2,045 research outputs found
Pressure and isotope effect on the anisotropy of MgB
We analyze the data for the pressure and boron isotope effect on the
temperature dependence of the magnetization near . Invoking the
universal scaling relation for the magnetization at fixed magnetic field it is
shown that the relative shift of , induced by pressure or boron isotope
exchange, mirrors essentially that of the anisotropy. This uncovers a novel
generic property of anisotropic type II superconductors, inexistent in the
isotropic case. For MgB it implies that the renormalization of the Fermi
surface topology due to pressure or isotope exchange is dominated by a
mechanism controlling the anisotropy.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Trypanosoma rangeli: a new perspective for studying the modulation of immune reactions of Rhodnius prolixus
Insects are exposed to a wide range of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses) and have interconnected powerful immune reactions. Although insects lack an acquired immune system they have well-developed innate immune defences that allow a general and rapid response to infectious agents
Automated experience-based learning for plug and produce assembly systems
YesThis paper presents a self-learning technique for adapting modular automated assembly systems. The technique consists of automatically analysing sensor data and acquiring experience on the changes made on an assembly system to cope with new production requirements or to recover from disruptions. Experience is generalised into operational knowledge that is used to aid engineers in future adaptations by guiding them throughout the process. At each step, applicable changes are presented and ranked based on: (1) similarity between the current context and those in the experience base; (2) estimate of the impact on system performance. The experience model and the self-learning technique reflect the modular structure of the assembly machine and are particularly suitable for plug and produce systems, which are designed to offer high levels of self-organisation and adaptability. Adaptations can be performed and evaluated at different levels: from the smallest pluggable unit to the whole assembly system. Knowledge on individual modules can be reused when modules are plugged into other systems. An experimental evaluation has been conducted on an industrial case study and the results show that, with experience-based learning, adaptations of plug and produce systems can be performed in a shorter time.European Union [grant number 314762]
Local Difference Measures between Complex Networks for Dynamical System Model Evaluation
Acknowledgments We thank Reik V. Donner for inspiring suggestions that initialized the work presented herein. Jan H. Feldhoff is credited for providing us with the STARS simulation data and for his contributions to fruitful discussions. Comments by the anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged as they led to substantial improvements of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Trypanosoma cruzi Immune Response Modulation Decreases Microbiota in Rhodnius prolixus Gut and Is Crucial for Parasite Survival and Development
Trypanosoma cruzi in order to complete its development in the digestive tract of Rhodnius prolixus needs to overcome the immune reactions and microbiota trypanolytic activity of the gut. We demonstrate that in R. prolixus following infection with epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi clone Dm28c and, in comparison with uninfected control insects, the midgut contained (i) fewer bacteria, (ii) higher parasite numbers, and (iii) reduced nitrite and nitrate production and increased phenoloxidase and antibacterial activities. In addition, in insects pre-treated with antibiotic and then infected with Dm28c, there were also reduced bacteria numbers and a higher parasite load compared with insects solely infected with parasites. Furthermore, and in contrast to insects infected with Dm28c, infection with T. cruzi Y strain resulted in a slight decreased numbers of gut bacteria but not sufficient to mediate a successful parasite infection. We conclude that infection of R. prolixus with the T. cruzi Dm28c clone modifies the host gut immune responses to decrease the microbiota population and these changes are crucial for the parasite development in the insect gut
Collective nature of orbital excitations in layered cuprates in the absence of apical oxygens
We have investigated the 3d orbital excitations in CaCuO2 (CCO), Nd2CuO4
(NCO) and La2CuO4 (LCO) using high-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray
scattering. In LCO they behave as well-localized excitations, similarly to
several other cuprates. On the contrary, in CCO and NCO the dxy orbital clearly
disperse, pointing to a collective character of this excitation (orbiton) in
compounds without apical oxygen. We ascribe the origin of the dispersion as
stemming from a substantial next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) orbital superexchange.
Such an exchange leads to the liberation of orbiton from its coupling to
magnons, which is associated with the orbiton hopping between nearest neighbor
copper sites. We show that the exceptionally large NNN orbital superexchange
can be traced back to the absence of apical oxygens suppressing the charge
transfer energy.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure
Anisotropy and chemical composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported evidence for anisotropy in the
distribution of arrival directions of the cosmic rays with energies
eV. These show a correlation with the distribution
of nearby extragalactic objects, including an apparent excess around the
direction of Centaurus A. If the particles responsible for these excesses at
are heavy nuclei with charge , the proton component of the
sources should lead to excesses in the same regions at energies . We here
report the lack of anisotropies in these directions at energies above
(for illustrative values of ). If the anisotropies
above are due to nuclei with charge , and under reasonable
assumptions about the acceleration process, these observations imply stringent
constraints on the allowed proton fraction at the lower energies
Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding
eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers
with zenith angles greater than detected with the Pierre Auger
Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum
confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above
eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law with
index followed by
a smooth suppression region. For the energy () at which the
spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence
of suppression, we find
eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
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