A dipolar self-induced bosonic Josephson junction

We propose a new scheme for observing Josephson oscillations and macroscopic quantum self-trapping phenomena in a toroidally confined Bose-Einstein condensate: a dipolar self-induced Josephson junction. Polarizing the atoms perpendicularly to the trap symmetry axis, an effective ring-shaped, double-well potential is achieved which is induced by the dipolar interaction. By numerically solving the three-dimensional time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation we show that coherent tunneling phenomena such as Josephson oscillations and quantum self-trapping can take place. The dynamics in the self-induced junction can be qualitatively described by a two-mode model taking into account both s-wave and dipolar interactions.Comment: Major changes. Accepted for publication in EP

Cooperative damping mechanism of the resonance in the nuclear photoabsorption

We propose a resonance damping mechanism to explain the disappearance of the peaks around the position of the resonances higher than the $\Delta$ resonance in the nuclear photoabsorption. This phenomenon is understood by taking into account the cooperative effect of the collision broadening of $\Delta$ and $N^{*}$, the pion distortion and the interference in the two-pion photoproduction processes in the nuclear medium.Comment: 11 pages, uses revtex.sty. To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Nuclear DNA fragmentation in boar spermatozoa: measurement methods and reproductive performance implications

The aim of this research was to compare the different techniques to measure sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation (sDF) and to check its relations to boar reproductive value, classical spermiogram parameters, and reproductive results of the doses in sows. Sperm chromatin stability assay (SCSA), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCD, Halomax®) results were compared, finding a statistically significant correlation only between SCSA and TUNEL results. The fertility direct boar effect (DBE) index, calculated from the whole productive life of the boar, was not correlated (p > 0.05) with sDF (measured by any technique). Total or progressive sperm motility was not correlated with sDF, while it found a positive correlation between TUNEL measure and abnormal acrosomes (%) and between SCD measure and total sperm morphological abnormalities (%). No significant correlations were obtained between fertility or prolificacy results and sDF results with the different techniques. However, in the case of total born and SCSA measure, the correlation was close to significance (r partial = -0.095; p = 0.066), appointing to a tendency; as SCSA increases, the number of total piglets born decreases. In conclusion, although the different techniques for the sDF seem not to target exactly the same DNA events and the relationship between their values and the reproductive results and the classical spermiogram results is still to be elucidated, the studied sDF techniques may offer extra information that could be useful for the management of AI studs. Copyright © 2022 Ausejo, Martínez, Mendoza, Bolarin, Tejedor and Falceto

Actividad antibacteriana de quince antibióticos frente a enterobacterias aisladas en otitis externas caninas crónicas

Hemos estudiado la sensibilidad a quince antimicrobianos de las enterobacterias aisladas en otitis externas caninas crónicas. Se analizaron 20 cepas: 10 Proteus mirabilis, 9 Eseheriehia coli y 1 Klebsiella oxytoca. Se observaron diferencias en sensibilidad en función del género. Todas las cepas de enterobacterias fueron sensibles a ceftazidima, cefoxitina, gentamicina y netilmicina. Todas las cepas de Proteus mirabilis fueron sensibles además a amikacina, cefotaxima, piperacilina, ticarcilina, ciprofloxacina, enrofloxacina y marbofloxacina. En el caso de E. coli, todas las cepas fueron sensibles a tobramicina, además de a los 4 antibióticos descritos para el totaí de entero bacterias. La cepa de Klebsiella oxytoea fue sensible a 13 de los antibióticos estudiados, presentando una sensibilidad intermedia a piperacilina y siendo resistente a ticarcilina. Se realizaron encuestas alos veterinarios clínicos sobre los tratamientos que utilizaban para comparar nuestros resultados con la práctica clínica. Nuestros resultados apoyan la importancia de los ensayos de sensibilidad a antimicrobianos en las infeccionesen animales y sugieren que la gentamicina podría ser, en nuestra área, el antibiótico de elección para otitisexternas caninas crónicas causadas por enterobacterias

Technical Note: A new device for cervical insemination of sheep - design and field test1

Deep semen deposition, avoiding retrograde flow, lesions and stress, has proved to be very important in the success of sheep AI. The objective of the present study was to develop a new, suitable antiretrograde flow device for sheep cervical AI (DARIO) that enables deep deposition of semen into the cervix without any modifications to the procedures currently used, and to compare the fertility, fecundity, and prolificacy rates between DARIO and a traditional catheter. Field tests were performed on 16 farms actively participating in the non-profit National Association of Rasa Aragonesa Breeders genetic selection scheme and where sheep management was similar. A total of 242 AI lots were considered, including 1, 299 ewes; 126 lots (662 ewes) were inseminated using DARIO, and 116 lots (637 ewes) using a traditional commercially-available catheter (control group). Several factors affecting AI results were included in the model for mean comparison between DARIO and control groups (farm and ram as random factors; catheter, year and photoperiod as fixed effects; catheter vó photoperiod interaction). The type of catheter had a significant effect on fertility (P < 0.01) and fecundity rates (P < 0.01) but no significant effect was detected on the prolificacy rate (P = 0.45). For fertility rate (percentage of ewes lambing after AI), means ¬± SE for DARIO and control groups were 59.44 ¬± 2.13% and 49.60 ¬± 2.48%, respectively; for fecundity rates, means ¬± SE for DARIO and control groups were 0.99 ¬± 0.04 and 0.82 ¬± 0.05 lambs/inseminated ewe, respectively, and, for prolificacy rates, means ¬± SE for DARIO and control groups were 1.68 ¬± 0.04 and 1.63 ¬± 0.04 lambs/ewe lambing, respectively. Fertility rate was greater in the decreasing photoperiod (P = 0.01). Significant effects were found for both year (P < 0.05) and farm (P < 0.01) on fertility, fecundity, and prolificacy rates. Neither ram nor catheter vó photoperiod showed any significant effects on the variables investigated (P > 0.05). Overall, the use of DARIO instead of the traditional commercially-available catheter increased both fertility and fecundity rates; the marginal mean differences were 9.05 pregnant ewes per 100 inseminated and 0.15 lambs per inseminated ewe, respectively

Anatomical and genetic study of an ancient animal tooth showing brachyodont and hypsodont mixed taxonomical characteristics

A non-human dental piece was found in a Roman Empire tomb dated the 3rd century A.C. in Zaragoza (Spain). The morphology of this piece showed mixed brachyodont (carnivores) and hypsodont (herbivores) characteristics. As a result, the taxonomical assignation of the piece was impossible. Therefore, a protocolbased on the DNA sequence of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mitochondrial region (COI) was applied. For this purpose, a pair of primers able to amplify thisregion in a large variety of animals was designed. The results point to a species of the Genus Bos (Family Bovidae). This assignation was later confirmed by these quencing of a short fragment of the mitochondrial D-loop region. A complete morphological description of the tooth is presented together with the DNA sequence study and comparison protocol

Subthreshold rho^0 photoproduction on 3He

A large reduction of the rho^0 mass in the nuclear medium is reported, inferred from dipion photoproduction spectra in the 1 GeV region, for the reaction 3He(gamma,pi+ pi-)X with a 10% duty factor tagged-photon beam and the TAGX multi-particle spectrometer. The energy range covered (800 < E(gamma) < 1120 MeV) lies mostly below the free rho^0 production threshold, a region which is believed sensitive to modifications of light vector-meson properties at nuclear-matter densities. The rho^0 masses extracted from the MC fitting of the data, m*(rho^0) = 642 +/- 40, 669 +/- 32, and 682 +/- 56 MeV/c^2 for E(gamma) in the 800-880, 880-960, and 960-1040 MeV regions respectively, are independently corroborated by a measured, assumption-free, kinematical observable. This mass shift, far exceeding current mean-field driven theoretical predictions, may be suggestive of rho^0 decay within the range of the nucleonic field.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

A Coupled Equations Model for Epitaxial Growth on Textured Surfaces

We have developed a continuum model that explains the complex surface shapes observed in epitaxial regrowth on micron scale gratings. This model describes the dependence of the surface morphology on film thickness and growth temperature in terms of a few simple atomic scale processes including adatom diffusion, step-edge attachment and detachment, and a net downhill migration of surface adatoms. The continuum model reduces to the linear part of the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation with a flux dependent smoothing coefficient in the long wavelength limit.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to the Journal of Crystal Growt