510 research outputs found
Ultrasound Investigations of Orbital Quadrupolar Ordering in UPd_3
For a high-quality single crystal of UPd_3 we present the relevant elastic
constants and ultrasonic attenuation data. In addition to the magnetic phase
transition at T_2=4.4 +/- 0.1K and the quadrupolar transition at T_1~6.8K, we
find orbital ordering at T_0=7.6 +/- 0.1K concomitant with a symmetry change
from hexagonal to orthorhombic. A striking feature is the splitting of the
phase transition at T_1 into a second-order transition at T_{+1}=6.9 +/- 0.05K
and a first-order transition at T_{-1}=6.7 +/- 0.05K. For the four phase
transitions, the quadrupolar order parameters and the respective symmetry
changes are specified.Comment: 14 pages (RevTex), 3 eps-figures, accepted by PR
Dark energy constraints from cosmic shear power spectra: impact of intrinsic alignments on photometric redshift requirements
Cosmic shear constrains cosmology by exploiting the apparent alignments of
pairs of galaxies due to gravitational lensing by intervening mass clumps.
However galaxies may become (intrinsically) aligned with each other, and with
nearby mass clumps, during their formation. This effect needs to be
disentangled from the cosmic shear signal to place constraints on cosmology. We
use the linear intrinsic alignment model as a base and compare it to an
alternative model and data. If intrinsic alignments are ignored then the dark
energy equation of state is biased by ~50 per cent. We examine how the number
of tomographic redshift bins affects uncertainties on cosmological parameters
and find that when intrinsic alignments are included two or more times as many
bins are required to obtain 80 per cent of the available information. We
investigate how the degradation in the dark energy figure of merit depends on
the photometric redshift scatter. Previous studies have shown that lensing does
not place stringent requirements on the photometric redshift uncertainty, so
long as the uncertainty is well known. However, if intrinsic alignments are
included the requirements become a factor of three tighter. These results are
quite insensitive to the fraction of catastrophic outliers, assuming that this
fraction is well known. We show the effect of uncertainties in photometric
redshift bias and scatter. Finally we quantify how priors on the intrinsic
alignment model would improve dark energy constraints.Comment: 14 pages and 9 figures. Replaced with final version accepted in
"Gravitational Lensing" Focus Issue of the New Journal of Physics at
http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1367-2630/9/12/E0
Studies on X-ray Thomson Scattering from Antiferroquadrupolar Order in TmTe
We study Thomson scattering from the antiferroquadrupole ordering phase in
TmTe. On the basis of the group theoretical treatment, we classify the
selection rules of the scattering intensity governed by the orientation of the
scattering vector G. Then, numerical verification is performed by invoking the
ground states which are deduced from a J=7/2 multiplet model. The obtained
intensity varies drastically depending on the magnitude and direction of G. We
also calculate the scattering intensities under the applied field for H//(001)
and (110). Their results behave differently when the orientation of G is
changed, which is ascribed to the difference of their primary order parameters;
O_{2}^{0} and O_{2}^{2} for H // (001) and (110), respectively. We make
critical comparisons between our results for TmTe and the experimental ones for
CeB_6. First, we assert that the intensities expected from TmTe at several
forbidden Bragg spots are sufficient enough to be experimentally detected.
Second, their intensities at (7/2,1/2,1/2) differ significantly and may be
attributed to the difference of the order parametersbetween the \Gamma_3-type
(O_{2}^{2} and O_{2}^{0}) and \Gamma_5-type (O_{yz}, O_{zx}, and O_{xy})
components, respectively.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
DNA adducts in fish following an oil spill exposure
On 12 December 1999, one third of the load of the Erika tanker, amounting to about 10,000 t crude oil flowed into sea waters close to the French Atlantic Coast. This oil contained polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) that are known to be genotoxic. Genotoxic effects induce DNA adducts formation, which can thus be used as pollution biomarkers. Here, we assessed the genotoxic impact of the “Erika” oil spill by DNA adducts detection in the liver of immature fishes (Solea solea) from four locations of the French Brittany coasts. Two months after the spill, a high amount of DNA adducts was found in samples from all locations, amounting to 92–290 DNA adduct per 109 nucleotides. Then total DNA adduct levels decreased to reach about 50 adducts per 109 nucleotides nine months after the spill. In vitro experiments using human cell cultures and fish liver microsomes evidence the genotoxicity of the Erika fuel. They also prove the formation of reactive species able to create DNA adducts. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo DNA adducts fingerprints are similar, thus confirming that DNA adducts are a result of the oil spill
Magnetic Field Effects on Neutron Diffraction in the Antiferromagnetic Phase of
We discuss possible magnetic structures in UPt based on our analysis of
elastic neutron-scattering experiments in high magnetic fields at temperatures
. The existing experimental data can be explained by a single-{\bf q}
antiferromagnetic structure with three independent domains. For modest in-plane
spin-orbit interactions, the Zeeman coupling between the antiferromagnetic
order parameter and the magnetic field induces a rotation of the magnetic
moments, but not an adjustment of the propagation vector of the magnetic order.
A triple-{\bf q} magnetic structure is also consistent with neutron
experiments, but in general leads to a non-uniform magnetization in the
crystal. New experiments could decide between these structures.Comment: 5 figures included in the tex
Therapeutic DNA vaccine induces broad T cell responses in the gut and sustained protection from viral rebound and AIDS in SIV-infected rhesus macaques.
Immunotherapies that induce durable immune control of chronic HIV infection may eliminate the need for life-long dependence on drugs. We investigated a DNA vaccine formulated with a novel genetic adjuvant that stimulates immune responses in the blood and gut for the ability to improve therapy in rhesus macaques chronically infected with SIV. Using the SIV-macaque model for AIDS, we show that epidermal co-delivery of plasmids expressing SIV Gag, RT, Nef and Env, and the mucosal adjuvant, heat-labile E. coli enterotoxin (LT), during antiretroviral therapy (ART) induced a substantial 2-4-log fold reduction in mean virus burden in both the gut and blood when compared to unvaccinated controls and provided durable protection from viral rebound and disease progression after the drug was discontinued. This effect was associated with significant increases in IFN-γ T cell responses in both the blood and gut and SIV-specific CD8+ T cells with dual TNF-α and cytolytic effector functions in the blood. Importantly, a broader specificity in the T cell response seen in the gut, but not the blood, significantly correlated with a reduction in virus production in mucosal tissues and a lower virus burden in plasma. We conclude that immunizing with vaccines that induce immune responses in mucosal gut tissue could reduce residual viral reservoirs during drug therapy and improve long-term treatment of HIV infection in humans
Effect of organic tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) extract on the genotoxicity of doxorubicin in the Drosophila wing spot test
The consumption of organic tomatoes (ORTs) reduces the risk of harmful effects to humans and the environment caused by exposure to toxic agrochemicals. In this study, we used the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) of wing spots in Drosophila melanogaster to evaluate the genotoxicity of ORT and the effect of cotreatment with ORT on the genotoxicity of Doxorubicin® (DXR, a cancer chemotherapeutic agent) that is mediated by free radical formation. Standard (ST) cross larvae were treated chronically with solutions containing 25%, 50% or 100% of an aqueous extract of ORT, in the absence and presence of DXR (0.125 mg/mL), and the number of mutant spots on the wings of emergent flies was counted. ORT alone was not genotoxic but enhanced the toxicity of DXR when administered concomitantly with DXR. The ORT-enhanced frequency of spots induced by DXR may have resulted from the interaction of ORT with the enzymatic systems that catalyze the metabolic detoxification of this drug
Relationship of oxidative stress and antioxidant response with vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell anaemia
Background: Though sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is known to promote
oxidative stress, there is paucity of information on the relationship
between oxidative stress and vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). Objective:
This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship of oxidative
stress and antioxidant response with VOC in SCA. Methods: A
cross-sectional case-control study was carried out at University of
Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu Nigeria involving
116 individuals which included 36 SCA subject, 40 sickle cell carriers
(AS) and 40 healthy individuals (AA). Baseline information as well as
the frequency of VOC was obtained from the participants and anaemia as
well as oxidative stress and antioxidant indices were assessed in
blood. Results: Anaemia was prevalent (88.9 %) in SCA individuals
compared to AS (52.5%) and AA (47.5 %) individuals. Nitric oxide
scavenging (NOS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities as well as
glutathione level were significantly (p<0.005) lower while catalase
activity was higher in SCA individuals compared to controls (AA and
AS). Higher malondialdehyde (MDA) level was associated with very severe
VOC while low level of NOS activity was associated with severe VOC in
SCA individuals. Conclusion: Sickle cell anaemia exhibited oxidative
stress and alteration in the levels of antioxidant indices which was
possibly associated with vaso-occlusive crisis
Multiple Loci Are Associated with Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Irish Wolfhounds
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a highly prevalent and often lethal disease in Irish wolfhounds. Complex segregation analysis indicated different loci involved in pathogenesis. Linear fixed and mixed models were used for the genome-wide association study. Using 106 DCM cases and 84 controls we identified one SNP significantly associated with DCM on CFA37 and five SNPs suggestively associated with DCM on CFA1, 10, 15, 21 and 17. On CFA37 MOGAT1 and ACSL3 two enzymes of the lipid metabolism were located near the identified SNP
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