1,024 research outputs found
Intrinsic peculiarities of real material realizations of a spin-1/2 kagome lattice
Spin-1/2 magnets with kagome geometry, being for years a generic object of
theoretical investigations, have few real material realizations. Recently, a
DFT-based microscopic model for two such materials, kapellasite Cu3Zn(OH)6Cl2
and haydeeite Cu3Mg(OH)6Cl2, was presented [O. Janson, J. Richter and H.
Rosner, arXiv:0806.1592]. Here, we focus on the intrinsic properties of real
spin-1/2 kagome materials having influence on the magnetic ground state and the
low-temperature excitations. We find that the values of exchange integrals are
strongly dependent on O--H distance inside the hydroxyl groups, present in most
spin-1/2 kagome compounds up to date. Besides the original kagome model,
considering only the nearest neighbour exchange, we emphasize the crucial role
of the exchange along the diagonals of the kagome lattice.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. A paper for the proceedings of the HFM 2008
conferenc
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Inhibition or stimulation of ochratoxin a synthesis on inoculated barley triggered by diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge plasma
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the most abundant food-contaminating mycotoxins. Besides their high toxicity, mycotoxins are highly stable to physical, chemical or biological detoxification. Therefore, the treatment with cold atmospheric plasma could be one approach to reduce the amount of mycotoxins in different products. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of cold atmospheric plasma on the inactivation of Aspergillus niger and Penicillium verrucosum inoculated on barley and their production of OTA. Inoculated barley was treated with plasma generated by dry air, CO2 or CO2 + O2 for 1 or 3 min and stored for up to two weeks at 9, 25, or 37°C. Three minutes of air plasma treatment effectively significantly reduced the total mold count of both microorganisms by 2.5–3 log cycles. The production of OTA from A. niger was only low, therefore the treatment effect was indistinguishable. The treatment of P. verrucosum on barley after an incubation of five days using a CO2 + O2 plasma resulted in a reduction of the OTA content from 49.0 (untreated) to 27.5 (1 min) and 23.8 ng/g (3 min), respectively. In contrast, CO2 plasma caused an increase of the OTA amount from 49.0 (untreated) to 55.8 (1 min) and 72.9 ng/g (3 min). Finally, the use of air plasma resulted likewise in a decrease of the OTA concentration from 56.9 (untreated) to 25.7 (1 min) and 20.2 ng/g (3 min), respectively. Reducing the incubation time before the treatment to 24 h caused in contrast an increase of the OTA content from 3.1 (untreated) to 29.1 (1 min) and 20.7 ng/g (3 min). Due to the high standard deviation, these changes were not significant, but the tendencies were clearly visible, showing the strong impact of the plasma gas on the OTA production. The results show, that even if the total mold count was reduced, under certain conditions the OTA amount was yet enhanced, probably due to a stress reaction of the mold. Concluding, the plasma gas and incubation conditions have to be considered to allow a successful inactivation of molds and in particular their toxic metabolites
Screening of microbial communities associated with endive lettuce during postharvest processing on industrial scale
In this study, the composition of the microbial community on endive lettuce (Cichorium endivia) was evaluated during different postharvest processing steps. Microbial community structure was characterized by culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Endive lettuce was sampled exemplarily at four different stages of processing (raw material, cut endive lettuce, washed endive lettuce, and spin-dried (ready to pack) endive lettuce) and analysed by plate count analysis using non-selective and selective agar plates with subsequent identification of bacteria colonies by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of light mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Additionally, terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis and 16S rRNA gene nucleotide sequence analysis were conducted. The results revealed structural differences in the lettuce microbiomes during the different processing steps. The most predominant bacteria on endive lettuce were detected by almost all methods. Bacterial species belonging to the families Pseudomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, and Moraxellaceae were detected in most of the examined samples including some unexpected potentially human pathogenic bacteria, especially those with the potential to build resistance to antibiotics (e.g., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (0.9 % in cut sample, 0.4 % in spin-dried sample), Acinetobacter sp. (0.6 % in raw material, 0.9 % in cut sample, 0.9 % in washed sample, 0.4 % in spin-dried sample), Morganella morganii (0.2 % in cut sample, 3 % in washed sample)) revealing the potential health risk for consumers. However, more seldom occurring bacterial species were detected in varying range by the different methods. In conclusion, the applied methods allow the determination of the microbiome's structure and its dynamic changes during postharvest processing in detail. Such a combined approach enables the implementation of tailored control strategies including hygienic design, innovative decontamination techniques, and appropriate storage conditions for improved product safety
A remarkable discovery of electrum on the island of Sylt, northern Germany, and its Scandinavian origin
An electrum-quartz pebble with a weight of 10.4ÎĽg was discovered in a cliff of Saalian glaciogenic sediments on the west coast of the German North Sea island of Sylt in 2012. It has a roundish water-worn appearance and consists of intergrown electrum and milky quartz. It is the largest known electrum find in Germany, and regarding its weight it also ranks amongst the largest gold finds discovered in Germany. We document and characterize this unusual discovery. Furthermore, an attempt is made to investigate its provenance. Therefore, reference samples of southern Scandinavian gold and electrum deposits and occurrences have been studied and compared to the Sylt find. The Au-Ag content determined by electron microprobe (EMP), trace element signature measured by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and Pb isotope compositions by multi-collector ICP MS (MC-ICP-MS) suggest a southern Norwegian origin. The most probable source might be the Kongsberg ore district or an adjacent, yet undiscovered, mineralization in the Oslo region. In general, Saalian glaciogenic sediments in Schleswig-Holstein (northern Germany) are dominated by rocks of Swedish provenance. Due to the intake of older Elsterian sediments by younger Saalian glaciers, southern Norwegian rocks are also not uncommon in Saalian sediments. A Saalian ice advance or a combination of Elsterian and Saalian ice advances might have provided a transport mechanism for an electrum sample from a south Norwegian mineralization to the island of Sylt
Asymmetric Squares as Standing Waves in Rayleigh-Benard Convection
Possibility of asymmetric square convection is investigated numerically using
a few mode Lorenz-like model for thermal convection in Boussinesq fluids
confined between two stress free and conducting flat boundaries. For relatively
large value of Rayleigh number, the stationary rolls become unstable and
asymmetric squares appear as standing waves at the onset of secondary
instability. Asymmetric squares, two dimensional rolls and again asymmetric
squares with their corners shifted by half a wavelength form a stable limit
cycle.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Effect of asymmetry of the radio source distribution on the apparent proper motion kinematic analysis
A new list of physical characteristics of 4261 astrometric radio sources,
including all 717 ICRF-Ext.2 sources has been compiled. Comparison of our data
of optical characteristics with the official International Earth Rotation and
Reference Systems Service (IERS) list showed significant discrepancies for
about half of 667 common sources. We also found that asymmetry in the radio
sources distribution between hemispheres could cause significant correlation
between the vector spherical harmonics, especially if the case of sparse
distribution of the sources with high redshift. We identified radio sources
having many-year observation history and lack redshift. This sources should be
urgently observed at large optical telescopes. The list of optical
characteristics created in this paper is recommended for use as a supplement
material for the next International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF)
realization. It can be also effectively used for cosmological studies and
planning of observing programs both in radio and optics.Comment: 9 page
Superconductivity in hole-doped C60 from electronic correlations
We derive a model for the highest occupied molecular orbital band of a C60
crystal which includes on-site electron-electron interactions. The form of the
interactions are based on the icosahedral symmetry of the C60 molecule together
with a perturbative treatment of an isolated C60 molecule. Using this model we
do a mean-field calculation in two dimensions on the [100] surface of the
crystal. Due to the multi-band nature we find that electron-electron
interactions can have a profound effect on the density of states as a function
of doping. The doping dependence of the transition temperature can then be
qualitatively different from that expected from simple BCS theory based on the
density of states from band structure calculations
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Sublethal injury and Viable but Non-culturable (VBNC) state in microorganisms during preservation of food and biological materials by non-thermal processes
The viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, as well as sublethal injury of microorganisms pose a distinct threat to food safety, as the use of traditional, culture-based microbiological analyses might lead to an underestimation or a misinterpretation of the product's microbial status and recovery phenomena of microorganisms may occur. For thermal treatments, a large amount of data and experience is available and processes are designed accordingly. In case of innovative inactivation treatments, however, there are still several open points with relevance for the investigation of inactivation mechanisms as well as for the application and validation of the preservation processes. Thus, this paper presents a comprehensive compilation of non-thermal preservation technologies, i.e., high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric fields (PEFs), pulsed light (PL), and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, as well as cold plasma (CP) treatments. The basic technological principles and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action are described. Based on this, appropriate analytical methods are outlined, i.e., direct viable count, staining, and molecular biological methods, in order to enable the differentiation between viable and dead cells, as well as the possible occurrence of an intermediate state. Finally, further research needs are outlined
Inferring Proteolytic Processes from Mass Spectrometry Time Series Data Using Degradation Graphs
Background: Proteases play an essential part in a variety of biological
processes. Besides their importance under healthy conditions they are also
known to have a crucial role in complex diseases like cancer. In recent years,
it has been shown that not only the fragments produced by proteases but also
their dynamics, especially ex vivo, can serve as biomarkers. But so far, only
a few approaches were taken to explicitly model the dynamics of proteolysis in
the context of mass spectrometry. Results: We introduce a new concept to model
proteolytic processes, the degradation graph. The degradation graph is an
extension of the cleavage graph, a data structure to reconstruct and visualize
the proteolytic process. In contrast to previous approaches we extended the
model to incorporate endoproteolytic processes and present a method to
construct a degradation graph from mass spectrometry time series data. Based
on a degradation graph and the intensities extracted from the mass spectra it
is possible to estimate reaction rates of the underlying processes. We further
suggest a score to rate different degradation graphs in their ability to
explain the observed data. This score is used in an iterative heuristic to
improve the structure of the initially constructed degradation graph.
Conclusion: We show that the proposed method is able to recover all degraded
and generated peptides, the underlying reactions, and the reaction rates of
proteolytic processes based on mass spectrometry time series data. We use
simulated and real data to demonstrate that a given process can be
reconstructed even in the presence of extensive noise, isobaric signals and
false identifications. While the model is currently only validated on peptide
data it is also applicable to proteins, as long as the necessary time series
data can be produced
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