Hitch, Graham J; Saito, Satoru

2013-10-01

Recent research has suggested that keeping track of a task goal in rapid task switching may depend on the phonological loop component of working memory. In this study, we investigated whether the phonological loop plays a similar role when a single switch extending over several trials is required after many trials on which one has performed a competing task. Participants were shown pairs of digits varying in numerical and physical size, and they were required to decide which digit was numerically or physically larger. An experimental cycle consisted of four blocks of 24 trials. In Experiment 1, participants in the task change groups performed the numerical-size judgment task during the first three blocks, and then changed to the physical-size judgment task in the fourth. Participants in the continuation groups performed only the physical-size judgment task throughout all four blocks. We found negative effects of articulatory suppression on the fourth block, but only in the task change groups. Experiment 2 was a replication, with the modification that both groups received identical instructions and practice. Experiment 3 was a further replication using numerical-size judgment as the target task. The results showed a pattern similar to that from Experiment 1, with negative effects of articulatory suppression found only in the task change group. The congruity of numerical and physical size had a reliable effect on performance in all three experiments, but unlike the task change, it did not reliably interact with articulatory suppression. The results suggest that in addition to its well-established role in rapid task switching, the phonological loop also contributes to active goal maintenance in longer-term action control.

Diuretics in the treatment of hypertension. Part 2: loop diuretics and potassium-sparing agents.

PubMed

Tamargo, Juan; Segura, Julian; Ruilope, Luis M

2014-04-01

Diuretics enhance the renal excretion of Na(+) and water due to a direct action at different tubular sites of the nephron where solute re-absorption occurs. This paper focuses on the mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, antihypertensive effects, adverse effects, interactions and contraindications of loop diuretics and potassium-sparing agents (including mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) and epithelial Na(+) channel blockers). Loop diuretics are less effective than thiazide diuretics in lowering blood pressure, so that their major use is in edematous patients with congestive heart failure (HF), cirrhosis with ascites and nephritic edema. MRAs represent a major advance in the treatment of resistant hypertension, primary and secondary hyperaldosteronism and in patients with systolic HF to reduce the risks of hospitalization and of premature death. Potassium-sparing diuretics when coadministered with diuretics (thiazides and loop diuretics) working at more proximal nephron locations reduce the risk of hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia and the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. At the end of the article, the basis for the combination of diuretics with other antihypertensive drugs to achieve blood pressure targets is presented.

Infrared propagators of Yang-Mills theory from perturbation theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tissier, Matthieu; Wschebor, Nicolas

2010-11-15

We show that the correlation functions of ghosts and gluons for the pure Yang-Mills theory in Landau gauge can be accurately reproduced for all momenta by a one-loop calculation. The key point is to use a massive extension of the Faddeev-Popov action. The agreement with lattice simulation is excellent in d=4. The one-loop calculation also reproduces all the characteristic features of the lattice simulations in d=3 and naturally explains the peculiarities of the propagators in d=2.

About problematic peculiarities of Fault Tolerance digital regulation organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakov, V. I.; Zakharova, O. V.

2018-05-01

The solution of problems concerning estimation of working capacity of regulation chains and possibilities of preventing situations of its violation in three directions are offered. The first direction is working out (creating) the methods of representing the regulation loop (circuit) by means of uniting (combining) diffuse components and forming algorithmic tooling for building predicates of serviceability assessment separately for the components and the for regulation loops (circuits, contours) in general. The second direction is creating methods of Fault Tolerance redundancy in the process of complex assessment of current values of control actions, closure errors and their regulated parameters. The third direction is creating methods of comparing the processes of alteration (change) of control actions, errors of closure and regulating parameters with their standard models or their surroundings. This direction allows one to develop methods and algorithmic tool means, aimed at preventing loss of serviceability and effectiveness of not only a separate digital regulator, but also the whole complex of Fault Tolerance regulation.

Bayesian Action-Perception loop modeling: Application to trajectory generation and recognition using internal motor simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilet, Estelle; Diard, Julien; Palluel-Germain, Richard; Bessière, Pierre

2011-03-01

This paper is about modeling perception-action loops and, more precisely, the study of the influence of motor knowledge during perception tasks. We use the Bayesian Action-Perception (BAP) model, which deals with the sensorimotor loop involved in reading and writing cursive isolated letters and includes an internal simulation of movement loop. By using this probabilistic model we simulate letter recognition, both with and without internal motor simulation. Comparison of their performance yields an experimental prediction, which we set forth.

A Parametric Computational Model of the Action Potential of Pacemaker Cells.

PubMed

Ai, Weiwei; Patel, Nitish D; Roop, Partha S; Malik, Avinash; Andalam, Sidharta; Yip, Eugene; Allen, Nathan; Trew, Mark L

2018-01-01

A flexible, efficient, and verifiable pacemaker cell model is essential to the design of real-time virtual hearts that can be used for closed-loop validation of cardiac devices. A new parametric model of pacemaker action potential is developed to address this need. The action potential phases are modeled using hybrid automaton with one piecewise-linear continuous variable. The model can capture rate-dependent dynamics, such as action potential duration restitution, conduction velocity restitution, and overdrive suppression by incorporating nonlinear update functions. Simulated dynamics of the model compared well with previous models and clinical data. The results show that the parametric model can reproduce the electrophysiological dynamics of a variety of pacemaker cells, such as sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, and the His-Purkinje system, under varying cardiac conditions. This is an important contribution toward closed-loop validation of cardiac devices using real-time heart models.

Two formalisms, one renormalized stress-energy tensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barceló, C.; Carballo, R.; Garay, L. J.

2012-04-01

We explicitly compare the structure of the renormalized stress-energy tensor of a massless scalar field in a (1+1) curved spacetime as obtained by two different strategies: normal-mode construction of the field operator and one-loop effective action. We pay special attention to where and how the information related to the choice of vacuum state in both formalisms is encoded. By establishing a clear translation map between both procedures, we show that these two potentially different renormalized stress-energy tensors are actually equal, when using vacuum-state choices related by this map. One specific aim of the analysis is to facilitate the comparison of results regarding semiclassical effects in gravitational collapse as obtained within these different formalisms.

Control-structure interaction in precision pointing servo loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spanos, John T.

1989-01-01

The control-structure interaction problem is addressed via stability analysis of a generic linear servo loop model. With the plant described by the rigid body mode and a single elastic mode, structural flexibility is categorized into one of three types: (1) appendage, (2) in-the-loop minimum phase, and (3) in-the-loop nonminimum phase. Closing the loop with proportional-derivative (PD) control action and introducing sensor roll-off dynamics in the feedback path, stability conditions are obtained. Trade studies are conducted with modal frequency, modal participation, modal damping, loop bandwidth, and sensor bandwidth treated as free parameters. Results indicate that appendage modes are most likely to produce instability if they are near the sensor rolloff, whereas in-the-loop modes are most dangerous near the loop bandwidth. The main goal of this paper is to provide a fundamental understanding of the control-structure interaction problem so that it may benefit the design of complex spacecraft and pointing system servo loops. In this framework, the JPL Pathfinder gimbal pointer is considered as an example.

Excitation of vertical coronal loop oscillations by impulsively driven flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohutova, P.; Verwichte, E.

2018-05-01

Context. Flows of plasma along a coronal loop caused by the pressure difference between loop footpoints are common in the solar corona. Aims: We aim to investigate the possibility of excitation of loop oscillations by an impulsively driven flow triggered by an enhanced pressure in one of the loop footpoints. Methods: We carry out 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of a coronal loop with an impulsively driven flow and investigate the properties and evolution of the resulting oscillatory motion of the loop. Results: The action of the centrifugal force associated with plasma moving at high speeds along the curved axis of the loop is found to excite the fundamental harmonic of a vertically polarised kink mode. We analyse the dependence of the resulting oscillations on the speed and kinetic energy of the flow. Conclusions: We find that flows with realistic speeds of less than 100 km s-1 are sufficient to excite oscillations with observable amplitudes. We therefore propose plasma flows as a possible excitation mechanism for observed transverse loop oscillations.

Antisymmetric Wilson loops in N = 4 SYM beyond the planar limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, James

2018-01-01

We study the 1/2 -BPS circular Wilson loop in the totally antisymmetric representation of the gauge group in N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills. This observable is captured by a Gaussian matrix model with appropriate insertion. We compute the first 1 /N correction at leading order in 't Hooft coupling by means of the matrix model loop equations. Disagreement with the 1-loop effective action of the holographically dual D5-brane suggests the need to account for gravitational backreaction on the string theory side.

Sizable electron/neutron electric dipole moment in D 3 /D 7 μ -split supersymmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhuria, Mansi; Misra, Aalok

2014-10-01

Within the framework of N =1 gauged supergravity, using a phenomenological model that can be obtained locally as a Swiss-cheese Calabi-Yau string-theoretic compactification with a mobile D 3 -brane localized on a nearly special Lagrangian three cycle in the Calabi-Yau and fluxed stacks of wrapped D 7 -branes, and which provides a natural realization of μ -split supersymmetry (SUSY), we show that in addition to getting a significant value of an [electron/neutron (e/n)] electron dipole moment (EDM) at two-loop level, one can obtain a sizable contribution of (e/n) EDM even at one-loop level due to the presence of heavy supersymmetric fermions nearly isospectral with heavy sfermions. Unlike traditional split SUSY models in which the one-loop diagrams do not give significant contribution to the EDM of the electron/neutron because of very heavy sfermions existing as propagators in the loop, we show that one obtains a "healthy" value of the EDM in our model because of the presence of a heavy Higgsino, neutralino/chargino, and gaugino as fermionic propagators in the loops. The independent C P -violating phases are generated from nontrivial distinct phase factors associated with four Wilson line moduli [identified with first-generation leptons and quarks and their S U (2 )L -singlet cousins] as well as the D 3 -brane position moduli (identified with two Higgses), and the same are sufficient to produce overall distinct phase factors corresponding to all possible effective Yukawas as well as effective gauge couplings that we discuss in the context of N =1 gauged supergravity action. However, the complex phases responsible to generate a nonzero EDM at one-loop level mainly appear from an off-diagonal contribution of sfermion as well as Higgs mass matrices at the electroweak scale (EW). In our analysis, we obtain a dominant contribution of the electron/neutron EDM around de/e ≡O (1 0-29) cm from two-loop diagrams involving heavy sfermions and a light Higgs, and de/e ≡O (1 0-32) cm from a one-loop diagram involving a heavy chargino and a light Higgs as propagators in the loop. The neutron EDM gets a dominant contribution of the order dn/e ≡O (1 0-33) cm from the one-loop diagram involving SM-like quarks and Higgs. To justify the possibility of obtaining a large EDM value in the case of a Barr-Zee diagram which involves W± and the Higgs (responsible to generate the nontrivial C P -violating phase) in the two-loop diagrams as discussed by Leigh et al. [Nucl. Phys. B267, 509 (1986)], we provide an analysis of the same in the context of our D 3 /D 7 μ -split SUSY model at the EW scale. By conjecturing that the C P -violating phase can appear from the diagonalization of the Higgs mass matrix obtained in the context of μ -split SUSY, we also get an EDM of the electron/neutron around O (1 0-27) e cm in the case of the two-loop diagram involving W± bosons.

Towards loop quantum gravity without the time gauge.

PubMed

Cianfrani, Francesco; Montani, Giovanni

2009-03-06

The Hamiltonian formulation of the Holst action is reviewed and it provides a solution of second-class constraints corresponding to a generic local Lorentz frame. Within this scheme the form of rotation constraints can be reduced to a Gauss-like one by a proper generalization of Ashtekar-Barbero-Immirzi connections. This result emphasizes that the loop quantum gravity quantization procedure can be applied when the time-gauge condition does not stand.

One-loop renormalization of Lorentz and C P T -violating scalar field theory in curved spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Netto, Tibério de Paula

2018-03-01

The one-loop divergences for the scalar field theory with Lorentz and/or C P T breaking terms are obtained in curved spacetime. We analyze two separate cases: a minimal coupled scalar field with gravity and a nonminimal one. For the minimal case with a real scalar field, the counterterms are evaluated in a nonperturbative form in the C P T -even parameter through a redefinition of a space-time metric. In the most complicated case of a complex scalar field nonminimally interacting with gravity, the solution for the divergences is obtained in the first order in the weak Lorentz violating parameter. The necessary form of the vacuum counterterms indicate the most important structures of Lorentz and C P T violations in the pure gravitational sector of the theory. The conformal theory limit is also analyzed. It turns out that if we allow the violating fields to transform, the classical conformal invariance of massless scalar fields can be maintained in the ξ =1 /6 case. At a quantum level, the conformal symmetry is violated by a trace anomaly. As a result, the conformal anomaly and the anomaly induced effective action are evaluated in the presence of extra Lorentz- and/or C P T -violating parameters. Such gravitational effective action is important for cosmological applications and can be used for searching of Lorentz violation in the primordial Universe in the cosmological perturbations, especially gravitational waves.

An alternative for presenting interactive dynamic data sets in electronic presentations: a scrollable flash movie loop.

PubMed

Yam, Chun-Shan

2007-11-01

The purpose of this article is to describe an alternative for creating scrollable movie loops for electronic presentations including PowerPoint. The alternative provided in this article enables academic radiologists to present scrollable movie loops in PowerPoint. The scrolling capability is created using Flash ActionScript. A Flash template with the required ActionScript code is provided. Users can simply download the template and follow the step-by-step demonstration to create scrollable movie loops. No previous ActionScript programming knowledge is necessary.

Heat exchanger with oscillating flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scotti, Stephen J. (Inventor); Blosser, Max L. (Inventor); Camarda, Charles J. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

Various heat exchange apparatuses are described in which an oscillating flow of primary coolant is used to dissipate an incident heat flux. The oscillating flow may be imparted by a reciprocating piston, a double action twin reciprocating piston, fluidic oscillators, or electromagnetic pumps. The oscillating fluid flows through at least one conduit in either an open loop or a closed loop. A secondary flow of coolant may be used to flow over the outer walls of at least one conduit to remove heat transferred from the primary coolant to the walls of the conduit.

Heat exchanger with oscillating flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scotti, Stephen J. (Inventor); Blosser, Max L. (Inventor); Camarda, Charles J. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

Various heat exchange apparatuses are described in which an oscillating flow of primary coolant is used to dissipate an incident heat flux. The oscillating flow may be imparted by a reciprocating piston, a double action twin reciprocating piston, fluidic oscillators or electromagnetic pumps. The oscillating fluid flows through at least one conduit in either an open loop or a closed loop. A secondary flow of coolant may be used to flow over the outer walls of at least one conduit to remove heat transferred from the primary coolant to the walls of the conduit.

The effective hyper-Kähler potential in the N = 2 supersymmetric QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ketov, Sergei V.

1997-02-01

The effective low-energy hyper-Kähler potential for a massive N = 2 matter in N = 2 super-QCD is investigated. TheN = 2 extended supersymmetry severely restricts the N = 2 matter self-couplings so that their exact form can be fixed by a few parameters, which is apparent in the N = 2 harmonic superspace. In the N = 2 QED with a single matter hypermultiplet, the one-loop perturbative calculations lead to the Taub-NUT hyper-Kähler metric in the massive case, and a free metric in the massless case. It is remarkable that the naive non-renormalization `theorem' does not apply. There exists a manifestly N = 2 supersymmetric duality transformation converting the low-energy effective action for the N = 2 QED hypermultiplet into a sum of the quadratic and the improved (non-polynomial) actions for an N = 2 tensor multiplet. The duality transformation also gives a simple connection between the low-energy effective action in the N = 2 harmonic superspace and the component results.

Effects of Coulomb collisions on cyclotron maser and plasma wave growth in magnetic loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, Russell J.; Petrosian, Vahe

1990-01-01

The evolution of nonthermal electrons accelerated in magnetic loops is determined by solving the kinetic equation, including magnetic field convergence and Coulomb collisions in order to determine the effects of these interactions on the induced cyclotron maser and plasma wave growth. It is found that the growth rates are larger and the possibility of cyclotron maser action is stronger for smaller loop column density, for larger magnetic field convergence, for a more isotropic injected electron pitch angle distribution, and for more impulsive acceleration. For modest values of the column density in the coronal portion of a flaring loop, the growth rates of instabilities are significantly reduced, and the reduction is much larger for the cyclotron modes than for the plasma wave modes. The rapid decrease in the growth rates with increasing loop column density suggests that, in flare loops when such phenomena occur, the densities are lower than commonly accepted.

Vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric field in curved background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilić, Neven; Domazet, Silvije; Guberina, Branko

2012-01-01

We study a supersymmetric model in curved background spacetime. We calculate the effective action and the vacuum expectation value of the energy momentum tensor using a covariant regularization procedure. A soft supersymmetry breaking induces a nonzero contribution to the vacuum energy density and pressure. Assuming the presence of a cosmic fluid in addition to the vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric field an effective equation of state is derived in a self-consistent approach at one loop order. The net effect of the vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric fields in the leading adiabatic order is a renormalization of the Newton and cosmological constants.

Quantum Gravitational Effects on the Boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, F.; Park, I. Y.

2018-04-01

Quantum gravitational effects might hold the key to some of the outstanding problems in theoretical physics. We analyze the perturbative quantum effects on the boundary of a gravitational system and the Dirichlet boundary condition imposed at the classical level. Our analysis reveals that for a black hole solution, there is a contradiction between the quantum effects and the Dirichlet boundary condition: the black hole solution of the one-particle-irreducible action no longer satisfies the Dirichlet boundary condition as would be expected without going into details. The analysis also suggests that the tension between the Dirichlet boundary condition and loop effects is connected with a certain mechanism of information storage on the boundary.

Loop Diuretics in the Treatment of Hypertension.

PubMed

Malha, Line; Mann, Samuel J

2016-04-01

Loop diuretics are not recommended in current hypertension guidelines largely due to the lack of outcome data. Nevertheless, they have been shown to lower blood pressure and to offer potential advantages over thiazide-type diuretics. Torsemide offers advantages of longer duration of action and once daily dosing (vs. furosemide and bumetanide) and more reliable bioavailability (vs. furosemide). Studies show that the previously employed high doses of thiazide-type diuretics lower BP more than furosemide. Loop diuretics appear to have a preferable side effect profile (less hyponatremia, hypokalemia, and possibly less glucose intolerance). Studies comparing efficacy and side effect profiles of loop diuretics with the lower, currently widely prescribed, thiazide doses are needed. Research is needed to fill gaps in knowledge and common misconceptions about loop diuretic use in hypertension and to determine their rightful place in the antihypertensive arsenal.

Characterization of a symbol rate timing recovery technique for a 2B1Q digital receiver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aboulnasr, T.; Hage, M.; Sayar, B.; Aly, S.

1994-02-01

This paper presents a study of several implementations of the Mueller and Muller symbol rate timing recovery algorithm for ISDN transmission over digital subscriber loops (DSL). Implementations of this algorithm using various estimates of a specified timing function are investigated. It will be shown that despite the fact that all of the estimates considered are derived based on one set of conditions, their performance varies widely in a real system. The intrinsic properties of these estimates are first analyzed, then their performance on real subscriber loops is studied through extensive simulations of a practical digital receiver. The effect of various system parameters such as channel distortion and additive noise are included. Possible sources of convergence problems are also identified and corrective action proposed.

Creating Open Education Resources for Teaching and Community Development through Action Research: The Milk Production and Hygiene Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ssajjakambwe, Paul; Setumba, Christopher; Kisaka, Stevens; Bahizi, Gloria; Vudriko, Patrick; Kabasa, John D.; Kaneene, John B.

2013-01-01

One of the cornerstones of the AgShare program is the application of an information loop of action research in the training of graduate students to generate new and practical educational materials and interventions for creating open education research (OER) modules for teaching at universities, and for designing interventions and training…

Next-to-next-to-leading order gravitational spin-squared potential via the effective field theory for spinning objects in the post-Newtonian scheme

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levi, Michele; Steinhoff, Jan, E-mail: michele.levi@upmc.fr, E-mail: jan.steinhoff@aei.mpg.de

2016-01-01

The next-to-next-to-leading order spin-squared interaction potential for generic compact binaries is derived for the first time via the effective field theory for gravitating spinning objects in the post-Newtonian scheme. The spin-squared sector is an intricate one, as it requires the consideration of the point particle action beyond minimal coupling, and mainly involves the spin-squared worldline couplings, which are quite complex, compared to the worldline couplings from the minimal coupling part of the action. This sector also involves the linear in spin couplings, as we go up in the nonlinearity of the interaction, and in the loop order. Hence, there ismore » an excessive increase in the number of Feynman diagrams, of which more are higher loop ones. We provide all the Feynman diagrams and their values. The beneficial ''nonrelativistic gravitational'' fields are employed in the computation. This spin-squared correction, which enters at the fourth post-Newtonian order for rapidly rotating compact objects, completes the conservative sector up to the fourth post-Newtonian accuracy. The robustness of the effective field theory for gravitating spinning objects is shown here once again, as demonstrated in a recent series of papers by the authors, which obtained all spin dependent sectors, required up to the fourth post-Newtonian accuracy. The effective field theory of spinning objects allows to directly obtain the equations of motion, and the Hamiltonians, and these will be derived for the potential obtained here in a forthcoming paper.« less

The Sustainability Cycle and Loop: models for a more unified understanding of sustainability.

PubMed

Hay, Laura; Duffy, Alex; Whitfield, R I

2014-01-15

In spite of the considerable research on sustainability, reports suggest that we are barely any closer to a more sustainable society. As such, there is an urgent need to improve the effectiveness of human efforts towards sustainability. A clearer and more unified understanding of sustainability among different people and sectors could help to facilitate this. This paper presents the results of an inductive literature investigation, aiming to develop models to explain the nature of sustainability in the Earth system, and how humans can effectively strive for it. The major contributions are two general and complementary models, that may be applied in any context to provide a common basis for understanding sustainability: the Sustainability Cycle (S-Cycle), and the Sustainability Loop (S-Loop). Literature spanning multiple sectors is examined from the perspective of three concepts, emerging as significant in relation to our aim. Systems are shown to provide the context for human action towards sustainability, and the nature of the Earth system and its sub-systems is explored. Activities are outlined as a fundamental target that humans need to sustain, since they produce the entities both needed and desired by society. The basic behaviour of activities operating in the Earth system is outlined. Finally, knowledge is positioned as the driver of human action towards sustainability, and the key components of knowledge involved are examined. The S-Cycle and S-Loop models are developed via a process of induction from the reviewed literature. The S-Cycle describes the operation of activities in a system from the perspective of sustainability. The sustainability of activities in a system depends upon the availability of resources, and the availability of resources depends upon the rate that activities consume and produce them. Humans may intervene in these dynamics via an iterative process of interpretation and action, described in the S-Loop model. The models are briefly applied to a system described in the literature. It is shown that the S-Loop may be used to guide efforts towards sustainability in a particular system of interest, by prescribing the basic activities involved. The S-Cycle may be applied complementary to the S-Loop, to support the interpretation of activity behaviour described in the latter. Given their general nature, the models provide the basis for a more unified understanding of sustainability. It is hoped that their use may go some way towards improving the effectiveness of human action towards sustainability. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Effects and Effectiveness of Various α and β Angulations for Three Different Loop Made of Stainless Steel Arch Wires - A FEM Study.

PubMed

Kamisetty, Supradeep Kumar; N, Raghuveer; N, Rajavikram; N, Chakrapani; Dwaragesh; Praven

2014-07-01

Evaluations on retraction loop designs have been limited to describe the force systems applied to the buccal surfaces of the tooth that can be in different planes resulting undesirable effects, needing corrective action in future. By initially understanding these effects, modifications to the loop design can essentially counteract the undesired affects. To deter-mine Moments & M/F ratios produced by different gabling in the three retraction loops (Tear drop loop, T-loop, Open vertical loop) and movement of the anterior teeth and posterior teeth) of the maxillary arch in an extraction model, on activation of three retraction loops by1 mm. A PC with Quad core processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB storage space and Graphic Accelerator was used. Computer Software: ANSYS Version11, PRO/ENGINEER was used in the study. The first step is modeling, done by using Pro/Engineer software and for creating a model the CT scan data is required. The maxilla with teeth of a patient is scanned at various sections at regular intervals of 0.5 mm. These scanned images are then imported into Pro/E software to various offset planes. Once imported, the software can do an automatic meshing and establishes contact automatically. When angulations increases intrusive or extrusive movements and movements in horizontal direction of crown tip and root tip increases. All values of T-loop are more than Teardrop loop and less than Open vertical loop. FEM study concludes that Teardrop loop with 10-20(α-β) combination is preferred for Group A anchorage.

Equation of state of the one- and three-dimensional Bose-Bose gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiquillo, Emerson

2018-06-01

We calculate the equation of state of Bose-Bose gases in one and three dimensions in the framework of an effective quantum field theory. The beyond-mean-field approximation at zero temperature and the one-loop finite-temperature results are obtained performing functional integration on a local effective action. The ultraviolet divergent zero-point quantum fluctuations are removed by means of dimensional regularization. We derive the nonlinear Schrödinger equation to describe one- and three-dimensional Bose-Bose mixtures and solve it analytically in the one-dimensional scenario. This equation supports self-trapped brightlike solitonic droplets and self-trapped darklike solitons. At low temperature, we also find that the pressure and the number of particles of symmetric quantum droplets have a nontrivial dependence on the chemical potential and the difference between the intra- and the interspecies coupling constants.

Application of active control landing gear technology to the A-10 aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ross, I.; Edson, R.

1983-01-01

Two concepts which reduce the A-10 aircraft's wing/gear interface forces as a result of applying active control technology to the main landing gear are described. In the first concept, referred to as the alternate concept a servovalve in a closed pressure control loop configuration effectively varies the size of the third stage spool valve orifice which is embedded in the strut. This action allows the internal energy in the strut to shunt hydraulic flow around the metering orifice. The command signal to the loop is reference strut pressure which is compared to the measured strut pressure, the difference being the loop error. Thus, the loop effectively varies the spool valve orifice size to maintain the strut pressure, and therefore minimizes the wing/gear interface force referenced.

One-loop effects of a heavy Higgs boson: A functional approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dittmaier, S.; Grosse-Knetter, C.

1995-11-01

We integrate out the Higgs boson in the electroweak standard model at one loop, assuming that it is very heavy. We construct a low-energy effective Lagrangian, which parametrizes the one-loop effect of the heavy Higgs boson at {O}({ital M}{sup O}{sup -}{sub {ital H}}). Instead of applying conventional diagrammatical techniques, we integrate out the Higgs boson directly in the path integral. {copyright} 1995 American Institute of Physics

Mrst '96: Current Ideas in Theoretical Physics - Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Montréal-Rochester-Syracuse-Toronto Meeting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donnell, Patrick J.; Smith, Brian Hendee

1996-11-01

The Table of Contents for the full book PDF is as follows: * Preface * Roberto Mendel, An Appreciaton * The Infamous Coulomb Gauge * Renormalized Path Integral in Quantum Mechanics * New Analysis of the Divergence of Perturbation Theory * The Last of the Soluble Two Dimensional Field Theories? * Rb and Heavy Quark Mixing * Rb Problem: Loop Contributions and Supersymmetry * QCD Radiative Effects in Inclusive Hadronic B Decays * CP-Violating Dipole Moments of Quarks in the Kobayashi-Maskawa Model * Hints of Dynamical Symmetry Breaking? * Pi Pi Scattering in an Effective Chiral Lagrangian * Pion-Resonance Parameters from QCD Sum Rules * Higgs Theorem, Effective Action, and its Gauge Invariance * SUSY and the Decay H_2^0 to gg * Effective Higgs-to-Light Quark Coupling Induced by Heavy Quark Loops * Heavy Charged Lepton Production in Superstring Inspired E6 Models * The Elastic Properties of a Flat Crystalline Membrane * Gauge Dependence of Topological Observables in Chern-Simons Theory * Entanglement Entropy From Edge States * A Simple General Treatment of Flavor Oscillations * From Schrödinger to Maupertuis: Least Action Principles from Quantum Mechanics * The Matrix Method for Multi-Loop Feynman Integrals * Simplification in QCD and Electroweak Calculations * Programme * List of Participants

Dual-circuit, multiple-effect refrigeration system and method

DOEpatents

DeVault, Robert C.

1995-01-01

A dual circuit absorption refrigeration system comprising a high temperature single-effect refrigeration loop and a lower temperature double-effect refrigeration loop separate from one another and provided with a double-condenser coupling therebetween. The high temperature condenser of the single-effect refrigeration loop is double coupled to both of the generators in the double-effect refrigeration loop to improve internal heat recovery and a heat and mass transfer additive such as 2-ethyl-1-hexanol is used in the lower temperature double-effect refrigeration loop to improve the performance of the absorber in the double-effect refrigeration loop.

75 FR 10015 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on the Interchange of State Loop 1604 and United States...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-04

... on the Interchange of State Loop 1604 and United States Highway 281 in Texas AGENCY: Federal Highway... agencies that are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The actions relate to a proposed highway project, the interchange of Texas State Loop 1604 (LP 1604) with United States Highway 281 (US 281...

Invariant measure of the one-loop quantum gravitational backreaction on inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, S. P.; Tsamis, N. C.; Woodard, R. P.

2017-06-01

We use dimensional regularization in pure quantum gravity on a de Sitter background to evaluate the one-loop expectation value of an invariant operator which gives the local expansion rate. We show that the renormalization of this nonlocal composite operator can be accomplished using the counterterms of a simple local theory of gravity plus matter, at least at one-loop order. This renormalization completely absorbs the one-loop correction, which accords with the prediction that the lowest secular backreaction should be a two-loop effect.

Manipulations of extracellular Loop 2 in α1 GlyR ultra-sensitive ethanol receptors (USERs) enhance receptor sensitivity to isoflurane, ethanol, and lidocaine, but not propofol

PubMed Central

Naito, Anna; Muchhala, Karan H.; Trang, Janice; Asatryan, Liana; Trudell, James R.; Homanics, Gregg E.; Alkana, Ronald L.; Davies, Daryl L.

2015-01-01

We recently developed Ultra-Sensitive Ethanol Receptors (USERs) as a novel tool for investigation of single receptor subunit populations sensitized to extremely low ethanol concentrations that do not affect other receptors in the nervous system. To this end, we found that mutations within the extracellular Loop 2 region of glycine receptors (GlyRs) and γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs) can significantly increase receptor sensitivity to micro-molar concentrations of ethanol resulting in up to a 100-fold increase in ethanol sensitivity relative to wild type (WT) receptors. The current study investigated: 1) Whether structural manipulations of Loop 2 in α1 GlyRs could similarly increase receptor sensitivity to other anesthetics; and 2) If mutations exclusive to the C-terminal end of Loop 2 are sufficient to impart these changes. We expressed α1 GlyR USERs in Xenopus oocytes and tested the effects of three classes of anesthetics, isoflurane (volatile), propofol (intravenous), and lidocaine (local), known to enhance glycine-induced chloride currents using two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology. Loop 2 mutations produced a significant 10-fold increase in isoflurane and lidocaine sensitivity, but no increase in propofol sensitivity compared to WT α1 GlyRs. Interestingly, we also found that structural manipulations in the C-terminal end of Loop 2 were sufficient and selective for α1 GlyR modulation by ethanol, isoflurane, and lidocaine. These studies are the first to report the extracellular region of α1 GlyRs as a site of lidocaine action. Overall, the findings suggest that Loop 2 of α1 GlyRs is a key region that mediates isoflurane and lidocaine modulation. Moreover, the results identify important amino acids in Loop 2 that regulate isoflurane, lidocaine, and ethanol action. Collectively, these data indicate the commonality of the sites for isoflurane, lidocaine, and ethanol action, and the structural requirements for allosteric modulation on α1 GlyRs within the extracellular Loop 2 region. PMID:25827497

Electronic Maxwell demon in the coherent strong-coupling regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaller, Gernot; Cerrillo, Javier; Engelhardt, Georg; Strasberg, Philipp

2018-05-01

We consider an external feedback control loop implementing the action of a Maxwell demon. Applying control actions that are conditioned on measurement outcomes, the demon may transport electrons against a bias voltage and thereby effectively converts information into electric power. While the underlying model—a feedback-controlled quantum dot that is coupled to two electronic leads—is well explored in the limit of small tunnel couplings, we can address the strong-coupling regime with a fermionic reaction-coordinate mapping. This exact mapping transforms the setup into a serial triple quantum dot coupled to two leads. We find that a continuous projective measurement of the central dot occupation would lead to a complete suppression of electronic transport due to the quantum Zeno effect. In contrast, by using a microscopic detector model we can implement a weak measurement, which allows for closure of the control loop without transport blockade. Then, in the weak-coupling regime, the energy flows associated with the feedback loop are negligible, and dominantly the information gained in the measurement induces a bound for the generated electric power. In the strong coupling limit, the protocol may require more energy for operating the control loop than electric power produced, such that the whole device is no longer information dominated and can thus not be interpreted as a Maxwell demon.

Loops D, E and G in the Drosophila Dα1 subunit contribute to high neonicotinoid sensitivity of Dα1-chicken β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

PubMed

Ihara, Makoto; Hikida, Mai; Matsushita, Hiroyuki; Yamanaka, Kyosuke; Kishimoto, Yuya; Kubo, Kazuki; Watanabe, Shun; Sakamoto, Mifumi; Matsui, Koutaro; Yamaguchi, Akihiro; Okuhara, Daiki; Furutani, Shogo; Sattelle, David B; Matsuda, Kazuhiko

2018-06-01

Neonicotinoid insecticides interact with the orthosteric site formed at subunit interfaces of insect nicotinic ACh (nACh) receptors. However, their interactions with the orthosteric sites at α-non α and α-α subunit interfaces remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of neonicotinoid actions using the Drosophila Dα1-chicken β2 hybrid nACh receptor. Computer models of the (Dα1) 3 (β2) 2 nACh receptor in complex with imidacloprid and thiacloprid were generated. Amino acids in the Dα1 subunit were mutated to corresponding amino acids in the human α4 subunit to examine their effects on the agonist actions of neonicotinoids on (Dα1) 3 (β2) 2 and (Dα1) 2 (β2) 3 nACh receptors expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes using voltage-clamp electrophysiology. The (Dα1) 3 (β2) 2 nACh receptor models indicated that amino acids in loops D, E and G probably determine the effects of neonicotinoids. The amino acid mutations tested had minimal effects on the EC 50 for ACh. However, the R57S mutation in loop G, although having minimal effect on imidacloprid's actions, reduced the affinity of thiacloprid for the (Dα1) 3 (β2) 2 nACh receptor, while scarcely affecting thiacloprid's action on the (Dα1) 2 (β2) 3 nACh receptor. Both the K140T and the combined R57S;K140T mutations reduced neonicotinoid efficacy but only for the (Dα1) 3 (β2) 2 nACh receptor. Combining the E78K mutation with the R57S;K140T mutations resulted in a selective reduction of thiacloprid's affinity for the (Dα1) 3 (β2) 2 nACh receptor. These findings suggest that a triangle of residues from loops D, E and G contribute to the selective actions of neonicotinoids on insect-vertebrate hybrid nACh receptors. This article is part of a themed section on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.11/issuetoc. © 2017 The British Pharmacological Society.

Intelligent flight control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stengel, Robert F.

1993-01-01

The capabilities of flight control systems can be enhanced by designing them to emulate functions of natural intelligence. Intelligent control functions fall in three categories. Declarative actions involve decision-making, providing models for system monitoring, goal planning, and system/scenario identification. Procedural actions concern skilled behavior and have parallels in guidance, navigation, and adaptation. Reflexive actions are spontaneous, inner-loop responses for control and estimation. Intelligent flight control systems learn knowledge of the aircraft and its mission and adapt to changes in the flight environment. Cognitive models form an efficient basis for integrating 'outer-loop/inner-loop' control functions and for developing robust parallel-processing algorithms.

A geometric formulation of Higgs Effective Field Theory. Measuring the curvature of scalar field space

DOE PAGES

Alonso, Rodrigo; Jenkins, Elizabeth E.; Manohar, Aneesh V.

2016-03-01

A geometric formulation of Higgs Effective Field Theory (HEFT) is presented. Experimental observables are given in terms of geometric invariants of the scalar sigma model sector such as the curvature of the scalar field manifold M. Here we show how the curvature can be measured experimentally via Higgs cross-sections, WLscattering, and the Sparameter. The one-loop action of HEFT is given in terms of geometric invariants of M. Moreover, the distinction between the Standard Model (SM) and HEFT is whether Mis flat or curved, and the curvature is a signal of the scale of new physics.

Quantum corrections to the gravitational potentials of a point source due to conformal fields in de Sitter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fröb, Markus B.; Verdaguer, Enric, E-mail: mfroeb@itp.uni-leipzig.de, E-mail: enric.verdaguer@ub.edu

We derive the leading quantum corrections to the gravitational potentials in a de Sitter background, due to the vacuum polarization from loops of conformal fields. Our results are valid for arbitrary conformal theories, even strongly interacting ones, and are expressed using the coefficients b and b' appearing in the trace anomaly. Apart from the de Sitter generalization of the known flat-space results, we find two additional contributions: one which depends on the finite coefficients of terms quadratic in the curvature appearing in the renormalized effective action, and one which grows logarithmically with physical distance. While the first contribution corresponds tomore » a rescaling of the effective mass, the second contribution leads to a faster fall-off of the Newton potential at large distances, and is potentially measurable.« less

Effective Relief of Pain and Associated Symptoms With Closed-Loop Spinal Cord Stimulation System: Preliminary Results of the Avalon Study.

PubMed

Russo, Marc; Cousins, Michael J; Brooker, Charles; Taylor, Nathan; Boesel, Tillman; Sullivan, Richard; Poree, Lawrence; Shariati, Nastaran Hesam; Hanson, Erin; Parker, John

2018-01-01

Conventional spinal cord stimulation (SCS) delivers a fixed-input of energy into the dorsal column. Physiologic effects such as heartbeat, respiration, spinal cord movement, and history of stimulation can cause both the perceived intensity and recruitment of stimulation to increase or decrease, with clinical consequences. A new SCS system controls stimulation dose by measuring the recruitment of fibers in the dorsal column and by using the amplitude of the evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs) to maintain stimulation within an individualized therapeutic range. Safety and efficacy of this closed-loop system was evaluated through six-month postimplantation. Chronic pain subjects with back and/or leg pain who were successfully trialed received a permanent system (Evoke; Saluda Medical, Sydney, Australia). Ratings of pain (100-mm visual analogue scale [VAS] and Brief Pain Instrument [BPI]), quality of life (EuroQol instrument [EQ-5D-5L]), function (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]), and sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) were collected at baseline and repeated three and six months after implantation. Fifty-one subjects underwent a trial procedure; permanent implants were placed in 36 subjects. The proportion of subjects with ≥50% relief was 92.6% (back) and 91.3% (leg) at three months, and 85.7% (back) and 82.6% (leg) at six months. The proportion with ≥80% pain relief was 70.4% (back) and 56.5% (leg) at three months, and 64.3% (back) and 60.9% (leg) at six months. Statistically significant improvements in mean BPI, EQ-5D-5L, ODI, and PSQI were also observed at both time points. The majority of subjects experienced profound pain relief at three and six months, providing preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the closed-loop SCS system. The exact mechanism of action for these outcomes is still being explored, although one likely hypothesis holds that ECAP feedback control may minimize recruitment of Aβ nociceptors and Aδ fibers during daily use of SCS. © 2017 International Neuromodulation Society.

Dynamics of visual feedback in a laboratory simulation of a penalty kick.

PubMed

Morya, Edgard; Ranvaud, Ronald; Pinheiro, Walter Machado

2003-02-01

Sport scientists have devoted relatively little attention to soccer penalty kicks, despite their decisive role in important competitions such as the World Cup. Two possible kicker strategies have been described: ignoring the goalkeeper action (open loop) or trying to react to the goalkeeper action (closed loop). We used a paradigm simulating a penalty kick in the laboratory to investigate the dynamics of the closed-loop strategy in these controlled conditions. The probability of correctly responding to the simulated goalkeeper motion as a function of time available followed a logistic curve. Kickers on average reached perfect performance only if the goalkeeper committed him or herself to one side about 400 ms before ball contact and showed chance performance if the goalkeeper motion occurred less than 150 ms before ball contact. Interestingly, coincidence judgement--another aspect of the laboratory responses--appeared to be affected for a much longer time (> 500 ms) than was needed to correctly determine laterality. The present study is meant as groundwork for experiments in more ecological conditions applicable to kickers and goalkeepers.

Kinetics of Internal-Loop Formation in Polypeptide Chains: A Simulation Study

PubMed Central

Doucet, Dana; Roitberg, Adrian; Hagen, Stephen J.

2007-01-01

The speed of simple diffusional motions, such as the formation of loops in the polypeptide chain, places one physical limit on the speed of protein folding. Many experimental studies have explored the kinetics of formation of end-to-end loops in polypeptide chains; however, protein folding more often requires the formation of contacts between interior points on the chain. One expects that, for loops of fixed contour length, interior loops will form more slowly than end-to-end loops, owing to the additional excluded volume associated with the “tails”. We estimate the magnitude of this effect by generating ensembles of randomly coiled, freely jointed chains, and then using the theory of Szabo, Schulten, and Schulten to calculate the corresponding contact formation rates for these ensembles. Adding just a few residues, to convert an end-to-end loop to an internal loop, sharply decreases the contact rate. Surprisingly, the relative change in rate increases for a longer loop; sufficiently long tails, however, actually reverse the effect and accelerate loop formation slightly. Our results show that excluded volume effects in real, full-length polypeptides may cause the rates of loop formation during folding to depart significantly from the values derived from recent loop-formation experiments on short peptides. PMID:17208979

Effect of a cosmological constant on propagation of vacuum polarized photons in stationary spacetimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Sourav

2015-06-01

Consideration of vacuum polarization in quantum electrodynamics may affect the momentum dispersion relation for photons for a non-trivial background, due to the appearance of curvature dependent terms in the effective action. We investigate the effect of a positive cosmological constant on this at one-loop order for stationary -vacuum spacetimes. To the best of our knowledge, so far it only has been shown that affects the propagation in a time dependent black hole spacetime. Here we consider the static de Sitter cosmic string and the Kerr-de Sitter spacetime to show that there might occur a non-vanishing effect due to for physical polarizations. The consistency of these results with the polarization sum rule is discussed.

Knowledge Generated by Audiovisual Narrative Action Research Loops

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bautista Garcia-Vera, Antonio

2012-01-01

We present data collected from the research project funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain entitled "Audiovisual Narratives and Intercultural Relations in Education." One of the aims of the research was to determine the nature of thought processes occurring during audiovisual narratives. We studied the possibility of…

On the two-loop divergences of the 2-point hypermultiplet supergraphs for 6D, N = (1 , 1) SYM theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchbinder, I. L.; Ivanov, E. A.; Merzlikin, B. S.; Stepanyantz, K. V.

2018-03-01

We consider 6D, N = (1 , 1) supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory formulated in N = (1 , 0) harmonic superspace and analyze the structure of the two-loop divergences in the hypermultiplet sector. Using the N = (1 , 0) superfield background field method we study the two-point supergraphs with the hypermultiplet legs and prove that their total contribution to the divergent part of effective action vanishes off shell.

From SL(5, ℝ) Yang-Mills theory to induced gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assimos, T. S.; Pereira, A. D.; Santos, T. R. S.; Sobreiro, R. F.; Tomaz, A. A.; Otoya, V. J. Vasquez

From pure Yang-Mills action for the SL(5, ℝ) group in four Euclidean dimensions we obtain a gravity theory in the first order formalism. Besides the Einstein-Hilbert term, the effective gravity has a cosmological constant term, a curvature squared term, a torsion squared term and a matter sector. To obtain such geometrodynamical theory, asymptotic freedom and the Gribov parameter (soft BRST symmetry breaking) are crucial. Particularly, Newton and cosmological constant are related to these parameters and they also run as functions of the energy scale. One-loop computations are performed and the results are interpreted.

Plotting performance improvement progress through the development of a trauma dashboard.

PubMed

Hochstuhl, Diane C; Elwell, Sean

2014-01-01

Performance improvement processes are the core of a pediatric trauma program. The ability to identify, resolve, and trend specific indicators related to patient care and to show effective loop closure can be especially challenging. Using the hospital's overall quality process as a template, the trauma program built its own electronic dashboard. Our maturing trauma PI program now guides the overall trauma care. All departments own at least one performance indicator and must provide action plans for improvement. Utilization of an electronic dashboard for trauma performance improvement has provided a highly visible scorecard, which highlights successes and tracks areas needing improvement.

Multiple bottlenecks in hierarchical control of action sequences: what does "response selection" select in skilled typewriting?

PubMed

Yamaguchi, Motonori; Logan, Gordon D; Li, Vanessa

2013-08-01

Does response selection select words or letters in skilled typewriting? Typing performance involves hierarchically organized control processes: an outer loop that controls word level processing, and an inner loop that controls letter (or keystroke) level processing. The present study addressed whether response selection occurs in the outer loop or the inner loop by using the psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm in which Task1 required typing single words and Task2 required vocal responses to tones. The number of letters (string length) in the words was manipulated to discriminate selection of words from selection of keystrokes. In Experiment 1, the PRP effect depended on string length of words in Task1, suggesting that response selection occurs in the inner loop. To assess contributions of the outer loop, the influence of string length was examined in a lexical-decision task that also involves word encoding and lexical access (Experiment 2), or to-be-typed words were preexposed so outer-loop processing could finish before typing started (Experiment 3). Response time for Task2 (RT2) did not depend on string length with lexical decision, and RT2 still depended on string length with typing preexposed strings. These results support the inner-loop locus of the PRP effect. In Experiment 4, typing was performed as Task2, and the effect of string length on typing RT interacted with stimulus onset asynchrony superadditively, implying that another bottleneck also exists in the outer loop. We conclude that there are at least two bottleneck processes in skilled typewriting. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Fermionic localization of the schwarzian theory

DOE PAGES

Stanford, Douglas; Witten, Edward

2017-10-02

The SYK model is a quantum mechanical model that has been proposed to be holographically dual to a 1 + 1-dimensional model of a quantum black hole. An emergent “gravitational” mode of this model is governed by an unusual action that has been called the Schwarzian action. It governs a reparametrization of a circle. We show that the path integral of the Schwarzian theory is one-loop exact. Here, the argument uses a method of fermionic localization, even though the model itself is purely bosonic.

Organ-specific effects of brassinosteroids on stomatal production coordinate with the action of Too Many Mouths.

PubMed

Wang, Ming; Yang, Kezhen; Le, Jie

2015-03-01

In Arabidopsis, stomatal development initiates after protodermal cells acquire stomatal lineage cell fate. Stomata or their precursors communicate with their neighbor epidermal cells to ensure the "one cell spacing" rule. The signals from EPF/EPFL peptide ligands received by Too Many Mouths (TMM) and ERECTA-family receptors are supposed to be transduced by YODA MAPK cascade. A basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor SPEECHLESS (SPCH) is another key regulator of stomatal cell fate determination and asymmetric entry divisions, and SPCH activity is regulated by YODA MAPK cascade. Brassinosteroid (BR) signaling, one of the most well characterized signal transduction pathways in plants, contributes to the control of stomatal production. But opposite organ-specific effects of BR on stomatal production were reported. Here we confirm that stomatal production in hypocotyls is controlled by BR levels. YODA and CYCD4 are not essential for BR stomata-promoting function. Furthermore, we found that BR could confer tmm hypocotyls clustered stomatal phenotype, indicating that the BR organ-specific effects on stomatal production might coordinate with the TMM organ-specific actions. © 2014 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Loop corrections to primordial non-Gaussianity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boran, Sibel; Kahya, E. O.

2018-02-01

We discuss quantum gravitational loop effects to observable quantities such as curvature power spectrum and primordial non-Gaussianity of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. We first review the previously shown case where one gets a time dependence for zeta-zeta correlator due to loop corrections. Then we investigate the effect of loop corrections to primordial non-Gaussianity of CMB. We conclude that, even with a single scalar inflaton, one might get a huge value for non-Gaussianity which would exceed the observed value by at least 30 orders of magnitude. Finally we discuss the consequences of this result for scalar driven inflationary models.

Thumb-loops up for catalysis: a structure/function investigation of a functional loop movement in a GH11 xylanase

PubMed Central

Paës, Gabriel; Cortés, Juan; Siméon, Thierry; O'Donohue, Michael J.; Tran, Vinh

2012-01-01

Dynamics is a key feature of enzyme catalysis. Unfortunately, current experimental and computational techniques do not yet provide a comprehensive understanding and description of functional macromolecular motions. In this work, we have extended a novel computational technique, which combines molecular modeling methods and robotics algorithms, to investigate functional motions of protein loops. This new approach has been applied to study the functional importance of the so-called thumb-loop in the glycoside hydrolase family 11 xylanase from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus (Tx-xyl). The results obtained provide new insight into the role of the loop in the glycosylation/deglycosylation catalytic cycle, and underline the key importance of the nature of the residue located at the tip of the thumb-loop. The effect of mutations predicted in silico has been validated by in vitro site-directed mutagenesis experiments. Overall, we propose a comprehensive model of Tx-xyl catalysis in terms of substrate and product dynamics by identifying the action of the thumb-loop motion during catalysis. PMID:24688637

Students' Understanding of Loops and Nested Loops in Computer Programming: An APOS Theory Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetin, Ibrahim

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore students' understanding of loops and nested loops concepts. Sixty-three mechanical engineering students attending an introductory programming course participated in the study. APOS (Action, Process, Object, Schema) is a constructivist theory developed originally for mathematics education. This study is the…

Effective blocking of the white enhancer requires cooperation between two main mechanisms suggested for the insulator function.

PubMed

Kyrchanova, Olga; Maksimenko, Oksana; Stakhov, Viacheslav; Ivlieva, Tatyana; Parshikov, Alexander; Studitsky, Vasily M; Georgiev, Pavel

2013-01-01

Chromatin insulators block the action of transcriptional enhancers when interposed between an enhancer and a promoter. In this study, we examined the role of chromatin loops formed by two unrelated insulators, gypsy and Fab-7, in their enhancer-blocking activity. To test for this activity, we selected the white reporter gene that is activated by the eye-specific enhancer. The results showed that one copy of the gypsy or Fab-7 insulator failed to block the eye enhancer in most of genomic sites, whereas a chromatin loop formed by two gypsy insulators flanking either the eye enhancer or the reporter completely blocked white stimulation by the enhancer. However, strong enhancer blocking was achieved due not only to chromatin loop formation but also to the direct interaction of the gypsy insulator with the eye enhancer, which was confirmed by the 3C assay. In particular, it was observed that Mod(mdg4)-67.2, a component of the gypsy insulator, interacted with the Zeste protein, which is critical for the eye enhancer-white promoter communication. These results suggest that efficient enhancer blocking depends on the combination of two factors: chromatin loop formation by paired insulators, which generates physical constraints for enhancer-promoter communication, and the direct interaction of proteins recruited to an insulator and to the enhancer-promoter pair.

Effective Blocking of the White Enhancer Requires Cooperation between Two Main Mechanisms Suggested for the Insulator Function

PubMed Central

Stakhov, Viacheslav; Ivlieva, Tatyana; Parshikov, Alexander; Studitsky, Vasily M.; Georgiev, Pavel

2013-01-01

Chromatin insulators block the action of transcriptional enhancers when interposed between an enhancer and a promoter. In this study, we examined the role of chromatin loops formed by two unrelated insulators, gypsy and Fab-7, in their enhancer-blocking activity. To test for this activity, we selected the white reporter gene that is activated by the eye-specific enhancer. The results showed that one copy of the gypsy or Fab-7 insulator failed to block the eye enhancer in most of genomic sites, whereas a chromatin loop formed by two gypsy insulators flanking either the eye enhancer or the reporter completely blocked white stimulation by the enhancer. However, strong enhancer blocking was achieved due not only to chromatin loop formation but also to the direct interaction of the gypsy insulator with the eye enhancer, which was confirmed by the 3C assay. In particular, it was observed that Mod(mdg4)-67.2, a component of the gypsy insulator, interacted with the Zeste protein, which is critical for the eye enhancer–white promoter communication. These results suggest that efficient enhancer blocking depends on the combination of two factors: chromatin loop formation by paired insulators, which generates physical constraints for enhancer–promoter communication, and the direct interaction of proteins recruited to an insulator and to the enhancer–promoter pair. PMID:23861668

Invariant Connections in Loop Quantum Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanusch, Maximilian

2016-04-01

Given a group {G}, and an abelian {C^*}-algebra {A}, the antihomomorphisms {Θ\\colon G→ {Aut}(A)} are in one-to-one with those left actions {Φ\\colon G× {Spec}(A)→ {Spec}(A)} whose translation maps {Φ_g} are continuous; whereby continuities of {Θ} and {Φ} turn out to be equivalent if {A} is unital. In particular, a left action {φ\\colon G × X→ X} can be uniquely extended to the spectrum of a {C^*}-subalgebra {A} of the bounded functions on {X} if {φ_g^*(A)subseteq A} holds for each {gin G}. In the present paper, we apply this to the framework of loop quantum gravity. We show that, on the level of the configuration spaces, quantization and reduction in general do not commute, i.e., that the symmetry-reduced quantum configuration space is (strictly) larger than the quantized configuration space of the reduced classical theory. Here, the quantum-reduced space has the advantage to be completely characterized by a simple algebraic relation, whereby the quantized reduced classical space is usually hard to compute.

Stimulus learning and response learning by observation in the European starling, in a two-object/two-action test.

PubMed

Campbell; Heyes; Goldsmith

1999-07-01

Juvenile European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, were allowed to observe a conspecific demonstrator using its beak to remove one of two distinctively coloured objects (i.e. a red or a black plug) from a hole in the lid of a plastic box. Both plugs could be removed by either pulling up on a loop of string inserted through the centre of the plug, or pushing down on the plug. When subsequently allowed access to the plugs, and rewarded with food for all removal responses, regardless of the object to which they were made and their direction, observer birds removed the same plug in the same direction as their demonstrator. These results suggest that the two-object/two-action paradigm is a valuable procedure for testing for the simultaneous effects of learning about a stimulus and a response, an object and an action, through conspecific observation. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

SimSup's Loop: A Control Theory Approach to Spacecraft Operator Training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, Brandon Dewain; Crocker, Alan R.

2015-01-01

Immersive simulation is a staple of training for many complex system operators, including astronauts and ground operators of spacecraft. However, while much has been written about simulators, simulation facilities, and operator certification programs, the topic of how one develops simulation scenarios to train a spacecraft operator is relatively understated in the literature. In this paper, an approach is presented for using control theory as the basis for developing the immersive simulation scenarios for a spacecraft operator training program. The operator is effectively modeled as a high level controller of lower level hardware and software control loops that affect a select set of system state variables. Simulation scenarios are derived from a STAMP-based hazard analysis of the operator's high and low level control loops. The immersive simulation aspect of the overall training program is characterized by selecting a set of scenarios that expose the operator to the various inadequate control actions that stem from control flaws and inadequate control executions in the different sections of the typical control loop. Results from the application of this approach to the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission are provided through an analysis of the simulation scenarios used for operator training and the actual anomalies that occurred during the mission. The simulation scenarios and inflight anomalies are mapped to specific control flaws and inadequate control executions in the different sections of the typical control loop to illustrate the characteristics of anomalies arising from the different sections of the typical control loop (and why it is important for operators to have exposure to these characteristics). Additionally, similarities between the simulation scenarios and inflight anomalies are highlighted to make the case that the simulation scenarios prepared the operators for the mission.

Alternative dimensional reduction via the density matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Carvalho, C. A.; Cornwall, J. M.; da Silva, A. J.

2001-07-01

We give graphical rules, based on earlier work for the functional Schrödinger equation, for constructing the density matrix for scalar and gauge fields in equilibrium at finite temperature T. More useful is a dimensionally reduced effective action (DREA) constructed from the density matrix by further functional integration over the arguments of the density matrix coupled to a source. The DREA is an effective action in one less dimension which may be computed order by order in perturbation theory or by dressed-loop expansions; it encodes all thermal matrix elements. We term the DREA procedure alternative dimensional reduction, to distinguish it from the conventional dimensionally reduced field theory (DRFT) which applies at infinite T. The DREA is useful because it gives a dimensionally reduced theory usable at any T including infinity, where it yields the DRFT, and because it does not and cannot have certain spurious infinities which sometimes occur in the density matrix itself or the conventional DRFT; these come from ln T factors at infinite temperature. The DREA can be constructed to all orders (in principle) and the only regularizations needed are those which control the ultraviolet behavior of the zero-T theory. An example of spurious divergences in the DRFT occurs in d=2+1φ4 theory dimensionally reduced to d=2. We study this theory and show that the rules for the DREA replace these ``wrong'' divergences in physical parameters by calculable powers of ln T; we also compute the phase transition temperature of this φ4 theory in one-loop order. Our density-matrix construction is equivalent to a construction of the Landau-Ginzburg ``coarse-grained free energy'' from a microscopic Hamiltonian.

Universality hypothesis breakdown at one-loop order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvalho, P. R. S.

2018-05-01

We probe the universality hypothesis by analytically computing the at least two-loop corrections to the critical exponents for q -deformed O (N ) self-interacting λ ϕ4 scalar field theories through six distinct and independent field-theoretic renormalization group methods and ɛ -expansion techniques. We show that the effect of q deformation on the one-loop corrections to the q -deformed critical exponents is null, so the universality hypothesis is broken down at this loop order. Such an effect emerges only at the two-loop and higher levels, and the validity of the universality hypothesis is restored. The q -deformed critical exponents obtained through the six methods are the same and, furthermore, reduce to their nondeformed values in the appropriated limit.

Development of closed-loop supply chain network in terms of corporate social responsibility.

PubMed

Pedram, Ali; Pedram, Payam; Yusoff, Nukman Bin; Sorooshian, Shahryar

2017-01-01

Due to the rise in awareness of environmental issues and the depletion of virgin resources, many firms have attempted to increase the sustainability of their activities. One efficient way to elevate sustainability is the consideration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by designing a closed loop supply chain (CLSC). This paper has developed a mathematical model to increase corporate social responsibility in terms of job creation. Moreover the model, in addition to increasing total CLSC profit, provides a range of strategic decision solutions for decision makers to select a best action plan for a CLSC. A proposed multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model was solved with non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II). Fuzzy set theory was employed to select the best compromise solution from the Pareto-optimal solutions. A numerical example was used to validate the potential application of the proposed model. The results highlight the effect of CSR in the design of CLSC.

Development of closed–loop supply chain network in terms of corporate social responsibility

PubMed Central

Pedram, Payam; Yusoff, Nukman Bin; Sorooshian, Shahryar

2017-01-01

Due to the rise in awareness of environmental issues and the depletion of virgin resources, many firms have attempted to increase the sustainability of their activities. One efficient way to elevate sustainability is the consideration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by designing a closed loop supply chain (CLSC). This paper has developed a mathematical model to increase corporate social responsibility in terms of job creation. Moreover the model, in addition to increasing total CLSC profit, provides a range of strategic decision solutions for decision makers to select a best action plan for a CLSC. A proposed multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model was solved with non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II). Fuzzy set theory was employed to select the best compromise solution from the Pareto-optimal solutions. A numerical example was used to validate the potential application of the proposed model. The results highlight the effect of CSR in the design of CLSC. PMID:28384250

Kernel Temporal Differences for Neural Decoding

PubMed Central

Bae, Jihye; Sanchez Giraldo, Luis G.; Pohlmeyer, Eric A.; Francis, Joseph T.; Sanchez, Justin C.; Príncipe, José C.

2015-01-01

We study the feasibility and capability of the kernel temporal difference (KTD)(λ) algorithm for neural decoding. KTD(λ) is an online, kernel-based learning algorithm, which has been introduced to estimate value functions in reinforcement learning. This algorithm combines kernel-based representations with the temporal difference approach to learning. One of our key observations is that by using strictly positive definite kernels, algorithm's convergence can be guaranteed for policy evaluation. The algorithm's nonlinear functional approximation capabilities are shown in both simulations of policy evaluation and neural decoding problems (policy improvement). KTD can handle high-dimensional neural states containing spatial-temporal information at a reasonable computational complexity allowing real-time applications. When the algorithm seeks a proper mapping between a monkey's neural states and desired positions of a computer cursor or a robot arm, in both open-loop and closed-loop experiments, it can effectively learn the neural state to action mapping. Finally, a visualization of the coadaptation process between the decoder and the subject shows the algorithm's capabilities in reinforcement learning brain machine interfaces. PMID:25866504

Applying Influence Diagrams to Support Collective C2 in Multinational Civil-Military Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

highlighting pathways of influence, it is possible to set a course (or courses ) of action which will be taken in order to achieve the desired objectives...from the general activities of the operation, by highlighting these loops on the ID and showing how they feed into the main courses of action may once...are taken. These courses of action and active loops can be shown to members of humanitarian organisations and local government representatives in

THE CORONAL LOOP INVENTORY PROJECT: EXPANDED ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schmelz, J. T.; Christian, G. M.; Chastain, R. A., E-mail: jschmelz@usra.edu

We have expanded upon earlier work that investigates the relative importance of coronal loops with isothermal versus multithermal cross-field temperature distributions. These results are important for determining if loops have substructure in the form of unresolved magnetic strands. We have increased the number of loops targeted for temperature analysis from 19 to 207 with the addition of 188 new loops from multiple regions. We selected all loop segments visible in the 171 Å images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) that had a clean background. Eighty-six of the new loops were rejected because they could not be reliably separated frommore » the background in other AIA filters. Sixty-one loops required multithermal models to reproduce the observations. Twenty-eight loops were effectively isothermal, that is, the plasma emission to which AIA is sensitive could not be distinguished from isothermal emission, within uncertainties. Ten loops were isothermal. Also, part of our inventory was one small flaring loop, one very cool loop whose temperature distribution could not be constrained by the AIA data, and one loop with inconclusive results. Our survey can confirm an unexpected result from the pilot study: we found no isothermal loop segments where we could properly use the 171-to-193 ratio method, which would be similar to the analysis done for many loops observed with TRACE and EIT. We recommend caution to observers who assume the loop plasma is isothermal, and hope that these results will influence the direction of coronal heating models and the effort modelers spend on various heating scenarios.« less

Using video modeling with substitutable loops to teach varied play to children with autism.

PubMed

Dupere, Sally; MacDonald, Rebecca P F; Ahearn, William H

2013-01-01

Children with autism often engage in repetitive play with little variation in the actions performed or items used. This study examined the use of video modeling with scripted substitutable loops on children's pretend play with trained and untrained characters. Three young children with autism were shown a video model of scripted toy play that included a substitutable loop that allowed various characters to perform the same actions and vocalizations. Three characters were modeled with the substitutable loop during training sessions, and 3 additional characters were present in the video but never modeled. Following video modeling, all the participants incorporated untrained characters into their play, but the extent to which they did so varied. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Uncovering the spatially distant feedback loops of global trade: A network and input-output approach.

PubMed

Prell, Christina; Sun, Laixiang; Feng, Kuishuang; He, Jiaying; Hubacek, Klaus

2017-05-15

Land-use change is increasingly driven by global trade. The term "telecoupling" has been gaining ground as a means to describe how human actions in one part of the world can have spatially distant impacts on land and land-use in another. These interactions can, over time, create both direct and spatially distant feedback loops, in which human activity and land use mutually impact one another over great expanses. In this paper, we develop an analytical framework to clarify spatially distant feedbacks in the case of land use and global trade. We use an innovative mix of multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis and stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOMs) for analyzing the co-evolution of changes in trade network patterns with those of land use, as embodied in trade. Our results indicate that the formation of trade ties and changes in embodied land use mutually impact one another, and further, that these changes are linked to disparities in countries' wealth. Through identifying this feedback loop, our results support ongoing discussions about the unequal trade patterns between rich and poor countries that result in uneven distributions of negative environmental impacts. Finally, evidence for this feedback loop is present even when controlling for a number of underlying mechanisms, such as countries' land endowments, their geographical distance from one another, and a number of endogenous network tendencies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluating Mathematics Achievement of Middle School Students in a Looping Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franz, Dana Pomykal; Thompson, Nicole L.; Fuller, Bob; Hare, R. Dwight; Miller, Nicole C.; Walker, Jacob

2010-01-01

Looping, a school structure where students remain with one group of teachers for two or more school years, is used by middle schools to meet the diverse needs of young adolescents. However, little research exists on how looping effects the academic performance of students. This study was designed to determine if looping influenced middle school…

CP violation at one loop in the polarization-independent chargino production in e+e- collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolbiecki, K.; Kalinowski, J.

2007-12-01

Recently Osland and Vereshagin noticed, based on sample calculations of some box diagrams, that in unpolarized e+e- collisions CP-odd effects in the nondiagonal chargino-pair production process are generated at one loop. Here we perform a full one-loop analysis of these effects and point out that in some cases the neglected vertex and self-energy contributions may play a dominant role. We also show that CP asymmetries in chargino production are sensitive not only to the phase of μ parameter in the chargino sector but also to the phase of stop trilinear coupling At.

The hypermultiplet with Heisenberg isometry in N = 2 global and local supersymmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambrosetti, Nicola; Antoniadis, Ignatios; Derendinger, Jean-Pierre; Tziveloglou, Pantelis

2011-06-01

The string coupling of N = 2 supersymmetric compactifications of type II string theory on a Calabi-Yau manifold belongs to the so-called universal dilaton hyper-multiplet, that has four real scalars living on a quaternion-Kähler manifold. Requiring Heisenberg symmetry, which is a maximal subgroup of perturbative isometries, reduces the possible manifolds to a one-parameter family that describes the tree-level effective action deformed by the only possible perturbative correction arising at one-loop level. A similar argument can be made at the level of global supersymmetry where the scalar manifold is hyper-Kähler. In this work, the connection between global and local supersymmetry is explicitly constructed, providing a non-trivial gravity decoupled limit of type II strings already in perturbation theory.

Current systems of coronal loops in 3D MHD simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warnecke, J.; Chen, F.; Bingert, S.; Peter, H.

2017-11-01

Aims: We study the magnetic field and current structure associated with a coronal loop. Through this we investigate to what extent the assumptions of a force-free magnetic field break down and where they might be justified. Methods: We analyze a three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of the solar corona in an emerging active region with the focus on the structure of the forming coronal loops. The lower boundary of this simulation is taken from a model of an emerging active region. As a consequence of the emerging magnetic flux and the horizontal motions at the surface a coronal loop forms self-consistently. We investigate the current density along magnetic field lines inside (and outside) this loop and study the magnetic and plasma properties in and around this loop. The loop is defined as the bundle of field lines that coincides with enhanced emission in extreme UV. Results: We find that the total current along the emerging loop changes its sign from being antiparallel to parallel to the magnetic field. This is caused by the inclination of the loop together with the footpoint motion. Around the loop, the currents form a complex non-force-free helical structure. This is directly related to a bipolar current structure at the loop footpoints at the base of the corona and a local reduction of the background magnetic field (I.e., outside the loop) caused by the plasma flow into and along the loop. Furthermore, the locally reduced magnetic pressure in the loop allows the loop to sustain a higher density, which is crucial for the emission in extreme UV. The action of the flow on the magnetic field hosting the loop turns out to also be responsible for the observed squashing of the loop. Conclusions: The complex magnetic field and current system surrounding it can only be modeled in 3D MHD models where the magnetic field has to balance the plasma pressure. A one-dimensional coronal loop model or a force-free extrapolation cannot capture the current system and the complex interaction of the plasma and the magnetic field in the coronal loop, despite the fact that the loop is under low-β conditions.

What Constitutes Terrorist Network Resiliency?

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-31

organizations like al Qaeda. One of the main deficiencies with international law is with the Financial Action Task Force ( FATF ) which had been...2005). The FATF identified 40 recommendations to be implemented to counter money laundering activities. However, no formal binding convention or...treaty was created therefore consistent implementation of the FATF recommendations did not occur thus leaving loop holes in international law for

Understanding the Hysteresis Loop Conundrum in Pharmacokinetic / Pharmacodynamic Relationships

PubMed Central

Louizos, Christopher; Yáñez, Jaime A.; Forrest, Laird; Davies, Neal M.

2015-01-01

Hysteresis loops are phenomena that sometimes are encountered in the analysis of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic relationships spanning from pre-clinical to clinical studies. When hysteresis occurs it provides insight into the complexity of drug action and disposition that can be encountered. Hysteresis loops suggest that the relationship between drug concentration and the effect being measured is not a simple direct relationship, but may have an inherent time delay and disequilibrium, which may be the result of metabolites, the consequence of changes in pharmacodynamics or the use of a non-specific assay or may involve an indirect relationship. Counter-clockwise hysteresis has been generally defined as the process in which effect can increase with time for a given drug concentration, while in the case of clockwise hysteresis the measured effect decreases with time for a given drug concentration. Hysteresis loops can occur as a consequence of a number of different pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms including tolerance, distributional delay, feedback regulation, input and output rate changes, agonistic or antagonistic active metabolites, uptake into active site, slow receptor kinetics, delayed or modified activity, time-dependent protein binding and the use of racemic drugs among other factors. In this review, each of these various causes of hysteresis loops are discussed, with incorporation of relevant examples of drugs demonstrating these relationships for illustrative purposes. Furthermore, the effect that pharmaceutical formulation has on the occurrence and potential change in direction of the hysteresis loop, and the major pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic modeling approaches utilized to collapse and model hysteresis are detailed. PMID:24735761

A study of a steering system algorithm for pleasure boats based on stability analysis of a human-machine system model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, Fujio; Toyama, Shigehiro; Ishiduki, Souta; Seta, Hiroaki

2016-09-01

Maritime accidents of small ships continue to increase in number. One of the major factors is poor manoeuvrability of the Manual Hydraulic Steering Mechanism (MHSM) in common use. The manoeuvrability can be improved by using the Electronic Control Steering Mechanism (ECSM). This paper conducts stability analyses of a pleasure boat controlled by human models in view of path following on a target course, in order to establish design guidelines for the ECSM. First, to analyse the stability region, the research derives the linear approximated model in a planar global coordinate system. Then, several human models are assumed to develop closed-loop human-machine controlled systems. These human models include basic proportional, derivative, integral and time-delay actions. The stability analysis simulations for those human-machine systems are carried out. The results show that the stability region tends to spread as a ship's velocity increases in the case of the basic proportional human model. The derivative action and time-delay action of human models are effective in spreading the stability region in their respective ranges of frontal gazing points.

Confronting effective models for deconfinement in dense quark matter with lattice data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Jens O.; Brauner, Tomáš; Naylor, William R.

2015-12-01

Ab initio numerical simulations of the thermodynamics of dense quark matter remain a challenge. Apart from the infamous sign problem, lattice methods have to deal with finite volume and discretization effects as well as with the necessity to introduce sources for symmetry-breaking order parameters. We study these artifacts in the Polyakov-loop-extended Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model and compare its predictions to existing lattice data for cold and dense two-color matter with two flavors of Wilson quarks. To achieve even qualitative agreement with lattice data requires the introduction of two novel elements in the model: (i) explicit chiral symmetry breaking in the effective contact four-fermion interaction, referred to as the chiral twist, and (ii) renormalization of the Polyakov loop. The feedback of the dense medium to the gauge sector is modeled by a chemical-potential-dependent scale in the Polyakov-loop potential. In contrast to previously used analytical Ansätze, we determine its dependence on the chemical potential from lattice data for the expectation value of the Polyakov loop. Finally, we propose adding a two-derivative operator to our effective model. This term acts as an additional source of explicit chiral symmetry breaking, mimicking an analogous term in the lattice Wilson action.

The strainrange conversion principle for treating cumulative fatigue damage in the creep range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manson, S. S.

1983-01-01

A formula is derived for combining effects of successive hysteresis loops in the creep range of materials when one loop has excess tensile creep, while the other contains excess compressive creep. The resultant effect resembles single loops involving balanced tensile and compressive creep. The attempt to use the Interaction Damage Rule as a tool in combining loops of non-equal size and complex strainrange content has led to important new concepts useful in future studies of creep-fatigue. It turns out that the Interaction Damage Rule is basically an expression of how a set of hysteresis loops involving only single generic strains can combine to produce the same micromechanistic damage as the loop containing the combined strainranges which it analyzes. Making use of the underlying concept of Strainrange Partitioning that only the strainrange content of a hysteresis loop governs fatigue life, not order of introducing strainranges, a rational derivation of the Interaction Damage Rule is provided, showing also how it can effectively be used to synthesize independent loops and determine both damaging and healing effects.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Henning, Brian; Lu, Xiaochuan; Murayama, Hitoshi

Here, we present a practical three-step procedure of using the Standard Model effective field theory (SM EFT) to connect ultraviolet (UV) models of new physics with weak scale precision observables. With this procedure, one can interpret precision measurements as constraints on a given UV model. We give a detailed explanation for calculating the effective action up to one-loop order in a manifestly gauge covariant fashion. This covariant derivative expansion method dramatically simplifies the process of matching a UV model with the SM EFT, and also makes available a universal formalism that is easy to use for a variety of UVmore » models. A few general aspects of RG running effects and choosing operator bases are discussed. Finally, we provide mapping results between the bosonic sector of the SM EFT and a complete set of precision electroweak and Higgs observables to which present and near future experiments are sensitive. Many results and tools which should prove useful to those wishing to use the SM EFT are detailed in several appendices.« less

Minimally doubled fermions at one loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capitani, Stefano; Weber, Johannes; Wittig, Hartmut

2009-10-01

Minimally doubled fermions have been proposed as a cost-effective realization of chiral symmetry at non-zero lattice spacing. Using lattice perturbation theory at one loop, we study their renormalization properties. Specifically, we investigate the consequences of the breaking of hyper-cubic symmetry, which is a typical feature of this class of fermionic discretizations. Our results for the quark self-energy indicate that the four-momentum undergoes a renormalization which is linearly divergent. We also compute renormalization factors for quark bilinears, construct the conserved vector and axial-vector currents and verify that at one loop the renormalization factors of the latter are equal to one.

The effective χ parameter in polarizable polymeric systems: One-loop perturbation theory and field-theoretic simulations.

PubMed

Grzetic, Douglas J; Delaney, Kris T; Fredrickson, Glenn H

2018-05-28

We derive the effective Flory-Huggins parameter in polarizable polymeric systems, within a recently introduced polarizable field theory framework. The incorporation of bead polarizabilities in the model self-consistently embeds dielectric response, as well as van der Waals interactions. The latter generate a χ parameter (denoted χ̃) between any two species with polarizability contrast. Using one-loop perturbation theory, we compute corrections to the structure factor Sk and the dielectric function ϵ^(k) for a polarizable binary homopolymer blend in the one-phase region of the phase diagram. The electrostatic corrections to S(k) can be entirely accounted for by a renormalization of the excluded volume parameter B into three van der Waals-corrected parameters B AA , B AB , and B BB , which then determine χ̃. The one-loop theory not only enables the quantitative prediction of χ̃ but also provides useful insight into the dependence of χ̃ on the electrostatic environment (for example, its sensitivity to electrostatic screening). The unapproximated polarizable field theory is amenable to direct simulation via complex Langevin sampling, which we employ here to test the validity of the one-loop results. From simulations of S(k) and ϵ^(k) for a system of polarizable homopolymers, we find that the one-loop theory is best suited to high concentrations, where it performs very well. Finally, we measure χ̃N in simulations of a polarizable diblock copolymer melt and obtain excellent agreement with the one-loop theory. These constitute the first fully fluctuating simulations conducted within the polarizable field theory framework.

The effective χ parameter in polarizable polymeric systems: One-loop perturbation theory and field-theoretic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grzetic, Douglas J.; Delaney, Kris T.; Fredrickson, Glenn H.

2018-05-01

We derive the effective Flory-Huggins parameter in polarizable polymeric systems, within a recently introduced polarizable field theory framework. The incorporation of bead polarizabilities in the model self-consistently embeds dielectric response, as well as van der Waals interactions. The latter generate a χ parameter (denoted χ ˜ ) between any two species with polarizability contrast. Using one-loop perturbation theory, we compute corrections to the structure factor S (k ) and the dielectric function ɛ ^ (k ) for a polarizable binary homopolymer blend in the one-phase region of the phase diagram. The electrostatic corrections to S(k) can be entirely accounted for by a renormalization of the excluded volume parameter B into three van der Waals-corrected parameters BAA, BAB, and BBB, which then determine χ ˜ . The one-loop theory not only enables the quantitative prediction of χ ˜ but also provides useful insight into the dependence of χ ˜ on the electrostatic environment (for example, its sensitivity to electrostatic screening). The unapproximated polarizable field theory is amenable to direct simulation via complex Langevin sampling, which we employ here to test the validity of the one-loop results. From simulations of S(k) and ɛ ^ (k ) for a system of polarizable homopolymers, we find that the one-loop theory is best suited to high concentrations, where it performs very well. Finally, we measure χ ˜ N in simulations of a polarizable diblock copolymer melt and obtain excellent agreement with the one-loop theory. These constitute the first fully fluctuating simulations conducted within the polarizable field theory framework.

Functional renormalization group approach to the Yang-Lee edge singularity

DOE PAGES

An, X.; Mesterházy, D.; Stephanov, M. A.

2016-07-08

Here, we determine the scaling properties of the Yang-Lee edge singularity as described by a one-component scalar field theory with imaginary cubic coupling, using the nonperturbative functional renormalization group in 3 ≤ d ≤ 6 Euclidean dimensions. We find very good agreement with high-temperature series data in d = 3 dimensions and compare our results to recent estimates of critical exponents obtained with the four-loop ϵ = 6 - d expansion and the conformal bootstrap. The relevance of operator insertions at the corresponding fixed point of the RG β functions is discussed and we estimate the error associated with O(∂more » 4) truncations of the scale-dependent effective action.« less

Functional renormalization group approach to the Yang-Lee edge singularity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

An, X.; Mesterházy, D.; Stephanov, M. A.

Here, we determine the scaling properties of the Yang-Lee edge singularity as described by a one-component scalar field theory with imaginary cubic coupling, using the nonperturbative functional renormalization group in 3 ≤ d ≤ 6 Euclidean dimensions. We find very good agreement with high-temperature series data in d = 3 dimensions and compare our results to recent estimates of critical exponents obtained with the four-loop ϵ = 6 - d expansion and the conformal bootstrap. The relevance of operator insertions at the corresponding fixed point of the RG β functions is discussed and we estimate the error associated with O(∂more » 4) truncations of the scale-dependent effective action.« less

Wormholes or gravastars?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garattini, Remo

2013-09-01

The one loop effective action in a Schwarzschild background is here used to compute the Zero Point Energy (ZPE) which is compared to the same one generated by an existing gravastar. We find that only when we set up a difference between ZPE in these different background we can have an indication on which configuration is favored. Such a ZPE difference represents the Casimir energy. Such an energy, being negative, can be considered as a part of the Dark Energy necessary for the topology change. It is also shown that the expression of the ZPE is equivalent to the one computed by means of a variational approach. To handle with ZPE divergences, we use the zeta function regularization. A renormalization procedure to remove the infinities together with a renormalization group equation is introduced. We find that the final configuration is dependent on the ratio between the radius of the wormhole augmented by the "brick wall" and the radius of the gravastar.

Topics in Covariant Closed String Field Theory and Two-Dimensional Quantum Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadi, Maha

1991-01-01

The closed string field theory based on the Witten vertex is found to be nonpolynomial in order to reproduce all tree amplitudes correctly. The interactions have a geometrical pattern of overlaps, which can be thought as the edges of a spherical polyhedron with face-perimeters equal to 2pi. At each vertex of the polyhedron there are three faces, thus all elementary interactions are cubic in the sense that at most three strings can coincide at a point. The quantum action is constructed by substracting counterterms which cancel the overcounting of moduli space, and by adding loop vertices in such a way no possible surfaces are missed. A counterterm that gives the correct one-string one-loop amplitude is formulated. The lowest order loop vertices are analyzed in the cases of genus one and two. Also, a one-loop two -string counterterm that restores BRST invariance to the respective scattering amplitude is constructed. An attempt to understand the formulation of two -dimensional pure gravity from the discrete representation of a two-dimensional surface is made. This is considered as a toy model of string theory. A well-defined mathematical model is used. Its continuum limit cannot be naively interpreted as pure gravity because each term of the sum over surfaces is not positive definite. The model, however, could be considered as an analytic continuation of the standard matrix model formulation of gravity. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Ning; Shen, Tielong; Kurtz, Richard

The properties of nano-scale interstitial dislocation loops under the coupling effect of stress and temperature are studied using atomistic simulation methods and experiments. The decomposition of a loop by the emission of smaller loops is identified as one of the major mechanisms to release the localized stress induced by the coupling effect, which is validated by the TEM observations. The classical conservation law of Burgers vector cannot be applied during such decomposition process. The dislocation network is formed from the decomposed loops, which may initiate the irradiation creep much earlier than expected through the mechanism of climb-controlled glide of dislocations.

Perturbative study of the QCD phase diagram for heavy quarks at nonzero chemical potential: Two-loop corrections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maelger, J.; Reinosa, U.; Serreau, J.

2018-04-01

We extend a previous investigation [U. Reinosa et al., Phys. Rev. D 92, 025021 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevD.92.025021] of the QCD phase diagram with heavy quarks in the context of background field methods by including the two-loop corrections to the background field effective potential. The nonperturbative dynamics in the pure-gauge sector is modeled by a phenomenological gluon mass term in the Landau-DeWitt gauge-fixed action, which results in an improved perturbative expansion. We investigate the phase diagram at nonzero temperature and (real or imaginary) chemical potential. Two-loop corrections yield an improved agreement with lattice data as compared to the leading-order results. We also compare with the results of nonperturbative continuum approaches. We further study the equation of state as well as the thermodynamic stability of the system at two-loop order. Finally, using simple thermodynamic arguments, we show that the behavior of the Polyakov loops as functions of the chemical potential complies with their interpretation in terms of quark and antiquark free energies.

Application of the Modular Command and Control Evaluation Structure to a Strategic Defense Initiative Command and Control System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-01

environment . Actions within the process loop is initiated by a perceived divergence from a desired state and the sensed environmental state. Definitions of the...initiated environmental effect. An action by our own forces as well as by the enemy forces can create an alteration to the overall environment . The DESIRED...Additionally, the model would accommodate the entire C2 system, including physical entities, structure, and its environment . The objective was to

11.2 YIP Human In the Loop Statistical RelationalLearners

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-23

learning formalisms including inverse reinforcement learning [4] and statistical relational learning [7, 5, 8]. We have also applied our algorithms in...one introduced for label preferences. 4 Figure 2: Active Advice Seeking for Inverse Reinforcement Learning. active advice seeking is in selecting the...learning tasks. 1.2.1 Sequential Decision-Making Our previous work on advice for inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) defined advice as action

Mechanism of Chromosomal Boundary Action: Roadblock, Sink, or Loop?

PubMed Central

Gohl, Daryl; Aoki, Tsutomu; Blanton, Jason; Shanower, Greg; Kappes, Gretchen; Schedl, Paul

2011-01-01

Boundary elements or insulators subdivide eukaryotic chromosomes into a series of structurally and functionally autonomous domains. They ensure that the action of enhancers and silencers is restricted to the domain in which these regulatory elements reside. Three models, the roadblock, sink/decoy, and topological loop, have been proposed to explain the insulating activity of boundary elements. Strong predictions about how boundaries will function in different experimental contexts can be drawn from these models. In the studies reported here, we have designed assays that test these predictions. The results of our assays are inconsistent with the expectations of the roadblock and sink models. Instead, they support the topological loop model. PMID:21196526

On the bispectra of very massive tracers in the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure

DOE PAGES

Nadler, Ethan O.; Perko, Ashley; Senatore, Leonardo

2018-02-01

The Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure (EFTofLSS) provides a consistent perturbative framework for describing the statistical distribution of cosmological large-scale structure. In a previous EFTofLSS calculation that involved the one-loop power spectra and tree-level bispectra, it was shown that the k-reach of the prediction for biased tracers is comparable for all investigated masses if suitable higher-derivative biases, which are less suppressed for more massive tracers, are added. However, it is possible that the non-linear biases grow faster with tracer mass than the linear bias, implying that loop contributions could be the leading correction to the bispectra. To check this,more » we include the one-loop contributions in a fit to numerical data in the limit of strongly enhanced higher-order biases. Here, we show that the resulting one-loop power spectra and higher-derivative plus leading one-loop bispectra fit the two- and three-point functions respectively up to k≃0.19 h Mpc -1 and ksime 0.14 h Mpc -1 at the percent level. We find that the higher-order bias coefficients are not strongly enhanced, and we argue that the gain in perturbative reach due to the leading one-loop contributions to the bispectra is relatively small. Thus, we conclude that higher-derivative biases provide the leading correction to the bispectra for tracers of a very wide range of masses.« less

On the bispectra of very massive tracers in the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nadler, Ethan O.; Perko, Ashley; Senatore, Leonardo

The Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure (EFTofLSS) provides a consistent perturbative framework for describing the statistical distribution of cosmological large-scale structure. In a previous EFTofLSS calculation that involved the one-loop power spectra and tree-level bispectra, it was shown that the k-reach of the prediction for biased tracers is comparable for all investigated masses if suitable higher-derivative biases, which are less suppressed for more massive tracers, are added. However, it is possible that the non-linear biases grow faster with tracer mass than the linear bias, implying that loop contributions could be the leading correction to the bispectra. To check this,more » we include the one-loop contributions in a fit to numerical data in the limit of strongly enhanced higher-order biases. Here, we show that the resulting one-loop power spectra and higher-derivative plus leading one-loop bispectra fit the two- and three-point functions respectively up to k≃0.19 h Mpc -1 and ksime 0.14 h Mpc -1 at the percent level. We find that the higher-order bias coefficients are not strongly enhanced, and we argue that the gain in perturbative reach due to the leading one-loop contributions to the bispectra is relatively small. Thus, we conclude that higher-derivative biases provide the leading correction to the bispectra for tracers of a very wide range of masses.« less

The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing: the disruptive effects of attention to the hands in skilled typewriting.

PubMed

Logan, Gordon D; Crump, Matthew J C

2009-10-01

Everyone knows that attention to the details disrupts skilled performance, but little empirical evidence documents this fact. We show that attention to the hands disrupts skilled typewriting. We had skilled typists type words preceded by cues that told them to type only the letters assigned to one hand or to type all of the letters. Cuing the hands disrupted performance markedly, slowing typing and increasing the error rate (Experiment 1); these deleterious effects were observed even when no keystrokes were actually inhibited (Experiment 3). However, cuing the same letters with colors was not disruptive (Experiment 2). We account for the disruption with a hierarchical control model, in which an inner loop controls the hands and an outer loop controls what is typed. Typing letters using only one hand requires the outer loop to monitor the inner loop's output; the outer loop slows inner-loop cycle time to increase the likelihood of inhibiting responses with the unwanted hand. This produces the disruption.

Achieving Change through Reflective Practice: Closing the Loop.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Page, Susie; Meerabeau, Liz

2000-01-01

A study in which reflection was used to identify nurses' learning needs regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation found that an unexpected outcome of reflection was "apathy": action issues were not prioritized or acted upon. In order to effect changes in practice, planning and management of change should be part of the reflective cycle.…

Alteration of the mode of antibacterial action of a defensin by the amino-terminal loop substitution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Bin; Zhu, Shunyi, E-mail: Zhusy@ioz.ac.cn

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Al-M is an engineered fungal defensin with the n-loop of an insect defensin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Al-M adopts a native defensin-like structure with high antibacterial potency. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Al-M kills bacteria through a membrane disruptive mechanism. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This work sheds light on the functional evolution of CS{alpha}{beta}-type defensins. -- Abstract: Ancient invertebrate-type and classical insect-type defensins (AITDs and CITDs) are two groups of evolutionarily related antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that adopt a conserved cysteine-stabilized {alpha}-helical and {beta}-sheet (CS{alpha}{beta}) fold with a different amino-terminal loop (n-loop) size and diverse modes of antibacterial action. Although they both are identified as inhibitors of cell wallmore » biosynthesis, only CITDs evolved membrane disruptive ability by peptide oligomerization to form pores. To understand how this occurred, we modified micasin, a fungus-derived AITDs with a non-membrane disruptive mechanism, by substituting its n-loop with that of an insect-derived CITDs. After air oxidization, the synthetic hybrid defensin (termed Al-M) was structurally identified by circular dichroism (CD) and functionally evaluated by antibacterial and membrane permeability assays and electronic microscopic observation. Results showed that Al-M folded into a native-like defensin structure, as determined by its CD spectrum that is similar to that of micasin. Al-M was highly efficacious against the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium with a lethal concentration of 1.76 {mu}M. As expected, in contrast to micasin, Al-M killed the bacteria through a membrane disruptive mechanism of action. The alteration in modes of action supports a key role of the n-loop extension in assembling functional surface of CITDs for membrane disruption. Our work provides mechanical evidence for evolutionary relationship between AITDs and CITDs.« less

Perturbative expansions from Monte Carlo simulations at weak coupling: Wilson loops and the static-quark self-energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trottier, H. D.; Shakespeare, N. H.; Lepage, G. P.; MacKenzie, P. B.

2002-05-01

Perturbative coefficients for Wilson loops and the static-quark self-energy are extracted from Monte Carlo simulations at weak coupling. The lattice volumes and couplings are chosen to ensure that the lattice momenta are all perturbative. Twisted boundary conditions are used to eliminate the effects of lattice zero modes and to suppress nonperturbative finite-volume effects due to Z(3) phases. Simulations of the Wilson gluon action are done with both periodic and twisted boundary conditions, and over a wide range of lattice volumes (from 34 to 164) and couplings (from β~9 to β~60). A high precision comparison is made between the simulation data and results from finite-volume lattice perturbation theory. The Monte Carlo results are shown to be in excellent agreement with perturbation theory through second order. New results for third-order coefficients for a number of Wilson loops and the static-quark self-energy are reported.

Low Speed and High Speed Correlation of SMART Active Flap Rotor Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kottapalli, Sesi B. R.

2010-01-01

Measured, open loop and closed loop data from the SMART rotor test in the NASA Ames 40- by 80- Foot Wind Tunnel are compared with CAMRAD II calculations. One open loop high-speed case and four closed loop cases are considered. The closed loop cases include three high-speed cases and one low-speed case. Two of these high-speed cases include a 2 deg flap deflection at 5P case and a test maximum-airspeed case. This study follows a recent, open loop correlation effort that used a simple correction factor for the airfoil pitching moment Mach number. Compared to the earlier effort, the current open loop study considers more fundamental corrections based on advancing blade aerodynamic conditions. The airfoil tables themselves have been studied. Selected modifications to the HH-06 section flap airfoil pitching moment table are implemented. For the closed loop condition, the effect of the flap actuator is modeled by increased flap hinge stiffness. Overall, the open loop correlation is reasonable, thus confirming the basic correctness of the current semi-empirical modifications; the closed loop correlation is also reasonable considering that the current flap model is a first generation model. Detailed correlation results are given in the paper.

Curvature effects on activation speed and repolarization in an ionic model of cardiac myocytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comtois, P.; Vinet, A.

1999-10-01

Reentry is a major mechanism underlying the initiation and perpetuation of many cardiac arrhythmias 12345. Stimulated ventricular myocytes give action potential characterized by a fast upstroke, a long-lasting plateau, and a late repolarization phase. The plateau phase determines the action potential duration (APD) during which the system remains refractory, a property essential to the synchronization of the heart cycle. The APD varies much with prematurity and this change has been shown to be the main determinant of the dynamics in models of paced cells and cable, and during reentry in the one-dimensional loop. Curvature has also been shown to be an important factor for propagation in experimental and theoretical cardiac extended tissue. The objective of this paper is to combine both curvature and prematurity effects in a kinematical model of propagation in cardiac tissue. First, an approximation of the ionic model is used to obtain the effects of curvature and prematurity on the speed of propagation, the APD, and the absolute refractory period. Two versions of the ionic model are studied that differ in their rate of excitability recovery. The functions are used in a kinematical model describing the propagation of period-1 solutions around an annulus.

Effective field theory dimensional regularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmann, Dirk; Prézeau, Gary

2002-01-01

A Lorentz-covariant regularization scheme for effective field theories with an arbitrary number of propagating heavy and light particles is given. This regularization scheme leaves the low-energy analytic structure of Greens functions intact and preserves all the symmetries of the underlying Lagrangian. The power divergences of regularized loop integrals are controlled by the low-energy kinematic variables. Simple diagrammatic rules are derived for the regularization of arbitrary one-loop graphs and the generalization to higher loops is discussed.

Mapping the Interaction Site for a β-Scorpion Toxin in the Pore Module of Domain III of Voltage-gated Na+ Channels*

PubMed Central

Zhang, Joel Z.; Yarov-Yarovoy, Vladimir; Scheuer, Todd; Karbat, Izhar; Cohen, Lior; Gordon, Dalia; Gurevitz, Michael; Catterall, William A.

2012-01-01

Activation of voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels initiates and propagates action potentials in electrically excitable cells. β-Scorpion toxins, including toxin IV from Centruroides suffusus suffusus (CssIV), enhance activation of NaV channels. CssIV stabilizes the voltage sensor in domain II in its activated state via a voltage-sensor trapping mechanism. Amino acid residues required for the action of CssIV have been identified in the S1-S2 and S3-S4 extracellular loops of domain II. The extracellular loops of domain III are also involved in toxin action, but individual amino acid residues have not been identified. We used site-directed mutagenesis and voltage clamp recording to investigate amino acid residues of domain III that are involved in CssIV action. In the IIISS2-S6 loop, five substitutions at four positions altered voltage-sensor trapping by CssIVE15A. Three substitutions (E1438A, D1445A, and D1445Y) markedly decreased voltage-sensor trapping, whereas the other two substitutions (N1436G and L1439A) increased voltage-sensor trapping. These bidirectional effects suggest that residues in IIISS2-S6 make both positive and negative interactions with CssIV. N1436G enhanced voltage-sensor trapping via increased binding affinity to the resting state, whereas L1439A increased voltage-sensor trapping efficacy. Based on these results, a three-dimensional model of the toxin-channel interaction was developed using the Rosetta modeling method. These data provide additional molecular insight into the voltage-sensor trapping mechanism of toxin action and define a three-point interaction site for β-scorpion toxins on NaV channels. Binding of α- and β-scorpion toxins to two distinct, pseudo-symmetrically organized receptor sites on NaV channels acts synergistically to modify channel gating and paralyze prey. PMID:22761417

The contribution of brain sub-cortical loops in the expression and acquisition of action understanding abilities☆

PubMed Central

Caligiore, Daniele; Pezzulo, Giovanni; Miall, R. Chris; Baldassarre, Gianluca

2013-01-01

Research on action understanding in cognitive neuroscience has led to the identification of a wide “action understanding network” mainly encompassing parietal and premotor cortical areas. Within this cortical network mirror neurons are critically involved implementing a neural mechanism according to which, during action understanding, observed actions are reflected in the motor patterns for the same actions of the observer. We suggest that focusing only on cortical areas and processes could be too restrictive to explain important facets of action understanding regarding, for example, the influence of the observer's motor experience, the multiple levels at which an observed action can be understood, and the acquisition of action understanding ability. In this respect, we propose that aside from the cortical action understanding network, sub-cortical processes pivoting on cerebellar and basal ganglia cortical loops could crucially support both the expression and the acquisition of action understanding abilities. Within the paper we will discuss how this extended view can overcome some limitations of the “pure” cortical perspective, supporting new theoretical predictions on the brain mechanisms underlying action understanding that could be tested by future empirical investigations. PMID:23911926

How to use the Standard Model effective field theory

DOE PAGES

Henning, Brian; Lu, Xiaochuan; Murayama, Hitoshi

2016-01-06

Here, we present a practical three-step procedure of using the Standard Model effective field theory (SM EFT) to connect ultraviolet (UV) models of new physics with weak scale precision observables. With this procedure, one can interpret precision measurements as constraints on a given UV model. We give a detailed explanation for calculating the effective action up to one-loop order in a manifestly gauge covariant fashion. This covariant derivative expansion method dramatically simplifies the process of matching a UV model with the SM EFT, and also makes available a universal formalism that is easy to use for a variety of UVmore » models. A few general aspects of RG running effects and choosing operator bases are discussed. Finally, we provide mapping results between the bosonic sector of the SM EFT and a complete set of precision electroweak and Higgs observables to which present and near future experiments are sensitive. Many results and tools which should prove useful to those wishing to use the SM EFT are detailed in several appendices.« less

OSCILLATION OF NEWLY FORMED LOOPS AFTER MAGNETIC RECONNECTION IN THE SOLAR CHROMOSPHERE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Shuhong; Xiang, Yongyuan, E-mail: shuhongyang@nao.cas.cn

With the high spatial and temporal resolution Hα images from the New Vacuum Solar Telescope, we focus on two groups of loops with an X-shaped configuration in the dynamic chromosphere. We find that the anti-directed loops approach each other and reconnect continually. The connectivity of the loops is changed and new loops are formed and stack together. The stacked loops are sharply bent, implying that they are greatly impacted by the magnetic tension force. When another reconnection process takes place, one new loop is formed and stacks with the previously formed ones. Meanwhile, the stacked loops retract suddenly and movemore » toward the balance position, performing an overshoot movement, which led to an oscillation with an average period of about 45 s. The oscillation of newly formed loops after magnetic reconnection in the chromosphere is observed for the first time. We suggest that the stability of the stacked loops is destroyed due to the attachment of the last new loop and then suddenly retract under the effect of magnetic tension. Because of the retraction, another lower loop is pushed outward and performs an oscillation with a period of about 25 s. The different oscillation periods may be due to their difference in three parameters, i.e., loop length, plasma density, and magnetic field strength.« less

Learning and exploration in action-perception loops.

PubMed

Little, Daniel Y; Sommer, Friedrich T

2013-01-01

Discovering the structure underlying observed data is a recurring problem in machine learning with important applications in neuroscience. It is also a primary function of the brain. When data can be actively collected in the context of a closed action-perception loop, behavior becomes a critical determinant of learning efficiency. Psychologists studying exploration and curiosity in humans and animals have long argued that learning itself is a primary motivator of behavior. However, the theoretical basis of learning-driven behavior is not well understood. Previous computational studies of behavior have largely focused on the control problem of maximizing acquisition of rewards and have treated learning the structure of data as a secondary objective. Here, we study exploration in the absence of external reward feedback. Instead, we take the quality of an agent's learned internal model to be the primary objective. In a simple probabilistic framework, we derive a Bayesian estimate for the amount of information about the environment an agent can expect to receive by taking an action, a measure we term the predicted information gain (PIG). We develop exploration strategies that approximately maximize PIG. One strategy based on value-iteration consistently learns faster than previously developed reward-free exploration strategies across a diverse range of environments. Psychologists believe the evolutionary advantage of learning-driven exploration lies in the generalized utility of an accurate internal model. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrate that agents which learn more efficiently during exploration are later better able to accomplish a range of goal-directed tasks. We will conclude by discussing how our work elucidates the explorative behaviors of animals and humans, its relationship to other computational models of behavior, and its potential application to experimental design, such as in closed-loop neurophysiology studies.

Cortical tremor: a variant of cortical reflex myoclonus.

PubMed

Ikeda, A; Kakigi, R; Funai, N; Neshige, R; Kuroda, Y; Shibasaki, H

1990-10-01

Two patients with action tremor that was thought to originate in the cerebral cortex showed fine shivering-like finger twitching provoked mainly by action and posture. Surface EMG showed relatively rhythmic discharge at a rate of about 9 Hz, which resembled essential tremor. However, electrophysiologic studies revealed giant somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) with enhanced long-loop reflex and premovement cortical spike by the jerk-locked averaging method. Treatment with beta-blocker showed no effect, but anticonvulsants such as clonazepam, valproate, and primidone were effective to suppress the tremor and the amplitude of SEPs. We call this involuntary movement "cortical tremor," which is in fact a variant of cortical reflex myoclonus.

Higgs boson self-coupling from two-loop analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alhendi, H. A.; National Center for Mathematics and Physics, KACST P. O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442; Barakat, T.

2010-09-01

The scale invariant of the effective potential of the standard model at two loop is used as a boundary condition under the assumption that the two-loop effective potential approximates the full effective potential. This condition leads with the help of the renormalization-group functions of the model at two loop to an algebraic equation of the scalar self-coupling with coefficients that depend on the gauge and the top quark couplings. It admits only two real positive solutions. One of them, in the absence of the gauge and top quark couplings, corresponds to the nonperturbative ultraviolet fixed point of the scalar renormalization-groupmore » function and the other corresponds to the perturbative infrared fixed point. The dependence of the scalar coupling on the top quark and the strong couplings at two-loop radiative corrections is analyzed.« less

Nonlocal quantum effective actions in Weyl-Flat spacetimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bautista, Teresa; Benevides, André; Dabholkar, Atish

2018-06-01

Virtual massless particles in quantum loops lead to nonlocal effects which can have interesting consequences, for example, for primordial magnetogenesis in cosmology or for computing finite N corrections in holography. We describe how the quantum effective actions summarizing these effects can be computed efficiently for Weyl-flat metrics by integrating the Weyl anomaly or, equivalently, the local renormalization group equation. This method relies only on the local Schwinger-DeWitt expansion of the heat kernel and allows for a re-summation of the anomalous leading large logarithms of the scale factor, log a( x), in situations where the Weyl factor changes by several e-foldings. As an illustration, we obtain the quantum effective action for the Yang-Mills field coupled to massless matter, and the self-interacting massless scalar field. Our action reduces to the nonlocal action obtained using the Barvinsky-Vilkovisky covariant perturbation theory in the regime R 2 ≪ ∇2 R for a typical curvature scale R, but has a greater range of validity effectively re-summing the covariant perturbation theory to all orders in curvatures. In particular, it is applicable also in the opposite regime R 2 ≫ ∇2 R, which is often of interest in cosmology.

A simulation of T-wave alternans vectocardiographic representation performed by changing the ventricular heart cells action potential duration.

PubMed

Janusek, D; Kania, M; Zaczek, R; Zavala-Fernandez, H; Maniewski, R

2014-04-01

The presence of T wave alternans (TWA) in the surface ECG signals has been recognized as a marker of electrical instability, and is hypothesized to be related to patients at increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias. In this paper we present a TWA simulation study. The TWA phenomenon was simulated by changing the duration of the ventricular heart cells action potential. The magnitude was calculated in the surface ECG with the use of the time domain method. The spatially concordant TWA, where during one heart beat all ventricular cells display a short-duration action potential and during the next beat they exhibit a long-duration action potential, as well as the discordant TWA, where at least one region is out of phase, was simulated. The vectocardiographic representation was employed. The obtained results showed a high level of T-loop pattern and location disturbances connected to the discordant TWA simulation in contrast to the concordant one. This result may be explained by the spatial heterogeneity of the ventricular repolarization process, which could be higher for the discordant TWA than for the concordant TWA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and verification of large-moment transmitter loops for geophysical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sternberg, Ben K.; Dvorak, Steven L.; Feng, Wanjie

2017-01-01

In this paper we discuss the modeling, design and verification of large-moment transmitter (TX) loops for geophysical applications. We first develop two equivalent circuit models for TX loops. We show that the equivalent inductance can be predicted using one of two empirical formulas. The stray capacitance of the loop is then calculated using the measured self-resonant frequency and the loop inductance. We model the losses associated with both the skin effect and the dissipation factor in both of these equivalent circuits. We find that the two equivalent circuit models produce the same results provided that the dissipation factor is small. Next we compare the measured input impedances for three TX loops that were constructed with different wire configurations with the equivalent circuit model. We found excellent agreement between the measured and simulated results after adjusting the dissipation factor. Since the skin effect and dissipation factor yield good agreement with measurements, the proximity effect is negligible in the three TX loops that we tested. We found that the effects of the dissipation factor dominated those of the skin effect when the wires were relatively close together. When the wires were widely separated, then the skin effect was the dominant loss mechanism. We also found that loops with wider wire separations exhibited higher self-resonant frequencies and better high-frequency performance.

Gauge copies in the Landau-DeWitt gauge: A background invariant restriction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudal, David; Vercauteren, David

2018-04-01

The Landau background gauge, also known as the Landau-DeWitt gauge, has found renewed interest during the past decade given its usefulness in accessing the confinement-deconfinement transition via the vacuum expectation value of the Polyakov loop, describable via an appropriate background. In this Letter, we revisit this gauge from the viewpoint of it displaying gauge (Gribov) copies. We generalize the Gribov-Zwanziger effective action in a BRST and background invariant way; this action leads to a restriction on the allowed gauge fluctuations, thereby eliminating the infinitesimal background gauge copies. The explicit background invariance of our action is in contrast with earlier attempts to write down and use an effective Gribov-Zwanziger action. It allows to address certain subtleties arising in these earlier works, such as a spontaneous and thus spurious Lorentz symmetry breaking, something which is now averted.

The Holst spin foam model via cubulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baratin, Aristide; Flori, Cecilia; Thiemann, Thomas

2012-10-01

Spin foam models are an attempt at a covariant or path integral formulation of canonical loop quantum gravity. The construction of such models usually relies on the Plebanski formulation of general relativity as a constrained BF theory and is based on the discretization of the action on a simplicial triangulation, which may be viewed as an ultraviolet regulator. The triangulation dependence can be removed by means of group field theory techniques, which allows one to sum over all triangulations. The main tasks for these models are the correct quantum implementation of the Plebanski constraints, the existence of a semiclassical sector implementing additional ‘Regge-like’ constraints arising from simplicial triangulations and the definition of the physical inner product of loop quantum gravity via group field theory. Here we propose a new approach to tackle these issues stemming directly from the Holst action for general relativity, which is also a proper starting point for canonical loop quantum gravity. The discretization is performed by means of a ‘cubulation’ of the manifold rather than a triangulation. We give a direct interpretation of the resulting spin foam model as a generating functional for the n-point functions on the physical Hilbert space at finite regulator. This paper focuses on ideas and tasks to be performed before the model can be taken seriously. However, our analysis reveals some interesting features of this model: firstly, the structure of its amplitudes differs from the standard spin foam models. Secondly, the tetrad n-point functions admit a ‘Wick-like’ structure. Thirdly, the restriction to simple representations does not automatically occur—unless one makes use of the time gauge, just as in the classical theory.

Quantum corrections for the cubic Galileon in the covariant language

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saltas, Ippocratis D.; Vitagliano, Vincenzo, E-mail: isaltas@fc.ul.pt, E-mail: vincenzo.vitagliano@ist.utl.pt

We present for the first time an explicit exposition of quantum corrections within the cubic Galileon theory including the effect of quantum gravity, in a background- and gauge-invariant manner, employing the field-reparametrisation approach of the covariant effective action at 1-loop. We show that the consideration of gravitational effects in combination with the non-linear derivative structure of the theory reveals new interactions at the perturbative level, which manifest themselves as higher-operators in the associated effective action, which' relevance is controlled by appropriate ratios of the cosmological vacuum and the Galileon mass scale. The significance and concept of the covariant approach inmore » this context is discussed, while all calculations are explicitly presented.« less

Crystal structure of a looped-chain CoII coordination polymer: catena-poly[[bis-(nitrato-κO)cobalt(II)]bis-[μ-bis-(pyridin-3-ylmeth-yl)sulfane-κ2N:N'

PubMed

Moon, Suk-Hee; Seo, Joobeom; Park, Ki-Min

2017-11-01

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Co(NO 3 ) 2 (C 12 H 12 N 2 S) 2 ] n , contains a bis-(pyridin-3-ylmeth-yl)sulfane ( L ) ligand, an NO 3 - anion and half a Co II cation, which lies on an inversion centre. The Co II cation is six-coordinated, being bound to four pyridine N atoms from four symmetry-related L ligands. The remaining coordination sites are occupied by two O atoms from two symmetry-related nitrate anions in a monodentate manner. Thus, the Co II centre adopts a distorted octa-hedral geometry. Two symmetry-related L ligands are connected by two symmetry-related Co II cations, forming a 20-membered cyclic dimer, in which the Co II atoms are separated by 10.2922 (7) Å. The cyclic dimers are connected to each other by sharing Co II atoms, giving rise to the formation of an infinite looped chain propagating along the [101] direction. Inter-molecular C-H⋯π (H⋯ring centroid = 2.89 Å) inter-actions between one pair of corresponding L ligands and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the L ligands and the nitrate anions occur in the looped chain. In the crystal, adjacent looped chains are connected by inter-molecular π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-to-centroid distance = 3.8859 (14) Å] and C-H⋯π hydrogen bonds (H⋯ring centroid = 2.65 Å), leading to the formation of layers parallel to (101). These layers are further connected through C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the layers, resulting in the formation of a three-dimensional supra-molecular architecture.

Detection of no-model input-output pairs in closed-loop systems.

PubMed

Potts, Alain Segundo; Alvarado, Christiam Segundo Morales; Garcia, Claudio

2017-11-01

The detection of no-model input-output (IO) pairs is important because it can speed up the multivariable system identification process, since all the pairs with null transfer functions are previously discarded and it can also improve the identified model quality, thus improving the performance of model based controllers. In the available literature, the methods focus just on the open-loop case, since in this case there is not the effect of the controller forcing the main diagonal in the transfer matrix to one and all the other terms to zero. In this paper, a modification of a previous method able to detect no-model IO pairs in open-loop systems is presented, but adapted to perform this duty in closed-loop systems. Tests are performed by using the traditional methods and the proposed one to show its effectiveness. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

String-inspired supergravity model at one loop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gaillard, M.K.; Papadopoulos, A.; Pierce, D.M.

1992-03-15

We study a prototype supergravity model from superstrings, with three generations of matter fields in the untwisted sector, nonperturbatively induced supersymmetry breaking and including threshold corrections in conformity with modular invariance. The scale degeneracy of the vacuum is lifted at the one-loop level, allowing a determination of the fundamental parameters of the effective low-energy theory.

Improved performance of a digital phase-locked loop combined with a frequency/frequency-rate estimator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mileant, A.; Simon, M.

1986-01-01

When a digital phase-locked loop with a long loop update time tracks a signal with high Doppler, the demodualtion losses due to frequency mismatch can become very significant. One way of reducing these Doppler-related losses is to compensate for the Doppler effect using some kind of frequency-rate estimator. The performance of the fixed-window least-squares estimator and the Kalman filter is investigated; several Doppler compensating techniques are proposed. It is shown that the variance of the frequency estimator can be made as small as desired, and with this, the Doppler effect can be effectively compensated. The remaining demodulation losses due to phase jitter in the loop can be less than 0.1 dB.

Pion decay constant and the {rho}-meson mass at finite temperature in hidden local symmetry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harada, M.; Shibata, A.

1997-06-01

We study the temperature dependence of the pion decay constant and {rho}-meson mass in the hidden local symmetry model at one loop. Using the standard imaginary time formalism, we include the thermal effect of the {rho} meson as well as that of the pion. We show that the pion gives a dominant contribution to the pion decay constant and the {rho}-meson contribution slightly decreases the critical temperature. The {rho}-meson pole mass increases as T{sup 4}/m{sub {rho}}{sup 2} at low temperature, dominated by the pion-loop effect. At high temperature, although the pion-loop effect decreases the {rho}-meson mass, the {rho}-loop contribution overcomesmore » the pion-loop contribution and the {rho}-meson mass increases with temperature. We also show that the conventional parameter a is stable as the temperature increases. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

Competition and quality in health care markets: a differential-game approach.

PubMed

Brekke, Kurt R; Cellini, Roberto; Siciliani, Luigi; Straume, Odd Rune

2010-07-01

We investigate the effect of competition on quality in health care markets with regulated prices taking a differential game approach, in which quality is a stock variable. Using a Hotelling framework, we derive the open-loop solution (health care providers set the optimal investment plan at the initial period) and the feedback closed-loop solution (providers move investments in response to the dynamics of the states). Under the closed-loop solution competition is more intense in the sense that providers observe quality in each period and base their investment on this information. If the marginal provision cost is constant, the open-loop and closed-loop solutions coincide, and the results are similar to the ones obtained by static models. If the marginal provision cost is increasing, investment and quality are lower in the closed-loop solution (when competition is more intense). In this case, static models tend to exaggerate the positive effect of competition on quality.

Yangian symmetry for bi-scalar loop amplitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chicherin, Dmitry; Kazakov, Vladimir; Loebbert, Florian; Müller, Dennis; Zhong, De-liang

2018-05-01

We establish an all-loop conformal Yangian symmetry for the full set of planar amplitudes in the recently proposed integrable bi-scalar field theory in four dimensions. This chiral theory is a particular double scaling limit of γ-twisted weakly coupled N=4 SYM theory. Each amplitude with a certain order of scalar particles is given by a single fishnet Feynman graph of disc topology cut out of a regular square lattice. The Yangian can be realized by the action of a product of Lax operators with a specific sequence of inhomogeneity parameters on the boundary of the disc. Based on this observation, the Yangian generators of level one for generic bi-scalar amplitudes are explicitly constructed. Finally, we comment on the relation to the dual conformal symmetry of these scattering amplitudes.

Closing the loop of deep brain stimulation

PubMed Central

Carron, Romain; Chaillet, Antoine; Filipchuk, Anton; Pasillas-Lépine, William; Hammond, Constance

2013-01-01

High-frequency deep brain stimulation is used to treat a wide range of brain disorders, like Parkinson's disease. The stimulated networks usually share common electrophysiological signatures, including hyperactivity and/or dysrhythmia. From a clinical perspective, HFS is expected to alleviate clinical signs without generating adverse effects. Here, we consider whether the classical open-loop HFS fulfills these criteria and outline current experimental or theoretical research on the different types of closed-loop DBS that could provide better clinical outcomes. In the first part of the review, the two routes followed by HFS-evoked axonal spikes are explored. In one direction, orthodromic spikes functionally de-afferent the stimulated nucleus from its downstream target networks. In the opposite direction, antidromic spikes prevent this nucleus from being influenced by its afferent networks. As a result, the pathological synchronized activity no longer propagates from the cortical networks to the stimulated nucleus. The overall result can be described as a reversible functional de-afferentation of the stimulated nucleus from its upstream and downstream nuclei. In the second part of the review, the latest advances in closed-loop DBS are considered. Some of the proposed approaches are based on mathematical models, which emphasize different aspects of the parkinsonian basal ganglia: excessive synchronization, abnormal firing-rate rhythms, and a deficient thalamo-cortical relay. The stimulation strategies are classified depending on the control-theory techniques on which they are based: adaptive and on-demand stimulation schemes, delayed and multi-site approaches, stimulations based on proportional and/or derivative control actions, optimal control strategies. Some of these strategies have been validated experimentally, but there is still a large reservoir of theoretical work that may point to ways of improving practical treatment. PMID:24391555

Closing the loop of deep brain stimulation.

PubMed

Carron, Romain; Chaillet, Antoine; Filipchuk, Anton; Pasillas-Lépine, William; Hammond, Constance

2013-12-20

High-frequency deep brain stimulation is used to treat a wide range of brain disorders, like Parkinson's disease. The stimulated networks usually share common electrophysiological signatures, including hyperactivity and/or dysrhythmia. From a clinical perspective, HFS is expected to alleviate clinical signs without generating adverse effects. Here, we consider whether the classical open-loop HFS fulfills these criteria and outline current experimental or theoretical research on the different types of closed-loop DBS that could provide better clinical outcomes. In the first part of the review, the two routes followed by HFS-evoked axonal spikes are explored. In one direction, orthodromic spikes functionally de-afferent the stimulated nucleus from its downstream target networks. In the opposite direction, antidromic spikes prevent this nucleus from being influenced by its afferent networks. As a result, the pathological synchronized activity no longer propagates from the cortical networks to the stimulated nucleus. The overall result can be described as a reversible functional de-afferentation of the stimulated nucleus from its upstream and downstream nuclei. In the second part of the review, the latest advances in closed-loop DBS are considered. Some of the proposed approaches are based on mathematical models, which emphasize different aspects of the parkinsonian basal ganglia: excessive synchronization, abnormal firing-rate rhythms, and a deficient thalamo-cortical relay. The stimulation strategies are classified depending on the control-theory techniques on which they are based: adaptive and on-demand stimulation schemes, delayed and multi-site approaches, stimulations based on proportional and/or derivative control actions, optimal control strategies. Some of these strategies have been validated experimentally, but there is still a large reservoir of theoretical work that may point to ways of improving practical treatment.

[Study of the antireflux action of the Roux-en-Y jejunal loop in reconstruction after gastrectomy and nutritional status in the follow-up].

PubMed

Rea, Teresa; Bartolacci, Mauro; Leombruni, Edoardo; Brizzi, Felice; Picardi, Nicola

2005-01-01

The Roux-en-Y recostruction after total or subtotal gastrectomy for gastric cancer is frequently performed to prevent esophageal alkaline reflux. Also after total gastrectomy and end-to-side gastrojejunal anastomosis, as usual in former experience, the alkaline reflux can be efficaciously treated by conversion in an esophago-jejunal Roux-en-Y procedure. The main factor preventing reflux is the length of jejunal loop, at least of 35-40 cm. The recostruction with a Roux-en-Y jejunal loop offers the advantage to meet together two primary requirements: the restoration of digestive travel from esophagus to intestine, and the prevention of on alcaline reflux esophagitis, both with relevant simplicity and without a time-consuming surgical technique. Also as a consequence the postoperative morbidity is decreased. The obvious suitable requirement is a sufficient lenght of the jejunal loop for a reservoir of the ingested food and to oppose the antiperistaltic jejunal movements thanks to the effects of the new activated jejunal pace-maker.

Loop Quantum Cosmology.

PubMed

Bojowald, Martin

2008-01-01

Quantum gravity is expected to be necessary in order to understand situations in which classical general relativity breaks down. In particular in cosmology one has to deal with initial singularities, i.e., the fact that the backward evolution of a classical spacetime inevitably comes to an end after a finite amount of proper time. This presents a breakdown of the classical picture and requires an extended theory for a meaningful description. Since small length scales and high curvatures are involved, quantum effects must play a role. Not only the singularity itself but also the surrounding spacetime is then modified. One particular theory is loop quantum cosmology, an application of loop quantum gravity to homogeneous systems, which removes classical singularities. Its implications can be studied at different levels. The main effects are introduced into effective classical equations, which allow one to avoid the interpretational problems of quantum theory. They give rise to new kinds of early-universe phenomenology with applications to inflation and cyclic models. To resolve classical singularities and to understand the structure of geometry around them, the quantum description is necessary. Classical evolution is then replaced by a difference equation for a wave function, which allows an extension of quantum spacetime beyond classical singularities. One main question is how these homogeneous scenarios are related to full loop quantum gravity, which can be dealt with at the level of distributional symmetric states. Finally, the new structure of spacetime arising in loop quantum gravity and its application to cosmology sheds light on more general issues, such as the nature of time. Supplementary material is available for this article at 10.12942/lrr-2008-4.

Power impact of loop buffer schemes for biomedical wireless sensor nodes.

PubMed

Artes, Antonio; Ayala, Jose L; Catthoor, Francky

2012-11-06

Instruction memory organisations are pointed out as one of the major sources of energy consumption in embedded systems. As these systems are characterised by restrictive resources and a low-energy budget, any enhancement in this component allows not only to decrease the energy consumption but also to have a better distribution of the energy budget throughout the system. Loop buffering is an effective scheme to reduce energy consumption in instruction memory organisations. In this paper, the loop buffer concept is applied in real-life embedded applications that are widely used in biomedical Wireless Sensor Nodes, to show which scheme of loop buffer is more suitable for applications with certain behaviour. Post-layout simulations demonstrate that a trade-off exists between the complexity of the loop buffer architecture and the energy savings of utilising it. Therefore, the use of loop buffer architectures in order to optimise the instruction memory organisation from the energy efficiency point of view should be evaluated carefully, taking into account two factors: (1) the percentage of the execution time of the application that is related to the execution of the loops, and (2) the distribution of the execution time percentage over each one of the loops that form the application.

The 1-loop effective potential for the Standard Model in curved spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markkanen, Tommi; Nurmi, Sami; Rajantie, Arttu; Stopyra, Stephen

2018-06-01

The renormalisation group improved Standard Model effective potential in an arbitrary curved spacetime is computed to one loop order in perturbation theory. The loop corrections are computed in the ultraviolet limit, which makes them independent of the choice of the vacuum state and allows the derivation of the complete set of β-functions. The potential depends on the spacetime curvature through the direct non-minimal Higgs-curvature coupling, curvature contributions to the loop diagrams, and through the curvature dependence of the renormalisation scale. Together, these lead to significant curvature dependence, which needs to be taken into account in cosmological applications, which is demonstrated with the example of vacuum stability in de Sitter space.

Robust Decentralized Nonlinear Control for a Twin Rotor MIMO System

PubMed Central

Belmonte, Lidia María; Morales, Rafael; Fernández-Caballero, Antonio; Somolinos, José Andrés

2016-01-01

This article presents the design of a novel decentralized nonlinear multivariate control scheme for an underactuated, nonlinear and multivariate laboratory helicopter denominated the twin rotor MIMO system (TRMS). The TRMS is characterized by a coupling effect between rotor dynamics and the body of the model, which is due to the action-reaction principle originated in the acceleration and deceleration of the motor-propeller groups. The proposed controller is composed of two nested loops that are utilized to achieve stabilization and precise trajectory tracking tasks for the controlled position of the generalized coordinates of the TRMS. The nonlinear internal loop is used to control the electrical dynamics of the platform, and the nonlinear external loop allows the platform to be perfectly stabilized and positioned in space. Finally, we illustrate the theoretical control developments with a set of experiments in order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed nonlinear decentralized feedback controller, in which a comparative study with other controllers is performed, illustrating the excellent performance of the proposed robust decentralized control scheme in both stabilization and trajectory tracking tasks. PMID:27472338

Robust Decentralized Nonlinear Control for a Twin Rotor MIMO System.

PubMed

Belmonte, Lidia María; Morales, Rafael; Fernández-Caballero, Antonio; Somolinos, José Andrés

2016-07-27

This article presents the design of a novel decentralized nonlinear multivariate control scheme for an underactuated, nonlinear and multivariate laboratory helicopter denominated the twin rotor MIMO system (TRMS). The TRMS is characterized by a coupling effect between rotor dynamics and the body of the model, which is due to the action-reaction principle originated in the acceleration and deceleration of the motor-propeller groups. The proposed controller is composed of two nested loops that are utilized to achieve stabilization and precise trajectory tracking tasks for the controlled position of the generalized coordinates of the TRMS. The nonlinear internal loop is used to control the electrical dynamics of the platform, and the nonlinear external loop allows the platform to be perfectly stabilized and positioned in space. Finally, we illustrate the theoretical control developments with a set of experiments in order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed nonlinear decentralized feedback controller, in which a comparative study with other controllers is performed, illustrating the excellent performance of the proposed robust decentralized control scheme in both stabilization and trajectory tracking tasks.

Three site Higgsless model at one loop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chivukula, R. Sekhar; Simmons, Elizabeth H.; Matsuzaki, Shinya

2007-04-01

In this paper we compute the one loop chiral-logarithmic corrections to all O(p{sup 4}) counterterms in the three site Higgsless model. The calculation is performed using the background field method for both the chiral and gauge fields, and using Landau gauge for the quantum fluctuations of the gauge fields. The results agree with our previous calculations of the chiral-logarithmic corrections to the S and T parameters in 't Hooft-Feynman gauge. The work reported here includes a complete evaluation of all one loop divergences in an SU(2)xU(1) nonlinear sigma model, corresponding to an electroweak effective Lagrangian in the absence of custodialmore » symmetry.« less

Covariant diagrams for one-loop matching

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Zhengkang

Here, we present a diagrammatic formulation of recently-revived covariant functional approaches to one-loop matching from an ultraviolet (UV) theory to a low-energy effective field theory. Various terms following from a covariant derivative expansion (CDE) are represented by diagrams which, unlike conventional Feynman diagrams, involve gauge-covariant quantities and are thus dubbed "covariant diagrams." The use of covariant diagrams helps organize and simplify one-loop matching calculations, which we illustrate with examples. Of particular interest is the derivation of UV model-independent universal results, which reduce matching calculations of specific UV models to applications of master formulas. We also show how such derivation canmore » be done in a more concise manner than the previous literature, and discuss how additional structures that are not directly captured by existing universal results, including mixed heavy-light loops, open covariant derivatives, and mixed statistics, can be easily accounted for.« less

Covariant diagrams for one-loop matching

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Zhengkang

2017-05-30

Here, we present a diagrammatic formulation of recently-revived covariant functional approaches to one-loop matching from an ultraviolet (UV) theory to a low-energy effective field theory. Various terms following from a covariant derivative expansion (CDE) are represented by diagrams which, unlike conventional Feynman diagrams, involve gauge-covariant quantities and are thus dubbed "covariant diagrams." The use of covariant diagrams helps organize and simplify one-loop matching calculations, which we illustrate with examples. Of particular interest is the derivation of UV model-independent universal results, which reduce matching calculations of specific UV models to applications of master formulas. We also show how such derivation canmore » be done in a more concise manner than the previous literature, and discuss how additional structures that are not directly captured by existing universal results, including mixed heavy-light loops, open covariant derivatives, and mixed statistics, can be easily accounted for.« less

Phenomenological implications of an alternative Hamiltonian constraint for quantum cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kagan, Mikhail

2005-11-15

In this paper we review a model based on loop quantum cosmology that arises from a symmetry reduction of the self-dual Plebanski action. In this formulation the symmetry reduction leads to a very simple Hamiltonian constraint that can be quantized explicitly in the framework of loop quantum cosmology. We investigate the phenomenological implications of this model in the semiclassical regime and compare those with the known results of the standard Loop Quantum Cosmology.

Examining the Relationship between Immediate Serial Recall and Immediate Free Recall: Common Effects of Phonological Loop Variables but Only Limited Evidence for the Phonological Loop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spurgeon, Jessica; Ward, Geoff; Matthews, William J.

2014-01-01

We examined the contribution of the phonological loop to immediate free recall (IFR) and immediate serial recall (ISR) of lists of between one and 15 words. Following Baddeley (1986, 2000, 2007, 2012), we assumed that visual words could be recoded into the phonological store when presented silently but that recoding would be prevented by…

Innovative hybrid pile oscillator technique in the Minerve reactor: open loop vs. closed loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geslot, Benoit; Gruel, Adrien; Bréaud, Stéphane; Leconte, Pierre; Blaise, Patrick

2018-01-01

Pile oscillator techniques are powerful methods to measure small reactivity worth of isotopes of interest for nuclear data improvement. This kind of experiments has long been implemented in the Mineve experimental reactor, operated by CEA Cadarache. A hybrid technique, mixing reactivity worth estimation and measurement of small changes around test samples is presented here. It was made possible after the development of high sensitivity miniature fission chambers introduced next to the irradiation channel. A test campaign, called MAESTRO-SL, took place in 2015. Its objective was to assess the feasibility of the hybrid method and investigate the possibility to separate mixed neutron effects, such as fission/capture or scattering/capture. Experimental results are presented and discussed in this paper, which focus on comparing two measurements setups, one using a power control system (closed loop) and another one where the power is free to drift (open loop). First, it is demonstrated that open loop is equivalent to closed loop. Uncertainty management and methods reproducibility are discussed. Second, results show that measuring the flux depression around oscillated samples provides valuable information regarding partial neutron cross sections. The technique is found to be very sensitive to the capture cross section at the expense of scattering, making it very useful to measure small capture effects of highly scattering samples.

Initial conditions in high-energy collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petreska, Elena

This thesis is focused on the initial stages of high-energy collisions in the saturation regime. We start by extending the McLerran-Venugopalan distribution of color sources in the initial wave-function of nuclei in heavy-ion collisions. We derive a fourth-order operator in the action and discuss its relevance for the description of color charge distributions in protons in high-energy experiments. We calculate the dipole scattering amplitude in proton-proton collisions with the quartic action and find an agreement with experimental data. We also obtain a modification to the fluctuation parameter of the negative binomial distribution of particle multiplicities in proton-proton experiments. The result implies an advancement of the fourth-order action towards Gaussian when the energy is increased. Finally, we calculate perturbatively the expectation value of the magnetic Wilson loop operator in the first moments of heavy-ion collisions. For the magnetic flux we obtain a first non-trivial term that is proportional to the square of the area of the loop. The result is close to numerical calculations for small area loops.

Theory on the mechanism of distal action of transcription factors: looping of DNA versus tracking along DNA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murugan, R.

2010-10-01

In this paper, we develop a theory on the mechanism of distal action of the transcription factors, which are bound at their respective cis-regulatory enhancer modules on the promoter-RNA polymerase II (PR) complexes to initiate the transcription event in eukaryotes. We consider both the looping and tracking modes of their distal communication and calculate the mean first passage time that is required for the distal interactions of the complex of enhancer and transcription factor with the PR via both these modes. We further investigate how this mean first passage time is dependent on the length of the DNA segment (L, base-pairs) that connects the cis-regulatory binding site and the respective promoter. When the radius of curvature of this connecting segment of DNA is R that was induced upon binding of the transcription factor at the cis-acting element and RNAPII at the promoter in cis-positions, our calculations indicate that the looping mode of distal action will dominate when L is such that L > 2πR and the tracking mode of distal action will be favored when L < 2πR. The time required for the distal action will be minimum when L = 2πR where the typical value of R for the binding of histones will be R ~ 16 bps and L ~ 102 bps. It seems that the free energy associated with the binding of the transcription factor with its cis-acting element and the distance of this cis-acting element from the corresponding promoter of the gene of interest is negatively correlated. Our results suggest that the looping and tracking modes of distal action are concurrently operating on the transcription activation and the physics that determines the timescales associated with the looping/tracking in the mechanism of action of these transcription factors on the initiation of the transcription event must put a selection pressure on the distribution of the distances of cis-regulatory modules from their respective promoters of the genes. The computational analysis of the upstream sequences of promoters of various genes in the human and mouse genomes for the presence of putative cis-regulatory elements for a set of known transcription factors using the position weight matrices available with the JASPAR database indicates the presence of cis-acting elements with maximum probability at a distance of ~102 bps from the promoters which substantiates our theoretical predictions.

The Effect of Dual N-Back Task Training on Phonological Memory Expansion in Adult EFL Learners at the Beginner Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farvardin, Mohammad Taghi; Afghari, Akbar; Koosha, Mansour

2014-01-01

One of the most influential models of working memory (WM) is the one developed by Baddeley (1986, 2000, 2003) which views WM comprising several components--a central executive, an episodic buffer, the visuo-spatial sketchpad, and the phonological loop. The phonological loop or phonological memory (PM) deals with the temporary storage of verbal and…

Nonlinear effective theory of dark energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cusin, Giulia; Lewandowski, Matthew; Vernizzi, Filippo

2018-04-01

We develop an approach to parametrize cosmological perturbations beyond linear order for general dark energy and modified gravity models characterized by a single scalar degree of freedom. We derive the full nonlinear action, focusing on Horndeski theories. In the quasi-static, non-relativistic limit, there are a total of six independent relevant operators, three of which start at nonlinear order. The new nonlinear couplings modify, beyond linear order, the generalized Poisson equation relating the Newtonian potential to the matter density contrast. We derive this equation up to cubic order in perturbations and, in a companion article [1], we apply it to compute the one-loop matter power spectrum. Within this approach, we also discuss the Vainshtein regime around spherical sources and the relation between the Vainshtein scale and the nonlinear scale for structure formation.

Giardia telomeric sequence d(TAGGG)4 forms two intramolecular G-quadruplexes in K+ solution: effect of loop length and sequence on the folding topology.

PubMed

Hu, Lanying; Lim, Kah Wai; Bouaziz, Serge; Phan, Anh Tuân

2009-11-25

Recently, it has been shown that in K(+) solution the human telomeric sequence d[TAGGG(TTAGGG)(3)] forms a (3 + 1) intramolecular G-quadruplex, while the Bombyx mori telomeric sequence d[TAGG(TTAGG)(3)], which differs from the human counterpart only by one G deletion in each repeat, forms a chair-type intramolecular G-quadruplex, indicating an effect of G-tract length on the folding topology of G-quadruplexes. To explore the effect of loop length and sequence on the folding topology of G-quadruplexes, here we examine the structure of the four-repeat Giardia telomeric sequence d[TAGGG(TAGGG)(3)], which differs from the human counterpart only by one T deletion within the non-G linker in each repeat. We show by NMR that this sequence forms two different intramolecular G-quadruplexes in K(+) solution. The first one is a novel basket-type antiparallel-stranded G-quadruplex containing two G-tetrads, a G x (A-G) triad, and two A x T base pairs; the three loops are consecutively edgewise-diagonal-edgewise. The second one is a propeller-type parallel-stranded G-quadruplex involving three G-tetrads; the three loops are all double-chain-reversal. Recurrence of several structural elements in the observed structures suggests a "cut and paste" principle for the design and prediction of G-quadruplex topologies, for which different elements could be extracted from one G-quadruplex and inserted into another.

Stretchable Random Lasers with Tunable Coherent Loops.

PubMed

Sun, Tzu-Min; Wang, Cih-Su; Liao, Chi-Shiun; Lin, Shih-Yao; Perumal, Packiyaraj; Chiang, Chia-Wei; Chen, Yang-Fang

2015-12-22

Stretchability represents a key feature for the emerging world of realistic applications in areas, including wearable gadgets, health monitors, and robotic skins. Many optical and electronic technologies that can respond to large strain deformations have been developed. Laser plays a very important role in our daily life since it was discovered, which is highly desirable for the development of stretchable devices. Herein, stretchable random lasers with tunable coherent loops are designed, fabricated, and demonstrated. To illustrate our working principle, the stretchable random laser is made possible by transferring unique ZnO nanobrushes on top of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer substrate. Apart from the traditional gain material of ZnO nanorods, ZnO nanobrushes were used as optical gain materials so they can serve as scattering centers and provide the Fabry-Perot cavity to enhance laser action. The stretchable PDMS substrate gives the degree of freedom to mechanically tune the coherent loops of the random laser action by changing the density of ZnO nanobrushes. It is found that the number of laser modes increases with increasing external strain applied on the PDMS substrate due to the enhanced possibility for the formation of coherent loops. The device can be stretched by up to 30% strain and subjected to more than 100 cycles without loss in laser action. The result shows a major advance for the further development of man-made smart stretchable devices.

Mechanism of retinoic acid-induced transcription: histone code, DNA oxidation and formation of chromatin loops.

PubMed

Zuchegna, Candida; Aceto, Fabiana; Bertoni, Alessandra; Romano, Antonella; Perillo, Bruno; Laccetti, Paolo; Gottesman, Max E; Avvedimento, Enrico V; Porcellini, Antonio

2014-01-01

Histone methylation changes and formation of chromatin loops involving enhancers, promoters and 3' end regions of genes have been variously associated with active transcription in eukaryotes. We have studied the effect of activation of the retinoic A receptor, at the RARE-promoter chromatin of CASP9 and CYP26A1 genes, 15 and 45 min following RA exposure, and we found that histone H3 lysines 4 and 9 are demethylated by the lysine-specific demethylase, LSD1 and by the JMJ-domain containing demethylase, D2A. The action of the oxidase (LSD1) and a dioxygenase (JMJD2A) in the presence of Fe++ elicits an oxidation wave that locally modifies the DNA and recruits the enzymes involved in base and nucleotide excision repair (BER and NER). These events are essential for the formation of chromatin loop(s) that juxtapose the RARE element with the 5' transcription start site and the 3' end of the genes. The RARE bound-receptor governs the 5' and 3' end selection and directs the productive transcription cycle of RNA polymerase. These data mechanistically link chromatin loops, histone methylation changes and localized DNA repair with transcription. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Effects of two-loop contributions in the pseudofermion functional renormalization group method for quantum spin systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rück, Marlon; Reuther, Johannes

2018-04-01

We implement an extension of the pseudofermion functional renormalization group method for quantum spin systems that takes into account two-loop diagrammatic contributions. An efficient numerical treatment of the additional terms is achieved within a nested graph construction which recombines different one-loop interaction channels. In order to be fully self-consistent with respect to self-energy corrections, we also include certain three-loop terms of Katanin type. We first apply this formalism to the antiferromagnetic J1-J2 Heisenberg model on the square lattice and benchmark our results against the previous one-loop plus Katanin approach. Even though the renormalization group (RG) equations undergo significant modifications when including the two-loop terms, the magnetic phase diagram, comprising Néel ordered and collinear ordered phases separated by a magnetically disordered regime, remains remarkably unchanged. Only the boundary position between the disordered and the collinear phases is found to be moderately affected by two-loop terms. On the other hand, critical RG scales, which we associate with critical temperatures Tc, are reduced by a factor of ˜2 indicating that the two-loop diagrams play a significant role in enforcing the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Improved estimates for critical temperatures are also obtained for the Heisenberg ferromagnet on the three-dimensional simple cubic lattice where errors in Tc are reduced by ˜34 % . These findings have important implications for the quantum phase diagrams calculated within the previous one-loop plus Katanin approach which turn out to be already well converged.

Experimental Apparatus for the Observation of the Topological Change Associated with Dynamical Monodromy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmon, Daniel; Nerem, M. Perry; Aubin, Seth; Delos, John

Monodromy means ``once around a path,'' therefore systems that have non-trivial monodromy are systems such that, when taken around a closed circuit in some space, the system has changed state in some way. Classical systems that exhibit non-trivial Hamiltonian monodromy have action and angle variables that are multivalued functions. A family, or loop, of trajectories of this system has a topological change upon traversing a monodromy circuit. We present an experimental apparatus for observing this topological change. A family of particles moving in a cylindrically symmetric champagne-bottle potential exhibits non-trivial Hamiltonian monodromy. At the center of this system is a classically forbidden region. By following a monodromy circuit, a loop of initial conditions on one side of the forbidden region can be made to evolve continuously into a loop that surrounds the forbidden region. We realize this system using a spherical pendulum, having at its end a permanent magnet. Magnetic fields generated by coils can then be used to create the champagne-bottle potential, as well as drive the pendulum through the monodromy circuit.

Movement Forms: A Graph-Dynamic Perspective

PubMed Central

Saltzman, Elliot; Holt, Ken

2014-01-01

The focus of this paper is on characterizing the physical movement forms (e.g., walk, crawl, roll, etc.) that can be used to actualize abstract, functionally-specified behavioral goals (e.g., locomotion). Emphasis is placed on how such forms are distinguished from one another, in part, by the set of topological patterns of physical contact between agent and environment (i.e., the set of physical graphs associated with each form) and the transitions among these patterns displayed over the course of performance (i.e., the form’s physical graph dynamics). Crucial in this regard is the creation and dissolution of loops in these graphs, which can be related to the distinction between open and closed kinematic chains. Formal similarities are described within the theoretical framework of task-dynamics between physically-closed kinematic chains (physical loops) that are created during various movement forms and functionally-closed kinematic chains (functional loops) that are associated with task-space control of end-effectors; it is argued that both types of loop must be flexibly incorporated into the coordinative structures that govern skilled action. Final speculation is focused on the role of graphs and their dynamics, not only in processes of coordination and control for individual agents, but also in processes of inter-agent coordination and the coupling of agents with (non-sentient) environmental objects. PMID:24910507

Movement Forms: A Graph-Dynamic Perspective.

PubMed

Saltzman, Elliot; Holt, Ken

2014-01-01

The focus of this paper is on characterizing the physical movement forms (e.g., walk, crawl, roll, etc.) that can be used to actualize abstract, functionally-specified behavioral goals (e.g., locomotion). Emphasis is placed on how such forms are distinguished from one another, in part, by the set of topological patterns of physical contact between agent and environment (i.e., the set of physical graphs associated with each form) and the transitions among these patterns displayed over the course of performance (i.e., the form's physical graph dynamics ). Crucial in this regard is the creation and dissolution of loops in these graphs, which can be related to the distinction between open and closed kinematic chains. Formal similarities are described within the theoretical framework of task-dynamics between physically-closed kinematic chains (physical loops) that are created during various movement forms and functionally-closed kinematic chains (functional loops) that are associated with task-space control of end-effectors; it is argued that both types of loop must be flexibly incorporated into the coordinative structures that govern skilled action. Final speculation is focused on the role of graphs and their dynamics, not only in processes of coordination and control for individual agents, but also in processes of inter-agent coordination and the coupling of agents with (non-sentient) environmental objects.

La-CTP: Loop-Aware Routing for Energy-Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Sun, Guodong; Shang, Xinna; Zuo, Yan

2018-02-02

In emerging energy-harvesting wireless sensor networks (EH-WSN), the sensor nodes can harvest environmental energy to drive their operation, releasing the user's burden in terms of frequent battery replacement, and even enabling perpetual sensing systems. In EH-WSN applications, usually, the node in energy-harvesting or recharging state has to stop working until it completes the energy replenishment. However, such temporary departures of recharging nodes severely impact the packet routing, and one immediate result is the routing loop problem. Controlling loops in connectivity-intermittent EH-WSN in an efficient way is a big challenge in practice, and so far, users still lack of effective and practicable routing protocols with loop handling. Based on the Collection Tree Protocol (CTP) widely used in traditional wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes a loop-aware routing protocol for real-world EH-WSNs, called La-CTP, which involves a new parent updating metric and a proactive, adaptive beaconing scheme to effectively suppress the occurrence of loops and unlock unavoidable loops, respectively. We constructed a 100-node testbed to evaluate La-CTP, and the experimental results showed its efficacy and efficiency.

The external pore loop interacts with S6 and S3-S4 linker in domain 4 to assume an essential role in gating control and anticonvulsant action in the Na+ channel

PubMed Central

Yang, Ya-Chin; Hsieh, Jui-Yi

2009-01-01

Carbamazepine, phenytoin, and lamotrigine are widely prescribed anticonvulsants in neurological clinics. These drugs bind to the same receptor site, probably with the diphenyl motif in their structure, to inhibit the Na+ channel. However, the location of the drug receptor remains controversial. In this study, we demonstrate close proximity and potential interaction between an external aromatic residue (W1716 in the external pore loop) and an internal aromatic residue (F1764 in the pore-lining part of the sixth transmembrane segment, S6) of domain 4 (D4), both being closely related to anticonvulsant and/or local anesthetic binding to the Na+ channel. Double-mutant cycle analysis reveals significant cooperativity between the two phenyl residues for anticonvulsant binding. Concomitant F1764C mutation evidently decreases the susceptibility of W1716C to external Cd2+ and membrane-impermeable methanethiosulfonate reagents. Also, the W1716E/F1764R and G1715E/F1764R double mutations significantly alter the selectivity for Na+ over K+ and markedly shift the activation curve, respectively. W1716 and F1764 therefore very likely form a link connecting the outer and inner compartments of the Na+ channel pore (in addition to the selectivity filter). Anticonvulsants and local anesthetics may well traverse this “S6 recess” without trespassing on the selectivity filter. Furthermore, we found that Y1618K, a point mutation in the S3-4 linker (the extracellular extension of D4S4), significantly alters the consequences of carbamazepine binding to the Na+ channel. The effect of Y1618K mutation, however, is abolished by concomitant point mutations in the vicinity of Y1618, but not by those in the internally located inactivation machinery, supporting a direct local rather than a long-range allosteric action. Moreover, Y1618 could interact with D4 pore residues W1716 and L1719 to have a profound effect on both channel gating and anticonvulsant action. We conclude that there are direct interactions among the external S3-4 linker, the external pore loop, and the internal S6 segment in D4, making the external pore loop a pivotal point critically coordinating ion permeation, gating, and anticonvulsant binding in the Na+ channel. PMID:19635852

The external pore loop interacts with S6 and S3-S4 linker in domain 4 to assume an essential role in gating control and anticonvulsant action in the Na(+) channel.

PubMed

Yang, Ya-Chin; Hsieh, Jui-Yi; Kuo, Chung-Chin

2009-08-01

Carbamazepine, phenytoin, and lamotrigine are widely prescribed anticonvulsants in neurological clinics. These drugs bind to the same receptor site, probably with the diphenyl motif in their structure, to inhibit the Na(+) channel. However, the location of the drug receptor remains controversial. In this study, we demonstrate close proximity and potential interaction between an external aromatic residue (W1716 in the external pore loop) and an internal aromatic residue (F1764 in the pore-lining part of the sixth transmembrane segment, S6) of domain 4 (D4), both being closely related to anticonvulsant and/or local anesthetic binding to the Na(+) channel. Double-mutant cycle analysis reveals significant cooperativity between the two phenyl residues for anticonvulsant binding. Concomitant F1764C mutation evidently decreases the susceptibility of W1716C to external Cd(2+) and membrane-impermeable methanethiosulfonate reagents. Also, the W1716E/F1764R and G1715E/F1764R double mutations significantly alter the selectivity for Na(+) over K(+) and markedly shift the activation curve, respectively. W1716 and F1764 therefore very likely form a link connecting the outer and inner compartments of the Na(+) channel pore (in addition to the selectivity filter). Anticonvulsants and local anesthetics may well traverse this "S6 recess" without trespassing on the selectivity filter. Furthermore, we found that Y1618K, a point mutation in the S3-4 linker (the extracellular extension of D4S4), significantly alters the consequences of carbamazepine binding to the Na(+) channel. The effect of Y1618K mutation, however, is abolished by concomitant point mutations in the vicinity of Y1618, but not by those in the internally located inactivation machinery, supporting a direct local rather than a long-range allosteric action. Moreover, Y1618 could interact with D4 pore residues W1716 and L1719 to have a profound effect on both channel gating and anticonvulsant action. We conclude that there are direct interactions among the external S3-4 linker, the external pore loop, and the internal S6 segment in D4, making the external pore loop a pivotal point critically coordinating ion permeation, gating, and anticonvulsant binding in the Na(+) channel.

Top-quark loop corrections in Z+jet and Z + 2 jet production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campbell, John M.; Keith Ellis, R.

2017-01-01

The sophistication of current predictions formore » $Z+$jet production at hadron colliders necessitates a re-evaluation of any approximations inherent in the theoretical calculations. In this paper we address one such issue, the inclusion of mass effects in top-quark loops. We ameliorate an existing calculation of $Z+1$~jet and $Z+2$~jet production by presenting exact analytic formulae for amplitudes containing top-quark loops that enter at next-to-leading order in QCD. Although approximations based on an expansion in powers of $$1/m_t^2$$ can lead to poor high-energy behavior, an exact treatment of top-quark loops demonstrates that their effect is small and has limited phenomenological interest.« less

EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF WATER CHEMISTRY ON CUPROSOLVENCY AND COPPER CORROSION BY-PRODUCT USING A SIMPLE COPPER PIPE RECIRCULATING LOOP SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

1991, EPA publicized the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR),which set regulations to minimize the amount of lead copper in drinking water. The LCR set the copper action level at 1.3 mg/L in more then 10% of customer’s first-draw taps sampled. Potential health effects of copper include vo...

Power Impact of Loop Buffer Schemes for Biomedical Wireless Sensor Nodes

PubMed Central

Artes, Antonio; Ayala, Jose L.; Catthoor, Francky

2012-01-01

Instruction memory organisations are pointed out as one of the major sources of energy consumption in embedded systems. As these systems are characterised by restrictive resources and a low-energy budget, any enhancement in this component allows not only to decrease the energy consumption but also to have a better distribution of the energy budget throughout the system. Loop buffering is an effective scheme to reduce energy consumption in instruction memory organisations. In this paper, the loop buffer concept is applied in real-life embedded applications that are widely used in biomedical Wireless Sensor Nodes, to show which scheme of loop buffer is more suitable for applications with certain behaviour. Post-layout simulations demonstrate that a trade-off exists between the complexity of the loop buffer architecture and the energy savings of utilising it. Therefore, the use of loop buffer architectures in order to optimise the instruction memory organisation from the energy efficiency point of view should be evaluated carefully, taking into account two factors: (1) the percentage of the execution time of the application that is related to the execution of the loops, and (2) the distribution of the execution time percentage over each one of the loops that form the application. PMID:23202202

The Kaon B-parameter in mixed action chiral perturbation theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aubin, C.; /Columbia U.; Laiho, Jack

2006-09-01

We calculate the kaon B-parameter, B{sub K}, in chiral perturbation theory for a partially quenched, mixed action theory with Ginsparg-Wilson valence quarks and staggered sea quarks. We find that the resulting expression is similar to that in the continuum, and in fact has only two additional unknown parameters. At one-loop order, taste-symmetry violations in the staggered sea sector only contribute to flavor-disconnected diagrams by generating an {Omicron}(a{sup 2}) shift to the masses of taste-singlet sea-sea mesons. Lattice discretization errors also give rise to an analytic term which shifts the tree-level value of B{sub K} by an amount of {Omicron}(a{sup 2}).more » This term, however, is not strictly due to taste-breaking, and is therefore also present in the expression for B{sub K} for pure G-W lattice fermions. We also present a numerical study of the mixed B{sub K} expression in order to demonstrate that both discretization errors and finite volume effects are small and under control on the MILC improved staggered lattices.« less

Polyakov loop fluctuations in the presence of external fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, Pok Man; Szymański, Michał; Redlich, Krzysztof; Sasaki, Chihiro

2018-06-01

We study the implications of the spontaneous and explicit Z(3) center symmetry breaking for the Polyakov loop susceptibilities. To this end, ratios of the susceptibilities of the real and imaginary parts, as well as of the modulus of the Polyakov loop are computed within an effective model using a color group integration scheme. We show that the essential features of the lattice QCD results of these ratios can be successfully captured by the effective approach. Furthermore we discuss a novel scaling relation in one of these ratios involving the explicit breaking field, volume, and temperature.

Two-loop virtual top-quark effect on Higgs-boson decay to bottom quarks.

PubMed

Butenschön, Mathias; Fugel, Frank; Kniehl, Bernd A

2007-02-16

In most of the mass range encompassed by the limits from the direct search and the electroweak precision tests, the Higgs boson of the standard model preferably decays to bottom quarks. We present, in analytic form, the dominant two-loop electroweak correction, of O(GF2mt4), to the partial width of this decay. It amplifies the familiar enhancement due to the O(GFmt2) one-loop correction by about +16% and thus more than compensates the screening by about -8% through strong-interaction effects of order O(alphasGFmt2).

Language Support for Parallel Computation

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-01

strings on ..8. also belongs to the regular set. Therefore, their interleaving belongs to alpha-closure of the regular set. Case 2: L(.4)CL(U) Consider any...disallow the case when the machine does not terminate on the given input by going through a loop of internal actions. Since in real life, we would not like...common process and therefore some of them will be aborted. In the limiting case , (that is if we were allowed to have just one global master), there

A radiative neutrino mass model in light of DAMPE excess with hidden gauged U(1) symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomura, Takaaki; Okada, Hiroshi; Wu, Peiwen

2018-05-01

We propose a one-loop induced neutrino mass model with hidden U(1) gauge symmetry, in which we successfully involve a bosonic dark matter (DM) candidate propagating inside a loop diagram in neutrino mass generation to explain the e+e‑ excess recently reported by the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) experiment. In our scenario dark matter annihilates into four leptons through Z' boson as DM DM → Z' Z' (Z' → l+ l‑) and Z' decays into leptons via one-loop effect. We then investigate branching ratios of Z' taking into account lepton flavor violations and neutrino oscillation data.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chakrabarti, D.; Qiu, J.; Thorn, C. B.

This is the second of a pair of articles on scattering of glue by glue,in which we give the light-cone gauge calculation of the one-loop on-shellhelicity conserving scattering amplitudes for gluon-gluon scattering (neglectingquark loops). The 1/p{sup +} factors in the gluon propagatorare regulated by replacing p{sup +} integrals with discretized sums omitting the p{sup +}=0 terms in each sum. We alsoemploy a novel ultraviolet regulator that is convenient for the light-coneworldsheet description of planar Feynman diagrams. The helicity conservingscattering amplitudes are divergent in the infrared. The infrared divergencesin the elastic one-loop amplitude are shown to cancel, in their contributionto crossmore » sections, against ones in the cross section for unseen bremsstrahlunggluons. We include here the explicit calculation of the latter, because itassumes an unfamiliar form due to the peculiar way discretization of p{sup +} regulates infrared divergences. In resolving the infrareddivergences we employ a covariant definition of jets, which allows a transparentdemonstration of the Lorentz invariance of our final results. Because we usean explicit cutoff of the ultraviolet divergences in exactly four spacetimedimensions, we must introduce explicit counterterms to achieve this finalcovariant result. These counterterms are polynomials in the external momentaof the precise order dictated by power counting. We discuss the modificationsthey entail for the light-cone worldsheet action that reproduces the bareplanar diagrams of the gluonic sector of QCD. The simplest way to do thisis to interpret the QCD string as moving in six spacetime dimensions.« less

Chromatin loops as allosteric modulators of enhancer-promoter interactions.

PubMed

Doyle, Boryana; Fudenberg, Geoffrey; Imakaev, Maxim; Mirny, Leonid A

2014-10-01

The classic model of eukaryotic gene expression requires direct spatial contact between a distal enhancer and a proximal promoter. Recent Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C) studies show that enhancers and promoters are embedded in a complex network of looping interactions. Here we use a polymer model of chromatin fiber to investigate whether, and to what extent, looping interactions between elements in the vicinity of an enhancer-promoter pair can influence their contact frequency. Our equilibrium polymer simulations show that a chromatin loop, formed by elements flanking either an enhancer or a promoter, suppresses enhancer-promoter interactions, working as an insulator. A loop formed by elements located in the region between an enhancer and a promoter, on the contrary, facilitates their interactions. We find that different mechanisms underlie insulation and facilitation; insulation occurs due to steric exclusion by the loop, and is a global effect, while facilitation occurs due to an effective shortening of the enhancer-promoter genomic distance, and is a local effect. Consistently, we find that these effects manifest quite differently for in silico 3C and microscopy. Our results show that looping interactions that do not directly involve an enhancer-promoter pair can nevertheless significantly modulate their interactions. This phenomenon is analogous to allosteric regulation in proteins, where a conformational change triggered by binding of a regulatory molecule to one site affects the state of another site.

The target-specific transporter and current status of diuretics as antihypertensive.

PubMed

Ali, Syed Salman; Sharma, Pramod Kumar; Garg, Vipin Kumar; Singh, Avnesh Kumar; Mondal, Sambhu Charan

2012-04-01

The currently available diuretics increase the urinary excretion of sodium chloride by selective inhibition of specific sodium transporters in the loop of Henle and distal nephron. In recent years, the molecular cloning of the diuretic-sensitive sodium transporters at distal convoluted tubule has improved our understanding of the cellular mechanisms of action of each class of diuretics. Diuretics are tools of considerable therapeutic importance. First, they effectively reduce blood pressure. Loop and thiazide diuretics are secreted from the proximal tubule via the organic anion transporter-1 and exert their diuretic action by binding to the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) co-transporter type 2 in the thick ascending limb and the Na(+)-Cl(-) co-transporter in the distal convoluted tubule, respectively. Recent studies in animal models suggest that abundance of these ion transporters is affected by long-term diuretic administration. The WHO/ISH guidelines point out that diuretics enhance the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs and will most often be a component of combination therapy. © 2011 The Authors Fundamental and Clinical Pharmacology © 2011 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Effects of Automation Types on Air Traffic Controller Situation Awareness and Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sethumadhavan, A.

2009-01-01

The Joint Planning and Development Office has proposed the introduction of automated systems to help air traffic controllers handle the increasing volume of air traffic in the next two decades (JPDO, 2007). Because fully automated systems leave operators out of the decision-making loop (e.g., Billings, 1991), it is important to determine the right level and type of automation that will keep air traffic controllers in the loop. This study examined the differences in the situation awareness (SA) and collision detection performance of individuals when they worked with information acquisition, information analysis, decision and action selection and action implementation automation to control air traffic (Parasuraman, Sheridan, & Wickens, 2000). When the automation was unreliable, the time taken to detect an upcoming collision was significantly longer for all the automation types compared with the information acquisition automation. This poor performance following automation failure was mediated by SA, with lower SA yielding poor performance. Thus, the costs associated with automation failure are greater when automation is applied to higher order stages of information processing. Results have practical implications for automation design and development of SA training programs.

Crystal structures of isomeric 3,5-di-chloro-N-(2,3-di-methyl-phen-yl)benzene-sulfonamide, 3,5-di-chloro-N-(2,6-di-methyl-phen-yl)benzene-sulfonamide and 3,5-di-chloro-N-(3,5-di-methyl-phen-yl)benzene-sulfonamide.

PubMed

Shakuntala, K; Naveen, S; Lokanath, N K; Suchetan, P A

2017-05-01

The crystal structures of three isomeric compounds of formula C 14 H 13 Cl 2 NO 2 S, namely 3,5-di-chloro- N -(2,3-di-methyl-phen-yl)-benzene-sulfonamide (I), 3,5-di-chloro- N -(2,6-di-methyl-phen-yl)benzene-sulfonamide (II) and 3,5-di-chloro- N -(3,5-di-methyl-phen-yl)benzene-sulfonamide (III) are described. The mol-ecules of all the three compounds are U-shaped with the two aromatic rings inclined at 41.3 (6)° in (I), 42.1 (2)° in (II) and 54.4 (3)° in (III). The mol-ecular conformation of (II) is stabilized by intra-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯π inter-actions. The crystal structure of (I) features N-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded R 2 2 (8) loops inter-connected via C (7) chains of C-H⋯O inter-actions, forming a three-dimensional architecture. The structure also features π-π inter-actions [ Cg ⋯ Cg = 3.6970 (14) Å]. In (II), N-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded R 2 2 (8) loops are inter-connected via π-π inter-actions [inter-centroid distance = 3.606 (3) Å] to form a one-dimensional architecture running parallel to the a axis. In (III), adjacent C (4) chains of N-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded mol-ecules running parallel to [010] are connected via C-H⋯π inter-actions, forming sheets parallel to the ab plane. Neighbouring sheets are linked via offset π-π inter-actions [inter-centroid distance = 3.8303 (16) Å] to form a three-dimensional architecture.

75 FR 16732 - Action Affecting Export Privileges; Aqua-Loop Cooling Towers, Co.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-02

... Regulations by facilitating or coordinating the export of approximately 174 rolls of hog hair filter media... about September 28, 2004, Aqua-Loop ordered or financed approximately 174 rolls of hog hair filter media... coordinating the export of approximately 185 rolls of hog hair filter media, part number HHB6O 130 and valued...

Thermal stability of static coronal loops: Part 1: Effects of boundary conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antiochos, S. K.; Shoub, E. C.; An, C. H.; Emslie, A. G.

1985-01-01

The linear stability of static coronal-loop models undergoing thermal perturbations was investigated. The effect of conditions at the loop base on the stability properties of the models was considered in detail. The question of appropriate boundary conditions at the loop base was considered and it was concluded that the most physical assumptions are that the temperature and density (or pressure) perturbations vanish there. However, if the base is taken to be sufficiently deep in the chromosphere, either several chromospheric scale heights or several coronal loop lengths in depth, then the effect of the boundary conditions on loop stability becomes negligible so that all physically acceptable conditions are equally appropriate. For example, one could as well assume that the velocity vanishes at the base. The growth rates and eigenmodes of static models in which gravity is neglected and in which the coronal heating is a relatively simple function, either constant per-unit mass or per-unit volume were calculated. It was found that all such models are unstable with a growth rate of the order of the coronal cooling time. The physical implications of these results for the solar corona and transition region are discussed.

Environmental Assessment: Building 3001 Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

developing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the SHPO and the Oklahoma Archaeological Survey regarding the potential effects the Proposed Action...3.3.5.4 Electrical System Tinker AFB receives its electrical power from Oklahoma Gas and Electric, which delivers power through a looped 138... gas , with diesel fuel used as the backup supply. The steam line system is primarily underground, with a limited number of lines extending

Quantum implications of a scale invariant regularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghilencea, D. M.

2018-04-01

We study scale invariance at the quantum level in a perturbative approach. For a scale-invariant classical theory, the scalar potential is computed at a three-loop level while keeping manifest this symmetry. Spontaneous scale symmetry breaking is transmitted at a quantum level to the visible sector (of ϕ ) by the associated Goldstone mode (dilaton σ ), which enables a scale-invariant regularization and whose vacuum expectation value ⟨σ ⟩ generates the subtraction scale (μ ). While the hidden (σ ) and visible sector (ϕ ) are classically decoupled in d =4 due to an enhanced Poincaré symmetry, they interact through (a series of) evanescent couplings ∝ɛ , dictated by the scale invariance of the action in d =4 -2 ɛ . At the quantum level, these couplings generate new corrections to the potential, as scale-invariant nonpolynomial effective operators ϕ2 n +4/σ2 n. These are comparable in size to "standard" loop corrections and are important for values of ϕ close to ⟨σ ⟩. For n =1 , 2, the beta functions of their coefficient are computed at three loops. In the IR limit, dilaton fluctuations decouple, the effective operators are suppressed by large ⟨σ ⟩, and the effective potential becomes that of a renormalizable theory with explicit scale symmetry breaking by the DR scheme (of μ =constant).

La-CTP: Loop-Aware Routing for Energy-Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Sun, Guodong; Shang, Xinna; Zuo, Yan

2018-01-01

In emerging energy-harvesting wireless sensor networks (EH-WSN), the sensor nodes can harvest environmental energy to drive their operation, releasing the user’s burden in terms of frequent battery replacement, and even enabling perpetual sensing systems. In EH-WSN applications, usually, the node in energy-harvesting or recharging state has to stop working until it completes the energy replenishment. However, such temporary departures of recharging nodes severely impact the packet routing, and one immediate result is the routing loop problem. Controlling loops in connectivity-intermittent EH-WSN in an efficient way is a big challenge in practice, and so far, users still lack of effective and practicable routing protocols with loop handling. Based on the Collection Tree Protocol (CTP) widely used in traditional wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes a loop-aware routing protocol for real-world EH-WSNs, called La-CTP, which involves a new parent updating metric and a proactive, adaptive beaconing scheme to effectively suppress the occurrence of loops and unlock unavoidable loops, respectively. We constructed a 100-node testbed to evaluate La-CTP, and the experimental results showed its efficacy and efficiency. PMID:29393876

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Toscano, J. J.

Virtual effects of new physics on the trilinear electroweak couplings WWV and VVV (V = {gamma},Z) are reviewed, both in specific models and the effective Lagrangian approach. The impact of new particles on the static electromagnetic properties of the W boson are discussed in several contexts. In particular, the sensitivity of the CP--violating electromagnetic moments to new sources of CP violation, as general Yukawa couplings, is stressed. The one-loop contribution of new gauge bosons to the off-shell WWV vertex is analyzed in the light of nonconventional quantization methods. In particular, a covariant scheme based in the BRST symmetry endowed withmore » a nonlinear gauge-fixing procedure is discussed. The VVV coupling is studied in the context of the effective Lagrangian approach and the role played by the Bose and Lorentz symmetries emphasized. We argue that these symmetries are so restrictive that these vertices perhaps never could be observed, unless one of these principles could not be an exact symmetry of the nature, as suggested by quantum field theories formulated in a noncommutative space-time, which violate the Lorentz symmetry and thus allow for the existence of non-vanishing on-shell VVV vertices at the level of the classical action.« less

The effects of magnetic structure on the conduction cooling of flare loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Hoven, G.

1979-01-01

A model of the sheared magnetic field in a coronal loop is used to evaluate the average cross-field suppression of axial thermal conduction. If the energy source is uniform in radius, this can lead to heat-flux reduction by a factor greater than three. When the source is annular, in a region of radius where the current density and shear are peaked, the effect can be significantly larger. In one extreme case, however, in which magnetic tearing provides the heating in a very narrow layer, the spatial resonance of the source excitation in a long loop leads to approximately axial conduction.

Dark matter stability and one-loop neutrino mass generation based on Peccei-Quinn symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suematsu, Daijiro

2018-01-01

We propose a model which is a simple extension of the KSVZ invisible axion model with an inert doublet scalar. Peccei-Quinn symmetry forbids tree-level neutrino mass generation and its remnant Z_2 symmetry guarantees dark matter stability. The neutrino masses are generated by one-loop effects as a result of the breaking of Peccei-Quinn symmetry through a nonrenormalizable interaction. Although the low energy effective model coincides with an original scotogenic model which contains right-handed neutrinos with large masses, it is free from the strong CP problem.

The effect of jitter on the performance of space coherent optical communication system with Costas loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xin; Hong, Yifeng; Wang, Jinfang; Liu, Yang; Sun, Xun; Li, Mi

2018-01-01

Numerous communication techniques and optical devices successfully applied in space optical communication system indicates a good portability of it. With this good portability, typical coherent demodulation technique of Costas loop can be easily adopted in space optical communication system. As one of the components of pointing error, the effect of jitter plays an important role in the communication quality of such system. Here, we obtain the probability density functions (PDF) of different jitter degrees and explain their essential effect on the bit error rate (BER) space optical communication system. Also, under the effect of jitter, we research the bit error rate of space coherent optical communication system using Costas loop with different system parameters of transmission power, divergence angle, receiving diameter, avalanche photodiode (APD) gain, and phase deviation caused by Costas loop. Through a numerical simulation of this kind of communication system, we demonstrate the relationship between the BER and these system parameters, and some corresponding methods of system optimization are presented to enhance the communication quality.

Using Video Modeling with Substitutable Loops to Teach Varied Play to Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dupere, Sally; MacDonald, Rebecca P. F.; Ahearn, William H.

2013-01-01

Children with autism often engage in repetitive play with little variation in the actions performed or items used. This study examined the use of video modeling with scripted substitutable loops on children's pretend play with trained and untrained characters. Three young children with autism were shown a video model of scripted toy play that…

Perturbative matching of lattice and continuum heavy-light currents with NRQCD heavy quarks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morningstar, C.J.; Shigemitsu, J.

1999-05-01

The temporal and spatial components of the heavy-light vector current and the spatial components of the axial-vector current are expressed in terms of lattice-regulated operators suitable for simulations of {ital B} and {ital D} mesons. The currents are constructed by matching the appropriate scattering amplitudes in continuum QCD and a lattice model to one-loop order in perturbation theory. In the lattice theory, the heavy quarks are treated using the nonrelativistic (NRQCD) formulation and the light quarks are described by the tadpole-improved clover action. The light quarks are treated as massless. Our currents include relativistic and discretization corrections through O({alpha}{sub s}/M,a{alpha}{submore » s}), where {ital M} is the heavy-quark mass, {ital a} is the lattice spacing, and {alpha}{sub s} is the QCD coupling. As in our previous construction of the temporal component of the heavy-light axial-vector current, mixing between several lattice operators is encountered at one-loop order, and O(a{alpha}{sub s}) dimension-four improvement terms are identified. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flores-Tlalpa, A.; Novales-Sanchez, H.; Toscano, J. J.

The one-loop contribution of the excited Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes of the SU{sub L}(2) gauge group on the off-shell W{sup -}W{sup +}{gamma} and W{sup -}W{sup +}Z vertices is calculated in the context of a pure Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions and its phenomenological implications discussed. The use of a gauge-fixing procedure for the excited KK modes that is covariant under the standard gauge transformations of the SU{sub L}(2) group is stressed. A gauge-fixing term and the Faddeev-Popov ghost sector for the KK gauge modes that are separately invariant under the standard gauge transformations of SU{sub L}(2) are presented. It is shownmore » that the one-loop contributions of the KK modes to the off-shell W{sup -}W{sup +}{gamma} and W{sup -}W{sup +}Z vertices are free of ultraviolet divergences and well-behaved at high energies. It is found that for a size of the fifth dimension of R{sup -1{approx}}1 TeV, the one-loop contribution of the KK modes to these vertices is about 1 order of magnitude lower than the corresponding standard model radiative correction. This contribution is similar to the one estimated for new gauge bosons contributions in other contexts. Tree-level effects on these vertices induced by operators of higher canonical dimension are also investigated. It is found that these effects are lower than those generated at the one-loop order by the KK gauge modes.« less

Meaning of the field dependence of the renormalization scale in Higgs inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamada, Yuta; Kawai, Hikaru; Nakanishi, Yukari; Oda, Kin-ya

2017-05-01

We consider the prescription dependence of the Higgs effective potential under the presence of general nonminimal couplings. We evaluate the fermion loop correction to the effective action in a simplified Higgs-Yukawa model whose path integral measure takes simple form either in the Jordan or Einstein frame. The resultant effective action becomes identical in both cases when we properly take into account the quartically divergent term coming from the change of measure. Working in the counterterm formalism, we clarify that the difference between the prescriptions I and II comes from the counter term to cancel the logarithmic divergence. This difference can be absorbed into the choice of tree-level potential from the infinitely many possibilities, including all the higher-dimensional terms. We also present another mechanism to obtain a flat potential by freezing the running of the effective quartic coupling for large field values, using the nonminimal coupling in the gauge kinetic function.

Near-field investigation of the effect of the array edge on the resonance of loop frequency selective surface elements at mid-infrared wavelengths.

PubMed

Tucker, Eric; D' Archangel, Jeffrey; Raschke, Markus B; Boreman, Glenn

2015-05-04

Mid-infrared scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy, in combination with far-field infrared spectroscopy, and simulations, was employed to investigate the effect of mutual-element coupling towards the edge of arrays of loop elements acting as frequency selective surfaces (FSSs). Two different square loop arrays on ZnS over a ground plane, resonant at 10.3 µm, were investigated. One array had elements that were closely spaced while the other array had elements with greater inter-element spacing. In addition to the dipolar resonance, we observed a new emergent resonance associated with the edge of the closely-spaced array as a finite size effect, due to the broken translational invariance.

Nicotiana alata Defensin Chimeras Reveal Differences in the Mechanism of Fungal and Tumor Cell Killing and an Enhanced Antifungal Variant

PubMed Central

Payne, Jennifer A. E.; Hayes, Brigitte M. E.; Durek, Thomas; Craik, David J.; Shafee, Thomas M. A.; Poon, Ivan K. H.; Hulett, Mark D.; van der Weerden, Nicole L.

2016-01-01

The plant defensin NaD1 is a potent antifungal molecule that also targets tumor cells with a high efficiency. We examined the features of NaD1 that contribute to these two activities by producing a series of chimeras with NaD2, a defensin that has relatively poor activity against fungi and no activity against tumor cells. All plant defensins have a common tertiary structure known as a cysteine-stabilized α-β motif which consists of an α helix and a triple-stranded β-sheet stabilized by four disulfide bonds. The chimeras were produced by replacing loops 1 to 7, the sequences between each of the conserved cysteine residues on NaD1, with the corresponding loops from NaD2. The loop 5 swap replaced the sequence motif (SKILRR) that mediates tight binding with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P2] and is essential for the potent cytotoxic effect of NaD1 on tumor cells. Consistent with previous reports, there was a strong correlation between PI(4,5)P2 binding and the tumor cell killing activity of all of the chimeras. However, this correlation did not extend to antifungal activity. Some of the loop swap chimeras were efficient antifungal molecules, even though they bound poorly to PI(4,5)P2, suggesting that additional mechanisms operate against fungal cells. Unexpectedly, the loop 1B swap chimera was 10 times more active than NaD1 against filamentous fungi. This led to the conclusion that defensin loops have evolved as modular components that combine to make antifungal molecules with variable mechanisms of action and that artificial combinations of loops can increase antifungal activity compared to that of the natural variants. PMID:27503651

Does one need the O({epsilon})- and O({epsilon}{sup 2})-terms of one-loop amplitudes in a next-to-next-to-leading order calculation ?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weinzierl, Stefan

2011-10-01

This article discusses the occurrence of one-loop amplitudes within a next-to-next-to-leading-order calculation. In a next-to-next-to-leading-order calculation, the one-loop amplitude enters squared and one would therefore naively expect that the O({epsilon})- and O({epsilon}{sup 2})-terms of the one-loop amplitudes are required. I show that the calculation of these terms can be avoided if a method is known, which computes the O({epsilon}{sup 0})-terms of the finite remainder function of the two-loop amplitude.

Cosmological footprints of loop quantum gravity.

PubMed

Grain, J; Barrau, A

2009-02-27

The primordial spectrum of cosmological tensor perturbations is considered as a possible probe of quantum gravity effects. Together with string theory, loop quantum gravity is one of the most promising frameworks to study quantum effects in the early universe. We show that the associated corrections should modify the potential seen by gravitational waves during the inflationary amplification. The resulting power spectrum should exhibit a characteristic tilt. This opens a new window for cosmological tests of quantum gravity.

D19S Mutation of the Cationic, Cysteine-Rich Protein PAF: Novel Insights into Its Structural Dynamics, Thermal Unfolding and Antifungal Function

PubMed Central

Burtscher, Laura; Hajdu, Dorottya; Muñoz, Alberto; Gáspári, Zoltán; Read, Nick D.; Batta, Gyula; Marx, Florentine

2017-01-01

The cysteine-rich, cationic, antifungal protein PAF is abundantly secreted into the culture supernatant of the filamentous Ascomycete Penicillium chrysogenum. The five β-strands of PAF form a compact β-barrel that is stabilized by three disulphide bonds. The folding of PAF allows the formation of four surface-exposed loops and distinct charged motifs on the protein surface that might regulate the interaction of PAF with the sensitive target fungus. The growth inhibitory activity of this highly stable protein against opportunistic fungal pathogens provides great potential in antifungal drug research. To understand its mode of action, we started to investigate the surface-exposed loops of PAF and replaced one aspartic acid at position 19 in loop 2 that is potentially involved in PAF active or binding site, with a serine (Asp19 to Ser19). We analysed the overall effects, such as unfolding, electrostatic changes, sporadic conformers and antifungal activity when substituting this specific amino acid to the fairly indifferent amino acid serine. Structural analyses revealed that the overall 3D solution structure is virtually identical with that of PAF. However, PAFD19S showed slightly increased dynamics and significant differences in the surface charge distribution. Thermal unfolding identified PAFD19S to be rather a two-state folder in contrast to the three-state folder PAF. Functional comparison of PAFD19S and PAF revealed that the exchange at residue 19 caused a dramatic loss of antifungal activity: the binding and internalization of PAFD19S by target cells was reduced and the protein failed to trigger an intracellular Ca2+ response, all of which are closely linked to the antifungal toxicity of PAF. We conclude that the negatively charged residue Asp19 in loop 2 is essential for full function of the cationic protein PAF. PMID:28072824

Combined actions of multiple hairpin loop structures and sites of rate-limiting endonucleolytic cleavage determine differential degradation rates of individual segments within polycistronic puf operon mRNA.

PubMed Central

Klug, G; Cohen, S N

1990-01-01

Differential expression of the genes within the puf operon of Rhodobacter capsulatus is accomplished in part by differences in the rate of degradation of different segments of the puf transcript. We report here that decay of puf mRNA sequences specifying the light-harvesting I (LHI) and reaction center (RC) photosynthetic membrane peptides is initiated endoribonucleolytically within a discrete 1.4-kilobase segment of the RC-coding region. Deletion of this segment increased the half-life of the RC-coding region from 8 to 20 min while not affecting decay of LHI-coding sequences upstream from an intercistronic hairpin loop structure shown previously to impede 3'-to-5' degradation. Prolongation of RC segment half-life was dependent on the presence of other hairpin structures 3' to the RC region. Inserting the endonuclease-sensitive sites into the LHI-coding segment markedly accelerated its degradation. Our results suggest that differential degradation of the RC- and LHI-coding segments of puf mRNA is accomplished at least in part by the combined actions of RC region-specific endonuclease(s), one or more exonucleases, and several strategically located exonuclease-impeding hairpins. Images PMID:2394682

Nonequilibrium Chromosome Looping via Molecular Slip Links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brackley, C. A.; Johnson, J.; Michieletto, D.; Morozov, A. N.; Nicodemi, M.; Cook, P. R.; Marenduzzo, D.

2017-09-01

We propose a model for the formation of chromatin loops based on the diffusive sliding of molecular slip links. These mimic the behavior of molecules like cohesin, which, along with the CTCF protein, stabilize loops which contribute to organizing the genome. By combining 3D Brownian dynamics simulations and 1D exactly solvable nonequilibrium models, we show that diffusive sliding is sufficient to account for the strong bias in favor of convergent CTCF-mediated chromosome loops observed experimentally. We also find that the diffusive motion of multiple slip links along chromatin is rectified by an intriguing ratchet effect that arises if slip links bind to the chromatin at a preferred "loading site." This emergent collective behavior favors the extrusion of loops which are much larger than the ones formed by single slip links.

Role of 6-Gingerol in Reduction of Cholera Toxin Activity In Vitro and In Vivo

PubMed Central

Saha, Pallashri; Das, Bornita

2013-01-01

Vibrio cholerae is one of the major bacterial pathogens responsible for the devastating diarrheal disease called cholera. Chemotherapy is often used against V. cholerae infections; however, the emergence of V. cholerae with multidrug resistance (MDR) toward the chemotherapeutic agents is a serious clinical problem. This scenario has provided us with the impetus to look into herbal remediation, especially toward blocking the action of cholera toxin (CT). Our studies were undertaken to determine the antidiarrheal potential of 6-gingerol (6G) on the basis of its effect on CT, the virulence factor secreted by V. cholerae. We report here that 6G binds to CT, hindering its interaction with the GM1 receptor present on the intestinal epithelial cells. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined to be 10 μg/ml. The detailed mechanistic study was conducted by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), fluorescence spectroscopy, and isoelectric focusing. These results were validated with in vitro studies performed with the CHO, HeLa, and HT-29 cell lines, whereas a rabbit ileal loop assay was done to estimate the in vivo action, which confirms the efficacy of 6G in remediation of the choleragenic effects of CT. Thus, 6G can be an effective adjunctive therapy with oral rehydration solution for severe CT-mediated diarrhea. PMID:23817372

Improving predicted protein loop structure ranking using a Pareto-optimality consensus method.

PubMed

Li, Yaohang; Rata, Ionel; Chiu, See-wing; Jakobsson, Eric

2010-07-20

Accurate protein loop structure models are important to understand functions of many proteins. Identifying the native or near-native models by distinguishing them from the misfolded ones is a critical step in protein loop structure prediction. We have developed a Pareto Optimal Consensus (POC) method, which is a consensus model ranking approach to integrate multiple knowledge- or physics-based scoring functions. The procedure of identifying the models of best quality in a model set includes: 1) identifying the models at the Pareto optimal front with respect to a set of scoring functions, and 2) ranking them based on the fuzzy dominance relationship to the rest of the models. We apply the POC method to a large number of decoy sets for loops of 4- to 12-residue in length using a functional space composed of several carefully-selected scoring functions: Rosetta, DOPE, DDFIRE, OPLS-AA, and a triplet backbone dihedral potential developed in our lab. Our computational results show that the sets of Pareto-optimal decoys, which are typically composed of approximately 20% or less of the overall decoys in a set, have a good coverage of the best or near-best decoys in more than 99% of the loop targets. Compared to the individual scoring function yielding best selection accuracy in the decoy sets, the POC method yields 23%, 37%, and 64% less false positives in distinguishing the native conformation, indentifying a near-native model (RMSD < 0.5A from the native) as top-ranked, and selecting at least one near-native model in the top-5-ranked models, respectively. Similar effectiveness of the POC method is also found in the decoy sets from membrane protein loops. Furthermore, the POC method outperforms the other popularly-used consensus strategies in model ranking, such as rank-by-number, rank-by-rank, rank-by-vote, and regression-based methods. By integrating multiple knowledge- and physics-based scoring functions based on Pareto optimality and fuzzy dominance, the POC method is effective in distinguishing the best loop models from the other ones within a loop model set.

Improving predicted protein loop structure ranking using a Pareto-optimality consensus method

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Accurate protein loop structure models are important to understand functions of many proteins. Identifying the native or near-native models by distinguishing them from the misfolded ones is a critical step in protein loop structure prediction. Results We have developed a Pareto Optimal Consensus (POC) method, which is a consensus model ranking approach to integrate multiple knowledge- or physics-based scoring functions. The procedure of identifying the models of best quality in a model set includes: 1) identifying the models at the Pareto optimal front with respect to a set of scoring functions, and 2) ranking them based on the fuzzy dominance relationship to the rest of the models. We apply the POC method to a large number of decoy sets for loops of 4- to 12-residue in length using a functional space composed of several carefully-selected scoring functions: Rosetta, DOPE, DDFIRE, OPLS-AA, and a triplet backbone dihedral potential developed in our lab. Our computational results show that the sets of Pareto-optimal decoys, which are typically composed of ~20% or less of the overall decoys in a set, have a good coverage of the best or near-best decoys in more than 99% of the loop targets. Compared to the individual scoring function yielding best selection accuracy in the decoy sets, the POC method yields 23%, 37%, and 64% less false positives in distinguishing the native conformation, indentifying a near-native model (RMSD < 0.5A from the native) as top-ranked, and selecting at least one near-native model in the top-5-ranked models, respectively. Similar effectiveness of the POC method is also found in the decoy sets from membrane protein loops. Furthermore, the POC method outperforms the other popularly-used consensus strategies in model ranking, such as rank-by-number, rank-by-rank, rank-by-vote, and regression-based methods. Conclusions By integrating multiple knowledge- and physics-based scoring functions based on Pareto optimality and fuzzy dominance, the POC method is effective in distinguishing the best loop models from the other ones within a loop model set. PMID:20642859

Safe Glycemic Management during Closed-Loop Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes: The Role of Glucagon, Use of Multiple Sensors, and Compensation for Stress Hyperglycemia

PubMed Central

Ward, W Kenneth; Castle, Jessica R; Youssef, Joseph El

2011-01-01

Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) must make frequent decisions and lifestyle adjustments in order to manage their disorder. Automated treatment would reduce the need for these self-management decisions and reduce the risk for long-term complications. Investigators in the field of closed-loop glycemic control systems are now moving from inpatient to outpatient testing of such systems. As outpatient systems are developed, the element of safety increases in importance. One such concern is the risk for hypoglycemia, due in part to the delayed onset and prolonged action duration of currently available subcutaneous insulin preparations. We found that, as compared to an insulin-only closed-loop system, a system that also delivers glucagon when needed led to substantially less hypoglycemia. Though the capability of glucagon delivery would mandate the need for a second hormone chamber, glucagon in small doses is tolerated very well. People with T1DM often develop hyperglycemia from emotional stress or medical stress. Automated closed-loop systems should be able to detect such changes in insulin sensitivity and adapt insulin delivery accordingly. We recently verified the adaptability of a model-based closed-loop system in which the gain factors that govern a proportional-integral-derivative-like system are adjusted according to frequently measured insulin sensitivity. Automated systems can be tested by physical exercise to increase glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity or by administering corticosteroids to reduce insulin sensitivity. Another source of risk in closed-loop systems is suboptimal performance of amperometric glucose sensors. Inaccuracy can result from calibration error, biofouling, and current drift. We found that concurrent use of more than one sensor typically leads to better sensor accuracy than use of a single sensor. For example, using the average of two sensors substantially reduces the proportion of large sensor errors. The use of more than two allows the use of voting algorithms, which can temporarily exclude a sensor whose signal is outlying. Elements such as the use of glucagon to minimize hypoglycemia, adaptation to changes in insulin sensitivity, and sensor redundancy will likely increase safety during outpatient use of closed-loop glycemic control systems. PMID:22226254

Comment on "Hearing the signal of dark sectors with gravitational wave detectors"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Da; Lu, Bo-Qiang

2018-03-01

We revisit the calculation of the gravitational wave spectra generated in a classically scale-invariant S U (2 ) gauge sector with a scalar field in the adjoint representation, as discussed by J. Jaeckel, et al. The finite-temperature potential at 1-loop level can induce a strong first-order phase transition, during which gravitational waves can be generated. With the accurate numerical computation of the on-shell Euclidean actions of the nucleation bubbles, we find that the triangle approximation employed by J. Jaeckel et al. strongly distorts the actual potential near its maximum and thus greatly underestimates the action values. As a result, the gravitational wave spectra predicted by J. Jaeckel et al. deviate significantly from the exact ones in peak frequencies and shapes.

Scattering of glue by glue on the light-cone worldsheet. II. Helicity conserving amplitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakrabarti, D.; Qiu, J.; Thorn, C. B.

2006-08-01

This is the second of a pair of articles on scattering of glue by glue, in which we give the light-cone gauge calculation of the one-loop on-shell helicity conserving scattering amplitudes for gluon-gluon scattering (neglecting quark loops). The 1/p+ factors in the gluon propagator are regulated by replacing p+ integrals with discretized sums omitting the p+=0 terms in each sum. We also employ a novel ultraviolet regulator that is convenient for the light-cone worldsheet description of planar Feynman diagrams. The helicity conserving scattering amplitudes are divergent in the infrared. The infrared divergences in the elastic one-loop amplitude are shown to cancel, in their contribution to cross sections, against ones in the cross section for unseen bremsstrahlung gluons. We include here the explicit calculation of the latter, because it assumes an unfamiliar form due to the peculiar way discretization of p+ regulates infrared divergences. In resolving the infrared divergences we employ a covariant definition of jets, which allows a transparent demonstration of the Lorentz invariance of our final results. Because we use an explicit cutoff of the ultraviolet divergences in exactly four spacetime dimensions, we must introduce explicit counterterms to achieve this final covariant result. These counterterms are polynomials in the external momenta of the precise order dictated by power counting. We discuss the modifications they entail for the light-cone worldsheet action that reproduces the bare planar diagrams of the gluonic sector of QCD. The simplest way to do this is to interpret the QCD string as moving in six spacetime dimensions.

[Levels of autoantibodies against AT1-receptor in hypertensive patients with acute coronary syndromes and its role in coronary artery vasoconstriction].

PubMed

Wang, Jingping; Zhang, Yuean; Wang, Huixian; Zeng, Xiaoxia; Yang, Jinjing; Dong, Jin; Wang, Jianling; Yang, Yan; Wang, Rijun; Zhang, Xiaojuan; Chai, Xiaohong; Zhang, Haozhou; Li, Bao

2015-02-17

To explore the levels of autoantibodies against AT1-receptor (AT1-AA) in hypertensive patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and observe the in vitro effects of AT1-AA on resting tension of isolated anterior descending artery of vascular ring in male Wistar rats. All patients were recruited from June 2007 to August 2008. There were hypertensive patients with ACS (n = 120), those with simple hypertension (n = 253) and those with simple ACS (n = 115). And the outpatients for health examination during the same period were selected as healthy control group (n = 188). The second extracellular loop amino acid sequences of peptides of ATI receptor was synthesized and used as antigen (AT1-Ag) and sialic acid-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (SA-ELISA) for detect the serum levels of AT1-AA. Microvascular ring tension technology was used to test the vascular loop resting tension of anterior descending coronary artery from rats induced by a high-fat diet. The positive rates of AT1-AA in patients with simple hypertension (35.2%) and those with simple ACS (30.4%) were significantly higher than those in healthy control group (7.2%, P < 0.01). And the positive rate of AT1-AA in hypertensive patients with ACS (43.3%) was significantly higher than that in those with simple hypertension (35.2%, P < 0.05) and that in healthy control group (7.2%, P < 0.05).Furthermore, AT1-AA increased the vascular loop resting tension of anterior descending coronary artery rings in rats induced by a high-fat diet in a dose-dependant manner. And the vasoconstrictive action of AT1-AA was equal to 46.4% of AngII's action. And such an action was blocked by losartan and antigens. The level of AT1-AA increases markedly in hypertensive patients with ACS. And AT1-AA induces vasoconstrictive effects on anterior descending artery rings in rats induced by a high-fat diet.

Quality in Action: Closing the Loop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nair, Chenicheri Sid; Pawley, David; Mertova, Patricie

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to report on how an Administrative Division at a research-intensive Australian university utilised feedback data from the Learning and Growth Survey, to initiate changes. Design/methodology/approach: This paper refers to the actions taken by the Administrative Division to the results obtained from the Learning and Growth…

Extending the Soar Cognitive Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-01

the first corticostriatal loop, communicating with areas in prefrontal cortex may decide that the medium term intention goal is to satisfy hunger ...decided upon, perhaps rising from a chair. The medium term goal of hunger satiation remains - repeatedly selected by its corticostriatal loop when a...decision between hunger and another medium term goal is required. The actions needed to fulfill that goal are executed in sequence until the goal has

Asymmetric processing of a substrate protein in sequential allosteric cycles of AAA+ nanomachines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kravats, Andrea N.; Tonddast-Navaei, Sam; Bucher, Ryan J.; Stan, George

2013-09-01

Essential protein quality control includes mechanisms of substrate protein (SP) unfolding and translocation performed by powerful ring-shaped AAA+ (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) nanomachines. These SP remodeling actions are effected by mechanical forces imparted by AAA+ loops that protrude into the central channel. Sequential intra-ring allosteric motions, which underlie repetitive SP-loop interactions, have been proposed to comprise clockwise (CW), counterclockwise (CCW), or random (R) conformational transitions of individual AAA+ subunits. To probe the effect of these allosteric mechanisms on unfoldase and translocase functions, we perform Langevin dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained model of an all-alpha SP processed by the single-ring ClpY ATPase or by the double-ring p97 ATPase. We find that, in all three allosteric mechanisms, the SP undergoes conformational transitions along a common set of pathways, which reveals that the active work provided by the ClpY machine involves single loop-SP interactions. Nevertheless, the rates and yields of SP unfolding and translocation are controlled by mechanism-dependent loop-SP binding events, as illustrated by faster timescales of SP processing in CW allostery compared with CCW and R allostery. The distinct efficacy of allosteric mechanisms is due to the asymmetric collaboration of adjacent subunits, which involves CW-biased structural motions of AAA+ loops and results in CW-compatible torque applied onto the SP. Additional simulations of mutant ClpY rings, which render a subset of subunits catalytically-defective or reduce their SP binding affinity, reveal that subunit-based conformational transitions play the major role in SP remodeling. Based on these results we predict that the minimally functional AAA+ ring includes three active subunits, only two of which are adjacent.

Topics in Nonsupersymmetric Scattering Amplitudes in Gauge and Gravity Theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nohle, Joshua David

In Chapters 1 and 2, we introduce and review the duality between color and kinematics in Yang-Mills theory uncovered by Bern, Carrasco and Johansson (BCJ). In Chapter 3, we provide evidence in favor of the conjectured duality between color and kinematics for the case of nonsupersymmetric pure Yang-Mills amplitudes by constructing a form of the one-loop four-point amplitude of this theory that makes the duality manifest. Our construction is valid in any dimension. We also describe a duality-satisfying representation for the two-loop four-point amplitude with identical four-dimensional external helicities. We use these results to obtain corresponding gravity integrands for a theory containing a graviton, dilaton, and antisymmetric tensor, simply by replacing color factors with specified diagram numerators. Using this, we give explicit forms of ultraviolet divergences at one loop in four, six, and eight dimensions, and at two loops in four dimensions. In Chapter 4, we extend the four-point one-loop nonsupersymmetric pure Yang-Mills discussion of Chapter 3 to include fermions and scalars circulating in the loop with all external gluons. This gives another nontrivial loop-level example showing that the duality between color and kinematics holds in nonsupersymmetric gauge theory. The construction is valid in any spacetime dimension and written in terms of formal polarization vectors. We also convert these expressions into a four-dimensional form with explicit external helicity states. Using this, we compare our results to one-loop duality-satisfying amplitudes that are already present in literature. In Chapter 5, we switch from the topic of color-kinematics duality to discuss the recently renewed interest in the soft behavior of gravitons and gluons. Specifically, we discuss the subleading low-energy behavior. Cachazo and Strominger recently proposed an extension of the soft-graviton theorem found by Weinberg. In addition, they proved the validity of their extension at tree level. This was motivated by a Virasoro symmetry of the gravity S-matrix related to BMS symmetry. As shown long ago by Weinberg, the leading soft behavior is not corrected by loops. In contrast, we show in Chapter 6 that with the standard definition of soft limits in dimensional regularization, the subleading behavior is anomalous and modified by loop effects. We argue that there are no new types of corrections to the first subleading behavior beyond one loop and to the second subleading behavior beyond two loops. To facilitate our investigation, we introduce a new momentum-conservation prescription for defining the subleading terms of the soft limit. We discuss the loop-level subleading soft behavior of gauge-theory amplitudes before turning to gravity amplitudes. In Chapter 7, we show that at tree level, on-shell gauge invariance can be used to fully determine the first subleading soft-gluon behavior and the first two subleading soft-graviton behaviors. Our proofs of the behaviors for n-gluon and n-graviton tree amplitudes are valid in D dimensions and are similar to Low's proof of universality of the first subleading behavior of photons. In contrast to photons coupling to massive particles, in four dimensions the soft behaviors of gluons and gravitons are corrected by loop effects. We comment on how such corrections arise from this perspective. We also show that loop corrections in graviton amplitudes arising from scalar loops appear only at the second soft subleading order. This case is particularly transparent because it is not entangled with graviton infrared singularities. Our result suggests that if we set aside the issue of infrared singularities, soft-graviton Ward identities of extended BMS symmetry are not anomalous through the first subleading order. Finally, in Chapter 8, we conclude this dissertation with a discussion of the evanescent effects on nonsupersymmetric gravity at two loops. Evanescent operators such as the Gauss- Bonnet term have vanishing perturbative matrix elements in exactly D = 4 dimensions. Similarly, evanescent fields do not propagate in D = 4; a three-form field is in this class, since it is dual to a cosmological-constant contribution. In this chapter, we show that evanescent operators and fields modify the leading ultraviolet divergence in pure gravity. To analyze the divergence, we compute the two-loop identical-helicity four-graviton amplitude and determine the coefficient of the associated (non-evanescent) R3 counterterm studied long ago by Goroff and Sagnotti. We compare two pairs of theories that are dual in D = 4: gravity coupled to nothing or to three-form matter, and gravity coupled to zero-form or to two-form matter. Duff and van Nieuwenhuizen showed that, curiously, the one-loop conformal anomaly---the coefficient of the Gauss-Bonnet operator---changes under p-form duality transformations. We concur, and also find that the leading R3 divergence changes under duality transformations. Nevertheless, in both cases the physical renormalized two-loop identical-helicity four-graviton amplitude can be chosen to respect duality. Its renormalization-scale dependence is unaltered. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

The zero-action hypothesis and high-temperature thermodynamics in the heterotic superstring theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollock, M. D.

2005-07-01

The effective action S for the Einstein theory of gravity coupled to massless scalar fields phi, spinor fields ψ and gauge vector fields Fij describing radiation, so that FijFij = 0, vanishes identically after substitution from the classical equations of motion, thus allowing a perfect fluid for which the energy density ρ and pressure p = (γ - 1)ρ are related by values of the adiabatic index throughout the range 4/3 <= γ <= 2. In the heterotic superstring theory, four-point gravitational interactions generate a tree-level quadratic, higher-derivative contribution to the Lagrangian, after reduction to four dimensions, whose form, unchanged at one-loop level, is {\\cal R}^2 = B(R^2 -R_{ij}R^{ij}) = {1 \\over 6} B (\\gamma-2)(\\gamma-1) \\kappa^4 \\rho^2 , where the constant B ap 1 for a three-generation Calabi Yau manifold, and which thus constitutes a type of anomaly. The zero-action hypothesis requires the theory to be free of such anomalies, and thus predicts that the Universe started off in the state p = ρ discussed by Zel'dovich, characterized by the maximum value γ = 2 consistent with causality. Applying classical thermodynamics to a perfect fluid, we find that ρ, p and hence also the Helmholtz free-energy density f ≡ -p, scale with temperature as Tγ/γ-1, leading to the prediction that f ~ T2, which is exactly verified by the calculation of Atick and Witten, valid at genus-one in the high-temperature limit T Gt TH, after Euclideanizing the time coordinate, where TH is the Hagedorn temperature. The response of the action to the operators T, C and P is also discussed, T-invariance requiring γ = 2 and hence S = 0, and P-invariance requiring S = 0, showing that the zero-action hypothesis can be understood in terms of these discrete symmetries.

The Dual-Loop Model and the Human Mirror Neuron System: an Exploratory Combined fMRI and DTI Study of the Inferior Frontal Gyrus.

PubMed

Hamzei, Farsin; Vry, Magnus-Sebastian; Saur, Dorothee; Glauche, Volkmar; Hoeren, Markus; Mader, Irina; Weiller, Cornelius; Rijntjes, Michel

2016-05-01

The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is active during both goal-directed action and while observing the same motor act, leading to the idea that also the meaning of a motor act (action understanding) is represented in this "mirror neuron system" (MNS). However, in the dual-loop model, based on dorsal and ventral visual streams, the MNS is thought to be a function of the dorsal steam, projecting to pars opercularis (BA44) of IFG, while recent studies suggest that conceptual meaning and semantic analysis are a function of ventral connections, projecting mainly to pars triangularis (BA45) of IFG. To resolve this discrepancy, we investigated action observation (AO) and imitation (IMI) using fMRI in a large group of subjects. A grasping task (GR) assessed the contribution from movement without AO. We analyzed connections of the MNS-related areas within IFG with postrolandic areas with the use of activation-based DTI. We found that action observation with imitation are mainly a function of the dorsal stream centered on dorsal part of BA44, but also involve BA45, which is dorsally and ventrally connected to the same postrolandic regions. The current finding suggests that BA45 is the crucial part where the MNS and the dual-loop system interact. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Cooling system for a nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Amtmann, Hans H.

1982-01-01

A cooling system for a gas-cooled nuclear reactor is disclosed which includes at least one primary cooling loop adapted to pass coolant gas from the reactor core and an associated steam generator through a duct system having a main circulator therein, and at least one auxiliary cooling loop having communication with the reactor core and adapted to selectively pass coolant gas through an auxiliary heat exchanger and circulator. The main and auxiliary circulators are installed in a common vertical cavity in the reactor vessel, and a common return duct communicates with the reactor core and intersects the common cavity at a junction at which is located a flow diverter valve operative to effect coolant flow through either the primary or auxiliary cooling loops.

Looped suture versus stapler device in pediatric laparoscopic appendectomy: a comparative outcomes and intraoperative cost analysis.

PubMed

Parikh, Punam P; Tashiro, Jun; Wagenaar, Amy E; Curbelo, Miosotys; Perez, Eduardo A; Neville, Holly L; Hogan, Anthony R; Sola, Juan E

2018-04-01

Appendiceal ligation during pediatric laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) may be performed using looped suture versus stapler. Controversy regarding the utility of either method exists. Clinical outcomes and cost analysis of LA with both methods were compared. All pediatric LA were performed from fiscal years 2013 and 2014 by two pediatric surgeons. While one surgeon used looped suture, the other used stapler exclusively. chi-Square tests were performed to analyze associations. Two hundred thirty-eight cases were analyzed where looped suture versus stapler LA was performed in 46% and 54% of patients, respectively. Operating room costs were $317.10 and $707.12/person for looped suture and stapler LA, respectively (P<0.0001). Difference in cost of $390.02/person was attributed solely to ligation type. On bivariate analysis, rate of in-hospital complications, length of stay, return-to-ER and readmission within 30 days did not significantly differ between groups. A comparative analysis of looped suture versus stapler device during LA for pediatric appendicitis revealed that postoperative complications, length of stay, ER visits and readmissions were not significantly different. Looped suture LA was significantly more cost efficient than stapler LA. In pediatric appendicitis, appendiceal ligation during LA may be performed safely and cost effectively with looped suture versus stapler. Cost effectiveness LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cosmological singularities and bounce in Cartan-Einstein theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucat, Stefano; Prokopec, Tomislav, E-mail: s.lucat@students.uu.nl, E-mail: t.prokopec@uu.nl

We consider a generalized Einstein-Cartan theory, in which we add the unique covariant dimension four operators to general relativity that couples fermionic spin current to the torsion tensor (with an arbitrary strength). Since torsion is local and non-dynamical, when integrated out it yields an effective four-fermion interaction of the gravitational strength. We show how to renormalize the theory, in the one-loop perturbative expansion in generally curved space-times, obtaining the first order correction to the 2PI effective action in Schwinger-Keldysh ( in-in ) formalism. We then apply the renormalized theory to study the dynamics of a collapsing universe that begins inmore » a thermal state and find that—instead of a big crunch singularity—the Universe with torsion undergoes a bounce . We solve the dynamical equations (a) classically (without particle production); (b) including the production of fermions in a fixed background in the Hartree-Fock approximation and (c) including the quantum backreaction of fermions onto the background space-time. In the first and last cases the Universe undergoes a bounce. The production of fermions due to the coupling to a contracting homogeneous background speeds up the bounce, implying that the quantum contributions from fermions is negative, presumably because fermion production contributes negatively to the energy-momentum tensor. When compared with former works on the subject, our treatment is fully microscopic (namely, we treat fermions by solving the corresponding Dirac equations) and quantum (in the sense that we include fermionic loop contributions).« less

Cosmological singularities and bounce in Cartan-Einstein theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucat, Stefano; Prokopec, Tomislav

2017-10-01

We consider a generalized Einstein-Cartan theory, in which we add the unique covariant dimension four operators to general relativity that couples fermionic spin current to the torsion tensor (with an arbitrary strength). Since torsion is local and non-dynamical, when integrated out it yields an effective four-fermion interaction of the gravitational strength. We show how to renormalize the theory, in the one-loop perturbative expansion in generally curved space-times, obtaining the first order correction to the 2PI effective action in Schwinger-Keldysh (in-in) formalism. We then apply the renormalized theory to study the dynamics of a collapsing universe that begins in a thermal state and find that—instead of a big crunch singularity—the Universe with torsion undergoes a bounce. We solve the dynamical equations (a) classically (without particle production); (b) including the production of fermions in a fixed background in the Hartree-Fock approximation and (c) including the quantum backreaction of fermions onto the background space-time. In the first and last cases the Universe undergoes a bounce. The production of fermions due to the coupling to a contracting homogeneous background speeds up the bounce, implying that the quantum contributions from fermions is negative, presumably because fermion production contributes negatively to the energy-momentum tensor. When compared with former works on the subject, our treatment is fully microscopic (namely, we treat fermions by solving the corresponding Dirac equations) and quantum (in the sense that we include fermionic loop contributions).

Zampanolide Binding to Tubulin Indicates Cross-Talk of Taxane Site with Colchicine and Nucleotide Sites.

PubMed

Field, Jessica J; Pera, Benet; Gallego, Juan Estévez; Calvo, Enrique; Rodríguez-Salarichs, Javier; Sáez-Calvo, Gonzalo; Zuwerra, Didier; Jordi, Michel; Andreu, José M; Prota, Andrea E; Ménchon, Grégory; Miller, John H; Altmann, Karl-Heinz; Díaz, J Fernando

2018-03-23

The marine natural product zampanolide and analogues thereof constitute a new chemotype of taxoid site microtubule-stabilizing agents with a covalent mechanism of action. Zampanolide-ligated tubulin has the switch-activation loop (M-loop) in the assembly prone form and, thus, represents an assembly activated state of the protein. In this study, we have characterized the biochemical properties of the covalently modified, activated tubulin dimer, and we have determined the effect of zampanolide on tubulin association and the binding of tubulin ligands at other binding sites. Tubulin activation by zampanolide does not affect its longitudinal oligomerization but does alter its lateral association properties. The covalent binding of zampanolide to β-tubulin affects both the colchicine site, causing a change of the quantum yield of the bound ligand, and the exchangeable nucleotide binding site, reducing the affinity for the nucleotide. While these global effects do not change the binding affinity of 2-methoxy-5-(2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl)-2,4,6-cycloheptatrien-1-one (MTC) (a reversible binder of the colchicine site), the binding affinity of a fluorescent analogue of GTP (Mant-GTP) at the nucleotide E-site is reduced from 12 ± 2 × 10 5 M -1 in the case of unmodified tubulin to 1.4 ± 0.3 × 10 5 M -1 in the case of the zampanolide tubulin adduct, indicating signal transmission between the taxane site and the colchicine and nucleotide sites of β-tubulin.

IR-safe and UV-safe integrands in the EFTofLSS with exact time dependence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewandowski, Matthew; Senatore, Leonardo, E-mail: matthew.lewandowski@ipht.fr, E-mail: senatore@stanford.edu

Because large-scale structure surveys may very well be the next leading sources of cosmological information, it is important to have a precise understanding of the cosmological observables; for this reason, the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure (EFTofLSS) was developed. So far, most results in the EFTofLSS have used the so-called Einstein-de Sitter approximation, an approximation of the time dependence which is known to be accurate to better than one percent. However, in order to reach even higher accuracy, the full time dependence must be used. The computation with exact time dependence is sensitive to both infrared (IR) and ultravioletmore » (UV) effects in the loop integrands, and while these effects must cancel because of diffeomorphism invariance, they make numerical computation much less efficient. We provide a formulation of the one-loop, equal-time exact-time-dependence power spectrum of density perturbations which is manifestly free of these spurious IR and UV divergences at the level of the integrand. We extend our results to the total matter mode with clustering quintessence, show that IR and UV divergences cancel, and provide the associated IR- and UV-safe integrand. This also establishes that the consistency conditions are satisfied in this system. We then use our one-loop result to do an improved precision comparison of the two-loop dark-matter power spectrum with the Dark Sky N -body simulation.« less

IR-safe and UV-safe integrands in the EFTofLSS with exact time dependence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewandowski, Matthew; Senatore, Leonardo

Because large-scale structure surveys may very well be the next leading sources of cosmological information, it is important to have a precise understanding of the cosmological observables; for this reason, the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure (EFTofLSS) was developed. So far, most results in the EFTofLSS have used the so-called Einstein-de Sitter approximation, an approximation of the time dependence which is known to be accurate to better than one percent. However, in order to reach even higher accuracy, the full time dependence must be used. The computation with exact time dependence is sensitive to both infrared (IR) and ultravioletmore » (UV) effects in the loop integrands, and while these effects must cancel because of diffeomorphism invariance, they make numerical computation much less efficient. We provide a formulation of the one-loop, equal-time exact-time-dependence power spectrum of density perturbations which is manifestly free of these spurious IR and UV divergences at the level of the integrand. We extend our results to the total matter mode with clustering quintessence, show that IR and UV divergences cancel, and provide the associated IR- and UV-safe integrand. This also establishes that the consistency conditions are satisfied in this system. In conclusion, we then use our one-loop result to do an improved precision comparison of the two-loop dark-matter power spectrum with the Dark Sky N-body simulation.« less

IR-safe and UV-safe integrands in the EFTofLSS with exact time dependence

DOE PAGES

Lewandowski, Matthew; Senatore, Leonardo

2017-08-31

Because large-scale structure surveys may very well be the next leading sources of cosmological information, it is important to have a precise understanding of the cosmological observables; for this reason, the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure (EFTofLSS) was developed. So far, most results in the EFTofLSS have used the so-called Einstein-de Sitter approximation, an approximation of the time dependence which is known to be accurate to better than one percent. However, in order to reach even higher accuracy, the full time dependence must be used. The computation with exact time dependence is sensitive to both infrared (IR) and ultravioletmore » (UV) effects in the loop integrands, and while these effects must cancel because of diffeomorphism invariance, they make numerical computation much less efficient. We provide a formulation of the one-loop, equal-time exact-time-dependence power spectrum of density perturbations which is manifestly free of these spurious IR and UV divergences at the level of the integrand. We extend our results to the total matter mode with clustering quintessence, show that IR and UV divergences cancel, and provide the associated IR- and UV-safe integrand. This also establishes that the consistency conditions are satisfied in this system. In conclusion, we then use our one-loop result to do an improved precision comparison of the two-loop dark-matter power spectrum with the Dark Sky N-body simulation.« less

Computational model of precision grip in Parkinson's disease: a utility based approach

PubMed Central

Gupta, Ankur; Balasubramani, Pragathi P.; Chakravarthy, V. Srinivasa

2013-01-01

We propose a computational model of Precision Grip (PG) performance in normal subjects and Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients. Prior studies on grip force generation in PD patients show an increase in grip force during ON medication and an increase in the variability of the grip force during OFF medication (Ingvarsson et al., 1997; Fellows et al., 1998). Changes in grip force generation in dopamine-deficient PD conditions strongly suggest contribution of the Basal Ganglia, a deep brain system having a crucial role in translating dopamine signals to decision making. The present approach is to treat the problem of modeling grip force generation as a problem of action selection, which is one of the key functions of the Basal Ganglia. The model consists of two components: (1) the sensory-motor loop component, and (2) the Basal Ganglia component. The sensory-motor loop component converts a reference position and a reference grip force, into lift force and grip force profiles, respectively. These two forces cooperate in grip-lifting a load. The sensory-motor loop component also includes a plant model that represents the interaction between two fingers involved in PG, and the object to be lifted. The Basal Ganglia component is modeled using Reinforcement Learning with the significant difference that the action selection is performed using utility distribution instead of using purely Value-based distribution, thereby incorporating risk-based decision making. The proposed model is able to account for the PG results from normal and PD patients accurately (Ingvarsson et al., 1997; Fellows et al., 1998). To our knowledge the model is the first model of PG in PD conditions. PMID:24348373

Super energy saver heat pump with dynamic hybrid phase change material

DOEpatents

Ally, Moonis Raza [Oak Ridge, TN; Tomlinson, John Jager [Knoxville, TN; Rice, Clifford Keith [Clinton, TN

2010-07-20

A heat pump has a refrigerant loop, a compressor in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop, at least one indoor heat exchanger in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop, and at least one outdoor heat exchanger in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop. The at least one outdoor heat exchanger has a phase change material in thermal communication with the refrigerant loop and in fluid communication with an outdoor environment. Other systems, devices, and methods are described.

Control and optimization system and method for chemical looping processes

DOEpatents

Lou, Xinsheng; Joshi, Abhinaya; Lei, Hao

2014-06-24

A control system for optimizing a chemical loop system includes one or more sensors for measuring one or more parameters in a chemical loop. The sensors are disposed on or in a conduit positioned in the chemical loop. The sensors generate one or more data signals representative of an amount of solids in the conduit. The control system includes a data acquisition system in communication with the sensors and a controller in communication with the data acquisition system. The data acquisition system receives the data signals and the controller generates the control signals. The controller is in communication with one or more valves positioned in the chemical loop. The valves are configured to regulate a flow of the solids through the chemical loop.

Control and optimization system and method for chemical looping processes

DOEpatents

Lou, Xinsheng; Joshi, Abhinaya; Lei, Hao

2015-02-17

A control system for optimizing a chemical loop system includes one or more sensors for measuring one or more parameters in a chemical loop. The sensors are disposed on or in a conduit positioned in the chemical loop. The sensors generate one or more data signals representative of an amount of solids in the conduit. The control system includes a data acquisition system in communication with the sensors and a controller in communication with the data acquisition system. The data acquisition system receives the data signals and the controller generates the control signals. The controller is in communication with one or more valves positioned in the chemical loop. The valves are configured to regulate a flow of the solids through the chemical loop.

Closed-Loop HIRF Experiments Performed on a Fault Tolerant Flight Control Computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belcastro, Celeste M.

1997-01-01

ABSTRACT Closed-loop HIRF experiments were performed on a fault tolerant flight control computer (FCC) at the NASA Langley Research Center. The FCC used in the experiments was a quad-redundant flight control computer executing B737 Autoland control laws. The FCC was placed in one of the mode-stirred reverberation chambers in the HIRF Laboratory and interfaced to a computer simulation of the B737 flight dynamics, engines, sensors, actuators, and atmosphere in the Closed-Loop Systems Laboratory. Disturbances to the aircraft associated with wind gusts and turbulence were simulated during tests. Electrical isolation between the FCC under test and the simulation computer was achieved via a fiber optic interface for the analog and discrete signals. Closed-loop operation of the FCC enabled flight dynamics and atmospheric disturbances affecting the aircraft to be represented during tests. Upset was induced in the FCC as a result of exposure to HIRF, and the effect of upset on the simulated flight of the aircraft was observed and recorded. This paper presents a description of these closed- loop HIRF experiments, upset data obtained from the FCC during these experiments, and closed-loop effects on the simulated flight of the aircraft.

High-LET Patterns of DSBs in DNA Loops, the HPRT Gene and Phosphorylation Foci

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponomarev, Artem L.; Huff, Janice L.; Cucinotta, Francis A.

2007-01-01

We present new results obtained with our model based on the track structure and chromatin geometry that predicts the DSB spatial and genomic distributions in a cell nucleus with the full genome represented. The model generates stochastic patterns of DSBs in the physical space of the nucleus filled with the realistic configuration of human chromosomes. The model was re-used to find the distribution of DSBs in a physical volume corresponding to a visible phosphorylation focus believed to be associated with a DSB. The data shows whether there must more than one DSB per foci due to finite size of the visible focus, even if a single DSB is radiochemically responsible for the phosphorylation of DNA in its vicinity. The same model can predict patterns of closely located DSBs in a given gene, or in a DNA loop, one of the large-scale chromatin structures. We demonstrated for the example of the HPRT gene, how different sorts of radiation lead to proximity effect in DSB locations, which is important for modeling gene deletions. The spectrum of intron deletions and total gene deletions was simulated for the HPRT gene. The same proximity effect of DSBs in a loop can hinder DSB restitutions, as parts of the loop between DSBs is deleted with a higher likelihood. The distributions of DSBs and deletions of DNA in a loop are presented.

Cosmic acceleration in the nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oda, Ichiro

2018-04-01

We have recently constructed a manifestly local formulation of a nonlocal approach to the cosmological constant problem which can treat with quantum effects from both matter and gravitational fields. In this formulation, it has been explicitly shown that the effective cosmological constant is radiatively stable even in the presence of the gravitational loop effects. Since we are naturally led to add the R^2 term and the corresponding topological action to an original action, we make use of this formulation to account for the late-time acceleration of expansion of the universe in case of the open universes with infinite space-time volume. We will see that when the "scalaron", which exists in the R^2 gravity as an extra scalar field, has a tiny mass of the order of magnitude {O}(1 meV), we can explain the current value of the cosmological constant in a consistent manner.

One loop back reaction on power law inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abramo, L.R.; Woodard, R.P.

1999-08-01

We consider quantum-mechanical corrections to a homogeneous, isotropic, and spatially flat geometry whose scale factor expands classically as a general power of the comoving time. The effects of both gravitons and the scalar inflaton are computed at one loop using the manifestly causal formalism of Schwinger [J. Math. Phys. {bold 2}, 407 (1961); {ital Particles, Sources and Fields} (Addison, Wesley, Reading, MA, 1970)] with the Feynman rules recently developed by Iliopoulos {ital et al.} [Nucl. Phys. B {bold 534}, 419 (1998)]. We find no significant effect, in marked contrast to the result obtained by Mukhanov and co-workers [Phys. Rev. Lett.more » {bold 78}, 1624 (1998); Phys. Rev. D {bold 56}, 3248 (1997)] for chaotic inflation based on a quadratic potential. By applying the canonical technique of Mukhanov and co-workers to the exponential potentials of power law inflation, we show that the two methods produce the same results, within the approximations employed, for these backgrounds. We therefore conclude that the shape of the inflaton potential can have an enormous impact on the one loop back reaction. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

One-loop pseudo-Goldstone masses in the minimal S O (10 ) Higgs model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gráf, Lukáš; Malinský, Michal; Mede, Timon; Susič, Vasja

2017-04-01

We calculate the prominent perturbative contributions shaping the one-loop scalar spectrum of the minimal renormalizable nonsupersymmetric S O (10 ) Higgs model whose unified gauge symmetry is spontaneously broken by an adjoint scalar. Focusing on its potentially realistic 45 ⊕126 variant in which the rank is reduced by a vacuum expectation value of the 5-index antisymmetric self-dual tensor, we provide a thorough analysis of the corresponding Coleman-Weinberg one-loop effective potential, paying particular attention to the masses of the potentially tachyonic pseudo-Goldstone bosons transforming as (1, 3, 0) and (8, 1, 0) under the standard model (SM) gauge group. The results confirm the assumed existence of extended regions in the parameter space supporting a locally stable SM-like quantum vacuum inaccessible at the tree level. The effective potential tedium is compared to that encountered in the previously studied 45 ⊕16 S O (10 ) Higgs model where the polynomial corrections to the relevant pseudo-Goldstone masses turn out to be easily calculable within a very simplified purely diagrammatic approach.

Simple way to calculate a UV-finite one-loop quantum energy in the Randall-Sundrum model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altshuler, Boris L.

2017-04-01

The surprising simplicity of Barvinsky-Nesterov or equivalently Gelfand-Yaglom methods of calculation of quantum determinants permits us to obtain compact expressions for a UV-finite difference of one-loop quantum energies for two arbitrary values of the parameter of the double-trace asymptotic boundary conditions. This result generalizes the Gubser and Mitra calculation for the particular case of difference of "regular" and "irregular" one-loop energies in the one-brane Randall-Sundrum model. The approach developed in the paper also allows us to get "in one line" the one-loop quantum energies in the two-brane Randall-Sundrum model. The relationship between "one-loop" expressions corresponding to the mixed Robin and to double-trace asymptotic boundary conditions is traced.

On the Weyl anomaly of 4D conformal higher spins: a holographic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acevedo, S.; Aros, R.; Bugini, F.; Diaz, D. E.

2017-11-01

We present a first attempt to derive the full (type-A and type-B) Weyl anomaly of four dimensional conformal higher spin (CHS) fields in a holographic way. We obtain the type-A and type-B Weyl anomaly coefficients for the whole family of 4D CHS fields from the one-loop effective action for massless higher spin (MHS) Fronsdal fields evaluated on a 5D bulk Poincaré-Einstein metric with an Einstein metric on its conformal boundary. To gain access to the type-B anomaly coefficient we assume, for practical reasons, a Lichnerowicz-type coupling of the bulk Fronsdal fields with the bulk background Weyl tensor. Remarkably enough, our holographic findings under this simplifying assumption are certainly not unknown: they match the results previously found on the boundary counterpart under the assumption of factorization of the CHS higher-derivative kinetic operator into Laplacians of "partially massless" higher spins on Einstein backgrounds.

Hawking radiation due to photon and gravitino tunneling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Majhi, Bibhas Ranjan, E-mail: bibhas@bose.res.i; Samanta, Saurav, E-mail: srvsmnt@gmail.co

2010-11-15

Applying the Hamilton-Jacobi method we investigate the tunneling of photon across the event horizon of a static spherically symmetric black hole. The necessity of the gauge condition on the photon field, to derive the semiclassical Hawking temperature, is explicitly shown. Also, the tunneling of photon and gravitino beyond this semiclassical approximation are presented separately. Quantum corrections of the action for both cases are found to be proportional to the semiclassical contribution. Modifications to the Hawking temperature and Bekenstein-Hawking area law are thereby obtained. Using this corrected temperature and Hawking's periodicity argument, the modified metric for the Schwarzschild black hole ismore » given. This corrected version of the metric, up to h order is equivalent to the metric obtained by including one loop back reaction effect. Finally, the coefficient of the leading order correction of entropy is shown to be related to the trace anomaly.« less

The Botulinum Toxin as a Therapeutic Agent: Molecular Structure and Mechanism of Action in Motor and Sensory Systems.

PubMed

Kumar, Raj; Dhaliwal, Harkiran Preet; Kukreja, Roshan Vijay; Singh, Bal Ram

2016-02-01

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) produced by Clostridium botulinum is the most potent molecule known to mankind. Higher potency of BoNT is attributed to several factors, including structural and functional uniqueness, target specificity, and longevity. Although BoNT is an extremely toxic molecule, it is now increasingly used for the treatment of disorders related to muscle hyperactivity and glandular hyperactivity. Weakening of muscles due to peripheral action of BoNT produces a therapeutic effect. Depending on the target tissue, BoNT can block the cholinergic neuromuscular or cholinergic autonomic innervation of exocrine glands and smooth muscles. In recent observations of the analgesic properties of BoNT, the toxin modifies the sensory feedback loop to the central nervous system. Differential effects of BoNT in excitatory and inhibitory neurons provide a unique therapeutic tool. In this review the authors briefly summarize the structure and mechanism of actions of BoNT on motor and sensory neurons to explain its therapeutic effects and future potential. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Carving nature at its joints or cutting its effective loops? On the dangers of trying to disentangle intertwined mental processes.

PubMed

Goldstone, Robert L; de Leeuw, Joshua R; Landy, David H

2016-01-01

Attention is often inextricably intertwined with perception, and it is deployed not only to spatial regions, but also to sensory dimensions, learned dimensions, and learned complex configurations. Firestone & Scholl's (F&S)'s tactic of isolating visual perceptual processes from attention and action has the negative consequence of neglecting interactions that are critically important for allowing people to perceive their world in efficient and useful ways.

Immunity to Transformational Learning and Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bochman, David J.; Kroth, Michael

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine and synthesize Argyris and Schon's Theory of Action and Kegan and Lahey's theory of Immunity to Change in order to produce an integrated model. Design/methodology/approach: Literature discussing Argyris and Schon's Theory of Action (Model I and Model II), single and double-loop learning, espoused…

Facilitating Systemic Research and Learning and the Transition to Agricultural Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eksvard, Karin

2010-01-01

This article focuses on how a facilitated process of triple loop learning can enable transition toward more sustainable forms of farming. The article is a case-based study of Participatory Learning and Action Research with organic tomato growers in Malardalen, Sweden. The importance of negotiating learning and action, capacity building, and…

Does loop quantum cosmology replace the big rip singularity by a non-singular bounce?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haro, Jaume de, E-mail: jaime.haro@upc.edu

It is stated that holonomy corrections in loop quantum cosmology introduce a modification in Friedmann's equation which prevent the big rip singularity. Recently in [1] it has been proved that this modified Friedmann equation is obtained in an inconsistent way, what means that the results deduced from it, in particular the big rip singularity avoidance, are not justified. The problem is that holonomy corrections modify the gravitational part of the Hamiltonian of the system leading, after Legendre's transformation, to a non covariant Lagrangian which is in contradiction with one of the main principles of General Relativity. A more consistent waymore » to deal with the big rip singularity avoidance is to disregard modification in the gravitational part of the Hamiltonian, and only consider inverse volume effects [2]. In this case we will see that, not like the big bang singularity, the big rip singularity survives in loop quantum cosmology. Another way to deal with the big rip avoidance is to take into account geometric quantum effects given by the the Wheeler-De Witt equation. In that case, even though the wave packets spread, the expectation values satisfy the same equations as their classical analogues. Then, following the viewpoint adopted in loop quantum cosmology, one can conclude that the big rip singularity survives when one takes into account these quantum effects. However, the spreading of the wave packets prevents the recover of the semiclassical time, and thus, one might conclude that the classical evolution of the universe come to and end before the big rip is reached. This is not conclusive because. as we will see, it always exists other external times that allows us to define the classical and quantum evolution of the universe up to the big rip singularity.« less

Loop technique.

PubMed

Seeburger, Joerg; Noack, Thilo; Winkfein, Michael; Ender, Joerg; Mohr, Friedrich Wilhelm

2010-01-01

The loop technique facilitates mitral valve repair for leaflet prolapse by implantation of Gore-Tex neo-chordae. The key feature of the technique is a premade bundle of four loops made out of one suture. The loops are available in different lengths ranging from 10 to 26 mm. After assessment of the ideal length of neo-chordae with a caliper the loops are then secured to the body of the papillary muscle over an additional felt pledget. In the following step, the free ends of the loops are distributed along the free margin of the prolapsing segment using one additional suture for each loop.

One-loop Parke-Taylor factors for quadratic propagators from massless scattering equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, Humberto; Lopez-Arcos, Cristhiam; Talavera, Pedro

2017-10-01

In this paper we reconsider the Cachazo-He-Yuan construction (CHY) of the so called scattering amplitudes at one-loop, in order to obtain quadratic propagators. In theories with colour ordering the key ingredient is the redefinition of the Parke-Taylor factors. After classifying all the possible one-loop CHY-integrands we conjecture a new one-loop amplitude for the massless Bi-adjoint Φ3 theory. The prescription directly reproduces the quadratic propagators of the traditional Feynman approach.

The baryon vector current in the combined chiral and 1/Nc expansions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flores-Mendieta, Ruben; Goity, Jose L

2014-12-01

The baryon vector current is computed at one-loop order in large-Nc baryon chiral perturbation theory, where Nc is the number of colors. Loop graphs with octet and decuplet intermediate states are systematically incorporated into the analysis and the effects of the decuplet-octet mass difference and SU(3) flavor symmetry breaking are accounted for. There are large-Nc cancellations between different one-loop graphs as a consequence of the large-Nc spin-flavor symmetry of QCD baryons. The results are compared against the available experimental data through several fits in order to extract information about the unknown parameters. The large-Nc baryon chiral perturbation theory predictions aremore » in very good agreement both with the expectations from the 1/Nc expansion and with the experimental data. The effect of SU(3) flavor symmetry breaking for the |Delta S|=1 vector current form factors f1(0) results in a reduction by a few percent with respect to the corresponding SU(3) symmetric values.« less

Is ambulatory monitoring for "community-acquired" syncope economically attractive? A cost-effectiveness analysis of a randomized trial of external loop recorders versus Holter monitoring.

PubMed

Rockx, Marie Antoinette; Hoch, Jeffrey S; Klein, George J; Yee, Raymond; Skanes, Allan C; Gula, Lorne J; Krahn, Andrew D

2005-11-01

Out patient ambulatory monitoring is often performed in patients with syncope that present in the primary care setting to include or exclude an arrhythmia. The cost-effectiveness of 2 monitoring strategies was assessed in a prospective randomized trial. One hundred patients referred for ambulatory monitoring with syncope or presyncope were randomized to a 1-month external loop recorder (n = 49) or 48-hour Holter monitor (n = 51). Patients were offered crossover if there was failed activation or no symptom recurrence. The primary end point was symptom-rhythm correlation during monitoring. Direct costs were calculated based on the 2003 Ontario Health Insurance Plan fee schedule, combined with calculation of labor, materials, service, and overhead for diagnostic testing and related equipment. Before enrollment, the cost of all previous health care resource use was USD 472 +/- USD 397 (range USD 21-USD 1965). In the loop recorder group, 63% of patients had symptom recurrence and successful activation, compared with 24% in the Holter group (P < .0001). The cost per Holter was USD 177.64, and per loop recorder, USD 533.56, with a similar cost per diagnosis with the 2 techniques. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of the loop recorder was USD 901.74 per extra successful diagnosis. A strategy of Holter followed by offered loop recorder trended toward lower cost than initial loop recorder followed by Holter (USD 481 +/- USD 267 vs USD 551 +/- USD 83, P = .08), but was associated with a lower overall diagnostic yield (49% vs 63%) and a resultant higher cost per diagnosis (USD 982 vs USD 871, P = .08). Bootstrapping suggested that 90% of incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were less than USD 1250. Despite the increased upfront cost of external loop recorders, the marked improvement in diagnostic yield offsets the cost. External loop recorders are an economically attractive alternative. First-line use of external loop recorders in patients with "community-acquired" syncope and presyncope should be considered to optimize diagnostic yield given its value.

A Looping-Based Model for Quenching Repression

PubMed Central

Pollak, Yaroslav; Goldberg, Sarah; Amit, Roee

2017-01-01

We model the regulatory role of proteins bound to looped DNA using a simulation in which dsDNA is represented as a self-avoiding chain, and proteins as spherical protrusions. We simulate long self-avoiding chains using a sequential importance sampling Monte-Carlo algorithm, and compute the probabilities for chain looping with and without a protrusion. We find that a protrusion near one of the chain’s termini reduces the probability of looping, even for chains much longer than the protrusion–chain-terminus distance. This effect increases with protrusion size, and decreases with protrusion-terminus distance. The reduced probability of looping can be explained via an eclipse-like model, which provides a novel inhibitory mechanism. We test the eclipse model on two possible transcription-factor occupancy states of the D. melanogaster eve 3/7 enhancer, and show that it provides a possible explanation for the experimentally-observed eve stripe 3 and 7 expression patterns. PMID:28085884

Optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) for free-space laser communications with heterodyne detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Win, Moe Z.; Chen, Chien-Chung; Scholtz, Robert A.

1991-01-01

Several advantages of coherent free-space optical communications are outlined. Theoretical analysis is formulated for an OPLL disturbed by shot noise, modulation noise, and frequency noise consisting of a white component, a 1/f component, and a 1/f-squared component. Each of the noise components is characterized by its associated power spectral density. It is shown that the effect of modulation depends only on the ratio of loop bandwidth and data rate, and is negligible for an OPLL with loop bandwidth smaller than one fourth the data rate. Total phase error variance as a function of loop bandwidth is displayed for several values of carrier signal to noise ratio. Optimal loop bandwidth is also calculated as a function of carrier signal to noise ratio. An OPLL experiment is performed, where it is shown that the measured phase error variance closely matches the theoretical predictions.

Numerical simulations of loops heated to solar flare temperatures. III - Asymmetrical heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, C.-C.; Doschek, G. A.; Karpen, J. T.

1984-01-01

A numerical model is defined for asymmetric full solar flare loop heating and comparisons are made with observational data. The Dynamic Flux Tube Model is used to describe the heating process in terms of one-dimensional, two fluid conservation equations of mass, energy and momentum. An adaptive grid allows for the downward movement of the transition region caused by an advancing conduction front. A loop 20,000 km long is considered, along with a flare heating system and the hydrodynamic evolution of the loop. The model was applied to generating line profiles and spatial X-ray and UV line distributions, which were compared with SMM, P78-1 and Hintori data for Fe, Ca and Mg spectra. Little agreement was obtained, and it is suggested that flares be treated as multi-loop phenomena. Finally, it is concluded that chromospheric evaporation is not an effective mechanism for generating the soft X-ray bursts associated with flares.

Nonlinear model predictive control for chemical looping process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joshi, Abhinaya; Lei, Hao; Lou, Xinsheng

A control system for optimizing a chemical looping ("CL") plant includes a reduced order mathematical model ("ROM") that is designed by eliminating mathematical terms that have minimal effect on the outcome. A non-linear optimizer provides various inputs to the ROM and monitors the outputs to determine the optimum inputs that are then provided to the CL plant. An estimator estimates the values of various internal state variables of the CL plant. The system has one structure adapted to control a CL plant that only provides pressure measurements in the CL loops A and B, a second structure adapted to amore » CL plant that provides pressure measurements and solid levels in both loops A, and B, and a third structure adapted to control a CL plant that provides full information on internal state variables. A final structure provides a neural network NMPC controller to control operation of loops A and B.« less

A theory of how active behavior stabilises neural activity: Neural gain modulation by closed-loop environmental feedback

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

During active behaviours like running, swimming, whisking or sniffing, motor actions shape sensory input and sensory percepts guide future motor commands. Ongoing cycles of sensory and motor processing constitute a closed-loop feedback system which is central to motor control and, it has been argued, for perceptual processes. This closed-loop feedback is mediated by brainwide neural circuits but how the presence of feedback signals impacts on the dynamics and function of neurons is not well understood. Here we present a simple theory suggesting that closed-loop feedback between the brain/body/environment can modulate neural gain and, consequently, change endogenous neural fluctuations and responses to sensory input. We support this theory with modeling and data analysis in two vertebrate systems. First, in a model of rodent whisking we show that negative feedback mediated by whisking vibrissa can suppress coherent neural fluctuations and neural responses to sensory input in the barrel cortex. We argue this suppression provides an appealing account of a brain state transition (a marked change in global brain activity) coincident with the onset of whisking in rodents. Moreover, this mechanism suggests a novel signal detection mechanism that selectively accentuates active, rather than passive, whisker touch signals. This mechanism is consistent with a predictive coding strategy that is sensitive to the consequences of motor actions rather than the difference between the predicted and actual sensory input. We further support the theory by re-analysing previously published two-photon data recorded in zebrafish larvae performing closed-loop optomotor behaviour in a virtual swim simulator. We show, as predicted by this theory, that the degree to which each cell contributes in linking sensory and motor signals well explains how much its neural fluctuations are suppressed by closed-loop optomotor behaviour. More generally we argue that our results demonstrate the dependence of neural fluctuations, across the brain, on closed-loop brain/body/environment interactions strongly supporting the idea that brain function cannot be fully understood through open-loop approaches alone. PMID:29342146

A theory of how active behavior stabilises neural activity: Neural gain modulation by closed-loop environmental feedback.

PubMed

Buckley, Christopher L; Toyoizumi, Taro

2018-01-01

During active behaviours like running, swimming, whisking or sniffing, motor actions shape sensory input and sensory percepts guide future motor commands. Ongoing cycles of sensory and motor processing constitute a closed-loop feedback system which is central to motor control and, it has been argued, for perceptual processes. This closed-loop feedback is mediated by brainwide neural circuits but how the presence of feedback signals impacts on the dynamics and function of neurons is not well understood. Here we present a simple theory suggesting that closed-loop feedback between the brain/body/environment can modulate neural gain and, consequently, change endogenous neural fluctuations and responses to sensory input. We support this theory with modeling and data analysis in two vertebrate systems. First, in a model of rodent whisking we show that negative feedback mediated by whisking vibrissa can suppress coherent neural fluctuations and neural responses to sensory input in the barrel cortex. We argue this suppression provides an appealing account of a brain state transition (a marked change in global brain activity) coincident with the onset of whisking in rodents. Moreover, this mechanism suggests a novel signal detection mechanism that selectively accentuates active, rather than passive, whisker touch signals. This mechanism is consistent with a predictive coding strategy that is sensitive to the consequences of motor actions rather than the difference between the predicted and actual sensory input. We further support the theory by re-analysing previously published two-photon data recorded in zebrafish larvae performing closed-loop optomotor behaviour in a virtual swim simulator. We show, as predicted by this theory, that the degree to which each cell contributes in linking sensory and motor signals well explains how much its neural fluctuations are suppressed by closed-loop optomotor behaviour. More generally we argue that our results demonstrate the dependence of neural fluctuations, across the brain, on closed-loop brain/body/environment interactions strongly supporting the idea that brain function cannot be fully understood through open-loop approaches alone.

Interpersonal Privacy Management in Distributed Collaboration: Situational Characteristics and Interpretive Influences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patil, Sameer; Kobsa, Alfred; John, Ajita; Brotman, Lynne S.; Seligmann, Doree

To understand how collaborators reconcile the often conflicting needs of awareness and privacy, we studied a large software development project in a multinational corporation involving individuals at sites in the U.S. and India. We present a theoretical framework describing privacy management practices and their determinants that emerged from field visits, interviews, and questionnaire responses. The framework identifies five relevant situational characteristics: issue(s) under consideration, physical place(s) involved in interaction(s), temporal aspects, affordances and limitations presented by technology, and nature of relationships among parties. Each actor, in turn, interprets the situation based on several simultaneous influences: self, team, work site, organization, and cultural environment. This interpretation guides privacy management action(s). Past actions form a feedback loop refining and/or reinforcing the interpretive influences. The framework suggests that effective support for privacy management will require that designers follow a socio-technical approach incorporating a wider scope of situational and interpretive differences.

Reconcile Planck-scale discreteness and the Lorentz-Fitzgerald contraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rovelli, Carlo; Speziale, Simone

2003-03-01

A Planck-scale minimal observable length appears in many approaches to quantum gravity. It is sometimes argued that this minimal length might conflict with Lorentz invariance, because a boosted observer can see the minimal length further Lorentz contracted. We show that this is not the case within loop quantum gravity. In loop quantum gravity the minimal length (more precisely, minimal area) does not appear as a fixed property of geometry, but rather as the minimal (nonzero) eigenvalue of a quantum observable. The boosted observer can see the same observable spectrum, with the same minimal area. What changes continuously in the boost transformation is not the value of the minimal length: it is the probability distribution of seeing one or the other of the discrete eigenvalues of the area. We discuss several difficulties associated with boosts and area measurement in quantum gravity. We compute the transformation of the area operator under a local boost, propose an explicit expression for the generator of local boosts, and give the conditions under which its action is unitary.

Reduction of Phase Ambiguity in an Offset-QPSK Receiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berner, Jeff; Kinman, Peter

2004-01-01

Proposed modifications of an offset-quadri-phase-shift keying (offset-QPSK) transmitter and receiver would reduce the amount of signal processing that must be done in the receiver to resolve the QPSK fourfold phase ambiguity. Resolution of the phase ambiguity is necessary in order to synchronize, with the received carrier signal, the signal generated by a local oscillator in a carrier-tracking loop in the receiver. Without resolution of the fourfold phase ambiguity, the loop could lock to any of four possible phase points, only one of which has the proper phase relationship with the carrier. The proposal applies, more specifically, to an offset-QPSK receiver that contains a carrier-tracking loop like that shown in Figure 1. This carrier-tracking loop does not resolve or reduce the phase ambiguity. A carrier-tracking loop of a different design optimized for the reception of offset QPSK could reduce the phase ambiguity from fourfold to twofold, but would be more complex. Alternatively, one could resolve the fourfold phase ambiguity by use of differential coding in the transmitter, at a cost of reduced power efficiency. The proposed modifications would make it possible to reduce the fourfold phase ambiguity to twofold, with no loss in power efficiency and only relatively simple additional signal-processing steps in the transmitter and receiver. The twofold phase ambiguity would then be resolved by use of a unique synchronization word, as is commonly done in binary phase-shift keying (BPSK). Although the mathematical and signal-processing principles underlying the modifications are too complex to explain in detail here, the modifications themselves would be relatively simple and are best described with the help of simple block diagrams (see Figure 2). In the transmitter, one would add a unit that would periodically invert bits going into the QPSK modulator; in the receiver, one would add a unit that would effect different but corresponding inversions of bits coming out of the QPSK demodulator. The net effect of all the inversions would be that depending on which lock point the carrier-tracking loop had selected, all the output bits would be either inverted or non-inverted together; hence, the ambiguity would be reduced from fourfold to twofold, as desired.

Diuretics in heart failure: practical considerations.

PubMed

Basraon, Jagroop; Deedwani, Prakash C

2012-09-01

This review discusses the role of diuretics in heart failure by focusing on different classifications and mechanisms of action. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of diuretics are elucidated. The predominant discussion highlights the use of loop diuretics, which are the most commonly used drugs in heart failure. Different methods of using this therapy in different settings along with a comprehensive review of the side-effect profile are highlighted. Special situations necessitating adjustment and the phenomenon of diuretic resistance are explained. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

TWO INNEXINS OF Spodoptera litura INFLUENCES HEMICHANNEL AND GAP JUNCTION FUNCTIONS IN CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSES.

PubMed

Pang, Zunyu; Li, Ming; Yu, Dongshuai; Yan, Zhang; Liu, Xinyi; Ji, Xinglai; Yang, Yang; Hu, Jiansheng; Luo, Kaijun

2015-09-01

Insect cellular immune responses include encapsulation, nodule formation, and phagocytosis. Hemichannels and gap junctions are involved in these cellular actions. Innexins (Inxs: analogous to the vertebrate connexins) form hemichannels and gap junctions, but the molecular mechanisms underlying their biology is still unclear. In this article, we reported a steady-state level of Inxs (SpliInxs) in hemocytes of Spodoptera litura, which formed nonfunctional hemichannels on the cell surface to maintain normal metabolism. We also reported that two innnexins (SpliInx2 and SpliInx3) were expressed significantly higher in hemocytes compared to other tissues, suggesting that they play important roles in hemocytes. Amino acid analysis found that two cysteine residues in two extracellular loops provided the capability for SpliInx2 and SpliInx3 hemichannels to dock into gap junctions. Western blotting demonstrated that both extracellular and intracellular loops of SpliInx3 and the extracellular loops of SpliInx2 might undergo posttranslational modification during the formation of a steady-state hemichannel. During hemichannel formation, SpliInx2 presented as one isoform, while SpliInx3 presented as three isoforms. These results provide fundamental knowledge for further study of how steady-state levels of SpliInxs are dynamically adjusted to perform cellular immune responses under immune challenge. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

New BCJ representations for one-loop amplitudes in gauge theories and gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Song; Schlotterer, Oliver; Zhang, Yong

2018-05-01

We explain a procedure to manifest the Bern-Carrasco-Johansson duality between color and kinematics in n-point one-loop amplitudes of a variety of supersymmetric gauge theories. Explicit amplitude representations are constructed through a systematic reorganization of the integrands in the Cachazo-He-Yuan formalism. Our construction holds for any nonzero number of supersymmetries and does not depend on the number of spacetime dimensions. The cancellations from supersymmetry multiplets in the loop as well as the resulting power counting of loop momenta is manifested along the lines of the corresponding superstring computations. The setup is used to derive the one-loop version of the Kawai-Lewellen-Tye formula for the loop integrands of gravitational amplitudes.

Stable photosensor amplifiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fujimoto, H.

1972-01-01

Minimization of common mode effects in differential amplifier arrangement which processes signals from two high impedance photosensors is achieved by connecting one photosensor in feedback loop of amplifier and using field effect transistors in the input circuit.

Bayesian Action–Perception Computational Model: Interaction of Production and Recognition of Cursive Letters

PubMed Central

Gilet, Estelle; Diard, Julien; Bessière, Pierre

2011-01-01

In this paper, we study the collaboration of perception and action representations involved in cursive letter recognition and production. We propose a mathematical formulation for the whole perception–action loop, based on probabilistic modeling and Bayesian inference, which we call the Bayesian Action–Perception (BAP) model. Being a model of both perception and action processes, the purpose of this model is to study the interaction of these processes. More precisely, the model includes a feedback loop from motor production, which implements an internal simulation of movement. Motor knowledge can therefore be involved during perception tasks. In this paper, we formally define the BAP model and show how it solves the following six varied cognitive tasks using Bayesian inference: i) letter recognition (purely sensory), ii) writer recognition, iii) letter production (with different effectors), iv) copying of trajectories, v) copying of letters, and vi) letter recognition (with internal simulation of movements). We present computer simulations of each of these cognitive tasks, and discuss experimental predictions and theoretical developments. PMID:21674043

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bae, Brian; Nayak, Dhananjaya; Ray, Ananya

RNA polymerase inhibitors like the CBR class that target the enzyme’s complex catalytic center are attractive leads for new antimicrobials. The catalysis by RNA polymerase involves multiple rearrangements of bridge helix, trigger loop, and active-center side chains that isomerize the triphosphate of bound NTP and two Mg 2+ ions from a preinsertion state to a reactive configuration. CBR inhibitors target a crevice between the N-terminal portion of the bridge helix and a surrounding cap region within which the bridge helix is thought to rearrange during the nucleotide addition cycle. Here, we report crystal structures of CBR inhibitor/Escherichia coli RNA polymerasemore » complexes as well as biochemical tests that establish two distinct effects of the inhibitors on the RNA polymerase catalytic site. One effect involves inhibition of trigger-loop folding via the F loop in the cap, which affects both nucleotide addition and hydrolysis of 3'-terminal dinucleotides in certain backtracked complexes. The second effect is trigger-loop independent, affects only nucleotide addition and pyrophosphorolysis, and may involve inhibition of bridge-helix movements that facilitate reactive triphosphate alignment.« less

[Mechanism of the diuretic effect of eufillin].

PubMed

Kantariia, V A; Lebedev, A A

1975-01-01

In acute experiments on rats the xanthine diuretic euphylline did not block the short-circuited current in the proximal tubule, nor did it lower the transtubular potential and the transepithelial resistance of the nephron wall. The diuretic speeded up significantly the passage of the tubular fluid along the proximal region of the nephron and Henle's loop. The dihydroergotoxin and inderal blocking of adrenoreceptors did not produce any influence on the renal effects of the xanthine agent. Reserpine totally blocked the diuretic and saluretic effects of euphylline, whereas other sympatholytics, such as alpha-methyl-dofa, anthabus and hemedin, did not modify the action of the diuretic.

The matter power spectrum in redshift space using effective field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fonseca de la Bella, Lucía; Regan, Donough; Seery, David; Hotchkiss, Shaun

2017-11-01

The use of Eulerian 'standard perturbation theory' to describe mass assembly in the early universe has traditionally been limited to modes with k lesssim 0.1 h/Mpc at z=0. At larger k the SPT power spectrum deviates from measurements made using N-body simulations. Recently, there has been progress in extending the reach of perturbation theory to larger k using ideas borrowed from effective field theory. We revisit the computation of the redshift-space matter power spectrum within this framework, including for the first time the full one-loop time dependence. We use a resummation scheme proposed by Vlah et al. to account for damping of baryonic acoustic oscillations due to large-scale random motions and show that this has a significant effect on the multipole power spectra. We renormalize by comparison to a suite of custom N-body simulations matching the MultiDark MDR1 cosmology. At z=0 and for scales k lesssim 0.4 h/Mpc we find that the EFT furnishes a description of the real-space power spectrum up to ~ 2%, for the l = 0 mode up to ~ 5%, and for the l = 2, 4 modes up to ~ 25%. We argue that, in the MDR1 cosmology, positivity of the l=0 mode gives a firm upper limit of k ≈ 0.74 h/Mpc for the validity of the one-loop EFT prediction in redshift space using only the lowest-order counterterm. We show that replacing the one-loop growth factors by their Einstein-de Sitter counterparts is a good approximation for the l=0 mode, but can induce deviations as large as 2% for the l=2, 4 modes. An accompanying software bundle, distributed under open source licenses, includes Mathematica notebooks describing the calculation, together with parallel pipelines capable of computing both the necessary one-loop SPT integrals and the effective field theory counterterms.

Impact of alloy composition on one-dimensional glide of small dislocation loops in concentrated solid solution alloys

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Shi; Bei, Hongbin; Robertson, Ian M.

2017-06-08

One-dimensional glide of loops during ion irradiation at 773 K in a series of Ni-containing concentrated solid solution alloys has been observed directly during experiments conducted inside a transmission electron microscope. It was found that the frequency of the oscillatory motion of the loop, the loop glide velocity as well as the loop jump distance were dependent on the composition of the alloy and the size of the loop. Loop glide was most common for small loops and occurred more frequently in the less complex alloys, being highest in Ni, then NiCo, NiFe and NiCoFeCr. As a result, no measurablemore » loop glide occurred in the NiCoCr, NiCoFeCrMn and NiCoFeCrPd alloys.« less

Sub-millisecond closed-loop feedback stimulation between arbitrary sets of individual neurons

PubMed Central

Müller, Jan; Bakkum, Douglas J.; Hierlemann, Andreas

2012-01-01

We present a system to artificially correlate the spike timing between sets of arbitrary neurons that were interfaced to a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) high-density microelectrode array (MEA). The system features a novel reprogrammable and flexible event engine unit to detect arbitrary spatio-temporal patterns of recorded action potentials and is capable of delivering sub-millisecond closed-loop feedback of electrical stimulation upon trigger events in real-time. The relative timing between action potentials of individual neurons as well as the temporal pattern among multiple neurons, or neuronal assemblies, is considered an important factor governing memory and learning in the brain. Artificially changing timings between arbitrary sets of spiking neurons with our system could provide a “knob” to tune information processing in the network. PMID:23335887

Can one hear the Riemann zeros in black hole ringing?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aros, Rodrigo; Bugini, Fabrizzio; Diaz, Danilo E.

2016-05-01

We elaborate on an entry of the AdS/CFT dictionary relating functional determinants: the determinant of the one-loop contribution to the effective gravitational action by bulk scalars in an asymptotically locally AdS background X, and the determinant of the two-point function of the dual operator (a.k.a. scattering matrix) at the conformal boundary M. The formula originates from AdS/CFT heuristics that map a quantum contribution in the bulk gravitational partition function to a subleading large-N contribution in the boundary CFT partition function: The formula applies to quotients of AdS as well [1]. In the particular case of the BTZ black hole, a closed expression can be worked out in terms of an associated Patterson-Selberg zeta function ZBTZ (λ) [2]. The determinants can then be thought of as regularized products of either zeta zeros, scattering resonances or quasinormal frequencies [3]. In this sense, one could say that the zeros of ZBTZ (λ) can be heard in the spectrum of quasinormal modes of the BTZ black hole. The question we want to pose is whether a similar situation might exist for the celebrated zeros of the Riemann zeta function.

Toward rational design of electrical stimulation strategies for epilepsy control

PubMed Central

Sunderam, Sridhar; Gluckman, Bruce; Reato, Davide; Bikson, Marom

2009-01-01

Electrical stimulation is emerging as a viable alternative for epilepsy patients whose seizures are not alleviated by drugs or surgery. Its attractions are temporal and spatial specificity of action, flexibility of waveform parameters and timing, and the perception that its effects are reversible unlike resective surgery. However, despite significant advances in our understanding of mechanisms of neural electrical stimulation, clinical electrotherapy for seizures relies heavily on empirical tuning of parameters and protocols. We highlight concurrent treatment goals with potentially conflicting design constraints that must be resolved when formulating rational strategies for epilepsy electrotherapy: namely seizure reduction versus cognitive impairment, stimulation efficacy versus tissue safety, and mechanistic insight versus clinical pragmatism. First, treatment markers, objectives, and metrics relevant to electrical stimulation for epilepsy are discussed from a clinical perspective. Then the experimental perspective is presented, with the biophysical mechanisms and modalities of open-loop electrical stimulation, and the potential benefits of closed-loop control for epilepsy. PMID:19926525

Unimodular gravity and the lepton anomalous magnetic moment at one-loop

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martín, Carmelo P., E-mail: carmelop@fis.ucm.es

We work out the one-loop contribution to the lepton anomalous magnetic moment coming from Unimodular Gravity. We use Dimensional Regularization and Dimensional Reduction to carry out the computations. In either case, we find that Unimodular Gravity gives rise to the same one-loop correction as that of General Relativity.

Transcript Lifetime Is Balanced between Stabilizing Stem-Loop Structures and Degradation-Promoting Polyadenylation in Plant Mitochondria

PubMed Central

Kuhn, Josef; Tengler, Ulrike; Binder, Stefan

2001-01-01

To determine the influence of posttranscriptional modifications on 3′ end processing and RNA stability in plant mitochondria, pea atp9 and Oenothera atp1 transcripts were investigated for the presence and function of 3′ nonencoded nucleotides. A 3′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends approach initiated at oligo(dT)-adapter primers finds the expected poly(A) tails predominantly attached within the second stem or downstream of the double stem-loop structures at sites of previously mapped 3′ ends. Functional studies in a pea mitochondrial in vitro processing system reveal a rapid removal of the poly(A) tails up to termini at the stem-loop structure but little if any influence on further degradation of the RNA. In contrast 3′ poly(A) tracts at RNAs without such stem-loop structures significantly promote total degradation in vitro. To determine the in vivo identity of 3′ nonencoded nucleotides more accurately, pea atp9 transcripts were analyzed by a direct anchor primer ligation-reverse transcriptase PCR approach. This analysis identified maximally 3-nucleotide-long nonencoded extensions most frequently of adenosines combined with cytidines. Processing assays with substrates containing homopolymer stretches of different lengths showed that 10 or more adenosines accelerate RNA processivity, while 3 adenosines have no impact on RNA life span. Thus polyadenylation can generally stimulate the decay of RNAs, but processivity of degradation is almost annihilated by the stabilizing effect of the stem-loop structures. These antagonistic actions thus result in the efficient formation of 3′ processed and stable transcripts. PMID:11154261

THE LITTLEST HIGGS MODEL AND ONE-LOOP ELECTROWEAK PRECISION CONSTRAINTS.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

CHEN, M.C.; DAWSON,S.

2004-06-16

We present in this talk the one-loop electroweak precision constraints in the Littlest Higgs model, including the logarithmically enhanced contributions from both fermion and scalar loops. We find the one-loop contributions are comparable to the tree level corrections in some regions of parameter space. A low cutoff scale is allowed for a non-zero triplet VEV. Constraints on various other parameters in the model are also discussed. The role of triplet scalars in constructing a consistent renormalization scheme is emphasized.

Landau singularities and symbology: One- and two-loop MHV amplitudes in SYM theory

DOE PAGES

Dennen, Tristan; Spradlin, Marcus; Volovich, Anastasia

2016-03-14

We apply the Landau equations, whose solutions parameterize the locus of possible branch points, to the one- and two-loop Feynman integrals relevant to MHV amplitudes in planar N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory. We then identify which of the Landau singularities appear in the symbols of the amplitudes, and which do not. Finally, we observe that all of the symbol entries in the two-loop MHV amplitudes are already present as Landau singularities of one-loop pentagon integrals.

Scale-invariant instantons and the complete lifetime of the standard model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreassen, Anders; Frost, William; Schwartz, Matthew D.

2018-03-01

In a classically scale-invariant quantum field theory, tunneling rates are infrared divergent due to the existence of instantons of any size. While one expects such divergences to be resolved by quantum effects, it has been unclear how higher-loop corrections can resolve a problem appearing already at one loop. With a careful power counting, we uncover a series of loop contributions that dominate over the one-loop result and sum all the necessary terms. We also clarify previously incomplete treatments of related issues pertaining to global symmetries, gauge fixing, and finite mass effects. In addition, we produce exact closed-form solutions for the functional determinants over scalars, fermions, and vector bosons around the scale-invariant bounce, demonstrating manifest gauge invariance in the vector case. With these problems solved, we produce the first complete calculation of the lifetime of our Universe: 1 0139 years . With 95% confidence, we expect our Universe to last more than 1 058 years . The uncertainty is part experimental uncertainty on the top quark mass and on αs and part theory uncertainty from electroweak threshold corrections. Using our complete result, we provide phase diagrams in the mt/mh and the mt/αs planes, with uncertainty bands. To rule out absolute stability to 3 σ confidence, the uncertainty on the top quark pole mass would have to be pushed below 250 MeV or the uncertainty on αs(mZ) pushed below 0.00025.

Low-energy effective field theory below the electroweak scale: operators and matching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Elizabeth E.; Manohar, Aneesh V.; Stoffer, Peter

2018-03-01

The gauge-invariant operators up to dimension six in the low-energy effective field theory below the electroweak scale are classified. There are 70 Hermitian dimension-five and 3631 Hermitian dimension-six operators that conserve baryon and lepton number, as well as Δ B = ±Δ L = ±1, Δ L = ±2, and Δ L = ±4 operators. The matching onto these operators from the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) up to order 1 /Λ2 is computed at tree level. SMEFT imposes constraints on the coefficients of the low-energy effective theory, which can be checked experimentally to determine whether the electroweak gauge symmetry is broken by a single fundamental scalar doublet as in SMEFT. Our results, when combined with the one-loop anomalous dimensions of the low-energy theory and the one-loop anomalous dimensions of SMEFT, allow one to compute the low-energy implications of new physics to leading-log accuracy, and combine them consistently with high-energy LHC constraints.

Lateralization in motor facilitation during action observation: a TMS study.

PubMed

Aziz-Zadeh, Lisa; Maeda, Fumiko; Zaidel, Eran; Mazziotta, John; Iacoboni, Marco

2002-05-01

Action observation facilitates corticospinal excitability. This is presumably due to a premotor neural system that is active when we perform actions and when we observe actions performed by others. It has been speculated that this neural system is a precursor of neural systems subserving language. If this theory is true, we may expect hemispheric differences in the motor facilitation produced by action observation, with the language-dominant left hemisphere showing stronger facilitation than the right hemisphere. Furthermore, it has been suggested that body parts are recognized via cortical regions controlling sensory and motor processing associated with that body part. If this is true, then corticospinal facilitation during action observation should be modulated by the laterality of the observed body part. The present study addressed these two issues using TMS for each motor cortex separately as participants observed actions being performed by a left hand, a right hand, or a control stimulus on the computer screen. We found no overall difference between the right and left hemisphere for motor-evoked potential (MEP) size during action observation. However, when TMS was applied to the left motor cortex, MEPs were larger while observing right hand actions. Likewise, when TMS was applied to the right motor cortex, MEPs were larger while observing left hand actions. Our data do not suggest left hemisphere superiority in the facilitating effects of action observation on the motor system. However, they do support the notion of a sensory-motor loop according to which sensory stimulus properties (for example, the image of a left hand or a right hand) directly affect motor cortex activity, even when no motor output is required. The pattern of this effect is congruent with the pattern of motor representation in each hemisphere.

Optic ataxia and the function of the dorsal stream: contributions to perception and action.

PubMed

Pisella, Laure; Sergio, Lauren; Blangero, Annabelle; Torchin, Héloïse; Vighetto, Alain; Rossetti, Yves

2009-12-01

Optic ataxia (OA) is one of the symptoms pertaining to Bálint's Syndrome. It has been described clinically for nearly 80 years before it became a cornerstone of the most popular dual stream theory of the visual brain. Over the last 10 years a regain of interest for this neurological condition lead to a number of precise analyses of the deficits found in optic ataxia, giving rise to a renewed outline of its very definition and hence of the function(s) of the occipito-parietal (dorsal) stream. In absence of concomitant clinical symptoms, we review evidence that misreaching errors in central vision result from the "hand effect": an erroneous dynamic spatial processing of proprioceptive information from the hand. When visual feedback of the hand is provided (closed-loop condition), pure optic ataxia is restricted to peripheral vision. This central versus peripheral vision distinction is repeatedly used to argue that action and perception are not unique and dissociated systems. New assessments of optic ataxia patients are provided, confirming on one hand that their visuomotor deficit is specific to peripheral vision (i.e. when the gaze and the hand goals are dissociated), on the other hand that they disclose perceptual deficits in peripheral vision. These results are coherent with the recent demonstration that optic ataxia patients exhibit a general contralesional deficit for dynamic visuo-spatial processing, affecting both hand and eye movements [Gaveau, V., Pélisson, D., Blangero, A., Urquizar, C., Prablanc, C.,Vighetto, A., et al. (2008). A common parietal module for saccade and reach: Eye-hand coordination and saccadic control in optic ataxia. Neuropsychologia, 46, 475-486]. Such module(s) within the dorsal stream could be used for both action and perception in the periphery. It is concluded that optic ataxia cannot be considered as a unitary and specific visuo-manual deficit, and that the modular organisation of the dorsal stream allows for numerous dorsal-ventral interactions for perception and action.

Computational Psychosomatics and Computational Psychiatry: Toward a Joint Framework for Differential Diagnosis.

PubMed

Petzschner, Frederike H; Weber, Lilian A E; Gard, Tim; Stephan, Klaas E

2017-09-15

This article outlines how a core concept from theories of homeostasis and cybernetics, the inference-control loop, may be used to guide differential diagnosis in computational psychiatry and computational psychosomatics. In particular, we discuss 1) how conceptualizing perception and action as inference-control loops yields a joint computational perspective on brain-world and brain-body interactions and 2) how the concrete formulation of this loop as a hierarchical Bayesian model points to key computational quantities that inform a taxonomy of potential disease mechanisms. We consider the utility of this perspective for differential diagnosis in concrete clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Derivative expansion of one-loop effective energy of stiff membranes with tension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borelli, M. E. S.; Kleinert, H.; Schakel, Adriaan M. J.

1999-03-01

With help of a derivative expansion, the one-loop corrections to the energy functional of a nearly flat, stiff membrane with tension due to thermal fluctuations are calculated in the Monge parametrization. Contrary to previous studies, an arbitrary tilt of the surface is allowed to exhibit the nontrivial relations between the different, highly nonlinear terms accompanying the ultraviolet divergences. These terms are shown to have precisely the same form as those in the original energy functional, as necessary for renormalizability. Also infrared divergences arise. These, however, are shown to cancel in a nontrivial way.

QCD Resummation for Single Spin Asymmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Zhong-Bo; Xiao, Bo-Wen; Yuan, Feng

2011-10-01

We study the transverse momentum dependent factorization for single spin asymmetries in Drell-Yan and semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering processes at one-loop order. The next-to-leading order hard factors are calculated in the Ji-Ma-Yuan factorization scheme. We further derive the QCD resummation formalisms for these observables following the Collins-Soper-Sterman method. The results are expressed in terms of the collinear correlation functions from initial and/or final state hadrons coupled with the Sudakov form factor containing all order soft-gluon resummation effects. The scheme-independent coefficients are calculated up to one-loop order.

QCD Resummation for Single Spin Asymmetries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kang Z.; Xiao, Bo-Wen; Yuan, Feng

We study the transverse momentum dependent factorization for single spin asymmetries in Drell-Yan and semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering processes at one-loop order. The next-to-leading order hard factors are calculated in the Ji-Ma-Yuan factorization scheme. We further derive the QCD resummation formalisms for these observables following the Collins-Soper-Sterman method. The results are expressed in terms of the collinear correlation functions from initial and/or final state hadrons coupled with the Sudakov form factor containing all order soft-gluon resummation effects. The scheme-independent coefficients are calculated up to one-loop order.

Closing the Professional Development, Learning Outcome and Budget Proposal Gap at a Two-Year Eduational Institution: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Eric L.

2014-01-01

Two-year community colleges are commissioned to close the assessment-outcome loop, which includes the research site for this study. This action research study, which utilized quantitative and qualitative data sets, was designed to close the assessments, learning outcomes and the professional development budget proposal process gap. The developed…

Device for removing foreign objects from anatomic organs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Angulo, Earl D. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A device is disclosed for removing foreign objects from anatomic organs such as the ear canal or throat. It has a housing shaped like a flashlight, an electrical power source such as a battery or AC power from a wall socket, and a tip extending from the housing. The tip has at least one wire loop made from a shape-memory-effect alloy, such as Nitinol, switchably connected to the electrical power source such that when electric current flows through the wire loop the wire loop heats up and returns to a previously programmed shape such as a curet or tweezers so as to facilitate removal of the foreign object.

LOOPREF: A Fluid Code for the Simulation of Coronal Loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

deFainchtein, Rosalinda; Antiochos, Spiro; Spicer, Daniel

1998-01-01

This report documents the code LOOPREF. LOOPREF is a semi-one dimensional finite element code that is especially well suited to simulate coronal-loop phenomena. It has a full implementation of adaptive mesh refinement (AMR), which is crucial for this type of simulation. The AMR routines are an improved version of AMR1D. LOOPREF's versatility makes is suitable to simulate a wide variety of problems. In addition to efficiently providing very high resolution in rapidly changing regions of the domain, it is equipped to treat loops of variable cross section, any non-linear form of heat conduction, shocks, gravitational effects, and radiative loss.

On-off closed-loop control of vagus nerve stimulation for the adaptation of heart rate.

PubMed

Ugalde, Hector Romero; Le Rolle, Virginie; Bel, Alain; Bonnet, Jean-Luc; Andreu, David; Mabo, Philippe; Carrault, Guy; Hernández, Alfredo I

2014-01-01

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a potential therapeutic approach in a number of clinical applications. Although VNS is commonly delivered in an open-loop approach, it is now recognized that closed-loop approaches may be necessary to optimize the therapy and minimize side effects of neuro-stimulation devices. In this paper, we describe a prototype system for real-time control of the instantaneous heart rate, working synchronously with the heart period. As a first step, an on-off control method has been integrated. The system is evaluated on one sheep with induced heart failure, showing the interest of the proposed approach.

Unannounced Meals in the Artificial Pancreas: Detection Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring

PubMed Central

Herrero, Pau; Bondia, Jorge

2018-01-01

The artificial pancreas (AP) system is designed to regulate blood glucose in subjects with type 1 diabetes using a continuous glucose monitor informed controller that adjusts insulin infusion via an insulin pump. However, current AP developments are mainly hybrid closed-loop systems that include feed-forward actions triggered by the announcement of meals or exercise. The first step to fully closing the loop in the AP requires removing meal announcement, which is currently the most effective way to alleviate postprandial hyperglycemia due to the delay in insulin action. Here, a novel approach to meal detection in the AP is presented using a sliding window and computing the normalized cross-covariance between measured glucose and the forward difference of a disturbance term, estimated from an augmented minimal model using an Unscented Kalman Filter. Three different tunings were applied to the same meal detection algorithm: (1) a high sensitivity tuning, (2) a trade-off tuning that has a high amount of meals detected and a low amount of false positives (FP), and (3) a low FP tuning. For the three tunings sensitivities 99 ± 2%, 93 ± 5%, and 47 ± 12% were achieved, respectively. A sensitivity analysis was also performed and found that higher carbohydrate quantities and faster rates of glucose appearance result in favorable meal detection outcomes. PMID:29547553

Computing black hole partition functions from quasinormal modes

DOE PAGES

Arnold, Peter; Szepietowski, Phillip; Vaman, Diana

2016-07-07

We propose a method of computing one-loop determinants in black hole space-times (with emphasis on asymptotically anti-de Sitter black holes) that may be used for numerics when completely-analytic results are unattainable. The method utilizes the expression for one-loop determinants in terms of quasinormal frequencies determined by Denef, Hartnoll and Sachdev in [1]. A numerical evaluation must face the fact that the sum over the quasinormal modes, indexed by momentum and overtone numbers, is divergent. A necessary ingredient is then a regularization scheme to handle the divergent contributions of individual fixed-momentum sectors to the partition function. To this end, we formulatemore » an effective two-dimensional problem in which a natural refinement of standard heat kernel techniques can be used to account for contributions to the partition function at fixed momentum. We test our method in a concrete case by reproducing the scalar one-loop determinant in the BTZ black hole background. Furthermore, we then discuss the application of such techniques to more complicated spacetimes.« less

Testing of the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) Prototype Loop Heat Pipe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Douglas, Donya; Ku, Jentung; Kaya, Tarik

1998-01-01

This paper describes the testing of the prototype loop heat pipe (LHP) for the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS). The primary objective of the test program was to verify the loop's heat transport and temperature control capabilities under conditions pertinent to GLAS applications. Specifically, the LHP had to demonstrate a heat transport capability of 100 W, with the operating temperature maintained within +/-2K while the condenser sink was subjected to a temperature change between 273K and 283K. Test results showed that this loop heat pipe was more than capable of transporting the required heat load and that the operating temperature could be maintained within +/-2K. However, this particular integrated evaporator-compensation chamber design resulted in an exchange of energy between the two that affected the overall operation of the system. One effect was the high temperature the LHP was required to reach before nucleation would begin due to inability to control liquid distribution during ground testing. Another effect was that the loop had a low power start-up limitation of approximately 25 W. These Issues may be a concern for other applications, although it is not expected that they will cause problems for GLAS under micro-gravity conditions.

Cosmological perturbation theory using the FFTLog: formalism and connection to QFT loop integrals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simonović, Marko; Baldauf, Tobias; Zaldarriaga, Matias; Carrasco, John Joseph; Kollmeier, Juna A.

2018-04-01

We present a new method for calculating loops in cosmological perturbation theory. This method is based on approximating a ΛCDM-like cosmology as a finite sum of complex power-law universes. The decomposition is naturally achieved using an FFTLog algorithm. For power-law cosmologies, all loop integrals are formally equivalent to loop integrals of massless quantum field theory. These integrals have analytic solutions in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions. We provide explicit formulae for the one-loop and the two-loop power spectrum and the one-loop bispectrum. A chief advantage of our approach is that the difficult part of the calculation is cosmology independent, need be done only once, and can be recycled for any relevant predictions. Evaluation of standard loop diagrams then boils down to a simple matrix multiplication. We demonstrate the promise of this method for applications to higher multiplicity/loop correlation functions.

Non-analytic terms from nested divergences in maximal supergravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Anirban

2016-07-01

The {D}4{{ R }}4 and {D}6{{ R }}4 coefficient functions in the effective action of type II string theory compactified on T d contain terms of the form {{ E }}1{{ln}}{g}d and {{ E }}2{({{ln}}{g}d)}2 in specific dimensions, where g d is the T-duality invariant string coupling, and {{ E }}1 and {{ E }}2 are U-duality invariant coefficient functions. We derive these non-analytic terms from nested ultraviolet divergences in two and three loop maximal supergravity. For the {D}4{{ R }}4 coupling, the contribution involves {{ E }}{{ R }4}{{ln}}{g}d, while for the {D}6{{ R }}4 coupling, it involves {{ E }}{{ R }4}{{ln}}{g}d, {{ E }}{D2{{ R }}4}{({{ln}}{g}d)}2 and {{ E }}{D4{{ R }}4}{{ln}}{g}d; where {{ E }}{{ R }4}, {{ E }}{D2{{ R }}4} and {{ E }}{D4{{ R }}4} are the {{ R }}4, {D}2{{ R }}4 and {D}4{{ R }}4 coefficient functions respectively. The contribution from {{ E }}{D2{{ R }}4}, the coefficient function of an amplitude that vanishes onshell, arises from a two loop nested subdivergence of the three loop amplitude.

Effect of loop structure of bovine lactoferricin on apoptosis in Jurkat cells.

PubMed

Zhang, Tie-nan; Yang, Wei; Liu, Ning

2010-06-01

Bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB) is a cationic peptide that selectively induces apoptosis in Jurkat cells. However less is known about the influence of this kind of apoptosis on the intra-cellular ceramide metabolism and the structure-function relationship between the loop structure of LfcinB and its action of inducing apoptosis in Jurkat cells. In the present study, the artificially synthesized LfcinB and LfcinB-derived peptide (Cys 19 residue in LfcinB was replaced by Ala) was added in Jurkat cells, the nucleolus shape was observed by fluorescent microscopy, the ceramide concentration in Jurkat cells was determined by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The results of MTT assay showed that LfcinB inhibited proliferation of Jurkat cells, and the inhibition rate was approximately 18.90%. Moreover, the inhibition rate of LfcinB together with MAPP was upto approximately 59.89%. The RP-HPLC result showed that LfcinB improved the ceramide level in Jurkat cells. By using the DNA fragmentation assay and observing the nucleolus shape, the result displayed deficiency of the loop structure could cause LfcinB losing the biological activity of inducing apoptosis in Jurkat cells.

Quantum corrections for spinning particles in de Sitter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fröb, Markus B.; Verdaguer, Enric, E-mail: mbf503@york.ac.uk, E-mail: enric.verdaguer@ub.edu

We compute the one-loop quantum corrections to the gravitational potentials of a spinning point particle in a de Sitter background, due to the vacuum polarisation induced by conformal fields in an effective field theory approach. We consider arbitrary conformal field theories, assuming only that the theory contains a large number N of fields in order to separate their contribution from the one induced by virtual gravitons. The corrections are described in a gauge-invariant way, classifying the induced metric perturbations around the de Sitter background according to their behaviour under transformations on equal-time hypersurfaces. There are six gauge-invariant modes: two scalarmore » Bardeen potentials, one transverse vector and one transverse traceless tensor, of which one scalar and the vector couple to the spinning particle. The quantum corrections consist of three different parts: a generalisation of the flat-space correction, which is only significant at distances of the order of the Planck length; a constant correction depending on the undetermined parameters of the renormalised effective action; and a term which grows logarithmically with the distance from the particle. This last term is the most interesting, and when resummed gives a modified power law, enhancing the gravitational force at large distances. As a check on the accuracy of our calculation, we recover the linearised Kerr-de Sitter metric in the classical limit and the flat-space quantum correction in the limit of vanishing Hubble constant.« less

Complete one-loop renormalization of the Higgs-electroweak chiral Lagrangian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchalla, G.; Catà, O.; Celis, A.; Knecht, M.; Krause, C.

2018-03-01

Employing background-field method and super-heat-kernel expansion, we compute the complete one-loop renormalization of the electroweak chiral Lagrangian with a light Higgs boson. Earlier results from purely scalar fluctuations are confirmed as a special case. We also recover the one-loop renormalization of the conventional Standard Model in the appropriate limit.

Atomistic study of the hardening of ferritic iron by Ni-Cr decorated dislocation loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonny, G.; Bakaev, A.; Terentyev, D.; Zhurkin, E.; Posselt, M.

2018-01-01

The exact nature of the radiation defects causing hardening in reactor structural steels consists of several components that are not yet clearly determined. While generally, the hardening is attributed to dislocation loops, voids and secondary phases (radiation-induced precipitates), recent advanced experimental and computational studies point to the importance of solute-rich clusters (SRCs). Depending on the exact composition of the steel, SRCs may contain Mn, Ni and Cu (e.g. in reactor pressure vessel steels) or Ni, Cr, Si, Mn (e.g. in high-chromium steels for generation IV and fusion applications). One of the hypotheses currently implied to explain their formation is the process of radiation-induced diffusion and segregation of these elements to small dislocation loops (heterogeneous nucleation), so that the distinction between SRCs and loops becomes somewhat blurred. In this work, we perform an atomistic study to investigate the enrichment of loops by Ni and Cr solutes and their interaction with an edge dislocation. The dislocation loops decorated with Ni and Cr solutes are obtained by Monte Carlo simulations, while the effect of solute segregation on the loop's strength and interaction mechanism is then addressed by large scale molecular dynamics simulations. The synergy of the Cr-Ni interaction and their competition to occupy positions in the dislocation loop core are specifically clarified.

Adrenergic mediation of the intestinal antisecretory action of opiates administered into the central nervous system.

PubMed

Brown, D R; Miller, R J

1984-10-01

The antisecretory effects of the stable enkephalin analogs, [D-Ala2-Met5] enkephalinamide (DAMA) and [D-Ala2-D-Leu5] enkephalin, and the opiate drug morphine were evaluated on fluid secretion induced by cholera toxin in isolated loops of the jejunum and proximal and distal ileum in anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of DAMA (0.03-3 micrograms) or [D-Ala2-D-Leu5] enkephalin (1.0-10 micrograms) dose-dependently reduced secretion in the jejunum without affecting fluid movement in the other small intestinal segments. Morphine in doses up to 30 micrograms i.c.v. had no significant antisecretory effects. Intravenous administration of DAMA, at doses up to 3000 micrograms/kg, had little effect on intestinal fluid accumulation. The antisecretory action of DAMA (3 micrograms i.c.v.) was completely blocked by pretreatment with the alpha adrenergic antagonist phentolamine and after peripheral sympathectomy induced by guanethidine. In contrast, DAMA activity was preserved in adrenal demedullated rats. DAMA had no significant effects upon mean arterial blood pressure or on blood acid-base balance. These results suggest that the antisecretory effects of opiates are, at least partly, mediated at sites within the central nervous system. These actions are probably a consequence of increased activity in sympathetic nerve fibers innervating the upper small intestine.

[Neuroimaging and the neurobiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder].

PubMed

Schiepek, Günter; Tominschek, Igor; Karch, Susanne; Mulert, Christoph; Pogarell, Oliver

2007-01-01

The following review is focusing on results of functional neuroimaging. After some introductory remarks on the phenomenology, epidemiology, and psychotherapy approaches of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) the most important OCD-related brain regions are presented. Obviously, not only the prominent cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical feedback loops are involved, as functional brain imaging studies tell us, but also other regions as the inferior parietal lobe, the anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, insula, amygdala, cerebellum, and others. Subclassifications using factor-analysis methods support the hypothesis, that most important subtypes ("washing/contamination fear", "obsessions/checking", "symmetry/ordering", "hoarding") involve different, but partially overlapping brain areas. Stimulation paradigms in fMRI-research are commonly based on symptom provocation by visual or tactile stimuli, or on action-monitoring and error-monitoring tasks. Deficits in action-monitoring and planning are discussed to be one of the basic dysfunctions of OCD. Finally, results of psychotherapeutic induced variations of brain activations in OCD are presented.

Two-loop renormalization of the quark propagator in the light-cone gauge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, James Daniel

The divergent parts of the five two-loop quark self- energy diagrams of quantum chromodynamics are evaluated in the noncovariant light-cone gauge. Most of the Feynman integrals are computed by means of the powerful matrix integration method, originally developed for the author's Master's thesis. From the results of the integrations, it is shown how to renormalize the quark mass and wave function in such a way that the effective quark propagator is rendered finite at two-loop order. The required counterterms turn out to be local functions of the quark momentum, due to cancellation of the nonlocal divergent parts of the two-loop integrals with equal and opposite contributions from one-loop counterterm subtraction diagrams. The final form of the counterterms is seen to be consistent with the renormalization framework proposed by Bassetto, Dalbosco, and Soldati, in which all noncovariant divergences are absorbed into the wave function normalizations. It also turns out that the mass renormalization d m is the same in the light-cone gauge as it is in a general covariant gauge, at least up to two-loop order.

Effect of supercoiling on formation of protein-mediated DNA loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purohit, P. K.; Nelson, P. C.

2006-12-01

DNA loop formation is one of several mechanisms used by organisms to regulate genes. The free energy of forming a loop is an important factor in determining whether the associated gene is switched on or off. In this paper we use an elastic rod model of DNA to determine the free energy of forming short (50-100 basepair), protein mediated DNA loops. Superhelical stress in the DNA of living cells is a critical factor determining the energetics of loop formation, and we explicitly account for it in our calculations. The repressor protein itself is regarded as a rigid coupler; its geometry enters the problem through the boundary conditions it applies on the DNA. We show that a theory with these ingredients is sufficient to explain certain features observed in modulation of in vivo gene activity as a function of the distance between operator sites for the lac repressor. We also use our theory to make quantitative predictions for the dependence of looping on superhelical stress, which may be testable both in vivo and in single-molecule experiments such as the tethered particle assay and the magnetic bead assay.

String loops in the field of braneworld spherically symmetric black holes and naked singularities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stuchlík, Z.; Kološ, M., E-mail: zdenek.stuchlik@fpf.slu.cz, E-mail: martin.kolos@fpf.slu.cz

We study motion of current-carrying string loops in the field of braneworld spherically symmetric black holes and naked singularities. The spacetime is described by the Reissner-Nordström geometry with tidal charge b reflecting the non-local tidal effects coming from the external dimension; both positive and negative values of the spacetime parameter b are considered. We restrict attention to the axisymmetric motion of string loops when the motion can be fully governed by an appropriately defined effective potential related to the energy and angular momentum of the string loops. In dependence on these two constants of the motion, the string loops canmore » be captured, trapped, or can escape to infinity. In close vicinity of stable equilibrium points at the centre of trapped states the motion is regular. We describe how it is transformed to chaotic motion with growing energy of the string loop. In the field of naked singularities the trapped states located off the equatorial plane of the system exist and trajectories unable to cross the equatorial plane occur, contrary to the trajectories in the field of black holes where crossing the equatorial plane is always admitted. We concentrate our attention to the so called transmutation effect when the string loops are accelerated in the deep gravitational field near the black hole or naked singularity by transforming the oscillatory energy to the energy of the transitional motion. We demonstrate that the influence of the tidal charge can be substantial especially in the naked singularity spacetimes with b > 1 where the acceleration to ultrarelativistic velocities with Lorentz factor γ ∼ 100 can be reached, being more than one order higher in comparison with those obtained in the black hole spacetimes.« less

Electric stimulation of the tuberomamillary nucleus affects epileptic activity and sleep-wake cycle in a genetic absence epilepsy model.

PubMed

Blik, Vitaliya

2015-01-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising approach for epilepsy treatment, but the optimal targets and parameters of stimulation are yet to be investigated. Tuberomamillary nucleus (TMN) is involved in EEG desynchronization-one of the proposed mechanisms for DBS action. We studied whether TMN stimulation could interfere with epileptic spike-wave discharges (SWDs) in WAG/Rij rats with inherited absence epilepsy and whether such stimulation would affect sleep-wake cycle. EEG and video registration were used to determine SWD occurrence and stages of sleep and wake during three-hours recording sessions. Stimulation (100Hz) was applied in two modes: closed-loop (with previously determined interruption threshold intensity) or open-loop mode (with 50% or 70% threshold intensity). Closed-loop stimulation successfully interrupted SWDs but elevated their number by 148 ± 54% compared to baseline. It was accompanied by increase in number of episodes but not total duration of both active and passive wakefulness. Open-loop stimulation with amplitude 50% threshold did not change measured parameters, though 70% threshold stimulation reduced SWDs number by 40 ± 9%, significantly raised the amount of active wakefulness and decreased the amount of both slow-wave and rapid eye movement sleep. These results suggest that the TMN is unfavorable as a target for DBS as its stimulation may cause alterations in sleep-wake cycle. A careful choosing of parameters and control of sleep-wake activity is necessary when applying DBS in epilepsy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Presenting simulation results in a nested loop plot.

PubMed

Rücker, Gerta; Schwarzer, Guido

2014-12-12

Statisticians investigate new methods in simulations to evaluate their properties for future real data applications. Results are often presented in a number of figures, e.g., Trellis plots. We had conducted a simulation study on six statistical methods for estimating the treatment effect in binary outcome meta-analyses, where selection bias (e.g., publication bias) was suspected because of apparent funnel plot asymmetry. We varied five simulation parameters: true treatment effect, extent of selection, event proportion in control group, heterogeneity parameter, and number of studies in meta-analysis. In combination, this yielded a total number of 768 scenarios. To present all results using Trellis plots, 12 figures were needed. Choosing bias as criterion of interest, we present a 'nested loop plot', a diagram type that aims to have all simulation results in one plot. The idea was to bring all scenarios into a lexicographical order and arrange them consecutively on the horizontal axis of a plot, whereas the treatment effect estimate is presented on the vertical axis. The plot illustrates how parameters simultaneously influenced the estimate. It can be combined with a Trellis plot in a so-called hybrid plot. Nested loop plots may also be applied to other criteria such as the variance of estimation. The nested loop plot, similar to a time series graph, summarizes all information about the results of a simulation study with respect to a chosen criterion in one picture and provides a suitable alternative or an addition to Trellis plots.

Comparison of Transverse Intraosseous Loop Technique and Pull Out Suture for Reinsertion of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus tendon. A Retrospective Study.

PubMed

Rigó, István Zoltán; Røkkum, Magne

2013-12-01

We compared the results of two methods for reinsertion of flexor digitorum profundus tendons retrospectively. In 35 fingers of 29 patients pull-out suture and in 13 fingers of 11 patients transverse intraosseous loop technique was performed with a mean follow-up of 8 and 6 months, respectively. Eleven and nine fingers achieved "excellent" or "good" function according to Strickland and Glogovac at 8 weeks; 20 and ten at the last control in the pull-out and transverse intraosseous loop groups, respectively. The difference at 8 weeks was statistically significant in favour of the transverse intraosseous loop group. Ten patients underwent 12 complications in the pull-out group (four superficial infections; one rerupture, one PIP and one DIP joint contracture, one adhesion, two granulomas, one nail deformity and one carpal tunnel syndrome) and four of them were reoperated (one carpal tunnel release, one teno-arthrolysis and two resections of granuloma). There was no complication and no reoperation in the transverse intraosseous loop group, the difference being statistically significant for the former. In our study the transverse intraosseous loop technique seemed to be a safe alternative with possibly better functional results compared to the pull-out suture.

Experimental Observation of Classical Dynamical Monodromy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nerem, M. P.; Salmon, D.; Aubin, S.; Delos, J. B.

2018-03-01

A Hamiltonian system is said to have nontrivial monodromy if its fundamental action-angle loops do not return to their initial topological state at the end of a closed circuit in angular momentum-energy space. This process has been predicted to have consequences which can be seen in dynamical systems, called dynamical monodromy. Using an apparatus consisting of a spherical pendulum subject to magnetic potentials and torques, we observe nontrivial monodromy by the associated topological change in the evolution of a loop of trajectories.

Two loop renormalization of the magnetic coupling in hot QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giovannangeli, P.

2004-04-01

Well above the critical temperature hot QCD is described by 3d electrostatic QCD with gauge coupling gE and Debye mass mE. We integrate out the Debye scales to two loop accuracy and find for the gauge coupling in the resulting magnetostatic action gM2=gE21-{1}/{48}{gE2N}/{πmE}-{17}/{4608}{gE2N}/{πmE}2+O{gE2N}/{πmE}3.

The anisotropic Wilson gauge action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klassen, Timothy R.

1998-11-01

Anisotropic lattices, with a temporal lattice spacing smaller than the spatial one, allow precision Monte Carlo calculations of problems that are difficult to study otherwise: heavy quarks, glueballs, hybrids, and high temperature thermodynamics, for example. We here perform the first step required for such studies with the (quenched) Wilson gauge action, namely, the determination of the renormalized anisotropy Ξ as a function of the bare anisotropy Ξ0 and the coupling. By, essentially, comparing the finite-volume heavy quark potential where the quarks are separated along a spatial direction with that where they are separated along the time direction, we determine the relation between Ξ and Ξ0 to a fraction of 1% for weak and to 1% for strong coupling. We present a simple parameterization of this relation for 1 ⩽ Ξ ⩽ 6 and 5.5 ⩽ β ⩽ ∞, which incorporates the known one-loop result and reproduces our non-perturbative determinations within errors. Besides solving the problem of how to choose the bare anisotropies if one wants to take the continuum limit at fixed renormalized anisotropy, this parameterization also yields accurate estimates of the derivative {∂Ξ 0}/{∂Ξ} needed in thermodynamic studies.

Renormalization of the one-loop theory of fluctuations in polymer blends and diblock copolymer melts.

PubMed

Grzywacz, Piotr; Qin, Jian; Morse, David C

2007-12-01

Attempts to use coarse-grained molecular theories to calculate corrections to the random-phase approximation (RPA) for correlations in polymer mixtures have been plagued by an unwanted sensitivity to the value of an arbitrary cutoff length, i.e., by an ultraviolet (UV) divergence. We analyze the UV divergence of the inverse structure factor S(-1)(k) predicted by a "one-loop" approximation similar to that used in several previous studies. We consider both miscible homopolymer blends and disordered diblock copolymer melts. We show, in both cases, that all UV divergent contributions can be absorbed into a renormalization of the values of the phenomenological parameters of a generalized self-consistent field theory (SCFT). This observation allows the construction of an UV convergent theory of corrections to SCFT phenomenology. The UV-divergent one-loop contribution to S(-1)(k) is shown to be the sum of (i) a k -independent contribution that arises from a renormalization of the effective chi parameter, (ii) a k-dependent contribution that arises from a renormalization of monomer statistical segment lengths, (iii) a contribution proportional to k(2) that arises from a square-gradient contribution to the one-loop fluctuation free energy, and (iv) a k-dependent contribution that is inversely proportional to the degree of polymerization, which arises from local perturbations in fluid structure near chain ends and near junctions between blocks in block copolymers.

Polymer diffusion in quenched disorder: A renormalization group approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, Ute

1996-01-01

We study the diffusion of polymers through quenched short-range correlated random media by renormalization group (RG) methods, which allow us to derive universal predictions in the limit of long chains and weak disorder. We take local quenched random potentials with second moment v and the excluded-volume interaction u of the chain segments into account. We show that our model contains the relevant features of polymer diffusion in random media in the RG sense if we focus on the local entropic effects rather than on the topological constraints of a quenched random medium. The dynamic generating functional and the general structure of its perturbation expansion in u and v are derived. The distribution functions for the center-of-mass motion and the internal modes of one chain and for the correlation of the center of mass motions of two chains are calculated to one-loop order. The results allow for sufficient cross-checks to have trust in the one-loop renormalizability of the model. The general structure as well as the one-loop results of the integrated RG flow of the parameters are discussed. Universal results can be found for the effective static interaction w≔u-v≥0 and for small effective disorder couplingbar v(l) on the intermediate length scale l. As a first physical prediction from our analysis, we determine the general nonlinear scaling form of the chain diffusion constant and evaluate it explicitly as[Figure not available: see fulltext.] forbar v(l) ≪ 1.

The singular behavior of one-loop massive QCD amplitudes with one external soft gluon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bierenbaum, Isabella; Czakon, Michał; Mitov, Alexander

2012-03-01

We calculate the one-loop correction to the soft-gluon current with massive fermions. This current is process independent and controls the singular behavior of one-loop massive QCD amplitudes in the limit when one external gluon becomes soft. The result derived in this work is the last missing process-independent ingredient needed for numerical evaluation of observables with massive fermions at hadron colliders at the next-to-next-to-leading order.

Current trend in drug delivery considerations for subcutaneous insulin depots to treat diabetes.

PubMed

P V, Jayakrishnapillai; Nair, Shantikumar V; Kamalasanan, Kaladhar

2017-05-01

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder due to irregularities in glucose metabolism, as a result of insulin disregulation. Chronic DM (Type 1) is treated by daily insulin injections by subcutaneous route. Daily injections cause serious patient non-compliance and medication non-adherence. Insulin Depots (ID) are parenteral formulations designed to release the insulin over a specified period of time, to control the plasma blood glucose level for intended duration. Physiologically, pancreas produces and secretes insulin in basal and pulsatile mode into the blood. Delivery systems mimicking basal release profiles are known as open-loop systems and current marketed products are open-loop systems. Future trend in open-loop systems is to reduce the number of injections per week by enhancing duration of action, by modifying the depot properties. The next generation technologies are closed-loop systems that mimic the pulsatile mode of delivery by pancreas. In closed-loop systems insulin will be released in response to plasma glucose. This review focuses on future trend in open-loop systems; by understanding (a) the secretion of insulin from pancreas, (b) the insulin regulation normal and in DM, (c) insulin depots and (d) the recent progress in open-loop depot technology particularly with respect to nanosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Concerted loop motion triggers induced fit of FepA to ferric enterobactin

PubMed Central

Smallwood, Chuck R.; Jordan, Lorne; Trinh, Vy; Schuerch, Daniel W.; Gala, Amparo; Hanson, Mathew; Shipelskiy, Yan; Majumdar, Aritri; Newton, Salete M.C.

2014-01-01

Spectroscopic analyses of fluorophore-labeled Escherichia coli FepA described dynamic actions of its surface loops during binding and transport of ferric enterobactin (FeEnt). When FeEnt bound to fluoresceinated FepA, in living cells or outer membrane fragments, quenching of fluorophore emissions reflected conformational motion of the external vestibular loops. We reacted Cys sulfhydryls in seven surface loops (L2, L3, L4, L5, L7 L8, and L11) with fluorophore maleimides. The target residues had different accessibilities, and the labeled loops themselves showed variable extents of quenching and rates of motion during ligand binding. The vestibular loops closed around FeEnt in about a second, in the order L3 > L11 > L7 > L2 > L5 > L8 > L4. This sequence suggested that the loops bind the metal complex like the fingers of two hands closing on an object, by individually adsorbing to the iron chelate. Fluorescence from L3 followed a biphasic exponential decay as FeEnt bound, but fluorescence from all the other loops followed single exponential decay processes. After binding, the restoration of fluorescence intensity (from any of the labeled loops) mirrored cellular uptake that depleted FeEnt from solution. Fluorescence microscopic images also showed FeEnt transport, and demonstrated that ferric siderophore uptake uniformly occurs throughout outer membrane, including at the poles of the cells, despite the fact that TonB, its inner membrane transport partner, was not detectable at the poles. PMID:24981231

Concerted loop motion triggers induced fit of FepA to ferric enterobactin.

PubMed

Smallwood, Chuck R; Jordan, Lorne; Trinh, Vy; Schuerch, Daniel W; Gala, Amparo; Hanson, Mathew; Hanson, Matthew; Shipelskiy, Yan; Majumdar, Aritri; Newton, Salete M C; Klebba, Phillip E

2014-07-01

Spectroscopic analyses of fluorophore-labeled Escherichia coli FepA described dynamic actions of its surface loops during binding and transport of ferric enterobactin (FeEnt). When FeEnt bound to fluoresceinated FepA, in living cells or outer membrane fragments, quenching of fluorophore emissions reflected conformational motion of the external vestibular loops. We reacted Cys sulfhydryls in seven surface loops (L2, L3, L4, L5, L7 L8, and L11) with fluorophore maleimides. The target residues had different accessibilities, and the labeled loops themselves showed variable extents of quenching and rates of motion during ligand binding. The vestibular loops closed around FeEnt in about a second, in the order L3 > L11 > L7 > L2 > L5 > L8 > L4. This sequence suggested that the loops bind the metal complex like the fingers of two hands closing on an object, by individually adsorbing to the iron chelate. Fluorescence from L3 followed a biphasic exponential decay as FeEnt bound, but fluorescence from all the other loops followed single exponential decay processes. After binding, the restoration of fluorescence intensity (from any of the labeled loops) mirrored cellular uptake that depleted FeEnt from solution. Fluorescence microscopic images also showed FeEnt transport, and demonstrated that ferric siderophore uptake uniformly occurs throughout outer membrane, including at the poles of the cells, despite the fact that TonB, its inner membrane transport partner, was not detectable at the poles. © 2014 Smallwood et al.

Towards cosmological dynamics from loop quantum gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bao-Fei; Singh, Parampreet; Wang, Anzhong

2018-04-01

We present a systematic study of the cosmological dynamics resulting from an effective Hamiltonian, recently derived in loop quantum gravity using Thiemann's regularization and earlier obtained in loop quantum cosmology (LQC) by keeping the Lorentzian term explicit in the Hamiltonian constraint. We show that quantum geometric effects result in higher than quadratic corrections in energy density in comparison to LQC, causing a nonsingular bounce. Dynamics can be described by the Hamilton or Friedmann-Raychaudhuri equations, but the map between the two descriptions is not one to one. A careful analysis resolves the tension on symmetric versus asymmetric bounce in this model, showing that the bounce must be asymmetric and symmetric bounce is physically inconsistent, in contrast to the standard LQC. In addition, the current observations only allow a scenario where the prebounce branch is asymptotically de Sitter, similar to a quantization of the Schwarzschild interior in LQC, and the postbounce branch yields the classical general relativity. For a quadratic potential, we find that a slow-roll inflation generically happens after the bounce, which is quite similar to what happens in LQC.

Neutral and charged scalar mesons, pseudoscalar mesons, and diquarks in magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hao; Wang, Xinyang; Yu, Lang; Huang, Mei

2018-04-01

We investigate both (pseudo)scalar mesons and diquarks in the presence of external magnetic field in the framework of the two-flavored Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model, where mesons and diquarks are constructed by infinite sum of quark-loop chains by using random phase approximation. The polarization function of the quark-loop is calculated to the leading order of 1 /Nc expansion by taking the quark propagator in the Landau level representation. We systematically investigate the masses behaviors of scalar σ meson, neutral and charged pions as well as the scalar diquarks, with respect to the magnetic field strength at finite temperature and chemical potential. It is shown that the numerical results of both neutral and charged pions are consistent with the lattice QCD simulations. The mass of the charge neutral pion keeps almost a constant under the magnetic field, which is preserved by the remnant symmetry of QCD ×QED in the vacuum. The mass of the charge neutral scalar σ is around two times quark mass and increases with the magnetic field due to the magnetic catalysis effect, which is an typical example showing that the polarized internal quark structure cannot be neglected when we consider the meson properties under magnetic field. For the charged particles, the one quark-antiquark loop contribution to the charged π± increases essentially with the increase of magnetic fields due to the magnetic catalysis of the polarized quarks. However, the one quark-quark loop contribution to the scalar diquark mass is negative comparing with the point-particle result and the loop effect is small.

Emerging geometry from maximally super-symmetric Yang-Mills theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vazquez, Samuel Enrique

In this thesis, we explore the emergence of space-time geometry, and string theory physics from N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory with gauge group U(N). This is done in the context of the anti-de-Sitter/conformal field theory correspondence (AdS/CFT). The main results of this thesis are the following. First, we study single trace perturbations around generic 1/2 BPS states of the theory. We do this in the large N limit, and at one-loop in the 't-Hooft coupling. We show how these states can be mapped to dynamical lattices with boson statistics and periodic boundary conditions. By dynamical, we mean that the total boson occupation number is not conserved in general. Then, we show how to derive an effective sigma model for these systems which coincides with the Polyakov action of a probe string on a 1/2 BPS geometry (in the fast string limit). Secondly, we study non-supersymmetric perturbations of the vacuum which give rise to bosonic lattices with open boundary conditions. We also do this in the large N limit, and at one-loop in the 't-Hooft coupling. We show that these states are dual to open strings on D3-branes known as "Giant Gravitons". These lattice systems are also dynamical, but in some special cases, we show that we get an integrable spin chain with open boundary conditions. Next, we study single trace perturbations at strong coupling. We do this by taking a "dilute gas" approximation. We derive an all-loop result for the dispersion relation of the "magnons" which coincides with previous conjectures in the literature. What is more, we derive the geometrical picture of the so-called "giant magnon" string solution of Hofman and Maldacena, directly from the field theory. Finally, we explore the question of classical integrability of open strings on D-branes. In particular, we study the case of the giant gravitons, and compare the integrable structures on both sides of the AdS/CFT correspondence.

Model-Based Closed-Loop Glucose Control in Type 1 Diabetes: The DiaCon Experience

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Signe; Boiroux, Dimitri; Duun-Henriksen, Anne Katrine; Frøssing, Laurits; Skyggebjerg, Ole; Jørgensen, John Bagterp; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Madsen, Henrik; Madsbad, Sten; Nørgaard, Kirsten

2013-01-01

Background To improve type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) management, we developed a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm for closed-loop (CL) glucose control based on a linear second-order deterministic-stochastic model. The deterministic part of the model is specified by three patient-specific parameters: insulin sensitivity factor, insulin action time, and basal insulin infusion rate. The stochastic part is identical for all patients but identified from data from a single patient. Results of the first clinical feasibility test of the algorithm are presented. Methods We conducted two randomized crossover studies. Study 1 compared CL with open-loop (OL) control. Study 2 compared glucose control after CL initiation in the euglycemic (CL-Eu) and hyperglycemic (CL-Hyper) ranges, respectively. Patients were studied from 22:00–07:00 on two separate nights. Results Each study included six T1DM patients (hemoglobin A1c 7.2% ± 0.4%). In study 1, hypoglycemic events (plasma glucose < 54 mg/dl) occurred on two OL and one CL nights. Average glucose from 22:00–07:00 was 90 mg/dl [74–146 mg/dl; median (interquartile range)] during OL and 108 mg/dl (101–128 mg/dl) during CL (determined by continuous glucose monitoring). However, median time spent in the range 70–144 mg/dl was 67.9% (3.0–73.3%) during OL and 80.8% (70.5–89.7%) during CL. In study 2, there was one episode of hypoglycemia with plasma glucose <54 mg/dl in a CL-Eu night. Mean glucose from 22:00–07:00 and time spent in the range 70–144 mg/dl were 121 mg/dl (117–133 mg/dl) and 69.0% (30.7–77.9%) in CL-Eu and 149 mg/dl (140–193 mg/dl) and 48.2% (34.9–72.5%) in CL-Hyper, respectively. Conclusions This study suggests that our novel MPC algorithm can safely and effectively control glucose overnight, also when CL control is initiated during hyperglycemia. PMID:24124952

Flux-periodicity crossover from h/2e to h/e in aluminium nano-loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espy, C.; Sharon, O. J.; Braun, J.; Garreis, R.; Strigl, F.; Shaulov, A.; Leiderer, P.; Scheer, E.; Yeshurun, Y.

2018-03-01

We study the magnetoresistance of aluminium ‘double-networks’ formed by connecting the vertexes of nano-loops with relatively long wires, creating two interlaced subnetworks of small and large loops (SL and LL, respectively). Far below the critical temperature, Aharonov-Bohm like quantum interference effects are observed for both the LL and the SL subnetworks. When approaching T c, both exhibit the usual Little-Parks oscillations, with periodicity of the superconducting flux quantum Φ 0 =h/2e. For one sample, with a relatively large coherence length, ξ, at temperatures very close to T c, the Φ 0 periodicity of the SL disappears, and the waveform of the first period is consistent with that predicted recently for loops with a size a < ξ, indicating a crossover to 2Φ 0 periodicity.

Design of a Closed-Loop, Bidirectional Brain Machine Interface System With Energy Efficient Neural Feature Extraction and PID Control.

PubMed

Liu, Xilin; Zhang, Milin; Richardson, Andrew G; Lucas, Timothy H; Van der Spiegel, Jan

2017-08-01

This paper presents a bidirectional brain machine interface (BMI) microsystem designed for closed-loop neuroscience research, especially experiments in freely behaving animals. The system-on-chip (SoC) consists of 16-channel neural recording front-ends, neural feature extraction units, 16-channel programmable neural stimulator back-ends, in-channel programmable closed-loop controllers, global analog-digital converters (ADC), and peripheral circuits. The proposed neural feature extraction units includes 1) an ultra low-power neural energy extraction unit enabling a 64-step natural logarithmic domain frequency tuning, and 2) a current-mode action potential (AP) detection unit with time-amplitude window discriminator. A programmable proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller has been integrated in each channel enabling a various of closed-loop operations. The implemented ADCs include a 10-bit voltage-mode successive approximation register (SAR) ADC for the digitization of the neural feature outputs and/or local field potential (LFP) outputs, and an 8-bit current-mode SAR ADC for the digitization of the action potential outputs. The multi-mode stimulator can be programmed to perform monopolar or bipolar, symmetrical or asymmetrical charge balanced stimulation with a maximum current of 4 mA in an arbitrary channel configuration. The chip has been fabricated in 0.18 μ m CMOS technology, occupying a silicon area of 3.7 mm 2 . The chip dissipates 56 μW/ch on average. General purpose low-power microcontroller with Bluetooth module are integrated in the system to provide wireless link and SoC configuration. Methods, circuit techniques and system topology proposed in this work can be used in a wide range of relevant neurophysiology research, especially closed-loop BMI experiments.

Improved actions and asymptotic scaling in lattice Yang-Mills theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Langfeld, Kurt

2007-11-01

Improved actions in SU(2) and SU(3) lattice gauge theories are investigated with an emphasis on asymptotic scaling. A new scheme for tadpole improvement is proposed. The standard but heuristic tadpole improvement emerges from a mean field approximation from the new approach. Scaling is investigated by means of the large distance static quark potential. Both the generic and the new tadpole scheme yield significant improvements on asymptotic scaling when compared with loop improved actions. A study of the rotational symmetry breaking terms, however, reveals that only the new improvement scheme efficiently eliminates the leading irrelevant term from the action.

A closed expression for the UV-divergent parts of one-loop tensor integrals in dimensional regularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulyok, G.

2017-07-01

Starting from the general definition of a one-loop tensor N-point function, we use its Feynman parametrization to calculate the ultraviolet (UV-)divergent part of an arbitrary tensor coefficient in the framework of dimensional regularization. In contrast to existing recursion schemes, we are able to present a general analytic result in closed form that enables direct determination of the UV-divergent part of any one-loop tensor N-point coefficient independent from UV-divergent parts of other one-loop tensor N-point coefficients. Simplified formulas and explicit expressions are presented for A-, B-, C-, D-, E-, and F-functions.

Politics is nothing but medicine at a larger scale: reflections on public health's biggest idea.

PubMed

Mackenbach, J P

2009-03-01

This article retraces the historical origins and contemporary resonances of Rudolf Virchow's famous statement "Medicine is a social science, and politics nothing but medicine at a larger scale". Virchow was convinced that social inequality was a root cause of ill-health, and that medicine therefore had to be a social science. Because of their intimate knowledge of the problems of society, doctors, according to Virchow, also were better statesmen. Although Virchow's analogies between biology and sociology are out of date, some of his core ideas still resonate in public health. This applies particularly to the notion that whole populations can be sick, and that political action may be needed to cure them. Aggregate population health may well be different from the sum (or average) of the health statuses of all individual members: populations sometimes operate as malfunctioning systems, and positive feedback loops will let population health diverge from the aggregate of individual health statuses. There is considerable controversy among epidemiologists and public health professionals about how far one should go in influencing political processes. A "ladder of political activism" is proposed to help clarify this issue, and examples of recent public health successes are given which show that some political action has often been required before effective public health policies and interventions could be implemented.

Conformal anomaly of generalized form factors and finite loop integrals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chicherin, Dmitry; Sokatchev, Emery

2018-04-01

We reveal a new mechanism of conformal symmetry breaking at Born level. It occurs in generalized form factors with several local operators and an on-shell state of massless particles. The effect is due to hidden singularities on collinear configurations of the momenta. This conformal anomaly is different from the holomorphic anomaly of amplitudes. We present a number of examples in four and six dimensions. We find an application of the new conformal anomaly to finite loop momentum integrals with one or more massless legs. The collinear region around a massless leg creates a contact anomaly, made visible by the loop integration. The anomalous conformal Ward identity for an ℓ-loop integral is a 2nd-order differential equation whose right-hand side is an (ℓ - 1)-loop integral. It could serve as a new useful tool to find/test analytic expressions for conformal integrals. We illustrate this point with several examples of known integrals. We propose a new differential equation for the four-dimensional scalar double box.

Voltage regulator/amplifier is self-regulated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, W. E.; Phillips, D. E.

1967-01-01

Signal modulated, self-regulating voltage regulator/amplifier controls the output b-plus voltage in modulated regulator systems. It uses self-oscillation with feedback to a control circuit with a discontinuous amplitude action feedback loop.

Pinch technique and the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Binosi, Daniele; Papavassiliou, Joannis

2002-07-01

In this paper we take the first step towards a nondiagrammatic formulation of the pinch technique. In particular we proceed into a systematic identification of the parts of the one-loop and two-loop Feynman diagrams that are exchanged during the pinching process in terms of unphysical ghost Green's functions; the latter appear in the standard Slavnov-Taylor identity satisfied by the tree-level and one-loop three-gluon vertex. This identification allows for the consistent generalization of the intrinsic pinch technique to two loops, through the collective treatment of entire sets of diagrams, instead of the laborious algebraic manipulation of individual graphs, and sets up the stage for the generalization of the method to all orders. We show that the task of comparing the effective Green's functions obtained by the pinch technique with those computed in the background field method Feynman gauge is significantly facilitated when employing the powerful quantization framework of Batalin and Vilkovisky. This formalism allows for the derivation of a set of useful nonlinear identities, which express the background field method Green's functions in terms of the conventional (quantum) ones and auxiliary Green's functions involving the background source and the gluonic antifield; these latter Green's functions are subsequently related by means of a Schwinger-Dyson type of equation to the ghost Green's functions appearing in the aforementioned Slavnov-Taylor identity.

Nonperturbative renormalization of the axial current in Nf=3 lattice QCD with Wilson fermions and a tree-level improved gauge action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulava, John; Della Morte, Michele; Heitger, Jochen; Wittemeier, Christian

2016-06-01

We nonperturbatively determine the renormalization factor of the axial vector current in lattice QCD with Nf=3 flavors of Wilson-clover fermions and the tree-level Symanzik-improved gauge action. The (by now standard) renormalization condition is derived from the massive axial Ward identity, and it is imposed among Schrödinger functional states with large overlap on the lowest lying hadronic state in the pseudoscalar channel, in order to reduce kinematically enhanced cutoff effects. We explore a range of couplings relevant for simulations at lattice spacings of ≈0.09 fm and below. An interpolation formula for ZA(g02) , smoothly connecting the nonperturbative values to the 1-loop expression, is provided together with our final results.

Wilson loops in warped resolved deformed conifolds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennett, Stephen, E-mail: pystephen@swansea.ac.uk

We calculate quark-antiquark potentials using the relationship between the expectation value of the Wilson loop and the action of a probe string in the string dual. We review and categorise the possible forms of the dependence of the energy on the separation between the quarks. In particular, we examine the possibility of there being a minimum separation for probe strings which do not penetrate close to the origin of the bulk space, and derive a condition which determines whether this is the case. We then apply these considerations to the flavoured resolved deformed conifold background of Gaillard et al. (2010)more » . We suggest that the unusual behaviour that we observe in this solution is likely to be related to the IR singularity which is not present in the unflavoured case. - Highlights: > We calculate quark-antiquark potentials using the Wilson loop and the action of a probe string in the string dual. > We review and categorise the possible forms of the dependence of the energy on the separation between the quarks. > We look in particular at the flavoured resolved deformed conifold. > There appears to be unusual behaviour which seems likely to be related to the IR singularity introduced by flavours.« less

Possible Quantum Absorber Effects in Cortical Synchronization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kämpf, Uwe

The Wheeler-Feynman transactional "absorber" approach was proposed originally to account for anomalous resonance coupling between spatio-temporally distant measurement partners in entangled quantum states of so-called Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradoxes, e.g. of spatio-temporal non-locality, quantum teleportation, etc. Applied to quantum brain dynamics, however, this view provides an anticipative resonance coupling model for aspects of cortical synchronization and recurrent visual action control. It is proposed to consider the registered activation patterns of neuronal loops in so-called synfire chains not as a result of retarded brain communication processes, but rather as surface effects of a system of standing waves generated in the depth of visual processing. According to this view, they arise from a counterbalance between the actual input's delayed bottom-up data streams and top-down recurrent information-processing of advanced anticipative signals in a Wheeler-Feynman-type absorber mode. In the framework of a "time-loop" model, findings about mirror neurons in the brain cortex are suggested to be at least partially associated with temporal rather than spatial mirror functions of visual processing, similar to phase conjugate adaptive resonance-coupling in nonlinear optics.

The inheritance of fingerprint patterns.

PubMed

Slatis, H M; Katznelson, M B; Bonné-Tamir, B

1976-05-01

Analysis of the fingerprints of 571 members of the Habbanite isolate suggest inherited patterns and pattern sequences. A genetic theory has been developed; it assumes that the basic fingerprint pattern sequence is all ulnar loops and that a variety of genes cause deviations from this pattern sequence. Genes that have been proposed include: (1) a semidominant gene for whorls on the thumbs (one homozygote has whorls on both thumbs, the other has ulnar loops on both thumbs and the heterozygote usually has two ulnar loops or one ulnar loop and one whorl); (2) a semidominant gene for whorls on the ring fingers which acts like the gene for whorls on the thumbs; (3) a dominant gene for arches on the thumbs and often on other fingers; (4) one or more dominant genes for arches on the fingers; (5) a dominant gene for whorls on all fingers except for an ulnar loop on the middle finger; (6) a dominant gene for radial loops on the index fingers, frequently associated with an arch on the middle fingers; and (7) a recessive gene for radial loops on the ring and little fingers. These genes may act independently or may show epistasis.

The inheritance of fingerprint patterns.

PubMed Central

Slatis, H M; Katznelson, M B; Bonné-Tamir, B

1976-01-01

Analysis of the fingerprints of 571 members of the Habbanite isolate suggest inherited patterns and pattern sequences. A genetic theory has been developed; it assumes that the basic fingerprint pattern sequence is all ulnar loops and that a variety of genes cause deviations from this pattern sequence. Genes that have been proposed include: (1) a semidominant gene for whorls on the thumbs (one homozygote has whorls on both thumbs, the other has ulnar loops on both thumbs and the heterozygote usually has two ulnar loops or one ulnar loop and one whorl); (2) a semidominant gene for whorls on the ring fingers which acts like the gene for whorls on the thumbs; (3) a dominant gene for arches on the thumbs and often on other fingers; (4) one or more dominant genes for arches on the fingers; (5) a dominant gene for whorls on all fingers except for an ulnar loop on the middle finger; (6) a dominant gene for radial loops on the index fingers, frequently associated with an arch on the middle fingers; and (7) a recessive gene for radial loops on the ring and little fingers. These genes may act independently or may show epistasis. PMID:1266855

Effects of automobile steering characteristics on driver vehicle system dynamics in regulation tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcruer, D. T.; Klein, R.

1975-01-01

A regulation task which subjected the automobile to a random gust disturbance which is countered by driver control action is used to study the effects of various automobile steering characteristics on the driver/vehicle system. The experiments used a variable stability automobile specially configured to permit insertion of the simulated gust disturbance and the measurement of the driver/vehicle system characteristics. Driver/vehicle system dynamics were measured and interpreted as an effective open loop system describing function. Objective measures of system bandwidth, stability, and time delays were deduced and compared. These objective measures were supplemented by driver ratings. A tentative optimum range of vehicle dynamics for the directional regulation task was established.

Understanding and becoming - the heart of the matter in nurse education.

PubMed

Sandvik, Ann-Helén; Eriksson, Katie; Hilli, Yvonne

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to deepen the understanding of student nurses' processes of understanding and becoming nurses. The study is phenomenological-hermeneutic in design, comprising data from three focus group interviews in two Scandinavian countries. The process of student nurses' understanding and becoming a nurse emerged as a hermeneutical movement. A caring student-preceptor relationship and a growth-promoting preception in a supportive and inclusive environment provide the frame within which the movement happens. The movement towards understanding and becoming is initiated as students, based on their level of knowledge, are given responsibility. In order to fulfil the responsibility imposed on them, students take their entire repertoire of knowledge into consideration. By tying these threads together, they found the basis for conscious action, and care is provided according to what the current situation requires. The experiences obtained are reflected on and integrated with earlier knowledge, which leads to enhanced understanding. Students form a new base to stand on. They show increased readiness for still more responsibility and action. This movement towards deeper understanding and becoming affects the students also ethically and deepens their ethical awareness. When one loop of understanding and becoming is closed the process continues by passing into a new loop. This movement could be described as a hermeneutical spiral consisting of interconnected loops taking the students further and deeper in their process of understanding and becoming a nurse. The student-preceptor relationship and the ethos permeating it are decisive for students' learning both epistemologically and ontologically. Responsibility is the catalyst in students' understanding and becoming both intellectually and ethically. Understanding and becoming are ongoing processes of appropriation, thus altering students both professionally and personally. Understanding and becoming can be perceived as the hearth of the matter in nurse education. © 2014 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Unraveling secrets of telomeres: one molecule at a time

PubMed Central

Lin, Jiangguo; Kaur, Parminder; Countryman, Preston; Opresko, Patricia L.; Wang, Hong

2016-01-01

Telomeres play important roles in maintaining the stability of linear chromosomes. Telomere maintenance involves dynamic actions of multiple proteins interacting with long repetitive sequences and complex dynamic DNA structures, such as G-quadruplexes, T-loops and t-circles. Given the heterogeneity and complexity of telomeres, single-molecule approaches are essential to fully understand the structure-function relationships that govern telomere maintenance. In this review, we present a brief overview of the principles of single-molecule imaging and manipulation techniques. We then highlight results obtained from applying these single-molecule techniques for studying structure, dynamics and functions of G-quadruplexes, telomerase, and shelterin proteins. PMID:24569170

Reducing full one-loop amplitudes to scalar integrals at the integrand level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ossola, Giovanni; Papadopoulos, Costas G.; Pittau, Roberto

2007-02-01

We show how to extract the coefficients of the 4-, 3-, 2- and 1-point one-loop scalar integrals from the full one-loop amplitude of arbitrary scattering processes. In a similar fashion, also the rational terms can be derived. Basically no information on the analytical structure of the amplitude is required, making our method appealing for an efficient numerical implementation.

Effect of angular velocity on soleus and medial gastrocnemius H-reflex during maximal concentric and eccentric muscle contraction.

PubMed

Duclay, Julien; Robbe, Alice; Pousson, Michel; Martin, Alain

2009-10-01

At rest, the H-reflex is lower during lengthening than shortening actions. During passive lengthening, both soleus (SOL) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) H-reflex amplitudes decrease with increasing angular velocity. This study was designed to investigate whether H-reflex amplitude is affected by angular velocity during concentric and eccentric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Experiments were performed on nine healthy men. At a constant angular velocity of 60 degrees /s and 20 degrees /s, maximal H-reflex and M-wave potentials were evoked at rest (i.e., H(max) and M(max), respectively) and during concentric and eccentric MVC (i.e., H(sup) and M(sup), respectively). Regardless of the muscle, H(max)/M(max) was lower during lengthening than shortening actions and the H(sup)/M(sup) ratio was higher than H(max)/M(max) during lengthening actions. Whereas no action type and angular velocity effects on the MG H(sup)/M(sup) were found, the SOL H(sup)/M(sup) was lower during eccentric than concentric MVC and this depression was increased with higher angular velocity. Our findings indicate that the depression of the H-reflex amplitude during eccentric compared to concentric MVC depends mainly on the amount of inhibition induced by lengthening action. In conclusion, H-reflex should be evoked during both passive and active dynamic trials to evaluate the plasticity of the spinal loop.

Effective field theory of integrating out sfermions in the MSSM: Complete one-loop analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Ran

2018-04-01

We apply the covariant derivative expansion of the Coleman-Weinberg potential to the sfermion sector in the minimal supersymmetric standard model, matching it to the relevant dimension-6 operators in the standard model effective field theory at one-loop level. Emphasis is paid to nondegenerate large soft supersymmetry breaking mass squares, and the most general analytical Wilson coefficients are obtained for all pure bosonic dimension-6 operators. In addition to the non-logarithmic contributions, they generally have another logarithmic contributions. Various numerical results are shown, in particular the constraints in the large Xt branch reproducing the 125 GeV Higgs mass can be pushed to high values to almost completely probe the low stop mass region at the future FCC-ee experiment, even given the Higgs mass calculation uncertainty.

Vector mesons in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schüren, C.; Döring, F.; Ruiz Arriola, E.; Goeke, K.

1993-12-01

We investigate solitonic solutions with baryon number equal to one of the semi-bosonized SU(2) Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model including σ -, π -, ρ -, A 1- and ω-mesons both on the chiral circle ( σ2r) + π2( r) = f2π) and beyond it ( σ2( r) + π2( r) ≠ f2π). The action is treated in the mesonic and baryonic sector in the leading order of the large- Nc expansion (one-quark-loop approximation). The UV-divergent real part of the effective action is rendered finite using different gauge-invariant regularization methods (Pauli-Villars and proper time). The parameters of the model are fixed in two different ways: either approximately by a heat kernel expansion of the effective action up to second order or by an exact calculation of the mesonic on-shell masses. This leaves the constituent quark mass as the only free parameter of the model. In the solitonic sector we pay special attention to the way the Wick rotation from euclidean space back to Minkowski space has to be performed. We get solitonic solutions from hedgehoglike field configurations on the chiral circle for a wide range of couplings. We also find that if the chiral-circle constraint is relaxed vector mesons provide stable solitonic solutions. Moreover, whether the baryon number is carried by the valence quarks or by the Dirac sea depends strongly on the particular values of the constituent quark mass. We also study the low-energy limit of the model and its connection to chiral perturbation theory. To this end a covariant-derivative expansion is performed in the presence of external fields. After integrating out the scalar, vector and axial degrees of freedom this leads to the corresponding low-energy parameters as e.g. pion radii and some threshold parameters for pion-pion scattering. Vector mesons provide a natural explanation for an axial coupling constant at the quark level gAQ lower than one. However, we find for the gAN of the nucleon noticeable deviations from the non-relativistic quark model prediction g AN = {5}/{3}g AQ. For the values of the parameters where solitons are found, pionic radii come out to be too small. Finally, the relation of the present model to other chiral soliton models as well as some effective lagrangians is displayed.

A small modified hammerhead ribozyme and its conformational characteristics determined by mutagenesis and lattice calculation.

PubMed Central

Lustig, B; Lin, N H; Smith, S M; Jernigan, R L; Jeang, K T

1995-01-01

A prototypic hammerhead ribozyme has three helices that surround an asymmetrical central core loop. We have mutagenized a hammerhead type ribozyme. In agreement with previous studies, progressive removal of stem-loop II from a three stemmed ribozyme showed that this region is not absolutely critical for catalysis. However, complete elimination of stem II and its loop did reduce, but did not eliminate, function. In a stem-loop II-deleted ribozyme, activity was best preserved when a purine, preferably a G, was present at position 10.1. This G contributed to catalysis irregardless of its role as either one part of a canonical pair with a C residue at 11.1 or a lone nucleotide with C (11.1) deleted. Computational methods using lattices generated 87 million three-dimensional chain forms for a stem-loop II-deleted RNA complex that preserved one potential G.C base pair at positions 10.1 and 11.1. This exhaustive set of chain forms included one major class of structures with G(10.1) being spatially proximal to the GUCX cleavage site of the substrate strand. Strong correlations were observed between colinear arrangement of stems I and III, constraints of base-pairing in the central core loop, and one particular placement of G(10.1) relative to the cleavage site. Our calculations of a stem-loop II-deleted ribozyme indicate that without needing to invoke any other constraints, the inherent asymmetry in the lengths of the two loop strands (3 nt in one and 7 nt in the other) that compose the core and flank G10.1-C11.1 stipulated strongly this particular G placement. This suggests that the hammerhead ribozyme maintains an asymmetry in its internal loop for a necessary structure/function reason. Images PMID:7567466

Non-planar one-loop Parke-Taylor factors in the CHY approach for quadratic propagators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadiniaz, Naser; Gomez, Humberto; Lopez-Arcos, Cristhiam

2018-05-01

In this work we have studied the Kleiss-Kuijf relations for the recently introduced Parke-Taylor factors at one-loop in the CHY approach, that reproduce quadratic Feynman propagators. By doing this, we were able to identify the non-planar one-loop Parke-Taylor factors. In order to check that, in fact, these new factors can describe non-planar amplitudes, we applied them to the bi-adjoint Φ3 theory. As a byproduct, we found a new type of graphs that we called the non-planar CHY-graphs. These graphs encode all the information for the subleading order at one-loop, and there is not an equivalent of these in the Feynman formalism.

A complex approach to the blue-loop problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostrowski, Jakub; Daszynska-Daszkiewicz, Jadwiga

2015-08-01

The problem of the blue loops during the core helium burning, outstanding for almost fifty years, is one of the most difficult and poorly understood problems in stellar astrophysics. Most of the work focused on the blue loops done so far has been performed with old stellar evolution codes and with limited computational resources. In the end the obtained conclusions were based on a small sample of models and could not have taken into account more advanced effects and interactions between them.The emergence of the blue loops depends on many details of the evolution calculations, in particular on chemical composition, opacity, mixing processes etc. The non-linear interactions between these factors contribute to the statement that in most cases it is hard to predict without a precise stellar modeling whether a loop will emerge or not. The high sensitivity of the blue loops to even small changes of the internal structure of a star yields one more issue: a sensitivity to numerical problems, which are common in calculations of stellar models on advanced stages of the evolution.To tackle this problem we used a modern stellar evolution code MESA. We calculated a large grid of evolutionary tracks (about 8000 models) with masses in the range of 3.0 - 25.0 solar masses from the zero age main sequence to the depletion of helium in the core. In order to make a comparative analysis, we varied metallicity, helium abundance and different mixing parameters resulting from convective overshooting, rotation etc.The better understanding of the properties of the blue loops is crucial for our knowledge of the population of blue supergiants or pulsating variables such as Cepheids, α-Cygni or Slowly Pulsating B-type supergiants. In case of more massive models it is also of great importance for studies of the progenitors of supernovae.

New variables for classical and quantum gravity in all dimensions: I. Hamiltonian analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodendorfer, N.; Thiemann, T.; Thurn, A.

2013-02-01

Loop quantum gravity (LQG) relies heavily on a connection formulation of general relativity such that (1) the connection Poisson commutes with itself and (2) the corresponding gauge group is compact. This can be achieved starting from the Palatini or Holst action when imposing the time gauge. Unfortunately, this method is restricted to D + 1 = 4 spacetime dimensions. However, interesting string theories and supergravity theories require higher dimensions and it would therefore be desirable to have higher dimensional supergravity loop quantizations at one’s disposal in order to compare these approaches. In this series of papers we take first steps toward this goal. The present first paper develops a classical canonical platform for a higher dimensional connection formulation of the purely gravitational sector. The new ingredient is a different extension of the ADM phase space than the one used in LQG which does not require the time gauge and which generalizes to any dimension D > 1. The result is a Yang-Mills theory phase space subject to Gauß, spatial diffeomorphism and Hamiltonian constraint as well as one additional constraint, called the simplicity constraint. The structure group can be chosen to be SO(1, D) or SO(D + 1) and the latter choice is preferred for purposes of quantization.

AdS/CFT in Fractional Dimension and Higher-Spins at One Loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skvortsov, Evgeny; Tran, Tung

2017-08-01

Large-$N$, $\\epsilon$-expansion or the conformal bootstrap allow one to make sense of some of conformal field theories in non-integer dimension, which suggests that AdS/CFT may also extend to fractional dimensions. It was shown recently that the sphere free energy and the $a$-anomaly coefficient of the free scalar field can be reproduced as a one-loop effect in the dual higher-spin theory in a number of integer dimensions. We extend this result to all integer and also to fractional dimensions. Upon changing the boundary conditions in the higher-spin theory the sphere free energy of the large-$N$ Wilson-Fisher CFT can also be reproduced from the higher-spin side.

Chiral phase transition of three flavor QCD with nonzero magnetic field using standard staggered fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomiya, Akio; Ding, Heng-Tong; Mukherjee, Swagato; Schmidt, Christian; Wang, Xiao-Dan

2018-03-01

Lattice simulations for (2+1)-flavor QCD with external magnetic field demon-strated that the quark mass is one of the important parameters responsible for the (inverse) magnetic catalysis. We discuss the dependences of chiral condensates and susceptibilities, the Polyakov loop on the magnetic field and quark mass in three degenerate flavor QCD. The lattice simulations are performed using standard staggered fermions and the plaquette action with spatial sizes Nσ = 16 and 24 and a fixed temporal size Nτ = 4. The value of the quark masses are chosen such that the system undergoes a first order chiral phase transition and crossover with zero magnetic field. We find that in light mass regime, the quark chiral condensate undergoes magnetic catalysis in the whole temperature region and the phase transition tend to become stronger as the magnetic field increases. In crossover regime, deconfinement transition temperature is shifted by the magnetic field when quark mass ma is less than 0:4. The lattice cutoff effects are also discussed.

Design of automatic startup and shutdown logic for a Brayton-cycle 2- to 15-kilowatt engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vrancik, J. E.; Bainbridge, R. C.

1975-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center is conducting a closed-Brayton-cycle power conversion system technology program in which a complete power system (engine) has been designed and demonstrated. This report discusses the design of automatic startup and shutdown logic circuits as a modification to the control system presently used in this demonstration engine. This modification was primarily intended to make starting the engine as simple and safe as possible and to allow the engine to be run unattended. In the modified configuration the engine is started by turning the control console power on and pushing the start button after preheating the gas loop. No other operator action is required to effect a complete startup. Shutdown, if one is required, is also effected by a simple stop button. The automatic startup and shutdown of the engine have been successfully and purposefully demonstrated more than 50 times at the Lewis Research Center during 10,000 hours of unattended operation. The net effect of this modification is an engine that can be safely started and stopped by relatively untrained personnel. The approach lends itself directly to remote unattended operation.

Loop Integrands for Scattering Amplitudes from the Riemann Sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geyer, Yvonne; Mason, Lionel; Monteiro, Ricardo; Tourkine, Piotr

2015-09-01

The scattering equations on the Riemann sphere give rise to remarkable formulas for tree-level gauge theory and gravity amplitudes. Adamo, Casali, and Skinner conjectured a one-loop formula for supergravity amplitudes based on scattering equations on a torus. We use a residue theorem to transform this into a formula on the Riemann sphere. What emerges is a framework for loop integrands on the Riemann sphere that promises to have a wide application, based on off-shell scattering equations that depend on the loop momentum. We present new formulas, checked explicitly at low points, for supergravity and super-Yang-Mills amplitudes and for n -gon integrands at one loop. Finally, we show that the off-shell scattering equations naturally extend to arbitrary loop order, and we give a proposal for the all-loop integrands for supergravity and planar super-Yang-Mills theory.

Stabilizing windings for tilting and shifting modes

DOEpatents

Jardin, Stephen C.; Christensen, Uffe R.

1984-01-01

This invention relates to passive conducting loops for stabilizing a plasma ring against unstable tilting and/or shifting modes. To this end, for example, plasma ring in a spheromak is stabilized by a set of four figure-8 shaped loops having one pair on one side of the plasma and one pair on the other side with each pair comprising two loops whose axes are transverse to each other.

Analytical design and evaluation of an active control system for helicopter vibration reduction and gust response alleviation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, R. B.; Zwicke, P. E.; Gold, P.; Miao, W.

1980-01-01

An analytical study was conducted to define the basic configuration of an active control system for helicopter vibration and gust response alleviation. The study culminated in a control system design which has two separate systems: narrow band loop for vibration reduction and wider band loop for gust response alleviation. The narrow band vibration loop utilizes the standard swashplate control configuration to input controller for the vibration loop is based on adaptive optimal control theory and is designed to adapt to any flight condition including maneuvers and transients. The prime characteristics of the vibration control system is its real time capability. The gust alleviation control system studied consists of optimal sampled data feedback gains together with an optimal one-step-ahead prediction. The prediction permits the estimation of the gust disturbance which can then be used to minimize the gust effects on the helicopter.

Open-Loop Audio-Visual Stimulation (AVS): A Useful Tool for Management of Insomnia?

PubMed

Tang, Hsin-Yi Jean; Riegel, Barbara; McCurry, Susan M; Vitiello, Michael V

2016-03-01

Audio Visual Stimulation (AVS), a form of neurofeedback, is a non-pharmacological intervention that has been used for both performance enhancement and symptom management. We review the history of AVS, its two sub-types (close- and open-loop), and discuss its clinical implications. We also describe a promising new application of AVS to improve sleep, and potentially decrease pain. AVS research can be traced back to the late 1800s. AVS's efficacy has been demonstrated for both performance enhancement and symptom management. Although AVS is commonly used in clinical settings, there is limited literature evaluating clinical outcomes and mechanisms of action. One of the challenges to AVS research is the lack of standardized terms, which makes systematic review and literature consolidation difficult. Future studies using AVS as an intervention should; (1) use operational definitions that are consistent with the existing literature, such as AVS, Audio-visual Entrainment, or Light and Sound Stimulation, (2) provide a clear rationale for the chosen training frequency modality, (3) use a randomized controlled design, and (4) follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials and/or related guidelines when disseminating results.

Plant STAND P-loop NTPases: a current perspective of genome distribution, evolution, and function : Plant STAND P-loop NTPases: genomic organization, evolution, and molecular mechanism models contribute broadly to plant pathogen defense.

PubMed

Arya, Preeti; Acharya, Vishal

2018-02-01

STAND P-loop NTPase is the common weapon used by plant and other organisms from all three kingdoms of life to defend themselves against pathogen invasion. The purpose of this study is to review comprehensively the latest finding of plant STAND P-loop NTPase related to their genomic distribution, evolution, and their mechanism of action. Earlier, the plant STAND P-loop NTPase known to be comprised of only NBS-LRRs/AP-ATPase/NB-ARC ATPase. However, recent finding suggests that genome of early green plants comprised of two types of STAND P-loop NTPases: (1) mammalian NACHT NTPases and (2) NBS-LRRs. Moreover, YchF (unconventional G protein and members of P-loop NTPase) subfamily has been reported to be exceptionally involved in biotic stress (in case of Oryza sativa), thereby a novel member of STAND P-loop NTPase in green plants. The lineage-specific expansion and genome duplication events are responsible for abundance of plant STAND P-loop NTPases; where "moderate tandem and low segmental duplication" trajectory followed in majority of plant species with few exception (equal contribution of tandem and segmental duplication). Since the past decades, systematic research is being investigated into NBS-LRR function supported the direct recognition of pathogen or pathogen effectors by the latest models proposed via 'integrated decoy' or 'sensor domains' model. Here, we integrate the recently published findings together with the previous literature on the genomic distribution, evolution, and distinct models proposed for functional molecular mechanism of plant STAND P-loop NTPases.

The one-loop matter bispectrum in the Effective Field Theory of Large Scale Structures

DOE PAGES

Angulo, Raul E.; Foreman, Simon; Schmittfull, Marcel; ...

2015-10-14

With this study, given the importance of future large scale structure surveys for delivering new cosmological information, it is crucial to reliably predict their observables. The Effective Field Theory of Large Scale Structures (EFTofLSS) provides a manifestly convergent perturbative scheme to compute the clustering of dark matter in the weakly nonlinear regime in an expansion in k/k NL, where k is the wavenumber of interest and k NL is the wavenumber associated to the nonlinear scale. It has been recently shown that the EFTofLSS matches to 1% level the dark matter power spectrum at redshift zero up to k ≃more » 0.3 h Mpc –1 and k ≃ 0.6 h Mpc –1 at one and two loops respectively, using only one counterterm that is fit to data. Similar results have been obtained for the momentum power spectrum at one loop. This is a remarkable improvement with respect to former analytical techniques. Here we study the prediction for the equal-time dark matter bispectrum at one loop. We find that at this order it is sufficient to consider the same counterterm that was measured in the power spectrum. Without any remaining free parameter, and in a cosmology for which kNL is smaller than in the previously considered cases (σ 8=0.9), we find that the prediction from the EFTofLSS agrees very well with N-body simulations up to k ≃ 0.25 h Mpc –1, given the accuracy of the measurements, which is of order a few percent at the highest k's of interest. While the fit is very good on average up to k ≃ 0.25 h Mpc –1, the fit performs slightly worse on equilateral configurations, in agreement with expectations that for a given maximum k, equilateral triangles are the most nonlinear.« less

QCD Condensates and Holographic Wilson Loops for Asymptotically AdS Spaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quevedo, R. Carcasses; Goity, Jose L.; Trinchero, Roberto C.

2014-02-01

The minimization of the Nambu-Goto (NG) action for a surface whose contour defines a circular Wilson loop of radius a placed at a finite value of the coordinate orthogonal to the border is considered. This is done for asymptotically AdS spaces. The condensates of dimension n = 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 are calculated in terms of the coefficients in the expansion in powers of the radius a of the on-shell subtracted NG action for small a->0. The subtraction employed is such that it presents no conflict with conformal invariance in the AdS case and need not introduce anmore » additional infrared scale for the case of confining geometries. It is shown that the UV value of the gluon condensates is universal in the sense that it only depends on the first coefficients of the difference with the AdS case.« less

An Adapting Auditory-motor Feedback Loop Can Contribute to Generating Vocal Repetition

PubMed Central

Brainard, Michael S.; Jin, Dezhe Z.

2015-01-01

Consecutive repetition of actions is common in behavioral sequences. Although integration of sensory feedback with internal motor programs is important for sequence generation, if and how feedback contributes to repetitive actions is poorly understood. Here we study how auditory feedback contributes to generating repetitive syllable sequences in songbirds. We propose that auditory signals provide positive feedback to ongoing motor commands, but this influence decays as feedback weakens from response adaptation during syllable repetitions. Computational models show that this mechanism explains repeat distributions observed in Bengalese finch song. We experimentally confirmed two predictions of this mechanism in Bengalese finches: removal of auditory feedback by deafening reduces syllable repetitions; and neural responses to auditory playback of repeated syllable sequences gradually adapt in sensory-motor nucleus HVC. Together, our results implicate a positive auditory-feedback loop with adaptation in generating repetitive vocalizations, and suggest sensory adaptation is important for feedback control of motor sequences. PMID:26448054

Tensor integrand reduction via Laurent expansion

DOE PAGES

Hirschi, Valentin; Peraro, Tiziano

2016-06-09

We introduce a new method for the application of one-loop integrand reduction via the Laurent expansion algorithm, as implemented in the public C++ library Ninja. We show how the coefficients of the Laurent expansion can be computed by suitable contractions of the loop numerator tensor with cut-dependent projectors, making it possible to interface Ninja to any one-loop matrix element generator that can provide the components of this tensor. We implemented this technique in the Ninja library and interfaced it to MadLoop, which is part of the public MadGraph5_aMC@NLO framework. We performed a detailed performance study, comparing against other public reductionmore » tools, namely CutTools, Samurai, IREGI, PJFry++ and Golem95. We find that Ninja out-performs traditional integrand reduction in both speed and numerical stability, the latter being on par with that of the tensor integral reduction tool Golem95 which is however more limited and slower than Ninja. Lastly, we considered many benchmark multi-scale processes of increasing complexity, involving QCD and electro-weak corrections as well as effective non-renormalizable couplings, showing that Ninja’s performance scales well with both the rank and multiplicity of the considered process.« less

Unambiguous Evidence of Coronal Implosions during Solar Eruptions and Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Juntao; Simões, P. J. A.; Fletcher, L.

2018-05-01

In the implosion conjecture, coronal loops contract as the result of magnetic energy release in solar eruptions and flares. However, after almost two decades, observations of this phenomenon are still rare and most previous reports are plagued by projection effects so that loop contraction could be either true implosion or just a change in loop inclination. In this paper, to demonstrate the reality of loop contractions in the global coronal dynamics, we present four events with the continuously contracting loops in an almost edge-on geometry from the perspective of SDO/AIA, which are free from the ambiguity caused by the projection effects, also supplemented by contemporary observations from STEREO for examination. In the wider context of observations, simulations and theories, we argue that the implosion conjecture is valid in interpreting these events. Furthermore, distinct properties of the events allow us to identify two physical categories of implosion. One type demonstrates a rapid contraction at the beginning of the flare impulsive phase, as magnetic free energy is removed rapidly by a filament eruption. The other type, which has no visible eruption, shows a continuous loop shrinkage during the entire flare impulsive phase, which we suggest shows the ongoing conversion of magnetic free energy in a coronal volume. Corresponding scenarios are described that can provide reasonable explanations for the observations. We also point out that implosions may be suppressed in cases when a heavily mass-loaded filament is involved, possibly serving as an alternative account for their observational rarity.

Higher-Loop Amplitude Monodromy Relations in String and Gauge Theory.

PubMed

Tourkine, Piotr; Vanhove, Pierre

2016-11-18

The monodromy relations in string theory provide a powerful and elegant formalism to understand some of the deepest properties of tree-level field theory amplitudes, like the color-kinematics duality. This duality has been instrumental in tremendous progress on the computations of loop amplitudes in quantum field theory, but a higher-loop generalization of the monodromy construction was lacking. In this Letter, we extend the monodromy relations to higher loops in open string theory. Our construction, based on a contour deformation argument of the open string diagram integrands, leads to new identities that relate planar and nonplanar topologies in string theory. We write one and two-loop monodromy formulas explicitly at any multiplicity. In the field theory limit, at one-loop we obtain identities that reproduce known results. At two loops, we check our formulas by unitarity in the case of the four-point N=4 super-Yang-Mills amplitude.

On supersymmetry anomalies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, P. S.; Parkes, A. J.; West, P. C.

1985-01-01

It is shown analytically that there are no one-loop supersymmetry anomalies in N = 2 and N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories. This implies that the two-loop β functions in these theories are in accord with supersymmetry when the one-loop finite local counter terms required by supersymmetry are correctly taken into account. Permanent address: Department of Mathematics, King's College, London, UK.

N =4 supergravity next-to-maximally-helicity-violating six-point one-loop amplitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunbar, David C.; Perkins, Warren B.

2016-12-01

We construct the six-point, next-to-maximally-helicity-violating one-loop amplitude in N =4 supergravity using unitarity and recursion. The use of recursion requires the introduction of rational descendants of the cut-constructible pieces of the amplitude and the computation of the nonstandard factorization terms arising from the loop integrals.

Transequatorial loops interconnecting McMath regions 12472 and 12474

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Svestka, Z.; Krieger, A. S.; Chase, R. C.; Howard, R.

1977-01-01

The paper reviews the life history of one transequatorial loop in a system observed in soft X-rays for at least 1.5 days and which interconnected a newly born active region with an old region. The birth of the selected loop is discussed along with properties of the interconnected active regions, sharpening and brightening of the loop, decay of the loop system, and physical relations between the interconnected regions. It is concluded that: (1) the loop was most probably born via reconnection of magnetic-field lines extending from the two active regions toward the equator, which occurred later than 33 hr after the younger region was born; (2) the fully developed interconnection was composed of several loops, all of which appeared to be rooted in a spotless magnetic hill of preceding northern polarity but were spread over two separate spotty regions of southern polarity in the magnetically complex new region; (3) the loop electron temperature increased from 2.1 million to 3.1 million K in one to three hours when the loop system brightened; and (4) the loops became twisted during the brightening, possibly due to their rise in the corona while remaining rooted in moving magnetic features in the younger region.

A SOLAR TORNADO OBSERVED BY AIA/SDO: ROTATIONAL FLOW AND EVOLUTION OF MAGNETIC HELICITY IN A PROMINENCE AND CAVITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Xing; Morgan, Huw; Leonard, Drew

During 2011 September 24, as observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument of the Solar Dynamic Observatory and ground-based H{alpha} telescopes, a prominence and associated cavity appeared above the southwest limb. On 2011 September 25 8:00 UT, material flows upward from the prominence core along a narrow loop-like structure, accompanied by a rise ({>=}50,000 km) of the prominence core and the loop. As the loop fades by 10:00, small blobs and streaks of varying brightness rotate around the top part of the prominence and cavity, mimicking a cyclone. The most intense and coherent rotation lasts for over three hours, withmore » emission in both hot ({approx}1 MK) and cold (hydrogen and helium) lines. We suggest that the cyclonic appearance and overall evolution of the structure can be interpreted in terms of the expansion of helical structures into the cavity, and the movement of plasma along helical structures which appears as a rotation when viewed along the helix axis. The coordinated movement of material between prominence and cavity suggests that they are structurally linked. Complexity is great due to the combined effect of these actions and the line-of-sight integration through the structure which contains tangled fields.« less

Prediction error induced motor contagions in human behaviors.

PubMed

Ikegami, Tsuyoshi; Ganesh, Gowrishankar; Takeuchi, Tatsuya; Nakamoto, Hiroki

2018-05-29

Motor contagions refer to implicit effects on one's actions induced by observed actions. Motor contagions are believed to be induced simply by action observation and cause an observer's action to become similar to the action observed. In contrast, here we report a new motor contagion that is induced only when the observation is accompanied by prediction errors - differences between actions one observes and those he/she predicts or expects. In two experiments, one on whole-body baseball pitching and another on simple arm reaching, we show that the observation of the same action induces distinct motor contagions, depending on whether prediction errors are present or not. In the absence of prediction errors, as in previous reports, participants' actions changed to become similar to the observed action, while in the presence of prediction errors, their actions changed to diverge away from it, suggesting distinct effects of action observation and action prediction on human actions. © 2018, Ikegami et al.

On MHD rotational transport, instabilities and dynamo action in stellar radiation zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathis, Stéphane; Brun, A.-S.; Zahn, J.-P.

2009-04-01

Magnetic field and their related dynamical effects are thought to be important in stellar radiation zones. For instance, it has been suggested that a dynamo, sustained by a m = 1 MHD instability of toroidal magnetic fields (discovered by Tayler in 1973), could lead to a strong transport of angular momentum and of chemicals in such stable regions. We wish here to recall the different magnetic transport processes present in radiative zone and show how the dynamo can operate by recalling the conditions required to close the dynamo loop (BPol → BTor → BPol). Helped by high-resolution 3D MHD simulations using the ASH code in the solar case, we confirm the existence of the m = 1 instability, study its non-linear saturation, but we do not detect, up to a magnetic Reylnods number of 105, any dynamo action.

On the Liouville Integrability of the Periodic Kostant-Toda Flow on Matrix Loops of Level k

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Luen-Chau; Nie, Zhaohu

2017-06-01

In this work, we consider the periodic Kostant-Toda flow on matrix loops in sl(n,C) of level k, which correspond to periodic infinite band matrices with period n with lower bandwidth equal to k and fixed upper bandwidth equal to 1 with 1's on the first superdiagonal. We show that the coadjoint orbits through the submanifold of such matrix loops can be identified with those of a finite-dimensional Lie group, which appears in the form of a semi-direct product. We then characterize the generic coadjoint orbits and obtain an explicit global cross-section for such orbits. We also establish the Liouville integrability of the periodic Kostant-Toda flow on such orbits via the construction of action-angle variables.

Neural network based online simultaneous policy update algorithm for solving the HJI equation in nonlinear H∞ control.

PubMed

Wu, Huai-Ning; Luo, Biao

2012-12-01

It is well known that the nonlinear H∞ state feedback control problem relies on the solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs (HJI) equation, which is a nonlinear partial differential equation that has proven to be impossible to solve analytically. In this paper, a neural network (NN)-based online simultaneous policy update algorithm (SPUA) is developed to solve the HJI equation, in which knowledge of internal system dynamics is not required. First, we propose an online SPUA which can be viewed as a reinforcement learning technique for two players to learn their optimal actions in an unknown environment. The proposed online SPUA updates control and disturbance policies simultaneously; thus, only one iterative loop is needed. Second, the convergence of the online SPUA is established by proving that it is mathematically equivalent to Newton's method for finding a fixed point in a Banach space. Third, we develop an actor-critic structure for the implementation of the online SPUA, in which only one critic NN is needed for approximating the cost function, and a least-square method is given for estimating the NN weight parameters. Finally, simulation studies are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Metabolism and acetylation contribute to leucine-mediated inhibition of cardiac glucose uptake.

PubMed

Renguet, Edith; Ginion, Audrey; Gélinas, Roselle; Bultot, Laurent; Auquier, Julien; Robillard Frayne, Isabelle; Daneault, Caroline; Vanoverschelde, Jean-Louis; Des Rosiers, Christine; Hue, Louis; Horman, Sandrine; Beauloye, Christophe; Bertrand, Luc

2017-08-01

High plasma leucine levels strongly correlate with type 2 diabetes. Studies of muscle cells have suggested that leucine alters the insulin response for glucose transport by activating an insulin-negative feedback loop driven by the mammalian target of rapamycin/p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (mTOR/p70S6K) pathway. Here, we examined the molecular mechanism involved in leucine's action on cardiac glucose uptake. Leucine was indeed able to curb glucose uptake after insulin stimulation in both cultured cardiomyocytes and perfused hearts. Although leucine activated mTOR/p70S6K, the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin did not prevent leucine's inhibitory action on glucose uptake, ruling out the contribution of the insulin-negative feedback loop. α-Ketoisocaproate, the first metabolite of leucine catabolism, mimicked leucine's effect on glucose uptake. Incubation of cardiomyocytes with [ 13 C]leucine ascertained its metabolism to ketone bodies (KBs), which had a similar negative impact on insulin-stimulated glucose transport. Both leucine and KBs reduced glucose uptake by affecting translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane. Finally, we found that leucine elevated the global protein acetylation level. Pharmacological inhibition of lysine acetyltransferases counteracted this increase in protein acetylation and prevented leucine's inhibitory action on both glucose uptake and GLUT4 translocation. Taken together, these results indicate that leucine metabolism into KBs contributes to inhibition of cardiac glucose uptake by hampering the translocation of GLUT4-containing vesicles via acetylation. They offer new insights into the establishment of insulin resistance in the heart. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Catabolism of the branched-chain amino acid leucine into ketone bodies efficiently inhibits cardiac glucose uptake through decreased translocation of glucose transporter 4 to the plasma membrane. Leucine increases protein acetylation. Pharmacological inhibition of acetylation reverses leucine's action, suggesting acetylation involvement in this phenomenon.Listen to this article's corresponding podcast at http://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/leucine-metabolism-inhibits-cardiac-glucose-uptake/. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Nonlinear space charge dynamics in mixed ionic-electronic conductors: Resistive switching and ferroelectric-like hysteresis of electromechanical response

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morozovska, Anna N.; Morozovsky, Nicholas V.; Eliseev, Eugene A.

We performed self-consistent modelling of nonlinear electrotransport and electromechanical response of thin films of mixed ionic-electronic conductors (MIEC) allowing for steric effects of mobile charged defects (ions, protons, or vacancies), electron degeneration, and Vegard stresses. We establish correlations between the features of the nonlinear space-charge dynamics, current-voltage, and bending-voltage curves for different types of the film electrodes. A pronounced ferroelectric-like hysteresis of the bending-voltage loops and current maxima on the double hysteresis current-voltage loops appear for the electron-transport electrodes. The double hysteresis loop with pronounced humps indicates a memristor-type resistive switching. The switching occurs due to the strong nonlinear couplingmore » between the electronic and ionic subsystems. A sharp meta-stable maximum of the electron density appears near one open electrode and moves to another one during the periodic change of applied voltage. Our results can explain the nonlinear nature and correlation of electrical and mechanical memory effects in thin MIEC films. The analytical expression proving that the electrically induced bending of MIEC films can be detected by interferometric methods is derived.« less

QED loop effects in the spacetime background of a Schwarzschild black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emelyanov, Viacheslav A.

2017-12-01

The black-hole evaporation implies that the quantum-field propagators in a local Minkowski frame acquire a correction, which gives rise to this process. The modification of the propagators causes, in turn, non-trivial local effects due to the radiative/loop diagrams in non-linear QFTs. In particular, there should be imprints of the evaporation in QED, if one goes beyond the tree-level approximation. Of special interest in this respect is the region near the black-hole horizon, which, already at tree level, appears to show highly non-classical features, e.g., negative energy density and energy flux into the black hole.

Smith predictor-based multiple periodic disturbance compensation for long dead-time processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Fang; Li, Han-Xiong; Shen, Ping

2018-05-01

Many disturbance rejection methods have been proposed for processes with dead-time, while these existing methods may not work well under multiple periodic disturbances. In this paper, a multiple periodic disturbance rejection is proposed under the Smith predictor configuration for processes with long dead-time. One feedback loop is added to compensate periodic disturbance while retaining the advantage of the Smith predictor. With information of the disturbance spectrum, the added feedback loop can remove multiple periodic disturbances effectively. The robust stability can be easily maintained through the rigorous analysis. Finally, simulation examples demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method for processes with long dead-time.

Nuclear axial currents in chiral effective field theory

DOE PAGES

Baroni, Alessandro; Girlanda, Luca; Pastore, Saori; ...

2016-01-11

Two-nucleon axial charge and current operators are derived in chiral effective field theory up to one loop. The derivation is based on time-ordered perturbation theory and accounts for cancellations between the contributions of irreducible diagrams and the contributions owing to nonstatic corrections from energy denominators of reducible diagrams. Ultraviolet divergencies associated with the loop corrections are isolated in dimensional regularization. The resulting axial current is finite and conserved in the chiral limit, while the axial charge requires renormalization. As a result, a complete set of contact terms for the axial charge up to the relevant order in the power countingmore » is constructed.« less

Highly improved staggered quarks on the lattice with applications to charm physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Follana, E.; Davies, C.; Wong, K.

2007-03-01

We use perturbative Symanzik improvement to create a new staggered-quark action (HISQ) that has greatly reduced one-loop taste-exchange errors, no tree-level order a{sup 2} errors, and no tree-level order (am){sup 4} errors to leading order in the quark's velocity v/c. We demonstrate with simulations that the resulting action has taste-exchange interactions that are 3-4 times smaller than the widely used ASQTAD action. We show how to bound errors due to taste exchange by comparing ASQTAD and HISQ simulations, and demonstrate with simulations that such errors are likely no more than 1% when HISQ is used for light quarks at latticemore » spacings of 1/10 fm or less. The suppression of (am){sup 4} errors also makes HISQ the most accurate discretization currently available for simulating c quarks. We demonstrate this in a new analysis of the {psi}-{eta}{sub c} mass splitting using the HISQ action on lattices where am{sub c}=0.43 and 0.66, with full-QCD gluon configurations (from MILC). We obtain a result of 111(5) MeV which compares well with the experiment. We discuss applications of this formalism to D physics and present our first high-precision results for D{sub s} mesons.« less

Exploring the potential of a multi-level approach to improve capability for continuous organizational improvement and learning in a Swedish healthcare region.

PubMed

Nyström, M E; Höög, E; Garvare, R; Andersson Bäck, M; Terris, D D; Hansson, J

2018-05-24

Eldercare and care of people with functional impairments is organized by the municipalities in Sweden. Improving care in these areas is complex, with multiple stakeholders and organizations. Appropriate strategies to develop capability for continuing organizational improvement and learning (COIL) are needed. The purpose of our study was to develop and pilot-test a flexible, multilevel approach for COIL capability building and to identify what it takes to achieve changes in key actors' approaches to COIL. The approach, named "Sustainable Improvement and Development through Strategic and Systematic Approaches" (SIDSSA), was applied through an action-research and action-learning intervention. The SIDSSA approach was tested in a regional research and development (R&D) unit, and in two municipalities handling care of the elderly and people with functional impairments. Our approach included a multilevel strategy, development loops of five flexible phases, and an action-learning loop. The approach was designed to support systems understanding, strategic focus, methodological practices, and change process knowledge - all of which required double-loop learning. Multiple qualitative methods, i.e., repeated interviews, process diaries, and documents, provided data for conventional content analyses. The new approach was successfully tested on all cases and adopted and sustained by the R&D unit. Participants reported new insights and skills. The development loop facilitated a sense of coherence and control during uncertainty, improved planning and problem analysis, enhanced mapping of context and conditions, and supported problem-solving at both the individual and unit levels. The systems-level view and structured approach helped participants to explain, motivate, and implement change initiatives, especially after working more systematically with mapping, analyses, and goal setting. An easily understood and generalizable model internalized by key organizational actors is an important step before more complex development models can be implemented. SIDSSA facilitated individual and group learning through action-learning and supported systems-level views and structured approaches across multiple organizational levels. Active involvement of diverse organizational functions and levels in the learning process was facilitated. However, the time frame was too short to fully test all aspects of the approach, specifically in reaching beyond the involved managers to front-line staff and patients.

OPE for super loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sever, Amit; Vieira, Pedro; Wang, Tianheng

2011-11-01

We extend the Operator Product Expansion for Null Polygon Wilson loops to the Mason-Skinner-Caron-Huot super loop dual to non MHV gluon amplitudes. We explain how the known tree level amplitudes can be promoted into an infinite amount of data at any loop order in the OPE picture. As an application, we re-derive all one loop NMHV six gluon amplitudes by promoting their tree level expressions. We also present some new all loops predictions for these amplitudes.

Metabolic complications associated with use of diuretics.

PubMed

Palmer, Biff F

2011-11-01

Diuretics are commonly used therapeutic agents that act to inhibit sodium transport systems along the length of the renal tubule. The most effective diuretics are inhibitors of sodium chloride transport in the thick ascending limb of Henle. Loop diuretics mobilize large amounts of sodium chloride and water and produce a copious diuresis with a sharp reduction of extracellular fluid volume. As the site of action of diuretics moves downstream (thiazide and potassium-sparing diuretics), their effectiveness declines because the transport systems they inhibit have low transport capacity. Depending on the site of action diuretics can influence the renal handling of electrolyte-free water, calcium, potassium, protons, sodium bicarbonate, and uric acid. As a result, electrolyte and acid-base disorders commonly accompany diuretic use. Glucose and lipid abnormalities also can occur, particularly with the use of thiazide diuretics. This review focuses on the biochemical complications associated with the use of diuretics. The development of these complications can be minimized with careful monitoring, dosage adjustment, and replacement of electrolyte losses. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

47 CFR 51.230 - Presumption of acceptability for deployment of an advanced services loop technology.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... an advanced services loop technology. 51.230 Section 51.230 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS... Carriers § 51.230 Presumption of acceptability for deployment of an advanced services loop technology. (a) An advanced services loop technology is presumed acceptable for deployment under any one of the...

LOOP CALCULUS AND BELIEF PROPAGATION FOR Q-ARY ALPHABET: LOOP TOWER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

CHERTKOV, MICHAEL; CHERNYAK, VLADIMIR

Loop calculus introduced in [1], [2] constitutes a new theoretical tool that explicitly expresses symbol Maximum-A-Posteriori (MAP) solution of a general statistical inference problem via a solution of the Belief Propagation (BP) equations. This finding brought a new significance to the BP concept, which in the past was thought of as just a loop-free approximation. In this paper they continue a discussion of the Loop Calculus, partitioning the results into three Sections. In Section 1 they introduce a new formulation of the Loop Calculus in terms of a set of transformations (gauges) that keeping the partition function of the problemmore » invariant. The full expression contains two terms referred to as the 'ground state' and 'excited states' contributions. The BP equations are interpreted as a special (BP) gauge fixing condition that emerges as a special orthogonality constraint between the ground state and excited states, which also selects loop contributions as the only surviving ones among the excited states. In Section 2 they demonstrate how the invariant interpretation of the Loop Calculus, introduced in Section 1, allows a natural extension to the case of a general q-ary alphabet, this is achieved via a loop tower sequential construction. The ground level in the tower is exactly equivalent to assigning one color (out of q available) to the 'ground state' and considering all 'excited' states colored in the remaining (q-1) colors, according to the loop calculus rule. Sequentially, the second level in the tower corresponds to selecting a loop from the previous step, colored in (q-1) colors, and repeating the same ground vs excited states splitting procedure into one and (q-2) colors respectively. The construction proceeds till the full (q-1)-levels deep loop tower (and the corresponding contributions to the partition function) are established. In Section 3 they discuss an ultimate relation between the loop calculus and the Bethe-Free energy variational approach of [3].« less

An investigation of the impact of Melbourne Zoo's "Seal-the-Loop" donate call-to-action on visitor satisfaction and behavior.

PubMed

Mellish, Sarah; Sanders, Ben; Litchfield, Carla A; Pearson, Elissa L

2017-05-01

Modern zoos are uniquely positioned to educate the public about environmental issues and promote conservation action. This report investigates the introduction of a donation request during an interactive fur seal presentation (as part of Melbourne Zoo's "Seal-the-Loop" initiative) on visitor satisfaction, perceptions of donation as a way to help wild fur seals, and donation behaviors. Comparisons are made between three groups surveyed upon exit: (1) viewed the interactive fur seal presentation prior to the donation request implementation (pledge-presentation: N = 86; see Mellish, Pearson, Sanders, and Litchfield []; International Zoo Yearbook 129:129-154); (2) viewed the interactive fur seal presentation including the donation request (donate-presentation: N = 82); and (3) viewed the fur seal exhibit and donation point but not the presentation and were not directly asked to make a donation (donate-exhibit: N = 82). Findings demonstrate visitor satisfaction with the interactive fur seal presentation was not negatively impacted following the implementation of the donate request (with >92% of pledge-presentation and donate-presentation visitors providing a "satisfied" or "very satisfied" rating). Only the donate-presentation visitors reported donation as a conservation action to help wild fur seals (19.18%; 0% for pledge-presentation visitors). While both donate-exhibit (39.51%) and donate-presentation visitors (60.75%) self-reported making donations or intending to do so, donation behavior was significantly increased for visitors who had viewed the fur seal presentation. Findings provide preliminary support that zoos may utilize interactive educational presentations to effectively ask visitors for donations to support specific conservation projects, without negatively impacting on satisfaction and with a relatively high level of visitor engagement. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The AdS/CFT Correspondence: Classical, Quantum, and Thermodynamical Aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Donovan

2007-06-01

Certain aspects of the AdS/CFT correspondence are studied in detail. We investigate the one-loop mass shift to certain two-impurity string states in light-cone string field theory on a plane wave background. We find that there exist logarithmic divergences in the sums over intermediate mode numbers which cancel between the cubic Hamiltonian and quartic "contact term". We argue that generically, every order in intermediate state impurities contributes to the mass shift at leading perturbative order. The same mass shift is also computed using an improved 3-string vertex proposed by Dobashi and Yoneya. The result is found to agree with gauge theory at leading order and is close but not quite in agreement at subleading order. We extend the analysis to include discrete light-cone quantization, considering states with up to three units of p+. We study the (apparently) first-order phase transition in the weakly coupled plane-wave matrix model at finite temperature. We analyze the effect of interactions by computing the relevant parts of the effective potential for the Polyakov loop operator to three loop order. We show that the phase transition is indeed of first order. We also compute the 2-loop correction to the Hagedorn temperature. Finally, correlation functions of 1/4 BPS Wilson loops with the infinite family of 1/2 BPS chiral primary operators are computed in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory by summing planar ladder diagrams. The correlation functions are also computed in the strong-coupling limit using string theory; the result is found to agree with the extrapolation of the planar ladders. The result is related to similar correlators of 1/2 BPS loops by a simple re-scaling of the coupling constant, discovered by Drukker for the case of the 1/4 BPS loop VEV.

Suppression of heating of coronal loops rooted in opposite polarity sunspot umbrae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Sanjiv K.; Thalmann, Julia K.; Moore, Ronald L.; Panesar, Navdeep; Winebarger, Amy R.

2016-05-01

EUV observations of active region (AR) coronae reveal the presence of loops at different temperatures. To understand the mechanisms that result in hotter or cooler loops, we study a typical bipolar AR, near solar disk center, which has moderate overall magnetic twist and at least one fully developed sunspot of each polarity. From AIA 193 and 94 A images we identify many clearly discernible coronal loops that connect plage or a sunspot of one polarity to an opposite-polarity plage region. The AIA 94 A images show dim regions in the umbrae of the spots. To see which coronal loops are rooted in a dim umbral area, we performed a non-linear force-free field (NLFFF) modeling using photospheric vector magnetic field measurements obtained with the HMI onboard SDO. After validation of the NLFFF model by comparison of calculated model field lines and observed loops in AIA 193 and 94, we specify the photospheric roots of the model field lines. The model field then shows the coronal magnetic loops that arch from the dim umbral areas of the opposite polarity sunspots. Because these coronal loops are not visible in any of the coronal EUV and X-ray images of the AR, we conclude they are the coolest loops in the AR. This result suggests that the loops connecting opposite polarity umbrae are the least heated because the field in umbrae is so strong that the convective braiding of the field is strongly suppressed.We hypothesize that the convective freedom at the feet of a coronal loop, together with the strength of the field in the body of the loop, determines the strength of the heating. In particular, we expect the hottest coronal loops to have one foot in an umbra and the other foot in opposite-polarity penumbra or plage (coronal moss), the areas of strong field in which convection is not as strongly suppressed as in umbra. Many transient, outstandingly bright, loops in the AIA 94 movie of the AR do have this expected rooting pattern. We will also present another example of AR in which we find a similar rooting pattern of coronal loops.

Deployable radiator with flexible line loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keeler, Bryan V. (Inventor); Lehtinen, Arthur Mathias (Inventor); McGee, Billy W. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

Radiator assembly (10) for use on a spacecraft (12) is provided including at least one radiator panel assembly (26) repeatably movable between a panel stowed position (28) and a panel deployed position (36), at least two flexible lines (40) in fluid communication with the at least one radiator panel assembly (26) and repeatably movable between a stowage loop (42) and a flattened deployed loop (44).

On the performance of digital phase locked loops in the threshold region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurst, G. T.; Gupta, S. C.

1974-01-01

Extended Kalman filter algorithms are used to obtain a digital phase lock loop structure for demodulation of angle modulated signals. It is shown that the error variance equations obtained directly from this structure enable one to predict threshold if one retains higher frequency terms. This is in sharp contrast to the similar analysis of the analog phase lock loop, where the higher frequency terms are filtered out because of the low pass filter in the loop. Results are compared to actual simulation results and threshold region results obtained previously.

Universality, twisted fans, and the Ising model. [Renormalization, two-loop calculations, scale

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dash, J.W.; Harrington, S.J.

1975-06-24

Critical exponents are evaluated for the Ising model using universality in the form of ''twisted fans'' previously introduced in Reggeon field theory. The universality is with respect to scales induced through renormalization. Exact twists are obtained at ..beta.. = 0 in one loop for D = 2,3 with ..nu.. = 0.75 and 0.60 respectively. In two loops one obtains ..nu.. approximately 1.32 and 0.68. No twists are obtained for eta, however. The results for the standard two loop calculations are also presented as functions of a scale.

Simulation of process identification and controller tuning for flow control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chew, I. M.; Wong, F.; Bono, A.; Wong, K. I.

2017-06-01

PID controller is undeniably the most popular method used in controlling various industrial processes. The feature to tune the three elements in PID has allowed the controller to deal with specific needs of the industrial processes. This paper discusses the three elements of control actions and improving robustness of controllers through combination of these control actions in various forms. A plant model is simulated using the Process Control Simulator in order to evaluate the controller performance. At first, the open loop response of the plant is studied by applying a step input to the plant and collecting the output data from the plant. Then, FOPDT of physical model is formed by using both Matlab-Simulink and PRC method. Then, calculation of controller’s setting is performed to find the values of Kc and τi that will give satisfactory control in closed loop system. Then, the performance analysis of closed loop system is obtained by set point tracking analysis and disturbance rejection performance. To optimize the overall physical system performance, a refined tuning of PID or detuning is further conducted to ensure a consistent resultant output of closed loop system reaction to the set point changes and disturbances to the physical model. As a result, the PB = 100 (%) and τi = 2.0 (s) is preferably chosen for setpoint tracking while PB = 100 (%) and τi = 2.5 (s) is selected for rejecting the imposed disturbance to the model. In a nutshell, selecting correlation tuning values is likewise depended on the required control’s objective for the stability performance of overall physical model.

Double closed-loop control of integrated optical resonance gyroscope with mean-square exponential stability.

PubMed

Li, Hui; Liu, Liying; Lin, Zhili; Wang, Qiwei; Wang, Xiao; Feng, Lishuang

2018-01-22

A new double closed-loop control system with mean-square exponential stability is firstly proposed to optimize the detection accuracy and dynamic response characteristic of the integrated optical resonance gyroscope (IORG). The influence mechanism of optical nonlinear effects on system detection sensitivity is investigated to optimize the demodulation gain, the maximum sensitivity and the linear work region of a gyro system. Especially, we analyze the effect of optical parameter fluctuation on the parameter uncertainty of system, and investigate the influence principle of laser locking-frequency noise on the closed-loop detection accuracy of angular velocity. The stochastic disturbance model of double closed-loop IORG is established that takes the unfavorable factors such as optical effect nonlinearity, disturbed disturbance, optical parameter fluctuation and unavoidable system noise into consideration. A robust control algorithm is also designed to guarantee the mean-square exponential stability of system with a prescribed H ∞ performance in order to improve the detection accuracy and dynamic performance of IORG. The conducted experiment results demonstrate that the IORG has a dynamic response time less than 76us, a long-term bias stability 7.04°/h with an integration time of 10s over one-hour test, and the corresponding bias stability 1.841°/h based on Allan deviation, which validate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed detection scheme.

From Loops to Trees By-passing Feynman's Theorem

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Catani, Stefano; Gleisberg, Tanju; Krauss, Frank

2008-04-22

We derive a duality relation between one-loop integrals and phase-space integrals emerging from them through single cuts. The duality relation is realized by a modification of the customary + i0 prescription of the Feynman propagators. The new prescription regularizing the propagators, which we write in a Lorentz covariant form, compensates for the absence of multiple cut contributions that appear in the Feynman Tree Theorem. The duality relation can be applied to generic one-loop quantities in any relativistic, local and unitary field theories. It is suitable for applications to the analytical calculation of one-loop scattering amplitudes, and to the numerical evaluationmore » of cross-sections at next-to-leading order.« less

A dihydropyridine receptor alpha1s loop region critical for skeletal muscle contraction is intrinsically unstructured and binds to a SPRY domain of the type 1 ryanodine receptor.

PubMed

Cui, Yanfang; Tae, Han-Shen; Norris, Nicole C; Karunasekara, Yamuna; Pouliquin, Pierre; Board, Philip G; Dulhunty, Angela F; Casarotto, Marco G

2009-03-01

The II-III loop of the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) alpha(1s) subunit is a modulator of the ryanodine receptor (RyR1) Ca(2+) release channel in vitro and is essential for skeletal muscle contraction in vivo. Despite its importance, the structure of this loop has not been reported. We have investigated its structure using a suite of NMR techniques which revealed that the DHPR II-III loop is an intrinsically unstructured protein (IUP) and as such belongs to a burgeoning structural class of functionally important proteins. The loop does not possess a stable tertiary fold: it is highly flexible, with a strong N-terminal helix followed by nascent helical/turn elements and unstructured segments. Its residual structure is loosely globular with the N and C termini in close proximity. The unstructured nature of the II-III loop may allow it to easily modify its interaction with RyR1 following a surface action potential and thus initiate rapid Ca(2+) release and contraction. The in vitro binding partner for the II-III was investigated. The II-III loop interacts with the second of three structurally distinct SPRY domains in RyR1, whose function is unknown. This interaction occurs through two preformed N-terminal alpha-helical regions and a C-terminal hydrophobic element. The A peptide corresponding to the helical N-terminal region is a common probe of RyR function and binds to the same SPRY domain as the full II-III loop. Thus the second SPRY domain is an in vitro binding site for the II-III loop. The possible in vivo role of this region is discussed.

Taste changing in staggered quarks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quentin Mason et al.

2004-01-05

The authors present results from a systematic perturbative investigation of taste-changing in improved staggered quarks. They show one-loop taste-changing interactions can be removed perturbatively by an effective four-quark term and calculate the necessary coefficients.

The importance of plasma effects on electron-cyclotron maser-emission from flaring loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharma, R. R.; Vlahos, L.; Papadopoulos, K.

1982-01-01

Electron cyclotron maser instability has been suggested as the cause of the observed short (10-20 msec), intense (an approximate brightness temperature of 10 to the 15th K) and up to 100% polarized microwave solar emission. It is shown that plasma effects and thermal cyclotron damping, ignored in previous theories, play an important role in controlling the frequency range of the emission. The radio emission is suppressed for ratios of the plasma frequency to the cyclotron frequency smaller than 0.4. An examination of the cyclotron damping, reveals that the maser action is suppressed unless a large fraction (i.e., over 10%) of the accelerated electrons participates in the emission process.

[Local GABA-ergic modulation of serotonergic neuron activity in the nucleus raphe magnus].

PubMed

Iniushkin, A N; Merkulova, N A; Orlova, A O; Iniushkina, E M

2009-07-01

In voltage-clamp experimental on slices of the rat brainstem the effects of 5-HT and GABA on serotonergic neurons of nucleus raphe magnus were investigated. Local applications of 5-HT induced an increase in IPCSs frequency and amplitude in 45% of serotonergic cells. The effect suppressed by the blocker of fast sodium channels tetradotoxin. Antagonist of GABA receptor gabazine blocked IPSCs in neurons both sensitive and non-sensitive to 5-HT action. Applications of GABA induced a membrane current (I(GABA)), which was completely blocked by gabazine. The data suggest self-control of the activity of serotonergic neurons in nucleus raphe magnus by negative feedback loop via local GABAergic interneurons.

And the Human Saves the Day or Maybe They Ruin It, The Importance of Humans in the Loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeMott, Diana L.; Boyer, Roger L.

2017-01-01

Flying a mission in space requires a massive commitment of resources, and without the talent and commitment of the people involved in this effort we would never leave the atmosphere of Earth as safely as we have. When we use the phrase "humans in the loop", it could apply to almost any endeavor since everything starts with humans developing a concept, completing the design process, building or implementing a product and using the product to achieve a goal or purpose. Narrowing the focus to spaceflight, there are a variety of individuals involved throughout the preparations for flight and the flight itself. All of the humans involved add value and support for program success. The paper discusses the concepts of human involvement in technological programs, how a Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) accounts for the human in the loop for potential missions using a technique called Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) and the tradeoffs between having a human in the loop or not. Human actions can increase or decrease the overall risk via initiating events or mitigating them, thus removing the human from the loop doesn't always lowers the risk.

Photon-Z mixing the Weinberg-Salam model: Effective charges and the a = -3 gauge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baulieu, L.; Coquereaux, R.

1982-04-15

We study some properties of the Weinberg-Salam model connected with the photon-Z mixing. We solve the linear Dyson-Schwinger equations between full and 1PI boson propagators. The task is made easier, by the two-point function Ward identities that we derive to all orders and in any gauge. Some aspects of the renormalization of the model are also discussed. We display the exact mass-dependent one-loop two-point functions involving the photon and Z field in any linear xi-gauge. The special gauge a = xi/sup -1/ = -3 is shown to play a peculiar role. In this gauge, the Z field is multiplicatively renormalizablemore » (at the one-loop level), and one can construct both electric and weak effective charges of the theory from the photon and Z propagators, with a very simple expression similar to that of the QED Petermann, Stueckelberg, Gell-Mann and Low charge.« less

Automated High-Temperature Hall-Effect Apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, James B.; Zoltan, Leslie D.

1992-01-01

Automated apparatus takes Hall-effect measurements of specimens of thermoelectric materials at temperatures from ambient to 1,200 K using computer control to obtain better resolution of data and more data points about three times as fast as before. Four-probe electrical-resistance measurements taken in 12 electrical and 2 magnetic orientations to characterize specimens at each temperature. Computer acquires data, and controls apparatus via three feedback loops: one for temperature, one for magnetic field, and one for electrical-potential data.

Charged string loops in Reissner-Nordström black hole background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oteev, Tursinbay; Kološ, Martin; Stuchlík, Zdeněk

2018-03-01

We study the motion of current carrying charged string loops in the Reissner-Nordström black hole background combining the gravitational and electromagnetic field. Introducing new electromagnetic interaction between central charge and charged string loop makes the string loop equations of motion to be non-integrable even in the flat spacetime limit, but it can be governed by an effective potential even in the black hole background. We classify different types of the string loop trajectories using effective potential approach, and we compare the innermost stable string loop positions with loci of the charged particle innermost stable orbits. We examine string loop small oscillations around minima of the string loop effective potential, and we plot radial profiles of the string loop oscillation frequencies for both the radial and vertical modes. We construct charged string loop quasi-periodic oscillations model and we compare it with observed data from microquasars GRO 1655-40, XTE 1550-564, and GRS 1915+105. We also study the acceleration of current carrying string loops along the vertical axis and the string loop ejection from RN black hole neighbourhood, taking also into account the electromagnetic interaction.

Situation awareness-based agent transparency for human-autonomy teaming effectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jessie Y. C.; Barnes, Michael J.; Wright, Julia L.; Stowers, Kimberly; Lakhmani, Shan G.

2017-05-01

We developed the Situation awareness-based Agent Transparency (SAT) model to support human operators' situation awareness of the mission environment through teaming with intelligent agents. The model includes the agent's current actions and plans (Level 1), its reasoning process (Level 2), and its projection of future outcomes (Level 3). Human-inthe-loop simulation experiments have been conducted (Autonomous Squad Member and IMPACT) to illustrate the utility of the model for human-autonomy team interface designs. Across studies, the results consistently showed that human operators' task performance improved as the agents became more transparent. They also perceived transparent agents as more trustworthy.

Tryptophan as a Molecular Shovel in the Glycosyl Transfer Activity of Trypanosoma cruzi Trans-sialidase

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Felicity L.; Miles, Steven M.; Neres, João; Bichenkova, Elena V.; Bryce, Richard A.

2010-01-01

Abstract Molecular dynamics investigations into active site plasticity of Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase, a protein implicated in Chagas disease, suggest that movement of the Trp312 loop plays an important role in the enzyme's sialic acid transfer mechanism. The observed Trp312 flexibility equates to a molecular shovel action, which leads to the expulsion of the donor aglycone leaving group from the catalytic site. These computational simulations provide detailed structural insights into sialyl transfer by the trans-sialidase and may aid the design of inhibitors effective against this neglected tropical disease. PMID:20441732

Regulating prefrontal cortex activation: an emerging role for the 5-HT₂A serotonin receptor in the modulation of emotion-based actions?

PubMed

Aznar, Susana; Klein, Anders B

2013-12-01

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in mediating important higher-order cognitive processes such as decision making, prompting thereby our actions. At the same time, PFC activation is strongly influenced by emotional reactions through its functional interaction with the amygdala and the striatal circuitry, areas involved in emotion and reward processing. The PFC, however, is able to modulate amygdala reactivity via a feedback loop to this area. A role for serotonin in adjusting for this circuitry of cognitive regulation of emotion has long been suggested based primarily on the positive pharmacological effect of elevating serotonin levels in anxiety regulation. Recent animal and human functional magnetic resonance studies have pointed to a specific involvement of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)2A serotonin receptor in the PFC feedback regulatory projection onto the amygdala. This receptor is highly expressed in the prefrontal cortex areas, playing an important role in modulating cortical activity and neural oscillations (brain waves). This makes it an interesting potential pharmacological target for the treatment of neuropsychiatric modes characterized by lack of inhibitory control of emotion-based actions, such as addiction and other impulse-related behaviors. In this review, we give an overview of the 5-HT2A receptor distribution (neuronal, intracellular, and anatomical) along with its functional and physiological effect on PFC activation, and how that relates to more recent findings of a regulatory effect of the PFC on the emotional control of our actions.

Feedback from incident reporting: information and action to improve patient safety.

PubMed

Benn, J; Koutantji, M; Wallace, L; Spurgeon, P; Rejman, M; Healey, A; Vincent, C

2009-02-01

Effective feedback from incident reporting systems in healthcare is essential if organisations are to learn from failures in the delivery of care. Despite the wide-scale development and implementation of incident reporting in healthcare, studies in the UK suggest that information concerning system vulnerabilities could be better applied to improve operational safety within organisations. In this article, the findings and implications of research to identify forms of effective feedback from incident reporting are discussed, to promote best practices in this area. The research comprised a mixed methods review to investigate mechanisms of effective feedback for healthcare, drawing upon experience within established reporting programmes in high-risk industry and transport domains. Systematic searches of published literature were undertaken, and 23 case studies describing incident reporting programmes with feedback were identified for analysis from the international healthcare literature. Semistructured interviews were undertaken with 19 subject matter experts across a range of domains, including: civil aviation, maritime, energy, rail, offshore production and healthcare. In analysis, qualitative information from several sources was synthesised into practical requirements for developing effective feedback in healthcare. Both action and information feedback mechanisms were identified, serving safety awareness, improvement and motivational functions. The provision of actionable feedback that visibly improved systems was highlighted as important in promoting future reporting. Fifteen requirements for the design of effective feedback systems were identified, concerning: the role of leadership, the credibility and content of information, effective dissemination channels, the capacity for rapid action and the need for feedback at all levels of the organisation, among others. Above all, the safety-feedback cycle must be closed by ensuring that reporting, analysis and investigation result in timely corrective actions that effectively address vulnerabilities in existing work systems. Limited research evidence exists concerning the issue of effective forms of safety feedback within healthcare. Much valuable operational knowledge resides in safety management communities within high-risk industries. Multiple means of feeding back recommended actions and safety information may be usefully employed to promote safety awareness, improve clinical processes and promote future reporting. Further work is needed to establish best practices for feedback systems in healthcare that effectively close the safety loop.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kitiashvili, I. N.; Mansour, N. N.; Wray, A. A.

Magnetic fields are usually observed in the quiet Sun as small-scale elements that cover the entire solar surface (the “salt-and-pepper” patterns in line-of-sight magnetograms). By using 3D radiative MHD numerical simulations, we find that these fields result from a local dynamo action in the top layers of the convection zone, where extremely weak “seed” magnetic fields (e.g., from a 10{sup −6} G) can locally grow above the mean equipartition field to a stronger than 2000 G field localized in magnetic structures. Our results reveal that the magnetic flux is predominantly generated in regions of small-scale helical downflows. We find thatmore » the local dynamo action takes place mostly in a shallow, about 500 km deep, subsurface layer, from which the generated field is transported into the deeper layers by convective downdrafts. We demonstrate that the observed dominance of vertical magnetic fields at the photosphere and horizontal fields above the photosphere can be explained by small-scale magnetic loops produced by the dynamo. Such small-scale loops play an important role in the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere and their detection in observations is critical for understanding the local dynamo action on the Sun.« less

Neural-network-based state feedback control of a nonlinear discrete-time system in nonstrict feedback form.

PubMed

Jagannathan, Sarangapani; He, Pingan

2008-12-01

In this paper, a suite of adaptive neural network (NN) controllers is designed to deliver a desired tracking performance for the control of an unknown, second-order, nonlinear discrete-time system expressed in nonstrict feedback form. In the first approach, two feedforward NNs are employed in the controller with tracking error as the feedback variable whereas in the adaptive critic NN architecture, three feedforward NNs are used. In the adaptive critic architecture, two action NNs produce virtual and actual control inputs, respectively, whereas the third critic NN approximates certain strategic utility function and its output is employed for tuning action NN weights in order to attain the near-optimal control action. Both the NN control methods present a well-defined controller design and the noncausal problem in discrete-time backstepping design is avoided via NN approximation. A comparison between the controller methodologies is highlighted. The stability analysis of the closed-loop control schemes is demonstrated. The NN controller schemes do not require an offline learning phase and the NN weights can be initialized at zero or random. Results show that the performance of the proposed controller schemes is highly satisfactory while meeting the closed-loop stability.

Right- and left-loop short shRNAs have distinct and unusual mechanisms of gene silencing

PubMed Central

Dallas, Anne; Ilves, Heini; Ge, Qing; Kumar, Pavan; Shorenstein, Joshua; Kazakov, Sergei A.; Cuellar, Trinna L.; McManus, Michael T.; Behlke, Mark A.; Johnston, Brian H.

2012-01-01

Small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) having duplex lengths of 25–29 bp are normally processed by Dicer into short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) before incorporation into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). However, shRNAs of ≤19 bp [short shRNAs (sshRNAs)] are too short for Dicer to excise their loops, raising questions about their mechanism of action. sshRNAs are designated as L-type or R-type according to whether the loop is positioned 3′ or 5′ to the guide sequence, respectively. Using nucleotide modifications that inhibit RNA cleavage, we show that R- but not L-sshRNAs require loop cleavage for optimum activity. Passenger-arm slicing was found to be important for optimal functioning of L-sshRNAs but much less important for R-sshRNAs that have a cleavable loop. R-sshRNAs could be immunoprecipitated by antibodies to Argonaute-1 (Ago1); complexes with Ago1 contained both intact and loop-cleaved sshRNAs. In contrast, L-sshRNAs were immunoprecipitated with either Ago1 or Ago2 and were predominantly sliced in the passenger arm of the hairpin. However, ‘pre-sliced’ L-sshRNAs were inactive. We conclude that active L-sshRNAs depend on slicing of the passenger arm to facilitate opening of the duplex, whereas R-sshRNAs primarily act via loop cleavage to generate a 5′-phosphate at the 5′-end of the guide strand. PMID:22810205

Acupuncture's Cardiovascular Actions: A Mechanistic Perspective.

PubMed

Longhurst, John

2013-04-01

Over the last several decades, there has been an explosion of articles on acupuncture, including studies that have begun to explore mechanisms underlying its analgesic and cardiovascular actions. Modulation of cardiovascular function is most effective during manual and low-frequency, low-intensity electroacupuncture (EA) at a select set of acupoints situated along meridians located over deep somatic nerves on the upper and lower extremities. Stimulation at these acupoints activates underlying sensory neural pathways that project to a number of regions in the central nervous system (CNS) that ultimately regulate autonomic outflow and hence cardiovascular function. A long-loop pathway involving the hypothalamus, midbrain, and medulla underlies EA modulation of reflex increases in blood pressure (BP). Actions of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the supraspinal CNS underlie processing of the somatic input and adjustment of autonomic outflow during EA. Acupuncture also decreases elevated blood pressure through actions in the thoracic spinal cord. Reflexes that lower BP likewise are modulated by EA through its actions on sympathetic and parasympathetic nuclei in the medulla. The autonomic influence of acupuncture is slow in onset but prolonged in duration, typically lasting beyond the period of stimulation. Clinical studies suggest that acupuncture can be used to treat cardiac diseases, such as myocardial ischemia and hypertension, associated with overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Acupuncture's Cardiovascular Actions: A Mechanistic Perspective

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Abstract Over the last several decades, there has been an explosion of articles on acupuncture, including studies that have begun to explore mechanisms underlying its analgesic and cardiovascular actions. Modulation of cardiovascular function is most effective during manual and low-frequency, low-intensity electroacupuncture (EA) at a select set of acupoints situated along meridians located over deep somatic nerves on the upper and lower extremities. Stimulation at these acupoints activates underlying sensory neural pathways that project to a number of regions in the central nervous system (CNS) that ultimately regulate autonomic outflow and hence cardiovascular function. A long-loop pathway involving the hypothalamus, midbrain, and medulla underlies EA modulation of reflex increases in blood pressure (BP). Actions of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the supraspinal CNS underlie processing of the somatic input and adjustment of autonomic outflow during EA. Acupuncture also decreases elevated blood pressure through actions in the thoracic spinal cord. Reflexes that lower BP likewise are modulated by EA through its actions on sympathetic and parasympathetic nuclei in the medulla. The autonomic influence of acupuncture is slow in onset but prolonged in duration, typically lasting beyond the period of stimulation. Clinical studies suggest that acupuncture can be used to treat cardiac diseases, such as myocardial ischemia and hypertension, associated with overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. PMID:24761168

Electrostatic correlations in inhomogeneous charged fluids beyond loop expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buyukdagli, Sahin; Achim, C. V.; Ala-Nissila, T.

2012-09-01

Electrostatic correlation effects in inhomogeneous symmetric electrolytes are investigated within a previously developed electrostatic self-consistent theory [R. R. Netz and H. Orland, Eur. Phys. J. E 11, 301 (2003)], 10.1140/epje/i2002-10159-0. To this aim, we introduce two computational approaches that allow to solve the self-consistent equations beyond the loop expansion. The first method is based on a perturbative Green's function technique, and the second one is an extension of a previously introduced semiclassical approximation for single dielectric interfaces to the case of slit nanopores. Both approaches can handle the case of dielectrically discontinuous boundaries where the one-loop theory is known to fail. By comparing the theoretical results obtained from these schemes with the results of the Monte Carlo simulations that we ran for ions at neutral single dielectric interfaces, we first show that the weak coupling Debye-Huckel theory remains quantitatively accurate up to the bulk ion density ρb ≃ 0.01 M, whereas the self-consistent theory exhibits a good quantitative accuracy up to ρb ≃ 0.2 M, thus improving the accuracy of the Debye-Huckel theory by one order of magnitude in ionic strength. Furthermore, we compare the predictions of the self-consistent theory with previous Monte Carlo simulation data for charged dielectric interfaces and show that the proposed approaches can also accurately handle the correlation effects induced by the surface charge in a parameter regime where the mean-field result significantly deviates from the Monte Carlo data. Then, we derive from the perturbative self-consistent scheme the one-loop theory of asymmetrically partitioned salt systems around a dielectrically homogeneous charged surface. It is shown that correlation effects originate in these systems from a competition between the salt screening loss at the interface driving the ions to the bulk region, and the interfacial counterion screening excess attracting them towards the surface. This competition can be quantified in terms of the characteristic surface charge σ _s^*=√{2ρ _b/(π ℓ _B)}, where ℓB = 7 Å is the Bjerrum length. In the case of weak surface charges σ _s≪ σ _s^* where counterions form a diffuse layer, the interfacial salt screening loss is the dominant effect. As a result, correlation effects decrease the mean-field density of both coions and counterions. With an increase of the surface charge towards σ _s^*, the surface-attractive counterion screening excess starts to dominate, and correlation effects amplify in this regime the mean-field density of both type of ions. However, in the regime σ _s>σ _s^*, the same counterion screening excess also results in a significant decrease of the electrostatic mean-field potential. This reduces in turn the mean-field counterion density far from the charged surface. We also show that for σ _s≫ σ _s^*, electrostatic correlations result in a charge inversion effect. However, the electrostatic coupling regime where this phenomenon takes place should be verified with Monte Carlo simulations since this parameter regime is located beyond the validity range of the one-loop theory.

Electrostatic correlations in inhomogeneous charged fluids beyond loop expansion.

PubMed

Buyukdagli, Sahin; Achim, C V; Ala-Nissila, T

2012-09-14

Electrostatic correlation effects in inhomogeneous symmetric electrolytes are investigated within a previously developed electrostatic self-consistent theory [R. R. Netz and H. Orland, Eur. Phys. J. E 11, 301 (2003)]. To this aim, we introduce two computational approaches that allow to solve the self-consistent equations beyond the loop expansion. The first method is based on a perturbative Green's function technique, and the second one is an extension of a previously introduced semiclassical approximation for single dielectric interfaces to the case of slit nanopores. Both approaches can handle the case of dielectrically discontinuous boundaries where the one-loop theory is known to fail. By comparing the theoretical results obtained from these schemes with the results of the Monte Carlo simulations that we ran for ions at neutral single dielectric interfaces, we first show that the weak coupling Debye-Huckel theory remains quantitatively accurate up to the bulk ion density ρ(b) ≃ 0.01 M, whereas the self-consistent theory exhibits a good quantitative accuracy up to ρ(b) ≃ 0.2 M, thus improving the accuracy of the Debye-Huckel theory by one order of magnitude in ionic strength. Furthermore, we compare the predictions of the self-consistent theory with previous Monte Carlo simulation data for charged dielectric interfaces and show that the proposed approaches can also accurately handle the correlation effects induced by the surface charge in a parameter regime where the mean-field result significantly deviates from the Monte Carlo data. Then, we derive from the perturbative self-consistent scheme the one-loop theory of asymmetrically partitioned salt systems around a dielectrically homogeneous charged surface. It is shown that correlation effects originate in these systems from a competition between the salt screening loss at the interface driving the ions to the bulk region, and the interfacial counterion screening excess attracting them towards the surface. This competition can be quantified in terms of the characteristic surface charge σ(s)*=√(2ρ(b)/(πl(B)), where l(B) = 7 Å is the Bjerrum length. In the case of weak surface charges σ(s)≪σ(s)* where counterions form a diffuse layer, the interfacial salt screening loss is the dominant effect. As a result, correlation effects decrease the mean-field density of both coions and counterions. With an increase of the surface charge towards σ(s)*, the surface-attractive counterion screening excess starts to dominate, and correlation effects amplify in this regime the mean-field density of both type of ions. However, in the regime σ(s)>σ(s)*, the same counterion screening excess also results in a significant decrease of the electrostatic mean-field potential. This reduces in turn the mean-field counterion density far from the charged surface. We also show that for σ(s)≫σ(s)*, electrostatic correlations result in a charge inversion effect. However, the electrostatic coupling regime where this phenomenon takes place should be verified with Monte Carlo simulations since this parameter regime is located beyond the validity range of the one-loop theory.

Quantum corrections to the generalized Proca theory via a matter field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amado, André; Haghani, Zahra; Mohammadi, Azadeh; Shahidi, Shahab

2017-09-01

We study the quantum corrections to the generalized Proca theory via matter loops. We consider two types of interactions, linear and nonlinear in the vector field. Calculating the one-loop correction to the vector field propagator, three- and four-point functions, we show that the non-linear interactions are harmless, although they renormalize the theory. The linear matter-vector field interactions introduce ghost degrees of freedom to the generalized Proca theory. Treating the theory as an effective theory, we calculate the energy scale up to which the theory remains healthy.

DNA unzipping with asymmetric periodic forces: Robustness of the scaling behavior of hysteresis loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Tanmoy; Kumar, Sanjay

2018-01-01

We study the effect of periodic unzipping forces (symmetric and asymmetric) on the steady-state hysteresis loop area of force-extension curves of DNA. For the triangular force, we get back the previously reported scaling exponents but for the ratchet force, we find that the scaling exponents deviate from the reported ones. We also study the temperature dependence of the scaling exponents for the triangular force. At the low-frequency regime, the choice of the scaling form determines whether the scaling exponents depend on the temperature or not.

HMDs as enablers of situation awareness: the OODA loop and sense-making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melzer, James E.

2012-06-01

Helmet-Mounted Displays have been shown to be powerful tools that can unlock the pilot from the interior of the cockpit or the forward line of sight of the Head-Up Display. Imagery that is presented in one of three reference frames can enable the pilots to do their job more effectively while simultaneously decreasing workload. This paper will review key attributes of Situation Awareness, the Observe/Orient/Decide/Act (OODA) Loop and Sensemaking and how HMDs can aid the pilot in achieving these ideal cognitive states.

The Search for Perpetual Motion: Fatigue, Friction, and Drag in Quality Improvement.

PubMed

Cumbler, Ethan; Pierce, Read

Most people who have worked on continuous quality improvement (QI) with teams in the clinical microsystem have experienced "change fatigue." Application of the "Limit-to-Growth" system archetype to QI teams within health care can be used to understand negative feedback loops generated by successful QI that can limit future progress. Awareness of these factors can result in actions designed to reduce drag on forward momentum. Leaders in health care QI can anticipate and minimize negative feedback loops that accumulate to slow subsequent progress of highly functioning improvement teams within clinical microsystems.

TeV scale dark matter and electroweak radiative corrections

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ciafaloni, Paolo; Urbano, Alfredo

2010-08-15

Recent anomalies in cosmic rays data, namely, from the PAMELA Collaboration, can be interpreted in terms of TeV scale decaying/annihilating dark matter. We analyze the impact of radiative corrections coming from the electroweak sector of the standard model on the spectrum of the final products at the interaction point. As an example, we consider virtual one loop corrections and real gauge bosons emission in the case of a very heavy vector boson annihilating into fermions. We find electroweak corrections that are relevant, but not as big as sometimes found in the literature; we relate this mismatch to the issue ofmore » gauge invariance. At scales much higher than the symmetry breaking scale, one loop electroweak effects are so big that eventually higher orders/resummations have to be considered: we advocate for the inclusion of these effects in parton shower Monte Carlo models aiming at the description of TeV scale physics.« less

Hypersurface-deformation algebroids and effective spacetime models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojowald, Martin; Büyükçam, Umut; Brahma, Suddhasattwa; D'Ambrosio, Fabio

2016-11-01

In canonical gravity, covariance is implemented by brackets of hypersurface-deformation generators forming a Lie algebroid. Lie-algebroid morphisms, therefore, allow one to relate different versions of the brackets that correspond to the same spacetime structure. An application to examples of modified brackets found mainly in models of loop quantum gravity can, in some cases, map the spacetime structure back to the classical Riemannian form after a field redefinition. For one type of quantum corrections (holonomies), signature change appears to be a generic feature of effective spacetime, and it is shown here to be a new quantum spacetime phenomenon which cannot be mapped to an equivalent classical structure. In low-curvature regimes, our constructions not only prove the existence of classical spacetime structures assumed elsewhere in models of loop quantum cosmology, they also show the existence of additional quantum corrections that have not always been included.

Loop corrections for Kaluza-Klein AdS amplitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aprile, F.; Drummond, J. M.; Heslop, P.; Paul, H.

2018-05-01

Recently we conjectured the four-point amplitude of graviton multiplets in AdS5 × S5 at one loop by exploiting the operator product expansion of N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory. Here we give the first extension of those results to include Kaluza-Klein modes, obtaining the amplitude for two graviton multiplets and two states of the first KK mode. Our method again relies on resolving the large N degeneracy among a family of long double-trace operators, for which we obtain explicit formulas for the leading anomalous dimensions. Having constructed the one-loop amplitude we are able to obtain a formula for the one-loop corrections to the anomalous dimensions of all twist five double-trace operators.

Analytic Result for the Two-loop Six-point NMHV Amplitude in N = 4 Super Yang-Mills Theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dixon, Lance J.; /SLAC; Drummond, James M.

2012-02-15

We provide a simple analytic formula for the two-loop six-point ratio function of planar N = 4 super Yang-Mills theory. This result extends the analytic knowledge of multi-loop six-point amplitudes beyond those with maximal helicity violation. We make a natural ansatz for the symbols of the relevant functions appearing in the two-loop amplitude, and impose various consistency conditions, including symmetry, the absence of spurious poles, the correct collinear behavior, and agreement with the operator product expansion for light-like (super) Wilson loops. This information reduces the ansatz to a small number of relatively simple functions. In order to fix these parametersmore » uniquely, we utilize an explicit representation of the amplitude in terms of loop integrals that can be evaluated analytically in various kinematic limits. The final compact analytic result is expressed in terms of classical polylogarithms, whose arguments are rational functions of the dual conformal cross-ratios, plus precisely two functions that are not of this type. One of the functions, the loop integral {Omega}{sup (2)}, also plays a key role in a new representation of the remainder function R{sub 6}{sup (2)} in the maximally helicity violating sector. Another interesting feature at two loops is the appearance of a new (parity odd) x (parity odd) sector of the amplitude, which is absent at one loop, and which is uniquely determined in a natural way in terms of the more familiar (parity even) x (parity even) part. The second non-polylogarithmic function, the loop integral {tilde {Omega}}{sup (2)}, characterizes this sector. Both {Omega}{sup (2)} and {tilde {Omega}}{sup (2)} can be expressed as one-dimensional integrals over classical polylogarithms with rational arguments.« less

Design and analysis of control system for VCSEL of atomic interference magnetometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao-nan; Sun, Xiao-jie; Kou, Jun; Yang, Feng; Li, Jie; Ren, Zhang; Wei, Zong-kang

2016-11-01

Magnetic field detection is an important means of deep space environment exploration. Benefit from simple structure and low power consumption, atomic interference magnetometer become one of the most potential detector payloads. Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) is usually used as a light source in atomic interference magnetometer and its frequency stability directly affects the stability and sensitivity of magnetometer. In this paper, closed-loop control strategy of VCSEL was designed and analysis, the controller parameters were selected and the feedback error algorithm was optimized as well. According to the results of experiments that were performed on the hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform, the designed closed-loop control system is reasonable and it is able to effectively improve the laser frequency stability during the actual work of the magnetometer.

Closed-loop fiber optic gyroscope with homodyne detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yong; Qin, BingKun; Chen, Shufen

1996-09-01

Interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (IFOG) has been analyzed with autocontrol theory in this paper. An open-loop IFOG system is not able to restrain the bias drift, but a closed-loop IFOG system can do it very well using negative feedback in order to suppress zero drift. The result of our theoretic analysis and computer simulation indicate that the bias drift of a closed-loop system is smaller than an open- loop one.

A new method for the adjustment of neochordal length: the adjustable slip knot technique.

PubMed

Yano, Mitsuhiro; Sakaguchi, Syuuhei; Furukawa, Kohji; Nakamura, Eisaku

2015-08-01

The use of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) sutures for the correction of mitral valve prolapse has become a standardized procedure. Adjustment of neochordal length is crucial to the efficacy of this technique. Various methods have been described for this purpose; however, the fine adjustment of neochordal length is technically challenging. We describe a simple and effective technique for the implantation of neochordae, which we have termed the 'adjustable slip knot technique'. The first step of this technique is reinforcement of the papillary muscle by a Teflon pledget with or without polytetrafluoroethylene (CV-4) loops. The second step is the formation of a neochordal loop by introducing an ePTFE suture between the affected mitral leaflet and the papillary muscle or ePTFE loops. The third step is the adjustment of the length of neochordae. The formation of a slip knot in one arm of the ePTFE suture is the pivot of this technique. The neochordal loop can be constricted by the application of tension to one arm of the suture. We applied this technique in 5 patients with satisfactory results. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

77 FR 55896 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on Loop 1 in Texas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-11

... Indian Religious Freedom Act [42 U.S.C. 1996]; Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA) [7 U.S.C. 4201- 4209... Protection and Enhancement of Cultural Resources; E.O. 13007 Indian Sacred Sites; E.O. 13287 Preserve America...

Reconnection, Particle Acceleration, and Hard X-ray Emission in Eruptive Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martens, Petrus C.

1998-11-01

The frequent occurrence of Hard X-ray emission from the top of flaring loops was one of the discoveries by the Hard X-ray telescope on board the Japanese Yohkoh satellite. I will show how the combined effect of magnetic field convergence and pitch- angle scattering of non-thermal electrons injected at the top of the loop results in the generation of looptop sources with properties akin to those observed by Yohkoh. In addition it is shown that the injection of proton beams in the loop legs, expected from theory, reproduces the observed high temperature ``ridges" in the loop legs by mirroring and energy loss through collisions. I will interpret these numerical results as supporting the now widely accepted model of an erupting magnetic flux tube generating a reconnecting current sheet in its wake, where most of the energy release takes place. The strong similarity with the reconnection observed in the MRX experiment in Princeton will be analyzed in detail.

Analysis and Design of a Speed and Position System for Maglev Vehicles

PubMed Central

Dai, Chunhui; Dou, Fengshan; Song, Xianglei; Long, Zhiqiang

2012-01-01

This paper mainly researches one method of speed and location detection for maglev vehicles. As the maglev train doesn't have any physical contact with the rails, it has to use non-contact measuring methods. The technology based on the inductive loop-cable could fulfill the requirement by using an on-board antenna which could detect the alternating magnetic field produced by the loop-cable on rails. This paper introduces the structure of a speed and position system, and analyses the electromagnetic field produced by the loop-cable. The equivalent model of the loop-cable is given and the most suitable component of the magnetic flux density is selected. Then the paper also compares the alternating current (AC) resistance and the quality factor between two kinds of coils which the antenna is composed of. The effect of the rails to the signal receiving is also researched and then the structure of the coils is improved. Finally, considering the common-mode interference, 8-word coils are designed and analyzed. PMID:23012504

Analysis and design of a speed and position system for maglev vehicles.

PubMed

Dai, Chunhui; Dou, Fengshan; Song, Xianglei; Long, Zhiqiang

2012-01-01

This paper mainly researches one method of speed and location detection for maglev vehicles. As the maglev train doesn't have any physical contact with the rails, it has to use non-contact measuring methods. The technology based on the inductive loop-cable could fulfill the requirement by using an on-board antenna which could detect the alternating magnetic field produced by the loop-cable on rails. This paper introduces the structure of a speed and position system, and analyses the electromagnetic field produced by the loop-cable. The equivalent model of the loop-cable is given and the most suitable component of the magnetic flux density is selected. Then the paper also compares the alternating current (AC) resistance and the quality factor between two kinds of coils which the antenna is composed of. The effect of the rails to the signal receiving is also researched and then the structure of the coils is improved. Finally, considering the common-mode interference, 8-word coils are designed and analyzed.

Two-loop renormalization of gaugino masses in general supersymmetric gauge models

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamada, Y.

1994-01-03

We calculate the two-loop renormalization group equations for the running gaugino masses in general supersymmetry (SUSY) gauge models, improving our previous result. We also study its consequences on the unification of the gaugino masses in the SUSY SU(5) model. The two-loop correction to the one-loop relation [ital m][sub [ital i

R-loop-mediated genomic instability is caused by impairment of replication fork progression

PubMed Central

Gan, Wenjian; Guan, Zhishuang; Liu, Jie; Gui, Ting; Shen, Keng; Manley, James L.; Li, Xialu

2011-01-01

Transcriptional R loops are anomalous RNA:DNA hybrids that have been detected in organisms from bacteria to humans. These structures have been shown in eukaryotes to result in DNA damage and rearrangements; however, the mechanisms underlying these effects have remained largely unknown. To investigate this, we first show that R-loop formation induces chromosomal DNA rearrangements and recombination in Escherichia coli, just as it does in eukaryotes. More importantly, we then show that R-loop formation causes DNA replication fork stalling, and that this in fact underlies the effects of R loops on genomic stability. Strikingly, we found that attenuation of replication strongly suppresses R-loop-mediated DNA rearrangements in both E. coli and HeLa cells. Our findings thus provide a direct demonstration that R-loop formation impairs DNA replication and that this is responsible for the deleterious effects of R loops on genome stability from bacteria to humans. PMID:21979917

Two-body decays of gluino at full one-loop level in the quark-flavour violating MSSM.

PubMed

Eberl, Helmut; Ginina, Elena; Hidaka, Keisho

2017-01-01

We study the two-body decays of the gluino at full one-loop level in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with quark-flavour violation (QFV) in the squark sector. The renormalisation is done in the [Formula: see text] scheme. The gluon and photon radiations are included by adding the corresponding three-body decay widths. We discuss the dependence of the gluino decay widths on the QFV parameters. The main dependence stems from the [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] mixing in the decays to up-type squarks, and from the [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] mixing in the decays to down-type squarks due to the strong constraints from B-physics on the other quark-flavour-mixing parameters. The full one-loop corrections to the gluino decay widths are mostly negative and of the order of about -10%. The QFV part stays small in the total width but can vary up to -8% for the decay width into the lightest [Formula: see text] squark. For the corresponding branching ratio the effect is somehow washed out by at least a factor of two. The electroweak corrections can be as large as 35% of the SUSY QCD corrections.

Closed-loop control of cellular functions using combinatory drugs guided by a stochastic search algorithm

PubMed Central

Wong, Pak Kin; Yu, Fuqu; Shahangian, Arash; Cheng, Genhong; Sun, Ren; Ho, Chih-Ming

2008-01-01

A mixture of drugs is often more effective than using a single effector. However, it is extremely challenging to identify potent drug combinations by trial and error because of the large number of possible combinations and the inherent complexity of the underlying biological network. With a closed-loop optimization modality, we experimentally demonstrate effective searching for potent drug combinations for controlling cellular functions through a large parametric space. Only tens of iterations out of one hundred thousand possible trials were needed to determine a potent combination of drugs for inhibiting vesicular stomatitis virus infection of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. In addition, the drug combination reduced the required dosage by ≈10-fold compared with individual drugs. In another example, a potent mixture was identified in thirty iterations out of a possible million combinations of six cytokines that regulate the activity of nuclear factor kappa B in 293T cells. The closed-loop optimization approach possesses the potential of being an effective approach for manipulating a wide class of biological systems. PMID:18356295

Domain wall network as QCD vacuum: confinement, chiral symmetry, hadronization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nedelko, Sergei N.; Voronin, Vladimir V.

2017-03-01

An approach to QCD vacuum as a medium describable in terms of statistical ensemble of almost everywhere homogeneous Abelian (anti-)self-dual gluon fields is reviewed. These fields play the role of the confining medium for color charged fields as well as underline the mechanism of realization of chiral SUL(Nf) × SUR(Nf) and UA(1) symmetries. Hadronization formalism based on this ensemble leads to manifestly defined quantum effective meson action. Strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions of mesons are represented in the action in terms of nonlocal n-point interaction vertices given by the quark-gluon loops averaged over the background ensemble. Systematic results for the mass spectrum and decay constants of radially excited light, heavy-light mesons and heavy quarkonia are presented. Relationship of this approach to the results of functional renormalization group and Dyson-Schwinger equations, and the picture of harmonic confinement is briefly outlined.

Reinforcement learning for adaptive optimal control of unknown continuous-time nonlinear systems with input constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiong; Liu, Derong; Wang, Ding

2014-03-01

In this paper, an adaptive reinforcement learning-based solution is developed for the infinite-horizon optimal control problem of constrained-input continuous-time nonlinear systems in the presence of nonlinearities with unknown structures. Two different types of neural networks (NNs) are employed to approximate the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. That is, an recurrent NN is constructed to identify the unknown dynamical system, and two feedforward NNs are used as the actor and the critic to approximate the optimal control and the optimal cost, respectively. Based on this framework, the action NN and the critic NN are tuned simultaneously, without the requirement for the knowledge of system drift dynamics. Moreover, by using Lyapunov's direct method, the weights of the action NN and the critic NN are guaranteed to be uniformly ultimately bounded, while keeping the closed-loop system stable. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the present approach, simulation results are illustrated.

Off-Policy Integral Reinforcement Learning Method to Solve Nonlinear Continuous-Time Multiplayer Nonzero-Sum Games.

PubMed

Song, Ruizhuo; Lewis, Frank L; Wei, Qinglai

2017-03-01

This paper establishes an off-policy integral reinforcement learning (IRL) method to solve nonlinear continuous-time (CT) nonzero-sum (NZS) games with unknown system dynamics. The IRL algorithm is presented to obtain the iterative control and off-policy learning is used to allow the dynamics to be completely unknown. Off-policy IRL is designed to do policy evaluation and policy improvement in the policy iteration algorithm. Critic and action networks are used to obtain the performance index and control for each player. The gradient descent algorithm makes the update of critic and action weights simultaneously. The convergence analysis of the weights is given. The asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system and the existence of Nash equilibrium are proved. The simulation study demonstrates the effectiveness of the developed method for nonlinear CT NZS games with unknown system dynamics.

Suckling induced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) release in mother rats.

PubMed

Lékó, András H; Cservenák, Melinda; Dobolyi, Árpád

2017-12-01

Lactation involves significant neuroendocrine changes. The elevated prolactin (PRL) release from the pituitary, induced markedly by suckling, is the most relevant example. Suckling also causes a significant and rapid elevation in growth hormone (GH) levels. GH is necessary for milk synthesis as milk yield is stopped completely in the absence of PRL and GH, while the absence of PRL alone causes only a 50% reduction. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) plays an important role in the GH axis. GH exerts its effects through IGF-1 in the periphery, for example in the mammary gland. In addition, IGF-1 is responsible for the long-loop feedback control of GH secretion. IGF-1 secretion has not been established yet in mothers. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of suckling on serum IGF-1 level in rat mothers and correlated it with serum PRL levels. We examined a potential mechanism of the regulation of IGF-1 level during suckling by administering IGF-1 into the lateral ventricle of rat mothers continuously for 12days, or acutely, right before the start of suckling. We described that suckling affected IGF-1 release based on one-way repeated measures ANOVA (F=10.8 and p<0.001) and caused a marked increase of IGF-1 level 30min after the start of suckling (p<0.001). We demonstrated a significant (p<0.05; the correlation coefficient was 0.29) correlation to PRL level during suckling which supports that PRL could induce IGF-1 release. The prolonged central IGF-1 administration diminished the suckling-induced IGF-1 surge (F=9.19 and p<0.001) while the acute treatment did not have any effect compared to artificial cerebrospinal fluid injection, analysed with two-way repeated measures ANOVA. In conclusion, suckling induces IGF-1 release either by elevating PRL or GH. Long-loop feedback via IGF-1 in the GH axis can diminish this action. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When Does Length Cause the Word Length Effect?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jalbert, Annie; Neath, Ian; Bireta, Tamra J.; Surprenant, Aimee M.

2011-01-01

The word length effect, the finding that lists of short words are better recalled than lists of long words, has been termed one of the benchmark findings that any theory of immediate memory must account for. Indeed, the effect led directly to the development of working memory and the phonological loop, and it is viewed as the best remaining…

Chemical looping integration with a carbon dioxide gas purification unit

DOEpatents

Andrus, Jr., Herbert E.; Jukkola, Glen D.; Thibeault, Paul R.; Liljedahl, Gregory N.

2017-01-24

A chemical looping system that contains an oxidizer and a reducer is in fluid communication with a gas purification unit. The gas purification unit has at least one compressor, at least one dryer; and at least one distillation purification system; where the gas purification unit is operative to separate carbon dioxide from other contaminants present in the flue gas stream; and where the gas purification unit is operative to recycle the contaminants to the chemical looping system in the form of a vent gas that provides lift for reactants in the reducer.

Quasi-local action of curl-less vector potential on vortex dynamics in superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulian, Armen M.; Nikoghosyan, Vahan R.; Gulian, Ellen D.; Melkonyan, Gurgen G.

2018-04-01

Studies of the Abrikosov vortex motion in superconductors based on time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations reveal an opportunity to detect the values of the Aharonov-Bohm type curl-less vector potentials without closed-loop electron trajectories encompassing the magnetic flux.

Techniques for Teachers Section

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tait, A., Ed.

1973-01-01

Includes a simple technique to demonstrate Millikan's oil drop experiment, an environmental studies experiment to measure dissolved oxygen in water samples, and a technique to demonstrate action-reaction. Science materials described are the Pol-A-Star Tomiscope, Nuffield chemistry film loops, air pucks and pH meters. (JR)

76 FR 56493 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on State Loop 375 From Interstate Highway 10 to the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-13

.... 2000(d)-2000(d)(1)]; American Indian Religious Freedom Act [42 U.S.C. 1996]; Farmland Protection Policy... Indian Sacred Sites; E.O. 13287 Preserve America; E.O. 13175 Consultation and Coordination with Indian...

77 FR 31347 - Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C.; Notice of Availability of the Environmental Assessment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-25

... a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. The U.S. Army... equipment along Loop 313 including a pig launcher; \\2\\ and \\2\\ A ``pig'' is a tool that the pipeline company...

Modeling the Scheduling of Eye Movements and Manual Responses in Performing a Sequence of Discrete Tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Shu-Chieh; Remington, Roger W.; Lewis, Richard

2006-01-01

Common tasks in daily life are often accomplished by a sequence of actions that interleave information acquisition through the eyes and action execution by the hands. How are eye movements coordinated with the release of manual responses and how may their coordination be represented at the level of component mental operations? We have previously presented data from a typing-like task requiring separate choice responses to a series of five stimuli. We found a consistent pattern of results in both motor and ocular timing, and hypothesized possible relationships among underlying components. Here we report a model of that task, which demonstrates how the observed timing of eye movements to successive stimuli could be accounted for by assuming systems: an open-loop system generating saccades at a periodic rate, and a closed-loop system commanding a saccade based on stimulus processing. We relate this model to models of reading and discuss the motivation for dual control.

Heterogeneous memory in restitution of action potential duration in pig ventricles.

PubMed

Jing, Linyuan; Chourasia, Sonam; Patwardhan, Abhijit

2010-01-01

Restitution of action potential duration and memory importantly affect electrical stability in ventricles. Studies have reported heterogeneous restitution among different regions of the ventricles. However, existence of heterogeneity in memory is not as well investigated. Transmembrane potentials were recorded in endocardial and epicardial tissues from both ventricles of farm pigs. Pacing protocols with sinusoidally changing diastolic intervals were used to reveal hysteresis in restitution, from which quantitative measures of memory were calculated. Larger measures of hysteresis were observed in the endocardium than the epicardium (P < .05): loop thickness (in milliseconds), 26.9 vs 16.2; overall tilt, 0.376 vs 0.249; and loop area (in square milliseconds), 7288 vs 4146. Except for overall tilt, no significant differences in these measures were observed between ventricles. Heterogeneity in memory exists in pig ventricles. Because regions with the steepest restitution may also have the largest memory, our results suggest that heterogeneity in memory should also be factored in when predicting electrical stability. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On-the-fly reduction of open loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buccioni, Federico; Pozzorini, Stefano; Zoller, Max

2018-01-01

Building on the open-loop algorithm we introduce a new method for the automated construction of one-loop amplitudes and their reduction to scalar integrals. The key idea is that the factorisation of one-loop integrands in a product of loop segments makes it possible to perform various operations on-the-fly while constructing the integrand. Reducing the integrand on-the-fly, after each segment multiplication, the construction of loop diagrams and their reduction are unified in a single numerical recursion. In this way we entirely avoid objects with high tensor rank, thereby reducing the complexity of the calculations in a drastic way. Thanks to the on-the-fly approach, which is applied also to helicity summation and for the merging of different diagrams, the speed of the original open-loop algorithm can be further augmented in a very significant way. Moreover, addressing spurious singularities of the employed reduction identities by means of simple expansions in rank-two Gram determinants, we achieve a remarkably high level of numerical stability. These features of the new algorithm, which will be made publicly available in a forthcoming release of the OpenLoops program, are particularly attractive for NLO multi-leg and NNLO real-virtual calculations.

Third generation sfermion decays into Z and W gauge bosons: Full one-loop analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arhrib, Abdesslam; LPHEA, Departement de Physique, Faculte des Sciences-Semlalia, B.P. 2390 Marrakech; Benbrik, Rachid

2005-05-01

The complete one-loop radiative corrections to third-generation scalar fermions into gauge bosons Z and W{sup {+-}} is considered. We focus on f-tilde{sub 2}{yields}Zf-tilde{sub 1} and f-tilde{sub i}{yields}W{sup {+-}}f-tilde{sub j}{sup '}, f,f{sup '}=t,b. We include SUSY-QCD, QED, and full electroweak corrections. It is found that the electroweak corrections can be of the same order as the SUSY-QCD corrections. The two sets of corrections interfere destructively in some region of parameter space. The full one-loop correction can reach 10% in some supergravity scenario, while in model independent analysis like general the minimal supersymmetric standard model, the one-loop correction can reach 20% formore » large tan{beta} and large trilinear soft breaking terms A{sub b}.« less

Dynamically limiting energy consumed by cooling apparatus

DOEpatents

Chainer, Timothy J.; David, Milnes P.; Iyengar, Madhusudan K.; Parida, Pritish R.; Schmidt, Roger R.; Schultz, Mark D.

2015-05-26

Cooling apparatuses and methods are provided which include one or more coolant-cooled structures associated with an electronics rack, a coolant loop coupled in fluid communication with one or more passages of the coolant-cooled structure(s), one or more heat exchange units coupled to facilitate heat transfer from coolant within the coolant loop, and N controllable components associated with the coolant loop or the heat exchange unit(s), wherein N.gtoreq.1. The N controllable components facilitate circulation of coolant through the coolant loop or transfer of heat from the coolant via the heat exchange unit(s). A controller is coupled to the N controllable components, and dynamically adjusts operation of the N controllable components, based on Z input parameters and one or more specified constraints, to provide a specified cooling to the coolant-cooled structure(s), while limiting energy consumed by the N controllable components, wherein Z.gtoreq.1.

Dynamically limiting energy consumed by cooling apparatus

DOEpatents

Chainer, Timothy J.; David, Milnes P.; Iyengar, Madhusudan K.; Parida, Pritish R.; Schmidt, Roger R.; Schultz, Mark D.

2015-06-09

Cooling methods are provided which include providing: one or more coolant-cooled structures associated with an electronics rack, a coolant loop coupled in fluid communication with one or more passages of the coolant-cooled structure(s), one or more heat exchange units coupled to facilitate heat transfer from coolant within the coolant loop, and N controllable components associated with the coolant loop or the heat exchange unit(s), wherein N.gtoreq.1. The N controllable components facilitate circulation of coolant through the coolant loop or transfer of heat from the coolant via the heat exchange unit(s). A controller is also provided to dynamically adjust operation of the N controllable components, based on Z input parameters and one or more specified constraints, and provide a specified cooling to the coolant-cooled structure(s), while limiting energy consumed by the N controllable components, wherein Z.gtoreq.1.

Tweaking one-loop determinants in AdS3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, Alejandra; Keeler, Cynthia; Szepietowski, Phillip

2017-10-01

We revisit the subject of one-loop determinants in AdS3 gravity via the quasi-normal mode method. Our goal is to evaluate a one-loop determinant with chiral boundary conditions for the metric field; chirality is achieved by imposing Dirichlet boundary conditions on certain components while others satisfy Neumann. Along the way, we give a generalization of the quasinormal mode method for stationary (non-static) thermal backgrounds, and propose a treatment for Neumann boundary conditions in this framework. We evaluate the graviton one-loop determinant on the Euclidean BTZ background with parity-violating boundary conditions (CSS), and find excellent agreement with the dual warped CFT. We also discuss a more general falloff in AdS3 that is related to two dimensional quantum gravity in lightcone gauge. The behavior of the ghost fields under both sets of boundary conditions is novel and we discuss potential interpretations.

Multi-mode ultrasonic welding control and optimization

DOEpatents

Tang, Jason C.H.; Cai, Wayne W

2013-05-28

A system and method for providing multi-mode control of an ultrasonic welding system. In one embodiment, the control modes include the energy of the weld, the time of the welding process and the compression displacement of the parts being welded during the welding process. The method includes providing thresholds for each of the modes, and terminating the welding process after the threshold for each mode has been reached, the threshold for more than one mode has been reached or the threshold for one of the modes has been reached. The welding control can be either open-loop or closed-loop, where the open-loop process provides the mode thresholds and once one or more of those thresholds is reached the welding process is terminated. The closed-loop control provides feedback of the weld energy and/or the compression displacement so that the weld power and/or weld pressure can be increased or decreased accordingly.

Numerical analysis of stress effects on Frank loop evolution during irradiation in austenitic Fe&z.sbnd;Cr&z.sbnd;Ni alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Katoh, Yutai; Kohyama, Akira

1995-08-01

Effects of applied stress on early stages of interstitial type Frank loop evolution were investigated by both numerical calculation and irradiation experiments. The final objective of this research is to propose a comprehensive model of complex stress effects on microstructural evolution under various conditions. In the experimental part of this work, the microstructural analysis revealed that the differences in resolved normal stress caused those in the nucleation rates of Frank loops on {111} crystallographic family planes, and that with increasing external applied stress the total nucleation rate of Frank loops was increased. A numerical calculation was carried out primarily to evaluate the validity of models of stress effects on nucleation processes of Frank loop evolution. The calculation stands on rate equuations which describe evolution of point defects, small points defect clusters and Frank loops. The rate equations of Frank loop evolution were formulated for {111} planes, considering effects of resolved normal stress to clustering processes of small point defects and growth processes of Frank loops, separately. The experimental results and the predictions from the numerical calculation qualitatively coincided well with each other.

Particle propagation, wave growth and energy dissipation in a flaring flux tube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, S. M.; Melrose, D. B.; Dulk, G. A.

1986-01-01

Wave amplification by downgoing particles in a common flare model is investigated. The flare is assumed to occur at the top of a coronal magnetic flux loop, and results in the heating of plasma in the flaring region. The hot electrons propagate down the legs of the flux tube towards increasing magnetic field. It is simple to demonstrate that the velocity distributions which result in this model are unstable to both beam instabilities and cyclotron maser action. An explanation is presented for the propagation effects on the distribution, and the properties of the resulting amplified waves are explored, concentrating on cyclotron maser action, which has properties (emission in the z mode below the local gyrofrequency) quite different from maser action by other distributions considered in the context of solar flares. The z mode waves will be damped in the coronal plasma surrounding the flaring flux tube and lead to heating there. This process may be important in the overall energy budget of the flare. The downgoing maser is compared with the loss cone maser, which is more likely to produce observable bursts.

Skylab observations of X-ray loops connecting separate active regions. [solar activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chase, R. C.; Krieger, A. S.; Svestka, Z.; Vaiana, G. S.

1976-01-01

One hundred loops interconnecting 94 separate active solar regions detectable in soft X-rays were identified during the Skylab mission. While close active regions are commonly interconnected with loops, the number of such interconnections decreases steeply for longer distances; the longest interconnecting loop observed in the Skylab data connected regions separated by 37 deg. Several arguments are presented which support the point of view that this is the actual limit of the size of magnetic interconnections between active regions. No sympathetic flares could be found in the interconnected regions. These results cast doubt on the hypothesis that accelerated particles can be guided in interconnecting loops from one active region to another over distances of 100 deg or more and eventually produce sympathetic flares in them.

Vehicle to wireless power transfer coupling coil alignment sensor

DOEpatents

Miller, John M.; Chambon, Paul H.; Jones, Perry T.; White, Clifford P.

2016-02-16

A non-contacting position sensing apparatus includes at least one vehicle-mounted receiver coil that is configured to detect a net flux null when the vehicle is optimally aligned relative to the primary coil in the charging device. Each of the at least one vehicle-mounted receiver coil includes a clockwise winding loop and a counterclockwise winding loop that are substantially symmetrically configured and serially connected to each other. When the non-contacting position sensing apparatus is located directly above the primary coil of the charging device, the electromotive forces from the clockwise winding loop and the counterclockwise region cancel out to provide a zero electromotive force, i.e., a zero voltage reading across the coil that includes the clockwise winding loop and the counterclockwise winding loop.

1D Cole-Cole inversion of TEM transients influenced by induced polarization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidel, Marc; Tezkan, Bülent

2017-03-01

Effects of induced polarization (IP) can have an impact on time-domain electromagnetic measurements (TEM) and may lead to sign reversals in the recorded transients. To study these IP effects on TEM data, a new 1D inversion algorithm was developed for both, the central-loop and the separate-loop TEM configurations using the Cole-Cole relaxation model. 1D forward calculations for a homogeneous half-space were conducted with the aim of analyzing the impacts of the Cole-Cole parameters on TEM transients with respect to possible sign reversals. The forward modelings showed that the variation of different parameters have comparable effects on the TEM transients. This leads to an increasing number of equivalent models as a result of inversion calculations. Subsequently, 1D inversions of synthetic data were performed to study the potentials and limitations of the algorithm regarding the resolution of the Cole-Cole parameters. In order to achieve optimal inversion results, it was essential to error-weight the data points in the direct vicinity of sign reversals. The obtained findings were eventually adopted on the inversion of real field data which contained considerable IP signatures such as sign reversals. One field data set was recorded at the Nakyn kimberlite field in Western Yakutiya, Russia, in the central-loop configuration. Another field data set originates from a waste site in Cologne, Germany, and was measured utilizing the separate-loop configuration.

Computational Models for Understanding of Structure, Function and Pharmacology of the Cardiac Potassium Channel Kv11.1 (hERG).

PubMed

Wacker, Soren; Noskov, Sergei Yu; Perissinotti, Laura L

2017-01-01

The rapid delayed rectifier current IKr is one of the major K+ currents involved in repolarization of the human cardiac action potential. Various inherited or drug-induced forms of the long QT syndrome (LQTS) in humans are linked to functional and structural modifications in the IKr conducting channels. IKr is carried by the potassium channel Kv11.1 encoded by the gene KCNH2 (commonly referred to as human ether-a-go-go-related gene or hERG) [1, 2]. The first necessary step for predicting emergent drug effects on the heart is determining and modeling the binding thermodynamics and kinetics of primary and major off-target drug interactions with subcellular targets. The bulk of drugs that target hERG channels are known to have complex interactions at the atomic scale. Accordingly, one of the goals for this review is to provide comprehensive guide in the universe of computational models aiming to refine our understanding of structure-function relations in Kv11.1 and its isoforms. The special emphasis is placed on the mapping of drug binding sites and tentative mechanisms of channel inhibition and activation by drugs. An overview over recent structural models and mapping of binding sites for blockers and activators of IKr current along with the discussion on agreements and discrepancies among different models is presented. There is an apparent reciprocity or feedback loop between drug binding and action potential of the cardiac myocytes. Thus one has to connect drug binding to a particular receptor so that its functional consequences impact on the action potential duration. The natural pathway is to develop multi-scale models that connect between receptor and cellular scales. The potential for such multi-scale model development is discussed through the lens of common gating models. Accordingly, the second part of this review covers an ongoing development of the kinetic models of gating transitions and cardiac ion currents carried by hERG channels with and without drug bound. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

The Cygnus Loop: An Older Supernova Remnant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straka, William

1987-01-01

Describes the Cygnus Loop, one of brightest and most easily studied of the older "remnant nebulae" of supernova outbursts. Discusses some of the historical events surrounding the discovery and measurement of the Cygnus Loop and makes some projections on its future. (TW)

Floating Loop System For Cooling Integrated Motors And Inverters Using Hot Liquid Refrigerant

DOEpatents

Hsu, John S [Oak Ridge, TN; Ayers, Curtis W [Kingston, TN; Coomer, Chester [Knoxville, TN; Marlino, Laura D [Oak Ridge, TN

2006-02-07

A floating loop vehicle component cooling and air-conditioning system having at least one compressor for compressing cool vapor refrigerant into hot vapor refrigerant; at least one condenser for condensing the hot vapor refrigerant into hot liquid refrigerant by exchanging heat with outdoor air; at least one floating loop component cooling device for evaporating the hot liquid refrigerant into hot vapor refrigerant; at least one expansion device for expanding the hot liquid refrigerant into cool liquid refrigerant; at least one air conditioning evaporator for evaporating the cool liquid refrigerant into cool vapor refrigerant by exchanging heat with indoor air; and piping for interconnecting components of the cooling and air conditioning system.

Equilibrium models of coronal loops that involve curvature and buoyancy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hindman, Bradley W.; Jain, Rekha, E-mail: hindman@solarz.colorado.edu

2013-12-01

We construct magnetostatic models of coronal loops in which the thermodynamics of the loop is fully consistent with the shape and geometry of the loop. This is achieved by treating the loop as a thin, compact, magnetic fibril that is a small departure from a force-free state. The density along the loop is related to the loop's curvature by requiring that the Lorentz force arising from this deviation is balanced by buoyancy. This equilibrium, coupled with hydrostatic balance and the ideal gas law, then connects the temperature of the loop with the curvature of the loop without resorting to amore » detailed treatment of heating and cooling. We present two example solutions: one with a spatially invariant magnetic Bond number (the dimensionless ratio of buoyancy to Lorentz forces) and the other with a constant radius of the curvature of the loop's axis. We find that the density and temperature profiles are quite sensitive to curvature variations along the loop, even for loops with similar aspect ratios.« less

Renormalization constants for 2-twist operators in twisted mass QCD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alexandrou, C.; Computation-based Science and Technology Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, 15 Kypranoros Str., 1645 Nicosia; Constantinou, M.

2011-01-01

Perturbative and nonperturbative results on the renormalization constants of the fermion field and the twist-2 fermion bilinears are presented with emphasis on the nonperturbative evaluation of the one-derivative twist-2 vector and axial-vector operators. Nonperturbative results are obtained using the twisted mass Wilson fermion formulation employing two degenerate dynamical quarks and the tree-level Symanzik improved gluon action. The simulations have been performed for pion masses in the range of about 450-260 MeV and at three values of the lattice spacing a corresponding to {beta}=3.9, 4.05, 4.20. Subtraction of O(a{sup 2}) terms is carried out by performing the perturbative evaluation of thesemore » operators at 1-loop and up to O(a{sup 2}). The renormalization conditions are defined in the RI{sup '}-MOM scheme, for both perturbative and nonperturbative results. The renormalization factors, obtained for different values of the renormalization scale, are evolved perturbatively to a reference scale set by the inverse of the lattice spacing. In addition, they are translated to MS at 2 GeV using 3-loop perturbative results for the conversion factors.« less

Effect of steam generator configuration in a loss of the RHR during mid-loop operation at PKL facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Villanueva, J. F.; Carlos, S.; Martorell, S.

The loss of the residual heat removal system in mid-loop conditions may occur with a non-negligible contribution to the plant risk, so the analysis of the accidental sequences and the actions to mitigate the accident are of great interest in shutdown conditions. In order to plan the appropriate measures to mitigate the accident is necessary to understand the thermal-hydraulic processes following the loss of the residual heat removal system during shutdown. Thus, transients of this kind have been simulated using best-estimate codes in different integral test facilities and compared with experimental data obtained in different facilities. In PKL (Primaerkreislauf-Versuchsanlage, primarymore » coolant loop test facility) test facility different series of experiments have been undertaken to analyze the plant response in shutdown. In this context, the E3 and F2 series consist of analyzing the loss of the residual heat removal system with a reduced inventory in the primary system. In particular, the experiments were developed to investigate the influence of the steam generators secondary side configuration on the plant response, what involves the consideration of different number of steam generators filled with water and ready for activation, on the heat transfer mechanisms inside the steam generators U-tubes. This work presents the results of such experiments calculated using, RELAP5/Mod 3.3. (authors)« less

Spectral asymptotics of Euclidean quantum gravity with diff-invariant boundary conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Giampiero; Fucci, Guglielmo; Kamenshchik, Alexander Yu; Kirsten, Klaus

2005-03-01

A general method is known to exist for studying Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories, as well as Euclidean quantum gravity, at 1-loop level on manifolds with boundary. In the latter case, boundary conditions on metric perturbations h can be chosen to be completely invariant under infinitesimal diffeomorphisms, to preserve the invariance group of the theory and BRST symmetry. In the de Donder gauge, however, the resulting boundary-value problem for the Laplace-type operator acting on h is known to be self-adjoint but not strongly elliptic. The latter is a technical condition ensuring that a unique smooth solution of the boundary-value problem exists, which implies, in turn, that the global heat-kernel asymptotics yielding 1-loop divergences and 1-loop effective action actually exists. The present paper shows that, on the Euclidean 4-ball, only the scalar part of perturbative modes for quantum gravity is affected by the lack of strong ellipticity. Further evidence for lack of strong ellipticity, from an analytic point of view, is therefore obtained. Interestingly, three sectors of the scalar-perturbation problem remain elliptic, while lack of strong ellipticity is 'confined' to the remaining fourth sector. The integral representation of the resulting ζ-function asymptotics on the Euclidean 4-ball is also obtained; this remains regular at the origin by virtue of a spectral identity here obtained for the first time.

Importance of inhibiting sodium-glucose cotransporter and its compelling indication in type 2 diabetes: pathophysiological hypothesis.

PubMed

Kimura, Genjiro

2016-03-01

Primarily the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors suppress the cotransport of glucose and sodium from the tubular lumen of proximal tubules to the blood and enhance the glucose excretion into urine. Therefore, glucose and caloric balances become negative, making the blood glucose level as well as insulin secretion both reduced. On the other hand, the proximal tubular fluid, constituting with low chloride concentration because of SGLT2 inhibition, is transferred to the loop of Henle. On the low chloride conditions, the reabsorption mechanisms in the loop of Henle do not work, as if loop diuretics are given. Finally, blood pressure is also lowered secondarily due to the loop diuretic action by SGLT2 inhibitions. Thus, the metabolic and hemodynamic combined systems synergistically interact further to suppress the risks leading to atherosclerosis and organs damage. Precise mechanisms for SGLT2 inhibitors to work in various aspects especially in preventing organ damage and cardiovascular events must be clarified further. Copyright © 2016 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

And the Humans Save the Day or Maybe They Ruin It: The Importance of Humans in the Loop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeMott, Diana; Boyer, Roger; Bigler, Mark

2017-01-01

Flying a mission in space requires a massive commitment of resources, and without the talent and commitment of the people involved in this effort we would never leave the atmosphere of Earth. When we use the phrase "humans in the loop", it could apply to almost any endeavor since everything starts with humans developing a concept, completing the design process, building or implementing a product and using the product to achieve a goal or purpose. Narrowing the focus to spaceflights, there are a variety of individuals involved throughout the preparations for flight and the flight itself. All of the humans involved add value and support for program success. The purpose of this paper focuses on how a Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) accounts for the human in the loop for potential missions using a technique called Human Reliability Analysis (HRA). Human actions can increase or decrease the overall risk via initiating events or mitigating them, thus removing the human from the loop doesn't always lower the risk.

Shortening a loop can increase protein native state entropy.

PubMed

Gavrilov, Yulian; Dagan, Shlomi; Levy, Yaakov

2015-12-01

Protein loops are essential structural elements that influence not only function but also protein stability and folding rates. It was recently reported that shortening a loop in the AcP protein may increase its native state conformational entropy. This effect on the entropy of the folded state can be much larger than the lower entropic penalty of ordering a shorter loop upon folding, and can therefore result in a more pronounced stabilization than predicted by polymer model for loop closure entropy. In this study, which aims at generalizing the effect of loop length shortening on native state dynamics, we use all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study how gradual shortening a very long or solvent-exposed loop region in four different proteins can affect their stability. For two proteins, AcP and Ubc7, we show an increase in native state entropy in addition to the known effect of the loop length on the unfolded state entropy. However, for two permutants of SH3 domain, shortening a loop results only with the expected change in the entropy of the unfolded state, which nicely reproduces the observed experimental stabilization. Here, we show that an increase in the native state entropy following loop shortening is not unique to the AcP protein, yet nor is it a general rule that applies to all proteins following the truncation of any loop. This modification of the loop length on the folded state and on the unfolded state may result with a greater effect on protein stability. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Rigid Body Rate Inference from Attitude Variation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Itzhack, I. Y.; Harman, Richard R.; Thienel, Julie K.

2006-01-01

In this paper we research the extraction of the angular rate vector from attitude information without differentiation, in particular from quaternion measurements. We show that instead of using a Kalman filter of some kind, it is possible to obtain good rate estimates, suitable for spacecraft attitude control loop damping, using simple feedback loops, thereby eliminating the need for recurrent covariance computation performed when a Kalman filter is used. This considerably simplifies the computations required for rate estimation in gyro-less spacecraft. Some interesting qualities of the Kalman filter gain are explored, proven and utilized. We examine two kinds of feedback loops, one with varying gain that is proportional to the well known Q matrix, which is computed using the measured quaternion, and the other type of feedback loop is one with constant coefficients. The latter type includes two kinds; namely, a proportional feedback loop, and a proportional-integral feedback loop. The various schemes are examined through simulations and their performance is compared. It is shown that all schemes are adequate for extracting the angular velocity at an accuracy suitable for control loop damping.

On the Extraction of Angular Velocity from Attitude Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Itzhack, I. Y.; Harman, Richard R.; Thienel, Julie K.

2006-01-01

In this paper we research the extraction of the angular rate vector from attitude information without differentiation, in particular from quaternion measurements. We show that instead of using a Kalman filter of some kind, it is possible to obtain good rate estimates, suitable for spacecraft attitude control loop damping, using simple feedback loops, thereby eliminating the need for recurrent covariance computation performed when a Kalman filter is used. This considerably simplifies the computations required for rate estimation in gyro-less spacecraft. Some interesting qualities of the Kalman filter gain are explored, proven and utilized. We examine two kinds of feedback loops, one with varying gain that is proportional to the well known Q matrix, which is computed using the measured quaternion, and the other type of feedback loop is one with constant coefficients. The latter type includes two kinds; namely, a proportional feedback loop, and a proportional-integral feedback loop. The various schemes are examined through simulations and their performance is compared. It is shown that all schemes are adequate for extracting the angular velocity at an accuracy suitable for control loop damping.

Failure Analysis Results and Corrective Actions Implemented for the Extravehicular Mobility Unit 3011 Water in the Helmet Mishap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steele, John; Metselaar, Carol; Peyton, Barbara; Rector, Tony; Rossato, Robert; Macias, Brian; Weigel, Dana; Holder, Don

2015-01-01

Water entered the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) helmet during extravehicular activity (EVA) no. 23 aboard the International Space Station on July 16, 2013, resulting in the termination of the EVA approximately 1 hour after it began. It was estimated that 1.5 liters of water had migrated up the ventilation loop into the helmet, adversely impacting the astronaut's hearing, vision, and verbal communication. Subsequent on-board testing and ground-based test, tear-down, and evaluation of the affected EMU hardware components determined that the proximate cause of the mishap was blockage of all water separator drum holes with a mixture of silica and silicates. The blockages caused a failure of the water separator degassing function, which resulted in EMU cooling water spilling into the ventilation loop, migrating around the circulating fan, and ultimately pushing into the helmet. The root cause of the failure was determined to be ground-processing shortcomings of the Airlock Cooling Loop Recovery (ALCLR) Ion Filter Beds, which led to various levels of contaminants being introduced into the filters before they left the ground. Those contaminants were thereafter introduced into the EMU hardware on-orbit during ALCLR scrubbing operations. This paper summarizes the failure analysis results along with identified process, hardware, and operational corrective actions that were implemented as a result of findings from this investigation.

Failure Analysis Results and Corrective Actions Implemented for the EMU 3011 Water in the Helmet Mishap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steele, John; Metselaar, Carol; Peyton, Barbara; Rector, Tony; Rossato, Robert; Macias, Brian; Weigel, Dana; Holder, Don

2015-01-01

During EVA (Extravehicular Activity) No. 23 aboard the ISS (International Space Station) on 07/16/2013 water entered the EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) helmet resulting in the termination of the EVA (Extravehicular Activity) approximately 1-hour after it began. It was estimated that 1.5-L of water had migrated up the ventilation loop into the helmet, adversely impacting the astronauts hearing, vision and verbal communication. Subsequent on-board testing and ground-based TT and E (Test, Tear-down and Evaluation) of the affected EMU hardware components led to the determination that the proximate cause of the mishap was blockage of all water separator drum holes with a mixture of silica and silicates. The blockages caused a failure of the water separator function which resulted in EMU cooling water spilling into the ventilation loop, around the circulating fan, and ultimately pushing into the helmet. The root cause of the failure was determined to be ground-processing short-comings of the ALCLR (Airlock Cooling Loop Recovery) Ion Filter Beds which led to various levels of contaminants being introduced into the Filters before they left the ground. Those contaminants were thereafter introduced into the EMU hardware on-orbit during ALCLR scrubbing operations. This paper summarizes the failure analysis results along with identified process, hardware and operational corrective actions that were implemented as a result of findings from this investigation.

Performance of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Airlock Coolant Loop Remediation (A/L CLR) Hardware - Final

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steele, John W.; Rector, Tony; Gazda, Daniel; Lewis, John

2011-01-01

An EMU water processing kit (Airlock Coolant Loop Recovery -- A/L CLR) was developed as a corrective action to Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) coolant flow disruptions experienced on the International Space Station (ISS) in May of 2004 and thereafter. A conservative duty cycle and set of use parameters for A/L CLR use and component life were initially developed and implemented based on prior analysis results and analytical modeling. Several initiatives were undertaken to optimize the duty cycle and use parameters of the hardware. Examination of post-flight samples and EMU Coolant Loop hardware provided invaluable information on the performance of the A/L CLR and has allowed for an optimization of the process. The intent of this paper is to detail the evolution of the A/L CLR hardware, efforts to optimize the duty cycle and use parameters, and the final recommendations for implementation in the post-Shuttle retirement era.

Edge-on dislocation loop in anisotropic hcp zirconium thin foil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wenwang; Xia, Re; Qian, Guian; Xu, Shucai; Zhang, Jinhuan

2015-10-01

Edge-on dislocation loops with 〈 a 〉 -type and 〈 c 〉 -type of Burgers vectors can be formed on prismatic or basel habit planes of hexagonal close-packed (hcp) zirconium alloys during in-situ ion irradiation and neutron irradiation experiments. In this work, an anisotropic image stress method was employed to analyze the free surface effects of dislocation loops within hcp Zr thin foils. Calculation results demonstrate that image stress has a remarkable effect on the distortion fields of dislocation loops within infinite medium, and the image energy becomes remarkable when dislocation loops are situated close to the free surfaces. Moreover, image forces of the 1 / 2 〈 0001 〉 (0001) dislocation loop within (0001) thin foil is much stronger than that of the 1 / 3 〈 11 2 bar 0 〉 (11 2 bar 0) dislocation loop within (11 2 bar 0) thin foil of identical geometrical configurations. Finally, image stress effect on the physical behaviors of loops during in-situ ion irradiation experiments is discussed.

Renormalizing a viscous fluid model for large scale structure formation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Führer, Florian; Rigopoulos, Gerasimos, E-mail: fuhrer@thphys.uni-heidelberg.de, E-mail: gerasimos.rigopoulos@ncl.ac.uk

2016-02-01

Using the Stochastic Adhesion Model (SAM) as a simple toy model for cosmic structure formation, we study renormalization and the removal of the cutoff dependence from loop integrals in perturbative calculations. SAM shares the same symmetry with the full system of continuity+Euler equations and includes a viscosity term and a stochastic noise term, similar to the effective theories recently put forward to model CDM clustering. We show in this context that if the viscosity and noise terms are treated as perturbative corrections to the standard eulerian perturbation theory, they are necessarily non-local in time. To ensure Galilean Invariance higher ordermore » vertices related to the viscosity and the noise must then be added and we explicitly show at one-loop that these terms act as counter terms for vertex diagrams. The Ward Identities ensure that the non-local-in-time theory can be renormalized consistently. Another possibility is to include the viscosity in the linear propagator, resulting in exponential damping at high wavenumber. The resulting local-in-time theory is then renormalizable to one loop, requiring less free parameters for its renormalization.« less

Software-in-the-loop simulation of a quadcopter portion for hybrid aircraft control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansoor, Shoaib; Saedan, Mana

2018-01-01

In this paper, we present the design of the software-in-the-loop simulation framework for a quadcopter that is incorporated in our hybrid aircraft. The hybrid aircraft comprises a quad-copter and a fixed wing with one forward thrust rotor. We need to develop a split control system that utilizes a typical quadcopter controller to control four motors/propellers and a supervisor controller to control a forward thrust rotor. The supervisor controller shall take feedback signals from the quadcopter and will command the fifth rotor for stabilizing the hybrid aircraft and resolves problems like thrust saturation. The simulation simulates the control algorithm and verifies the quadcopter’s behavior using MATLAB and Simulink together. Achieving these results, we come to know how our hybrid controller will be implemented, what results to expect once the forward thrust rotor is attached to the quadcopter. The software-in-the-loop simulation of a quadcopter is one of the most effective methods for verifying overall control performance and safety of the hybrid aircraft before actual hardware implementation and flight test.

Nonlinear feedback control for high alpha flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stalford, Harold

1990-01-01

Analytical aerodynamic models are derived from a high alpha 6 DOF wind tunnel model. One detail model requires some interpolation between nonlinear functions of alpha. One analytical model requires no interpolation and as such is a completely continuous model. Flight path optimization is conducted on the basic maneuvers: half-loop, 90 degree pitch-up, and level turn. The optimal control analysis uses the derived analytical model in the equations of motion and is based on both moment and force equations. The maximum principle solution for the half-loop is poststall trajectory performing the half-loop in 13.6 seconds. The agility induced by thrust vectoring capability provided a minimum effect on reducing the maneuver time. By means of thrust vectoring control the 90 degrees pitch-up maneuver can be executed in a small place over a short time interval. The agility capability of thrust vectoring is quite beneficial for pitch-up maneuvers. The level turn results are based currently on only outer layer solutions of singular perturbation. Poststall solutions provide high turn rates but generate higher losses of energy than that of classical sustained solutions.

Long-period Intensity Pulsations in Coronal Loops Explained by Thermal Non-equilibrium Cycles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Froment, C.; Auchère, F.; Bocchialini, K.

In solar coronal loops, thermal non-equilibrium (TNE) is a phenomenon that can occur when the heating is both highly stratified and quasi-constant. Unambiguous observational identification of TNE would thus permit us to strongly constrain heating scenarios. While TNE is currently the standard interpretation of coronal rain, the long-term periodic evolution predicted by simulations has never been observed. However, the detection of long-period intensity pulsations (periods of several hours) has been recently reported with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory /EIT, and this phenomenon appears to be very common in loops. Moreover, the three intensity-pulsation events that we recently studied with themore » Solar Dynamics Observatory /Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) show strong evidence for TNE in warm loops. In this paper, a realistic loop geometry from linear force-free field (LFFF) extrapolations is used as input to 1D hydrodynamic simulations. Our simulations show that, for the present loop geometry, the heating has to be asymmetrical to produce TNE. We analyze in detail one particular simulation that reproduces the average thermal behavior of one of the pulsating loop bundle observed with AIA. We compare the properties of this simulation with those deduced from the observations. The magnetic topology of the LFFF extrapolations points to the presence of sites of preferred reconnection at one footpoint, supporting the presence of asymmetric heating. In addition, we can reproduce the temporal large-scale intensity properties of the pulsating loops. This simulation further strengthens the interpretation of the observed pulsations as signatures of TNE. This consequently provides important information on the heating localization and timescale for these loops.« less

Instantons in Script N = 2 magnetized D-brane worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billò, Marco; Frau, Marialuisa; Pesando, Igor; Di Vecchia, Paolo; Lerda, Alberto; Marotta, Raffaele

2007-10-01

In a toroidal orbifold of type IIB string theory we study instanton effects in Script N = 2 super Yang-Mills theories engineered with systems of wrapped magnetized D9 branes and Euclidean D5 branes. We analyze the various open string sectors in this brane system and study the 1-loop amplitudes described by annulus diagrams with mixed boundary conditions, explaining their rôle in the stringy instanton calculus. We show in particular that the non-holomorphic terms in these annulus amplitudes precisely reconstruct the appropriate Kähler metric factors that are needed to write the instanton correlators in terms of purely holomorphic variables. We also explicitly derive the correct holomorphic structure of the instanton induced low energy effective action in the Coulomb branch.

The impact of closed-loop electronic medication management on time to first dose: a comparative study between paper and digital hospital environments.

PubMed

Austin, Jodie A; Smith, Ian R; Tariq, Amina

2018-01-22

Closed-loop electronic medication management systems (EMMS) are recognised as an effective intervention to improve medication safety, yet evidence of their effectiveness in hospitals is limited. Few studies have compared medication turnaround time for a closed-loop electronic versus paper-based medication management environment. To compare medication turnaround times in a paper-based hospital environment with a digital hospital equipped with a closed-loop EMMS, consisting of computerised physician order entry, profiled automated dispensing cabinets packaged with unit dose medications and barcode medication administration. Data were collected during 2 weeks at three private hospital sites (one with closed-loop EMMS) within the same organisation network in Queensland, Australia. Time between scheduled and actual administration times was analysed for first dose of time-critical and non-critical medications located on the ward or sourced via pharmacy. Medication turnaround times at the EMMS site were less compared to the paper-based sites (median, IQR: 35 min, 8-57 min versus 120 min, 30-180 min, P < 0.001). For time-critical medications, 77% were administered within 60 min of scheduled time at the EMMS site versus 38% for the paper-based sites. Similar difference was observed for non-critical medications, 80% were administered within 60 min of their scheduled time at the EMMS site versus 41% at the paper-based facilities. The study indicates medication turnaround times utilising a closed-loop EMMS are less compared to paper-based systems. This improvement may be attributable to increased accessibility of medications using automated dispensing cabinets and electronic medication administration records flagging tasks to nurses in real time. © 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Soft Robotics: from scientific challenges to technological applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laschi, C.

2016-05-01

Soft robotics is a recent and rapidly growing field of research, which aims at unveiling the principles for building robots that include soft materials and compliance in the interaction with the environment, so as to exploit so-called embodied intelligence and negotiate natural environment more effectively. Using soft materials for building robots poses new technological challenges: the technologies for actuating soft materials, for embedding sensors into soft robot parts, for controlling soft robots are among the main ones. This is stimulating research in many disciplines and many countries, such that a wide community is gathering around initiatives like the IEEE TAS TC on Soft Robotics and the RoboSoft CA - A Coordination Action for Soft Robotics, funded by the European Commission. Though still in its early stages of development, soft robotics is finding its way in a variety of applications, where safe contact is a main issue, in the biomedical field, as well as in exploration tasks and in the manufacturing industry. And though the development of the enabling technologies is still a priority, a fruitful loop is growing between basic research and application-oriented research in soft robotics.

Intersecting flavor branes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pomoni, Elli; Rastelli, Leonardo

2012-10-01

We consider an instance of the AdS/CFT duality where the bulk theory contains an open string tachyon, and study the instability from the viewpoint of the boundary field theory. We focus on the specific example of the AdS5 × S 5 background with two probe D7 branes intersecting at general angles. For generic angles supersymmetry is completely broken and there is an open string tachyon between the branes. The field theory action for this system is obtained by coupling to {N}=4 super Yang-Mills two {N}=2 hyper multiplets in the fundamental representation of the SU( N) gauge group, but with different choices of embedding of the two {N}=2 subalgebras into {N}=4 . On the field theory side we find a one-loop Coleman-Weinberg instability in the effective potential for the fundamental scalars. We identify a mesonic operator as the dual of the open string tachyon. By AdS/CFT, we predict the tachyon mass for small 't Hooft coupling (large bulk curvature) and confirm that it violates the AdS stability bound.

Interquark potential with finite quark mass from lattice QCD.

PubMed

Kawanai, Taichi; Sasaki, Shoichi

2011-08-26

We present an investigation of the interquark potential determined from the q ̄q Bethe-Salpeter (BS) amplitude for heavy quarkonia in lattice QCD. The q ̄q potential at finite quark mass m(q) can be calculated from the equal-time and Coulomb gauge BS amplitude through the effective Schrödinger equation. The definition of the potential itself requires information about a kinetic mass of the quark. We then propose a self-consistent determination of the quark kinetic mass on the same footing. To verify the proposed method, we perform quenched lattice QCD simulations with a relativistic heavy-quark action at a lattice cutoff of 1/a≈2.1  GeV in a range 1.0≤m(q)≤3.6 GeV. Our numerical results show that the q ̄q potential in the m(q)→∞ limit is fairly consistent with the conventional one obtained from Wilson loops. The quark-mass dependence of the q ̄q potential and the spin-spin potential are also examined. © 2011 American Physical Society

A noncompact Weyl-Einstein-Yang-Mills model: A semiclassical quantum gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dengiz, Suat

2017-08-01

We construct and study perturbative unitarity (i.e., ghost and tachyon analysis) of a 3 + 1-dimensional noncompact Weyl-Einstein-Yang-Mills model. The model describes a local noncompact Weyl's scale plus SU(N) phase invariant Higgs-like field,conformally coupled to a generic Weyl-invariant dynamical background. Here, the Higgs-like sector generates the Weyl's conformal invariance of system. The action does not admit any dimensionful parameter and genuine presence of de Sitter vacuum spontaneously breaks the noncompact gauge symmetry in an analogous manner to the Standard Model Higgs mechanism. As to flat spacetime, the dimensionful parameter is generated within the dimensional transmutation in quantum field theories, and thus the symmetry is radiatively broken through the one-loop Effective Coleman-Weinberg potential. We show that the mere expectation of reducing to Einstein's gravity in the broken phases forbids anti-de Sitter space to be its stable vacua. The model is unitary in de Sitter and flat vacua around which a massless graviton, N2 - 1 massless scalar bosons, N massless Dirac fermions, N2 - 1 Proca-type massive Abelian and non-Abelian vector bosons are generically propagated.

Mathematical properties and parameter estimation for transit compartment pharmacodynamic models.

PubMed

Yates, James W T

2008-07-03

One feature of recent research in pharmacodynamic modelling has been the move towards more mechanistically based model structures. However, in all of these models there are common sub-systems, such as feedback loops and time-delays, whose properties and contribution to the model behaviour merit some mathematical analysis. In this paper a common pharmacodynamic model sub-structure is considered: the linear transit compartment. These models have a number of interesting properties as the length of the cascade chain is increased. In the limiting case a pure time-delay is achieved [Milsum, J.H., 1966. Biological Control Systems Analysis. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York] and the initial behaviour becoming increasingly sensitive to parameter value perturbation. It is also shown that the modelled drug effect is attenuated, though the duration of action is longer. Through this analysis the range of behaviours that such models are capable of reproducing are characterised. The properties of these models and the experimental requirements are discussed in order to highlight how mathematical analysis prior to experimentation can enhance the utility of mathematical modelling.

An intact action-perception coupling depends on the integrity of the cerebellum.

PubMed

Christensen, Andrea; Giese, Martin A; Sultan, Fahad; Mueller, Oliver M; Goericke, Sophia L; Ilg, Winfried; Timmann, Dagmar

2014-05-07

It is widely accepted that action and perception in humans functionally interact on multiple levels. Moreover, areas originally suggested to be predominantly motor-related, as the cerebellum, are also involved in action observation. However, as yet, few studies provided unequivocal evidence that the cerebellum is involved in the action perception coupling (APC), specifically in the integration of motor and multisensory information for perception. We addressed this question studying patients with focal cerebellar lesions in a virtual-reality paradigm measuring the effect of action execution on action perception presenting self-generated movements as point lights. We measured the visual sensitivity to the point light stimuli based on signal detection theory. Compared with healthy controls cerebellar patients showed no beneficial influence of action execution on perception indicating deficits in APC. Applying lesion symptom mapping, we identified distinct areas in the dentate nucleus and the lateral cerebellum of both hemispheres that are causally involved in APC. Lesions of the right ventral dentate, the ipsilateral motor representations (lobules V/VI), and most interestingly the contralateral posterior cerebellum (lobule VII) impede the benefits of motor execution on perception. We conclude that the cerebellum establishes time-dependent multisensory representations on different levels, relevant for motor control as well as supporting action perception. Ipsilateral cerebellar motor representations are thought to support the somatosensory state estimate of ongoing movements, whereas the ventral dentate and the contralateral posterior cerebellum likely support sensorimotor integration in the cerebellar-parietal loops. Both the correct somatosensory as well as the multisensory state representations are vital for an intact APC.

New developments in the evolution and application of the WHO/IPCS framework on mode of action/species concordance analysis.

PubMed

Meek, M E; Boobis, A; Cote, I; Dellarco, V; Fotakis, G; Munn, S; Seed, J; Vickers, C

2014-01-01

The World Health Organization/International Programme on Chemical Safety mode of action/human relevance framework has been updated to reflect the experience acquired in its application and extend its utility to emerging areas in toxicity testing and non-testing methods. The underlying principles have not changed, but the framework's scope has been extended to enable integration of information at different levels of biological organization and reflect evolving experience in a much broader range of potential applications. Mode of action/species concordance analysis can also inform hypothesis-based data generation and research priorities in support of risk assessment. The modified framework is incorporated within a roadmap, with feedback loops encouraging continuous refinement of fit-for-purpose testing strategies and risk assessment. Important in this construct is consideration of dose-response relationships and species concordance analysis in weight of evidence. The modified Bradford Hill considerations have been updated and additionally articulated to reflect increasing experience in application for cases where the toxicological outcome of chemical exposure is known. The modified framework can be used as originally intended, where the toxicological effects of chemical exposure are known, or in hypothesizing effects resulting from chemical exposure, using information on putative key events in established modes of action from appropriate in vitro or in silico systems and other lines of evidence. This modified mode of action framework and accompanying roadmap and case examples are expected to contribute to improving transparency in explicitly addressing weight of evidence considerations in mode of action/species concordance analysis based on both conventional data sources and evolving methods. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The World Health Organization retains copyright and all other rights in the manuscript of this article as submitted for publication.

75 FR 69633 - Marine Mammals; File No. 15206

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-15

... the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Center, British Columbia, Canada to Sea World of Texas, had been... Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Sea World, LLC, 9205 South Park Center Loop, Suite 400, Orlando, FL 32819 [Brad Andrews, Responsible Party...

Loop corrections to primordial fluctuations from inflationary phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yi-Peng; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2018-05-01

We investigate loop corrections to the primordial fluctuations in the single-field inflationary paradigm from spectator fields that experience a smooth transition of their vacuum expectation values. We show that when the phase transition involves a classical evolution effectively driven by a negative mass term from the potential, important corrections to the curvature perturbation can be generated by field perturbations that are frozen outside the horizon by the time of the phase transition, yet the correction to tensor perturbation is naturally suppressed by the spatial derivative couplings between spectator fields and graviton. At one-loop level, the dominant channel for the production of primordial fluctuations comes from a pair-scattering of free spectator fields that decay into the curvature perturbations, and this decay process is only sensitive to field masses comparable to the Hubble scale of inflation.

Helicity charging and eruption of magnetic flux from the Sun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, David M.; Kumar, A.

1994-01-01

The ejection of helical toroidal fields from the solar atmosphere and their detection in interplanetary space are described. The discovery that solar magnetic fields are twisted and that they are segregated by hemisphere according to their chirality has important implications for the escape process. The roles played by erupting prominences, coronal mass ejections (CME's) and active region (AR) loops in expressing the escape of magnetic flux and helicity are discussed. Sporadic flux escape associated with filament eruptions accounts for less than one-tenth the flux loss. Azimuthal flux loss by CME's could account for more, but the major contributor to flux escape may be AR loop expansion. It is shown how the transfer of magnetic helicity from the sun's interior into emerged loops ('helicity charging') could be the effective driver of solar eruptions and of flux loss from the sun.

A Cognitive-System Model for En Route Air Traffic Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corker, Kevin M.; Pisanich, Gregory; Lebacqz, J. Victor (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

NASA Ames Research Center has been engaged in the development of advanced air traffic management technologies whose basic form is cognitive aiding systems for air traffic controller and flight deck operations. In the design and evaluation of such systems the dynamic interaction between the airborne aiding system and the ground-based aiding systems forms a critical coupling for control. The human operator is an integral control element in the system and the optimal integration of human decision and performance parameters with those of the automation aiding systems offers a significant challenge to cognitive engineering. This paper presents a study in full mission simulation and the development of a predictive computational model of human performance. We have found that this combination of methodologies provide a powerful design-aiding process. We have extended the computational model Man Machine Integrated Design and Analysis System (N13DAS) to include representation of multiple cognitive agents (both human operators and intelligent aiding systems), operating aircraft airline operations centers and air traffic control centers in the evolving airspace. The demands of this application require the representation of many intelligent agents sharing world-models, and coordinating action/intention with cooperative scheduling of goals and actions in a potentially unpredictable world of operations. The operator's activity structures have been developed to include prioritization and interruption of multiple parallel activities among multiple operators, to provide for anticipation (knowledge of the intention and action of remote operators), and to respond to failures of the system and other operators in the system in situation-specific paradigms. We have exercised this model in a multi-air traffic sector scenario with potential conflict among aircraft at and across sector boundaries. We have modeled the control situation as a multiple closed loop system. The inner and outer loop alerting structure of air traffic management has many implications that need to be investigated to assure adequate design. First, there are control and stability factors implicit in the design. As the inner loop response time approaches that of the outer loop, system stability may be compromised in that controllers may be solving a problem the nature of which has already been changed by pilot action. Second, information exchange and information presentation for both air and ground must be designed to complement as opposed to compete with each other. Third, the level of individual and shared awareness in trajectory modification and flight conformance needs to be defined. Fourth, the level of required awareness and performance impact of mixed fleet operations and failed-mode recovery must be explored.

Mechanistic explanation of time-dependent cross-phenomenon based on quorum sensing: A case study of the mixture of sulfonamide and quorum sensing inhibitor to bioluminescence of Aliivibrio fischeri.

PubMed

Sun, Haoyu; Pan, Yongzheng; Gu, Yue; Lin, Zhifen

2018-07-15

Cross-phenomenon in which the concentration-response curve (CRC) for a mixture crosses the CRC for the reference model has been identified in many studies, expressed as a heterogeneous pattern of joint toxic action. However, a mechanistic explanation of the cross-phenomenon has thus far been extremely insufficient. In this study, a time-dependent cross-phenomenon was observed, in which the cross-concentration range between the CRC for the mixture of sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMP) and (Z-)-4-Bromo-5-(bromomethylene)-2(5H)-furanone (C30) to the bioluminescence of Aliivibrio fischeri (A. fischeri) and the CRC for independent action model with 95% confidence bands varied from low-concentration to higher-concentration regions in a timely manner expressed the joint toxic action of the mixture changing with an increase of both concentration and time. Through investigating the time-dependent hormetic effects of SMP and C30 (by measuring the expression of protein mRNA, simulating the bioluminescent reaction and analyzing the toxic action), the underlying mechanism was as follows: SMP and C30 acted on the quorum sensing (QS) system of A. fischeri, which induced low-concentration stimulatory effects and high-concentration inhibitory effects; in the low-concentration region, the stimulatory effects of SMP and C30 made the mixture produce a synergistic stimulation on the bioluminescence; thus, the joint toxic action exhibited antagonism. In the high-concentration region, the inhibitory effects of SMP and C30 in the mixture caused a double block in the loop circuit of the QS system; thus, the joint toxic action exhibited synergism. With the increase of time, these stimulatory and inhibitory effects of SMP and C30 were changed by the variation of the QS system at different growth phases, resulting in the time-dependent cross-phenomenon. This study proposes an induced mechanism for time-dependent cross-phenomenon based on QS, which may provide new insight into the mechanistic investigation of time-dependent cross-phenomenon, benefitting the environmental risk assessment of mixtures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.