8,892 research outputs found
Removal of terrestrial DOC in aquatic ecosystems of a temperate river network
Surface waters play a potentially important role in the global carbon balance. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes are a major transfer of terrestrial carbon to river systems, and the fate of DOC in aquatic systems is poorly constrained. We used a unique combination of spatially distributed sampling of three DOC fractions throughout a river network and modeling to quantify the net removal of terrestrial DOC during a summer base flow period. We found that aquatic reactivity of terrestrial DOC leading to net loss is low, closer to conservative chloride than to reactive nitrogen. Net removal occurred mainly from the hydrophobic organic acid fraction, while hydrophilic and transphilic acids showed no net change, indicating that partitioning of bulk DOC into different fractions is critical for understanding terrestrial DOC removal. These findings suggest that river systems may have only a modest ability to alter the amounts of terrestrial DOC delivered to coastal zones
Plasma efavirenz concentration inversely correlates with increased risk of cytomegalovirus infection in HIV-infected pregnant women
Background. Effective combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has tremendously reduced HIV-associated morbidity, mortality and mother-to-child transmission. However, the benefits of cART are threatened by comorbidities, adverse drug reactions and virus resistance to existing treatment regimens. One of the most occurring comorbidities is cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Objectives. To investigate the effects of cART on the occurrence of CMV infection among pregnant women. Methods. Using a cross-sectional study design, 175 HIV-infected pregnant women were recruited, and data were obtained from their clinical records. Blood samples were collected for host DNA, CMV DNA and plasma efavirenz (EFV) measurement. CMV DNA was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CYP2B6 c.516G>T and CYP2B6 c.983T>C single nucleotide polymorphisms were characterised using PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism and TaqMan assays, respectively. Plasma EFV concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography.Results. There was an inverse association between plasma EFV concentration and CMV DNA. Participants with lower plasma EFV concentrations were significantly (p<0.001) more likely to be CMV DNA positive than those with higher plasma concentrations. This result is also supported by the observation that carriers of CYP2B6 poor-metaboliser genotypes (CYP2B6 c.516T/T and CYP2B6 c.983T/C) were less likely to be positive for CMV DNA. Furthermore, poor metabolism as denoted by CYP2B6 c.516T/T and CYP2B6 c.983T/C genotypes was significantly associated with lower CMV viral load. Conclusions. HIV treatment disrupts the balance between host and co-infecting microbes. Reduced or subtherapeutic levels of antiretroviral drugs, which could be exacerbated by genetic polymorphisms in drug metabolism genes and non-adherence, predispose infected individuals to an increased risk of CMV infection in pregnancy.
Renormalized one-loop theory of correlations in polymer blends
The renormalized one-loop theory is a coarse-grained theory of corrections to
the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) of polymer liquids, and to the random
phase approximation (RPA) theory of composition fluctuations. We present
predictions of corrections to the RPA for the structure function and to
the random walk model of single-chain statics in binary homopolymer blends. We
consider an apparent interaction parameter that is defined by
applying the RPA to the small limit of . The predicted deviation of
from its long chain limit is proportional to , where
is chain length. This deviation is positive (i.e., destabilizing) for weakly
non-ideal mixtures, with \chi_{a} N \alt 1, but negative (stabilizing) near
the critical point. The positive correction to for low values of
is a result of the fact that monomers in mixtures of shorter
chains are slightly less strongly shielded from intermolecular contacts. The
depression in near the critical point is a result of long-wavelength
composition fluctuations. The one-loop theory predicts a shift in the critical
temperature of , which is much greater than the predicted
width of the Ginzburg region. Chain dimensions deviate
slightly from those of a random walk even in a one-component melt, and contract
slightly with increasing . Predictions for and single-chain
properties are compared to published lattice Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: submitted to J. Chem. Phy
Monte Carlo simulations of fluid vesicles with in plane orientational ordering
We present a method for simulating fluid vesicles with in-plane orientational
ordering. The method involves computation of local curvature tensor and
parallel transport of the orientational field on a randomly triangulated
surface. It is shown that the model reproduces the known equilibrium
conformation of fluid membranes and work well for a large range of bending
rigidities. Introduction of nematic ordering leads to stiffening of the
membrane. Nematic ordering can also result in anisotropic rigidity on the
surface leading to formation of membrane tubes.Comment: 11 Pages, 12 Figures, To appear in Phys. Rev.
The [O III] Veil: Astropause of Eta Carinae's Wind?
We present narrowband images of eta Carinae in the light of [O III] 5007
obtained with HST/WFPC2, as well as a ground-based image in the same emission
line with a larger field of view. These images show a thin veil of [O III]
emission around eta Car and its ejecta, confirming the existence of an
oxygen-bearing ``cocoon'' inferred from spectra. This [O III] veil may be the
remnant of the pre-outburst wind of eta Car, and its outer edge probably marks
the interface where eta Car's ejecta meet the stellar wind of the nearby O4
V((f)) star HD303308 or other ambient material -- i.e., it marks the
``astropause'' in eta Car's wind. This veil is part of a more extensive [O III]
shell that appears to be shaped and ionized by HD303308. A pair of HST images
with a 10 yr baseline shows no proper motion, limiting the expansion speed away
from eta Car to 12pm13 km/s, or an expansion age of a few times 10^4 yr. Thus,
this is probably the decelerated pre-outburst LBV wind of eta Car. The [O III]
morphology is very different from that seen in [N II], which traces young knots
of CNO-processed material; this represents a dramatic shift in the chemical
makeup of material recently ejected by eta Car. This change in the chemical
abundances may have resulted from the sudden removal of the star's outer
envelope during eta Car's 19th century outburst or an earlier but similar
event.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figs. Figs 1 and 3 in color. Accepted to AJ, October 200
Regularization of the Coulomb scattering problem
Exact solutions of the Schr\"odinger equation for the Coulomb potential are
used in the scope of both stationary and time-dependent scattering theories in
order to find the parameters which define regularization of the Rutherford
cross-section when the scattering angle tends to zero but the distance r from
the center remains fixed. Angular distribution of the particles scattered in
the Coulomb field is investigated on the rather large but finite distance r
from the center. It is shown that the standard asymptotic representation of the
wave functions is not available in the case when small scattering angles are
considered. Unitary property of the scattering matrix is analyzed and the
"optical" theorem for this case is discussed. The total and transport
cross-sections for scattering of the particle by the Coulomb center proved to
be finite values and are calculated in the analytical form. It is shown that
the considered effects can be essential for the observed characteristics of the
transport processes in semiconductors which are defined by the electron and
hole scattering in the fields of the charged impurity centers.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure
Total Angular Momentum Waves for Scalar, Vector, and Tensor Fields
Most calculations in cosmological perturbation theorydecompose those
perturbations into plane waves (Fourier modes). However, for some calculations,
particularly those involving observations performed on a spherical sky, a
decomposition into waves of fixed total angular momentum (TAM) may be more
appropriate. Here we introduce TAM waves, solutions of fixed total angular
momentum to the Helmholtz equation, for three-dimensional scalar, vector, and
tensor fields. The vector TAM waves of given total angular momentum can be
decomposed further into a set of three basis functions of fixed orbital angular
momentum (OAM), a set of fixed helicity, or a basis consisting of a
longitudinal (L) and two transverse (E and B) TAM waves. The symmetric
traceless rank-2 tensor TAM waves can be similarly decomposed into a basis of
fixed OAM or fixed helicity, or a basis that consists of a longitudinal (L),
two vector (VE and VB, of opposite parity), and two tensor (TE and TB, of
opposite parity) waves. We show how all of the vector and tensor TAM waves can
be obtained by applying derivative operators to scalar TAM waves. This operator
approach then allows one to decompose a vector field into three covariant
scalar fields for the L, E, and B components and symmetric-traceless-tensor
fields into five covariant scalar fields for the L, VE, VB, TE, and TB
components. We provide projections of the vector and tensor TAM waves onto
vector and tensor spherical harmonics. We provide calculational detail to
facilitate the assimilation of this formalism into cosmological calculations.
As an example, we calculate the power spectra of the deflection angle for
gravitational lensing by density perturbations and by gravitational waves. We
comment on an alternative approach to CMB fluctuations based on TAM waves. Our
work may have applications elsewhere in field theory and in general relativity.Comment: 32 pages, Published version in PR
Orientational phase transitions in the hexagonal phase of a diblock copolymer melt under shear flow
We generalize the earlier theory by Fredrickson [J. Rheol. v.38, 1045 (1994)]
to study the orientational behaviour of the hexagonal phase of diblock
copolymer melt subjected to steady shear flow. We use symmetry arguments to
show that the orientational ordering in the hexagonal phase is a much weaker
effect than in the lamellae. We predict the parallel orientation to be stable
at low and the perpendicular orientation at high shear rates. Our analysis
reproduces the experimental results by Tepe et al. [Macromolecules v.28, 3008
(1995)] and explains the difficulties in experimental observation of the
different orientations in the hexagonal phase.Comment: 21 pages, 6 eps figures, submitted to Physical Review
Multipole structure and coordinate systems
Multipole expansions depend on the coordinate system, so that coefficients of
multipole moments can be set equal to zero by an appropriate choice of
coordinates. Therefore, it is meaningless to say that a physical system has a
nonvanishing quadrupole moment, say, without specifying which coordinate system
is used. (Except if this moment is the lowest non-vanishing one.) This result
is demonstrated for the case of two equal like electric charges. Specifically,
an adapted coordinate system in which the potential is given by a monopole term
only is explicitly found, the coefficients of all higher multipoles vanish
identically. It is suggested that this result can be generalized to other
potential problems, by making equal coordinate surfaces coincide with the
potential problem's equipotential surfaces.Comment: 2 figure
The Emergence of the Modern Universe: Tracing the Cosmic Web
This is the report of the Ultraviolet-Optical Working Group (UVOWG)
commissioned by NASA to study the scientific rationale for new missions in
ultraviolet/optical space astronomy approximately ten years from now, when the
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is de-orbited. The UVOWG focused on a scientific
theme, The Emergence of the Modern Universe, the period from redshifts z = 3 to
0, occupying over 80% of cosmic time and beginning after the first galaxies,
quasars, and stars emerged into their present form. We considered
high-throughput UV spectroscopy (10-50x throughput of HST/COS) and wide-field
optical imaging (at least 10 arcmin square). The exciting science to be
addressed in the post-HST era includes studies of dark matter and baryons, the
origin and evolution of the elements, and the major construction phase of
galaxies and quasars. Key unanswered questions include: Where is the rest of
the unseen universe? What is the interplay of the dark and luminous universe?
How did the IGM collapse to form the galaxies and clusters? When were galaxies,
clusters, and stellar populations assembled into their current form? What is
the history of star formation and chemical evolution? Are massive black holes a
natural part of most galaxies? A large-aperture UV/O telescope in space
(ST-2010) will provide a major facility in the 21st century for solving these
scientific problems. The UVOWG recommends that the first mission be a 4m
aperture, SIRTF-class mission that focuses on UV spectroscopy and wide-field
imaging. In the coming decade, NASA should investigate the feasibility of an 8m
telescope, by 2010, with deployable optics similar to NGST. No high-throughput
UV/Optical mission will be possible without significant NASA investments in
technology, including UV detectors, gratings, mirrors, and imagers.Comment: Report of UV/O Working Group to NASA, 72 pages, 13 figures, Full
document with postscript figures available at
http://casa.colorado.edu/~uvconf/UVOWG.htm
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