9,150 research outputs found
Tunnel splitting and quantum phase interference in biaxial ferrimagnetic particles at excited states
The tunneling splitting in biaxial ferrimagnetic particles at excited states
with an explicit calculation of the prefactor of exponent is obtained in terms
of periodic instantons which are responsible for tunneling at excited states
and is shown as a function of magnetic field applied along an arbitrary
direction in the plane of hard and medium axes. Using complex time
path-integral we demonstrate the oscillation of tunnel splitting with respect
to the magnitude and the direction of the magnetic field due to the quantum
phase interference of two tunneling paths of opposite windings . The
oscillation is gradually smeared and in the end the tunnel splitting
monotonously increases with the magnitude of the magnetic field when the
direction of the magnetic field tends to the medium axis. The oscillation
behavior is similar to the recent experimental observation with Fe
molecular clusters. A candidate of possible experiments to observe the effect
of quantum phase interference in the ferrimagnetic particles is proposed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, acceptted to be pubblished in Physical Review
Lactobacillus fermentum NS9 restores the antibiotic induced physiological and psychological abnormalities in rats
Gut microbiota play a vital role in maintaining the health of the host. Many factors affect gut microbiota; application of broad range antibiotics disturb microbiota, while probiotic application protects the microbiota. To investigate how probiotics alter the physiological and psychological changes induced by antibiotics, we tested the performance of ampicillin-treated rats in the presence or absence of Lactobacillus fermentum strain NS9, in elevated plus maze and Morris water maze. The results showed that NS9 normalised the composition of gut microbiota and alleviated the ampicillin-induced inflammation in the colon. The levels of the mineralocorticoid and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors were also elevated in the hippocampus of the ampillicin+ NS9 treated group. NS9 administration also reduced the anxiety-like behaviour and alleviated the ampicillin-induced impairment in memory retention. These findings suggest that NS9 is beneficial to the host, because it restores the physiological and psychological abnormalities induced by ampicillin. Our results highlight how gut contents regulate the brain, and shed light on the clinical applications of probiotics to treat the side effect of antibiotics and mental disorders
Scaling of Horizontal and Vertical Fixational Eye Movements
Eye movements during fixation of a stationary target prevent the adaptation
of the photoreceptors to continuous illumination and inhibit fading of the
image. These random, involuntary, small, movements are restricted at long time
scales so as to keep the target at the center of the field of view. Here we use
the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) in order to study the properties of
fixational eye movements at different time scales. Results show different
scaling behavior between horizontal and vertical movements. When the small
ballistics movements, i.e. micro-saccades, are removed, the scaling exponents
in both directions become similar. Our findings suggest that micro-saccades
enhance the persistence at short time scales mostly in the horizontal component
and much less in the vertical component. This difference may be due to the need
of continuously moving the eyes in the horizontal plane, in order to match the
stereoscopic image for different viewing distance.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Inhibition of Rice Germination by Ustiloxin A Involves Alteration in Carbon Metabolism and Amino Acid Utilization
Ustiloxins are the main mycotoxin in rice false smut, a devastating disease caused by Ustilaginoidea virens. A typical phytotoxicity of ustiloxins is strong inhibition of seed germination, but the physiological mechanism is not clear. Here, we show that the inhibition of rice germination by ustiloxin A (UA) is dose-dependent. The sugar availability in UA-treated embryo was lower while the starch residue in endosperm was higher. The transcripts and metabolites responsive to typical UA treatment were investigated. The expression of several SWEET genes responsible for sugar transport in embryo was down-regulated by UA. Glycolysis and pentose phosphate processes in embryo were transcriptionally repressed. Most of the amino acids detected in endosperm and embryo were variously decreased. Ribosomal RNAs for growth was inhibited while secondary metabolites salicylic acid was also decreased under UA. Hence, we propose that the inhibition of seed germination by UA involves the block of sugar transport from endosperm to embryo, leading to altered carbon metabolism and amino acids utilization in rice plants. Our analysis provides a framework for understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ustiloxins on rice growth and in pathogen infection
Design of arbitrarily shaped planar microstrip antenna arrays with improved efficiency
A design technique is described for an arbitrarily shaped planar microstrip antenna array with improved radiation efficiency. In order to fully utilize the limited antenna aperture, several basic modules are proposed from which we construct the array. A consideration of the aperture shape shows that with several practical examples a proper combination of these basic modules not only allows the convenient design of arbitrarily-shaped microstrip array, but also helps to improve the aperture radiation efficiency. To confirm the feasibility of the approach, a circular array with 256 elements was constructed and fabricated. Both computed and measured aperture radiation results are compared and these demonstrate that the design technique is effective for arbitrarily-shaped planar microstrip arrays. © 2013 Sheng Ye et al
Suppression of Quantum Phase Interference in Molecular Magnets Fe₈ with Dipolar-Dipolar Interaction
Renormalized tunnel splitting with a finite distribution in the biaxial spin
model for molecular magnets is obtained by taking into account the dipolar
interaction of enviromental spins. Oscillation of the resonant tunnel splitting
with a transverse magnetic field along the hard axis is smeared by the finite
distribution which subsequently affects the quantum steps of hysteresis curve
evaluated in terms of the modified Landau-Zener model of spin flipping induced
by the sweeping field. We conclude that the dipolar-dipolar interaction drives
decoherence of quantum tunnelling in molcular magnets Fe₈, which explains
why the quenching points of tunnel spliting between odd and even resonant
tunnelling predcited theoretically were not observed experimentally.Comment: 5 pages including 3 figure and 1 table. To appear in Physical Review
Macroscopic Quantum Phase Interference in Antiferromagnetic Particles
The tunnel splitting in biaxial antiferromagnetic particles is studied with a
magnetic field applied along the hard anisotropy axis. We observe the
oscillation of tunnel splitting as a function of the magnetic field due to the
quantum phase interference of two tunneling paths of opposite windings. The
oscillation is similar to the recent experimental result with Fe}\textrm{\
molecular clusters.}Comment: 8 pages, 2 postscript figures, to appear in J. Phys.: Condes. Matte
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