Short-coherence length superconductivity in the Attractive Hubbard Model in three dimensions

We study the normal state and the superconducting transition in the Attractive Hubbard Model in three dimensions, using self-consistent diagrammatics. Our results for the self-consistent $T$-matrix approximation are consistent with 3D-XY power-law critical scaling and finite-size scaling. This is in contrast to the exponential 2D-XY scaling the method was able to capture in our previous 2D calculation. We find the 3D transition temperature at quarter-filling and $U=-4t$ to be $T_c=0.207t$. The 3D critical regime is much narrower than in 2D and the ratio of the mean-field transition to $T_c$ is about 5 times smaller than in 2D. We also find that, for the parameters we consider, the pseudogap regime in 3D (as in 2D) coincides with the critical scaling regime.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Socially Responsible Investment in Japanese Pensions

As the level of retirement-related assets has grown, so too has public and private interest in so-called "Socially Responsible Investment" (SRI), an investment strategy that employs criteria other than the usual financial risk and return factors when selecting firms in which to invest. This study evaluates whether SRI indexes would alter portfolio risk and return patterns for the new defined contribution pension plans currently on offer in Japan. We conclude that SRI funds can be included as an option, albeit with some cost; consequently, mandatory investment in SRI portfolios cannot reasonably be justified.

The analytical discussion on strong gravitaional lensing for a gravitational source with a f(R)f(R) global monopole

Here the gravitational lensing in strong field limit of a Schwarzschild black hole with a solid deficit angle owing to global monopole within the context of the $f(R)$ gravity theory is investigated. We obtain the expressions of deflection angle and time delay in the forms of elliptic integrals and discuss the asymptotic behaviour of the elliptic integrals to find the explicit formulae of angle and time difference in the strong field limit. We show that the deflection angle and the time delay between multiple images are related not only to the monopole but also to the $f(R)$ correction $\psi_{0}$ by taking the cosmological boundary into account. Some observables such as the minimum impact parameter, the angular separation, the relative magnification and the compacted angular position have been estimated as well. It is intriguing that the tiny modification on the standard general relativity will make the remarkable deviation on the angle and the time lag, offering a significant way to explore some possible distinct signatures of the topological soliton and the correction of the Einstein general relativity.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1004.342

Electron-electron interaction effects on optical excitations in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes

We report correlated-electron calculations of optically excited states in ten semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes with a wide range of diameters. Optical excitation occurs to excitons whose binding energies decrease with the increasing nanotube diameter, and are smaller than the binding energy of an isolated strand of poly-(paraphenylene vinylene). The ratio of the energy of the second optical exciton polarized along the nanotube axis to that of the lowest exciton is smaller than the value predicted within single-particle theory. The experimentally observed weak photoluminescence is an intrinsic feature of semiconducting nanotubes, and is consequence of dipole-forbidden excitons occurring below the optical exciton.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, To appear in PR

Isolation of a nitrate-reducing bacteria strain from oil field brine and the inhibition of sulfate-reducing bacteria

A nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) strain with vigorous growth, strong nitrate reduction ability, strain B9 2-1, was isolated from Suizhong36-1 oilfield, its routine identification and analysis of 16S rRNA and also the competitive inhibition experiments with the enrichment of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were carried out. The results showed that only the dosing of nitrate, nitrite as electron acceptors, the activation of nitrate-reducing bacteria, as well as the inhibition of sulfide production resulted from a limited capacity, while addition of NRB isolated from the produced fluid, growth and sulfide production activity of sulfate reducing bacteria produced a significant inhibition and antibacterial effects of nitrite, which was better than nitrate. At the same time, the small amount of molybdate dosing showed better results, which will be of significance when applied to shipping and state-defending industries.Key words: Nitrate-reducing bacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, restriction fragment length polymorphism, nitrates, nitrite, oil field, competitive inhibition

One of frontiers in agricultural and environmental biotechnology for the arid regions: Micro-pressure drip irrigation technology theory and practices

With the goal of reducing cost and energy consumption of drip irrigation systems, the relationship between pressure and cost of drip irrigation systems, as well as the feasibility of reducing the operating pressure, were analyzed. The irrigation quality and reliability of micro-pressure drip irrigation systems were also studied. A theory of micro-pressure drip irrigation technology is proposed, and the components of this type of irrigation system are presented. The results indicate that micro-pressure drip irrigation technology is feasible and that it can significantly decrease initial drip irrigation system cost and recurring operating expenses. Micro-pressure drip irrigation can also overcome some of the clogging problems of conventional drip irrigation systems. It is suggested that micro-pressure dripirrigation will be a topic of importance in the future of agriculture and environmental biotechnology

Effects of different rhizosphere ventilation treatment on water and nutrients absorption of maize

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of different rhizosphere ventilation treatment on water and nutrients absorption of maize. The pot experiment was conducted using three methods: no ventilation, two day ventilation and four day ventilation, under conditions of the different levels of irrigation methods. As such, the influence of rhizosphere ventilation treatment on the physiological, water and nutrient absorption of maize was studied. Results showed that, with the increase inventilation frequency, plant height, leaf area and the content of chlorophyll in maize increased to a certain degree. Root activity of once in every four days ventilation was the biggest (8.237 mg/ (g·h)), followed by that of once in every two days ventilation (6.171 mg/ (g·h)), and that of no ventilation was the least (4.940 mg/ (g·h)). Consequently, it increased by 66.7 and 29.9%, respectively. The chlorophyll content experimental results showed that, rhizosphere ventilation treatment does not affect transpiration of potted maize and has no significant difference on the irrigation water utilization rate.Key words: Potted maize, rhizosphere ventilation, water, nutrients absorption, agricultural water-saving

Spruce galactoglucomannan stabilized emulsions enhance bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds

The increasing public awareness of health and sustainability has prompted the development of functional foods rich in health-promoting ingredients. Processing technologies and sustainable multifunctional ingredients are needed for structuring these formulations. Spruce galactoglucomannan (GGM), the main hemicelluloses in softwood cell walls, are an abundantly available, emerging sustainable food hydrocolloid that have the ability to efficiently emulsify and stabilize oil-in-water emulsions. In this study, we illustrate how this lignocellulosic stabilizer affects the digestion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in vitro. A 100% decrease in the initial TAG content was observed during the in vitro digestion, suggesting that complete hydrolysis of the TAGs was achieved by the digestive enzymes. Besides, no release of mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides or phenolic compounds from GGM was detected. Our results demonstrate that the GGM-stabilized emulsion could potentially deliver lipophilic bioactive ingredients and enhance their bioaccessibility. In addition, this bio-stabilizer itself would remain stable in the upper gastrointestinal track and serve as a prebiotic for gut microbiota. We anticipate GGM to complement or even replace many of the conventional carriers of bioactive components in future health care products and functional foods.Peer reviewe

NOXclass: prediction of protein-protein interaction types

BACKGROUND: Structural models determined by X-ray crystallography play a central role in understanding protein-protein interactions at the molecular level. Interpretation of these models requires the distinction between non-specific crystal packing contacts and biologically relevant interactions. This has been investigated previously and classification approaches have been proposed. However, less attention has been devoted to distinguishing different types of biological interactions. These interactions are classified as obligate and non-obligate according to the effect of the complex formation on the stability of the protomers. So far no automatic classification methods for distinguishing obligate, non-obligate and crystal packing interactions have been made available. RESULTS: Six interface properties have been investigated on a dataset of 243 protein interactions. The six properties have been combined using a support vector machine algorithm, resulting in NOXclass, a classifier for distinguishing obligate, non-obligate and crystal packing interactions. We achieve an accuracy of 91.8% for the classification of these three types of interactions using a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure. CONCLUSION: NOXclass allows the interpretation and analysis of protein quaternary structures. In particular, it generates testable hypotheses regarding the nature of protein-protein interactions, when experimental results are not available. We expect this server will benefit the users of protein structural models, as well as protein crystallographers and NMR spectroscopists. A web server based on the method and the datasets used in this study are available at