Spine-sheath polarization structures in four active galactic nuclei jets

We present the results of multifrequency (15 + 8 + 5 GHz) polarization Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of the three BL Lacertae objects 0745 + 241, 1418 + 546 and 1652 + 398 together with 5-GHz VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) observations of 1418 + 546 and 1.6- and 5-GHz VSOP observations of the blazar 1055 + 018. The jets of all these sources have polarization structure transverse to the jet axis, with the polarization E vectors aligned with the jet along the jet spine and 'sheaths' of orthogonal E vectors at one or both edges of the jet. The presence of polarization aligned with the jet near the 'spine' may indicate that the jets are associated with helical B fields that propogate outward with the jet flow; the presence of orthogonal polarization near the edges of the jet may likewise be a consequence of a helical jet B field, or may be owing to an interaction with the ambient medium on parsec scales. We have tentatively detected interknot polarization in 1055 + 018 with E aligned with the local jet direction, consistent with the possibility that the jet of this source is associated with a helical B field

Density of States and Conductivity of Granular Metal or Array of Quantum Dots

The conductivity of a granular metal or an array of quantum dots usually has the temperature dependence associated with variable range hopping within the soft Coulomb gap of density of states. This is difficult to explain because neutral dots have a hard charging gap at the Fermi level. We show that uncontrolled or intentional doping of the insulator around dots by donors leads to random charging of dots and finite bare density of states at the Fermi level. Then Coulomb interactions between electrons of distant dots results in the a soft Coulomb gap. We show that in a sparse array of dots the bare density of states oscillates as a function of concentration of donors and causes periodic changes in the temperature dependence of conductivity. In a dense array of dots the bare density of states is totally smeared if there are several donors per dot in the insulator.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figures. Some misprints are fixed. Some figures are dropped. Some small changes are given to improve the organizatio

Floristic Phenomena of the Samara Bend: The Fractal Organization of Taxonomic Diversity

Considering the problem of taxonomic diversity as a fractal object is the aim of this article. The prerequisites for such an approach were articles with varying degrees of detail and argumentation that substantiate taxonomic diversity from the standpoint of fractal geometry. Common to these papers is that the authors in their theoretical constructs start from the Willis rule (law) describing the rank distribution of the relationship between the number of taxa and their volume. The flora of the Samara Bend (the bend of the Volga River in its middle reaches) has become an object of the research. The authors distinguish seven basic floristic areas on the Samara Bend, the boundaries of which coincide with the respective landscapes. The authors discuss the efficiency of the Willis rule (law), which approximates the relationship between the number of taxa and their volume by rank distribution. The multifractal spectrum (a generalized geometric image of generic structure) of the taxonomic diversity of vascular plants of the Samara Bend is presented. Keywords: taxonomic diversity, fractal organization, Samara Ben

Optical study of strained double Ge/Si quantum dot layers

status: publishe

Magnetic Gaps related to Spin Glass Order in Fermionic Systems

We provide evidence for spin glass related magnetic gaps in the fermionic density of states below the freezing temperature. Model calculations are presented and proposed to be relevant for explaining resistivity measurements which observe a crossover from variable-range- to activated behavior. The magnetic field dependence of a hardgap and the low temperature decay of the density of states are given. In models with fermion transport a new metal-insulator transition is predicted to occur due to the spin-glass gap, anteceding the spin glass to quantum paramagnet transition at smaller spin density. Important fluctuation effects due to finite range frustrated interactions are estimated and discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Postscript figure, revised version accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Phylogenetic Diversity of Urban Floras in the Central Urals

Modern cities harbor a high diversity of plants, and urban floras are significantly different from non-urban floras especially when considering the proportion of alien species found in cities. However, it is not clear whether urban areas disproportionately select for species from relatively few evolutionary lineages or provide opportunities for species across the full spectrum of plant lineages. Here, we examined the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of the floras in four cities (Yekaterinburg, Kamensk-Uralsky, Krasnoufimsk, and Turinsk) in the understudied region of Central Urals (Russian Federation). We classified native species into indigenous and apophytic species, namely, those that are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance and those that have expanded their range with human activity, respectively. Alien species were classified into archaeophytes and neophytes according to when they were introduced (i.e., before or after than 1800). Phylogenetic diversity was quantified using Faith’s index to reflect total evolutionary history in urban areas and mean phylogenetic distance (MPD) to reflect species dissimilarity. Phylogenetic diversity of native species was higher than that for alien species, and the standardized effect size (SES) of MPD for natives was positive, reflecting their general dissimilarity from one another, while it was very negative for aliens, showing that they were phylogenetically clustered. However, among natives, apophytes were significantly clustered, while indigenous species were overdispersed. For the aliens, MPD was higher for archaeophytes compared to neophytes, though both groups were significantly clustered. These results show that urbanization leads to a non-random selection of plants. Apophytes and alien plants were composed of closely related species, reflecting similar ecological traits and are likely to be pre-adapted to the environmentally altered and highly disturbed urban environment. © Copyright © 2021 Tretyakova, Yakimov, Kondratkov, Grudanov and Cadotte.Funding for this collaboration was provided to MC by the Connaught Global Challenges Award, the Office of the Vice-President International, the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, the Office of the Vice-Principal Research at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (#386151). This work was supported in part by the Program for Improving the Competitiveness of the Ural Federal University (the decree no. 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract no. 02.A03.21.0006) and by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 19-04-01084)

Прогнозирование степени перегрузки правых камер сердца у пациентов с острой массивной тромбоэмболией легочной артерии на основании результатов КТ-диагностики

The study group included 147 patients at the stage of preparation for emergency surgical treatment of acute massive PE in the period from March 2012 to December 2019 inclusive. As CT indicators of overload of the right chambers of the heart, the usual CT indicators that do not require the use of expert – class computed tomographs were taken – they were the superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, unpaired vein; reflux of the contrast drug into the inferior vena cava; reflux of the contrast drug into the hepatic veins. In the course of the study, a comparative analysis of the average pressure in the pulmonary artery with the above CT indicators was performed. The most stable statistical relationship with the indicators of mean pressure in the pulmonary artery was demonstrated by CT parameters – the diameter of the unpaired vein and the reflux of the contrast agent into the hepatic veins. Based on the results of the work, a method for calculating the actual values of the average pressure in the pulmonary artery based on the CT parameter of the diameter of the unpaired vein is proposed.В группу исследования вошло 147 пациентов на этапе подготовки к экстренному хирургическому лечению острой массивной тромбоэмболии легочной артерии (ТЭЛА) в период с марта 2012 г. по декабрь 2019 г. включительно. В качестве КТ-показателей перегрузки правых камер сердца взяты обычные КТ-показатели, не требующие использования компьютерных томографов экспертного класса, ими стали верхняя полая вена, нижняя полая вена, непарная вена; рефлюкс контрастного препарата в нижнюю полую вену; рефлюкс контрастного препарата в печеночные вены. В ходе исследования проведен сравнительный анализ среднего давления в легочной артерии с вышеуказанными КТ-показателями. Наиболее устойчивую статистическую взаимосвязь с показателями среднего давления в легочной артерии продемонстрировали КТ-параметры – диаметр непарной вены и рефлюкс контрастного препарата в печеночные вены. По результатам работы предложена методика расчета фактических значений среднего давления в легочной артерии на основании КТ-параметра “диаметр непарной вены”

Granular Electronic Systems

A granular metal is an array of metallic nano-particles imbedded into an insulating matrix. Tuning the intergranular coupling strength a granular system can be transformed into either a good metal or an insulator and, in case of superconducting particles, experience superconductor-insulator transition. The ease of adjusting electronic properties of granular metals makes them most suitable for fundamental studies of disordered solids and assures them a fundamental role for nanotechnological applications. This Review discusses recent important theoretical advances in the study of granular metals, emphasizing on the interplay of disorder, quantum effects, fluctuations and effects of confinement in formation of electronic transport and thermodynamic properties of granular materials.Comment: 51 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Reviews of Modern Physic

Assessment of Fibrinogen Macromolecules Interaction with Red Blood Cells Membrane by Means of Laser Aggregometry, Flow Cytometry, and Optical Tweezers Combined with Microfluidics

An elevated concentration of fibrinogen in blood is a significant risk factor during many pathological diseases, as it leads to an increase in red blood cells (RBC) aggregation, resulting in hemorheological disorders. Despite the biomedical importance, the mechanisms of fibrinogen-induced RBC aggregation are still debatable. One of the discussed models is the non-specific adsorption of fibrinogen macromolecules onto the RBC membrane, leading to the cells bridging in aggregates. However, recent works point to the specific character of the interaction between fibrinogen and the RBC membrane. Fibrinogen is the major physiological ligand of glycoproteins receptors IIbIIIa (GPIIbIIIa or αIIββ3 or CD41/CD61). Inhibitors of GPIIbIIIa are widely used in clinics for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases as antiplatelets agents preventing the platelets’ aggregation. However, the effects of GPIIbIIIa inhibition on RBC aggregation are not sufficiently well studied. The objective of the present work was the complex multimodal in vitro study of the interaction between fibrinogen and the RBC membrane, revealing the role of GPIIbIIIa in the specificity of binding of fibrinogen by the RBC membrane and its involvement in the cells’ aggregation process. We demonstrate that GPIIbIIIa inhibition leads to a significant decrease in the adsorption of fibrinogen macromolecules onto the membrane, resulting in the reduction of RBC aggregation. We show that the mechanisms underlying these effects are governed by a decrease in the bridging components of RBC aggregation forces

Absorption of Terahertz Radiation in Ge/Si(001) Heterostructures with Quantum Dots

The terahertz spectra of the dynamic conductivity and radiation absorption coefficient in germanium-silicon heterostructures with arrays of Ge hut clusters (quantum dots) have been measured for the first time in the frequency range of 0.3-1.2 THz at room temperature. It has been found that the effective dynamic conductivity and effective radiation absorption coefficient in the heterostructure due to the presence of germanium quantum dots in it are much larger than the respective quantities of both the bulk Ge single crystal and Ge/Si(001) without arrays of quantum dots. The possible microscopic mechanisms of the detected increase in the absorption in arrays of quantum dots have been discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; typos correcte