6,667 research outputs found
Cu-Au type orderings in the staggered quadrupolar region of the fcc Blume Emery Griffiths model
The spin-1 Ising (BEG) model has been simulated using a cellular automaton
(CA) algorithm improved from the Creutz cellular automaton (CCA) for a
face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice. The ground state diagram (, ) of the
fcc BEG model has ferromagnetic (), quadrupolar () and staggered
quadrupolar () ordering regions. The simulations have been made in the
staggered quadrupolar region for the parameter values in the intervals and . The phase diagrams on the (, ) and the (, ) planes have been obtained through and lines, respectively. The staggered quadrupolar ordering region
separates into five ordering regions (, , (type-I),
(type-II) and ) which have the different stoichiometric Cu-Au
type structures.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figure
Blood-feeding in the young adult filarial worms litomosoides sigmodontis
In this study with the filarial model Litomosoides sigmodontis, we demonstrate that the worms ingest host red blood cells at a precise moment of their life-cycle, immediately after the fourth moult. The red blood cells (RBC) were identified microscopically in live worms immobilized in PBS at 4 degrees C, and their density assessed. Two hosts were used: Mongolian gerbils, where microfilaraemia is high, and susceptible BALB/c mice with lower microfilaraemia. Gerbils were studied at 12 time-points, between day 9 post-inoculation (the worms were young 4th stage larvae) and day 330 p.i. (worms were old adults). Only the very young adult filarial worms had red blood cells in their gut. Haematophagy was observed between days 25 and 56 p.i. and peaked between day 28 and day 30 p.i. in female worms. In males, haematophagy was less frequent and intense. Similar kinetics of haematophagy were found in BALB/c mice, but frequency and intensity tended to be lower. Haematophagy seems useful to optimize adult maturation. These observations suggest that haematophagy is an important step in the life-cycle of L. sigmodontis. This hitherto undescribed phenomenon might be characteristic of other filarial species including human parasites
Cost effective flat plate photovoltaic modules using light trapping
Work in optical trapping in 'thick films' is described to form a design guide for photovoltaic engineers. A thick optical film can trap light by diffusive reflection and total internal reflection. Light can be propagated reasonably long distances compared with layer thicknesses by this technique. This makes it possible to conduct light from inter-cell and intra-cell areas now not used in photovoltaic modules onto active cell areas
Sunburn and malignant melanoma.
We investigated the relationship between cutaneous malignant melanoma and multiple sunburns in the Queensland population. Interview data were gathered from 236 case-control pairs concerning their lifetime experience of severe sunburns, their occupational and recreational sun exposure, and their skin type. Excluding the lentigo maligna melanoma subtype, an association between multiple sunburns and melanoma was evident. After controlling for other major risk factors there was a significant dose-response relationship (P less than 0.05): the estimated relative risk associated with 2-5 sunburns in life was 1.5, and with 6 or more was 2.4. This observation extends the hitherto circumstantial evidence of a causal relationship between exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation and melanoma, and suggests that precautionary measures could prevent the development of this disease in a proportion of cases in fair-skinned populations
Effect of magnetic state on the transition in iron: First-principle calculations of the Bain transformation path
Energetics of the fcc () - bcc () lattice transformation by
the Bain tetragonal deformation is calculated for both magnetically ordered and
paramagnetic (disordered local moment) states of iron. The first-principle
computational results manifest a relevance of the magnetic order in a scenario
of the - transition and reveal a special role of the Curie
temperature of -Fe, , where a character of the transformation is
changed. At a cooling down to the temperatures one can expect that
the transformation is developed as a lattice instability whereas for
it follows a standard mechanism of creation and growth of an embryo of the new
phase. It explains a closeness of to the temperature of start of the
martensitic transformation, .Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted in Phys. Rev. Letter
Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Meat Quality of Bali Cattle Fed a Ration Supplemented with Soybean Oil Calcium Soap and Cashew Fruit Flour
The study to evaluate growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites profile and meat fatty acid of Bali cattle treated with 3 different types of rations were conducted using a completely randomized block design with 4 replications. Ration treatments were R1: 40% native grass (NG) + 60% concentrate, R2: 40% NG + 60% concentrate supplemented with 5% soybean oil calcium soap (SOCS), and R3: (40% NG + 60% concentrate supplemented with 5% SOCS + 10% cashew fruit flour (CFF). Variables measured were growth performance, nutrients digestibility, blood metabolites, and meat fatty acid profile. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the differences between treatment means were examined by Duncan Multiple Range Test. Results of the study showed that the 3 different feed treatments did not have any significant effect on dry matter intake and organic matter intake, daily body weight gain, feed efficiency, crude fiber, ADF and NDF digestibilities, cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), total fatty acid contents and content of unsaturated and saturated meat fatty acids of Bali cattle meat. Different treatment rations also did not affect dry matter digestibility, however the treatments significantly affect the organic matter, crude protein, and fat digestibility (P<0.05). Bali cattle fed 5% SOCS (R2) and 5% SOCS + 10% CFF (R3) had higher organic matter and ether extract digestibilities and linoleic acid content of meat (P<0.05) compared with the control (R1). The Bali cattle fed with R1 and R2 had higher crude protein digestibility (P<0.05) compared with that of R3. It is concluded that the supplementation of 5% SOCS and 10% CFF in the ration improved the digestibility of organic matter, ether extract and linoleic fatty acids content in Bali cattle meat
Pro-inflammatory role of monocyte-derived CX3CR1int macrophages in Helicobacter hepaticus-induced colitis
Cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage play important roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases, but they are also present in the normal healthy intestine, where they are critical for maintaining homeostasis. It has been unclear whether the pro-inflammatory roles of intestinal macrophages reflect altered behaviour of the existing resident cells, or if they involve recruitment of a distinct cell type. Here we have explored these ideas using the model of colitis induced by Helicobacter hepaticus (Hh) in the context of neutralisation or deletion of interleukin 10 (IL-10). Granulocytes and monocytes made up most of the inflammatory myeloid infiltrates found in the colon of Hh-infected colitic mice, rising to a peak within 2 weeks of Hh inoculation, but taking several months to resolve completely. The inflammatory response was dependent on the combined presence of Hh and absence of IL-10, and was accompanied by increased production of inflammatory mediators such as IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6 and IL-23p19 by infiltrating myeloid cells, mostly relatively immature cells of the macrophage lineage that express intermediate levels of CX3CR1. In contrast, the population of mature CX3CR1hi macrophages did not expand as markedly during colitis, and these cells made little contribution to inflammatory mediator production. Taking into account their numerical dominance in the myeloid compartment, we conclude that newly recruited monocytes are the main source of pro-inflammatory mediators in colitis induced in the absence of IL-10 signalling, and that altered behaviour of mature macrophages is not a major component of this pathology
Determinants of Bacterial Contamination in Pools, Spas, and Wading Pools: Should Chlorine Standards Be Revised?
Using a retrospective case-control study, we compared poolside tests with bacteriological samples during three consecutive summers. A total of 844 matched samples were obtained. Increased chlorine levels were associated with lower rates of contamination. Alkalinity, pH, and TDS were not statistically associated with bacteriological failures. In swimming pools with \u3e 1 ppm of chlorine, 27/30 (90.0%) passed bacteriologic evaluation. In spas with \u3c 1.0 ppm of chlorine, only 12/28 (42.9%) passed. Of the spas with \u3e 3.0 ppm of chlorine, 170/176 (96.6%) passed. Of the wading pools with \u3c 1ppm of chlorine, only 12/25 (48.0%) passed. Of the wading pools with \u3e 2 ppm, 263/290 (90.7%) passed. Of available poolside tests, only chlorine levels are predictive of positive testing for fecal contamination. Higher levels of chlorine were associated with higher passing rates. Current standards for disinfection in spas and wading pools may need to be increased to help prevent contamination
The structure of causal sets
More often than not, recently popular structuralist interpretations of
physical theories leave the central concept of a structure insufficiently
precisified. The incipient causal sets approach to quantum gravity offers a
paradigmatic case of a physical theory predestined to be interpreted in
structuralist terms. It is shown how employing structuralism lends itself to a
natural interpretation of the physical meaning of causal sets theory.
Conversely, the conceptually exceptionally clear case of causal sets is used as
a foil to illustrate how a mathematically informed rigorous conceptualization
of structure serves to identify structures in physical theories. Furthermore, a
number of technical issues infesting structuralist interpretations of physical
theories such as difficulties with grounding the identity of the places of
highly symmetrical physical structures in their relational profile and what may
resolve these difficulties can be vividly illustrated with causal sets.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure
Dis-Locations: Mapping the Banlieue
Representations of the French suburbs in contemporary French film have, since the late 1980s, identified an apparent generic specificity that is linked closely to this location. I will explore the narrative tropes of alienation and exclusion—as dislocations—which have dominated the filmic representation of banlieue spaces and their populations before examining examples in which the realignment of sociocultural topographies and film space foregrounds the question of whether representations of the banlieue remain inherently and generically connected to realist discourses dominated by spatial representation of exclusions, or whether the over-determined spaces of the banlieue can act as décor, as setting and wider spatial frame. I will then focus on the presence and function of banlieue spaces and narratives in two recent French films—Girlhood/Bande de filles (Céline Sciamma 2014) and Palme d’or winner Dheepan (Jacques Audiard 2015)—suggesting that the banlieue continues to provide a complex site that both asserts socio-economic specificities and serves as a stylized setting through which to foreground other negotiations of territory and agency
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