On rationality of the intersection points of a line with a plane quartic

We study the rationality of the intersection points of certain lines and smooth plane quartics C defined over F_q. For q \geq 127, we prove the existence of a line such that the intersection points with C are all rational. Using another approach, we further prove the existence of a tangent line with the same property as soon as the characteristic of F_q is different from 2 and q \geq 66^2+1. Finally, we study the probability of the existence of a rational flex on C and exhibit a curious behavior when the characteristic of F_q is equal to 3.Comment: 17 pages. Theorem 2 now includes the characteristic 2 case; Conjecture 1 from the previous version is proved wron

Biopolymer-based structuring of liquid oil into soft solids and oleogels using water-continuous emulsions as templates

Physical trapping of a hydrophobic liquid oil in a matrix of water-soluble biopolymers was achieved using a facile two-step process by first formulating a surfactant-free oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by biopolymers (a protein and a polysaccharide) followed by complete removal of the water phase (by either high- or low-temperature drying of the emulsion) resulting in structured solid systems containing a high concentration of liquid oil (above 97 wt %). The microstructure of these systems was revealed by confocal and cryo-scanning electron microscopy, and the effect of biopolymer concentrations on the consistency of emulsions as well as the dried product was evaluated using a combination of small-amplitude oscillatory shear rheometry and large deformation fracture studies. The oleogel prepared by shearing the dried product showed a high gel strength as well as a certain degree of thixotropic recovery even at high temperatures. Moreover, the reversibility of the process was demonstrated by shearing the dried product in the presence of water to obtain reconstituted emulsions with rheological properties comparable to those of the fresh emulsion

Structure and dynamics in protic ionic liquids: a combined optical Kerr-effect and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy study

The structure and dynamics of ionic liquids (ILs) are unusual due to the strong interactions between the ions and counter ions. These microscopic properties determine the bulk transport properties critical to applications of ILs such as advanced fuel cells. The terahertz dynamics and slower relaxations of simple alkylammonium nitrate protic ionic liquids (PILs) are here studied using femtosecond optical Kerr-effect spectroscopy, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The observed dynamics give insight into more general liquid behaviour while comparison with glass-forming liquids reveals an underlying power-law decay and relaxation rates suggest supramolecular structure and nanoscale segregation

17 ways to say yes:Toward nuanced tone of voice in AAC and speech technology

People with complex communication needs who use speech-generating devices have very little expressive control over their tone of voice. Despite its importance in human interaction, the issue of tone of voice remains all but absent from AAC research and development however. In this paper, we describe three interdisciplinary projects, past, present and future: The critical design collection Six Speaking Chairs has provoked deeper discussion and inspired a social model of tone of voice; the speculative concept Speech Hedge illustrates challenges and opportunities in designing more expressive user interfaces; the pilot project Tonetable could enable participatory research and seed a research network around tone of voice. We speculate that more radical interactions might expand frontiers of AAC and disrupt speech technology as a whole

Raman scattering reveals strong LO-phonon-hole-plasmon coupling in nominally undoped GaAsBi: optical determination of carrier concentration

We report room-temperature Raman scattering studies of nominally undoped (100) GaAs1−xBix epitaxial layers exhibiting Biinduced (p-type) longitudinal-optical-plasmon coupled (LOPC) modes for 0.018≤x≤0.048. Redshifts in the GaAs-like optical modes due to alloying are evaluated and are paralleled by strong damping of the LOPC. The relative integrated Raman intensities of LO(Γ) and LOPC ALO/ALOPC are characteristic of heavily doped p-GaAs, with a remarkable near total screening of the LO(Γ) phonon (ALO/ALOPC →0) for larger Bi concentrations. A method of spectral analysis is set out which yields estimates of hole concentrations in excess of 5 × 1017 cm−3 and correlates with the Bi molar fraction. These findings are in general agreement with recent electrical transport measurements performed on the alloy, and while the absolute size of the hole concentrations differ, likely origins for the discrepancy are discussed. We conclude that the damped LO-phonon-hole-plasmon coupling phenomena plays a dominant role in Raman scattering from unpassivated nominally undoped GaAsBi

High field hybrid photoinjector electron source for advanced light source applications

The production of high spectral brilliance radiation from electron beam sources depends critically on the electron beam qualities. One must obtain very high electron beam brightness, implying simultaneous high peak current and low emittance. These attributes are enabled through the use of very high field acceleration in a radio-frequency (rf) photoinjector source. Despite the high fields currently utilized, there is a limit on the achievable peak current in high brightness operation, in the range of tens of Ampere. This limitation can be overcome by the use of a hybrid standing wave/traveling wave structure; the standing wave portion provides acceleration at a high field from the photocathode, while the traveling wave part yields strong velocity bunching. This approach is explored here in a C-band scenario, at field strengths (>100 MV/m) at the current state-of-the-art. It is found that one may arrive at an electron beam with many hundreds of Amperes with well-sub-micron normalized emittance. This extremely compact injector system also possesses attractive simplification of the rf distribution system by eliminating the need for an rf circulator. We explore the use of this device in a compact 400 MeV-class source, driving both inverse Compton scattering and free-electron laser radiation sources with unique, attractive properties

The TGF-β/Smad Repressor TG-Interacting Factor 1 (TGIF1) Plays a Role in Radiation-Induced Intestinal Injury Independently of a Smad Signaling Pathway

Despite advances in radiation delivery protocols, exposure of normal tissues during the course of radiation therapy remains a limiting factor of cancer treatment. If the canonical TGF-β/Smad pathway has been extensively studied and implicated in the development of radiation damage in various organs, the precise modalities of its activation following radiation exposure remain elusive. In the present study, we hypothesized that TGF-β1 signaling and target genes expression may depend on radiation-induced modifications in Smad transcriptional co-repressors/inhibitors expressions (TGIF1, SnoN, Ski and Smad7). In endothelial cells (HUVECs) and in a model of experimental radiation enteropathy in mice, radiation exposure increases expression of TGF-β/Smad pathway and of its target gene PAI-1, together with the overexpression of Smad co-repressor TGIF1. In mice, TGIF1 deficiency is not associated with changes in the expression of radiation-induced TGF-β pathway-related transcripts following localized small intestinal irradiation. In HUVECs, TGIF1 overexpression or silencing has no influence either on the radiation-induced Smad activation or the Smad3-dependent PAI-1 overexpression. However, TGIF1 genetic deficiency sensitizes mice to radiation-induced intestinal damage after total body or localized small intestinal radiation exposure, demonstrating that TGIF1 plays a role in radiation-induced intestinal injury. In conclusion, the TGF-β/Smad co-repressor TGIF1 plays a role in radiation-induced normal tissue damage by a Smad-independent mechanism

High metabolic potential may contribute to the success of ST131 uropathogenic Escherichia coli.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the predominant cause of urinary tract infection in both hospital and community settings. The recent emergence of multidrug-resistant clones like the O25b:H4-ST131 lineage represents a significant threat to health, and numerous studies have explored the virulence potential of these organisms. Members of the ST131 clone have been described as having variable carriage of key virulence factors, and it has been suggested that additional unidentified factors contribute to virulence. Here we demonstrated that ST131 isolates have high metabolic potential and biochemical profiles that distinguish them from isolates of many other sequence types (STs). A collection of 300 UPEC isolates recovered in 2007 and 2009 in the Northwest region of England were subjected to metabolic profiling using the Vitek2 Advanced Expert System (AES). Of the 47 tests carried out, 30 gave a positive result with at least one of the 300 isolates examined. ST131 isolates demonstrated significant association with eight tests, including those for peptidase, decarboxylase, and alkalinization activity. Metabolic activity also correlated with antibiotic susceptibility profiles, with resistant organisms displaying the highest metabolic potential. This is the first comprehensive study of metabolic potential in the ST131 lineage, and we suggest that high metabolic potential may have contributed to the fitness of members of the ST131 clone, which are able to exploit the available nutrients in both the intestinal and urinary tract environments