The foraging ecology of greyheaded mollymawks at Marion Island: in relation to known longline fishing activity

Incidental mortality due to longline fishing has been implicated as the main cause for the global population decline in grey-headed mollymawks (Thalassarche chrysostoma). Two of these fisheries, within the potential foraging range of grey-headed mollymawks breeding on Marion Island, have increased drastically over the past 5–10 years. In order to understand the impacts of these fisheries on the grey-headed mollymawk population breeding on Marion Island, we studied their foraging ecology by tracking their foraging trips and sampling their diets. During the incubation stage, birds made long foraging trips, mostly towards the subtropical convergence and sub-Antarctic zones, bringing them into contact with areas of intense southern blue-fin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) longline fishing. Females spent a higher proportion of their time within these areas than males, thus exposing themselves to a higher risk of incidental mortality from this fishery. During the early chick-rearing stage, foraging trips were shorter and to the southwest of the island in the Polar frontal and Antarctic zones, thus avoiding any contact with the southern blue-fin tuna industry. However, short foraging trips (<2 days) were made within the boundary of known Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) longline sets around Marion Island. Males made a higher proportion of short foraging trips and spent more time within the boundaries of the toothfish fishery than females. These differences may account for the male-biased mortality of grey-headed mollymawks observed in the toothfish fishery around Marion Island. Although a decrease in the annual breeding population has not been detected on Marion Island as yet, we warn that the methods used to detect these changes are inaccurate in measuring short term population changes (<10 years) and that the impacts of these fisheries may already have altered the demographic structure of this population

The Global Renormalization Group Trajectory in a Critical Supersymmetric Field Theory on the Lattice Z^3

We consider an Euclidean supersymmetric field theory in $Z^3$ given by a supersymmetric $\Phi^4$ perturbation of an underlying massless Gaussian measure on scalar bosonic and Grassmann fields with covariance the Green's function of a (stable) L\'evy random walk in $Z^3$. The Green's function depends on the L\'evy-Khintchine parameter $\alpha={3+\epsilon\over 2}$ with $0<\alpha<2$. For $\alpha ={3\over 2}$ the $\Phi^{4}$ interaction is marginal. We prove for $\alpha-{3\over 2}={\epsilon\over 2}>0$ sufficiently small and initial parameters held in an appropriate domain the existence of a global renormalization group trajectory uniformly bounded on all renormalization group scales and therefore on lattices which become arbitrarily fine. At the same time we establish the existence of the critical (stable) manifold. The interactions are uniformly bounded away from zero on all scales and therefore we are constructing a non-Gaussian supersymmetric field theory on all scales. The interest of this theory comes from the easily established fact that the Green's function of a (weakly) self-avoiding L\'evy walk in $Z^3$ is a second moment (two point correlation function) of the supersymmetric measure governing this model. The control of the renormalization group trajectory is a preparation for the study of the asymptotics of this Green's function. The rigorous control of the critical renormalization group trajectory is a preparation for the study of the critical exponents of the (weakly) self-avoiding L\'evy walk in $Z^3$.Comment: 82 pages, Tex with macros supplied. Revision includes 1. redefinition of norms involving fermions to ensure uniqueness. 2. change in the definition of lattice blocks and lattice polymer activities. 3. Some proofs have been reworked. 4. New lemmas 5.4A, 5.14A, and new Theorem 6.6. 5.Typos corrected.This is the version to appear in Journal of Statistical Physic

Effective action and density functional theory

The effective action for the charge density and the photon field is proposed as a generalization of the density functional. A simple definition is given for the density functional, as the functional Legendre transform of the generator functional of connected Green functions for the density and the photon field, offering systematic approximation schemes. The leading order of the perturbation expansion reproduces the Hartree-Fock equation. A renormalization group motivated method is introduced to turn on the Coulomb interaction gradually and to find corrections to the Hartree-Fock and the Kohn-Sham schemes.Comment: New references and a numerical algorithm added, to appear in Phys. Rev. B. 30 pages, no figure

Anderson-Yuval approach to the multichannel Kondo problem

We analyze the structure of the perturbation expansion of the general multichannel Kondo model with channel anisotropic exchange couplings and in the presence of an external magnetic field, generalizing to this case the Anderson-Yuval technique. For two channels, we are able to map the Kondo model onto a generalized resonant level model. Limiting cases in which the equivalent resonant level model is solvable are identified. The solution correctly captures the properties of the two channel Kondo model, and also allows an analytic description of the cross-over from the non Fermi liquid to the Fermi liquid behavior caused by the channel anisotropy.Comment: 23 pages, ReVTeX, 4 figures av. on reques

Electron correlation energy in confined two-electron systems

Radial, angular and total correlation energies are calculated for four two-electron systems with atomic numbers Z=0-3 confined within an impenetrable sphere of radius R. We report accurate results for the non-relativistic, restricted Hartree-Fock and radial limit energies over a range of confinement radii from 0.05 - 10 a0. At small R, the correlation energies approach limiting values that are independent of Z while at intermediate R, systems with Z > 1 exhibit a characteristic maximum in the correlation energy resulting from an increase in the angular correlation energy which is offset by a decrease in the radial correlation energy

Magnetotransport through a strongly interacting quantum dot

We study the effect of a magnetic field on the conductance through a strongly interacting quantum dot by using the finite temperature extension of Wilson's numerical renormalization group method to dynamical quantities. The quantum dot has one active level for transport and is modelled by an Anderson impurity attached to left and right electron reservoirs. Detailed predictions are made for the linear conductance and the spin-resolved conductance as a function of gate voltage, temperature and magnetic field strength. A strongly coupled quantum dot in a magnetic field acts as a spin filter which can be tuned by varying the gate voltage. The largest spin-filtering effect is found in the range of gate voltages corresponding to the mixed valence regime of the Anderson impurity model.Comment: Revised version, to appear in PRB, 4 pages, 4 figure

Phase transitions in two-dimensional anisotropic quantum magnets

We consider quantum Heisenberg ferro- and antiferromagnets on the square lattice with exchange anisotropy of easy-plane or easy-axis type. The thermodynamics and the critical behaviour of the models are studied by the pure-quantum self-consistent harmonic approximation, in order to evaluate the spin and anisotropy dependence of the critical temperatures. Results for thermodynamic quantities are reported and comparison with experimental and numerical simulation data is made. The obtained results allow us to draw a general picture of the subject and, in particular, to estimate the value of the critical temperature for any model belonging to the considered class.Comment: To be published on Eur. Phys. J.

Differential regulation of effector- and central-memory responses to Toxoplasma gondii infection by IL-12 revealed by tracking of Tgd057-specific CD8+ T cells

10.1371/journal.ppat.1000815PLoS Pathogens6