1,435 research outputs found
Leaf-applied sodium chloride promotes cadmium accumulation in durum wheat grain
Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in durum wheat grain is a growing concern. Among the factors affecting Cd accumulation in plants, soil chloride (Cl) concentration plays a critical role. The effect of leaf NaCl application on grain Cd was studied in greenhouse-grown durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. durum, cv. Balcali-2000) by immersing (10 s) intact flag leaves into Cd and/or NaCl-containing solutions for 14 times during heading and dough stages. Immersing flag leaves in solutions containing increasing amount of Cd resulted in substantial increases in grain Cd concentration. Adding NaCl alone or in combination with the Cd-containing immersion solution promoted accumulation of Cd in the grains, by up to 41%. In contrast, Zn concentrations of grains were not affected or even decreased by the NaCl treatments. This is likely due to the effect of Cl complexing Cd and reducing positive charge on the metal ion, an effect that is much smaller for Zn. Charge reduction or removal (CdCl2 0 species) would increase the diffusivity/lipophilicity of Cd and enhance its capability to penetrate the leaf epidermis and across membranes. Of even more significance to human health was the ability of Cl alone to penetrate leaf tissue and mobilize and enhance shoot Cd transfer to grains, yet reducing or not affecting Zn transfer
On stable higher spin states in Heterotic String Theories
We study properties of 1/2 BPS Higher Spin states in heterotic
compactifications with extended supersymmetry. We also analyze non BPS Higher
Spin states and give explicit expressions for physical vertex operators of the
first two massive levels. We then study on-shell tri-linear couplings of these
Higher Spin states and confirm that BPS states with arbitrary spin cannot decay
into lower spin states in perturbation theory. Finally, we consider scattering
of vector bosons off higher spin BPS states and extract form factors and
polarization effects in various limits.Comment: 38 page
Magnetorheology in an aging, yield stress matrix fluid
Field-induced static and dynamic yield stresses are explored for magnetorheological (MR) suspensions in an aging, yield stress matrix fluid composed of an aqueous dispersion of LaponiteÂŽ clay. Using a custom-built magnetorheometry fixture, the MR response is studied for magnetic field strengths up to 1 T and magnetic particle concentrations up to 30 v%. The yield stress of the matrix fluid, which serves to inhibit sedimentation of dispersed carbonyl iron magnetic microparticles, is found to have a negligible effect on the field-induced static yield stress for sufficient applied fields, and good agreement is observed between field-induced static and dynamic yield stresses for all but the lowest field strengths and particle concentrations. These results, which generally imply a dominance of inter-particle dipolar interactions over the matrix fluid yield stress, are analyzed by considering a dimensionless magnetic yield parameter that quantifies the balance of stresses on particles. By characterizing the applied magnetic field in terms of the average particle magnetization, a rheological master curve is generated for the field-induced static yield stress that indicates a concentrationâmagnetization superposition. The results presented herein will provide guidance to formulators of MR fluids and designers of MR devices who require a field-induced static yield stress and a dispersion that is essentially indefinitely stable to sedimentation.Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF Grant No. 49956-ND9)American Chemical Society (ACS-PRF Grant No. 49956-ND9
The Hubbard model within the equations of motion approach
The Hubbard model has a special role in Condensed Matter Theory as it is
considered as the simplest Hamiltonian model one can write in order to describe
anomalous physical properties of some class of real materials. Unfortunately,
this model is not exactly solved except for some limits and therefore one
should resort to analytical methods, like the Equations of Motion Approach, or
to numerical techniques in order to attain a description of its relevant
features in the whole range of physical parameters (interaction, filling and
temperature). In this manuscript, the Composite Operator Method, which exploits
the above mentioned analytical technique, is presented and systematically
applied in order to get information about the behavior of all relevant
properties of the model (local, thermodynamic, single- and two- particle ones)
in comparison with many other analytical techniques, the above cited known
limits and numerical simulations. Within this approach, the Hubbard model is
shown to be also capable to describe some anomalous behaviors of the cuprate
superconductors.Comment: 232 pages, more than 300 figures, more than 500 reference
Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
SummaryBackground The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 provides an up-to-date synthesis of the evidence for risk factor exposure and the attributable burden of disease. By providing national and subnational assessments spanning the past 25 years, this study can inform debates on the importance of addressing risks in context. Methods We used the comparative risk assessment framework developed for previous iterations of the Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate attributable deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and trends in exposure by age group, sex, year, and geography for 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks from 1990 to 2015. This study included 388 risk-outcome pairs that met World Cancer Research Fund-defined criteria for convincing or probable evidence. We extracted relative risk and exposure estimates from randomised controlled trials, cohorts, pooled cohorts, household surveys, census data, satellite data, and other sources. We used statistical models to pool data, adjust for bias, and incorporate covariates. We developed a metric that allows comparisons of exposure across risk factorsâthe summary exposure value. Using the counterfactual scenario of theoretical minimum risk level, we estimated the portion of deaths and DALYs that could be attributed to a given risk. We decomposed trends in attributable burden into contributions from population growth, population age structure, risk exposure, and risk-deleted cause-specific DALY rates. We characterised risk exposure in relation to a Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Findings Between 1990 and 2015, global exposure to unsafe sanitation, household air pollution, childhood underweight, childhood stunting, and smoking each decreased by more than 25%. Global exposure for several occupational risks, high body-mass index (BMI), and drug use increased by more than 25% over the same period. All risks jointly evaluated in 2015 accounted for 57¡8% (95% CI 56¡6â58¡8) of global deaths and 41¡2% (39¡8â42¡8) of DALYs. In 2015, the ten largest contributors to global DALYs among Level 3 risks were high systolic blood pressure (211¡8 million [192¡7 million to 231¡1 million] global DALYs), smoking (148¡6 million [134¡2 million to 163¡1 million]), high fasting plasma glucose (143¡1 million [125¡1 million to 163¡5 million]), high BMI (120¡1 million [83¡8 million to 158¡4 million]), childhood undernutrition (113¡3 million [103¡9 million to 123¡4 million]), ambient particulate matter (103¡1 million [90¡8 million to 115¡1 million]), high total cholesterol (88¡7 million [74¡6 million to 105¡7 million]), household air pollution (85¡6 million [66¡7 million to 106¡1 million]), alcohol use (85¡0 million [77¡2 million to 93¡0 million]), and diets high in sodium (83¡0 million [49¡3 million to 127¡5 million]). From 1990 to 2015, attributable DALYs declined for micronutrient deficiencies, childhood undernutrition, unsafe sanitation and water, and household air pollution; reductions in risk-deleted DALY rates rather than reductions in exposure drove these declines. Rising exposure contributed to notable increases in attributable DALYs from high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, occupational carcinogens, and drug use. Environmental risks and childhood undernutrition declined steadily with SDI; low physical activity, high BMI, and high fasting plasma glucose increased with SDI. In 119 countries, metabolic risks, such as high BMI and fasting plasma glucose, contributed the most attributable DALYs in 2015. Regionally, smoking still ranked among the leading five risk factors for attributable DALYs in 109 countries; childhood underweight and unsafe sex remained primary drivers of early death and disability in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Interpretation Declines in some key environmental risks have contributed to declines in critical infectious diseases. Some risks appear to be invariant to SDI. Increasing risks, including high BMI, high fasting plasma glucose, drug use, and some occupational exposures, contribute to rising burden from some conditions, but also provide opportunities for intervention. Some highly preventable risks, such as smoking, remain major causes of attributable DALYs, even as exposure is declining. Public policy makers need to pay attention to the risks that are increasingly major contributors to global burden. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS
has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions
at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection
criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined.
For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a
muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the
whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4,
while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The
efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than
90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall
momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The
transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity
for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be
better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions
of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS
has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions
at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection
criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined.
For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a
muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the
whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4,
while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The
efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than
90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall
momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The
transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity
for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be
better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions
of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
Azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles at high transverse momenta in PbPb collisions at sqrt(s[NN]) = 2.76 TeV
The azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles in PbPb collisions at
nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV is measured with the CMS
detector at the LHC over an extended transverse momentum (pt) range up to
approximately 60 GeV. The data cover both the low-pt region associated with
hydrodynamic flow phenomena and the high-pt region where the anisotropies may
reflect the path-length dependence of parton energy loss in the created medium.
The anisotropy parameter (v2) of the particles is extracted by correlating
charged tracks with respect to the event-plane reconstructed by using the
energy deposited in forward-angle calorimeters. For the six bins of collision
centrality studied, spanning the range of 0-60% most-central events, the
observed v2 values are found to first increase with pt, reaching a maximum
around pt = 3 GeV, and then to gradually decrease to almost zero, with the
decline persisting up to at least pt = 40 GeV over the full centrality range
measured.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
- âŚ