772 research outputs found
Molecular Characterization of Recent and Archived Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Isolates
Cases of erysipelas have increased considerably in 2001â2002. Diagnosis of erysipelas is typically confirmed by culture and in a limited number of cases the isolates are serotyped. Reagents for serotyping are limited and are available only at National Veterinary Service Laboratory (NVSL). In this study, we utilize pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to differentiate genotypes and compare archived and recent isolates. Seventy-three erysipelas field isolates (58 recent, 15 historical) and four live vaccine strains were genetically characterized. Fortysix isolates were found to belong to genotype 1A(I), three were genotype 1A(III), each one was genotype 1A(IV), 1A(V), 1A(VI), and two isolates were designated as 1A(VII). Nine different genotypes were identified among the serotype 1b isolates [1B(I-IX)]. Within serotype 2, three genotypes were identified: 2A, 2B, and 2C. The four vaccine strains tested in this study belong to the genotype group 1A(II), closely related to genotype 1A. The vaccine strains and the most common field isolates genotype 1A(I) shared 78.6% identity based on PFGE pattern
Quasiparticle Scattering Interference in High Temperature Superconductors
We propose that the energy-dependent spatial modulation of the local density
of states seen by Hoffman, et al [hoff2] is due to the scattering interference
of quasiparticles. In this paper we present the general theoretical basis for
such an interpretation and lay out the underlying assumptions. As an example,
we perform exact T-matrix calculation for the scattering due to a single
impurity. The results of this calculation is used to check the assumptions, and
demonstrate that quasiparticle scattering interference can indeed produce
patterns similar to those observed in Ref. [hoff2].Comment: RevTex4 twocolumn, 4 pages, 3 figures. Figs.2-3 virtually embedded
(bacause of too big size) while jpg files available in the postscript/source
package. Further polishe
Identification of Swine Salmonella serotypes Using Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis of Conserved Xba1 Fragments
Swine Salmonella isolates (n=674) from various locations throughout the United States and Canada were analyzed via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with Xba1. PFGE subtypes were analyzed by cluster analysis and compared to conventional serotyping results. The analysis showed a correlation of serotype to PFGE subtype. In addition, conserved fragments were identified within the restriction patterns that were unique to each serotype. PFGE using Xba1 restriction provides a screening method for identifying swine Salmonella serotypes
Kondo effect of non-magnetic impurities and the co-existing charge order in the cuprate superconductors
We present a theory of Kondo effect caused by an induced magnetic moment near
non-magnetic impurities such as Zn and Li in the cuprate superconductors. Based
on the co-existence of charge order and superconductivity, a natural
description of the induced moment and the resulting Kondo effect is obtained in
the framework of bond-operator theory of microscopic t-J-V Hamiltonian. The
local density of state near impurities is computed in a self-consistent
Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory which shows a low-energy peak in the middle of
superconducting gap. Our theory also suggests that the charge order can be
enhanced near impuries.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Trophic niche overlap between native freshwater mussels (Order: Unionida) and the invasive Corbicula fluminea
Freshwater mussels (Order Unionida) are highly threatened. Interspecific competition for food sources with invasive alien species is considered to be one of the factors responsible for their decline because successful invaders are expected to have wider trophic niches and more flexible feeding strategies than their native counterparts. In this study, carbon (ÎŽ13C: 13C/12C) and nitrogen (ÎŽ15N: 15N/14N) stable isotopes were used to investigate the trophic niche overlap between the native freshwater mussel species, Anodonta anatina, Potomida littoralis, and Unio delphinus, and the invasive bivalve Corbicula fluminea living in sympatry in the Tua basin (south-west Europe). The species presenting the widest trophic niches were C. fluminea and A. anatina, which indicate that they have broader diets than U. delphinus and P. littoralis. Nonetheless, all the species assimilated microphytobenthos, sediment organic matter, and detritus derived from vascular plants, although with interspecific variability in the assimilated proportions of each source. The trophic niche of the invasive species overlapped with the trophic niche of all the native species, with the extent varying between sites and according to the species. From the three native species analysed, Potomida littoralis may be at a higher risk for competition for food with C. fluminea in the Tua basin, if food sources become limited, because this native mussel presented the narrowest trophic niche across sites and the highest probability of overlapping with the trophic niche of C. fluminea. Given the global widespread distribution of C. fluminea, the implementation of management measures devoted to the control or even eradication of this invasive alien species should be a conservation priority given its potential for competition with highly threatened native freshwater mussels.V.M. and P.C. were supported by doctoral grants SFRH/BD/108298/2015 and SFRH/BD/131814/2017, respectively, from
the Portuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyâFCT through
POPH/FSE funds. FCT also supported M.L.L. under contract
(2020.03608.CEECIND). This study was conducted within the project
FRESHCO â Multiple implications of invasive species on Freshwater
Mussel coextinction processes, supported by FCT and COMPETE
funds (contract: PTDC/AGRFOR/1627/2014). This study was also
supported by national funds through FCT â Foundation for Science
and Technology within the scope of UIDB/04423/2020 and
UIDP/04423/2020. We thank Jacinto Cunha for providing Figure 1.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Raman study of carrier-overdoping effects on the gap in high-Tc superconducting cuprates
Raman scattering in the heavily overdoped (Y,Ca)Ba_2Cu_3O_{7-d} (T_c = 65 K)
and Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+d} (T_c = 55 K) crystals has been investigated. For the
both crystals, the electronic pair-breaking peaks in the A_{1g} and B_{1g}
polarizations were largely shifted to the low energies close to a half of
2Delta_0, Delta_0 being the maximum gap. It strongly suggests s-wave mixing
into the d-wave superconducting order parameter and the consequent
manifestation of the Coulomb screening effect in the B_{1g}-channel. Gradual
mixing of s-wave component with overdoping is not due to the change of crystal
structure symmetry but a generic feature in all high-T_c superconducting
cuprates.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. B, Rapid
communicaito
Competing orders in a magnetic field: spin and charge order in the cuprate superconductors
We describe two-dimensional quantum spin fluctuations in a superconducting
Abrikosov flux lattice induced by a magnetic field applied to a doped Mott
insulator. Complete numerical solutions of a self-consistent large N theory
provide detailed information on the phase diagram and on the spatial structure
of the dynamic spin spectrum. Our results apply to phases with and without
long-range spin density wave order and to the magnetic quantum critical point
separating these phases. We discuss the relationship of our results to a number
of recent neutron scattering measurements on the cuprate superconductors in the
presence of an applied field. We compute the pinning of static charge order by
the vortex cores in the `spin gap' phase where the spin order remains
dynamically fluctuating, and argue that these results apply to recent scanning
tunnelling microscopy (STM) measurements. We show that with a single typical
set of values for the coupling constants, our model describes the field
dependence of the elastic neutron scattering intensities, the absence of
satellite Bragg peaks associated with the vortex lattice in existing neutron
scattering observations, and the spatial extent of charge order in STM
observations. We mention implications of our theory for NMR experiments. We
also present a theoretical discussion of more exotic states that can be built
out of the spin and charge order parameters, including spin nematics and phases
with `exciton fractionalization'.Comment: 36 pages, 33 figures; for a popular introduction, see
http://onsager.physics.yale.edu/superflow.html; (v2) Added reference to new
work of Chen and Ting; (v3) reorganized presentation for improved clarity,
and added new appendix on microscopic origin; (v4) final published version
with minor change
An improved method for measuring muon energy using the truncated mean of dE/dx
The measurement of muon energy is critical for many analyses in large
Cherenkov detectors, particularly those that involve separating
extraterrestrial neutrinos from the atmospheric neutrino background. Muon
energy has traditionally been determined by measuring the specific energy loss
(dE/dx) along the muon's path and relating the dE/dx to the muon energy.
Because high-energy muons (E_mu > 1 TeV) lose energy randomly, the spread in
dE/dx values is quite large, leading to a typical energy resolution of 0.29 in
log10(E_mu) for a muon observed over a 1 km path length in the IceCube
detector. In this paper, we present an improved method that uses a truncated
mean and other techniques to determine the muon energy. The muon track is
divided into separate segments with individual dE/dx values. The elimination of
segments with the highest dE/dx results in an overall dE/dx that is more
closely correlated to the muon energy. This method results in an energy
resolution of 0.22 in log10(E_mu), which gives a 26% improvement. This
technique is applicable to any large water or ice detector and potentially to
large scintillator or liquid argon detectors.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure
All-particle cosmic ray energy spectrum measured with 26 IceTop stations
We report on a measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum with the IceTop
air shower array, the surface component of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at
the South Pole. The data used in this analysis were taken between June and
October, 2007, with 26 surface stations operational at that time, corresponding
to about one third of the final array. The fiducial area used in this analysis
was 0.122 km^2. The analysis investigated the energy spectrum from 1 to 100 PeV
measured for three different zenith angle ranges between 0{\deg} and 46{\deg}.
Because of the isotropy of cosmic rays in this energy range the spectra from
all zenith angle intervals have to agree. The cosmic-ray energy spectrum was
determined under different assumptions on the primary mass composition. Good
agreement of spectra in the three zenith angle ranges was found for the
assumption of pure proton and a simple two-component model. For zenith angles
{\theta} < 30{\deg}, where the mass dependence is smallest, the knee in the
cosmic ray energy spectrum was observed between 3.5 and 4.32 PeV, depending on
composition assumption. Spectral indices above the knee range from -3.08 to
-3.11 depending on primary mass composition assumption. Moreover, an indication
of a flattening of the spectrum above 22 PeV were observed.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figure
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