2,793 research outputs found
Microbial diversity in the thermal springs within Hot Springs National Park
The thermal water systems of Hot Springs National Park (HSNP) in Hot Springs, Arkansas exist in relative isolation from other North American thermal systems. The HSNP waters could therefore serve as a unique center of thermophilic microbial biodiversity. However, these springs remain largely unexplored using culture-independent next generation sequencing techniques to classify species of thermophilic organisms. Additionally, HSNP has been the focus of anthropogenic development, capping and diverting the springs for use in recreational bathhouse facilities. Human modification of these springs may have impacted the structure of these bacterial communities compared to springs left in a relative natural state. The goal of this study was to compare the community structure in two capped springs and two uncapped springs in HSNP, as well as broadly survey the microbial diversity of the springs. We used Illumina 16S rRNA sequencing of water samples from each spring, the QIIME workflow for sequence analysis, and generated measures of genera and phyla richness, diversity, and evenness. In total, over 700 genera were detected and most individual samples had more than 100 genera. There were also several uncharacterized sequences that could not be placed in known taxa, indicating the sampled springs contain undescribed bacteria. There was great variation both between sites and within samples, so no significant differences were detected in community structure between sites. Our results suggest that these springs, regardless of their human modification, contain a considerable amount of biodiversity, some of it potentially unique to the study site
Refined Spin Wave Model and Multi-magnon Bound States in
Here we report a study of the spin dynamics in the ferromagnetic chain
compound . Inelastic neutron scattering measurements allow for
the spin Hamiltonian to be determined using a - -Heisenberg
spin chain model with weak inter-chain interactions. The primary exchange
parameters determined from our data are qualitatively consistent with those of
W. E. A. Lorentz et al. Europhys. Lett. 88, 37002 (2009), and our data allow
for the resolution of additional inter-chain exchange interactions. We also
observe the formation of two- and three-magnon bound states, stabilized by the
weak, Ising-like exchange anisotropy of the nearest-neighbor intra-chain
interaction. While the two-magnon bound state exists only in the magnetically
ordered phase of this material, the three-magnon state persists in a finite
temperature regime above , indicating an unconventional character. Our
results establish as an experimental platform for the study of
exchange anisotropy-stabilized bound states in a ferromagnetic chain.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
High order magnon bound states in the quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnet -NaMnO
Here we report on the formation of two and three magnon bound states in the
quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnet -NaMnO, where the single-ion,
uniaxial anisotropy inherent to the Mn ions in this material provides a
binding mechanism capable of stabilizing higher order magnon bound states.
While such states have long remained elusive in studies of antiferromagnetic
chains, neutron scattering data presented here demonstrate that higher order
composite magnons exist, and, specifically, that a weak three-magnon
bound state is detected below the antiferromagnetic ordering transition of
NaMnO. We corroborate our findings with exact numerical simulations of a
one-dimensional Heisenberg chain with easy-axis anisotropy using matrix-product
state techniques, finding a good quantitative agreement with the experiment.
These results establish -NaMnO as a unique platform for exploring
the dynamics of composite magnon states inherent to a classical
antiferromagnetic spin chain with Ising-like single ion anisotropy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Determination of new phosphorylation sites within natriuretic peptide receptors using mass spectrometric methods
Characterizing Polytobacco Use Trajectories and Their Associations With Substance Use and Mental Health Across Mid-Adolescence.
Background:Polytobacco product use is suspected to be common, dynamic across time, and increase risk for adverse behavioral outcomes. We statistically modeled characteristic types of polytobacco use trajectories during mid-adolescence and tested their prospective association with substance use and mental health problems. Methods:Adolescents (N = 3393) in Los Angeles, CA, were surveyed semiannually from 9th to 11th grade. Past 6-month combustible cigarette, e-cigarette, or hookah use (yes/no) over four assessments were analyzed using parallel growth mixture modeling to identify a parsimonious set of polytobacco use trajectories. A tobacco product use trajectory group was used to predict substance use and mental health at the fifth assessment. Results:Three profiles were identified: (1) tobacco nonusers (N = 2291, 67.5%) with the lowest use prevalence (<3%) of all products across all timepoints; (2) polyproduct users (N = 920, 27.1%) with moderate use prevalence of each product (8-35%) that escalated for combustible cigarettes but decreased for e-cigarettes and hookah across time; and (3) chronic polyproduct users (N = 182, 5.4%) with high prevalence of each product use (38-86%) that escalated for combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Nonusers, polyproduct users, and chronic polyproduct users reported successively higher alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drug use and ADHD at the final follow-up, respectively. Both tobacco using groups (vs. nonusers) reported greater odds of depression and anxiety at the final follow-up but did not differ from each other. Conclusions:Adolescent polytobacco use may involve a common moderate risk trajectory and a less common high-risk chronic trajectory. Both trajectories predict substance use and mental health symptomology. Implications:Variation in use and co-use of combustible cigarette, e-cigarette, and hookah use in mid-adolescence can be parsimoniously characterized by a small set common trajectory profiles in which polyproduct use are predominant patterns of tobacco product use, which predict adverse behavioral outcomes. Prevention and policy addressing polytobacco use (relative to single product use) may be optimal tobacco control strategies for youth, which may in turn prevent other forms of substance use and mental health problems
Lattice dynamics reveals a local symmetry breaking in the emergent dipole phase of PbTe
Local symmetry breaking in complex materials is emerging as an important
contributor to materials properties but is inherently difficult to study. Here
we follow up an earlier structural observation of such a local symmetry broken
phase in the technologically important compound PbTe with a study of the
lattice dynamics using inelastic neutron scattering (INS). We show that the
lattice dynamics are responsive to the local symmetry broken phase, giving key
insights in the behavior of PbTe, but also revealing INS as a powerful tool for
studying local structure. The new result is the observation of the unexpected
appearance on warming of a new zone center phonon branch in PbTe. In a harmonic
solid the number of phonon branches is strictly determined by the contents and
symmetry of the unit cell. The appearance of the new mode indicates a crossover
to a dynamic lower symmetry structure with increasing temperature. No
structural transition is seen crystallographically but the appearance of the
new mode in inelastic neutron scattering coincides with the observation of
local Pb off-centering dipoles observed in the local structure. The observation
resembles relaxor ferroelectricity but since there are no inhomogeneous dopants
in pure PbTe this anomalous behavior is an intrinsic response of the system. We
call such an appearance of dipoles out of a non-dipolar ground-state
"emphanisis" meaning the appearance out of nothing. It cannot be explained
within the framework of conventional phase transition theories such as
soft-mode theory and challenges our basic understanding of the physics of
materials
Roost selection by Mauritian tomb bats (Taphozus mauritianus) in Lilongwe city, Malawi – importance of woodland for sustainable urban planning
Increasing urbanisation has led to a greater use of artificial structures by bats as alternative roost sites. Despite the widespread presence of bats, roost availability may restrict their distribution and abundance in urban environments. There is limited quantitative information on the drivers of bat roost selection and roosting preferences, particularly in African bats. We explore the factors influencing roost selection in the Mauritian tomb bat (Taphozous mauritianus), within an urban landscape in Lilongwe city, Malawi. Eight building and five landscape features of roosts were compared with both adjacent and random control buildings throughout the city. Bat occupied buildings were situated closer to woodland (mean 709m) compared to random buildings (mean 1847m) but did not differ in any other landscape features explored. Roosts were situated on buildings with larger areas and taller walls, suggesting bats select features for predator-avoidance and acoustic perception when leaving the roost. Bats preferred buildings with exposed roof beams which may provide refuge from disturbance. Whilst roosts are situated more often on brick walls, this feature was also associated with landscape features, therefore its importance in roost selection is less clear. These results are indicative that T. mauritianus selects roosts at both the building and landscape level. The selectivity of T. mauritianus in relation to its roost sites implies that preferred roosts are a limited resource, and as such, conservation actions should focus on protecting roost sites and the woodland bats rely on
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