284 research outputs found
Orbital magneto-optical response of periodic insulators from first principles
Magneto-optical response, i.e. optical response in the presence of a magnetic field, is commonly used for characterization of materials and in optical communications. However, quantum mechanical description of electric and magnetic fields in crystals is not straightforward as the position operator is ill defined. We present a reformulation of the density matrix perturbation theory for time-dependent electromagnetic fields under periodic boundary conditions, which allows us to treat the orbital magneto-optical response of solids at the ab initio level. The efficiency of the computational scheme proposed is comparable to standard linear-response calculations of absorption spectra and the results of tests for molecules and solids agree with the available experimental data. A clear signature of the valley Zeeman effect is revealed in the continuum magneto-optical spectrum of a single layer of hexagonal boron nitride. The present formalism opens the path towards the study of magneto-optical effects in strongly driven low-dimensional systems
Supplementary feeding increases nestling feather corticosterone early in the breeding season in house sparrows
Several studies on birds have proposed that a lack of invertebrate prey in urbanized areas could be the main cause for generally lower levels of breeding success compared to rural habitats. Previous work on house sparrows Passer domesticus found that supplemental feeding in urbanized areas increased breeding success but did not contribute to population growth. Here, we hypothesize that supplementary feeding allows house sparrows to achieve higher breeding success but at the cost of lower nestling quality. As abundant food supplies may permit both high-and low-quality nestlings to survive, we also predict that within-brood variation in proxies of nestling quality would be larger for supplemental food broods than for unfed broods. As proxies of nestling quality, we considered feather corticosterone (CORTf), body condition (scaled mass index, SMI), and tarsus-based fluctuating asymmetry (FA). Our hypothesis was only partially supported as we did not find an overall effect of food supplementation on FA or SMI. Rather, food supplementation affected nestling phenotype only early in the breeding season in terms of elevated CORTf levels and a tendency for more variable within-brood CORTf and FA. Early food supplemented nests therefore seemed to include at least some nestlings that faced increased stressors during development, possibly due to harsher environmental (e.g., related to food and temperature) conditions early in the breeding season that would increase sibling competition, especially in larger broods. The fact that CORTf was positively, rather than inversely, related to nestling SMI further suggests that factors influencing CORTf and SMI are likely operating over different periods or, alternatively, that nestlings in good nutritional condition also invest in high-quality feathers
Basis set effects on the hyperpolarizability of CHCl_3: Gaussian-type orbitals, numerical basis sets and real-space grids
Calculations of the hyperpolarizability are typically much more difficult to
converge with basis set size than the linear polarizability. In order to
understand these convergence issues and hence obtain accurate ab initio values,
we compare calculations of the static hyperpolarizability of the gas-phase
chloroform molecule (CHCl_3) using three different kinds of basis sets:
Gaussian-type orbitals, numerical basis sets, and real-space grids. Although
all of these methods can yield similar results, surprisingly large, diffuse
basis sets are needed to achieve convergence to comparable values. These
results are interpreted in terms of local polarizability and
hyperpolarizability densities. We find that the hyperpolarizability is very
sensitive to the molecular structure, and we also assess the significance of
vibrational contributions and frequency dispersion
A stochastic movement simulator improves estimates of landscape connectivity
Acknowledgments This publication issued from the project TenLamas funded by the French Ministère de l'Energie, de l'Ecologie, du Développement Durable et de la Mer through the EU FP6 BiodivERsA Eranet; by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) through the open call INDHET and 6th extinction MOBIGEN to V. M. Stevens, M. Baguette, and A. Coulon, and young researcher GEMS (ANR-13-JSV7-0010-01) to V. M. Stevens and M. Baguette; and by a VLIR-VLADOC scholarship awarded to J. Aben. L. Lens, J. Aben, D. Strubbe, and E. Matthysen are grateful to the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for financial support of fieldwork and genetic analysis (grant G.0308.13). V. M. Stevens and M. Baguette are members of the “Laboratoire d'Excellence” (LABEX) entitled TULIP (ANR-10-LABX-41). J. M. J. Travis and S. C. F. Palmer also acknowledge the support of NERC. A. Coulon and J. Aben contributed equally to the work.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the global demand for exotic pets: An expert elicitation approach
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has caused immense social and economic costs worldwide. Most experts
endorse the view that the virus has a zoonotic origin with the final spillover being associated
with wildlife trade. Besides human consumption, wild animals are also extensively traded as pets.
Information on zoonotic diseases has been reported to reduce consumer demand for exotic pets.
We conducted a global survey and collected 162 responses from international experts on exotic
pet trade (traders, academics, NGOs, enforcement entities) to understand how the legal and illegal
trade of exotic pets is expected to be affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Our results
suggest that legal purchase of exotic pets is perceived as decreasing during the first pandemic
wave due to: lower availability of animals for trade, suppliers’ inability to reach consumers and
social distancing measures. The general perception is that in the future (i.e., next five years), both
demand and supply of legally traded exotic pets are expected to either remain unchanged or
decrease only temporarily. The consumer demand for illegal exotic pets is also expected to remain
unchanged following the outbreak. The top two challenges reported by respondents, when
considering the consequences of the pandemic for the exotic pet trade, are inadequate enforcement
of national regulations and increased illegal trade. Our results suggest that the negative
consequences of a zoonotic outbreak may not dissuade consumers of exotic pets. Worldwide, the
transit/storing conditions and lack of health screenings of traded live animals are conducive to
spreading diseases. Consumer demand is a key driver of trade, and enforcement of trade regulations
will remain challenging, unless factors driving consumer demand are adequately incorporated
in problem-solving frameworks. We emphasize the complexity of trade dynamics and the
need to go beyond bans on wildlife trade. Stronger law enforcement, implemented along with
initiatives dissuading consumption of wild exotic pets, are essential to sustainably satisfy the
market demandinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Gradual Absorption of Intraperitoneal Insulin Results in Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Recipients of Microencapsulated Islet Grafts
Gradual Absorption of Intraperitoneal Insulin Results in Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Recipients of Microencapsulated Islet Grafts
Radio transients from stellar tidal disruption by massive black holes
The tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole provides us with
a rare glimpse of these otherwise dormant beasts. It has long been predicted
that the disruption will be accompanied by a thermal `flare', powered by the
accretion of bound stellar debris. Several candidate disruptions have been
discovered in this manner at optical, UV and X-ray wavelengths. Here we explore
the observational consequences if a modest fraction of the accretion power is
channeled into an ultra-relativistic outflow. We show that a relativistic jet
decelerates due to its interaction with the interstellar medium at sub-parsec
distances from the black hole. Synchrotron radiation from electrons accelerated
by the reverse shock powers a bright radio-infrared transient that peaks on a
timescale ~1 yr after disruption. Emission from the forward shock may be
detectable for several years after the peak. Deep radio follow-up observations
of tidal disruption candidates at late times can test for the presence of
relativistic ejecta. Upcoming radio transient surveys may independently
discover tens to hundreds of tidal disruptions per year, complimenting searches
at other wavelengths. Non-thermal emission from tidal disruption probes the
physics of jet formation under relatively clean conditions, in which the flow
parameters are independently constrained.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, submitted to MNRAS Letter
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