1,919 research outputs found
Spectral properties of a two-orbital Anderson impurity model across a non-Fermi liquid fixed point
We study by NRG the spectral properties of a two-orbital Anderson impurity
model in the presence of an exchange splitting which follows either regular or
inverted Hund's rules. The phase diagram contains a non-Fermi liquid fixed
point separating a screened phase, where conventional Kondo effect occurs, from
an unscreened one, where the exchange-splitting takes care of quenching the
impurity degrees of freedom. On the Kondo screened side close to this fixed
point the impurity density of states shows a narrow Kondo-peak on top of a
broader resonance. This narrow peak transforms in the unscreened phase into a
narrow pseudo-gap inside the broad resonance. Right at the fixed point only the
latter survives. The fixed point is therefore identified by a jump of the
density of states at the chemical potential. We also show that particle-hole
perturbations which simply shift the orbital energies do not wash out the fixed
point, unlike those perturbations which hybridize the two orbitals.
Consequently the density-of-state jump at the chemical potential remains finite
even away from particle-hole symmetry, and the pseudo-gap stays pinned at the
chemical potential, although it is partially filled in. We also discuss the
relevance of these results for lattice models which map onto this Anderson
impurity model in the limit of large lattice-coordination. Upon approaching the
Mott metal-insulator transition, these lattice models necessarily enter a
region with a local criticality which reflects the impurity non-Fermi liquid
fixed point. However, unlike the impurity, the lattice can get rid of the
single-impurity fixed-point instability by spontaneously developing
bulk-coherent symmetry-broken phases, which we identify for different lattice
models.Comment: 43 pages, 11 figures. Minor corrections in the Appendi
Revealing the tidal scars of the Small Magellanic Cloud
Due to their close proximity, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (SMC/LMC)
provide natural laboratories for understanding how galaxies form and evolve.
With the goal of determining the structure and dynamical state of the SMC, we
present new spectroscopic data for 3000 SMC red giant branch stars
observed using the AAOmega spectrograph at the Anglo-Australian Telescope. We
complement our data with further spectroscopic measurements from previous
studies that used the same instrumental configuration and proper motions from
the \textit{Gaia} Data Release 2 catalogue. Analysing the photometric and
stellar kinematic data, we find that the SMC centre of mass presents a
conspicuous offset from the velocity centre of its associated \mbox{H\,{\sc
i}} gas, suggesting that the SMC gas is likely to be far from dynamical
equilibrium. Furthermore, we find evidence that the SMC is currently undergoing
tidal disruption by the LMC within 2\,kpc of the centre of the SMC, and
possibly all the way in to the very core. This is evidenced by a net outward
motion of stars from the SMC centre along the direction towards the LMC and
apparent tangential anisotropy at all radii. The latter is expected if the SMC
is undergoing significiant tidal stripping, as we demonstrate using a suite of
-body simulations of the SMC/LMC system disrupting around the Milky Way.
These results suggest that dynamical models for the SMC that assume a steady
state will need to be revisited.Comment: Revised version submitted to MNRAS after referee report, 18 pages, 18
figure
A Review of Exposure Assessment Methods in Epidemiological Studies on Incinerators
Incineration is a common technology for waste disposal, and there is public concern for the health impact deriving from incinerators. Poor exposure assessment has been claimed as one of the main causes of inconsistency in the epidemiological literature. We reviewed 41 studies on incinerators published between 1984 and January 2013 and classified them on the basis of exposure assessment approach. Moreover, we performed a simulation study to explore how the different exposure metrics may influence the exposure levels used in epidemiological studies. 19 studies used linear distance as a measure of exposure to incinerators, 11 studies atmospheric dispersion models, and the remaining 11 studies a qualitative variable such as presence/absence of the source. All reviewed studies utilized residence as a proxy for population exposure, although residence location was evaluated with different precision (e.g., municipality, census block, or exact address). Only one study reconstructed temporal variability in exposure. Our simulation study showed a notable degree of exposure misclassification caused by the use of distance compared to dispersion modelling. We suggest that future studies (i) make full use of pollution dispersion models; (ii) localize population on a fine-scale; and (iii) explicitly account for the presence of potential environmental and socioeconomic confounding
Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic influence of N-palmitoylethanolamine, arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide and WIN 55,212-2 on the anticonvulsant activity of antiepileptic drugs against audiogenic seizures in DBA/2 mice
We evaluated the effects of ACEA (selective cannabinoid (CB)1 receptor agonist), WIN 55,212-2 mesylate (WIN; non-selective CB1 and CB2 receptor agonist) and N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA; an endogenous fatty acid of ethanolamide) in DBA/2 mice, a genetic model of reflex audiogenic epilepsy. PEA, ACEA or WIN intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration decreased the severity of tonic-clonic seizures. We also studied the effects of PEA, WIN or ACEA after co-administration with NIDA-41020 (CB1 receptor antagonist) or GW6471 (PPAR-α antagonist) and compared the effects of WIN, ACEA and PEA in order to clarify their mechanisms of action. PEA has anticonvulsant features in DBA/2 mice mainly through PPAR-α and likely indirectly on CB1 receptors, whereas ACEA and WIN act through CB1 receptors. The co-administration of ineffective doses of ACEA, PEA and WIN with some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) was examined in order to identify potential pharmacological interactions in DBA/2 mice. We found that PEA, ACEA and WIN co-administration potentiated the efficacy of carbamazepine, diazepam, felbamate, gabapentin, phenobarbital, topiramate and valproate and PEA only also that of oxcarbazepine and lamotrigine whereas, their co-administration with levetiracetam and phenytoin did not have effects. PEA, ACEA or WIN administration did not significantly influence the total plasma and brain levels of AEDs; therefore, it can be concluded that the observed potentiation was only of pharmacodynamic nature. In conclusion, PEA, ACEA and WIN show anticonvulsant effects in DBA/2 mice and potentiate the effects several AEDs suggesting a possible therapeutic relevance of these drugs and their mechanisms of action
Detection of Alkaline Sphingomyelinase Activity in Human Stool: Proposed Role as a New Diagnostic and Prognostic Marker of Colorectal Cancer
Abstract
Objectives: Intestinal alkaline sphingomyelinase, by exerting a major role in dietary sphingomyelin digestion, is responsible for the generation of messengers able to trigger the rapid turnover and apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cells. Markedly reduced mucosal alkaline sphingomyelinase activity has been associated with human colorectal neoplasms. The aim of this study was to analyze the alkaline sphingomyelinase activity in feces from healthy subjects and colorectal adenocarcinoma patients and to correlate it with the enzyme activity in intestinal tissues.
Materials and Methods: The enzyme activity was measured both in the intestinal samples from 12 healthy controls and 51 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma (tumoral and paratumoral tissue) and in the fecal samples of 34 healthy subjects and 29 patients with adenocarcinoma. The relation between sphingomyelinase activity and Dukes' stage, cell differentiation degree, age, and gender was also analyzed.
Results: Alkaline sphingomyelinase was significantly decreased (P < 0.001; mean reduction >90%) in tumoral intestinal mucosa of patients compared with controls independently of Dukes' stage and tumor differentiation grade. Interestingly, the enzyme activity in histologically normal paratumoral tissues was statistically lower than control samples (P < 0.001). As occurs in neoplastic tissues, a relevant mean reduction (P < 0.0001; almost 90%) of alkaline sphingomyelinase was revealed in stool samples from tumor patients when compared with controls.
Conclusion: These findings may have implications for cancer biology and perhaps also for the design of clinical test, thus suggesting that the fecal sphingomyelinase activity could really reflect the human intestinal mucosa enzyme level and could represent a new marker for human colorectal adenocarcinoma, mainly taking into account its early appearance in intestinal neoplasms
Role of yUbp8 in Mitochondria and Hypoxia Entangles the Finding of Human Ortholog Usp22 in the Glioblastoma Pseudo-Palisade Microlayer
KAT Gcn5 and DUB Ubp8 are required for respiration and mitochondria functions in budding yeast, and in this study we show that loss of respiratory activity is acquired over time. Interestingly, we show that absence of Ubp8 allows cells to grow in hypoxic conditions with altered mitophagy. Comparatively, the aggressive glioblastoma (GBM) multiforme tumor shows survival mechanisms able to overcome hypoxia in the brain. Starting from yeast and our findings on the role of Ubp8 in hypoxia, we extended our analysis to the human ortholog and signature cancer gene Usp22 in glioblastoma tumor specimens. Here we demonstrate that Usp22 is localized and overexpressed in the pseudo-palisade tissue around the necrotic area of the tumor. In addition, Usp22 colocalizes with the mitophagy marker Parkin, indicating a link with mitochondria function in GBM. Collectively, this evidence suggests that altered expression of Usp22 might provide a way for tumor cells to survive in hypoxic conditions, allowing the escape of cells from the necrotic area toward vascularized tissues. Collectively, our experimental data suggest a model for a possible mechanism of uncontrolled proliferation and invasion in glioblastoma
Strong Correlations in a nutshell
We present the phase diagram of clusters made of two, three and four coupled
Anderson impurities. All three clusters share qualitatively similar phase
diagrams that include Kondo screened and unscreened regimes separated by almost
critical crossover regions reflecting the proximity to barely avoided critical
points. This suggests the emergence of universal paradigms that apply to
clusters of arbitrary size. We discuss how these crossover regions of the
impurity models might affect the approach to the Mott transition within a
cluster extension of dynamical mean field theory.Comment: 45 pages, 14 figures. To appear in Journal of Physics: Condensed
Matte
Modeling macroalgal forest distribution at Mediterranean scale : present status, drivers of changes and insights for conservation and management
Macroalgal forests are one of the most productive and valuable marine ecosystems, but yet strongly exposed to fragmentation and loss. Detailed large-scale information on their distribution is largely lacking, hindering conservation initiatives. In this study, a systematic effort to combine spatial data on Cystoseira C. Agardh canopies (Fucales, Phaeophyta) was carried out to develop a Habitat Suitability Model (HSM) at Mediterranean scale, providing critical tools to improve site prioritization for their management, restoration and protection. A georeferenced database on the occurrence of 20 Cystoseira species was produced collecting all the available information from published and grey literature, web data portals and co-authors personal data. Data were associated to 55 predictor variable layers in the (ASCII) raster format and were used in order to develop the HSM by means of a Random Forest, a very effective Machine Learning technique. Knowledge about the distribution of Cystoseira canopies was available for about the 14% of the Mediterranean coastline. Absence data were available only for the 2% of the basin. Despite these gaps, our HSM showed high accuracy levels in reproducing Cystoseira distribution so that the first continuous maps of the habitat across the entire basin was produced. Misclassification errors mainly occurred in the eastern and southern part of the basin, where large gaps of knowledge emerged. The most relevant drivers were the geomorphological ones, followed by anthropogenic variables proxies of pollution and urbanization. Our model shows the importance of data sharing to combine a large number of spatial and environmental data, allowing to individuate areas with high probability of Cystoseira occurrence as suitable for its presence. This approach encourages the use of this modeling tool for the prediction of Cystoseira distribution and for supporting and planning conservation and management initiatives. The step forward is to refine the spatial information of presence-absence data about Cystoseira canopies and of environmental predictors in order to address species-specific assessments.peer-reviewe
All-optical free-space routing of upconverted light by metasurfaces via nonlinear interferometry
All-optical modulation yields the promise of high-speed information
processing. In this frame, metasurfaces are rapidly gaining traction as
ultrathin multifunctional platforms for light management. Among the featured
functionalities, they enable light wavefront manipulation and, more recently,
demonstrated the ability to perform light-by-light manipulation through
nonlinear optical processes. Here, by employing a nonlinear periodic
metasurface, we demonstrate all-optical routing of telecom photons upconverted
to the visible range. This is achieved via the interference between two
frequency-degenerate upconversion processes, namely third-harmonic and
sum-frequency generation, stemming from the interaction of a pump pulse with
its frequency-doubled replica. By tuning the relative phase and polarization
between these two pump beams, and concurrently engineering the nonlinear
emission of the individual elements of the metasurfaces (meta-atoms) along with
its pitch, we route the upconverted signal among the diffraction orders of the
metasurface with a modulation efficiency up to 90%. Thanks to the phase control
and the ultrafast dynamics of the underlying nonlinear processes, free-space
all-optical routing could be potentially performed at rates close to the
employed optical frequencies divided by the quality factor of the optical
resonances at play. Our approach adds a further twist to optical
interferometry, which is a key-enabling technique in a wide range of
applications, such as homodyne detection, radar interferometry, LiDAR
technology, gravitational waves detection, and molecular photometry. In
particular, the nonlinear character of light upconversion combined with phase
sensitivity is extremely appealing for enhanced imaging and biosensing.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
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