512 research outputs found
Local Phonon Density of States in an Elastic Substrate
The local, eigenfunction-weighted acoustic phonon density of states (DOS)
tensor is calculated for a model substrate consisting of a semi-infinite
isotropic elastic continuum with a stress-free surface. On the surface, the
local DOS is proportional to the square of the frequency, as for the
three-dimensional Debye model, but with a constant of proportionality that is
considerably enhanced compared to the Debye value, a consequence of the
Rayleigh surface modes. The local DOS tensor at the surface is also
anisotropic, as expected. Inside the substrate the local DOS is both spatially
anisotropic and non-quadratic in frequency. However, at large depths, the local
DOS approaches the isotropic Debye value. The results are applied to a Si
substrate.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, RevTe
Molecular Identification of Eimeria Species in Broiler Chickens in Trinidad, West Indies
Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease of chickens of major economic importance to broiler industries worldwide. Species of coccidia found in chickens include Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria brunetti, Eimeria maxima, Eimeria mitis, Eimeria necatrix, Eimeria praecox, and Eimeria tenella. In recent years, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been developed to provide accurate and rapid identification of the seven known Eimeria species of chickens. The aim of this study was to use species-specific real-time PCR (qPCR) to identify which of the seven Eimeria species are present in Trinidad poultry. Seventeen pooled fecal samples were collected from 6 broiler farms (2–5 pens per farm) across Trinidad. Feces were also collected from birds showing clinical signs of coccidiosis in two live bird markets (pluck shops). qPCR revealed the presence of five species of Eimeria (E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. mitis, E. necatrix, and E. tenella), but not E. brunetti or E. praecox. Mixed infections were detected on all broiler farms, and DNA of two highly pathogenic Eimeria species (E. tenella and E. necatrix) was detected in feces taken from clinically sick birds sampled from the two pluck shops
Out-of-plane nesting driven spin spiral in ultrathin Fe/Cu(001) films
Epitaxial ultrathin Fe films on fcc Cu(001) exhibit a spin spiral (SS), in
contrast to the ferromagnetism of bulk bcc Fe. We study the in-plane and
out-of-plane Fermi surfaces (FSs) of the SS in 8 monolayer Fe/Cu(001) films
using energy dependent soft x-ray momentum-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.
We show that the SS originates in nested regions confined to out-of-plane FSs,
which are drastically modified compared to in-plane FSs. From precise
reciprocal space maps in successive zones, we obtain the associated real space
compressive strain of 1.5+-0.5% along c-axis. An autocorrelation analysis
quantifies the incommensurate ordering vector q=(2pi/a)(0,0,~0.86), favoring a
SS and consistent with magneto-optic Kerr effect experiments. The results
reveal the importance of in-plane and out-of-plane FS mapping for ultrathin
films.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Degenerative cervical spine changes among early career fighter pilots : a 5-year follow-up
Introduction
Degenerative changes of the cervical spine often cause disability and flight duty limitations among Finnish Air Force (FINAF) fighter pilots. We aimed to study the effect of +Gz exposure on degenerative changes in the cervical spine by comparing cervical MRIs of FINAF fighter pilots and controls.
Methods
At baseline, the volunteer study population consisted of 56 20-year-old FINAF male fighter pilots (exposure group) and 56 21-year-old Army and Navy cadets (control group). Both groups underwent MRI of the cervical spine at the baseline and after 5 years. Degenerative changes evaluated using MRI included intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (Pfirrmann classification), disc herniations, uncovertebral arthrosis, Schmorl’s nodes, Modic changes, spinal canal stenosis, kyphosis and scoliosis.
Results
The degree of IVD degeneration in the whole cervical spine increased significantly in both populations with no between-group differences. The prevalence of disc herniations also tended to increase in both populations with no difference in the incidence over the follow-up. However, pilots proved to have more disc herniations at the baseline and at the follow-up. There were virtually no between-group differences in other assessed degenerative changes.
Discussion
We found that IVD degeneration and the prevalence of disc herniations increased at a similar rate for fighter pilots and non-flying military students when all cervical levels were summed up. The lack of difference may be explained by the relatively low cumulative +Gz exposure during the first 5 years of a pilots’ career
Deposition Kinetics and Compositional Control of Vacuum Processed CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite
Halide perovskites have generated considerable research interest due to their excellent optoelectronic properties in the past decade. To ensure the formation of high quality semiconductors, the deposition process for the perovskite film is a critical issue. Vacuum based processing is considered a promising method allowing, in principle, also for large areas. One of the benefits of vacuum processing is the control over the film composition through the use of quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) that in-situ monitor the rates of the components. In metal halide perovskites, however, one frequently employed component or precursor, CH3NH3I, exhibits non-standard sublimation properties. Here, we study in detail the sublimation properties of CH3NH3I and demonstrate that by correcting for its complex adsorption properties and by modeling the film growth, accurate predictions about the stoichiometry of the final perovskite film can be obtained
Three-dimensional bulk band dispersion in polar BiTeI with giant Rashba-type spin splitting
In layered polar semiconductor BiTeI, giant Rashba-type spin-split band
dispersions show up due to the crystal structure asymmetry and the strong
spin-orbit interaction. Here we investigate the 3-dimensional (3D) bulk band
structures of BiTeI using the bulk-sensitive -dependent soft x-ray angle
resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SX-ARPES). The obtained band structure is
shown to be well reproducible by the first-principles calculations, with huge
spin splittings of meV at the conduction-band-minimum and
valence-band-maximum located in the plane. It provides the first
direct experimental evidence of the 3D Rashba-type spin splitting in a bulk
compound.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Fragmentation pathways of nanofractal structures on surface
We present a detailed systematical theoretical analysis of the post-growth
processes occurring in nanofractals grown on surface. For this study we
developed a method which accounts for the internal dynamics of particles in a
fractal. We demonstrate that particle diffusion and detachment controls the
shape of the emerging stable islands on surface. We consider different
scenarios of fractal post-growth relaxation and analyze the time evolution of
the island's morphology. The results of our calculations are compared with
available experimental observations, and experiments in which the post-growth
relaxation of deposited nanostructures can be probed are suggested.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figure
Feline aminopeptidase N is not a functional receptor for avian infectious bronchitis virus
BACKGROUND: Coronaviruses are an important cause of infectious diseases in humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and have the continued potential for emergence from animal species. A major factor in the host range of a coronavirus is its receptor utilization on host cells. In many cases, coronavirus-receptor interactions are well understood. However, a notable exception is the receptor utilization by group 3 coronaviruses, including avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Feline aminopeptidase N (fAPN) serves as a functional receptor for most group 1 coronaviruses including feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), canine coronavirus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), and human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E). A recent report has also suggested a role for fAPN during IBV entry (Miguel B, Pharr GT, Wang C: The role of feline aminopeptidase N as a receptor for infectious bronchitis virus. Brief review. Arch Virol 2002, 147:2047–2056. RESULTS: Here we show that, whereas both transient transfection and constitutive expression of fAPN on BHK-21 cells can rescue FIPV and TGEV infection in non-permissive BHK cells, fAPN expression does not rescue infection by the prototype IBV strain Mass41. To account for the previous suggestion that fAPN could serve as an IBV receptor, we show that feline cells can be infected with the prototype strain of IBV (Mass 41), but with low susceptibility compared to primary chick kidney cells. We also show that BHK-21 cells are slightly susceptible to certain IBV strains, including Ark99, Ark_DPI, CA99, and Iowa97 (<0.01% efficiency), but this level of infection is not increased by fAPN expression. CONCLUSION: We conclude that fAPN is not a functional receptor for IBV, the identity of which is currently under investigation
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