1,024 research outputs found
Continuous Forest Fire Propagation in a Local Small World Network Model
This paper presents the development of a new continuous forest fire model
implemented as a weighted local small-world network approach. This new approach
was designed to simulate fire patterns in real, heterogeneous landscapes. The
wildland fire spread is simulated on a square lattice in which each cell
represents an area of the land's surface. The interaction between burning and
non-burning cells, in the present work induced by flame radiation, may be
extended well beyond nearest neighbors. It depends on local conditions of
topography and vegetation types. An approach based on a solid flame model is
used to predict the radiative heat flux from the flame generated by the burning
of each site towards its neighbors. The weighting procedure takes into account
the self-degradation of the tree and the ignition processes of a combustible
cell through time. The model is tested on a field presenting a range of slopes
and with data collected from a real wildfire scenario. The critical behavior of
the spreading process is investigated
Revisiting the optical -symmetric dimer
Optics has proved a fertile ground for the experimental simulation of quantum
mechanics. Most recently, optical realizations of -symmetric
quantum mechanics have been shown, both theoretically and experimentally,
opening the door to international efforts aiming at the design of practical
optical devices exploiting this symmetry. Here, we focus on the optical
-symmetric dimer, a two-waveguide coupler were the materials show
symmetric effective gain and loss, and provide a review of the linear and
nonlinear optical realizations from a symmetry based point of view. We go
beyond a simple review of the literature and show that the dimer is just the
smallest of a class of planar -waveguide couplers that are the optical
realization of Lorentz group in 2+1 dimensions. Furthermore, we provide a
formulation to describe light propagation through waveguide couplers described
by non-Hermitian mode coupling matrices based on a non-Hermitian generalization
of Ehrenfest theorem.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figure
Why NiAl is an itinerant ferromagnet but NiGa is not
NiAl and NiGa are closely related materials on opposite sides of a
ferromagnetic quantum critical point. The Stoner factor of Ni is virtually the
same in both compounds and the density of states is larger in NiGa. So,
according to the Stoner theory, it should be more magnetic, and, in LDA
calculations, it is. However, experimentally, it is a paramagnet, while
NiAl is an itinerant ferromagnet. We show that the critical spin
fluctuations are stronger than in NiGa, due to a weaker q-dependence of the
susceptibility, and this effect is strong enough to reverse the trend. The
approach combines LDA calculations with the Landau theory and the
fluctuation-dissipation theorem using the same momentum cut-off for both
materials. The calculations provide evidence for strong, beyond LDA, spin
fluctuations associated with the critical point in both materials, but stronger
in NiGa than in NiAl.Comment: replaced (incorrect version submitted
Short term doxycycline treatment induces sustained improvement in myocardial infarction border zone contractility.
Decreased contractility in the non-ischemic border zone surrounding a MI is in part due to degradation of cardiomyocyte sarcomeric components by intracellular matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2). We recently reported that MMP-2 levels were increased in the border zone after a MI and that treatment with doxycycline for two weeks after MI was associated with normalization of MMP-2 levels and improvement in ex-vivo contractile protein developed force in the myocardial border zone. The purpose of the current study was to determine if there is a sustained effect of short term treatment with doxycycline (Dox) on border zone function in a large animal model of antero-apical myocardial infarction (MI). Antero-apical MI was created in 14 sheep. Seven sheep received doxycycline 0.8 mg/kg/hr IV for two weeks. Cardiac MRI was performed two weeks before, and then two and six weeks after MI. Two sheep died prior to MRI at six weeks from surgical/anesthesia-related causes. The remaining 12 sheep completed the protocol. Doxycycline induced a sustained reduction in intracellular MMP-2 by Western blot (3649±643 MI+Dox vs 9236±114 MI relative intensity; p = 0.0009), an improvement in ex-vivo contractility (65.3±2.0 MI+Dox vs 39.7±0.8 MI mN/mm2; p<0.0001) and an increase in ventricular wall thickness at end-systole 1.0 cm from the infarct edge (12.4±0.6 MI+Dox vs 10.0±0.5 MI mm; p = 0.0095). Administration of doxycycline for a limited two week period is associated with a sustained improvement in ex-vivo contractility and an increase in wall thickness at end-systole in the border zone six weeks after MI. These findings were associated with a reduction in intracellular MMP-2 activity
Effects of Al doping on the structural and electronic properties of Mg(1-x)Al(x)B2
We have studied the structural and electronic properties of Mg(1-x)Al(x)B2
within the Virtual Crystal Approximation (VCA) by means of first-principles
total-energy calculations. Results for the lattice parameters, the electronic
band structure, and the Fermi surface as a function of Al doping for 0<x<0.6
are presented. The ab initio VCA calculations are in excellent agreement with
the experimentally observed change in the lattice parameters of Al doped MgB2.
The calculations show that the Fermi surface associated with holes a the boron
planes collapses gradually with aluminum doping and vanishes for x=0.56. In
addition, an abrupt topological change in the sigma-band Fermi surface was
found for x=0.3. The calculated hole density correlates closely with existing
experimental data for Tc(x), indicating that the observed loss of
superconductivity in Mg(1-x)Al(x)B2 is a result of hole bands filling.Comment: 4 pages (revtex) and 4 figures (postscript
High ethanol sensitive glycine receptors regulate firing in D1 medium spiny neurons in the nucleus Accumbens
Inhibitory glycine receptors (GlyRs) are widely expressed in spinal cord and brain stem. They are also expressed in the nucleus Accumbens (nAc) where they have been implicated in the release of dopamine from the ventral tegmental area to the nAc in the presence of ethanol. One of the major types of neurons in the nAc are the Dopamine 1 receptor-expressing (D1+) medium spiny neurons (MSNs) that are activated when addictive drugs, like ethanol, are administrated. Thus, D1(+) MSNs are a relevant target for the study of ethanol effects. Here, using electrophysiological recordings, we report that GlyRs in D1(+) MSNs are highly sensitive to ethanol, with potentiation starting at 5 mM (26 ± 5%). Single channel recordings in D1(+) MSNs showed that 10 mM ethanol increased the open probability of the channel (0.22 ± 0.05 versus 0.66 ± 0.16), but did not affect channel conductance (~40 pS). A glycinergic mediated tonic current in D1(+) MSNs was potentiated by 10 and 50 mM ethanol causing a reduction in the excitability of these cells. A 34 ± 7% reduction in action potential firing was observed in these neurons in the presence of 50 mM ethanol. Interestingly, no effects of ethanol were detected in the presence of strychnine or in D1(-) MSNs in the nAc. These results indicate that GlyRs present in D1(+) MSNs are sensitive to low concentrations of ethanol, and that potentiation of this inhibitory current regulates the activation of nAc, acting as a homeostatic signal that would prevent over-activation of the reward system when drugs like ethanol are consumed
La actividad turistica en Misiones: El turismo rural una alternativa de desarrollo. 16H135
Este trabajo intenta definir un modelo de desarrollo turÃstico en el espacio rural que
permita la reactivación socioeconómica del área de estudio (Departamentos Guaranà y San
Pedro de la provincia de Misiones) y que se constituya en un marco de referencia para el
desarrollo de otras áreas similares de la provincia. Para ello se propone una planificación -
participativa, que partiendo de previsiones de demanda y oferta culmina en el diseño de lÃneas
de acción
Electronic Structure of the Complex Hydride NaAlH4
Density functional calculations of the electronic structure of the complex
hydride NaAlH4 and the reference systems NaH and AlH3 are reported. We find a
substantially ionic electronic structure for NaAlH4, which emphasizes the
importance of solid state effects in this material. The relaxed hydrogen
positions in NaAlH4 are in good agreement with recent experiment. The
electronic structure of AlH3 is also ionic. Implications for the binding of
complex hydrides are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Functionality of a watermelon juice enriched in L-citrulline in athletes of a half-marathon race
[SPA] La sandÃa es una fuente natural rica en L-citrulina (L-cit). Este aminoácido (aa) no esencial se sintetiza endógenamente en la mucosa intestinal. En los últimos años, L-cit ha despertado un especial interés por ser precursor de la biosÃntesis de L-arginina, sustrato para la producción endógena de óxido nÃtrico (NO) al cual se le ha atribuido un efecto positivo en el rendimiento deportivo. Además, L-cit es un aa intermediario metabólico del ciclo de la urea hepático que contribuye a la eliminación del ión amonio en forma de urea. La acumulación de amonio ha sido relacionada con la aparición de la fatiga muscular y, por ello, con la disminución del rendimiento deportivo. El objetivo de este estudio consiste en evaluar la influencia del zumo de sandÃa enriquecido en L-cit (ZSEC) en la mejora del rendimiento deportivo y recuperación posterior, tras una media maratón. Con este fin, se determinó la percepción subjetiva del esfuerzo realizado al finalizar el ejercicio y la percepción subjetiva del dolor muscular al finalizar la carrera y a las 24, 48 y 72 horas post-carrera. Después de la carrera, los voluntarios que ingireron ZSEC aumentaron las concentraciones plasmáticas de arginina un 27% respecto a placebo.
[ENG] Watermelon is a rich natural source of L-citrulline (CIT). This is a non-essential amino acid (aa) synthesized endogenously in the intestinal mucus. In recent years, L-cit has aroused a special interest in being a precursor of L-arginine biosynthesis, a substrate for the endogenous production of nitric oxide (NO), which has been attributed a positive effect on sports performance. In addition, L-cit is a metabolic intermediate to the hepatic urea cycle that contributes to the removal of the ammonium ion in the form of urea. The accumulation of ammonium has been related to the appearance of muscular fatigue and, therefore, with the decrease of the sporty performance. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of watermelon juice enriched in L-cit (ZSEC) on improving sports performance and recovering after a half-marathon. Subjective perception of the effort and of muscle pain and arginine and lactate in plasma were evaluated. As results, we found that after the race, volunteers who took ZSEC increased plasma arginine concentrations by 27% compared to placebo.A la Asociación Grupo Fashion (AGF) la financiación recibida para realizar este estudi
- …