4,953 research outputs found
Block-windowed burst OFDM: A high-efficiency multicarrier technique
A block-windowed burst orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technique which is a multicarrier technique with power spectral density similar to the filtered OFDM approach, since it also employs smoother, non-rectangular windows, is presented. However, it does not need a cyclic prefix, which means the overall power and spectral efficiencies are higher. An appropriate receiver for typical time-dispersive channels, allowing 2 dB of gain relatively conventional OFDM schemes is also presented
Quantum state tomography and quantum logical operations in a three qubits NMR quadrupolar system
In this work, we present an implementation of quantum logic gates and
algorithms in a three effective qubits system, represented by a (I = 7/2) NMR
quadrupolar nuclei. To implement these protocols we have used the strong
modulating pulses (SMP). The various stages of each implementation were
verified by quantum state tomography (QST). It is presented here the results
for the computational base states, Toffolli logic gates, and Deutsch-Jozsa and
Grover algorithms. Also, we discuss the difficulties and advantages of
implementing such protocols using the SMP technique in quadrupolar systems.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure
Novel fish feed supplements: giving value to agroindustrial wastes
Sustainable aquaculture requires the reduction of fish meal use in diets, by replacing it with ecofriendly ingredients, as that vegetal feedstuff not desirable for human consumption. However,
these pose challenges due to the presence of antinutritional factors. The supplementation with
some supplements, like exoenzymes and antioxidants, has shown potential to reduce their
nutritional drawbacks. The solid-state fermentation (SSF) of agro-industrial wastes may be used
to obtain such compounds. The goal of this work was to test the applicability of an SSF-extract,
obtained through the SSF of an optimized mixture of three agro-industrial wastes with Aspergilus
ibericus (30% EGM, 36% VTS, 34% EOP), determined previously with a simplex-centroid mixture
design. The activity of this extract was measured to be xylanase: 1866.9 U/g (lyophilized extract);
cellulose: 1563.6 U/g; β-glucosidase: 736.455 U/g, and total antioxidants: 439.4 μmol Trolox
equivalents/g lyophilized extract; total phenols: 28.1 mg caffeic acid equivalents/g lyophilized
extract. The efficiency of this extract as a feed additive in plant-based diets evaluated by an in
vitro digestibility trial, analyzing its efficiency to improve the release of pentoses and antioxidants
during digestion. The extract was used to supplement diets for Dicentrarchus labrax, with
increasing levels of extract: 0, 4 and 8 U cellulase/g diet. Dietary supplementation with the extract
led to the increase of pentose release, during alkaline digestion. The effect of the
supplementation with the SSF extract on the release of antioxidants and phenols compounds are
being evaluated and will be presented.Project SPO3 (ref. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030377; FEDER-Operational Programme
Competitiveness and Internationalization and FCT); project InovFeed (ref. MAR-02.01.01-FEAMP0111; Programa Operacional Mar2020); BioTecNorte (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004; ERDF
under the scope of Norte2020-Programa Operacional Regional do Norte)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Mortality of a juvenile Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus, Spheniscidae) associated with the ingestion of a PFF-2 protective mask during the Covid-19 pandemic
We report the discovery of a dead Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) found on Juquehy Beach (23°46′S 45°44′W), municipality of São Sebastião, Brazil, on September 9th 2020. Following necropsy, we noted the presence of an adult size PFF-2 protective mask within the stomach of the penguin which we inferred as the cause of death. As far as we are aware, this is the first recorded instance of marine animal mortality by protective face mask ingestion. Whilst concerns have been raised relating microplastic contamination in marine environments from Covid-19 related waste, there has been relatively less attention paid to the potential risk of macro-scale contaminants, such as protective face coverings. We suggest that Covid-19 related macro contaminants be considered in coastal marine risk assessments and urge further research on this topic
Efeito do excesso de adubação sobre a produtividade do meloeiro rendilhado.
Devido à falta de conhecimento por parte dos nossos agricultores e técnicos a respeito do manejo adequado da fertirrigação, tem sido freqüente os problemas de salinização de solo, sobretudo em ambiente protegido. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo estudar os efeitos de duas propostas para manejo da fertirrigação e de diferentes níveis de salinidade inicial do solo causados pela aplicação excessiva de fertilizantes no rendimento do meloeiro
Unsteady undular bores in fully nonlinear shallow-water theory
We consider unsteady undular bores for a pair of coupled equations of
Boussinesq-type which contain the familiar fully nonlinear dissipationless
shallow-water dynamics and the leading-order fully nonlinear dispersive terms.
This system contains one horizontal space dimension and time and can be
systematically derived from the full Euler equations for irrotational flows
with a free surface using a standard long-wave asymptotic expansion.
In this context the system was first derived by Su and Gardner. It coincides
with the one-dimensional flat-bottom reduction of the Green-Naghdi system and,
additionally, has recently found a number of fluid dynamics applications other
than the present context of shallow-water gravity waves. We then use the
Whitham modulation theory for a one-phase periodic travelling wave to obtain an
asymptotic analytical description of an undular bore in the Su-Gardner system
for a full range of "depth" ratios across the bore. The positions of the
leading and trailing edges of the undular bore and the amplitude of the leading
solitary wave of the bore are found as functions of this "depth ratio". The
formation of a partial undular bore with a rapidly-varying finite-amplitude
trailing wave front is predicted for ``depth ratios'' across the bore exceeding
1.43. The analytical results from the modulation theory are shown to be in
excellent agreement with full numerical solutions for the development of an
undular bore in the Su-Gardner system.Comment: Revised version accepted for publication in Phys. Fluids, 51 pages, 9
figure
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans-induced hypercitrullination links periodontal infection to autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis
A bacterial etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been suspected since the beginnings of modern germ theory. Recent studies implicate mucosal surfaces as sites of disease initiation. The common occurrence of periodontal dysbiosis in RA suggests that oral pathogens may trigger the production of disease-specific autoantibodies and arthritis in susceptible individuals. We used mass spectrometry to define the microbial composition and antigenic repertoire of gingival crevicular fluid in patients with periodontal disease and healthy controls. Periodontitis was characterized by the presence of citrullinated autoantigens that are primary immune targets in RA. The citrullinome in periodontitis mirrored patterns of hypercitrullination observed in the rheumatoid joint, implicating this mucosal site in RA pathogenesis. Proteomic signatures of several microbial species were detected in hypercitrullinated periodontitis samples. Among these, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), but not other candidate pathogens, induced hypercitrullination in host neutrophils. We identified the pore-forming toxin leukotoxin-A (LtxA) as the molecular mechanism by which Aa triggers dysregulated activation of citrullinating enzymes in neutrophils, mimicking membranolytic pathways that sustain autoantigen citrullination in the RA joint. Moreover, LtxA induced changes in neutrophil morphology mimicking extracellular trap formation, thereby releasing the hypercitrullinated cargo. Exposure to leukotoxic Aa strains was confirmed in patients with RA and was associated with both anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) and rheumatoid factor (RF). The effect of HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles on autoantibody positivity was limited to RA patients that were exposed to Aa. These studies identify the periodontal pathogen Aa as a candidate bacterial trigger of autoimmunity in RA
Homogeneous Gold Catalysis through Relativistic Effects: Addition of Water to Propyne
In the catalytic addition of water to propyne the Au(III) catalyst is not
stable under non-relativistic conditions and dissociates into a Au(I) compound
and Cl2. This implies that one link in the chain of events in the catalytic
cycle is broken and relativity may well be seen as the reason why Au(III)
compounds are effective catalysts.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
A dynamical classification of the range of pair interactions
We formalize a classification of pair interactions based on the convergence
properties of the {\it forces} acting on particles as a function of system
size. We do so by considering the behavior of the probability distribution
function (PDF) P(F) of the force field F in a particle distribution in the
limit that the size of the system is taken to infinity at constant particle
density, i.e., in the "usual" thermodynamic limit. For a pair interaction
potential V(r) with V(r) \rightarrow \infty) \sim 1/r^a defining a {\it
bounded} pair force, we show that P(F) converges continuously to a well-defined
and rapidly decreasing PDF if and only if the {\it pair force} is absolutely
integrable, i.e., for a > d-1, where d is the spatial dimension. We refer to
this case as {\it dynamically short-range}, because the dominant contribution
to the force on a typical particle in this limit arises from particles in a
finite neighborhood around it. For the {\it dynamically long-range} case, i.e.,
a \leq d-1, on the other hand, the dominant contribution to the force comes
from the mean field due to the bulk, which becomes undefined in this limit. We
discuss also how, for a \leq d-1 (and notably, for the case of gravity, a=d-2)
P(F) may, in some cases, be defined in a weaker sense. This involves a
regularization of the force summation which is generalization of the procedure
employed to define gravitational forces in an infinite static homogeneous
universe. We explain that the relevant classification in this context is,
however, that which divides pair forces with a > d-2 (or a < d-2), for which
the PDF of the {\it difference in forces} is defined (or not defined) in the
infinite system limit, without any regularization. In the former case dynamics
can, as for the (marginal) case of gravity, be defined consistently in an
infinite uniform system.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure; significantly shortened and focussed, additional
references, version to appear in J. Stat. Phy
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