9,928 research outputs found
Mn induced modifications of Ga 3d photoemission from (Ga, Mn)As: evidence for long range effects
Using synchrotron based photoemission, we have investigated the Mn-induced
changes in Ga 3d core level spectra from as-grown . Although Mn is located in Ga substitutional sites, and does
therefore not have any Ga nearest neighbours, the impact of Mn on the Ga core
level spectra is pronounced even at Mn concentrations in the range of 0.5%. The
analysis shows that each Mn atom affects a volume corresponding to a sphere
with around 1.4 nm diameter.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review B, Brief Repor
High fidelity readout scheme for rare-earth solid state quantum computing
We propose and analyze a high fidelity readout scheme for a single instance
approach to quantum computing in rare-earth-ion-doped crystals. The scheme is
based on using different species of qubit and readout ions, and it is shown
that by allowing the closest qubit ion to act as a readout buffer, the readout
error can be reduced by more than an order of magnitude. The scheme is shown to
be robust against certain experimental variations, such as varying detection
efficiencies, and we use the scheme to predict the expected quantum fidelity of
a CNOT gate in these solid state systems. In addition, we discuss the potential
scalability of the protocol to larger qubit systems. The results are based on
parameters which we believed are experimentally feasible with current
technology, and which can be simultaneously realized.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
ELVIS - ELectromagnetic Vector Information Sensor
The ELVIS instrument was recently proposed by the authors for the Indian
Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon and is presently under consideration by the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The scientific objective of ELVIS is
to explore the electromagnetic environment of the moon. ELVIS samples the full
three-dimensional (3D) electric field vector, E(x,t), up to 18 MHz, with
selective Nyqvist frequency bandwidths down to 5 kHz, and one component of the
magnetic field vector, B(x,t), from a few Hz up to 100 kHz.As a transient
detector, ELVIS is capable of detecting pulses with a minimum pulse width of 5
ns. The instrument comprises three orthogonal electric dipole antennas, one
magnetic search coil antenna and a four-channel digital sampling system,
utilising flexible digital down conversion and filtering together with
state-of-the-art onboard digital signal processing.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to the DGLR Int. Symposium "To Moon and
Beyond", Bremen, Germany, 2005. Companion paper to arXiv:astro-ph/050921
Human hypocretin and melanin-concentrating hormone levels are linked to emotion and social interaction.
The neurochemical changes underlying human emotions and social behaviour are largely unknown. Here we report on the changes in the levels of two hypothalamic neuropeptides, hypocretin-1 and melanin-concentrating hormone, measured in the human amygdala. We show that hypocretin-1 levels are maximal during positive emotion, social interaction and anger, behaviours that induce cataplexy in human narcoleptics. In contrast, melanin-concentrating hormone levels are minimal during social interaction, but are increased after eating. Both peptides are at minimal levels during periods of postoperative pain despite high levels of arousal. Melanin-concentrating hormone levels increase at sleep onset, consistent with a role in sleep induction, whereas hypocretin-1 levels increase at wake onset, consistent with a role in wake induction. Levels of these two peptides in humans are not simply linked to arousal, but rather to specific emotions and state transitions. Other arousal systems may be similarly emotionally specialized
Personal Care Savings Bonds: A New Way of Saving Towards Social Care in Later Life
An ageing population ushers in a completely new era requiring society to find new solutions to funding social care and looking after older people. This is not a temporary issue that will go away and there are no quick economic fixes. In the U.K. it is estimated that the population aged 75+ will double from 5 million to 10 million by 2040. Financial building blocks are needed to pay for social care that will be sustained for decades and provide extra security for the individual. This paper proposes a new savings product called Personal Care Savings Bonds (PCSBs), which are designed to encourage saving for social care by providing extra money at the time of greatest financial need. PCSBs are likely to be attractive to older people who have only a basic pension and modest savings, but also to other age groups, as they not only attract interest but also pay prizes. Based on reasonable assumptions, the paper shows how the fund could build into a substantial investment worth ÂŁ70 billion with regular monthly prize pay-outs. In concept they are somewhat similar to Premium Bonds, another U.K. personal savings product that has been successfully operating since 1956
Activation of NF- B protein prevents the transition from juvenile ovary to testis and promotes ovarian development in Zebrafish
Testis differentiation in zebrafish involves juvenile ovary to testis transformation initiated by an apoptotic wave. The molecular regulation of this transformation process is not fully understood. NF-ÎșB is activated at an early stage of development and has been shown to interact with steroidogenic factor-1 in mammals, leading to the suppression of anti-MĂŒllerian hormone (Amh) gene expression. Because steroidogenic factor-1 and Amh are important for proper testis development, NF-ÎșB-mediated induction of anti-apoptotic genes could, therefore, also play a role in zebrafish gonad differentiation. The aim of this study was to examine the potential role of NF-ÎșB in zebrafish gonad differentiation. Exposure of juvenile zebrafish to heat-killed Escherichia coli activated the NF-ÎșB pathways and resulted in an increased ratio of females from 30 to 85%. Microarray and quantitative real-time-PCR analysis of gonads showed elevated expression of NF-ÎșB-regulated genes. To confirm the involvement of NF-ÎșB-induced anti-apoptotic effects, zebrafish were treated with sodium deoxycholate, a known inducer of NF-ÎșB or NF-ÎșB activation inhibitor (NAI). Sodium deoxycholate treatment mimicked the effect of heat-killed bacteria and resulted in an increased proportion of females from 25 to 45%, whereas the inhibition of NF-ÎșB using NAI resulted in a decrease in females from 45 to 20%. This study provides proof for an essential role of NF-ÎșB in gonadal differentiation of zebrafish and represents an important step toward the complete understanding of the complicated process of sex differentiation in this species and possibly other cyprinid teleosts as well
The Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES) VI. The Galactic Chemical Evolution of Silicon
We determined the silicon abundances of 253 metal-poor stars in the
metallicity range , based on non-local thermodynamic
equilibrium (NLTE) line formation calculations of neutral silicon and
high-resolution spectra obtained with VLT-UT2/UVES. The
dependence of [Si/Fe] noticed in previous investigation is diminished in our
abundance analysis due to the inclusion of NLTE effects. An increasing slope of
[Si/Fe] towards decreasing metallicity is present in our results, in agreement
with Galactic chemical evolution models. The small intrinsic scatter of [Si/Fe]
in our sample may imply that these stars formed in a region where the yields of
type II supernovae were mixed into a large volume, or that the formation of
these stars was strongly clustered, even if the ISM was enriched by single SNa
II in a small mixing volume. We identified two dwarfs with
: HE 01313953, and HE 14301123. These
main-sequence turnoff stars are also carbon-enhanced. They might have been
pre-enriched by sub-luminous supernovae.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, 1 electronical table. Accepted by A &
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Paying for Care Costs in Later Life Using the Value in Peopleâs Homes
With the number of U.K. citizens aged 75+ doubling to 10 million by 2040, and with 1.3 million people already receiving social care services in England alone, social care funding is a key public policy challenge. The government has launched a set of reforms designed to get social care funding onto a sustainable footing by establishing a new level for what individuals and the state will pay. The reforms are designed to encourage individuals to explore how best to use their available wealth and assets to meet care costs through a mixed system of local authority and private sector care-funding options. One option is to use the value in the home to bridge the cost between out-of-pocket costs and care home fees. In this article, we consider two new financial arrangements designed to meet the needs of people in different financial circumstances based on releasing equity from the home. These are an equity-backed insurance product and an âequity bankâ that lets a person draw down an income from their hom
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