Thermal conductance as a probe of the non-local order parameter for a topological superconductor with gauge fluctuations

We investigate the effect of quantum phase slips on a helical quantum wire coupled to a superconductor by proximity. The effective low-energy description of the wire is that of a Majorana chain minimally coupled to a dynamical $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge field. Hence the wire emulates a matter-coupled gauge theory, with fermion parity playing the role of the gauged global symmetry. Quantum phase slips lift the ground state degeneracy associated with unpaired Majorana edge modes at the ends of the chain, a change that can be understood as a transition between the confined and the Higgs-mechanism regimes of the gauge theory. We identify the quantization of thermal conductance at the transition as a robust experimental feature separating the two regimes. We explain this result by establishing a relation between thermal conductance and the Fredenhagen-Marcu string order-parameter for confinement in gauge theories. Our work indicates that thermal transport could serve as a measure of non-local order parameters for emergent or simulated topological quantum order.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; v2: different introduction, added references, updated figure 2; published version to appear in PR

Changes in the polar vortex: Effects on Antarctic total ozone observations at various stations

October mean total column ozone data from four Antarctic stations form the basis for understanding the evolution of the ozone hole since 1960. While these stations show similar emergence of the ozone hole from 1960 to 1980, the records are divergent in the last two decades. The effects of long-term changes in vortex shape and location are considered by gridding the measurements by equivalent latitude. A clear eastward shift of the mean position of the vortex in October with time is revealed, which changes the fraction of ozone measurements taken inside/outside the vortex for stations in the vortex collar region. After including only those measurements made inside the vortex, ozone behavior in the last two decades at the four stations is very similar. This suggests that dynamical influence must be considered when interpreting and intercomparing ozone measurements from Antarctic stations for detecting ozone recovery and ozone-related changes in Antarctic climate

Orderly Production and Marketing in the Beef-Pork Sector

This study will present economic models for analyzing temporal equilibrium positions for the beef-pork sector. The issues of spatial distribution, storage, and meat forms will not be directly analyzed. Grade and yield changes for various carcass classes will, however, be implied in the carrying costs of the animal. The models will be designed such that a number of different factors that affect the production and marketing of beef and pork can be analyzed simultaneously

Enhanced levels of leukotriene B4 in synovial fluid in Lyme disease

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential role of LTB4 and cysteinyl leukotrienes in Lyme disease (LD). Therefore, a total number of 34 patients divided into four groups was studied. The patients were classified as having Lyme arthritis (n = 7) or Lyme meningitis (n = 10), and as control groups patients with a noninflammatory arthropathy (NIA) (n = 7) and healthy subjects (n = 10). LTB4 as well as LTC4 secretion from stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) from all groups of patients showed no statistical differences. LTB4 levels in synovial fluid were significantly increased in patients with Lyme arthritis (median 142 ng/ml, range 88–296) when compared to the control subjects with NIA (median 46 ng/ml, range 28–72) (p < 0.05). No statistical difference of urinary LTE4 levels between all the different groups of patients was observed. These results show that cysteinyl leukotrienes do not play an important role in the pathogenesis of LD. In contrast to previous findings in rheumatoid arthritis, LTB4 production from stimulated PMNL was not found to be increased in LD. However, the significantly elevated levels of LTB4 in synovial fluid of patients with Lyme arthritis underline the involvement of LTB4 in the pathogenesis of this disease

Orderly Production and Marketing in the Beef-Pork Sector

This study will present economic models for analyzing temporal equilibrium positions for the beef-pork sector. The issues of spatial distribution, storage, and meat forms will not be directly analyzed. Grade and yield changes for various carcass classes will, however, be implied in the carrying costs of the animal. The models will be designed such that a number of different factors that affect the production and marketing of beef and pork can be analyzed simultaneously

Technical Note: A new global database of trace gases and aerosols from multiple sources of high vertical resolution measurements

A new database of trace gases and aerosols with global coverage, derived from high vertical resolution profile measurements, has been assembled as a collection of binary data files; hereafter referred to as the &quot;Binary DataBase of Profiles&quot; (BDBP). Version 1.0 of the BDBP, described here, includes measurements from different satellite- (HALOE, POAM II and III, SAGE I and II) and ground-based measurement systems (ozonesondes). In addition to the primary product of ozone, secondary measurements of other trace gases, aerosol extinction, and temperature are included. All data are subjected to very strict quality control and for every measurement a percentage error on the measurement is included. To facilitate analyses, each measurement is added to 3 different instances (3 different grids) of the database where measurements are indexed by: (1) geographic latitude, longitude, altitude (in 1 km steps) and time, (2) geographic latitude, longitude, pressure (at levels ~1 km apart) and time, (3) equivalent latitude, potential temperature (8 levels from 300 K to 650 K) and time. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; In contrast to existing zonal mean databases, by including a wider range of measurement sources (both satellite and ozonesondes), the BDBP is sufficiently dense to permit calculation of changes in ozone by latitude, longitude and altitude. In addition, by including other trace gases such as water vapour, this database can be used for comprehensive radiative transfer calculations. By providing the original measurements rather than derived monthly means, the BDBP is applicable to a wider range of applications than databases containing only monthly mean data. Monthly mean zonal mean ozone concentrations calculated from the BDBP are compared with the database of Randel and Wu, which has been used in many earlier analyses. As opposed to that database which is generated from regression model fits, the BDBP uses the original (quality controlled) measurements with no smoothing applied in any way and as a result displays higher natural variability

Motion and evolution of the Chaochou Fault, Southern Taiwan

The Chaochou Fault (CCF) is both an important lithologic boundary and a significant topographic feature in the Taiwan orogenic belt. It is the geologic boundary between the Slate Belt to the east, and the Western Foothills to the west. Although the fault is known to be a high angle oblique sinistral thrust fault in places, both its kinematic history and its current role in the development of the orogen are poorly understood. Field fabric data suggest that structural orientations vary along strike, particularly in the middle segment, the suspected location of the intersection of the on-land Eurasian continent-ocean boundary and the Luzon Island Arc. Foliation/solution cleavage is oriented NE-SW and in the northern and southern sections, but ESE-WNW in the middle segment. Slip lineations also reveal a change in fault motion from dip-parallel in the north to a more scattered pattern in the south. This correlates somewhat with recent GPS results, which indicate that the direction of current horizontal surface motion changes along strike from nearly perpendicular to the fault in the northern field area, to oblique and nearly parallel to the fault in the southern field area. The magnitude of vertical surface motion vectors, relative to Lanyu Island, decreases to the south. Surface morphology parameters, including mountain front sinuosity and valley floor width/valley height ratio indicate higher activity and uplift in the north. These observations correlate well with published apatite/zircon fission track data that indicate un-reset ages in the south, and reset ages in the northern segment. Geodetic and geomorphic data indicate that the northern segment of the CCF and Slate Belt are currently undergoing rapid uplift related to oblique arc-continent collision between the Eurasian continent and the Luzon arc. The southern segment is significantly less active perhaps because the orogen is not yet involved in direct arc-continent collision

Swedish snus and the GothiaTek® standard

Some smokeless tobacco products, such as Swedish snus, are today considered to be associated with substantially fewer health hazards than cigarettes. This risk differential has contributed to the scientific debate about the possibilities of harm reduction within the tobacco area. Although current manufacturing methods for snus build on those that were introduced more than a century ago, the low levels of unwanted substances in modern Swedish snus are largely due to improvements in production techniques and selection of raw materials in combination with several programs for quality assurance and quality control. These measures have been successively introduced during the past 30-40 years. In the late 1990s they formed the basis for a voluntary quality standard for Swedish snus named GothiaTek®. In recent years the standard has been accepted by the members of the trade organization European Smokeless Tobacco Council (ESTOC) so it has now evolved into an industrial standard for all smokeless tobacco products in Europe

Aristolochia rojasiana (Chodat & Hassl.) Hosseus

Gran Chaco, Loma ClavelpublishedVersio