Electrodynamic trapping of spinless neutral atoms with an atom chip

Three dimensional electrodynamic trapping of neutral atoms has been demonstrated. By applying time-varying inhomogeneous electric fields with micron-sized electrodes, nearly $10^2$ strontium atoms in the $^1S_0$ state have been trapped with a lifetime of 80 ms. In order to design the electrodes, we numerically analyzed the electric field and simulated atomic trajectories in the trap, which showed reasonable agreement with the experiment.Comment: 4pages, 4figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Thermally-induced magnetic phases in an Ising spin Kondo lattice model on a kagome lattice at 1/3-filling

Numerical investigation on the thermodynamic properties of an Ising spin Kondo lattice model on a kagome lattice is reported. By using Monte Carlo simulation, we investigated the magnetic phases at 1/3-filling. We identified two successive transitions from high-temperature paramagnetic state to a Kosterlitz-Thouless-like phase in an intermediate temperature range and to a partially disordered phase at a lower temperature. The partially disordered state is characterized by coexistence of antiferromagnetic hexagons and paramagnetic sites with period $\sqrt3 \times \sqrt3$. We compare the results with those for the triangular lattice case.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Anti-Aquaporin-4 Antibody-Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Presenting with Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion as an Initial Manifestation

The distribution of neuromyelitis optica (NMO)-characteristic brain lesions corresponds to sites of high aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expression, and the brainstem and hypothalamus lesions that express high levels of AQP4 protein are relatively characteristic of NMO. The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) is one of the important causes of hyponatremia and results from an abnormal production or sustained secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). SIADH has been associated with many clinical states or syndromes, and the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal system regulates the feedback control system for ADH secretion. We report the case of a 63-year-old man with NMO, whose initial manifestation was hyponatremia caused by SIADH. Retrospective analysis revealed that the serum anti-AQP4 antibody was positive, and an MRI scan showed a unilateral lesion in the hypothalamus. SIADH recovered completely with regression of the hypothalamic lesion. As such, NMO should even be considered in patients who develop SIADH and have no optic nerve or spinal cord lesions but have MRI-documented hypothalamic lesions

Online Intelligent Controllers for an Enzyme Recovery Plant: Design Methodology and Performance

This paper focuses on the development of intelligent controllers for use in a process of enzyme recovery from pineapple rind. The proteolytic enzyme bromelain (EC 3.4.22.4) is precipitated with alcohol at low temperature in a fed-batch jacketed tank. Temperature control is crucial to avoid irreversible protein denaturation. Fuzzy or neural controllers offer a way of implementing solutions that cover dynamic and nonlinear processes. The design methodology and a comparative study on the performance of fuzzy-PI, neurofuzzy, and neural network intelligent controllers are presented. To tune the fuzzy PI Mamdani controller, various universes of discourse, rule bases, and membership function support sets were tested. A neurofuzzy inference system (ANFIS), based on Takagi-Sugeno rules, and a model predictive controller, based on neural modeling, were developed and tested as well. Using a Fieldbus network architecture, a coolant variable speed pump was driven by the controllers. The experimental results show the effectiveness of fuzzy controllers in comparison to the neural predictive control. The fuzzy PI controller exhibited a reduced error parameter (ITAE), lower power consumption, and better recovery of enzyme activity

A theorem of Tits type for compact Kahler manifolds

We prove a theorem of Tits type about automorphism groups for compact Kahler manifolds, which has been conjectured in the paper [KOZ].Comment: Inventiones Mathematicae (to appear), 11 page

Effects of logging on landscape-level tree diversity across an elevational gradient in Bornean tropical forests

Logging has caused a substantial loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Therefore, it is important to examine how logging affects biodiversity on a landscape scale to plan responsible management of a tropical forest. Although a number of plot-based studies have shown the effect of logging on local tree species richness (alpha diversity), the effect on species turnover along environmental gradients (beta diversity) remains largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated how logging disturbance affects alpha and beta diversity along an elevational gradient on the eastern slope of Mount Trus Madi in Borneo. We further investigated how pioneer and late-successional tree species differed in the habitat range to clarify the mechanism underlying the beta diversity pattern. We selected 90 plots, each with a radius of 20 m, with a range of disturbance intensity (five classes from highly degraded forests to pristine forests) in lower (285–600 m asl) and higher elevation areas (600–1105 m asl). The remaining above-ground biomass, which is an indicator of past disturbance intensity, strongly varied across the plots (5.4–570.6 and 3.1–771.6 Mg ha−1 in lower and higher elevation areas, respectively). Diameter at breast height (DBH) and species name were recorded for all trees with a DBH larger than 10 cm. We calculated the species number per 20 individual trees for each plot to represent alpha diversity. Beta diversity along the elevational gradient was calculated as the slope of the relationship between standardized compositional dissimilarity (beta deviation) and the elevational difference. Alpha diversity decreased in higher (17.3–12.3 species per 20 trees) and lower areas (16.8–11.3 species per 20 trees) with increasing logging intensity. Beta diversity along the elevational gradient also decreased to almost zero in highly disturbed areas. Pioneer tree species had a wider elevational range than late-successional species. These results suggest that the shift in dominant tree species after logging (from late-successional to pioneer species) was the main driver of the decline in beta diversity along the elevational gradient. We conclude that preserving and restoring beta diversity are important to sustain tropical production forests