Spectral methods for modeling supersonic chemically reacting flow fields

A numerical algorithm was developed for solving the equations describing chemically reacting supersonic flows. The algorithm employs a two-stage Runge-Kutta method for integrating the equations in time and a Chebyshev spectral method for integrating the equations in space. The accuracy and efficiency of the technique were assessed by comparison with an existing implicit finite-difference procedure for modeling chemically reacting flows. The comparison showed that the procedure presented yields equivalent accuracy on much coarser grids as compared to the finite-difference procedure with resultant significant gains in computational efficiency

Binding energy of shallow donors in a quantum well in the presence of a tilted magnetic field

We present results of variational calculations of the binding energy of a neutral donor in a quantum well in the presence of a magnetic field tilted relative to the QW plane. Assuming that the donor is located in the center of the QW, we perform calculations for parameters typical of a II-VI wide-gap semiconductor heterostructure, using as an example the case of a rectangular CdTe quantum well with CdMgTe barriers. We present the dependence of the binding energy of a neutral donor on the tilt angle and on the magnitude of the applied magnetic filed. As a key result, we show that measurement of the binding energy of a donor at two angles of the magnetic field with respect to the quantum well plane can be used to unambiguously determined the conduction band offset of the materials building up heterostructure.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Preference of the aphid Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) for tobacco plants at specific stages of potato virus Y infection

Potato virus Y (PVY) is a common pathogen affecting agricultural production worldwide and is mainly transmitted by Myzus persicae in a non-persistent manner. Insect-borne plant viruses can modify the abundance, performance, and behavior of their vectors by altering host plant features; however, most studies have overlooked the fact that the dynamic progression of virus infection in plants can have variable effects on their vectors. We addressed this point in the present study by dividing the PVY infection process in tobacco into three stages (early state, steady state and late state); delineated by viral copy number. We then compared the differential effects of PVY-infected tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants on the host selection and feeding behavior of M. persicae. We used Y-shaped olfactory apparatus and electrical penetration graph (EPG) methods to evaluate host selection and feeding behavior, respectively. Interestingly, we found that PVY-infected plants at the steady state attracted more aphids than healthy plants, whereas no differences were observed for those at the early and late states. In terms of feeding behavior, intracellular punctures (closely related to PVY acquisition and transmission) were more abundant on PVY-infected tobacco plants at the early and steady states of infection than in uninfected plants. These results indicate that PVY-infected host plants can alter the host selection and feeding behavior of aphids in a stage-dependent manner, which is an important consideration when studying the interactions among host plants, viruses, and insect vectors. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature

Characterization of a New Wheat- 1M(1B) Substitution Line with Good Quality-associated HMW Glutenin Subunit

In this study, a new substitution line, 12-5-1, with 42 chromosomes that was derived from BC3F2 descendants of the hybridization between Triticum aestivum cv. CN19 and Aegilops biuncialis was created and reported. The 12-5-1 was immune to both powdery mildew and stripe rust and has stable fertility. Multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization indicated that 12-5-1 was a substitution line 1Mb(1B). The seed storage protein electrophoresis showed that 12-5-1 presented high molecular weight glutenin subunits (2 + 12) of CN19 and a new subunit designated as M which apparently originated from parent Ae. biuncialis, and absent 7 + 8 subunits. Additionally, the flour quality parameters showed that the protein content, Zeleny sedimentation value, wet gluten content, and grain hardness and mixing time of 12-5-1 were signifiantly higher than those of its parent CN19. Moreover, 5 pairs of the chromosome 1Mb-specifi polymerase chain reaction-based landmark unique gene markers, TNAC1021, TNAC1026, TNAC1041, TNAC1-02 and TNAC1-04, were also obtained. The new substitution line 1Mb(1B) 12-5-1 could be a valuable source for wheat improvement, especially for wheat end product quality and resistance to disease

Upregulation of Phosphodiesterase type 5 in the Hyperplastic Prostate

Both erectile dysfunction (ED) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)/benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are common in the aging male. Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) for treating LUTS/BPH with/without ED. However, the influence of BPH on prostatic PDE5 expression has never been studied. A testosterone-induced rat model of BPH was developed and human hyperplastic prostate specimens were harvested during cystoprostatectomy. PDE5, nNOS, eNOS and α1-adrenoreceptor subtypes (α1aARs, α1bARs and α1dARs) were determined with real-time RT-PCR for rat tissues whilst PDE5 and α1-adrenoreceptor subtypes were determined in human samples. PDE5 was further analyzed with Western-blot and histological examination. Serum testosterone was measured with ELISA. The rat BPH model was validated as having a significantly enlarged prostate. PDE5 localized mainly in fibromuscular stroma in prostate. Our data showed a significant and previously undocumented upregulation of PDE5 in both rat and human BPH, along with increased expression of nNOS and α1d ARs for rat tissues and α1a ARs for human BPH. The upregulation of PDE5 in the hyperplastic prostate could explain the mechanism and contribute to the high effectiveness of PDE5-Is for treating LUTS/BPH. Fibromuscular stroma could be the main target for PDE5-Is within prostate

Competing energy scales in topological superconducting heterostructures

Artificially engineered topological superconductivity has emerged as a viable route to create Majorana modes. In this context, proximity-induced super-conductivity in materials with a sizable spin-orbit coupling has been intensively investigated in recent years. Although there is convincing evidence that superconductivity may indeed be induced, it has been difficult to elucidate its topological nature. Here, we engineer an artificial topological superconductor by progressively introducing superconductivity (Nb), strong spin-orbital coupling (Pt), and topological states (Bi2Te3). Through spectroscopic imaging of superconducting vortices within the bare s-wave superconducting Nb and within proximitized Pt and Bi2Te3 layers, we detect the emergence of a zero-bias peak that is directly linked to the presence of topological surface states. Our results are rationalized in terms of competing energy trends which are found to impose an upper limit to the size of the minigap separating Majorana and trivial modes, its size being ultimately linked to fundamental materials properties

Origin of the Charge-Orbital Stripe Structure in La_(1-x)Ca_(x)MnO_(3) (x=1/2, 2/3)

We propose the origin of the charge-ordered stripe structure with the orbital ordering observed experimentally in La_(1-x)Ca_(x)MnO_(3) (x=1/2, 2/3), in which the long-range Coulomb interaction plays an essential role. We study a Hubbard model with doubly-degenerate e_g orbitals, and treat the on-site Coulomb interaction (U) and the nearest-neighbor one (V) with the Hartree-Fock approximation. Both the charge and orbital ordering structures observed in experiments are reproduced in a wide region of the U-V phase diagram determined by the present study. The stability of the orbital ordering is also confirmed by the perturbation theory.Comment: 4 pages, 5 Postscript figures, REVTeX, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

On the Fermi Liquid to Polaron Crossover II: Double Exchange and the Physics of "Colossal" Magnetoresistance

We use the dynamical mean field method to study a model of electrons Jahn-Teller coupled to localized classical oscillators and ferromagnetically coupled to ``core spins'', which, we argue, contains the essential physics of the ``colossal magnetoresistance'' manganites $Re_{1-x} A_x MnO_3$. We determine the different regimes of the model and present results for the temperature and frequency dependence of the conductivity, the electron spectral function and the root mean square lattice parameter fluctuations. We compare our results to data, and give a qualitative discussion of important physics not included in the calculation. Extensive use is made of results from a companion paper titled: ``On the Fermi Liquid to Polaron Crossover I: General Results''.Comment: 34 pages, 10 figures. Depends on previous paper titled "On the Fermi Liquid to Poalron Crossover I: General Result