5,573 research outputs found
Discrete breathers in a two-dimensional hexagonal Fermi-Pasta-Ulam lattice
We consider a two-dimensional Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) lattice with hexagonal
symmetry. Using asymptotic methods based on small amplitude ansatz, at third
order we obtain a reduction to a cubic nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLS) for
the breather envelope. However, this does not support stable soliton solutions,
so we pursue a higher-order analysis yielding a generalised NLS, which includes
known stabilising terms. We present numerical results which suggest that
long-lived stationary and moving breathers are supported by the lattice. We
find breather solutions which move in an arbitrary direction, an ellipticity
criterion for the wavenumbers of the carrier wave, asymptotic estimates for the
breather energy, and a minimum threshold energy below which breathers cannot be
found. This energy threshold is maximised for stationary breathers, and becomes
vanishingly small near the boundary of the elliptic domain where breathers
attain a maximum speed. Several of the results obtained are similar to those
obtained for the square FPU lattice (Butt & Wattis, J Phys A, 39, 4955,
(2006)), though we find that the square and hexagonal lattices exhibit
different properties in regard to the generation of harmonics, and the isotropy
of the generalised NLS equation.Comment: 29 pages, 14 Figure
Evidence for moving breathers in a layered crystal insulator at 300K
We report the ejection of atoms at a crystal surface caused by energetic
breathers which have travelled more than 10^7 unit cells in atomic chain
directions. The breathers were created by bombardment of a crystal face with
heavy ions. This effect was observed at 300K in the layered crystal muscovite,
which has linear chains of atoms for which the surrounding lattice has C_2
symmetry. The experimental techniques described could be used to study
breathers in other materials and configurations.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
INTEGRAL/XMM views on the MeV source GRO J1411-64
The COMPTEL unidentified source GRO J 1411-64 was observed by INTEGRAL and
XMM-Newton in 2005. The Circinus Galaxy is the only source detected within the
4 location error of GRO J1411-64, but in here excluded as the possible
counterpart. At soft X-rays, 22 reliable and statistically significant sources
(likelihood ) were extracted and analyzed from XMM-Newton data. Only one
of these sources, XMMU J141255.6 -635932, is spectrally compatible with GRO
J1411-64 although the fact the soft X-ray observations do not cover the full
extent of the COMPTEL source position uncertainty make an association hard to
quantify and thus risky. At the best location of the source, detections at hard
X-rays show only upper limits, which, together with MeV results obtained by
COMPTEL suggest the existence of a peak in power output located somewhere
between 300-700 keV for the so-called low state. Such a spectrum resembles
those in blazars or microquasars, and might suggest at work by a similar
scenario.
However, an analysis using a microquasar model consisting on a magnetized
conical jet filled with relativistic electrons, shows that it is hard to comply
with all observational constrains. This fact and the non-detection at hard
X-rays introduce an a-posteriori question mark upon the physical reality of
this source, what is discussed here.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Science, as
proceedings of "The Multi-Messenger Approach to High-Energy Gamma-Ray
Sources", Barcelona, July 4-7, 2006, J. M. Paredes, O. Reimer, and D. F.
Torres, editor
Multilayered lipid membrane stacks for biocatalysis using membrane enzymes
Multilayered or stacked lipid membranes are a common principle in biology and have various functional advantages compared to single lipid membranes, such as their ability to spatially organize processes, compartmentalize molecules and greatly increase surface area and hence membrane protein concentration. Here we report on a supramolecular assembly of a multilayered lipid membrane system in which poly-L-lysine electrostatically links negatively charged lipid membranes. When suitable membrane enzymes are incorporated, either an ubiquinol oxidase (cytochrome bo3 from Escherichia coli) or an oxygen tolerant hydrogenase (the membrane-bound hydrogenase from Ralstonia eutropha), cyclic voltammetry (CV) reveals a linear increase in biocatalytic activity with each additional membrane layer. Electron transfer between the enzymes and the electrode is mediated by the quinone pool that is present in the lipid phase. We deduce by atomic force microscopy, CV and fluorescence microscopy that quinones are able to diffuse between the stacked lipid membrane layers via defect sites where the lipid membranes are interconnected. This assembly is akin to that of interconnected thylakoid membranes or the folded lamella of mitochondria and have significant potential for mimicry in biotechnology applications such as energy production or biosensing
Outreach obstetrics training in Western Australia improves neonatal outcome and decreases caesarean sections
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a multi-professional outreach obstetric training programme on perinatal and neonatal outcomes. This was a retrospective comparison of 5-min low Apgar scores, stillbirth, perinatal death and moderate/severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy rates in 127,753 infants born in Western Australia before and after the introduction of training in rural and remote areas. Following the introduction of the training programme, there was a highly significant (p0.003) decrease in the rate of infants born with low 5-min Apgar scores (from 20.4 to 15.4/1,000 live births). While the changes in the other three outcomes were not significant, all three demonstrated a trend for improvement in the intervention area. This is the second study of an educational intervention in obstetrics to demonstrate improvement in neonatal outcome and the first to be associated with a decrease in caesarean sections
INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton observations towards the unidentified MeV source GRO J1411-64
The COMPTEL unidentified source GRO J1411-64 was observed by INTEGRAL, and
its central part, also by XMM-Newton. The data analysis shows no hint for new
detections at hard X-rays. The upper limits in flux herein presented constrain
the energy spectrum of whatever was producing GRO J1411-64, imposing, in the
framework of earlier COMPTEL observations, the existence of a peak in power
output located somewhere between 300-700 keV for the so-called low state. The
Circinus Galaxy is the only source detected within the 4 location error
of GRO J1411-64, but can be safely excluded as the possible counterpart: the
extrapolation of the energy spectrum is well below the one for GRO J1411-64 at
MeV energies. 22 significant sources (likelihood ) were extracted and
analyzed from XMM-Newton data. Only one of these sources, XMMU
J141255.6-635932, is spectrally compatible with GRO J1411-64 although the fact
the soft X-ray observations do not cover the full extent of the COMPTEL source
position uncertainty make an association hard to quantify and thus risky. The
unique peak of the power output at high energies (hard X-rays and gamma-rays)
resembles that found in the SED seen in blazars or microquasars. However, an
analysis using a microquasar model consisting on a magnetized conical jet
filled with relativistic electrons which radiate through synchrotron and
inverse Compton scattering with star, disk, corona and synchrotron photons
shows that it is hard to comply with all observational constrains. This and the
non-detection at hard X-rays introduce an a-posteriori question mark upon the
physical reality of this source, which is discussed in some detail
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy Monitors the Fate of Degradable Nanocarriers in the Blood Stream
[Image: see text] The use of nanoparticles as carriers to deliver pharmacologically active compounds to specific parts of the body via the bloodstream is a promising therapeutic approach for the effective treatment of various diseases. To reach their target sites, nanocarriers (NCs) need to circulate in the bloodstream for prolonged periods without aggregation, degradation, or cargo loss. However, it is very difficult to identify and monitor small-sized NCs and their cargo in the dense and highly complex blood environment. Here, we present a new fluorescence correlation spectroscopy-based method that allows the precise characterization of fluorescently labeled NCs in samples of less than 50 μL of whole blood. The NC size, concentration, and loading efficiency can be measured to evaluate circulation times, stability, or premature drug release. We apply the new method to follow the fate of pH-degradable fluorescent cargo-loaded nanogels in the blood of live mice for periods of up to 72 h
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