2,832 research outputs found
Impurity effect of Lambda hyperon on collective excitations of atomic nuclei
Taking the ground state rotational band in Mg as an example, we
investigate the impurity effect of hyperon on collective excitations
of atomic nuclei in the framework of non-relativistic energy density functional
theory. To this end, we take into account correlations related to the
restoration of broken symmetries and fluctuations of collective variables by
solving the eigenvalue problem of a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian for
quadrupole vibrational and rotational degrees of freedom. The parameters of the
collective Hamiltonian are determined with constrained mean-field calculations
for triaxial shapes using the SGII Skyrme force. We compare the low-spin
spectrum for Mg with the spectrum for the same nucleus inside
Mg. It is found that the hyperon stretches the
ground state band and reduces the value by
, mainly by softening the potential energy surface towards the
spherical shape, even though the shrinkage effect on the average proton radius
is only .Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, and 1 tabl
Deformation of Lambda hypernuclei
We study the deformation property of hypernuclei using the
relativistic mean field (RMF) method. We find that Si and
C hypernuclei have spherical shape as a consequence of the
additional particle, whereas the corresponding core nuclei, Si
and C, are oblately deformed. Most of other hypernuclei have a similar
deformation parameter to the core nucleus, in accordance with the previous
study with the non-relativistic Skyrme-Hartree-Fock method. We discuss the
sensitivity of our results to the choice of pairing interaction and to the
parameter set of the RMF Lagrangian.Comment: 5 pages, 6 eps figure
Tuberculosis treatment in a refugee and migrant population: 20 years of experience on the Thai-Burmese border.
Although tuberculosis (TB) is a curable disease, it remains a major global health problem and an important cause of morbidity and mortality among vulnerable populations, including refugees and migrants
Ices in Star-Forming Regions: First Results from VLT-ISAAC
The first results from a VLT-ISAAC program on L- and M-band infrared
spectroscopy of deeply-embedded young stellar objects are presented. The advent
of 8-m class telescopes allows high S/N spectra of low-luminosity sources to be
obtained. In our first observing run, low- and medium-resolution spectra have
been measured toward a dozen objects, mostly in the Vela and Chamaeleon
molecular clouds. The spectra show strong absorption of H2O and CO ice, as well
as weak features at `3.47' and 4.62 mu. No significant solid CH3OH feature at
3.54 mu is found, indicating that the CH3OH/H2O ice abundance is lower than
toward some massive protostars. Various evolutionary diagnostics are
investigated for a set of sources in Vela.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, to appear in The Origins of Stars and Planets:
the VLT View, eds. J. Alves, M. McCaughrean (Springer Verlag
Seasonal variation of phytoplankton in My Thanh River, Mekong delta, Vietnam
A study on the seasonal variation of phytoplankton composition was conducted at the upper, middle, and lower parts of the My Thanh River, which supplies an important source of water for aquaculture. Qualitative and quantitative samples of phytoplankton were collected monthly at both high and low tide. The results showed that a total of 171 phytoplankton (algae) species were recorded, belonging to 59 genera and 5 phyla. Diatoms were the most abundant group with the highest species number, followed by green algae. The other phyla possessed a lower number of species. The species composition was more diverse in the rainy season and at high tide at most of the sampling sites. The mean density of algae varied from 30,900-43,521 ind.L^-1^. The density of diatoms was higher in the middle and lower parts. At the same time, euglenoids displayed the highest density in the upper part, showing a difference in the dominant algae group under the influence of salinity. Salinity was found to be significantly positively correlated (p<0.01) with diatoms, whereas it was negatively correlated (p<0.05) with blue-green algae and euglenoids. The algae composition was quite diverse, with the H' index ranging from 2.0-3.3, showing the water quality was slightly to moderately polluted
Holocentric chromosome evolution in kissing bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae): diversification of repeated sequences
Background: The analysis of the chromosomal and genome evolution in organisms with holocentric chromosomes is restricted by the lack of primary constriction or centromere. An interesting group is the hemipteran subfamily Triatominae, vectors of Chagas disease, which affects around 6 to 7 million people worldwide. This group exhibits extensive variability in the number and chromosomal location of repeated sequences such as heterochromatin and ribosomal genes. This paper tries to reveal the significant differences of the repeated sequences among Triatoma species through the use of genomic DNA probes. Methods: We analysed the chromosomal distribution and evolution of repeated sequences in Triatoma species by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) using genomic DNA probes from two North American Triatoma species. These genomic probes were hybridized both on their own chromosomes and on other Triatoma species from North and South America, with different amounts and chromosome location of C-heterochromatin. The results were compared with those previously described using South American Triatoma genomic probes. Results: We observed two chromosomal hybridization patterns: (i) very intense hybridization signals concentrated on specific chromosomal regions or particular chromosomes; and (ii) lower intensity hybridization signals dispersed along all chromosomes. Self-GISH on T. rubrofasciata and T. dimidiata chromosomes presented strong hybridization signals on all C-heterochromatin regions. However, when we perform genomic cross-hybridizations, only strong signals are detected on the Y chromosome, leaving the C-heterochromatic autosomal regions unmarked. Conclusions: We confirm that repeated DNA of the Y chromosome is shared among Triatoma species and probably represents an ancestral character of the Triatomini tribe. On the contrary, autosomal heterochromatic regions are constituted by species-specific DNA repeats, most probably satDNA families, suggesting that Triatoma speciation involved the amplification of diverse types of autosomal repeats. Molecular characterization of principal repetitive DNAs seems to be an appropriate approach to infer evolutionary relationships in triatomines
DNA metabarcoding unveils multiscale trophic variation in a widespread coastal opportunist
A thorough understanding of ecological networks relies on comprehensive information on trophic relationships among species. Since unpicking the diet of many organisms is unattainable using traditional morphologyâbased approaches, the application of highâthroughput sequencing methods represents a rapid and powerful way forward. Here, we assessed the application of DNA metabarcoding with nearly universal primers for the mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase I in defining the trophic ecology of adult brown shrimp, Crangon crangon, in six European estuaries. The exact trophic role of this abundant and widespread coastal benthic species is somewhat controversial, while information on geographical variation remains scant. Results revealed a highly opportunistic behaviour. Shrimp stomach contents contained hundreds of taxa (>1,000 molecular operational taxonomic units), of which 291 were identified as distinct species, belonging to 35 phyla. Only twenty ascertained species had a mean relative abundance of more than 0.5%. Predominant species included other abundant coastal and estuarine taxa, including the shore crab Carcinus maenas and the amphipod Corophium volutator. Jacobsâ selectivity index estimates based on DNA extracted from both shrimp stomachs and sediment samples were used to assess the shrimp's trophic niche indicating a generalist diet, dominated by crustaceans, polychaetes and fish. Spatial variation in diet composition, at regional and local scales, confirmed the highly flexible nature of this trophic opportunist. Furthermore, the detection of a prevalent, possibly endoparasitic fungus (Purpureocillium lilacinum) in the shrimp's stomach demonstrates the wide range of questions that can be addressed using metabarcoding, towards a more robust reconstruction of ecological networks
VLT-ISAAC 3-5 micron spectroscopy of embedded young low-mass stars. III. Intermediate-mass sources in Vela
We performed a spectroscopic survey toward five intermediate-mass class I
YSOs located in the Southern Vela molecular cloud in the L and M bands at
resolving powers 600-800 up to 10,000, using the Infrared Spectrometer and
Array Camera mounted on the VLT-ANTU. Lower mass companion objects were
observed simultaneously in both bands. Solid H2O at 3 micron is detected in all
sources, including the companion objects. CO ice at 4.67 micron is detected in
a few main targets and one companion object. One object (LLN 19) shows little
CO ice but strong gas-phase CO ro-vibrational lines in absorption. The CO ice
profiles are different from source to source. The amount of water ice and CO
ice trapped in a water-rich mantle may correlate with the flux ratio at 12 and
25 micron. The abundance of H2O-rich CO likely correlates with that of water
ice. A weak feature at 3.54 mu attributed to solid CH3OH and a broad feature
near 4.62 mu are observed toward LLN17, but not toward the other sources. The
derived abundances of solid CH3OH and OCN- are ~10% and ~1% of the H2O ice
abundance respectively. The H2O optical depths do not show an increase with
envelope mass, nor do they show lower values for the companion objects compared
with the main protostar. The line-of-sight CO ice abundance does not correlate
with the source bolometric luminosity. Comparison of the solid CO profile
toward LLN17, which shows an extremely broad CO ice feature, and that of its
lower mass companion at a few thousand AU, which exhibits a narrow profile,
together with the detection of OCN- toward LLN17 provide direct evidences for
local thermal processing of the ice.Comment: Replace wrong files. Accepted by A&A, 22 pages, 18 figure
H_2 Emission From Disks Around Herbig Ae and T Tauri Stars
We present the initial results of a deep ISO-SWS survey
for the low J pure rotational emission lines of H2
toward a number of Herbig Ae and T Tauri stars.
The objects are selected to be as isolated as possible
from molecular clouds, with a spectral energy distribution
characteristic of a circumstellar disk. For most
of them the presence of a disk has been established
directly by millimeter interferometry. The S (1) line is
detected in most sources with a peak flux of 0.3-1 Jy.
The S(0) line is definitely seen in 2 objects: GG Tau
and HD 163296. The observations suggest the presence
of "warm" gas at T_(kin) â 100 K with a mass of a
few % of the total gas+ dust mass, derived assuming
a gas-to-dust ratio of 100:1. The S(1) peak flux does
not show a strong correlation with spectral type of
the central star or continuum flux at 1.3 millimeter.
Possible origins for the warm gas seen in H_2 are discussed,
and comparisons with model calculations are
made
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