Determinant Bounds and the Matsubara UV Problem of Many-Fermion Systems

It is known that perturbation theory converges in fermionic field theory at weak coupling if the interaction and the covariance are summable and if certain determinants arising in the expansion can be bounded efficiently, e.g. if the covariance admits a Gram representation with a finite Gram constant. The covariances of the standard many--fermion systems do not fall into this class due to the slow decay of the covariance at large Matsubara frequency, giving rise to a UV problem in the integration over degrees of freedom with Matsubara frequencies larger than some Omega (usually the first step in a multiscale analysis). We show that these covariances do not have Gram representations on any separable Hilbert space. We then prove a general bound for determinants associated to chronological products which is stronger than the usual Gram bound and which applies to the many--fermion case. This allows us to prove convergence of the first integration step in a rather easy way, for a short--range interaction which can be arbitrarily strong, provided Omega is chosen large enough. Moreover, we give - for the first time - nonperturbative bounds on all scales for the case of scale decompositions of the propagator which do not impose cutoffs on the Matsubara frequency.Comment: 29 pages LaTe

Grand-canonical Thermodynamic Formalism via IFS: volume, temperature, gas pressure and grand-canonical topological pressure

We consider here a dynamic model for a gas in which a variable number of particles $N \in \mathbb{N}_0 := \mathbb{N} \cup \{0\}$ can be located at a site. This point of view leads us to the grand-canonical framework and the need for a chemical potential. The dynamics is played by the shift acting on the set of sequences $\Omega := \mathcal{A}^\mathbb{N}$, where the alphabet is $\mathcal{A} := \mathbb{N} \cup \{0\}$. Introducing new variables like the number of particles $N$ and the chemical potential $\mu$, we adapt the concept of grand-canonical partition sum of thermodynamics of gases to a symbolic dynamical setting considering a Lipschitz family of potentials % (A_N)_{N \in \mathbb{N}_0}, $A_N:\Omega \to \mathbb{R}$. Our main results will be obtained from adapting well-known %properties the results will be obtained through the use of known properties of the Thermodynamic Formalism for IFS with weights to our setting. In this direction, we introduce the grand-canonical transfer (Ruelle) operator: $\mathcal{L}_{\beta, \mu}(f)=g$, when, $\beta>0,\mu<0,$ and $$g(x)= \mathcal{L}_{\beta, \mu}(f) (x) =\sum_{N \in \mathbb{N}_0} e^{\beta \, \mu\, N }\, \sum_{j \in \mathcal{A}} e^{- \,\beta\, A_N(jx)} f(jx).$$ We show the existence of the main eigenvalue, an associated eigenfunction, and an eigenprobability for $\mathcal{L}_{\beta, \mu}$. Considering the concept of entropy for holonomic probabilities on $\mathbb{N}_0\times \Omega$% , we relate these items with the variational problem of maximizing grand-canonical pressure. In another direction, in the appendix, we briefly digress on a possible interpretation of the concept of topological pressure as related to the gas pressure of gas thermodynamics

Parameter estimation of a transformer with saturation using inrush measurements

a b s t r a c t This paper presents a method to compute the parameters of a transformer model with saturation using the voltage and current waveforms of an inrush test and a no-load test. The transformer is modeled with their electric and magnetic equivalent circuits and a single-valued function that characterizes its non-linear magnetic behavior. A 3-kVA single-phase transformer and a 5-kVA three-phase three-legged transformer have been tested in the laboratory. The method to obtain the parameters of the non-linear flux-current relation that characterize the saturation has been described in the paper. The analytical function used to adjust the experimental measurements fits them very well

Double shunt technique for hybrid palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome: a case report

We report a technique to palliate hypoplastic left heart syndrome, with no PDA stenting, but with double polytetrafluoroethylene shunt from pulmonary artery to ascending and descending aorta by combined thoracotomies. A 30-day-old female was operated with this technique. Five months after first operation, the child was submitted to Norwood/Glenn operation. Good hemodinamic recovery and initial clinical evolution was observed. The child was extubated in 8th post operatory day and reentubated in the next day due to pulmonary infection. Despite antibiotic treatment, the child died after systemic infectious complications

Gene silencing in tick cell lines using small interfering or long double-stranded RNA

Gene silencing by RNA interference (RNAi) is an important research tool in many areas of biology. To effectively harness the power of this technique in order to explore tick functional genomics and tick-microorganism interactions, optimised parameters for RNAi-mediated gene silencing in tick cells need to be established. Ten cell lines from four economically important ixodid tick genera (Amblyomma, Hyalomma, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus including the sub-species Boophilus) were used to examine key parameters including small interfering RNA (siRNA), double stranded RNA (dsRNA), transfection reagent and incubation time for silencing virus reporter and endogenous tick genes. Transfection reagents were essential for the uptake of siRNA whereas long dsRNA alone was taken up by most tick cell lines. Significant virus reporter protein knockdown was achieved using either siRNA or dsRNA in all the cell lines tested. Optimum conditions varied according to the cell line. Consistency between replicates and duration of incubation with dsRNA were addressed for two Ixodes scapularis cell lines; IDE8 supported more consistent and effective silencing of the endogenous gene subolesin than ISE6, and highly significant knockdown of the endogenous gene 2I1F6 in IDE8 cells was achieved within 48 h incubation with dsRNA. In summary, this study shows that gene silencing by RNAi in tick cell lines is generally more efficient with dsRNA than with siRNA but results vary between cell lines and optimal parameters need to be determined for each experimental system

Detection of Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria and Others Cultivable Facultative Bacteria in Dental Tissues

Svrha: Željelo se detektirati bakterije koje reduciraju sulfate (BRS) i procijeniti moguću povezanost između BRS-a i fakultativnih bakterija na različitim mjestima u usnoj šupljini s različitim stanjem parodonta. Metode: Za istraživanje je od osmero pacijenata uzeto devet uzoraka (od jednog pacijenta uzeta su dva) s različitih mjesta u usnoj šupljini. Skupljeni su s pomoću modificiranog medija Postgate E namijenjenog uzgoju, rastu i izolaciji BRS-a. Osim toga upotrijebljena je i reducirana otopina za anaerobne bakterije kao otopina za transport fakultativnih bakterija identificiranih s pomoću lančane reakcije polimeraze te sekvencije gena 16S rRNK. Rezultati: BRS je pronađen u trima uzorcima – u fragmentu korijena, u fragmentu korijena i u zdravom zubu s vertikalnim gubitkom kosti i pomičnošću treće razine, te u zdravom zubu izvađenom zbog ortodontskih razloga. Kod posljednjeg pacijenta fakultativna bakterija identificirana je kao Lactobacillus casei. Ostale bakterije bile su Kurthia gibsonii (pacijent 5) i Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pacijent 7). Zaključak: Otkrivanje BRS-a na različitim zubnim tkivima s izrazitim parodontnim problemima upozorilo je na to da su potrebna nova istraživanja kako bi se otkrila prava uloga BRS-a u oralnoj mikroflori. Također smo, osim BRS-a, u istom uzorku mogli potvrditi i prisutnost Lactobacillus casei.Aim: To detect for the presence of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and evaluate the possible association between SRB and cultivable facultative bacterial of oral sites with different periodontal conditions. Methods: The study was carried out on 9 samples from different oral sites in 8 patients (two samples were collected from the same patient). Material was collected using modified Postgate E culture medium, indicated for the growth and isolation of SRB. In addition, a reducing solution for anaerobic bacteria was used as a transport solution for facultative bacteria and identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification (PCR) and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: SRB was found in 3 patient samples: the first in a root fragment, the second in a root fragment and a healthy tooth with vertical bone loss and a mobility degree of 3; and the third in a healthy tooth extracted for orthodontic treatment. In the final patient, the cultivable facultative species Lactobacillus casei was identified. Other facultative bacterial species were identified in patient 5 (Kurthia Gibsonii) and patient 7 (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Conclusions: The detection of SRB in different dental tissues with distinct periodontal features demonstrated that new studies need to be developed in order to determine the true role of SRB in the oral microbiota. In addition, it was possible to verify the presence of Lactobacillus casei together with SRB in one sample

Long-term vegetation dynamics of a tropical megadelta: Mid-Holocene palaeoecology of the Orinoco Delta (NE Venezuela)

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Coastal wetlands have been proposed as highly threatened by the ongoing and future climatic change, including projected sea-level changes as an additional forcing factor compared to more inland locations. The limited knowledge generated to date in this topic has been primarily focused on those areas attaining a high population density, and rarely deals with long-term (>50 years) dynamics. Here we present the first Holocene palaeoecological study carried in the Orinoco Delta, in NE Venezuela. The record presented here contains sediments from the last 6200 years and is located in a river-shore swamp dominated by the palm Mauritia flexuosa. Current human occupation is almost restricted to small settlements of the Warao indigenous culture, closely related to the use of M. flexuosa and other palm species present in the zone. The results show the occurrence of three well-distinguished palynological zones: (i) from 6200 to 5200 cal yr BP, characterised by mixed rainforest and other taxa related to salinity (coastal-like), low (negative) values of magnetic susceptibility and magnetic grain size, absence of transported clays, and the highest macrocharcoal particles abundance; (ii) from 5200 to 2950 cal yr BP, marked by a replacement of the mangrove-like vegetation by a more inland mixed-swamp forest community with low levels of charcoal, and (iii) from 2950 cal yr BP to present-day, characterised by the establishment of the current vegetation community, dominated by M. flexuosa, and an increasing trend in the charcoal curve since the last 700 years. A combination of regional (climatic changes) and local (sediment ontogeny) has been proposed as the key drivers influencing the vegetation succession recorded. The stabilisation of the sea-level that occurred during the mid-Holocene would have favoured the transgression of the coastal line, with the migration of the coastal-like vegetation seawards. Synchronous to this event, a trend towards drier conditions has been reported in the close Cariaco record, that could have also influenced the vegetation replacement. Between 3800 and 2800 years ago, the increased ENSO variability registered in Cariaco may have played a key role in the expansion of the Mauritia palm community. It is suggested that in our location, the potential inhabiting human populations were differently influenced by these environmental changes. First, the disappearance of the coastal resources could have favoured land abandonment, whereas the increase in the abundance of the palm might be influential for the arrival of other inland cultures that were previously used to manage Mauritia. This sequence shows the importance of the ecosystem services for the location inhabitants, highlighting the abandonment of the mid-Holocene culture coeval with the disappearance of its ecosystem. These results also provide information about the sensitivity and resilience in facing external stressors of both humans and vegetation, and will be valuable tools for managing the future of this ecosystem