15,097 research outputs found
Interpretation of the angular dependence of the de Haas-van Alphen effect in MgB_2
We present detailed results for the amplitude and field dependence of the de
Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) signal arising from the electron-like sheet of
Fermi surface in MgB_2. Our data and analysis show that the dip in dHvA
amplitude when the field is close to the basal plane is caused by a beat
between two very similar dHvA frequencies and not a spin-zero effect as
previously assumed. Our results imply that the Stoner enhancement factors in
MgB_2 are small on both the Sigma and Pi sheets.Comment: 4 pages with figures. Submitted to PR
A systematic review of the impact of psychosocial factors on immunity: Implications for enhancing BCG response against tuberculosis.
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains an urgent global public health priority, causing 1.5 million deaths worldwide in 2018. There is evidence that psychosocial factors modulate immune function; however, how this may influence TB risk or BCG vaccine response, and whether this pathway can be modified through social protection, has not been investigated. This paper aims to: a) systematically review evidence of how psychosocial factors influence the expression of biomarkers of immunity, and b) apply this general evidence to propose plausible TB-specific pathways for future study. Methods: Papers reporting on the impact of psychosocial stressors on immune biomarkers in relation to infectious disease risk were identified through a search of the databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Global Health and PsycEXTRA alongside reference list and citation searching of key papers. Data extraction and critical appraisal were carried out using a standardised form. The findings were tabulated and synthesised narratively by infectious disease category, and used to propose plausible mechanisms for how psychosocial exposures might influence immune outcomes relevant to TB and BCG response. Results: 27,026 citations were identified, of which 51 met the inclusion criteria. The literature provides evidence of a relationship between psychosocial factors and immune biomarkers. While the direction and strength of associations is heterogenous, some overarching patterns emerged: adverse psychosocial factors (e.g. stress) were generally associated with compromised vaccine response and higher antibody titres to herpesviruses, and vice versa for positive psychosocial factors (e.g. social support). Conclusions: The evidence identifies pathways linking psychosocial factors and immune response: co-viral infection and immune suppression, both of which are potentially relevant to TB and BCG response. However, the heterogeneity in the strength and nature of the impact of psychosocial factors on immune function, and lack of research on the implications of this relationship for TB, underscore the need for TB-specific research
A population and harvest intensity estimate for Sooty Shearwater, Puflinus griseus, on Taukihepa (Big South Cape), New Zealand
We estimated the total number of burrow entrances, chicks and total population size of the Sooty Shearwater, Puffinusgriseus, colony on Taukihepa (Big South Cape), the largest of the 36 Titi Islands where Titi (Sooty Shcarwater chicks) are harvested. Between 1999 and 2005
we surveyed six manu (family birded areas) as well as a colony in the interior forested region on the island, measuring entrance density and burrow occupancy and habitat variables, as well as recording birders' harvest intensity. We found little support for any relationship between habitat variables and entrance density on the surveyed manu. Therefore we used a detailed aerial image to map areas and extrapolate these estimates to island totals and a simple population model, incorporating known demographic parameters to calculate the total population size. We estimated that the island contains 1.67 million (95% CI: 1.47-1.88) burrow entrances and 1.12 million (0.959-1.28) breeding pairs, equating to a total of 5.31 million (95% CI: 3.98-6.77) juveniles, pre-breeders and adults associated with the island. Assuming the harvest intensity on the surveyed manu 0.18% (0.16-0.21) was similar elsewhere on the unsurveyed but harvested region of the island, we estimated that ofthe 807000 (712000-901 000) fledging chicks on the island, 137000 (105000-173000) are harvested each year. These findings highlight the importance of the island both in terms of total Sooty Shearwater population in New Zealand and to the
Rakiura Maori who harvest the Titi
Development and Use of Color Standards for Egg Yolks
Abstract FOR SOME YEARS poultry scientists have been engaged in nutrition studies on the effects of various grains fed to laying birds. Some of these studies have been concerned with the effect of grain or combinations of grains in determining yolk color. The desired yolk color for home use varies with the geographical location and customs of the people, but in general a fairly light color is preferred. On the other hand users of yolks such as noodle manufacturers and cake bakers pay premium prices for dark colored yolk. It is therefore more profitable for the egg producer if he accurately maintains the yolk color within the desired range for his particular market. Since verbal color descriptions are ambiguous it is necessary to have standards for egg yolk colors in recording and communicating the results of poultry diet research. The only color chart available in Canada was one which had been
The Physicist's Guide to the Orchestra
An experimental study of strings, woodwinds (organ pipe, flute, clarinet,
saxophone and recorder), and the voice was undertaken to illustrate the basic
principles of sound production in music instruments. The setup used is simple
and consists of common laboratory equipment. Although the canonical examples
(standing wave on a string, in an open and closed pipe) are easily reproduced,
they fail to explain the majority of the measurements. The reasons for these
deviations are outlined and discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures (jpg files). Submitted to European Journal of
Physic
Anomalous superfluid density in quantum critical superconductors
When a second-order magnetic phase transition is tuned to zero temperature by
a non-thermal parameter, quantum fluctuations are critically enhanced, often
leading to the emergence of unconventional superconductivity. In these `quantum
critical' superconductors it has been widely reported that the normal-state
properties above the superconducting transition temperature often exhibit
anomalous non-Fermi liquid behaviors and enhanced electron correlations.
However, the effect of these strong critical fluctuations on the
superconducting condensate below is less well established. Here we report
measurements of the magnetic penetration depth in heavy-fermion, iron-pnictide,
and organic superconductors located close to antiferromagnetic quantum critical
points showing that the superfluid density in these nodal superconductors
universally exhibit, unlike the expected -linear dependence, an anomalous
3/2 power-law temperature dependence over a wide temperature range. We propose
that this non-integer power-law can be explained if a strong renormalization of
effective Fermi velocity due to quantum fluctuations occurs only for momenta
close to the nodes in the superconducting energy gap .
We suggest that such `nodal criticality' may have an impact on low-energy
properties of quantum critical superconductors.Comment: Main text (5 pages, 3 figures) + Supporting Information (3 pages, 4
figures). Published in PNAS Early Edition on February 12, 201
Plasmonic Resonances and Electromagnetic Forces Between Coupled Silver Nanowires
We compute the electromagnetic response and corresponding forces between two
silver nanowires. The wires are illuminated by a plane wave which has the
electric field vector perpendicular to the axis of the wires, insuring that
plasmonic resonances can be excited. We consider a nontrivial square cross
section geometry that has dimensions on the order of , where
is the wavelength of the incident electromagnetic field. We find that
due to the plasmonic resonance, there occurs great enhancement of the direct
and mutual electromagnetic forces that are exerted on the nanowires. The
Lippman-Schwinger volume integral equation is implemented to obtain solutions
to Maxwell's equations for various and separation distances between
wires. The forces are computed using Maxwell's stress tensor and numerical
results are shown for both on and off resonant conditions
de Haas-van Alphen effect investigation of the electronic structure of Al substituted MgB_2
We report a de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) study of the electronic structure of Al
doped crystals of MgB. We have measured crystals with % Al which
have a of 33.6 K, (% lower than pure MgB). dHvA frequencies
for the tube orbits in the doped samples are lower than in pure
MgB, implying a reduction in the number of holes in this sheet of
Fermi surface. The mass of the quasiparticles on the larger orbit is
lighter than the pure case indicating a reduction in electron-phonon coupling
constant . These observations are compared with band structure
calculations, and found to be in excellent agreement.Comment: 4 pages with figure
Investigating the Magnetospheres of Rapidly Rotating B-type Stars
Recent spectropolarimetric surveys of bright, hot stars have found that ~10%
of OB-type stars contain strong (mostly dipolar) surface magnetic fields (~kG).
The prominent paradigm describing the interaction between the stellar winds and
the surface magnetic field is the magnetically confined wind shock (MCWS)
model. In this model, the stellar wind plasma is forced to move along the
closed field loops of the magnetic field, colliding at the magnetic equator,
and creating a shock. As the shocked material cools radiatively it will emit
X-rays. Therefore, X-ray spectroscopy is a key tool in detecting and
characterizing the hot wind material confined by the magnetic fields of these
stars. Some B-type stars are found to have very short rotational periods. The
effects of the rapid rotation on the X-ray production within the magnetosphere
have yet to be explored in detail. The added centrifugal force due to rapid
rotation is predicted to cause faster wind outflows along the field lines,
leading to higher shock temperatures and harder X-rays. However, this is not
observed in all rapidly rotating magnetic B-type stars. In order to address
this from a theoretical point of view, we use the X-ray Analytical Dynamical
Magnetosphere (XADM) model, originally developed for slow rotators, with an
implementation of new rapid rotational physics. Using X-ray spectroscopy from
ESA's XMM-Newton space telescope, we observed 5 rapidly rotating B-type stars
to add to the previous list of observations. Comparing the observed X-ray
luminosity and hardness ratio to that predicted by the XADM allows us to
determine the role the added centrifugal force plays in the magnetospheric
X-ray emission of these stars.Comment: IAUS Conference Proceeding
Transverse Magnetoresistance of GaAs/AlGaAs Heterojunctions in the Presence of Parallel Magnetic Fields
We have calculated the resistivity of a GaAs\slash AlGaAs heterojunction in
the presence of both an in--plane magnetic field and a weak perpendicular
component using a semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory. These calculations
take into account fully the distortion of the Fermi contour which is induced by
the parallel magnetic field. The scattering of electrons is assumed to be due
to remote ionized impurities. A positive magnetoresistance is found as a
function of the perpendicular component, in good qualitative agreement with
experimental observations. The main source of this effect is the strong
variation of the electronic scattering rate around the Fermi contour which is
associated with the variation in the mean distance of the electronic states
from the remote impurities. The magnitude of the positive magnetoresistance is
strongly correlated with the residual acceptor impurity density in the GaAs
layer. The carrier lifetime anisotropy also leads to an observable anisotropy
in the resistivity with respect to the angle between the current and the
direction of the in--plane magnetic field.Comment: uuencoded file containing a 26 page RevTex file and 14 postscript
figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
- …