Identification of nanophase iron in an H-chondrite impact melt.

Accepted versio

Dimer and N\'eel order-parameter fluctuations in the spin-fluid phase of the s=1/2 spin chain with first and second neighbor couplings

The dynamical properties at T=0 of the one-dimensional (1D) s=1/2 nearest-neighbor (nn) XXZ model with an additional isotropic next-nearest-neighbor (nnn) coupling are investigated by means of the recursion method in combination with techniques of continued-fraction analysis. The focus is on the dynamic structure factors S_{zz}(q,\omega) and S_{DD}(q,\omega), which describe (for q=\pi) the fluctuations of the N\'eel and dimer order parameters, respectively. We calculate (via weak-coupling continued-fraction analysis) the dependence on the exchange constants of the infrared exponent, the renormalized bandwidth of spinon excitations, and the spectral-weight distribution in S_{zz}(\pi,\omega) and S_{DD}(\pi,\omega), all in the spin-fluid phase, which is realized for planar $nn$ anisotropy and sufficiently weak nnn coupling. For some parameter values we find a discrete branch of excitations above the spinon continuum. They contribute to S_{zz}(q,\omega) but not to S_{DD}(q,\omega).Comment: RevTex file (7 pages), 8 figures (uuencoded ps file) available from author

A solvable model of a random spin-1/2 XY chain

The paper presents exact calculations of thermodynamic quantities for the spin-1/2 isotropic XY chain with random lorentzian intersite interaction and transverse field that depends linearly on the surrounding intersite interactions.Comment: 14 pages (Latex), 2 tables, 13 ps-figures included, (accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.B

New Results for the Correlation Functions of the Ising Model and the Transverse Ising Chain

In this paper we show how an infinite system of coupled Toda-type nonlinear differential equations derived by one of us can be used efficiently to calculate the time-dependent pair-correlations in the Ising chain in a transverse field. The results are seen to match extremely well long large-time asymptotic expansions newly derived here. For our initial conditions we use new long asymptotic expansions for the equal-time pair correlation functions of the transverse Ising chain, extending an old result of T.T. Wu for the 2d Ising model. Using this one can also study the equal-time wavevector-dependent correlation function of the quantum chain, a.k.a. the q-dependent diagonal susceptibility in the 2d Ising model, in great detail with very little computational effort.Comment: LaTeX 2e, 31 pages, 8 figures (16 eps files). vs2: Two references added and minor changes of style. vs3: Corrections made and reference adde

Dynamical structure factor of the anisotropic Heisenberg chain in a transverse field

We consider the anisotropic Heisenberg spin-1/2 chain in a transverse magnetic field at zero temperature. We first determine all components of the dynamical structure factor by combining exact results with a mean-field approximation recently proposed by Dmitriev {\it et al}., JETP 95, 538 (2002). We then turn to the small anisotropy limit, in which we use field theory methods to obtain exact results. We discuss the relevance of our results to Neutron scattering experiments on the 1D Heisenberg chain compound ${\rm Cs_2CoCl_4}$.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figure

Long-Time Tails and Anomalous Slowing Down in the Relaxation of Spatially Inhomogeneous Excitations in Quantum Spin Chains

Exact analytic calculations in spin-1/2 XY chains, show the presence of long-time tails in the asymptotic dynamics of spatially inhomogeneous excitations. The decay of inhomogeneities, for $t\to \infty$, is given in the form of a power law $$(t/\tau_{Q}) ^{-\nu_{Q}}$$ where the relaxation time $\tau_{Q}$ and the exponent $\nu_{Q}$ depend on the wave vector $Q$, characterizing the spatial modulation of the initial excitation. We consider several variants of the XY model (dimerized, with staggered magnetic field, with bond alternation, and with isotropic and uniform interactions), that are grouped into two families, whether the energy spectrum has a gap or not. Once the initial condition is given, the non-equilibrium problem for the magnetization is solved in closed form, without any other assumption. The long-time behavior for $t\to \infty$ can be obtained systematically in a form of an asymptotic series through the stationary phase method. We found that gapped models show critical behavior with respect to $Q$, in the sense that there exist critical values $Q_{c}$, where the relaxation time $\tau_{Q}$ diverges and the exponent $\nu_{Q}$ changes discontinuously. At those points, a slowing down of the relaxation process is induced, similarly to phenomena occurring near phase transitions. Long-lived excitations are identified as incommensurate spin density waves that emerge in systems undergoing the Peierls transition. In contrast, gapless models do not present the above anomalies as a function of the wave vector $Q$.Comment: 25 pages, 2 postscript figures. Manuscript submitted to Physical Review

Serum amyloid A primes microglia for ATP-dependent interleukin-1\u3b2 release

Acute-phase response is a systemic reaction to environmental/inflammatory insults and involves production of acute-phase proteins, including serum amyloid A (SAA). Interleukin-1\u3b2 (IL-1\u3b2), a master regulator of neuroinflammation produced by activated inflammatory cells of the myeloid lineage, in particular microglia, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic diseases of the peripheral nervous system and CNS. IL-1\u3b2 release is promoted by ATP acting at the purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) in cells primed with toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands

Differences in antiretroviral scale up in three South African provinces: the role of implementation management

BACKGROUND: South Africa's antiretroviral programme is governed by defined national plans, establishing treatment targets and providing funding through ring-fenced conditional grants. However, in terms of the country's quasi-federal constitution, provincial governments bear the main responsibility for provision of health care, and have a certain amount of autonomy and therefore choice in the way their HIV/AIDS programmes are implemented. METHODS: The paper is a comparative case study of the early management of ART scale up in three South African provincial governments--Western Cape, Gauteng and Free State--focusing on both operational and strategic dimensions. Drawing on surveys of models of ART care and analyses of the policy process conducted in the three provinces between 2005 and 2007, as well as a considerable body of grey and indexed literature on ART scale up in South Africa, it draws links between implementation processes and variations in provincial ART coverage (low, medium and high) achieved in the three provinces. RESULTS: While they adopted similar chronic disease care approaches, the provinces differed with respect to political and managerial leadership of the programme, programme design, the balance between central standardisation and local flexibility, the effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation systems, and the nature and extent of external support and programme partnerships. CONCLUSIONS: This case study points to the importance of sub-national programme processes and the influence of factors other than financing or human resource capacity, in understanding intervention scale up

Crystal structure of a DNA containing the planar, phenoxazine-derived bi-functional spectroscopic probe Ç

Previously, we developed the deoxycytosine analog Ç (C-spin) as a bi-functional spectroscopic probe for the study of nucleic acid structure and dynamics using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and fluorescence spectroscopy. To understand the effect of Ç on nucleic acid structure, we undertook a detailed crystallographic analysis. A 1.7 Å resolution crystal structure of Ç within a decamer duplex A-form DNA confirmed that Ç forms a non-perturbing base pair with deoxyguanosine, as designed. In the context of double-stranded DNA Ç adopted a planar conformation. In contrast, a crystal structure of the free spin-labeled base ç displayed a ∼20° bend at the oxazine linkage. Density function theory calculations revealed that the bent and planar conformations are close in energy and exhibit the same frequency for bending. These results indicate a small degree of flexibility around the oxazine linkage, which may be a consequence of the antiaromaticity of a 16-π electron ring system. Within DNA, the amplitude of the bending motion is restricted, presumably due to base-stacking interactions. This structural analysis shows that the Ç forms a planar, structurally non-perturbing base pair with G indicating it can be used with high confidence in EPR- or fluorescence-based structural and dynamics studies

Persistence of single species of symbionts across multiple closelyrelated host species

Some symbiont species are highly host-specific, inhabiting only one or a very few host species, and typically have limited dispersal abilities. When they do occur on multiple host species, populations of such symbionts are expected to become genetically structured across these different host species, and this may eventually lead to new symbiont species over evolutionary timescales. However, a low number of dispersal events of symbionts between host species across time might be enough to prevent population structure and species divergence. Overall, processes of evolutionary divergence and the species status of most putative multi-host symbiont systems are yet to be investigated. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding data of 6,023 feather mites (a total of 2,225 OTU representative sequences) from 147 infracommunities (i.e., the assemblage consisting of all mites of different species collected from the same bird host individual) to investigate patterns of population genetic structure and species status of three different putative multi-host feather mite species Proctophyllodes macedo Vitzthum, 1922, Proctophyllodes motacillae Gaud, 1953, and Trouessartia jedliczkai (Zimmerman, 1894), each of which inhabits a variable number of different closely related wagtail host species (genus Motacilla). We show that mite populations from different host species represent a single species. This pattern was found in all the mite species, suggesting that each of these species is a multi-host species in which dispersal of mites among host species prevents species divergence. Also, we found evidence of limited evolutionary divergence manifested by a low but significant level of population genetic structure among symbiont populations inhabiting different host species. Our study agrees with previous studies showing a higher than expected colonization opportunities in host-specific symbionts. Indeed, our results support that these dispersal events would allow the persistence of multi-host species even in symbionts with limited dispersal capabilities, though additional factors such as the geographical structure of some bird populations may also play a role.This work was supported by the MINECO CGL2011-24466 to RJ and CGL2015-69650-P to RJ and DS