685 research outputs found
Nonlocal Effects on the Magnetic Penetration Depth in d-wave Superconductors
We show that, under certain conditions, the low temperature behavior of the
magnetic penetration depth of a pure d-wave superconductor is
determined by nonlocal electrodynamics and, contrary to the general belief, the
deviation is proportional to T^2 and
not T. We predict that the dependence, due to
nonlocality, should be observable experimentally in nominally clean high-T_c
superconductors below a crossover temperature . Possible complications due to impurities, surface quality and
crystal axes orientation are discussed.Comment: REVTeX3.0; 4 pages, 1 EPS figure (included); Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Let
Risk Assessment to the Health of Amazonian Indigenous For the Consumption of Fish, Meat of Hunts and Vegetables Containing Metylmercury
This study was to evaluate the exposure to methylmercury (HgMe) and the potential health risk of Tupari Indians through the consumption of their main foods. Were collection of samples of plant foods and muscle tissue from different species of fish and wild animals consumed in three villages of the Rio Branco Indigenous Land in Rondônia, in the Brazilian Amazon. The HgMe was measured in an atomic fluorescence spectrophotometer with gas chromatography. The statistical treatment of the data was performed by software R. Of the six different plant species, only sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) had mean concentrations of HgMe above the limit of detection of the analytical technique for the three villages. There was a significant difference in the levels of HgMe between the species of wild animals and fish belonging to the same alimentary habit. Carnivores presented higher levels of HgMe than those obtained for non-predators, both for fish and for wild animals. The results of the assessment of the potential risk to indigenous health indicated a total HgMe of the weekly ingestion rate (WIR) of between 8.4 and 15.0 μg / kg of body weight for the villages evaluated, extrapolating all reference doses ( RfD) regarding for the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI). The risk quotients (RQ) varied from 5.3 to 21.4, considerably exceeding the limit (RQ ≤ 1), which allows to consider the impossibility of toxic effects of HgMe. The fishes accounted for the highest percentage of WIR of HgMe for all villages, with an emphasis on predatory species. Considering the nutritional value of fish meat, it is suggested the continuity of the consumption of this meat in the villages with preference for non-carnivores
Inclusive pion and eta production in p+Nb collisions at 3.5 GeV beam energy
Data on inclusive pion and eta production measured with the dielectron
spectrometer HADES in the reaction p+93Nb at a kinetic beam energy of 3.5 GeV
are presented. Our results, obtained with the photon conversion method,
supplement the rather sparse information on neutral meson production in
proton-nucleus reactions existing for this bombarding energy regime. The
reconstructed e+e-e+e- transverse-momentum and rapidity distributions are
confronted with transport model calculations, which account fairly well for
both pi0 and eta production.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Development of a PbWO4 Detector for Single-Shot Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy at the GBAR Experiment
We have developed a PbWO4 (PWO) detector with a large dynamic range to measure the intensity of a positron beam and the absolute density of the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) cloud it creates. A simulation study shows that a setup based on such detectors may be used to determine the angular distribution of the emission and reflection of o-Ps to reduce part of the uncertainties of the measurement. These will allow to improve the precision in the measurement of the cross-section for the (anti)hydrogen formation by (anti)proton-positronium charge exchange and to optimize the yield of antihydrogen ion which is an essential parameter in the GBAR experiment
Searching a Dark Photon with HADES
We present a search for the e+e- decay of a hypothetical dark photon, also
names U vector boson, in inclusive dielectron spectra measured by HADES in the
p (3.5 GeV) + p, Nb reactions, as well as the Ar (1.756 GeV/u) + KCl reaction.
An upper limit on the kinetic mixing parameter squared epsilon^{2} at 90% CL
has been obtained for the mass range M(U) = 0.02 - 0.55 GeV/c2 and is compared
with the present world data set. For masses 0.03 - 0.1 GeV/c^2, the limit has
been lowered with respect to previous results, allowing now to exclude a large
part of the parameter region favoured by the muon g-2 anomaly. Furthermore, an
improved upper limit on the branching ratio of 2.3 * 10^{-6} has been set on
the helicity-suppressed direct decay of the eta meson, eta-> e+e-, at 90% CL
Inclusive Dielectron Production in Ar+KCl Collisions at 1.76 AGeV studied with HADES
Results of the HADES measurement of inclusive dielectron production in Ar+KCl
collisions at a kinetic beam energy of 1.76 AGeV are presented. For the first
time, high mass resolution spectroscopy was performed. The invariant mass
spectrum of dielectrons is compared with predictions of UrQMD and HSD transport
codes.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures - To appear in the conference proceedings for
Quark Matter 2009, March 30 - April 4, Knoxville, Tennesse
Future perspectives at SIS-100 with HADES-at-FAIR
Currently, the HADES spectrometer undergoes un upgrade program to be prepared
for measurements at the upcoming SIS-100 synchrotron at FAIR. We describe the
current status of the HADES di-electron measurements at the SIS-18 and our
future plans for SIS-100.Comment: Invited contribution presented at the XLVII International Winter
Meeting on Nuclear Physics, Bormio (Italy), Jan. 26-30, 200
Biogeography in the air: fungal diversity over land and oceans
Biogenic aerosols are relevant for the Earth system, climate, and public health on local, regional, and global scales. Up to now, however, little is known about the diversity and biogeography of airborne microorganisms. We present the first DNA-based analysis of airborne fungi on global scales, showing pronounced geographic patterns and boundaries. In particular we find that the ratio of species richness between Basidiomycota and Ascomycota is much higher in continental air than in marine air. This may be an important difference between the 'blue ocean' and 'green ocean' regimes in the formation of clouds and precipitation, for which fungal spores can act as nuclei. Our findings also suggest that air flow patterns and the global atmospheric circulation are important for the understanding of global changes in biodiversity.Max Planck Society (MPG)Max Planck Society (MPG)LEC Geocycles in MainzLEC Geocycles in Mainzstate Rheinland-Pfalz [596]state RheinlandPfalzGerman Research Foundation [DE1161/2-1, PO1013/5-1, FOR 1525 INUIT]German Research Foundatio
Origin of the low-mass electron pair excess in light nucleus-nucleus collisions
We report measurements of electron pair production in elementary p+p and d+p
reactions at 1.25 GeV/u with the HADES spectrometer. For the first time, the
electron pairs were reconstructed for n+p reactions by detecting the proton
spectator from the deuteron breakup. We find that the yield of electron pairs
with invariant mass Me+e- > 0.15 GeV/c2 is about an order of magnitude larger
in n+p reactions as compared to p+p. A comparison to model calculations
demonstrates that the production mechanism is not sufficiently described yet.
The electron pair spectra measured in C+C reactions are compatible with a
superposition of elementary n+p and p+p collisions, leaving little room for
additional electron pair sources in such light collision systems.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, \usepackage{epsfig
A multiplexed, automated immuno-matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry assay for simultaneous and precise quantitation of PTEN and p110 alpha in cell lines and tumor tissues
The PI3-kinase/AKT/mTOR pathway plays a central role in cancer signaling. While p110 alpha is the catalytic alpha-subunit of PI3-kinase and a major drug target, PTEN is the main negative regulator of the PI3-kinase/AKT/mTOR pathway. PTEN is often down-regulated in cancer, and there are conflicting data on PTEN's role as breast cancer biomarker. PTEN and p110 alpha protein expression in tumors is commonly analyzed by immunohistochemistry, which suffers from poor multiplexing capacity, poor standardization, and antibody crossreactivity, and which provides only semi-quantitative data. Here, we present an automated, and standardized immuno-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (iMALDI) assay that allows precise and multiplexed quantitation of PTEN and p110 alpha concentrations, without the limitations of immunohistochemistry. Our iMALDI assay only requires a low-cost benchtop MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer, which simplifies clinical translation. We validated our assay's precision and accuracy, with simultaneous enrichment of both target proteins not significantly affecting the precision and accuracy of the quantitation when compared to the PTEN- and p110 alpha-singleplex iMALDI assays (<15% difference). The multiplexed assay's linear range is from 0.6-20 fmol with accuracies of 90-112% for both target proteins, and the assay is free of matrix-related interferences. The inter-day reproducibility over 5-days was high, with an overall CV of 9%. PTEN and p110 alpha protein concentrations can be quantified down to 1.4 fmol and 0.6 fmol per 10 mu g of total tumor protein, respectively, in various tumor tissue samples, including fresh-frozen breast tumors and colorectal cancer liver metastases, and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors.Proteomic
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