1,135 research outputs found
Strange metals as ersatz Fermi liquids
A long standing mystery of fundamental importance in correlated electron
physics is to understand strange non-Fermi liquid metals that are seen in
diverse quantum materials. A striking experimental feature of these metals is a
resistivity that is linear in temperature (). In this paper we ask what it
takes to obtain such non-Fermi liquid physics down to zero temperature in a
translation invariant metal. If in addition the full frequency ()
dependent conductivity satisfies scaling, we argue that the
-linear resistivity must come from the intrinsic physics of the low energy
fixed point. Combining with earlier arguments that compressible translation
invariant metals are `ersatz Fermi liquids' with an infinite number of emergent
conserved quantities, we obtain powerful and practical conclusions. We show
that there is necessarily a diverging susceptibility for an operator that is
odd under inversion/time reversal symmetries, and has zero crystal momentum. We
discuss a few other experimental consequences of our arguments, as well as
potential loopholes which necessarily imply other exotic phenomena.Comment: 6 pages + 4 pages appendices. v3 various minor correction
Long-lived interacting phases of matter protected by multiple time-translation symmetries in quasiperiodically-driven systems
We show how a large family of interacting nonequilibrium phases of matter can
arise from the presence of multiple time-translation symmetries, which occur by
quasiperiodically driving an isolated quantum many-body system with two or more
incommensurate frequencies. These phases are fundamentally different from those
realizable in time-independent or periodically-driven (Floquet) settings.
Focusing on high-frequency drives with smooth time-dependence, we rigorously
establish general conditions for which these phases are stable in a
parametrically long-lived `preheating' regime. We develop a formalism to
analyze the effect of the multiple time-translation symmetries on the dynamics
of the system, which we use to classify and construct explicit examples of the
emergent phases. In particular, we discuss time quasi-crystals which
spontaneously break the time-translation symmetries, as well as
time-translation symmetry protected topological phases.Comment: 27 pages + 11 pages appendices. v3 Published version, with expanded
discussion on a few point
An antagonist of the retinoid X receptor reduces the viability of Trichuris muris in vitro.
Background
Trichuriasis is a parasitic disease caused by the human whipworm, Trichuris trichiura. It affects millions worldwide, particularly in the tropics. This nematode parasite burrows into the colonic epithelium resulting in inflammation and morbidity, especially in children. Current treatment relies mainly on general anthelmintics such as mebendazole but resistance to these drugs is increasingly problematic. Therefore, new treatments are urgently required.
Methods
The prospect of using the retinoid X receptor (RXR) antagonist HX531 as a novel anthelmintic was investigated by carrying out multiple viability assays with the mouse whipworm Trichuris muris.
Results
HX531 reduced both the motility and viability of T. muris at its L3, L4 and adult stages. Further, bioinformatic analyses show that the T. muris genome possesses an RXR-like receptor, a possible target for HX531.
Conclusions
The study suggested that Trichuris-specific RXR antagonists may be a source of much-needed novel anthelmintic candidates for the treatment of trichuriasis. The identification of an RXR-like sequence in the T. muris genome also paves the way for further research based on this new anthelmintic lead compound
Postzygotic isolation drives genomic speciation between highly cryptic Hypocnemis antbirds from Amazonia
How species evolve reproductive isolation in the species-rich Amazon basin is poorly understood in vertebrates. Here, we sequenced a reference genome and used a genome-wide sample of SNPs to analyze a hybrid zone between two highly cryptic species ofHypocnemiswarbling-antbirds-the Rondonia warbling-antbird (H. ochrogyna) and Spix's warbling-antbird (H. striata)-in a headwater region of southern Amazonia. We found that both species commonly hybridize, producing F(1)s and a variety of backcrosses with each species but we detected only one F-2-like hybrid. Patterns of heterozygosity, hybrid index, and interchromosomal linkage disequilibrium in hybrid populations closely match expectations under strong postzygotic isolation. Hybrid zone width (15.4 km) was much narrower than expected (211 km) indicating strong selection against hybrids. A remarkably high degree of concordance in cline centers and widths across loci, and a lack of reduced interspecificF(st)between populations close to versus far from the contact zone, suggest that genetic incompatibilities have rendered most of the genome immune to introgression. These results support intrinsic postzygotic isolation as a driver of speciation in a moderately young cryptic species pair from the Amazon and suggest that species richness of the Amazon may be grossly underestimated.Peer reviewe
The perioperative patient experience of hand and wrist surgical patients: An exploratory study using patient journey mapping
Patient-centred care is becoming more important in healthcare. The success of patient-centred care can be assessed by exploring the patient experience through a patient journey map. As the number of outpatient surgeries is increasing, it is important to reveal the specific characteristics of this type of surgery. The perioperative patient experience is considered very important for outpatient surgery, because all perioperative activities are condensed in one day. To investigate this experience, we performed a case study of hand and wrist surgery. Six teams of two industrial design engineering students interviewed 40 patients in total in two private and two public hospitals in the Netherlands. All teams created a patient journey map, describing the patient experience. These maps were analysed by the authors to identify common themes among the six journeys. Four time-independent themes and four time-dependent themes were identified. Insecurity, reassurance by staff, loneliness, and lack of information were associated with the whole patient experience. Before surgery, lack of control was the most prominent experience. During surgery, acceptance and curiosity were present. After surgery, relief was the dominant experience. No significant differences between the public and private hospitals were discovered. Several suggestions are given on how to facilitate positive experiences and how to resolve negative experiences in outpatient surgery. These include suggestions for hospital policy and design interventions
The perioperative patient experience of hand and wrist surgical patients: An exploratory study using patient journey mapping
Patient-centred care is becoming more important in healthcare. The success of patient-centred care can be assessed by exploring the patient experience through a patient journey map. As the number of outpatient surgeries is increasing, it is important to reveal the specific characteristics of this type of surgery. The perioperative patient experience is considered very important for outpatient surgery, because all perioperative activities are condensed in one day. To investigate this experience, we performed a case study of hand and wrist surgery. Six teams of two industrial design engineering students interviewed 40 patients in total in two private and two public hospitals in the Netherlands. All teams created a patient journey map, describing the patient experience. These maps were analysed by the authors to identify common themes among the six journeys. Four time-independent themes and four time-dependent themes were identified. Insecurity, reassurance by staff, loneliness, and lack of information were associated with the whole patient experience. Before surgery, lack of control was the most prominent experience. During surgery, acceptance and curiosity were present. After surgery, relief was the dominant experience. No significant differences between the public and private hospitals were discovered. Several suggestions are given on how to facilitate positive experiences and how to resolve negative experiences in outpatient surgery. These include suggestions for hospital policy and design interventions
Persistent High Incidence of Tuberculosis in Immigrants in a Low-Incidence Country
Immigration from areas of high incidence is thought to have fueled the resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) in areas of low incidence. To reduce the risk of disease in low-incidence areas, the main countermeasure has been the screening of immigrants on arrival. This measure is based on the assumption of a prompt decline in the incidence of TB in immigrants during their first few years of residence in a country with low overall incidence. We have documented that this assumption is not true for 619 Somali immigrants reported in Denmark as having TB. The annual incidence of TB declined only gradually during the first 7 years of residence, from an initial 2,000 per 100,000 to 700 per 100,000. The decline was described by an exponential function with a half-time of 5.7 (95% confidence interval 4.0 to 9.7) years. This finding seriously challenges the adequacy of the customary practice of screening solely on arrival
Dried, closed-path eddy covariance method for measuring carbon dioxide flux over sea ice
The Arctic marine environment plays an important role in
the global carbon cycle. However, there remain large uncertainties in how
sea ice affects air–sea fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), partially due
to disagreement between the two main methods (enclosure and eddy covariance)
for measuring CO2 flux (FCO2). The enclosure method has appeared
to produce more credible FCO2 than eddy covariance (EC), but is not
suited for collecting long-term, ecosystem-scale flux datasets in such
remote regions. Here we describe the design and performance of an EC system
to measure FCO2 over landfast sea ice that addresses the shortcomings
of previous EC systems. The system was installed on a 10 m tower on
Qikirtaarjuk Island – a small rock outcrop in Dease Strait located roughly
35 km west of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The
system incorporates recent developments in the field of air–sea gas
exchange by measuring atmospheric CO2 using a closed-path infrared gas
analyzer (IRGA) with a dried sample airstream, thus avoiding the known water
vapor issues associated with using open-path IRGAs in low-flux environments.
A description of the methods and the results from 4 months of continuous
flux measurements from May through August 2017 are presented, highlighting
the winter to summer transition from ice cover to open water. We show that
the dried, closed-path EC system greatly reduces the magnitude of measured
FCO2 compared to simultaneous open-path EC measurements, and for the
first time reconciles EC and enclosure flux measurements over sea ice. This
novel EC installation is capable of operating year-round on solar and wind
power, and therefore promises to deliver new insights into the magnitude of
CO2 fluxes and their driving processes through the annual sea ice
cycle.</p
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