An Enhanced Perturbational Study on Spectral Properties of the Anderson Model

The infinite-$U$ single impurity Anderson model for rare earth alloys is examined with a new set of self-consistent coupled integral equations, which can be embedded in the large $N$ expansion scheme ($N$ is the local spin degeneracy). The finite temperature impurity density of states (DOS) and the spin-fluctuation spectra are calculated exactly up to the order $O(1/N^2)$. The presented conserving approximation goes well beyond the $1/N$-approximation ({\em NCA}) and maintains local Fermi-liquid properties down to very low temperatures. The position of the low lying Abrikosov-Suhl resonance (ASR) in the impurity DOS is in accordance with Friedel's sum rule. For $N=2$ its shift toward the chemical potential, compared to the {\em NCA}, can be traced back to the influence of the vertex corrections. The width and height of the ASR is governed by the universal low temperature energy scale $T_K$. Temperature and degeneracy $N$-dependence of the static magnetic susceptibility is found in excellent agreement with the Bethe-Ansatz results. Threshold exponents of the local propagators are discussed. Resonant level regime ($N=1$) and intermediate valence regime ($|\epsilon_f| <\Delta$) of the model are thoroughly investigated as a critical test of the quality of the approximation. Some applications to the Anderson lattice model are pointed out.Comment: 19 pages, ReVTeX, no figures. 17 Postscript figures available on the WWW at http://spy.fkp.physik.th-darmstadt.de/~frithjof

Arctic sea-ice melt in 2008 and the role of solar heating

There has been a marked decline in the summer extent of Arctic sea ice over the past few decades. Data from autonomous ice mass-balance buoys can enhance our understanding of this decline. These buoys monitor changes in snow deposition and ablation, ice growth, and ice surface and bottom melt. Results from the summer of 2008 showed considerable large-scale spatial variability in the amount of surface and bottom melt. Small amounts of melting were observed north of Greenland, while melting in the southern Beaufort Sea was quite large. Comparison of net solar heat input to the ice and heat required for surface ablation showed only modest correlation. However, there was a strong correlation between solar heat input to the ocean and bottom melting. As the ice concentration in the Beaufort Sea region decreased, there was an increase in solar heat to the ocean and an increase in bottom melting

Chasing the genes that control resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes

The host-protective immune response to infection with gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes involves a range of interacting processes that begin with recognition of the parasite’s antigens and culminate in an inflammatory reaction in the intestinal mucosa. Precisely which immune effectors are responsible for the loss of specific worms is still not known although many candidate effectors have beenproposed. However, it is now clear that many different genes regulate the response and that differences between hosts (fast or strong versus slow or weak responses) can be explained by allelic variation in crucial genes associated with the gene cascade that accompanies the immune response and/or genes encoding constitutively expressed receptor/signalling molecules. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes have been recognized for some time as decisive in controlling immunity, and evidence that non-MHC genes are equally, if not more important in this respect has also been available for two decades. Nevertheless, whilst the former have been mapped in mice, only two candidate loci have been proposed for non-MHC genes and relatively little is known about their roles. Now, with the availability of microsatellite markers, it is possible to exploit linkage mapping techniques to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for resistance to GI nematodes. Four QTL for resistance to Heligmosomoides polygyrus, and additional QTL affecting faecal egg production by the worms and the accompanying immune responses, have been identified. Fine mapping and eventually the identification of the genes (and their alleles) underlying QTL for resistance/susceptibility will permit informed searches for homologues in domestic animals, and human beings, through comparative genomic maps. This information in turn will facilitate targeted breeding to improve resistance in domestic animals and, in human beings, focused application of treatment and control strategies for GI nematodes

Unified description of Fermi and non-Fermi liquid behavior in a conserving slave boson approximation for strongly correlated impurity models

We show that the presence of Fermi or non-Fermi liquid behavior in the SU(N) x SU(M) Anderson impurity models may be read off the infrared threshold exponents governing the spinon and holon dynamics in a slave boson representation of these models. We construct a conserving T-matrix approximation which recovers the exact exponents with good numerical accuracy. Our approximation includes both coherent spin flip scattering and charge fluctuation processes. For the single-channel case the tendency to form bound states drastically modifies the low energy behavior. For the multi-channel case in the Kondo limit the bound state contributions are unimportant.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, 3 postscript figures included Final version with minor changes in wording, to appear in Phys.Rev.Let

Neuromyelitis optica and pregnancy during therapeutic B cell depletion: infant exposure to anti-AQP4 antibody and prevention of rebound relapses with low-dose rituximab postpartum

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) predominantly affects women, some in childbearing age, and requires early therapeutic intervention to prevent disabling relapses. We report an anti-AQP4 antibody-seropositive patient who became pregnant seven months after low-dose (100 mg) rituximab application. Pregnancy showed no complications, and low-dose rituximab restarted two days after delivery resulted in neurological stability for 24 months. Remarkably, her otherwise healthy newborn presented with anti-AQP4 antibody and reduced B lymphocyte counts in umbilical cord blood, which normalized three months later. Confirming and extending previous reports, our case suggests that low-dose rituximab might be compatible with pregnancy and prevent rebound NMO disease activity postpartum

Preserving quality of life as a key treatment goal in advanced soft tissue sarcomas.

Introduction Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a patient-reported outcome that addresses patients' perceptions of symptoms across physical, emotional, cognitive and social domains. As HRQoL is currently rarely measured outside clinical trials in oncology, it must be inferred from patients' everyday performance during treatment. To gain insight into the HRQoL of advanced STS patients receiving palliative treatment in clinical practice, three case studies of patients treated with trabectedin are examined. Areas covered: The patient in Case 1 has maintained complete remission for more than 8 years after receiving nine cycles of second-line trabectedin followed by secondary surgery for recurrent myxoid liposarcoma, and was able to resume normal activities during trabectedin treatment. Case 2 describes 10 years' follow-up of a patient with myxoid liposarcoma who remains well after many lines of chemotherapy including extended use of trabectedin in the second line. The third case illustrates the feasibility of extending survival time in an elderly patient with metastatic leiomyosarcoma who was able to maintain a busy and active lifestyle while receiving second-line trabectedin. Expert commentary: Owing to its relatively benign safety profile, trabectedin frequently permits prolonged therapy and is generally well tolerated, often allowing patients to carry on with normal daily activities

Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) Foraging Efficiency Reduced by Fast Flows

Predators can strongly influence prey populations and the structure and function of ecosystems, but these effects can be modified by environmental stress. For example, fluid velocity and turbulence can alter the impact of predators by limiting their environmental range and altering their foraging ability. We investigated how hydrodynamics affected the foraging behavior of the green crab (Carcinus maenas), which is invading marine habitats throughout the world. High flow velocities are known to reduce green crab predation rates and our study sought to identify the mechanisms by which flow affects green crabs. We performed a series of experiments with green crabs to determine: 1) if their ability to find prey was altered by flow in the field, 2) how flow velocity influenced their foraging efficiency, and 3) how flow velocity affected their handling time of prey. In a field study, we caught significantly fewer crabs in baited traps at sites with fast versus slow flows even though crabs were more abundant in high flow areas. This finding suggests that higher velocity flows impair the ability of green crabs to locate prey. In laboratory flume assays, green crabs foraged less efficiently when flow velocity was increased. Moreover, green crabs required significantly more time to consume prey in high velocity flows. Our data indicate that flow can impose significant chemosensory and physical constraints on green crabs. Hence, hydrodynamics may strongly influence the role that green crabs and other predators play in rocky intertidal communities

Kondo Problem and Related One-Dimensional Quantum Systems: Bethe Ansatz Solution and Boundary Conformal Field Theory

We review some exact results on Kondo impurity systems derived from Bethe-ansatz solutions and boundary conformal field theory with particular emphasis on universal aspects of the phenomenon. The finite-size spectra characterizing the low-energy fixed point are computed from the Bethe-ansatz solutions of various models related to the Kondo problem. Using the finite-size scaling argument, we investigate their exact critical properties. We also discuss that a universal relation between the Kondo effect and the impurity effect in one-dimensional quantum systems usefully expedites our understanding of these different phenomena.Comment: 6 pages, no figure