Microcanonical versus Canonical Analysis of Protein Folding

The microcanonical analysis is shown to be a powerful tool to characterize the protein folding transition and to neatly distinguish between good and bad folders. An off-lattice model with parameter chosen to represent polymers of these two types is used to illustrate this approach. Both canonical and microcanonical ensembles are employed. The required calculations were performed using parallel tempering Monte Carlo simulations. The most revealing features of the folding transition are related to its first-order-like character, namely, the S-bend pattern in the caloric curve, which gives rise to negative microcanonical specific heats, and the bimodality of the energy distribution function at the transition temperatures. Models for a good folder are shown to be quite robust against perturbations in the interaction potential parameters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Actitudes alimentarias y vulnerabilidad al modelo de delgadez transmitido por los medios de futuras maestras de educación primaria

La teoría sociocultural señala la importancia del modelo de belleza femenino transmitido por los medios en las actitudes hacia la alimentación. La presente investigación indaga sobre esta relación en una muestra de futuras maestras de primaria. Los resultados muestran una vulnerabilidad elevada hacia el modelo estético difundido por los medios y unas tendencias dietéticas poco saludables en este colectivo, apreciándose, además, una alta correlación entre estas dos variables

Reproducibility of Pop-Ins in Laboratory Testing ofWelded Joints

The pop-in phenomenon, quite common in fracture mechanics tests of welded joints, corresponds to a brittle crack initiation grown from a local brittle zone (LBZ) that is arrested in reaching the higher toughness material that surrounds this LBZ. A methodology to obtain a high percentage of pop-in occurrence in laboratory testing is necessary to study the pop-in significance. Such a method is introduced in this work and includes the consumable combination and welding procedures for the SMAW welding process to generate artificial LBZ. In order to find out the influence of the loading state upon the pop-in phenomenon, laboratory CTOD tests were performed using two specimen configurations: some single edge-notched specimens were loaded on a three-point bending (SE(B)) fixture while others were tested in tensile load (SE(T)). A higher frequency of pop-in occurrence was observed in the SE(B) geometry

Plant-microbe interactions and the new biotechnological methods of plant disease control

Plants constitute an excellent ecosystem for microorganisms. The environmental conditions offered differ considerably between the highly variable aerial plant part and the more stable root system. Microbes interact with plant tissues and cells with different degrees of dependence. The most interesting from the microbial ecology point of view, however, are specific interactions developed by plant-beneficial (either non-symbiotic or symbiotic) and pathogenic microorganisms. Plants, like humans and other animals, also become sick, but they have evolved a sophisticated defense response against microbes, based on a combination of constitutive and inducible responses which can be localized or spread throughout plant organs and tissues. The response is mediated by several messenger molecules that activate pathogen-responsive genes coding for enzymes or antimicrobial compounds, and produces less sophisticated and specific compounds than immunoglobulins in animals. However, the response specifically detects intracellularly a type of protein of the pathogen based on a gene-for-gene interaction recognition system, triggering a biochemical attack and programmed cell death. Several implications for the management of plant diseases are derived from knowledge of the basis of the specificity of plant-bacteria interactions. New biotechnological products are currently being developed based on stimulation of the plant defense response, and on the use of plant-beneficial bacteria for biological control of plant diseases (biopesticides) and for plant growth promotion (biofertilizers)

A three-dimensional self-adaptive hp finite element method for the characterization of waveguide discontinuities

We propose the use of a highly-accurate three-dimensional (3D) fully automatic hp-adaptive finite element method (FEM) for the characterization of rectangular waveguide discontinuities. These discontinuities are either the unavoidable result of mechanical/electrical transitions or deliberately introduced in order to perform certain electrical functions in modern communication systems. The proposed numerical method combines the geometrical flexibility of finite elements with an accuracy that is often superior to that provided by semi-analytical methods. It supports anisotropic refinements on irregular meshes with hanging nodes, and isoparametric elements. It makes use of hexahedral elements compatible with high-order H(curl)H(curl) discretizations. The 3D hp-adaptive FEM is applied for the first time to solve a wide range of 3D waveguide discontinuity problems of microwave communication systems in which exponential convergence of the error is observed

Beyond the First Recurrence in Scar Phenomena

The scarring effect of short unstable periodic orbits up to times of the order of the first recurrence is well understood. Much less is known, however, about what happens past this short-time limit. By considering the evolution of a dynamically averaged wave packet, we show that the dynamics for longer times is controlled by only a few related short periodic orbits and their interplay.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Televisión + Red = nuevas pantallas ¿de calidad?

En los últimos tiempos, el desarrollo de nuevas pantallas de comunicación ha ido “robándole” terreno a la televisión, la cual reinaba hasta ese momento como la única pantalla en la que se podía visionar noticiarios, series de ficción, dibujos animados, etc. Sin embargo, esta realidad se vio alterada con la aparición de internet, la cual desbancó a la televisión como instrumento de ocio y tiempo libre. La televisión, en consecuencia, ha tenido desde entonces que reinventarse de forma continua para intentar mantenerse en el horizonte de los medios de comunicación.In recent times, development of new screens of communication has been "stealing" the television spot, which hitherto reigned as the only screen where you could envision news, drama series, cartoons, etc. However, this situation was altered with the advent of the Internet, which unseated the television as an instrument of leisure and free time. Television, therefore, has since had to reinvent itself continuously to try to stay on the horizon of the media

La televisión en el aula de Primaria. Trabajando con los Bacyardigans

Educar a los más pequeños es una labor que, en ciertos momentos, puede resultar ardua, pues el grado de atención de los infantes como todos sabemos, es intermitente. Para ello los docentes deben diseñar propuestas de trabajo que llamen la atención de los estudiantes y que, además, desarrollen no sólo sus habilidades y competencias, sino también su imaginación. La utilización de diferentes recursos tecnológicos en el aula de primaria, va a permitir el desarrollo de la competencia digital que el Real Decreto 1513 establece deben alcanzar los estudiantes de Primaria una vez que finalicen la etapa. De todos los medios de comunicación y/o recursos tecnológicos que los docentes tienen a su alcance, nosotras nos hemos centrado en la televisión, y más concretamente en las series de dibujos animados (cartoons) que en diversas franjas horarias pueden visionarse en los distintos canales televisivos. Tratando de superar las funciones que en su día asignó Feria (1995) a la televisión - teleguardería, teleconsumo y teledivulgación-, traemos a la palestra una propuesta de secuencia didáctica para desarrollar el curriculum de segundo curso de primaria a través de la serie de dibujos animados Bacyardignas. Nuestra propuesta de trabajo la hemos centrado en el capítulo titulado Mudanzas de Arabia. En él, el sultán Tayron contrata a la empresa “Mudanzas de Arabia” regentada por Pablo y Onikua, para que trasladen su tesoro desde la cueva en que lo guarda a su nueva ubicación en Palacio. El contenido del capítulo nos permitirá adentrarnos en el contenido del área de Conocimiento del medio natural y social, así como en el área de expresión artística y corporal, a través de la música empleada en este episodio. Palabras clave: televisión, dibujos animados, curriculum de primaria, competencia digital.Educating younger children is a task that, at certain times it may be difficult, since the degree of care of infants as we all know, is intermittent. To do this, teachers must design work proposals that grab the attention of students and further develop their skills and not only this but also their imagination. The use of different technological resources in the elementary class will enable the development of digital competition that the 1513 royal decree must attain Elementary students once they finish the stage. Of all the media and/or technological resources that teachers have at their within easy reach, we have focused on television, specifically in cartoons in another time zones can be viewed in different channels television. Trying to overcome the functions that once assigned Fair (1995) to TV-nurserytv-divulgationtv-conmpsuntiontv and we bring to the fore a proposed teaching sequence to develop the curriculum for second grade through the series of drawings Bacyardignas animated. Our proposals for the work have focused on the chapter titled Moving Arabia. In it, the sultan Tayron company hires "Removal of Arabia" run by Paul and Onikua for transferring their treasure from the cave in which it bears to its new location in the Palace. The contents of the chapter we will delve into the content area knowledge of the natural and social environment and in the area of artistic expression and body through music used in this episode

Bose-Einstein Condensation on a Permanent-Magnet Atom Chip

We have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate on a permanent-magnet atom chip based on periodically magnetized videotape. We observe the expansion and dynamics of the condensate in one of the microscopic waveguides close to the surface. The lifetime for atoms to remain trapped near this dielectric material is significantly longer than above a metal surface of the same thickness. These results illustrate the suitability of microscopic permanent-magnet structures for quantum-coherent preparation and manipulation of cold atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, Published in Phys. Rev. A, Rapid Com

Bose-Einstein Condensation on a Permanent-Magnet Atom Chip

We have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate on a permanent-magnet atom chip based on periodically magnetized videotape. We observe the expansion and dynamics of the condensate in one of the microscopic waveguides close to the surface. The lifetime for atoms to remain trapped near this dielectric material is significantly longer than above a metal surface of the same thickness. These results illustrate the suitability of microscopic permanent-magnet structures for quantum-coherent preparation and manipulation of cold atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, Published in Phys. Rev. A, Rapid Com