7,452 research outputs found
Lorentz-breaking effects in scalar-tensor theories of gravity
In this work, we study the effects of breaking Lorentz symmetry in
scalar-tensor theories of gravity taking torsion into account. We show that a
space-time with torsion interacting with a Maxwell field by means of a
Chern-Simons-like term is able to explain the optical activity in syncrotron
radiation emitted by cosmological distant radio sources. Without specifying the
source of the dilaton-gravity, we study the dilaton-solution. We analyse the
physical implications of this result in the Jordan-Fierz frame. We also analyse
the effects of the Lorentz breaking in the cosmic string formation process. We
obtain the solution corresponding to a cosmic string in the presence of torsion
by keeping track of the effects of the Chern-Simons coupling and calculate the
charge induced on this cosmic string in this framework. We also show that the
resulting charged cosmic string gives us important effects concerning the
background radiation.The optical activity in this case is also worked out and
discussed.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, ReVTex forma
Combining experiment and energy landscapes to explore anaerobic heme breakdown in multifunctional hemoproteins
To survive, many pathogens extract heme from their host organism and break down the porphyrin scaffold to sequester the Fe2+ ion via a heme oxygenase. Recent studies have revealed that certain pathogens can anaerobically degrade heme. Our own research has shown that one such pathway proceeds via NADH-dependent heme degradation, which has been identified in a family of hemoproteins from a range of bacteria. HemS, from Yersinia enterocolitica, is the main focus of this work, along with HmuS (Yersinia pestis), ChuS (Escherichia coli) and ShuS (Shigella dysenteriae). We combine experiments, Energy Landscape Theory, and a bioinformatic investigation to place these homologues within a wider phylogenetic context. A subset of these hemoproteins are known to bind certain DNA promoter regions, suggesting not only that they can catalytically degrade heme, but that they are also involved in transcriptional modulation responding to heme flux. Many of the bacterial species responsible for these hemoproteins (including those that produce HemS, ChuS and ShuS) are known to specifically target oxygen-depleted regions of the gastrointestinal tract. A deeper understanding of anaerobic heme breakdown processes exploited by these pathogens could therefore prove useful in the development of future strategies for disease prevention
High growth rate 4H-SiC epitaxial growth using dichlorosilane in a hot-wall CVD reactor
Thick, high quality 4H-SiC epilayers have been grown in a vertical hot-wall
chemical vapor deposition system at a high growth rate on (0001) 80 off-axis
substrates. We discuss the use of dichlorosilane as the Si-precursor for 4H-SiC
epitaxial growth as it provides the most direct decomposition route into SiCl2,
which is the predominant growth species in chlorinated chemistries. A specular
surface morphology was attained by limiting the hydrogen etch rate until the
system was equilibrated at the desired growth temperature. The RMS roughness of
the grown films ranged from 0.5-2.0 nm with very few morphological defects
(carrots, triangular defects, etc.) being introduced, while enabling growth
rates of 30-100 \mum/hr, 5-15 times higher than most conventional growths.
Site-competition epitaxy was observed over a wide range of C/Si ratios, with
doping concentrations < 1x1014 cm-3 being recorded. X-ray rocking curves
indicated that the epilayers were of high crystallinity, with linewidths as
narrow as 7.8 arcsec being observed, while microwave photoconductive decay
(\muPCD) measurements indicated that these films had high injection (ambipolar)
carrier lifetimes in the range of 2 \mus
Describing Art - An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Effects of Speaking on Gaze Movements during the Beholding of Paintings
Ever since the Renaissance speaking about paintings has been a fundamental approach for beholders, especially experts. However, it is unclear whether and how speaking about art modifies the way we look at it and this was not yet empirically tested. The present study investigated to the best of our knowledge for the first time in what way speaking modifies the patterns of fixations and gaze movements while looking at paintings. Ninety nine university students looked at four paintings selected to cover different art historical typologies for periods of 15 minutes each while gaze movement data were recorded. After 10 minutes, the participants of the experimental group were asked open questions about the painting. Speaking dramatically reduced the duration of fixations and painting area covered by fixations while at the same time increasing the frequencies of fixations, gaze length and the amount of repeated transitions between fixation clusters. These results suggest that the production of texts as well-organised sequences of information, structures the gazes of art beholders by making them quicker, more focused and better connected
Long-term moderate calorie restriction inhibits inflammation without impairing cell-mediated immunity: A randomized controlled trial in non-obese humans
Calorie restriction (CR) inhibits inflammation and slows aging in many animal species, but in rodents housed in pathogen-free facilities, CR impairs immunity against certain pathogens. However, little is known about the effects of long-term moderate CR on immune function in humans. In this multi-center, randomized clinical trial to determine CR's effect on inflammation and cell-mediated immunity, 218 healthy non-obese adults (20-50 y), were assigned 25% CR (n=143) or an ad-libitum (AL) diet (n=75), and outcomes tested at baseline, 12, and 24 months of CR. CR induced a 10.4% weight loss over the 2-y period. Relative to AL group, CR reduced circulating inflammatory markers, including total WBC and lymphocyte counts, ICAM-1 and leptin. Serum CRP and TNF-α concentrations were about 40% and 50% lower in CR group, respectively. CR had no effect on the delayed-type hypersensitivity skin response or antibody response to vaccines, nor did it cause difference in clinically significant infections. In conclusion, long-term moderate CR without malnutrition induces a significant and persistent inhibition of inflammation without impairing key in vivo indicators of cell-mediated immunity. Given the established role of these pro-inflammatory molecules in the pathogenesis of multiple chronic diseases, these CR-induced adaptations suggest a shift toward a healthy phenotype
Chaotic Inflationary Universe on Brane
The chaotic inflationary model of the early universe, proposed by Linde is
explored in the brane world considering matter described by a minimally coupled
self interacting scalar field. We obtain cosmological solutions which admit
evolution of a universe either from a singularity or without a singularity. It
is found that a very weakly coupled self-interacting scalar field is necessary
for a quartic type potential in the brane world model compared to that
necessary in general relativity. In the brane world sufficient inflation may be
obtained even with an initial scalar field having value less than the Planck
scale. It is found that if the universe is kinetic energy dominated to begin
with, it transits to an inflationary stage subsequently.Comment: 13 pages, no fig., accepted in Physical Review
Topological effects in ring polymers: A computer simulation study
Unconcatenated, unknotted polymer rings in the melt are subject to strong
interactions with neighboring chains due to the presence of topological
constraints. We study this by computer simulation using the bond-fluctuation
algorithm for chains with up to N=512 statistical segments at a volume fraction
\Phi=0.5 and show that rings in the melt are more compact than gaussian chains.
A careful finite size analysis of the average ring size R \propto N^{\nu}
yields an exponent \nu \approx 0.39 \pm 0.03 in agreement with a Flory-like
argument for the topologica interactions. We show (using the same algorithm)
that the dynamics of molten rings is similar to that of linear chains of the
same mass, confirming recent experimental findings. The diffusion constant
varies effectively as D_{N} \propto N^{-1.22(3) and is slightly higher than
that of corresponding linear chains. For the ring sizes considered (up to 256
statistical segments) we find only one characteristic time scale \tau_{ee}
\propto N^{2.0(2); this is shown by the collapse of several mean-square
displacements and correlation functions onto corresponding master curves.
Because of the shrunken state of the chain, this scaling is not compatible with
simple Rouse motion. It applies for all sizes of ring studied and no sign of a
crossover to any entangled regime is found.Comment: 20 Pages,11 eps figures, Late
Influence of a knot on the strength of a polymer strand
Many experiments have been done to determine the relative strength of
different knots, and these show that the break in a knotted rope almost
invariably occurs at a point just outside the `entrance' to the knot. The
influence of knots on the properties of polymers has become of great interest,
in part because of their effect on mechanical properties. Knot theory applied
to the topology of macromolecules indicates that the simple trefoil or
`overhand' knot is likely to be present with high probability in any long
polymer strand. Fragments of DNA have been observed to contain such knots in
experiments and computer simulations. Here we use {\it ab initio} computational
methods to investigate the effect of a trefoil knot on the breaking strength of
a polymer strand. We find that the knot weakens the strand significantly, and
that, like a knotted rope, it breaks under tension at the entrance to the knot.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
Temperature Dependence of the Flux Line Lattice Transition into Square Symmetry in Superconducting LuNiBC
We have investigated the temperature dependence of the H || c flux line
lattice structural phase transition from square to hexagonal symmetry, in the
tetragonal superconductor LuNi_2B_2C (T_c = 16.6 K). At temperatures below 10 K
the transition onset field, H_2(T), is only weakly temperature dependent. Above
10 K, H_2(T) rises sharply, bending away from the upper critical field. This
contradicts theoretical predictions of H_2(T) merging with the upper critical
field, and suggests that just below the H_c2(T)-curve the flux line lattice
might be hexagonal.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
K0-Sigma+ Photoproduction with SAPHIR
Preliminary results of the analysis of the reaction p(gamma,K0)Sigma+ are
presented. We show the first measurement of the differential cross section and
much improved data for the total cross section than previous data. The data are
compared with model predictions from different isobar and quark models that
give a good description of p(gamma,K+)Lambda and p(gamma,K+)Sigma0 data in the
same energy range. Results of ChPT describe the data adequately at threshold
while isobar models that include hadronic form factors reproduce the data at
intermediate energies.Comment: 4 pages, Latex2e, 4 postscript figures. Talk given at the
International Conference on Hypernuclear and Strange Particle Physics
(HYP97), Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA, October 13-18, 1997. To be
published in Nucl. Phys. A. Revised version due to changes in experimental
dat
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