30 research outputs found
Electron Spin Dynamics of the Superconductor CaC6 probed by ESR
Conduction Electron Spin Resonance (CESR) was measured on a thick slab of
CaC6 in the normal and superconducting state. A surprising increase of the CESR
intensity below Tc can not be explained by the theoretically predicted change
in spin susceptibility. It is interpreted as a vortex enhanced increase of the
effective skin depth. Non-linear microwave absorption measurements in the
superconducting state describe CaC6 as an anisotropic BCS superconductor. The
study of the spin dynamics in the superconducting state and the discovery of
the vortex enhanced increase of the skin depth poses a challenge to theory to
provide a comprehensive description of the observed phenomena. CESR data in the
normal state characterize CaC6 as a three-dimensional (3D) metal. The analysis
suggests that the scattering of conduction electrons is dominated by impurities
and supports the description of superconductivity in the dirty limit.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
A new method to determine the diet of pygmy hippopotamus in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire
This research was funded by “Fond des donations” of the University of Neuchâtel and the “Willy Müller Award” of the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire.Diet determination of endangered species is an essential element in defining successful conservation strategies and optimising captive breeding programmes. In this study, we developed a new diet identification system, derived from standard faecal analysis, to determine the diet of an elusive and endangered herbivore, the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). We collected faecal samples from 10 free-ranging individuals covering a combined home range area of about 50 km2 in Taï National Park, Côte d’Ivoire. In subsequent laboratory analyses, we extracted a large number of leaf epidermis fragments from spatially separated faecal samples and compared them with a reference plant database. Using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) of epidermis fragments combined with direct visual inspection, we identified the most frequently consumed plant species, which revealed that pygmy hippopotami qualified as intermediate feeders. Their diet was based on at least seven species of monocotyledonae, dicotyledonae and fern groups, with a preference for a small number of other plant species. We evaluate the merit of our method and discuss our findings for developing effective conservation and captive breeding strategies in an endangered species with a wild population of less than 2500 adult individuals.PostprintPeer reviewe