7,223 research outputs found
The anomaly-induced effective action and natural inflation
The anomaly-induced inflation (modified Starobinsky model) is based on the
application of the effective quantum field theory approach to the Early
Universe. We present a brief general review of the model and show that it does
not require a fine-tuning for the parameters of the theory or initial data,
gives a real chance to meet a graceful exit to the FRW phase and also has
positive features with respect to the metric perturbations.Comment: Invited talk at the International Workshop on Astroparticle and High
Energy Physics, October 14 - 18, 2003, Valencia, Spai
In vitro and in vivo expression of foreign genes by transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus-derived minigenomes
A helper-dependent expression system based on transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV) has been developed using a minigenome of 3·9 kb (M39). Expression of the reporter gene {beta}-glucuronidase (GUS) (2–8 µg per 106 cells) and the porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) ORF5 (1–2 µg per 106 cells) has been shown using a TGEV-derived minigenome. GUS expression levels increased about eightfold with the m.o.i. and were maintained for more than eight passages in cell culture. Nevertheless, instability of the GUS and ORF5 subgenomic mRNAs was observed from passages five and four, respectively. About a quarter of the cells in culture expressing the helper virus also produced the reporter gene as determined by studying GUS mRNA production by in situ hybridization or immunodetection to visualize the protein synthesized. Expression of GUS was detected in the lungs, but not in the gut, of swine immunized with the virus vector. Around a quarter of lung cells showing replication of the helper virus were also positive for the reporter gene. Interestingly, strong humoral immune responses to both GUS and PRRSV ORF5 were induced in swine with this virus vector. The large cloning capacity and the tissue specificity of the TGEV-derived minigenomes suggest that these virus vectors are very promising for vaccine development
Continuous spectra in high-harmonic generation driven by multicycle laser pulses
We present observations of the emission of XUV continua in the 20-37 eV
region by high harmonic generation (HHG) with - pulses
focused onto a Kr gas jet. The underlying mechanism relies on coherent control
of the relative delays and phases between individually generated attosecond
pulse, achievable by adjusting the chirp of the driving pulses and the
interaction geometry. Under adequate negative chirp and phase matching
conditions, the resulting interpulse interference yields a continuum XUV
spectrum, which is due to both microscopic and macroscopic (propagation)
contributions. This technique opens the route for modifying the phase of
individual attosecond pulses and for the coherent synthesis of XUV continua
from multicycle driving laser pulses without the need of an isolated attosecond
burst.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to Physical Review
Desarrollo y empleo de juegos educativos on-line destinados al auto-entrenamiento y auto-evaluación
La implantación del EEES, está originando cambios
en el modelo docente, cada vez más orientado al trabajo
autónomo del alumno. Los contenidos electrónicos
que apoyan el proceso de aprendizaje también
deben, por tanto, orientarse a facilitar el aprendizaje
autónomo, como por ejemplo los procesos de autoevaluación
y auto-entrenamiento por parte del estudiante.
Por ello, parece adecuado desarrollar contenidos
electrónicos que motiven y a la vez entretengan
de forma amena al alumnado durante su aprendizaje
autónomo. En esta contribución, proponemos
una serie de juegos educativos electrónicos como herramienta
que haga de la auto-evaluación y del autoentrenamiento
un proceso ameno y entretenido.Peer Reviewe
Collapses and explosions in self-gravitating systems
Collapse and reverse to collapse explosion transition in self-gravitating
systems are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. A microcanonical
ensemble of point particles confined to a spherical box is considered; the
particles interact via an attractive soft Coulomb potential. It is observed
that the collapse in the particle system indeed takes place when the energy of
the uniform state is put near or below the metastability-instability threshold
(collapse energy), predicted by the mean-field theory. Similarly, the explosion
in the particle system occurs when the energy of the core-halo state is
increased above the explosion energy, where according to the mean field
predictions the core-halo state becomes unstable. For a system consisting of
125 -- 500 particles, the collapse takes about single particle crossing
times to complete, while a typical explosion is by an order of magnitude
faster. A finite lifetime of metastable states is observed. It is also found
that the mean-field description of the uniform and the core-halo states is
exact within the statistical uncertainty of the molecular dynamics data.Comment: 9 pages, 14 figure
Spoligotype database of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: biogeographic distribution of shared types and epidemiologic and phylogenetic perspectives.
We give an update on the worldwide spoligotype database, which now contains 3,319 spoligotype patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 47 countries, with 259 shared types, i.e., identical spoligotypes shared by two or more patient isolates. The 259 shared types contained a total of 2,779 (84%) of all the isolates. Seven major genetic groups represented 37% of all clustered isolates. Two types (119 and 137) were found almost exclusively in the USA and accounted for 9% of clustered isolates. The remaining 1,517 isolates were scattered into 252 different spoligotypes. This database constitutes a tool for pattern comparison of M. tuberculosis clinical isolates for global epidemiologic studies and phylogenetic purposes
Tailoring laser pulses with spectral and fluence constraints using optimal control theory
Within the framework of optimal control theory we develop a simple iterative
scheme to determine optimal laser pulses with spectral and fluence constraints.
The algorithm is applied to a one-dimensional asymmetric double well where the
control target is to transfer a particle from the ground state, located in the
left well, to the first excited state, located in the right well. Extremely
high occupations of the first excited state are obtained for a variety of
spectral and/or energetic constraints. Even for the extreme case where no
resonance frequency is allowed in the pulse the algorithm achieves an
occupation of almost 100%
Equation of state description of the dark energy transition between quintessence and phantom regimes
The dark energy crossing of the cosmological constant boundary (the
transition between the quintessence and phantom regimes) is described in terms
of the implicitly defined dark energy equation of state. The generalizations of
the models explicitly constructed to exhibit the crossing provide the insight
into the cancellation mechanism which makes the transition possible.Comment: 3 pages, talk given at TAUP200
Generation of a porous scaffold with a starting composition in the CaO-SiO2-MgO-P2O5 system in a simulated physiological environment
Magnesium-based ceramics are involved in orthopedic applications such as bone scaffolds or implant coatings. They provide structural support to cells for bone ingrowth, but highly porous matrices cannot resist severe mechanical stress during implantation. In this study, the laser floating zone (LFZ) technique is used to prepare a dense crystalline material with composition in the CaO-SiO2-MgO-P2O5 system. This material, under physiological conditions, is able to generate a porous scaffold controlled by the dissolution of the MgO phase, meeting the mechanical advantages of a dense material and the biological features of a porous scaffold. FESEM (Field emission scanning electron microscopy), XRD (X-ray Diffraction), EDS (Energy Dispersive X-rays spectroscopy), and ICP ((Inductively Coupled Plasma) analysis were carried out in order to characterize the samples before and after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF)
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