636 research outputs found
Whispering Gallery States of Antihydrogen
We study theoretically interference of the long-living quasistationary
quantum states of antihydrogen atoms, localized near a concave material
surface. Such states are an antimatter analog of the whispering gallery states
of neutrons and matter atoms, and similar to the whispering gallery modes of
sound and electro-magnetic waves. Quantum states of antihydrogen are formed by
the combined effect of quantum reflection from van der Waals/Casimir-Polder
(vdW/CP) potential of the surface and the centrifugal potential. We point out a
method for precision studies of quantum reflection of antiatoms from vdW/CP
potential; this method uses interference of the whispering gallery states of
antihydrogen.Comment: 13 pages 7 figure
Scattering of electromagnetic waves by many small perfectly conducting or impedance bodies
A theory of electromagnetic (EM) wave scattering by many small particles of an arbitrary shape is developed. The particles are perfectly conducting or impedance. For a small impedance particle of an arbitrary shape, an explicit analytical formula is derived for the scattering amplitude. The formula holds as a â 0, where a is a characteristic size of the small particle and the wavelength is arbitrary but fixed. The scattering amplitude for a small impedance particle is shown to be proportional to a2âÎș, where Îș â [0,1) is a parameter which can be chosen by an experimenter
as he/she wants. The boundary impedance of a small particle is assumed to be of the form ζ = haâÎș, where h = const, Reh â„ 0. The scattering amplitude for a small perfectly conducting particle is proportional to a3, and it is much smaller than that for the small impedance particle. The many-body scattering problem is solved under the physical assumptions a âȘ d âȘ λ, where d is the minimal distance between neighboring particles and λ is the wavelength. The distribution law for the small
impedance particles is N(â) ⌠1/a2âÎșâ N(x)dx as a â 0. Here, N(x) â„ 0 is an
arbitrary continuous function that can be chosen by the experimenter and N(â)
is the number of particles in an arbitrary sub-domain â. It is proved that the EM field in the medium where many small particles, impedance or perfectly conducting, are distributed, has a limit, as a â 0 and a differential equation is derived for the limiting field. On this basis, a recipe is given for creating materials with a desired refraction coefficient by embedding many small impedance particles into a given material. C 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4929965
A Forward-Design Approach to Increase the Production of Poly-3-Hydroxybutyrate in Genetically Engineered Escherichia coli
Biopolymers, such as poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P(3HB)) are produced as a carbon store in an array of organisms and exhibit characteristics which are similar to oil-derived plastics, yet have the added advantages of biodegradability and biocompatibility. Despite these advantages, P(3HB) production is currently more expensive than the production of oil-derived plastics, and therefore, more efficient P(3HB) production processes would be desirable. In this study, we describe the model-guided design and experimental validation of several engineered P(3HB) producing operons. In particular, we describe the characterization of a hybrid phaCAB operon that consists of a dual promoter (native and J23104) and RBS (native and B0034) design. P(3HB) production at 24 h was around six-fold higher in hybrid phaCAB engineered Escherichia coli in comparison to E. coli engineered with the native phaCAB operon from Ralstonia eutropha H16. Additionally, we describe the utilization of non-recyclable waste as a low-cost carbon source for the production of P(3HB)
The Mersey Estuary : sediment geochemistry
This report describes a study of the geochemistry of
the Mersey estuary carried out between April 2000 and
December 2002. The study was the first in a new programme
of surveys of the geochemistry of major British estuaries
aimed at enhancing our knowledge and understanding of the
distribution of contaminants in estuarine sediments.
The report first summarises the physical setting, historical
development, geology, hydrography and bathymetry of the
Mersey estuary and its catchment. Details of the sampling
and analytical programmes are then given followed by a
discussion of the sedimentology and geochemistry. The
chemistry of the water column and suspended particulate
matter have not been studied, the chief concern being with
the geochemistry of the surface and near-surface sediments
of the Mersey estuary and an examination of their likely
sources and present state of contamination
Fractional Klein-Kramers equation for superdiffusive transport: normal versus anomalous time evolution in a differential L{\'e}vy walk model
We introduce a fractional Klein-Kramers equation which describes
sub-ballistic superdiffusion in phase space in the presence of a
space-dependent external force field. This equation defines the differential
L{\'e}vy walk model whose solution is shown to be non-negative. In the velocity
coordinate, the probability density relaxes in Mittag-Leffler fashion towards
the Maxwell distribution whereas in the space coordinate, no stationary
solution exists and the temporal evolution of moments exhibits a competition
between Brownian and anomalous contributions.Comment: 4 pages, REVTe
Growth in densely populated Asia: implications for primary product exporters
Economic growth and integration in Asia is rapidly increasing the global economic importance of the region. To the extent that this growth continues and is strongest in natural resource-poor Asian economies, it will add to global demand for imports of primary products, to the benefit of (especially nearby) resource-abundant countries. How will global production, consumption and trade patterns change by 2030 in the course of such economic developments and structural changes? We address this question using the GTAP model and Version 8.1 of the 2007 GTAP database, together with supplementary data from a range of sources, to support projections of the global economy from 2007 to 2030 under various scenarios. Factor endowments and real gross domestic product are assumed to grow at exogenous rates, and trade-related policies are kept unchanged to generate a core baseline, which is compared with an alternative slower growth scenario. We also consider the impact of several policy changes aimed at increasing China's agricultural self-sufficiency relative to the 2030 baseline. Policy implications for countries of the Asia-Pacific region are drawn out in the final section
Offspring of mice exposed to a low-protein diet in utero demonstrate changes in mTOR signaling in pancreatic islets of langerhans, associated with altered glucagon and insulin expression and a lower ÎČ-cell mass
Low birth weight is a risk factor for gestational and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Since mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) controls pancreatic ÎČ-cell mass and hormone release, we hypothesized that nutritional insult in utero might permanently alter mTOR signaling. Mice were fed a low-protein (LP, 8%) or control (C, 20%) diet throughout pregnancy, and offspring examined until 130 days age. Mice receiving LP were born 12% smaller and ÎČ-cell mass was significantly reduced throughout life. Islet mTOR levels were lower in LP-exposed mice and localized predominantly to α-rather than ÎČ-cells. Incubation of isolated mouse islets with rapamycin significantly reduced cell proliferation while increasing apoptosis. mRNA levels for mTORC complex genes mTOR, Rictor and Raptor were elevated at 7 days in LP mice, as were the mTOR and Raptor proteins. Proglucagon gene expression was similarly increased, but not insulin or the immune/metabolic defense protein STING. In human and mouse pancreas STING was strongly associated with islet ÎČ-cells. Results support long-term changes in islet mTOR signaling in response to nutritional insult in utero, with altered expression of glucagon and insulin and a reduced ÎČ-cell mass. This may contribute to an increased risk of gestational or type 2 diabetes
Charge Fluctuation Forces Between Stiff Polyelectrolytes in Salt Solution: Pairwise Summability Re-examined
We formulate low-frequency charge-fluctuation forces between charged
cylinders - parallel or skewed - in salt solution: forces from dipolar van der
Waals fluctuations and those from the correlated monopolar fluctuations of
mobile ions. At high salt concentrations forces are exponentially screened. In
low-salt solutions dipolar energies go as or ; monopolar
energies vary as or , where is the minimal separation
between cylinders. However, pairwise summability of rod-rod forces is easily
violated in low-salt conditions. Perhaps the most important result is not the
derivation of pair potentials but rather the demonstration that some of these
expressions may not be used for the very problems that originally motivated
their derivation.Comment: 8 pages and 1 fig in ps forma
Centrifugal quantum states of neutrons
We propose a method for observation of the quasi-stationary states of
neutrons, localized near the curved mirror surface. The bounding effective well
is formed by the centrifugal potential and the mirror Fermi-potential. This
phenomenon is an example of an exactly solvable "quantum bouncer" problem that
could be studied experimentally. It could provide a promising tool for studying
fundamental neutron-matter interactions, as well as quantum neutron optics and
surface physics effects. We develop formalism, which describes quantitatively
the neutron motion near the mirror surface. The effects of mirror roughness are
taken into account.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
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