Rare-earth impurities in Co2_2MnSi: an opportunity to improve Half-Metallicity at finite temperatures

We analyse the effects of doping Holmium impurities into the full-Heusler ferromagnetic alloy Co$_2$MnSi. Experimental results, as well as theoretical calculations within Density Functional Theory in the "Local Density Approximation plus Hubbard U" framework show that the holmium moment is aligned antiparallely to that of the transition metal atoms. According to the electronic structure calculations, substituting Ho on Co sites introduces a finite density of states in the minority spin gap, while substitution on the Mn sites preserves the half-metallic character.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures. published in PR

A giant ring-like structure at 0.78<z<0.86 displayed by GRBs

According to the cosmological principle, Universal large-scale structure is homogeneous and isotropic. The observable Universe, however, shows complex structures even on very large scales. The recent discoveries of structures significantly exceeding the transition scale of 370 Mpc pose a challenge to the cosmological principle. We report here the discovery of the largest regular formation in the observable Universe; a ring with a diameter of 1720 Mpc, displayed by 9 gamma ray bursts (GRBs), exceeding by a factor of five the transition scale to the homogeneous and isotropic distribution. The ring has a major diameter of $43^o$ and a minor diameter of $30^o$ at a distance of 2770 Mpc in the 0.78<z<0.86 redshift range, with a probability of $2\times 10^{-6}$ of being the result of a random fluctuation in the GRB count rate. Evidence suggests that this feature is the projection of a shell onto the plane of the sky. Voids and string-like formations are common outcomes of large-scale structure. However, these structures have maximum sizes of 150 Mpc, which are an order of magnitude smaller than the observed GRB ring diameter. Evidence in support of the shell interpretation requires that temporal information of the transient GRBs be included in the analysis. This ring-shaped feature is large enough to contradict the cosmological principle. The physical mechanism responsible for causing it is unknown.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 13 pages, 8 figures and 4 table

Frame Theory for Signal Processing in Psychoacoustics

This review chapter aims to strengthen the link between frame theory and signal processing tasks in psychoacoustics. On the one side, the basic concepts of frame theory are presented and some proofs are provided to explain those concepts in some detail. The goal is to reveal to hearing scientists how this mathematical theory could be relevant for their research. In particular, we focus on frame theory in a filter bank approach, which is probably the most relevant view-point for audio signal processing. On the other side, basic psychoacoustic concepts are presented to stimulate mathematicians to apply their knowledge in this field

Dynamics of Phase Behavior of a Polymer Blend Under Shear Flow

We study the dynamics of the phase behavior of a polymer blend in the presence of shear flow. By adopting a two fluid picture and using a generalization of the concept of material derivative, we construct kinetic equations that describe the phase behavior of polymer blends in the presence of external flow. A phenomenological form for the shear modulus for the blend is proposed. The study indicates that a nonlinear dependence of the shear modulus of the blend on the volume fraction of one of the species is crucial for a shift in the stability line to be induced by shear flow.Comment: 16 pages, late

The common truncation variant in pancreatic lipase related protein 2 (PNLIPRP2) is expressed poorly and does not alter risk for chronic pancreatitis

A nonsense variant (p.W358X) of human pancreatic lipase related protein 2 (PNLIPRP2) is present in different ethnic populations with a high allele frequency. In cell culture experiments, the truncated protein mainly accumulates inside the cells and causes endoplasmic reticulum stress. Here, we tested the hypothesis that variant p.W358X might increase risk for chronic pancreatitis through acinar cell stress. We sequenced exon 11 of PNLIPRP2 in a cohort of 256 subjects with chronic pancreatitis (152 alcoholic and 104 non-alcoholic) and 200 controls of Hungarian origin. We observed no significant difference in the distribution of the truncation variant between patients and controls. We analyzed mRNA expression in human pancreatic cDNA samples and found the variant allele markedly reduced. We conclude that the p.W358X truncation variant of PNLIPRP2 is expressed poorly and has no significant effect on the risk of chronic pancreatitis