521 research outputs found
Transient growth in Taylor-Couette flow
Transient growth due to non-normality is investigated for the Taylor-Couette
problem with counter-rotating cylinders as a function of aspect ratio eta and
Reynolds number Re. For all Re < 500, transient growth is enhanced by
curvature, i.e. is greater for eta < 1 than for eta = 1, the plane Couette
limit. For fixed Re < 130 it is found that the greatest transient growth is
achieved for eta between the Taylor-Couette linear stability boundary, if it
exists, and one, while for Re > 130 the greatest transient growth is achieved
for eta on the linear stability boundary. Transient growth is shown to be
approximately 20% higher near the linear stability boundary at Re = 310, eta =
0.986 than at Re = 310, eta = 1, near the threshold observed for transition in
plane Couette flow. The energy in the optimal inputs is primarily meridional;
that in the optimal outputs is primarily azimuthal. Pseudospectra are
calculated for two contrasting cases. For large curvature, eta = 0.5, the
pseudospectra adhere more closely to the spectrum than in a narrow gap case,
eta = 0.99
Pedagogical interaction during problem modeling
Some features of pedagogical interaction in terms of problem modeling are discussed in this article, the concept of problem modeling as an innovative approach in education is givenВ статье раскрыты некоторые особенности педагогического взаимодействия в условиях проблемного моделирования, дано понятие проблемного моделирования как инновационного подхода в образовани
Determining Neutrino Mass Hierarchy by Precision Measurements in Electron and Muon Neutrino Disappearance Experiments
Recently a new method for determining the neutrino mass hierarchy by
comparing the effective values of the atmospheric \Delta m^2 measured in the
electron neutrino disappearance channel, \Delta m^2(ee), with the one measured
in the muon neutrino disappearance channel, \Delta m^2(\mu \mu), was proposed.
If \Delta m^2(ee) is larger (smaller) than \Delta m^2(\mu \mu) the hierarchy is
of the normal (inverted) type. We re-examine this proposition in the light of
two very high precision measurements: \Delta m^2(\mu \mu) that may be
accomplished by the phase II of the Tokai-to-Kamioka (T2K) experiment, for
example, and \Delta m^2(ee) that can be envisaged using the novel Mossbauer
enhanced resonant \bar\nu_e absorption technique. Under optimistic assumptions
for the systematic uncertainties of both measurements, we estimate the
parameter region of (\theta_13, \delta) in which the mass hierarchy can be
determined. If \theta_13 is relatively large, sin^2 2\theta_13 \gsim 0.05, and
both of \Delta m^2(ee) and \Delta m^2(\mu \mu) can be measured with the
precision of \sim 0.5 % it is possible to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy
at > 95% CL for 0.3 \pi \lsim \delta \lsim 1.7 \pi for the current best fit
values of all the other oscillation parameters.Comment: 12 pages, 6 postscript figure
Inhibition of Vaginal Lactobacilli by a Bacteriocin-Like Inhibitor Produced by Enterococcus faecium 62-6: Potential Significance for Bacterial Vaginosis
Objective: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is characterized by a shift in vaginal tract ecology, which includes a decrease in the concentration and/or prevalence of facultative lactobacilli. Currently, mechanisms which could account for the disappearance of lactobacilli are not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether vaginal streptococci/enterococci can produce bacteriocin-like inhibitors antagonistic to vaginal lactobacilli. Methods: Seventy strains of vaginal streptococci or enterococci were tested for antagonistic activities against vaginal lactobacilli using the deferred antagonism technique. Results: One strain, Enterococcus faecium 62-6, which strongly inhibited growth of lactobacilli was selected for further characterization. The spectrum of inhibitory activity of strain 62-6 included Gram-positive organisms from the vaginal environment, although native lactobacilli from the same host were resistant to inhibitor action. Following growth inMRSbroth the strain 62-6 inhibitor was shown to be heat- (100℃, 30 minutes), cold- (4℃, less than 114 days) and pH- (4–7) stable. The sensitivity of inhibitor-containing supernatants to pepsin and α-chymotrypsin suggested an essential proteinaceous component. The inhibitor was sensitive to lipase but resistant to lysozyme. Dialysis of inhibitor-containing culture supernatants suggested a molecular mass greater than 12 000 Da. All physicochemical properties were consistent with its classification as a bacteriocin-like inhibitor. Kinetic assays demonstrated a sharp onset of inhibitor production coinciding with a concentration of 62-6 of 10(7) cfu/ml, suggesting that production may be regulated by quorum sensing. Conclusions: These results may have clinical significance as a novel mechanism to account for the decline of vaginal Lactobacillus populations and contribute to both the establishment and recurrence of BV
Performance of Hamamatsu 64-anode photomultipliers for use with wavelength--shifting optical fibres
Hamamatsu R5900-00-M64 and R7600-00-M64 photomultiplier tubes will be used
with wavelength--shifting optical fibres to read out scintillator strips in the
MINOS near detector. We report on measurements of the gain, efficiency,
linearity, crosstalk, and dark noise of 232 of these PMTs, of which 219 met
MINOS requirements.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. Accepted by Nucl. Inst. Meth.
Probing long-range leptonic forces with solar and reactor neutrinos
In this work we study the phenomenological consequences of the existence of
long-range forces coupled to lepton flavour numbers in solar neutrino
oscillations. We study electronic forces mediated by scalar, vector or tensor
neutral bosons and analyze their effect on the propagation of solar neutrinos
as a function of the force strength and range. Under the assumption of one mass
scale dominance, we perform a global analysis of solar and KamLAND neutrino
data which depends on the two standard oscillation parameters, \Delta m^2_{21}
and \tan^2\theta_{12}, the force coupling constant, its range and, for the case
of scalar-mediated interactions, on the neutrino mass scale as well. We find
that, generically, the inclusion of the new interaction does not lead to a very
statistically significant improvement on the description of the data in the
most favored MSW LMA (or LMA-I) region. It does, however, substantially improve
the fit in the high-\Delta m^2 LMA (or LMA-II) region which can be allowed for
vector and scalar lepto-forces (in this last case if neutrinos are very
hierarchical) at 2.5\sigma. Conversely, the analysis allows us to place
stringent constraints on the strength versus range of the leptonic interaction.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure
Paradoxical transitions to instabilities in hydromagnetic Couette-Taylor flows
By methods of modern spectral analysis, we rigorously find distributions of
eigenvalues of linearized operators associated with an ideal hydromagnetic
Couette-Taylor flow. Transition to instability in the limit of vanishing
magnetic field has a discontinuous change compared to the Rayleigh stability
criterion for hydrodynamical flows, which is known as the
Velikhov-Chandrasekhar paradox.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
How to humiliate and shame: A reporter's guide to the power of the mugshot
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Social Semiotics, 24(1), 56-87, 2014, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/The judicial photograph – the “mugshot” – is a ubiquitous and instantly recognisable form, appearing in the news media, on the internet, on book covers, law enforcement noticeboards and in many other mediums. This essay attempts to situate the mugshot in a historical and theoretical context to explain the explicit and implicit meaning of the genre as it has developed, focussing in particular on their use in the UK media in late modernity. The analysis is based on the author's reflexive practice as a journalist covering crime in the national news media for 30 years and who has used mugshots to illustrate stories for their explicit and specific content. The author argues that the visual limitations of the standardised “head and shoulders” format of the mugshot make it a robust subject for analysing the changing meaning of images over time. With little variation in the image format, arguments for certain accreted layers of signification are easier to make. Within a few years of the first appearance of the mugshot form in the mid-19th century, it was adopted and adapted as a research tool by scientists and criminologists. While the positivist scientists claimed empirical objectivity we can now see that mugshots played a part in the construction of subjective notions of “the other”, “the lesser” or “sub-human” on the grounds of class, race and religion. These dehumanising ideas later informed the theorists and bureaucrats of National Socialist ideology from the 1920s to 1940s. The author concludes that once again the mugshot has become, in certain parts of the media, a signifier widely used to exclude or deride certain groups. In late modernity, the part of the media that most use mugshots – the tabloid press and increasingly tabloid TV – is part of a neo-liberal process that, in a conscious commercial appeal to the paying audience, seeks to separate rather than unify wider society
Neutrino physics at accelerators
Present and future neutrino experiments at accelerators are mainly concerned
with understanding the neutrino oscillation phenomenon and its implications.
Here a brief account of neutrino oscillations is given together with a
description of the supporting data. Some current and planned accelerator
neutrino experiments are also explained.Comment: 23 pages, 24 figures. Talk given at the Corfu Summer Institute on
Elementary Particle Physics 200
Inhibition of Fungi and Gram-Negative Bacteria by Bacteriocin BacTN635 Produced by Lactobacillus plantarum sp. TN635
The aim of this study was to evaluate 54 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from meat, fermented vegetables and dairy products for their capacity to produce antimicrobial activities against several bacteria and fungi. The strain designed TN635 has been selected for advanced studies. The supernatant culture of this strain inhibits the growth of all tested pathogenic including the four Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella enterica ATCC43972, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 49189, Hafnia sp. and Serratia sp.) and the pathogenic fungus Candida tropicalis R2 CIP203. Based on the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene of the strain TN635 (1,540 pb accession no FN252881) and the phylogenetic analysis, we propose the assignment of our new isolate bacterium as Lactobacillus plantarum sp. TN635 strain. Its antimicrobial compound was determined as a proteinaceous substance, stable to heat and to treatment with surfactants and organic solvents. Highest antimicrobial activity was found between pH 3 and 11 with an optimum at pH = 7. The BacTN635 was purified to homogeneity by a four-step protocol involving ammonium sulfate precipitation, centrifugal microconcentrators with a 10-kDa membrane cutoff, gel filtration Sephadex G-25, and C18 reverse-phase HPLC. SDS-PAGE analysis of the purified BacTN635, revealed a single band with an estimated molecular mass of approximately 4 kDa. The maximum bacteriocin production (5,000 AU/ml) was recorded after a 16-h incubation in Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) medium at 30 °C. The mode of action of the partial purified BacTN635 was identified as bactericidal against Listeria ivanovii BUG 496 and as fungistatic against C. tropicalis R2 CIP203
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