7,769 research outputs found
Phonon Properties of Knbo3 and Ktao3 from First-Principles Calculations
The frequencies of transverse-optical phonons in KNbO and
KTaO are calculated in the frozen-phonon scheme making use of the
full-potential linearized muffin-tin orbital method. The calculated frequencies
in the cubic phase of KNbO and in the tetragonal ferroelectric phase are in
good agreement with experimental data. For KTaO, the effect of lattice
volume was found to be substantial on the frequency of the soft mode, but
rather small on the relative displacement patterns of atoms in all three modes
of the symmetry. The TO frequencies in KTaO are found to be of the
order of, but somehow higher than, the corresponding frequencies in cubic
KNbO.Comment: 8 pages + 1 LaTeX figure, Revtex 3.0, SISSA-CM-94-00
Large phenotype jumps in biomolecular evolution
By defining the phenotype of a biopolymer by its active three-dimensional
shape, and its genotype by its primary sequence, we propose a model that
predicts and characterizes the statistical distribution of a population of
biopolymers with a specific phenotype, that originated from a given genotypic
sequence by a single mutational event. Depending on the ratio g0 that
characterizes the spread of potential energies of the mutated population with
respect to temperature, three different statistical regimes have been
identified. We suggest that biopolymers found in nature are in a critical
regime with g0 in the range 1-6, corresponding to a broad, but not too broad,
phenotypic distribution resembling a truncated Levy flight. Thus the biopolymer
phenotype can be considerably modified in just a few mutations. The proposed
model is in good agreement with the experimental distribution of activities
determined for a population of single mutants of a group I ribozyme.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev. E; 7 pages, 6 figures; longer discussion in
VII, new fig.
An explanation for the interaction mechanism of an anionic polymeric additive on yeast flocculent cells
Magna Floc LT25 is a high molecular weight anionic polymer that has been described as increasing reaction rates inside flocs of yeast cells. However, no clear indication has been given on how this anionic polymer interacts with flocculent cells. Flocculation experiments made with a strain ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae corroborate that it bridges calcium ions bound to flocculent yeast cell walls, thus enlarging the available flux area for the transport of solutes inside the flocs
The descendents of Lyman Break Galaxies in galaxy clusters: spatial distribution and orbital properties
We combine semi-analytical methods with a ultra-high resolution simulation of
a galaxy cluster (of mass 2.3 10^14h-1Msolar, and 4 10^6 particles within its
virial radius) formed in a standard CDM universe to study the spatial
distribution and orbital properties of the present-day descendents of Lyman
Break Galaxies (LBGs). At the present time only five (out of 12) of halos
containing LBGs survive as separate entities inside the cluster virial radius.
Their circular velocities are in the range 200 - 550 km/sec. Seven halos merged
together to form the central object at the very center of the cluster. Using
semi-analytical modeling of galaxy evolution we show that descendents of halos
containing LBGs now host giant elliptical galaxies. Galaxy orbits are radial,
with a pericenter to apocenter ratio of about 1:5. The orbital eccentricities
of LBGs descendents are statistically indistinguishable from those of the
average galaxy population inside the cluster, suggesting that the orbits of
these galaxies are not significantly affected by dynamical friction decay after
the formation of the cluster's main body. In this cluster, possibly due to its
early formation time, the descendents of LBGs are contained within the central
60% of the cluster virial radius and have an orbital velocity dispersion lower
than the global galaxy population, originating a mild luminosity segregation
for the brightest cluster members. Mass estimates based only on LBGs
descendents (especially including the central cD) reflect this bias in space
and velocity and underestimate the total mass of this well virialized cluster
by up to a factor of two compared to estimates using at least 20 cluster
members.Comment: 6 Pages, 2 Postscript figures. Submitted to Ap
Analysis of BRCA1 and RAD51C promoter methylation in italian families at high-risk of breast and ovarian cancer
Previous studies on breast and ovarian carcinoma (BC and OC) revealed constitutional BRCA1 and RAD51C promoter hypermethylation as epigenetic alterations leading to tumor predisposition. Nevertheless, the impact of epimutations at these genes is still debated. One hundred and eight women affected by BC, OC, or both and considered at very high risk of carrying BRCA1 germline mutations were studied. All samples were negative for pathogenic variants or variants of uncertain significance at BRCA testing. Quantitative BRCA1 and RAD51C promoter methylation analyses were performed by Epityper mass spectrometry on peripheral blood samples and results were compared with those in controls. All the 108 analyzed cases showed methylation levels at the BRCA1/RAD51C promoter comparable with controls. Mean methylation levels (\ub1 stdev) at the BRCA1 promoter were 4.3% (\ub1 1.4%) and 4.4% (\ub1 1.4%) in controls and patients, respectively (p > 0.05; t-test); mean methylation levels (\ub1 stdev) at the RAD51C promoter were 4.3% (\ub1 0.9%) and 3.7% (\ub1 0.9%) in controls and patients, respectively (p > 0.05; t-test). Based on these observations; the analysis of constitutional methylation at promoters of these genes does not seem to substantially improve the definition of cancer risks in patients. These data support the idea that epimutations represent a very rare event in high-risk BC/OC populations
Anålise de amostras de carne bovina por tomografia de ressonùncia magnética nuclear para quantificação do marmoreiro.
International Public Health Research Involving Interpreters: a Case Study from Bangladesh
Background: Cross-cultural and international research are important components of public health research, but the challenges of language barriers and working with interpreters are often overlooked, particularly in the case of qualitative research.
Methods: A case-study approach was used to explore experiences of working with an interpreter in Bangladesh as part of a research project investigating women's experiences of emergency obstetric care.
The case study: Data from the researcher's field notes provided evidence of experiences in working with an interpreter and show how the model of interviewing was adapted over time to give a more active role to the interpreter. The advantages of a more active role were increased rapport and "flow" in interviews. The disadvantages included reduced control from the researcher's perspective. Some tensions between the researcher and interpreter remained hard to overcome,
irrespective of the model used. Independent transcription and translation of the interviews also raised questions around accuracy in translation.
Conclusion: The issues examined in this case study have broader implications for public health research. Further work is needed in three areas: 1) developing effective relationships with interpreters; 2) the impact of the interpreter on the research process; and 3) the accuracy of the translation and level of analysis needed in any specific public health research. Finally, this paper highlights the importance to authors of reflecting on the potential impact of translation and interpretation on the research process when disseminating their research
Derivation, Properties, and Simulation of a Gas-Kinetic-Based, Non-Local Traffic Model
We derive macroscopic traffic equations from specific gas-kinetic equations,
dropping some of the assumptions and approximations made in previous papers.
The resulting partial differential equations for the vehicle density and
average velocity contain a non-local interaction term which is very favorable
for a fast and robust numerical integration, so that several thousand freeway
kilometers can be simulated in real-time. The model parameters can be easily
calibrated by means of empirical data. They are directly related to the
quantities characterizing individual driver-vehicle behavior, and their optimal
values have the expected order of magnitude. Therefore, they allow to
investigate the influences of varying street and weather conditions or freeway
control measures. Simulation results for realistic model parameters are in good
agreement with the diverse non-linear dynamical phenomena observed in freeway
traffic.Comment: For related work see
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/helbing.html and
http://www.theo2.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/treiber.htm
Spectrally stable nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond formed by carbon implantation into thin microstructures
The nitrogen-vacancy center (NV) in diamond, with its exceptional spin
coherence and convenience in optical spin initialization and readout, is
increasingly used both as a quantum sensor and as a building block for quantum
networks. Employing photonic structures for maximizing the photon collection
efficiency in these applications typically leads to broadened optical
linewidths for the emitters, which are commonly created via nitrogen ion
implantation. With studies showing that only native nitrogen atoms contribute
to optically coherent NVs, a natural conclusion is to either avoid implantation
completely, or substitute nitrogen implantation by an alternative approach to
vacancy creation. Here, we demonstrate that implantation of carbon ions yields
a similar yield of NVs as implantation of nitrogen ions, and that it results in
NV populations with narrow optical linewidths and low charge-noise levels even
in thin diamond microstructures. We measure a median NV linewidth of 150 MHz
for structures thinner than 5 m, with no trend of increasing linewidths
down to the thinnest measured structure of 1.9 m. We propose a modified NV
creation procedure in which the implantation is carried out after instead of
before the diamond fabrication processes, and confirm our results in multiple
samples implanted with different ion energies and fluences
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