5,522 research outputs found
Plant Poisoning Of Livestock
One of the most difficult problems of the practicing veterinarian is the diagnosis of toxic symptoms due to poisonous plants. Some plants produce in animals symptoms quite similar to those indicative of an infectious or non-infectious disease. Consequently, the diagnosis of plant poisoning apart from pathological conditions from other causes may be difficult
Evidence for a direct band gap in the topological insulator Bi2Se3 from theory and experiment
Using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and ab-initio GW
calculations, we unambiguously show that the widely investigated
three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3 has a direct band gap at the
Gamma point. Experimentally, this is shown by a three-dimensional band mapping
in large fractions of the Brillouin zone. Theoretically, we demonstrate that
the valence band maximum is located at the Brillouin center only if many-body
effects are included in the calculation. Otherwise, it is found in a
high-symmetry mirror plane away from the zone center.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Galaxy protocluster candidates around z ~ 2.4 radio galaxies
We study the environments of 6 radio galaxies at 2.2 < z < 2.6 using
wide-field near-infrared images. We use colour cuts to identify galaxies in
this redshift range, and find that three of the radio galaxies are surrounded
by significant surface overdensities of such galaxies. The excess galaxies that
comprise these overdensities are strongly clustered, suggesting they are
physically associated. The colour distribution of the galaxies responsible for
the overdensity are consistent with those of galaxies that lie within a narrow
redshift range at z ~ 2.4. Thus the excess galaxies are consistent with being
companions of the radio galaxies. The overdensities have estimated masses in
excess of 10^14 solar masses, and are dense enough to collapse into virizalised
structures by the present day: these structures may evolve into groups or
clusters of galaxies. A flux-limited sample of protocluster galaxies with K <
20.6 mag is derived by statistically subtracting the fore- and background
galaxies. The colour distribution of the protocluster galaxies is bimodal,
consisting of a dominant blue sequence, comprising 77 +/- 10% of the galaxies,
and a poorly populated red sequence. The blue protocluster galaxies have
similar colours to local star-forming irregular galaxies (U -V ~ 0.6),
suggesting most protocluster galaxies are still forming stars at the observed
epoch. The blue colours and lack of a dominant protocluster red sequence
implies that these cluster galaxies form the bulk of their stars at z < 3.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
A SINFONI view of flies in the Spiderweb: a galaxy cluster in the making
The environment of the high-z radio galaxy PKS 1138-262 at z~2.2 is a prime
example of a forming galaxy cluster. We use deep SINFONI data to perform a
detailed study of the kinematics of the galaxies within 60 kpc of the radio
core and we link this to the kinematics of the protocluster on the megaparsec
scale. Identification of optical emission lines shows that 11 galaxies are at
the redshift of the protocluster. The density of line emitters is more than an
order of magnitude higher in the core of the protocluster than the larger scale
environment. This implies a matter overdensity in the core of delta_m~70 which
is similar to the outskirts of local galaxy clusters. The velocity distribution
of the confirmed satellite galaxies shows a broad, double-peaked velocity
structure with sigma=1360+/-206 km/s. A similar broad, double-peaked
distribution was found in a previous study targeting the large scale
protocluster structure, indicating that a common process is acting on both
small and large scales. Including all spectroscopically confirmed protocluster
galaxies, a velocity dispersion of 1013+/-87 km/s is found. We show that the
protocluster has likely decoupled from the Hubble flow and is a dynamically
evolved structure. Comparison to the Millenium simulation indicates that the
protocluster velocity distribution is consistent with that of the most massive
haloes at z~2, but we rule out that the protocluster is a fully virialized
structure based on dynamical arguments and its X-ray luminosity. Comparison to
merging haloes in the Millennium simulation shows that the structure as
observed in and around the Spiderweb galaxy is best interpreted as being the
result of a merger between two massive haloes. We propose that this merger can
result in an increase in star formation and AGN activity in the protocluster
core and is possibly an important stage in the evolution of massive cD
galaxies.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Reproductive and developmental effects of disinfection by-products in drinking water.
Recent epidemiologic studies have reported associations between the consumption of chlorinated drinking water and reproductive and developmental effects. Here we review the available epidemiologic data, assess the hazard potential posed by exposure to disinfection by-products, identify critical data gaps, and offer recommendations for further research. The epidemiologic evidence supporting associations between exposure to water disinfection by-products (DBPs) and adverse pregnancy outcomes is sparse, and positive findings should be interpreted cautiously. The methods used during the early stages of research in this area have been diverse. Variability in exposure assessment and endpoints makes it difficult to synthesize or combine the available data. Exposure misclassification and unmeasured confounding may have lead to bias in risk estimation. Future studies of reproductive outcome and exposure to chlorinated water should use improved methods for exposure assessment to 1) assure selection of appropriate exposure markers, 2) assess seasonal and annual fluctuations in DBPs, 3) assess variability within the distribution system, and 4) assess exposure through multiple routes such as bathing and showering, as well as consumption. Population-based studies should be conducted to evaluate male and female fertility, conception delay, growth retardation, and specific birth defects. The reproductive and developmental effects of exposure to DBPs could be efficiently explored in ongoing investigations by incorporating valid exposure markers and relevant questionnaire information. Future studies should make use of naturally occurring variability in the concentrations of DBPs and may incorporate biomarkers of exposure and effect in their design. Epidemiologic investigations should be conducted in parallel with laboratory-based and animal studies in a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach
Riding the wake of a merging galaxy cluster
Using WHT OASIS integral field unit observations, we report the discovery of
a thin plume of ionised gas extending from the brightest cluster galaxy in
Abell 2146 to the sub-cluster X-ray cool core which is offset from the BCG by
~37 kpc. The plume is greater than 15 kpc long and less than 3 kpc wide. This
plume is unique in that the cluster it is situated in is currently undergoing a
major galaxy cluster merger. The brightest cluster galaxy is unusually located
behind the X-ray shock front and in the wake of the ram pressure stripped X-ray
cool core and evidence for recent disruption to the BCG is observed. We examine
the gas and stellar morphology, the gas kinematics of the BCG and their
relation to the X-ray gas. We propose that a causal link between the ionised
gas plume and the offset X-ray cool core provides the simplest explanation for
the formation of the plume. An interaction or merger between the BCG and
another cluster galaxy is probably the cause of the offset.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
High pressure phases in highly piezoelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3
Two novel room-temperature phase transitions are observed, via synchrotron
x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, in the Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 alloy under
hydrostatic pressures up to 16 GPa. A monoclinic (M)-to-rhombohedral (R1) phase
transition takes place around 2-3 GPa, while this R1 phase transforms into
another rhombohedral phase, R2, at about 6-7 GPa. First-principles calculations
assign the R3m and R3c symmetry to R1 and R2, respectively, and reveal that R2
acts as a pressure-induced structural bridge between the polar R3m and a
predicted antiferrodistortive R-3c phase.Comment: REVTeX, 4 pages with 3 figures embedded. Figs 1 and 3 in colo
Irreducible Representations of Diperiodic Groups
The irreducible representations of all of the 80 diperiodic groups, being the
symmetries of the systems translationally periodical in two directions, are
calculated. To this end, each of these groups is factorized as the product of a
generalized translational group and an axial point group. The results are
presented in the form of the tables, containing the matrices of the irreducible
representations of the generators of the groups. General properties and some
physical applications (degeneracy and topology of the energy bands, selection
rules, etc.) are discussed.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures, 28 tables, 18 refs, LaTex2.0
Genetic Studies of Sulfadiazine-resistant and Methionine-requiring \u3cem\u3eNeisseria\u3c/em\u3e Isolated From Clinical Material
Deoxyribonucleate (DNA) preparations were extracted from Neisseria meningitidis (four isolates from spinal fluid and blood) and N. gonorrhoeae strains, all of which were resistant to sulfadiazine upon primary isolation. These DNA preparations, together with others from in vitro mutants of N. meningitidis and N. perflava, were examined in transformation tests by using as recipient a drug-susceptible strain of N. meningitidis (Ne 15 Sul-s Met+) which was able to grow in a methionine-free defined medium. The sulfadiazine resistance typical of each donor was introduced into the uniform constitution of this recipient. Production of p-aminobenzoic acid was not significantly altered thereby. Transformants elicited by DNA from the N. meningitidis clinical isolates were resistant to at least 200 μg of sulfadiazine/ml, and did not show a requirement for methionine (Sul-r Met+). DNA from six strains of N. gonorrhoeae, which were isolated during the period of therapeutic use of sulfonamides, conveyed lower degrees of resistance and, invariably, a concurrent methionine requirement (Sul-r/Met−). The requirement of these transformants, and that of in vitro mutants selected on sulfadiazine-agar, was satisfied by methionine, but not by vitamin B12, homocysteine, cystathionine, homoserine, or cysteine. Sul-r Met+ and Sul-r/Met− loci could coexist in the same genome, but were segregated during transformation. On the other hand, the dual Sul-r/Met− properties were not separated by recombination, but were eliminated together. DNA from various Sul-r/Met− clones tested against recipients having nonidentical Sul-r/Met− mutant sites yielded Sul-s Met+ transformants. The met locus involved is genetically complex, and will be a valuable tool for studies of genetic fine structure of members of Neisseria, and of genetic homology between species
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