Amoebozoa possess lineage-specific globin gene repertoires gained by individual horizontal gene transfers

The Amoebozoa represent a clade of unicellular amoeboid organisms that display a wide variety of lifestyles, including free-living and parasitic species. For example, the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum has the ability to aggregate into a multicellular fruiting body upon starvation, while the pathogenic amoeba Entamoeba histolytica is a parasite of humans. Globins are small heme proteins that are present in almost all extant organisms. Although several genomes of amoebozoan species have been sequenced, little is known about the phyletic distribution of globin genes within this phylum. Only two flavohemoglobins (FHbs) of D. discoideum have been reported and characterized previously while the genomes of Entamoeba species are apparently devoid of globin genes. We investigated eleven amoebozoan species for the presence of globin genes by genomic and phylogenetic in silico analyses. Additional FHb genes were identified in the genomes of four social amoebas and the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum. Moreover, a single-domain globin (SDFgb) of Hartmannella vermiformis, as well as two truncated hemoglobins (trHbs) of Acanthamoeba castellanii were identified. Phylogenetic evidence suggests that these globin genes were independently acquired via horizontal gene transfer from some ancestral bacteria. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree of amoebozoan FHbs indicates that they do not share a common ancestry and that a transfer of FHbs from bacteria to amoeba occurred multiple times

Renormalization of Hamiltonian Field Theory; a non-perturbative and non-unitarity approach

Renormalization of Hamiltonian field theory is usually a rather painful algebraic or numerical exercise. By combining a method based on the coupled cluster method, analysed in detail by Suzuki and Okamoto, with a Wilsonian approach to renormalization, we show that a powerful and elegant method exist to solve such problems. The method is in principle non-perturbative, and is not necessarily unitary.Comment: 16 pages, version shortened and improved, references added. To appear in JHE

Monte Carlo integration in Glauber model analysis of reactions of halo nuclei

Reaction and elastic differential cross sections are calculated for light nuclei in the framework of the Glauber theory. The optical phase-shift function is evaluated by Monte Carlo integration. This enables us to use the most accurate wave functions and calculate the phase-shift functions without approximation. Examples of proton nucleus (e.g. p-$^6$He, p-$^6$Li) and nucleus-nucleus (e.g. $^6$He$-^{12}$C) scatterings illustrate the effectiveness of the method. This approach gives us a possibility of a more stringent analysis of the high-energy reactions of halo nuclei.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

Measurement Of Sucrose And Ethanol Concentrations In Process Streams And Effluents Of Sugarcane Bioethanol Industry By Optical Fiber Sensor

The measurement of process streams and effluents from sugar-ethanol industry by using optical fiber sensor based on Fresnel reflection principle is reported. Firstly, binary sucrose-water and ethanol-water solutions were measured in order to determine the calibration curves. Secondly, the co-products from various processing stages were analyzed in order to identify the sucrose or ethanol concentration. The absolute error was calculated by comparison between the nominal concentration values obtained by plant laboratory analysis and the sensor response, yielding errors ≤ 5 wt% and ≤ 5 vol% for sucrose and ethanol content, respectively. The fiber sensor provided reliable results even for samples with more complex compositions than pure sucrose or ethanol solutions, with perspectives of application on the several stages of the plant facility. © 2011 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).7753Oz Optics,Simbol Test Systems, Inc.,FISO Technologies, Inc.,CMC Microsystems Corporation,Innovative Economy: National Strategic Reference FrameworkCortez, L.A.B., Lora, E.E.S., Gómez, E.O., (2008) Biomass for Energy (Biomassa para Energia), pp. 435-472. , Editora da Unicamp, CampinasPaiva, R.P.O., Morabito, R., Na optimization model for the aggregate production planning of a Brazilian sugar and ethanol milling company (2009) Ann. Oper. Res., 169 (1), pp. 117-130Fujiwara, E., Takeishi, R.T., Hase, A., Ono, E., Santos, J.S., Suzuki, C.K., Real-time optical fibre sensor for hydro-alcoholic solutions (2010) Meas. Sci. Technol., 21 (9), pp. 094035+1-5Kim, C.-B., Su, C.B., Measurement of the refractive index of liquids at 1.3 and 1.5 micron using a fibre optic Fresnel ratio meter (2004) Meas. Sci. Tecnol., 15 (9), pp. 1683-1686Su, H., Huang, X.G., Fresnel-reflection-based fiber sensor for on-line measurement of solute concentration in solutions (2007) Sensor. Actuat. B-Chem., 126 (2), pp. 579-582Zhao, J.R., Huang, X.G., Chen, J.H., A Fresnel-reflection-based fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of liquid concentration and temperature (2009) J. Appl. Phys., 106 (8), pp. 1-5Longtin, J.P., Fan, C.-H., Precision laser-based concentration and refractive index measurement of liquids (1998) Nanosc. Microsc. Thermophys. Eng., 2 (4), pp. 261-272Herráez, J.V., Belda, R., Refractive indices, densities and excess molar volumes of monoalcohols+water (2006) J. Solut. Chem., 35 (9), pp. 1315-1328Chen, J.C.P., Chou, C.C., (1993) Cane Sugar Handbook: A Manual for Cane Sugar Manufactures and Their Chemists, pp. 779-970. , John Willey & Sons, New Yor

Structural and Superconducting Transitions in Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_2

From systematic ab initio calculations of the alloy system Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_2, we find a strong tendency for the formation of a superstructure characterized by Al-rich layers. We also present a simple model, based on calculated energies and an estimate of the configurational entropy, which suggests that the alloy has two separate concentration regimes of phase separation, with critical points near x = 0.25 and x = 0.75. These results, together with calculations of electronic densities of states in several ionic arrangements, give a qualitative explanation for the observed structural instabilities, as well as the x-dependence of the superconducting T_c for x<0.6.Comment: 4 pp./4 figs.; revisions in responce to Referee comment

Thermoelectric power of MgB2−x_{2-x}Bex_x

We investigated thermoelectric power $S(T)$ of MgB$_{2-x}$Be$_{x}$ ($x=0$, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.6). $S(T)$ decreases systematically with $x$, suggesting that the hole density increases. Our band calculation shows that the increase occurs in the $\sigma$-band. With the hole-doping, $T_{c}$ decreases. Implication of this phenomenon is discussed within the BCS framework. While the Mott formula explains only the linear part of $S(T)$ at low temperature, incorporation of electron-phonon interaction enables us to explain $S(T)$ over wide temperature range including the anomalous behavior at high temperature.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Microscopic theories of neutrino-^{12}C reactions

In view of the recent experiments on neutrino oscillations performed by the LSND and KARMEN collaborations as well as of future experiments, we present new theoretical results of the flux averaged $^{12}C(\nu_e,e^-)^{12}N$ and $^{12}C(\nu_{\mu},{\mu}^-)^{12}N$ cross sections. The approaches used are charge-exchange RPA, charge-exchange RPA among quasi-particles (QRPA) and the Shell Model. With a large-scale shell model calculation the exclusive cross sections are in nice agreement with the experimental values for both reactions. The inclusive cross section for $\nu_{\mu}$ coming from the decay-in-flight of $\pi^+$ is $15.2 \times 10^{-40} cm^2$ to be compared to the experimental value of $12.4 \pm 0.3 \pm 1.8 \times 10^{-40} cm^2$, while the one due to $\nu_{e}$ coming from the decay-at-rest of $\mu^+$ is $16.4 \times 10^{-42} cm^2$ which agrees within experimental error bars with the measured values. The shell model prediction for the decay-in-flight neutrino cross section is reduced compared to the RPA one. This is mainly due to the different kind of correlations taken into account in the calculation of the spin modes and partially due to the shell-model configuration basis which is not large enough, as we show using arguments based on sum-rules.Comment: 17 pages, latex, 5 figure

Random Series and Discrete Path Integral methods: The Levy-Ciesielski implementation

We perform a thorough analysis of the relationship between discrete and series representation path integral methods, which are the main numerical techniques used in connection with the Feynman-Kac formula. First, a new interpretation of the so-called standard discrete path integral methods is derived by direct discretization of the Feynman-Kac formula. Second, we consider a particular random series technique based upon the Levy-Ciesielski representation of the Brownian bridge and analyze its main implementations, namely the primitive, the partial averaging, and the reweighted versions. It is shown that the n=2^k-1 subsequence of each of these methods can also be interpreted as a discrete path integral method with appropriate short-time approximations. We therefore establish a direct connection between the discrete and the random series approaches. In the end, we give sharp estimates on the rates of convergence of the partial averaging and the reweighted Levy-Ciesielski random series approach for sufficiently smooth potentials. The asymptotic rates of convergence are found to be O(1/n^2), in agreement with the rates of convergence of the best standard discrete path integral techniques.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures; the two equations before Eq. 14 are corrected; other typos are remove

Real-time Optical Fiber Sensor For Hydro-alcoholic Solutions

The real-time determination of hydro-alcoholic concentration in alcohol distillation plants is a primordial condition in order to preserve the quality and reduce production losses. Presented research proposes a Fresnel reflectometric optical fiber sensor for the determination of hydro-alcoholic concentration in liquids. The intensity of reflected light and the sample temperature are continuously measured and processed by a fast algorithm. Calibration curves were prepared for a range from 0 to 100% of water in alcohol (ethanol) and adjusted to second order polynomials. According to functional tests, sensor provides maximal error of 1.3 % for concentration values and proportionates practically real-time analysis. © 2009 SPIE.7503Kamm, B., Gruber, P.R., Kamm, M., (2006) Biorefineries - Industrial Processes and Products: Status Quo and Future Directions, 1. , 964 p, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, GermanyGusken, E., Salgado, R.M., Rossel, C.E.V., Ohishi, T., Suzuki, C.K., Hybrid optical fiber sensor and artificial neural networks system for bioethanol quality control and productivity enhancement (2008) 19th International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors, , PerthPrasad, P.R., Rao, K.S.R., Bhuvaneswari, K., Praveena, N., Srikanth, Y.V.V., Determination of ethanol in blend petrol by gas chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (2008) Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental EffectsYano, T., Aimi, T., Nakano, Y., Tamai, M., Prediction of the concentrations of ethanol and acetic acid in the culture broth of a rice vinegar fermentation using near-infrared spectroscopy (1997) J. Ferm. Bioeng, 84 (5), pp. 461-465Cardona, C.A., Sanches, O.J., Fuel ethanol production: Process design trends and integration opportunities (2007) Bioresource Technology, 98, pp. 2415-2457Kim, C.B., Su, C.B., Measurement of the refractive index of liquids at 1.3 and 1.5 microns using a fibre optic Fresnel ratiometer (2004) Meas. Sci. Technol, 15, pp. 1683-1686Lee, B., Review of present status of optical fiber sensors (2000) Opt. Fiber Technol, 71 (10), pp. 3864-3868Cho, S., Chung, H., Woo, Y.A., Kim, H.J., Determination of water content in ethanol by miniaturized near-infrared (NIR) systems (2005) Bull. Korean. Chem. Soc, 26 (1), pp. 115-118King, D., Lyons, W.B., Flanagan, C., Lewis, E., An optical-fiber sensor for use in water systems utilizing digital signal processing techniques and artificial neural network pattern recognition (2004) IEEE Sens. J, 4 (1), pp. 21-27C.K. Suzuki, E. Gusken, A.C. Mercado, E. Fujiwara, E. Ono, Fiber Optics Sensing System For Liquid Fuels, OMPI Patent, Prot. PCT/BR2008/000231, 2007Meyer, R.D., Eesley, G.L., Optical fiber refractometer (1987) Rev. Sci. Instrum, 58 (11), pp. 2047-2048Scott Jr., T.A., Refractive index of ethanol-water mixtures and density and refractive index of ethanol-water-ethyl ether mixtures (1946) J. Phys. Chem, 50 (5), pp. 406-41

Interface superconductivity in the eutectic Sr2RuO4-Ru: 3-K phase of Sr2RuO4

The eutectic system Sr2RuO4-Ru is referred to as the 3-K phase of the spin-triplet supeconductor Sr2RuO4 because of its enhanced superconducting transition temperature Tc of ~3 K. We have investigated the field-temperature (H-T) phase diagram of the 3-K phase for fields parallel and perpendicular to the ab-plane of Sr2RuO4, using out-of-plane resistivity measurements. We have found an upturn curvature in the Hc2(T) curve for H // c, and a rather gradual temperature dependence of Hc2 close to Tc for both H // ab and H // c. We have also investigated the dependence of Hc2 on the angle between the field and the ab-plane at several temperatures. Fitting the Ginzburg-Landau effective-mass model apparently fails to reproduce the angle dependence, particularly near H // c and at low temperatures. We propose that all of these charecteric features can be explained, at least in a qualitative fashion, on the basis of a theory by Sigrist and Monien that assumes surface superconductivity with a two-component order parameter occurring at the interface between Sr2RuO4 and Ru inclusions. This provides evidence of the chiral state postulated for the 1.5-K phase by several experiments.Comment: 7 pages and 5 figs; accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.