Violation of the Wiedemann-Franz law in clean graphene layers

The Wiedemann-Franz law, connecting the electronic thermal conductivity to the electrical conductivity of a disordered metal, is generally found to be well satisfied even when electron-electron (e-e) interactions are strong. In ultra-clean conductors, however, large deviations from the standard form of the law are expected, due to the fact that e-e interactions affect the two conductivities in radically different ways. Thus, the standard Wiedemann-Franz ratio between the thermal and the electric conductivity is reduced by a factor $1+\tau/\tau_{\rm th}^{\rm ee}$, where $1/\tau$ is the momentum relaxation rate, and $1/\tau_{\rm th}^{\rm ee}$ is the relaxation time of the thermal current due to e-e collisions. Here we study the density and temperature dependence of $1/\tau_{\rm th}^{\rm ee}$ in the important case of doped, clean single layers of graphene, which exhibit record-high thermal conductivities. We show that at low temperature $1/\tau_{\rm th}^{\rm ee}$ is $8/5$ of the quasiparticle decay rate. We also show that the many-body renormalization of the thermal Drude weight coincides with that of the Fermi velocity.Comment: 6 pages, 5 appendices (13 pages

Many-body orbital paramagnetism in doped graphene sheets

The orbital magnetic susceptibility (OMS) of a gas of noninteracting massless Dirac fermions is zero when the Fermi energy is away from the Dirac point. Making use of diagrammatic perturbation theory, we calculate exactly the OMS of massless Dirac fermions to first order in the Coulomb interaction demonstrating that it is finite and positive. Doped graphene sheets are thus unique systems in which the OMS is completely controlled by many-body effects.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitte

The Ligurian Units of Western Tuscany (Northern Apennines): insight on the influence of pre-existing weakness zones during ocean closure

Most of the tectonic units cropping out in Western Tuscany are fragments of the Jurassic oceanic crust, ophiolitic successions, overlaid diachronously by Upper Cretaceous-middle Eocene carbonate and siliciclastic flysch successions with their Cenomanian-lower Eocene shalycalcareous basal complexes. These units, so called Ligurian, have been emplaced during the closure of the Ligurian-Piedmont Ocean. Ophiolite bearing debris flows are common in the flysch basins and their relationship with ophiolitic tectonic slices points to a strong relation between tectonics and sedimentation from the early compressive events of the Late Cretaceous. The tectonic activity reflects in a rough morphology of the ocean floor. It progressively influences the distribution and sedimentology of the turbidites. During middle Eocene this relationship begun very important and a paleogeographic reconstruction with prominent linear ophiolitic reliefs that bounded some turbiditic basins can be done. In our reconstruction the sedimenta..

Water vapour permeability of clay bricks

The water vapour permeability of clay bricks has been experimentally measured in order to draw a representative outline of industrial products without pore-forming additives. The correlations between water vapour permeability and the main compositional and microstructural parameters of both bricks and clay bodies have been investigated. A statistical model was set up in order to predict with reasonable precision and reliability, the water vapour permeability on the basis of open porosity, bulk density, mean pore size and pore specific surface values of bricks, and the finer particle size of clay bodies

Detection of activity and position of speakers by using deep neural networks and acoustic data augmentation

The task of Speaker LOCalization (SLOC) has been the focus of numerous works in the research field, where SLOC is performed on pure speech data, requiring the presence of an Oracle Voice Activity Detection (VAD) algorithm. Nevertheless, this perfect working condition is not satisfied in a real world scenario, where employed VADs do commit errors. This work addresses this issue with an extensive analysis focusing on the relationship between several data-driven VAD and SLOC models, finally proposing a reliable framework for VAD and SLOC. The effectiveness of the approach here discussed is assessed against a multi-room scenario, which is close to a real-world environment. Furthermore, up to the authors’ best knowledge, only one contribution proposes a unique framework for VAD and SLOC acting in this addressed scenario; however, this solution does not rely on data-driven approaches. This work comes as an extension of the authors’ previous research addressing the VAD and SLOC tasks, by proposing numerous advancements to the original neural network architectures. In details, four different models based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are here tested, in order to easily highlight the advantages of the introduced novelties. In addition, two different CNN models go under study for SLOC. Furthermore, training of data-driven models is here improved through a specific data augmentation technique. During this procedure, the room impulse responses (RIRs) of two virtual rooms are generated from the knowledge of the room size, reverberation time and microphones and sources placement. Finally, the only other framework for simultaneous detection and localization in a multi-room scenario is here taken into account to fairly compare the proposed method. As result, the proposed method is more accurate than the baseline framework, and remarkable improvements are specially observed when the data augmentation techniques are applied for both the VAD and SLOC tasks

Dysbiosis in pediatrics is associated with respiratory infections: Is there a place for bacterial-derived products?

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common in childhood because of the physiologic immaturity of the immune system, a microbial community under development in addition to other genetic, physiological, environmental and social factors. RTIs tend to recur and severe lower viral RTIs in early childhood are not uncommon and are associated with increased risk of respiratory disorders later in life, including recurrent wheezing and asthma. Therefore, a better understanding of the main players and mechanisms involved in respiratory morbidity is necessary for a prompt and improved care as well as for primary prevention. The inter-talks between human immune com-ponents and microbiota as well as their main functions have been recently unraveled; nevertheless, more is still to be discovered or understood in the above medical conditions. The aim of this review paper is to provide the most up-to-date overview on dysbiosis in pre-school children and its association with RTIs and their complications. The potential role of non-harmful bacterial-derived prod-ucts, according to the old hygiene hypothesis and the most recent trained-innate immunity concept, will be discussed together with the need of proof-of-concept studies and larger clinical trials with immunological and microbiological endpoints

Thermal conductivity of clay bricks

In the present work the thermal conductivity of 29 samples of clay bricks was measured and the correlations of the thermal performance with the compositional, physical, and microstructural features of products were investigated. The results obtained directed our attention toward a better understanding of the role played by some parameters (i.e., mineralogical components and pore size distribution), other than bulk density, in improving or depressing the insulating properties of bricks. Among them, the unfavorable role of quartz, Ca-rich silicates, and amorphous phase came out, while the role of pore size and specific surface should be more accurately evaluated in the structural design of materials

THE LATE EARLY CRETACEOUS TRANSGRESSION ON THE LATERITES IN VOURINOS AND VERMION MASSIFS (WESTERN MACEDONIA, GREECE)

Τρεις στρωματογραφικές τομές, από τον ανατολικό Βούρινο (περιοχή Ροδιανής) και το ανατολικό Βέρμιο, απεκάλυψαν την ίδια ηλικία των φαινομένων που σχετίζονται με τις λατεριτιώσεις που προσέβαλαν το σερπεντινιωμένο οφιολιθικό σύμπλεγμα μετά την τοποθέτηση του πάνω στην πελαγονική επικράτεια. Στις τομές παρατηρούνται τεμάχη σερπεντινιωμένων χαρτσβουργιτών που φέρουν λατεριτικές ασυμφωνίες στην κορυφή, καλυπτόμενες από επικλυσιγενείς υστερο-ηωκρητιδικούς νηριτικούς ασβεστόλιθους. Κοντά στο χωρίο Κτένι (περιοχή Ροδιανής), ένας ορίζοντας λατερίτη, που κάθεται στην κορυφή σερπεντινιτών, καλύπτεται από επικλυσιγενείς νηριτικούς ασβεστόλιθους με Salpingoporella urladanasi, η οποία προσδιορίζει ηλικία Βαρρέμιο - Άλβιο, ακολουθούμενους από ασβεστόλιθους με Orbitolinidae. Στη θέση Τσιμοδιά (ΒΒΔ της προηγουμένης), ο λατεριτικός ορίζοντας, που κάθεται πάνω σε καρστικοποιημένους ανωιουρασικούς υφαλογενείς ασβεστόλιθους (οι οποίοι είναι το κορυφαίο μέλος ενός σώματος ανθρακικής πλατφόρμας που κάθεται τεκτονικός πάνω στους οφιολίθους), καλύπτεται επικλυσιγενώς από ένα σιδηρούχο πισσολιθικό στρωματίδιο και ασβεστόλιθους του Απτίου, που έχουν υφή wackes tone-muds tone και επίσης περιέχουν Salpingoporella urladanasi, ακολουθούμενους από ασβεστόλιθους με Orbitolina του Κενομανίου. Τέλος, η τρίτη εξετασθείσα τοποθεσία, αρκετά ΒΑ των προηγουμένων, βρίσκεται στις ανατολικές παρυφές του Βερμίου και συγκεκριμένα στα ΒΔ του χωρίου Κουμαριά. Εκεί, ομοίως παρατηρείται ότι τα λατεριτιωμένα τεμάχη σερπεντινιτών καλύπτονται επικλυσιγενώς από νηριτικούς ασβεστόλιθους με Salpingoporella urladanasi, που περνούν προς τα πάνω σε ανακρυσταλλωμένους ανωκρητιδικούς ασβεστόλιθους με Orbitolinidae και θραύσματα ρουδιστών και, εν τέλει, στο φλύσχη. Οι παραπάνω χαρακτήρες οδηγούν στο συμπέρασμα ότι η ανάδυση και η επακόλουθη λατεριτίωση των επωθημένων οφιολίθων του Βούρινου και του Βερμίου, στη βόρεια πελαγονική επικράτεια, που έλαβε χώρα αρχής γενομένης από το ύστατο Ιουρασικό, ακολουθήθηκε από μια θαλάσσια επίκλυση που άρχισε μέσα στο διάστημα Βαρρέμιο - Άλβιο, σε συνθήκες ανθρακικής πλατφόρμας, αρχικώς κλειστής και υφάλμυρης, που σημαδεύονται από την παρουσία του φύκους Salpingoporella urladanasi, ακολουθούμενες από κανονικής αλμυρότητας συνθήκες ανθρακικής πλατφόρμας. Η νηριτική ιζηματογένεση έμεινε ακλόνητη μέχρι το κατώτερο Κενομάνιο. Στη συνέχεια, μία βάθυνση, νωρίτερα στο Βούρινο και αργότερα στο Βέρμιο, οδήγησε στην απόθεση πελαγικών και τουρβιδιτικών ασβεστόλιθων και στη συνέχεια του φλύσχη.Three stratigraphical sections from eastern Vourinos (Rhodiani area) to eastern Vermion massifs revealed the same age of the latérite events affecting the serpentinized ophiolite complex after its emplacement on the Pelagonian domain. All of them consist from their base upwards of serpentinized harzburgite slivers with lateritic unconformities on the top, followed by transgressive upper Lower Cretaceous neritic limestones. At Kteni locality (Rhodiani area), a laterite horizon, lying on top of serpentinites, is covered by transgressive neritic limestones with Salpingoporella urladanasi, assigning a Barremian - Albian age, followed by Orbitolinidae limestones. At Tsimodia locality (NNW to the previous), the latente horizon, lying on karstified Upper Jurassic reef limestones (which are the top member of a carbonate platform body tectonically lying on the ophiolites), is trans gres s ively overlain by iron-rich pisolith levels and Aptian limestones of the wackes tone-muds tone type, also containing Salpingoporella urladanasi, followed by Cenomanian Orbitolina limestones. Finally, the third examined locality, further north-eastward to the previous, is situated at the eastern slopes of Vermion massif and more precisely at the NWpart of Koumaria village. There, it can again be observed that the lateritized serpentinite slivers are overlain transgress ively by neritic limestones with Salpingoporella urladanasi, passing upwards into Upper Cretaceous recrystallized limestones with Orbitolinidae and rudist fragments and, finally, toflysch deposition. These features allow to recognize that the emersion and the consecutive lateritization of the thrust-emplaced ophiolites in Vourinos and Vermion massifs in the northern Pelagonian domain, starting from the Latest Jurassic, was followed by a marine transgression beginning from the Barremian - Albian, firstly under restricted and brackish carbonate platform conditions, marked by the presence of the dasycladalean alga Salpingoporella urladanasi, followed by normal salinity carbonate platform conditions. The neritic sedimentation was stable until the Early Cenomanian. Subsequently, a deepening, earlier at Vourinos and later at Vermion, resulted in deposition of pelagic and turbiditic carbonates and then offlysch

Linear response of doped graphene sheets to vector potentials

A two-dimensional gas of massless Dirac fermions (MDFs) is a very useful model to describe low-energy electrons in monolayer graphene. Because the MDF current operator is directly proportional to the (sublattice) pseudospin operator, the MDF current-current response function, which describes the response to a vector potential, happens to coincide with the pseudospin-pseudospin response function. In this work we present analytical results for the wavevector- and frequency-dependent longitudinal and transverse pseudospin-pseudospin response functions of noninteracting MDFs. The transverse response in the static limit is then used to calculate the noninteracting orbital magnetic susceptibility. These results are a starting point for the construction of approximate pseudospin-pseudospin response functions that would take into account electron-electron interactions (for example at the random-phase-approximation level). They also constitute a very useful input for future applications of current-density-functional theory to graphene sheets subjected to time- and spatially-varying vector potentials.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, submitte