200 research outputs found
On the hyperfine interaction in rare-earth Van Vleck paramagnets at high magnetic fields
An influence of high magnetic fields on hyperfine interaction in the
rare-earth ions with non-magnetic ground state (Van Vleck ions) is
theoretically investigated for the case of ion in axial symmetrical
crystal electric field (ethylsulphate crystal). It is shown that magnetic-field
induced distortions of -electron shell lead to essential changes in
hyperfine magnetic field at the nucleus. The proposed theoretical model is in
agreement with recent experimental data.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, submitted to J. Phys. : Cond. Mat
A geometric interpretation of the spectral parameter for surfaces of constant mean curvature
Considering the kinematics of the moving frame associated with a constant
mean curvature surface immersed in S^3 we derive a linear problem with the
spectral parameter corresponding to elliptic sinh-Gordon equation. The spectral
parameter is related to the radius R of the sphere S^3. The application of the
Sym formula to this linear problem yields constant mean curvature surfaces in
E^3. Independently, we show that the Sym formula itself can be derived by an
appropriate limiting process R -> infinity.Comment: 12 page
Temperature dependence of the EPR linewidth of Yb3+ - ions in Y0.99Yb0.01Ba2Cu3OX compounds: Evidence for an anomaly near TC
Electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on doped Yb3+ ions in YBaCuO
compounds with different oxygen contents have been made. We have observed the
strong temperature dependence of the EPR linewidth in the all investigated
samples caused by the Raman processes of spin-lattice relaxation. The
spin-lattice relaxation rate anomaly revealed near TC in the superconducting
species can be assigned to the phonon density spectrum changesComment: 10 pages, 4 figures Renewed versio
Stabilization of test particles in Induced Matter Kaluza-Klein theory
The stability conditions for the motion of classical test particles in an -dimensional Induced Matter Kaluza-Klein theory is studied. We show that
stabilization requires a variance of the strong energy condition for the
induced matter to hold and that it is related to the hierarchy problem.
Stabilization of test particles in a FRW universe is also discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra
Multidimensional Toda type systems
On the base of Lie algebraic and differential geometry methods, a wide class
of multidimensional nonlinear systems is obtained, and the integration scheme
for such equations is proposed.Comment: 29 pages, LaTeX fil
Observation of Multi-Gap Superconductivity in GdO(F)FeAs by Andreev Spectroscopy
We have studied current-voltage characteristics of Andreev contacts in
polycrystalline GdOFFeAs samples with bulk critical
temperature = (52.5 \pm 1)K using break-junction technique. The data
obtained cannot be described within the single-gap approach and suggests the
existence of a multi-gap superconductivity in this compound. The large and
small superconducting gap values estimated at T = 4.2K are {\Delta}L = 10.5 \pm
2 meV and {\Delta}S = 2.3 \pm 0.4 meV, respectively.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to JETP Letter
Investigation of LiFeAs by means of "Break-junction" Technique
In our tunneling investigation using Andreev superconductor - normal metal -
superconductor contacts on LiFeAs single crystals we observed two reproducible
independent subharmonic gap structures at dynamic conductance characteristics.
From these results, we can derive the energy of the large superconducting gap
meV and the small gap meV at
K for the K (the contact area
critical temperature which deviation causes the variation of ). The
BCS-ratio is found to be , whereas
results from induced superconductivity in the bands
with the small gap.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Published in Pis'ma v ZhETF 95, 604-610 (2012
Differential Epigenetic Compatibility of qnr Antibiotic Resistance Determinants with the Chromosome of Escherichia coli
Environmental bacteria harbor a plethora of genes that, upon their horizontal transfer to new hosts, may confer resistance to antibiotics, although the number of such determinants actually acquired by pathogenic bacteria is very low. The founder effect, fitness costs and ecological connectivity all influence the chances of resistance transfer being successful. We examined the importance of these bottlenecks using the family of quinolone resistance determinants Qnr. The results indicate the epigenetic compatibility of a determinant with the host genome to be of great importance in the acquisition and spread of resistance. A plasmid carrying the widely distributed QnrA determinant was stable in Escherichia coli, whereas the SmQnr determinant was unstable despite both proteins having very similar tertiary structures. This indicates that the fitness costs associated with the acquisition of antibiotic resistance may not derive from a non-specific metabolic burden, but from the acquired gene causing specific changes in bacterial metabolic and regulatory networks. The observed stabilization of the plasmid encoding SmQnr by chromosomal mutations, including a mutant lacking the global regulator H-NS, reinforces this idea. Since quinolones are synthetic antibiotics, and since the origin of QnrA is the environmental bacterium Shewanella algae, the role of QnrA in this organism is unlikely to be that of conferring resistance. Its evolution toward this may have occurred through mutations or because of an environmental change (exaptation). The present results indicate that the chromosomally encoded Qnr determinants of S. algae can confer quinolone resistance upon their transfer to E. coli without the need of any further mutation. These results suggest that exaptation is important in the evolution of antibiotic resistance
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Restricting Microbial Exposure in Early Life Negates the Immune Benefits Associated with Gut Colonization in Environments of High Microbial Diversity
Background: Acquisition of the intestinal microbiota in early life corresponds with the development of the mucosal immune system. Recent work on caesarean-delivered infants revealed that early microbial composition is influenced by birthing method and environment. Furthermore, we have confirmed that early-life environment strongly influences both the adult gut microbiota and development of the gut immune system. Here, we address the impact of limiting microbial exposure after initial colonization on the development of adult gut immunity.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Piglets were born in indoor or outdoor rearing units, allowing natural colonization in the
immediate period after birth, prior to transfer to high-health status isolators. Strikingly, gut closure and morphological
development were strongly affected by isolator-rearing, independent of indoor or outdoor origins of piglets. Isolator-reared
animals showed extensive vacuolation and disorganization of the gut epithelium, inferring that normal gut closure requires
maturation factors present in maternal milk. Although morphological maturation and gut closure were delayed in isolatorreared
animals, these hard-wired events occurred later in development. Type I IFN, IL-22, IL-23 and Th17 pathways were
increased in indoor-isolator compared to outdoor-isolator animals during early life, indicating greater immune activation in
pigs originating from indoor environments reflecting differences in the early microbiota. This difference was less apparent
later in development due to enhanced immune activation and convergence of the microbiota in all isolator-reared animals.
This correlated with elevation of Type I IFN pathways in both groups, although T cell pathways were still more affected in
indoor-reared animals.
Conclusions/Significance: Environmental factors, in particular microbial exposure, influence expression of a large number
of immune-related genes. However, the homeostatic effects of microbial colonization in outdoor environments require
sustained microbial exposure throughout development. Gut development in high-hygiene environments negatively
impacts on normal succession of the gut microbiota and promotes innate immune activation which may impair immune
homeostasis
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