29,132 research outputs found
Semimetalic graphene in a modulated electric potential
The -electronic structure of graphene in the presence of a modulated
electric potential is investigated by the tight-binding model. The low-energy
electronic properties are strongly affected by the period and field strength.
Such a field could modify the energy dispersions, destroy state degeneracy, and
induce band-edge states. It should be noted that a modulated electric potential
could make semiconducting graphene semimetallic, and that the onset period of
such a transition relies on the field strength. There exist infinite
Fermi-momentum states in sharply contrast with two crossing points (Dirac
points) for graphene without external fields. The finite density of states
(DOS) at the Fermi level means that there are free carriers, and, at the same
time, the low DOS spectrum exhibits many prominent peaks, mainly owing to the
band-edge states.Comment: 12pages, 5 figure
TagF-mediated repression of bacterial type VI secretion systems involves a direct interaction with the cytoplasmic protein Fha
The bacterial type VI secretion system (T6SS) delivers effectors into eukaryotic host cells or toxins into bacterial competitor for survival and fitness. The T6SS is positively regulated by the threonine phosphorylation pathway (TPP) and negatively by the T6SS-accessory protein TagF. Here, we studied the mechanisms underlying TagF-mediated T6SS repression in two distinct bacterial pathogens, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that in A. tumefaciens, T6SS toxin secretion and T6SS-dependent antibacterial activity are suppressed by a two-domain chimeric protein consisting of TagF and PppA, a putative phosphatase. Remarkably, this TagF domain is sufficient to post-translationally repress the T6SS, and this inhibition is independent of TPP. This repression requires interaction with a cytoplasmic protein, Fha, critical for activating T6SS assembly. In P. aeruginosa, PppA and TagF are two distinct proteins that repress T6SS in a TPP-dependent and -independent pathways, respectively. P. aeruginosa TagF interacts with Fha1, suggesting that formation of this complex represents a conserved TagF-mediated regulatory mechanism. Using TagF variants with substitutions of conserved amino acid residues at predicted protein-protein interaction interfaces, we uncovered evidence that the TagF-Fha interaction is critical for TagF-mediated T6SS repression in both bacteria. TagF inhibits T6SS without affecting T6SS protein abundance in A. tumefaciens, but TagF overexpression reduces the protein levels of all analyzed T6SS components in P. aeruginosa. Our results indicate that TagF interacts with Fha, which in turn could impact different stages of T6SS assembly in different bacteria, possibly reflecting an evolutionary divergence in T6SS control
Numerical analysis of the Iosipescu specimen for composite materials
A finite element analysis of the Iosipescu shear tests for unidirectional and cross-ply composites is presented. It is shown that an iterative analysis procedure must be used to model the fixture-specimen kinematics. The correction factors which are needed to compensate for the nonuniformity of stress distribution in calculating shear modulus are shown to be dependent on the material orthotropic ratio and the finite element loading models. Test section strain distributions representative of typical graphite-epoxy specimens are also presented
Parity effect in Al and Nb single electron transistors in a tunable environment
Two different types of Cooper pair transistors, with Al and Nb islands, have
been investigated in a tunable electromagnetic environment. The device with an
Al island demonstrates gate charge modulation with 2e-periodicity in a wide
range of environmental impedances at bath temperatures below 340 mK. Contrary
to the results of the Al sample, we were not able to detect 2e-periodicity
under any conditions on similar samples with Nb island. We attribute this to
the material properties of Nb.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Life table analysis of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) infesting sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) in São Paulo
An ecological life table for eggs and nymphs of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera:
Psyllidae) was constructed with data obtained from orange orchards (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) in 2 regions of the State of São Paulo, over 4 generations in the period from XI-2006
to V-2007, comprising spring, summer, and fall seasons. Young growing shoots with D. citri
eggs present were identifed, and live individuals were counted until adult emergence. No
predatory arthropods were observed in association with D. citri eggs and nymphs during
the study. The mean parasitism of fourth- and ffth-instar nymphs by Tamarixia radiata
Waterston (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was 2.3%. The durations of the egg–adult period
were similar among the 4 generations, ranging from 18.0 to 24.7 d (at mean temperatures
ranging from 21.6 to 26.0 °C) and followed the temperature requirement models obtained
in the laboratory for D. citri. However, survival from the egg to the adult stage for the same
period varied considerably from 1.7 to 21.4%; the highest mortalities were observed in the
egg and small nymphal (frst- to thirdinstar) stages, which were considered to be key phases
for population growth of the pest.Uma tabela de vida ecológica foi construída para ovos e ninfas de Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) com dados obtidos em pomares de laranja (Citrus sinensis Osbeck) em 2 regiões do estado de São Paulo, com 4 gerações, no período de novembro de 2006
a maio de 2007, compreendendo as estações de primavera, verão e outono. Ramos jovens
em crescimento com a presença de ovos de D. citri foram identificados e os indivíduos vivos
foram contados até a emergência dos adultos. Nenhum predador foi observado associado a
ovos e ninfas de D. citri durante o estudo. A taxa média de parasitismo de ninfas de quarto
e quinto ínstares por Tamarixia radiata Waterson (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) foi de 2.3%.
A duração do período de ovo a adulto foi semelhante entre as quatro gerações, variando de
18.0 a 24.7 dias (com temperaturas médias de 21.6 a 26.0 °C) e seguiram os modelos de
exigencias térmicas obtidas em laboratório para D. citri. Todavia, a sobrevivencia de ovo
até o estágio adulto variou consideravelmente para o mesmo período, de 1.7 a 21.4%, sendo
que as maiores mortalidades foram observadas nos estágios de ovos e ninfas pequenas (de
primeiro a terceiro ínstares), as quais foram consideradas fases chaves para o crescimento
populacional desta praga.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Dynamical Properties of a Growing Surface on a Random Substrate
The dynamics of the discrete Gaussian model for the surface of a crystal
deposited on a disordered substrate is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations.
The mobility of the growing surface was studied as a function of a small
driving force and temperature . A continuous transition is found from
high-temperature phase characterized by linear response to a low-temperature
phase with nonlinear, temperature dependent response. In the simulated regime
of driving force the numerical results are in general agreement with recent
dynamic renormalization group predictions.Comment: 10 pages, latex, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. E (RC
Dynamics of Particles Deposition on a Disordered Substrate: II. Far-from Equilibrium Behavior. -
The deposition dynamics of particles (or the growth of a rigid crystal) on a
disordered substrate at a finite deposition rate is explored. We begin with an
equation of motion which includes, in addition to the disorder, the periodic
potential due to the discrete size of the particles (or to the lattice
structure of the crystal) as well as the term introduced by Kardar, Parisi, and
Zhang (KPZ) to account for the lateral growth at a finite growth rate. A
generating functional for the correlation and response functions of this
process is derived using the approach of Martin, Sigga, and Rose. A consistent
renormalized perturbation expansion to first order in the non-Gaussian
couplings requires the calculation of diagrams up to three loops. To this order
we show, for the first time for this class of models which violates the the
fluctuation-dissipation theorem, that the theory is renormalizable. We find
that the effects of the periodic potential and the disorder decay on very large
scales and asymptotically the KPZ term dominates the behavior. However, strong
non-trivial crossover effects are found for large intermediate scales.Comment: 52 pages & 17 Figs in uucompressed file. UR-CM 94-090
Interstitial gas and density-segregation in vertically-vibrated granular media
We report experimental studies of the effect of interstitial gas on
mass-density-segregation in a vertically-vibrated mixture of equal-sized bronze
and glass spheres. Sufficiently strong vibration in the presence of
interstitial gas induces vertical segregation into sharply separated bronze and
glass layers. We find that the segregated steady state (i.e., bronze or glass
layer on top) is a sensitive function of gas pressure and viscosity, as well as
vibration frequency and amplitude. In particular, we identify distinct regimes
of behavior that characterize the change from bronze-on-top to glass-on-top
steady-state.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PRL; accepted in PRE as rapid
communication, with revised text and reference
The Effect of Infections on the Mortality of Cirrhotic Patients with Hepatic Encephalopathy
[[abstract]]Cirrhotic patients are prone to having infections, which may aggravate hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, the effect of infections on mortality in HE cirrhotic patients is not well described. The National Health Insurance Database, derived from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Programme, was used to identify 4150 adult HE cirrhotic patients hospitalized between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2004. Nine hundred and eighty-five patients (23.7%) had one or more co-existing infections during their hospitalization. After Cox proportional hazard regression modelling adjusted by the patients' gender, age, and medical comorbidity disorders, the hazard ratios (HRs) in HE patients with infections for 30-day, 30- to 90-day, and 90-day to 1-year mortalities were 1.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.42-1.94], 1.51 (95% CI 1.23-1.85) and 1.34 (95% CI 1.13-1.58), respectively. Compared to the non-infection group, the HRs of pneumonia, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, urinary tract infection, sepsis without specific focus (SWSF), cellulitis, and biliary tract infection were 2.11, 1.48, 1.06, 2.21, 1.06, and 0.78, respectively, for 30-day mortality; 1.82, 1.22, 0.93, 2.24, 0.31, and 2.82, respectively, for 30- to 90-day mortality; and 2.03, 0.82, 1.24, 1.64, 1.14, and 0.60, respectively, for 90-day to 1-year mortality for HE cirrhotic patients. We conclude that infections increase the mortality of HE cirrhotic patients, especially pneumonia and SWSF.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]電子
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