230 research outputs found
Optical beam guidance in monolithic polymer chips for miniaturized colorimetric assays
For the first time, we present a simple and robust optical concept to enable precise and sensitive read-out of colorimetric assays in flat lab-on-a-chip devices. The optical guidance of the probe beam through an incorporated measurement chamber to the detector is based on the total internal reflection at V-grooves in the polymer chip. This way, the optical path length through the flat measurement chamber and thus the performance of the measurements are massively enhanced compared to direct (perpendicular) beam incidence. This is demonstrated by a chip-based, colorimetric glucose-assay on serum. Outstanding features are an excellent reproducibility (CV= 1.91 %), a competitive lower limit of detection (cmin = 124 μM), and a high degree of linearity (R2 = 0.998) within a working range extending over nearly three orders of magnitude
Heterogeneity shapes groups growth in social online communities
Many complex systems are characterized by broad distributions capturing, for
example, the size of firms, the population of cities or the degree distribution
of complex networks. Typically this feature is explained by means of a
preferential growth mechanism. Although heterogeneity is expected to play a
role in the evolution it is usually not considered in the modeling probably due
to a lack of empirical evidence on how it is distributed. We characterize the
intrinsic heterogeneity of groups in an online community and then show that
together with a simple linear growth and an inhomogeneous birth rate it
explains the broad distribution of group members.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure panel
Interpolating self-energy of the infinite-dimensional Hubbard model: Modifying the iterative perturbation theory
We develop an analytical expression for the self-energy of the
infinite-dimensional Hubbard model that is correct in a number of different
limits. The approach represents a generalization of the iterative perturbation
theory to arbitrary fillings. In the weak-coupling regime perturbation theory
to second order in the interaction U is recovered. The theory is exact in the
atomic limit. The high-energy behavior of the self-energy up to order (1/E)**2
and thereby the first four moments of the spectral density are reproduced
correctly. Referring to a standard strong-coupling moment method, we analyze
the limit of strong U. Different modifications of the approach are discussed
and tested by comparing with the results of an exact diagonalization study.Comment: LaTeX, 14 pages, 5 ps figures included, title changed, references
updated, minor change
Anomalous low doping phase of the Hubbard model
We present results of a systematic Quantum-Monte-Carlo study for the
single-band Hubbard model. Thereby we evaluated single-particle spectra (PES &
IPES), two-particle spectra (spin & density correlation functions), and the
dynamical correlation function of suitably defined diagnostic operators, all as
a function of temperature and hole doping. The results allow to identify
different physical regimes. Near half-filling we find an anomalous `Hubbard-I
phase', where the band structure is, up to some minor modifications, consistent
with the Hubbard-I predictions. At lower temperatures, where the spin response
becomes sharp, additional dispersionless `bands' emerge due to the dressing of
electrons/holes with spin excitatons. We present a simple phenomenological fit
which reproduces the band structure of the insulator quantitatively. The Fermi
surface volume in the low doping phase, as derived from the single-particle
spectral function, is not consistent with the Luttinger theorem, but
qualitatively in agreement with the predictions of the Hubbard-I approximation.
The anomalous phase extends up to a hole concentration of 15%, i.e. the
underdoped region in the phase diagram of high-T_c superconductors. We also
investigate the nature of the magnetic ordering transition in the single
particle spectra. We show that the transition to an SDW-like band structure is
not accomplished by the formation of any resolvable `precursor bands', but
rather by a (spectroscopically invisible) band of spin 3/2 quasiparticles. We
discuss implications for the `remnant Fermi surface' in insulating cuprate
compounds and the shadow bands in the doped materials.Comment: RevTex-file, 20 PRB pages, 16 figures included partially as gif. A
full ps-version including ps-figures can be found at
http://theorie.physik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~eder/condmat.ps.gz Hardcopies of
figures (or the entire manuscript) can also be obtained by e-mail request to:
[email protected]
Superconductivity in the two dimensional Hubbard Model.
Quasiparticle bands of the two-dimensional Hubbard model are calculated using
the Roth two-pole approximation to the one particle Green's function. Excellent
agreement is obtained with recent Monte Carlo calculations, including an
anomalous volume of the Fermi surface near half-filling, which can possibly be
explained in terms of a breakdown of Fermi liquid theory. The calculated bands
are very flat around the (pi,0) points of the Brillouin zone in agreement with
photoemission measurements of cuprate superconductors. With doping there is a
shift in spectral weight from the upper band to the lower band. The Roth method
is extended to deal with superconductivity within a four-pole approximation
allowing electron-hole mixing. It is shown that triplet p-wave pairing never
occurs. Singlet d_{x^2-y^2}-wave pairing is strongly favoured and optimal
doping occurs when the van Hove singularity, corresponding to the flat band
part, lies at the Fermi level. Nearest neighbour antiferromagnetic correlations
play an important role in flattening the bands near the Fermi level and in
favouring superconductivity. However the mechanism for superconductivity is a
local one, in contrast to spin fluctuation exchange models. For reasonable
values of the hopping parameter the transition temperature T_c is in the range
10-100K. The optimum doping delta_c lies between 0.14 and 0.25, depending on
the ratio U/t. The gap equation has a BCS-like form and (2*Delta_{max})/(kT_c)
~ 4.Comment: REVTeX, 35 pages, including 19 PostScript figures numbered 1a to 11.
Uses epsf.sty (included). Everything in uuencoded gz-compressed .tar file,
(self-unpacking, see header). Submitted to Phys. Rev. B (24-2-95
Biosorption and Biomineralization of U(VI) by the Marine Bacterium Idiomarina loihiensis MAH1: Effect of Background Electrolyte and pH
The main goal of this study is to compare the effects of pH, uranium concentration, and background electrolyte (seawater and NaClO4 solution) on the speciation of uranium(VI) associated with the marine bacterium Idiomarina loihiensis MAH1. This was done at the molecular level using a multidisciplinary approach combining X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TRLFS), and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). We showed that the U(VI)/bacterium interaction mechanism is highly dependent upon pH but also the nature of the used background electrolyte played a role. At neutral conditions and a U concentration ranging from 5·10−4 to 10−5 M (environmentally relevant concentrations), XAS analysis revealed that uranyl phosphate mineral phases, structurally resembling meta-autunite [Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2 2–6H2O] are precipitated at the cell surfaces of the strain MAH1. The formation of this mineral phase is independent of the background solution but U(VI) luminescence lifetime analyses demonstrated that the U(VI) speciation in seawater samples is more intricate, i.e., different complexes were formed under natural conditions. At acidic conditions, pH 2, 3 and 4.3 ([U] = 5·10−4 M, background electrolyte = 0.1 M NaClO4), the removal of U from solution was due to biosorption to Extracellular Polysaccharides (EPS) and cell wall components as evident from TEM analysis. The LIII-edge XAS and TRLFS studies showed that the biosorption process observed is dependent of pH. The bacterial cell forms a complex with U through organic phosphate groups at pH 2 and via phosphate and carboxyl groups at pH 3 and 4.3, respectively. The differences in the complexes formed between uranium and bacteria on seawater compared to NaClO4 solution demonstrates that the actinide/microbe interactions are influenced by the three studied factors, i.e., the pH, the uranium concentration and the chemical composition of the solution.This work was funded by the grants CGL2009-09760 and CGL2012-36505 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación), and RNM 3943 (Junta de Andalucía), Spain
All You Can Eat: High Performance Capacity and Plasticity in the Common Big-Eared Bat, Micronycteris microtis (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)
Ecological specialization and resource partitioning are expected to be particularly high in the species-rich communities of tropical vertebrates, yet many species have broader ecological niches than expected. In Neotropical ecosystems, Neotropical leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) are one of the most ecologically and functionally diverse vertebrate clades. Resource partitioning in phyllostomids might be achieved through differences in the ability to find and process food. We selected Micronycteris microtis, a very small (5–7 g) animalivorous phyllostomid, to explore whether broad resource use is associated with specific morphological, behavioral and performance traits within the phyllostomid radiation. We documented processing of natural prey and measured bite force in free-ranging M. microtis and other sympatric phyllostomids. We found that M. microtis had a remarkably broad diet for prey size and hardness. For the first time, we also report the consumption of vertebrates (lizards), which makes M. microtis the smallest carnivorous bat reported to date. Compared to other phyllostomids, M. microtis had the highest bite force for its size and cranial shape and high performance plasticity. Bite force and cranial shape appear to have evolved rapidly in the M. microtis lineage. High performance capacity and high efficiency in finding motionless prey might be key traits that allow M. microtis, and perhaps other species, to successfully co-exist with other gleaning bats
The Hubbard model within the equations of motion approach
The Hubbard model has a special role in Condensed Matter Theory as it is
considered as the simplest Hamiltonian model one can write in order to describe
anomalous physical properties of some class of real materials. Unfortunately,
this model is not exactly solved except for some limits and therefore one
should resort to analytical methods, like the Equations of Motion Approach, or
to numerical techniques in order to attain a description of its relevant
features in the whole range of physical parameters (interaction, filling and
temperature). In this manuscript, the Composite Operator Method, which exploits
the above mentioned analytical technique, is presented and systematically
applied in order to get information about the behavior of all relevant
properties of the model (local, thermodynamic, single- and two- particle ones)
in comparison with many other analytical techniques, the above cited known
limits and numerical simulations. Within this approach, the Hubbard model is
shown to be also capable to describe some anomalous behaviors of the cuprate
superconductors.Comment: 232 pages, more than 300 figures, more than 500 reference
Self-bias and the emotionality of foreign languages
Article first published online: June 13, 2018Foreign language contexts impose a relative psychological and emotional distance in bilinguals. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that the use of a foreign language changes the strength of the seemingly automatic emotional responses in the self-paradigm, showing a robust asymmetry in the self-bias effect in a native and a foreign language context. Namely, larger effects were found in the native language, suggesting an emotional blunting in the foreign language context. In the present study, we investigated the source of these effects by directly comparing whether they stem from a language’s foreignness versus its non-nativeness. We employed the same self-paradigm (a simple perceptual matching task of associating simple geometric shapes with the labels “you,” “friend,” and “other”), testing unbalanced Spanish–Basque–English trilinguals. We applied the paradigm to three language contexts: native, non-native but contextually present (i.e., non-native local), and non-native foreign. Results showed a smaller self-bias only in the foreign language pointing to the foreign-language-induced psychological/emotional distance as the necessary prerequisite for foreign language effects. Furthermore, we explored whether perceived emotional distance towards foreign languages in Spanish–English bilinguals modulates foreign language effects. Results suggest that none of the different indices of emotional distance towards the foreign language obtained via questionnaires modulated the self-biases in the foreign language contexts. Our results further elucidate the deeply rooted and automatic nature of foreign-language-driven differential emotional processing.This research has been partially funded by grants PSI2015-65689-P and SEV-2015-0490 from the Spanish Government, AThEME-613465 from the European Union, and a 2016 BBVA Foundation Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators awarded to the last author (J.A.D.)
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