8,322 research outputs found
Transverse oscillations of a multi-stranded loop
We investigate the transverse oscillations of a line-tied multi-stranded
coronal loop composed of several parallel cylindrical strands. First, the
collective fast normal modes of the loop are found with the T-matrix theory.
There is a huge quantity of normal modes with very different frequencies and a
complex structure of the associated magnetic pressure perturbation and velocity
field. The modes can be classified as bottom, middle, and top according to
their frequencies and spatial structure. Second, the temporal evolution of the
velocity and magnetic pressure perturbation after an initial disturbance are
analyzed. We find complex motions of the strands. The frequency analysis
reveals that these motions are a combination of low and high frequency modes.
The complexity of the strand motions produces a strong modulation of the whole
tube movement. We conclude that the presumed internal fine structure of a loop
influences its transverse oscillations and so its transverse dynamics cannot be
properly described by those of an equivalent monolithic loop.Comment: Accepted in Ap
From Strong to Weak Coupling Regime in a Single GaN Microwire up to Room Temperature
Large bandgap semiconductor microwires constitute a very advantageous
alternative to planar microcavities in the context of room temperature strong
coupling regime between exciton and light. In this work we demonstrate that in
a GaN microwire, the strong coupling regime is achieved up to room temperature
with a large Rabi splitting of 125 meV never achieved before in a Nitride-based
photonic nanostructure. The demonstration relies on a method which doesn't
require any knowledge \'a priori on the photonic eigenmodes energy in the
microwire, i.e. the details of the microwire cross-section shape. Moreover,
using a heavily doped segment within the same microwire, we confirm
experimentally that free excitons provide the oscillator strength for this
strong coupling regime. The measured Rabi splitting to linewidth ratio of 15
matches state of the art planar Nitride-based microcavities, in spite of a much
simpler design and a less demanding fabrication process. These results show
that GaN microwires constitute a simpler and promising system to achieve
electrically pumped lasing in the strong coupling regime.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Longitudinal oscillations in density stratified and expanding solar waveguides
Waves and oscillations can provide vital information about the internal
structure of waveguides they propagate in. Here, we analytically investigate
the effects of density and magnetic stratification on linear longitudinal
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. The focus of this paper is to study the
eigenmodes of these oscillations. It is our specific aim is to understand what
happens to these MHD waves generated in flux tubes with non-constant (e.g.,
expanding or magnetic bottle) cross-sectional area and density variations. The
governing equation of the longitudinal mode is derived and solved analytically
and numerically. In particular, the limit of the thin flux tube approximation
is examined. The general solution describing the slow longitudinal MHD waves in
an expanding magnetic flux tube with constant density is found. Longitudinal
MHD waves in density stratified loops with constant magnetic field are also
analyzed. From analytical solutions, the frequency ratio of the first overtone
and fundamental mode is investigated in stratified waveguides. For small
expansion, a linear dependence between the frequency ratio and the expansion
factor is found. From numerical calculations it was found that the frequency
ratio strongly depends on the density profile chosen and, in general, the
numerical results are in agreement with the analytical results. The relevance
of these results for solar magneto-seismology is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, published in ApJ, uses emulateap
Carbon stock and dynamics in natural regeneration in managed forest in the central Amazon.
Estoque e dinùmica do carbono na regeneração natural em floresta manejada na AmazÎnia Central. Cerca de 2% da biomassa viva acima do solo encontra-se na regeneração natural das espécies arbóreas. Apesar de ser um valor relativamente baixo, o diagnóstico do estrato inferior da floresta é importante no contexto atual das mudanças climåticas. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do manejo florestal no estoque e na dinùmica de carbono da regeneração natural 20 anos após a exploração em floresta na AmazÎnia Central. Around 2% of the living biomass above ground is found in the natural regeneration of tree species. Despite being a relatively low value, diagnosing the lower stratum of the forest is important in the current context of climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of forest management on the carbon stock and dynamics of natural regeneration 20 years after logging in a forest in the Central Amazon
Early suppression of lymphoproliferative response in dogs with natural infection by Leishmania infantum.
Dogs are the domestic reservoirs of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania
infantum. Early detection of canine infections evolving to clinically patent disease may be
important to leishmaniasis control. In this study we firstly investigated the peripheral blood
mononuclear cell (PBMC) response to leishmanial antigens and to polyclonal activators
concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen, of mixed-breed dogs with natural
L. infantum infection, either in presymptomatic or in patent disease condition, compared to healthy
animals. Leishmania antigens did not induce a clear proliferative response in any of the animals
examined. Furthermore, mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation was found strongly reduced not
only in symptomatic, but also in presymptomatic dogs suggesting that the cell-mediated immunity
is suppressed in progressive canine leishmaniasis. To test this finding, naive Beagle dogs were
exposed to natural L. infantum infection in a highly endemic area of southern Italy. Two to 10
months after exposure all dogs were found to be infected by Leishmania, and on month 2 of
exposure they all showed a significant reduction in PBMC activation by mitogens. Our results
indicate that suppression of the lymphoproliferative response is a common occurrence in dogs
already at the beginning of an established leishmanial infection. # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All
rights reserved
Immune effects of four Fusarium-Toxins ( FB1, ZEA, NIV, DON) on the proliferation of Jurkat cells and porcine lymphocytes: in vitro study.
Fusarium toxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi belonging to Fusarium spp., commonly found as contaminants in products of vegetable origin, particularly in cereal grains, in regions with temperate climate in Europe, America and Asia. Numerous toxic effects are attributed to mycotoxins both in humans and animals, such as mutagenic, cencerogenic and teratogenic properties. Moreover, some of them can alter normal immune responses when they are present in food at levels lower than those necessary to cause the symptoms of mycotoxicosis. In the present work, we evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of four Fusarium toxins (FB1, ZEA, NIV, DON) using two different experimental models: Jurkat cells and porcine lymphocytes. In addition to the activity of single mycotoxins, we evaluated possible interactions between Fusarium toxins to reproduce experimental conditions in vitro as near as possible to field conditions. Our results revealed the immunomodulatory properties of the
mycotoxin objects of the current study. They also underline the interest in studying possible interactions among different
mycotoxins, particularly among those mainly present in food such as Fusarium mycotoxins, not only regarding their toxicodinamic aspect but also to define tolerable maximum levels of Fusarium toxins in food
Population stability: regulating size in the presence of an adversary
We introduce a new coordination problem in distributed computing that we call
the population stability problem. A system of agents each with limited memory
and communication, as well as the ability to replicate and self-destruct, is
subjected to attacks by a worst-case adversary that can at a bounded rate (1)
delete agents chosen arbitrarily and (2) insert additional agents with
arbitrary initial state into the system. The goal is perpetually to maintain a
population whose size is within a constant factor of the target size . The
problem is inspired by the ability of complex biological systems composed of a
multitude of memory-limited individual cells to maintain a stable population
size in an adverse environment. Such biological mechanisms allow organisms to
heal after trauma or to recover from excessive cell proliferation caused by
inflammation, disease, or normal development.
We present a population stability protocol in a communication model that is a
synchronous variant of the population model of Angluin et al. In each round,
pairs of agents selected at random meet and exchange messages, where at least a
constant fraction of agents is matched in each round. Our protocol uses
three-bit messages and states per agent. We emphasize that
our protocol can handle an adversary that can both insert and delete agents, a
setting in which existing approximate counting techniques do not seem to apply.
The protocol relies on a novel coloring strategy in which the population size
is encoded in the variance of the distribution of colors. Individual agents can
locally obtain a weak estimate of the population size by sampling from the
distribution, and make individual decisions that robustly maintain a stable
global population size
Multiple congenital bilateral trigger digits in a 2-year-old child: case report
Trigger finger is a rare condition in children. In this paper, we report on a 2-year-old boy with multiple congenital bilateral trigger digits. The patient had no history of perinatal trauma, viral or bacterial infections, or metabolic disorders. The patient was treated with physiotherapy for one year. At the one-year follow-up, the boy presented with six trigger fingers (3 on the right hand, 3 on the left hand). Neither thumb was involved. The six trigger fingers were treated surgically: first, the right-hand trigger fingers and, six months later, those of the left hand. After each operation, a 4-week brace in extension was applied to the operated hand. The symptoms were completely resolved after surgical treatment. Many authors have recommended surgical release for the treatment of trigger finger in children; empirical treatment with physiotherapy may be an option when symptoms present or appear at an older age
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