Ground state of two-component degenerate fermionic gases

We analyze the ground state of the two--component gas of trapped ultracold fermionic atoms. We neglect the forces between atoms in the same hyperfine state (the same component). For the case when the forces between distinguishable atoms (i.e., atoms in different hyperfine states) are repulsive (positive mutual scattering length), we find the existence of critical interaction strength above which one atomic fraction expels the other from the center of the trap. When atoms from different components attract each other (negative mutual scattering length) the ground state of the system dramatically changes its structure for strong enough attraction -- the Cooper pairs built of atoms in different hyperfine states appear.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figure

Free expansion of a Bose-Einstein condensate at the presence of a thermal cloud

We investigate numerically the free-fall expansion of a $^{87}$Rb atoms condensate at nonzero temperatures. The classical field approximation is used to separate the condensate and the thermal cloud during the expansion. We calculate the radial and axial widths of the expanding condensate and find clear evidence that the thermal component changes the dynamics of the condensate. Our results are confronted against the experimental data

Subjective mood estimation co-varies with spectral power EEG characteristics

Co-variation between subjectively estimated mood/activation and EEG characteristics, based on spectral power parameters, was investigated. Subjective estimation of mood was made by using Thayer’s Activation-Deactivation Adjective Checklist, which yielded two dimensions: Energy-Tiredness (with Energy pole having positive valence connotation) and Tension-Calmness (negative connotation for Tension). A within-subject design with two sessions of EEG recording immediately followed by mood assessment was applied. These were separated by a cognitive task, introduced in order to modify the subjects’ mood. The correlations between changes in mood estimation and changes in EEG spectral power parameters were calculated. Both ADACL dimensions co-varied with EEG in a specific way according to frequency and localization. Subjective estimation of Energy correlated negatively with alpha1 and, surprisingly, positively with delta, theta1 as well as theta2 relative power. Estimation of Tension correlated positively with theta1 and beta1, and negatively with alpha2 relative power. Presented results suggest that the adjective description of mood has objectively-measurable brain correlates in the EEG

Biodiversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi in surface mine spoil restoration stands in Poland – first time recorded, rare, and red-listed species

Results of mycological research conducted in the years 2001–2013 in the restoration stands growing on reclaimed mine spoils are presented. Four opencast lignite mine spoil heaps in Poland were examined: Pątnów-Jóźwin, Adamów, Mt Kamieńsk, and Turów. The paper focuses on 71 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi: recorded for the first time in the country (16 taxa), currently red-listed (23 taxa), known from few localities only (32 taxa). Notes on their ecology and habitats are provided, as well as their distribution in Europe and in Poland. Restoration tree stands, established as part of the reclamation process of mine spoils, form a unique habitat for many rare and interesting fungal taxa. Among them are pioneer species, species known mainly from Northern Europe or mountainous locations, highly specialized and narrow-niche taxa, and many threatened species. Afforested mine spoils contribute significantly to the fungal biodiversity, both at a local and at a larger scale

High working memory load impairs reappraisal but facilitates distraction : an event-related potential investigation

The present experiments investigated the impact of working memory (WM) load on emotion regulation (ER) efficacy using reappraisal (Experiment 1, n = 30) and distraction (Experiment 2, n = 30). Considering that WM is necessary for storage, elaboration, and manipulation of information and that reappraisal acts by storing, elaborating, and manipulating the stimulus meaning, we hypothesized that high (versus low) WM-load would reduce reappraisal efficacy. By contrast, given that distraction acts by blocking elaborated processing of the stimulus meaning, we expected that high WM-load would enhance distraction efficacy. To test these predictions, we employed a dual-task paradigm in which a low- or high WM-load task was combined with an ER (reappraisal or distraction) task. We measured the Late Positive Potential (LPP)–an electrocortical marker of sustained motivated attention, and a well-established index of emotional arousal–in response to negative pictures. Results confirmed that although reappraisal successfully reduced the LPP amplitude in the down- compared to up-regulation condition in low WM-load trials, high WM-load eliminated this difference, suggesting the disrupting influence of high WM-load on ER for reappraisal (Experiment 1). By contrast, although distraction failed to modulate the LPP amplitude in low WM-load trials, the difference between down- and no-regulation conditions was significant when distraction was combined with high WM-load, suggesting the facilitatory influence of high WM-load on ER for distraction (Experiment 2). Our findings show that the effect of WM-load on ER is strategy-dependent, and that the availability of WM resources is an important situational moderator of ER efficacy in healthy young adults

Investigation of trace element concentration in diabetic rat's tissues

Diabetes is one of the most frequent diseases in developing countries and thus there is a significant interest in diabetes related studies. It was found that vanadium compounds have glucose-lowering properties in diabetes and therefore it is very important to estimate the vanadium dose in diabetes treatment. On the other hand, the proper estimation of vanadium concentration is important due to side effects that occur in vanadium supplementation. In this study the influence of V(IV) and V(V) compounds with different ligands on the concentration of K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn in selected rat’s tissues was investigated by means of proton induced X-ray emission technique. As a result of the measurements it was found that the concentration of vanadium depends on the organ. The highest value was determined in spleen while the lowest in pancreas. It was also found that the concentration of other elements depends on the presence of vanadium and its concentration. The most meaningful influence of vanadium presence was on iron concentration in spleen, on copper and zinc in kidney, and on manganese in pancreas

Central Europe in search of (lost) identity. Literary and legal findings

Why Central, and not Eastern Europe? This is the question that people from the West often ask. Central Europeans, on the other hand, do not doubt that they are not a part of the East. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the notion of Central Europe and to investigate whether a common Central European identity exists, both in the general and legal aspect. In the first, introductory part of the paper the author ventures to define the idea of Central Europe. The second part of the paper is devoted to the question of a general Central European identity. The author approaches the problem through the analysis of four authors describing the region – Milan Kundera, György Konrád, Czesław Miłosz, and Timothy Garton Ash. In the third part of the paper the author focuses on the concept of a potential Central European legal identity, whose existence is still widely debated, comparing and contrasting two opposite approaches to this problem. In the final, concluding part of the paper the author outlines the ideas for further research into the intersections between the countries of the region

Law and memory : the unobvious relationship

Despite the fact that we are living in the times of ‘hypertrophy of memory’ or ‘memory boom’, many legal scholars has so far tried to ignore the numerous ties between law and memory. These ties, however, do exist, and some researchers even suggest that law is perpetually in search of the past, while others say that memory is one of the cornerstones of law. The purpose of this article is to investigate the unobvious, but extremely potent relationship between law and memory. In the first part of this paper, the author briefly introduces the notions of collective memory and cultural trauma, which connect law and memory. The second part of the article is devoted to the concept of ‘law as memory’, which is mainly based on Henri Bergson’s and Emmanuel Levinas’ concepts. In the third part of the article, the author shows the intersections between collective memory and law, exemplifying how collective memories may be shaped by law, and vice versa, how law may be shaped by collective memories. The fourth part of the paper is dedicated to the close bonds between collective memory and international law, and between human rights law and memory. The author first analyses the workings of the relationship of memory with the international law, showing how they both influence each other, and giving some recent examples of the intersections of international law and collective memory, e.g. Germany’s response to the Eurozone crisis and Argentina’s reaction towards the ICSID’s awards. Then he focuses on the liaison between memory and human rights law, explaining how memory ‘stands behind’ human rights in the modern era. In the last part of the article, the author ventures to sum up his deliberations, and tries to answer one of the questions of the 21st century – whether there is a right to memory

Decay of multiply charged vortices at nonzero temperatures

We study the instability of multiply charged vortices in the presence of thermal atoms and find various scenarios of splitting of such vortices. The onset of the decay of a vortex is always preceded by the increase of a number of thermal (uncondensed) atoms in the system and manifests itself by the sudden rise of the amplitude of the oscillations of the quadrupole moment. Our calculations show that the decay time gets shorter when the multiplicity of a vortex becomes higher.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure