170 research outputs found
Characterising and Understanding the Impact of Microbial Biofilms and the Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS) Matrix in Drinking Water Distribution Systems
Drinking water quality deteriorates during transportation through drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Microbial activity and ecology, particularly within biofilms that occur on the inner-pipe surface of DWDS, are emerging as important drivers in the degradation process. Yet, we have little real-world applicable understanding of the DWDS biofilms. This paper provides a critical discussion of current drinking water biofilm research, highlighting the importance of biofilms, including the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and their interactions with the physico-chemical environment. Evidence is presented that the tools for biofilm analysis are becoming more accessible and there is now the opportunity to translate microbial research from idealised bench-top settings to practical real-world applications. It is essential that we understand biofilms and manage them within ageing, deteriorating DWDS infrastructure to protect public health and wellbeing
Superconducting Quantum Interference in Fractal Percolation Films. Problem of 1/f Noise
An oscillatory magnetic field dependence of the DC voltage is observed when a
low-frequency current flows through superconducting Sn-Ge thin-film composites
near the percolation threshold. The paper also studies the experimental
realisations of temporal voltage fluctuations in these films. Both the
structure of the voltage oscillations against the magnetic field and the time
series of the electric "noise" possess a fractal pattern. With the help of the
fractal analysis procedure, the fluctuations observed have been shown to be
neither a noise with a large number of degrees of freedom, nor the realisations
of a well defined dynamic system. On the contrary the model of voltage
oscillations induced by the weak fluctuations of a magnetic field of arbitrary
nature gives the most appropriate description of the phenomenon observed. The
imaging function of such a transformation possesses a fractal nature, thus
leading to power-law spectra of voltage fluctuations even for the simplest
types of magnetic fluctuations including the monochromatic ones. Thus, the
paper suggests a new universal mechanism of a "1/f noise" origin. It consists
in a passive transformation of any natural fluctuations with a fractal-type
transformation function.Comment: 17 pages, 13 eps-figures, Latex; title page and figures include
Spectral properties of a generalized chGUE
We consider a generalized chiral Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (chGUE) based on a
weak confining potential. We study the spectral correlations close to the
origin in the thermodynamic limit. We show that for eigenvalues separated up to
the mean level spacing the spectral correlations coincide with those of chGUE.
Beyond this point, the spectrum is described by an oscillating number variance
centered around a constant value. We argue that the origin of such a rigid
spectrum is due to the breakdown of the translational invariance of the
spectral kernel in the bulk of the spectrum. Finally, we compare our results
with the ones obtained from a critical chGUE recently reported in the
literature. We conclude that our generalized chGUE does not belong to the same
class of universality as the above mentioned model.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Chiral Random Matrix Model for Critical Statistics
We propose a random matrix model that interpolates between the chiral random
matrix ensembles and the chiral Poisson ensemble. By mapping this model on a
non-interacting Fermi-gas we show that for energy differences less than a
critical energy the spectral correlations are given by chiral Random
Matrix Theory whereas for energy differences larger than the number
variance shows a linear dependence on the energy difference with a slope that
depends on the parameters of the model. If the parameters are scaled such that
the slope remains fixed in the thermodynamic limit, this model provides a
description of QCD Dirac spectra in the universality class of critical
statistics. In this way a good description of QCD Dirac spectra for gauge field
configurations given by a liquid of instantons is obtained.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, Latex; added two references and minor
correction
Muon-spin-relaxation study of the magnetic penetration depth in MgB2
The magnetic vortex lattice (VL) of polycrystalline MgB2 has been
investigated by transverse-field muon-spin-relaxation (TF-MuSR). The evolution
of TF-MuSR depolarization rate, sigma, that is proportional to the second
moment of the field distribution of the VL has been studied as a function of
temperature and applied magnetic field. The low temperature value s exhibits a
pronounced peak near Hext = 75 mT. This behavior is characteristic of strong
pinning induced distortions of the VL which put into question the
interpretation of the low-field TF-MuSR data in terms of the magnetic
penetration depth lambda(T). An approximately constant value of sigma, such as
expected for an ideal VL in the London-limit, is observed at higher fields of
Hext > 0.4 T. The TF-MuSR data at Hext = 0.6 T are analyzed in terms of a
two-gap model. We obtain values for the gap size of D1 = 6.0 meV (2D1/kBTc =
3.6), D2 = 2.6 meV (2D2/kBTc = 1.6), a comparable spectral weight of the two
bands and a zero temperature value for the magnetic penetration depth of lambda
= 100 nm. In addition, we performed MuSR-measurements in zero external field
(ZF-MuSR). We obtain evidence that the muon site (at low temperature) is
located on a ring surrounding the center of the boron hexagon. Muon diffusion
sets in already at rather low temperature of T > 10 K. The nuclear magnetic
moments can account for the observed relaxation rate and no evidence for
electronic magnetic moments has been obtained.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Effects of Diabetes and Insulin on α-amylase Messenger RNA Levels in Rat Parotid Glands
Previous studies have shown that amylase levels are reduced significantly in the pancreas and parotid gland of diabetic rats and that insulin reverses this effect and increases the secretory protein levels. In the pancreas, these changes in amylase protein levels are accompanied by parallel changes in amylase mRNA levels. In the present study, the effects of diabetes and subsequent insulin treatments on contents (per cell) of amylase protein and its mRNA in parotid glands were compared in rats rendered diabetic with an injection of a beta-cell toxin, streptozotocin (STZ). Both amylase protein and its mRNA contents were reduced significantly in diabetic rats, compared with control rats, and this reduction was reversed following insulin injections of diabetic rats. In insulin-injected diabetic rats, amylase protein contents increased before a detectable increase in amylase mRNA levels was seen. The mRNA contents of a non-secretory protein, actin, did not change during diabetogenesis or subsequent insulin treatments. The reductions in parotid contents of amylase and its mRNA in diabetic rats and the reversal of these changes by insulin are similar to those changes that occur in the pancreas under the same conditions. However, the magnitude of these changes in parotid glands was much smaller than in the pancreas, and the effect of insulin on amylase mRNA synthesis was not as immediate as in the latter gland.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67977/2/10.1177_00220345900690081001.pd
Biofilm structures (EPS and bacterial communities) in drinking water distribution systems are conditioned by hydraulics and influence discolouration
High-quality drinking water from treatment works is degraded during transport to customer taps through the Drinking Water Distribution System (DWDS). Interactions occurring at the pipe wall-water interface are central to this degradation and are often dominated by complex microbial biofilms that are not well understood. This study uses novel application of confocal microscopy techniques to quantify the composition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and cells of DWDS biofilms together with concurrent evaluation of the bacterial community. An internationally unique, full-scale, experimental DWDS facility was used to investigate the impact of three different hydraulic patterns upon biofilms and subsequently assess their response to increases in shear stress, linking biofilms to water quality impacts such as discolouration. Greater flow variation during growth was associated with increased cell quantity but was inversely related to EPS-to-cell volume ratios and bacterial diversity. Discolouration was caused and EPS was mobilised during flushing of all conditions. Ultimately, biofilms developed under low-varied flow conditions had lowest amounts of biomass, the greatest EPS volumes per cell and the lowest discolouration response. This research shows that the interactions between hydraulics and biofilm physical and community structures are complex but critical to managing biofilms within ageing DWDS infrastructure to limit water quality degradation and protect public health
Computation of the winding number diffusion rate due to the cosmological sphaleron
A detailed quantitative analysis of the transition process mediated by a
sphaleron type non-Abelian gauge field configuration in a static Einstein
universe is carried out. By examining spectra of the fluctuation operators and
applying the zeta function regularization scheme, a closed analytical
expression for the transition rate at the one-loop level is derived. This is a
unique example of an exact solution for a sphaleron model in spacetime
dimensions.Comment: Some style corrections suggested by the referee are introduced
(mainly in Sec.II), one reference added. To appear in Phys.Rev.D 29 pages,
LaTeX, 3 Postscript figures, uses epsf.st
Solitons in a Grassmannian sigma-model Coupled to Chern-Simons Term
We propose an exactly solvable Grassmannian sigma-model coupled to the
Chern-Simons theory. In the presence of a novel topological term our model
admits exact self-dual vortex solutions which are identical to those of pure
Grassmannian model, but the topological charge has a physical meaning as a
magnetic flux since the gauge field is no longer auxiliary. We also extend the
theory to a noncommutative plane and analyze the BPS solutions.Comment: 10+1 pages, No figure, LaTeX; Reference added, Minor changes, to
appear in Phys. Rev.
Characterisation of the Physical Composition and Microbial Community Structure of Biofilms within a Model Full-Scale Drinking Water Distribution System
Within drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), microorganisms form multi-species biofilms on internal pipe surfaces. A matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is produced by the attached community and provides structure and stability for the biofilm. If the EPS adhesive strength deteriorates or is overcome by external shear forces, biofilm ismobilised into the water potentially leading to degradation of water quality. However, little is known about the EPS within DWDS biofilms or how this is influenced by community composition or environmental parameters, because of the complications in obtaining biofilm samples and the difficulties in analysing EPS. Additionally, although biofilms may contain various microbial groups, research commonly focuses solely upon bacteria. This research applies an EPS analysis method based upon fluorescent confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in combination with digital image analysis (DIA), to concurrently characterize cells and EPS (carbohydrates and proteins) within drinking water biofilms from a full-scale DWDS experimental pipe loop facility with representative hydraulic conditions. Application of the EPS analysismethod, alongside DNA fingerprinting of bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities, was demonstrated for biofilms sampled from different positions around the pipeline, after 28 days growth within the DWDS experimental facility. The volume of EPS was 4.9 times greater than that of the cells within biofilms, with carbohydrates present as the dominant component. Additionally, the greatest proportion of EPS was located above that of the cells. Fungi and archaea were established as important components of the biofilm community, although bacteria were more diverse.Moreover, biofilms from different positions were similar with respect to community structure and the quantity, composition and three-dimensional distribution of cells and EPS, indicating that active colonisation of the pipe wall is an important driver inmaterial accumulation within the DWDS
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