647 research outputs found
Thermodynamics of Two Dimensional Magnetic Nanoparticles
A two dimensional magnetic particle in the presence of an external magnetic
field is studied. Equilibrium thermodynamical properties are derived by
evaluating analytically the partition function. When the external field is
applied perpendicular to the anisotropy axis the system exhibits a second order
phase transition with order parameter being the magnetization parallel to the
field. In this case the system is isomorph to a mechanical system consisting in
a particle moving without friction in a circle rotating about its vertical
diameter. Contrary to a paramagnetic particle, equilibrium magnetization shows
a maximum at finite temperature. We also show that uniaxial anisotropy in a
system of noninteracting particles can be missinterpreted as a ferromagnetic or
antiferromagnetic coupling among the magnetic particles depending on the angle
between anisotropy axis and magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages 6 figures 19 reference
Domestic dog demographic structure and dynamics relevant to rabies control planning in urban areas in Africa: the case of Iringa, Tanzania
<p>Background
Mass vaccinations of domestic dogs have been shown to effectively control canine rabies and hence human exposure to rabies. Knowledge of dog population demography is essential for planning effective rabies vaccination programmes; however, such information is still rare for African domestic dog populations, particularly so in urban areas. This study describes the demographic structure and population dynamics of a domestic dog population in an urban sub-Saharan African setting. In July to November 2005, we conducted a full household-level census and a cross-sectional dog demography survey in four urban wards of Iringa Municipality, Tanzania. The achievable vaccination coverage was assessed by a two-stage vaccination campaign, and the proportion of feral dogs was estimated by a mark-recapture transect study.</p>
<p>Results
The estimated size of the domestic dog population in Iringa was six times larger than official town records assumed, however, the proportion of feral dogs was estimated to account for less than 1% of the whole population. An average of 13% of all households owned dogs which equalled a dog:human ratio of 1:14, or 0.31 dogs per household or 334 dogs km-2. Dog female:male ratio was 1:1.4. The average age of the population was 2.2 years, 52% of all individuals were less than one year old. But mortality within the first year was high (72%). Females became fertile at the age of 10 months and reportedly remained fertile up to the age of 11 years. The average number of litters whelped per fertile female per year was 0.6 with an average of 5.5 pups born per litter. The population growth was estimated at 10% y-1.</p>
<p>Conclusions
Such high birth and death rates result in a rapid replacement of anti-rabies immunised individuals with susceptible ones. This loss in herd immunity needs to be taken into account in the design of rabies control programmes. The very small proportion of truly feral dogs in the population implies that vaccination campaigns aimed at the owned dog population are sufficient to control rabies in urban Iringa, and the same may be valid in other, comparable urban settings.</p>
Integrating the landscape epidemiology and genetics of RNA viruses: rabies in domestic dogs as a model
Landscape epidemiology and landscape genetics combine advances in molecular techniques, spatial analyses and epidemiological models to generate a more real-world understanding of infectious disease dynamics and provide powerful new tools for the study of RNA viruses. Using dog rabies as a model we have identified how key questions regarding viral spread and persistence can be addressed using a combination of these techniques. In contrast to wildlife rabies, investigations into the landscape epidemiology of domestic dog rabies requires more detailed assessment of the role of humans in disease spread, including the incorporation of anthropogenic landscape features, human movements and socio-cultural factors into spatial models. In particular, identifying and quantifying the influence of anthropogenic features on pathogen spread and measuring the permeability of dispersal barriers are important considerations for planning control strategies, and may differ according to cultural, social and geographical variation across countries or continents. Challenges for dog rabies research include the development of metapopulation models and transmission networks using genetic information to uncover potential source/sink dynamics and identify the main routes of viral dissemination. Information generated from a landscape genetics approach will facilitate spatially strategic control programmes that accommodate for heterogeneities in the landscape and therefore utilise resources in the most cost-effective way. This can include the efficient placement of vaccine barriers, surveillance points and adaptive management for large-scale control programmes
A cross-sectional study of factors associated with dog ownership in Tanzania
Background: Mass vaccination of owned domestic dogs is crucial for the control of rabies in sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge of the proportion of households which own dogs, and of the factors associated with dog ownership, is important for the planning and implementation of rabies awareness and dog vaccination programmes, and for the promotion of responsible dog ownership. This paper reports the results of a cross-sectional study of dog ownership by households in urban and rural communities in the United Republic of Tanzania. Results: Fourteen percent (202) of 1,471 households surveyed were identified as dog-owning, with an average of 2.4 dogs per dog-owning household. The percentage of dog-owning households was highest in inland rural areas (24%) and lowest in coastal urban communities (7%). The overall human: dog ratio was 14: 1. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that households which owned cattle, sheep or goats were much more likely to own dogs than households with no livestock. Muslim households were less likely to own dogs than Christian households, although this effect of religion was not seen among livestock-owning households. Households were more likely to own a dog if the head of the household was male; if they owned a cat; or if they owned poultry. Dog ownership was also broadly associated with larger, wealthier households. Conclusion: The human: dog ratios in Tanzania are similar to those reported elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, although cultural and geographic variation is evident. Estimation of the number of owned dogs, and identification of household predictors of dog ownership, will enable targeted planning of rabies control effort
Landau Level Crossings and Extended-State Mapping in Magnetic Two-dimensional Electron Gases
We present longitudinal and Hall magneto-resistance measurements of a
``magnetic'' two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed in modulation-doped
ZnCdMnSe quantum wells. The electron spin splitting is
temperature and magnetic field dependent, resulting in striking features as
Landau levels of opposite spin cross near the Fermi level. Magnetization
measurements on the same sample probe the total density of states and Fermi
energy, allowing us to fit the transport data using a model involving extended
states centered at each Landau level and two-channel conduction for spin-up and
spin-down electrons. A mapping of the extended states over the whole quantum
Hall effect regime shows no floating of extended states as Landau levels cross
near the Fermi level.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
A group-galaxy cross-correlation function analysis in zCOSMOS
We present a group-galaxy cross-correlation analysis using a group catalog
produced from the 16,500 spectra from the optical zCOSMOS galaxy survey. Our
aim is to perform a consistency test in the redshift range 0.2 < z < 0.8
between the clustering strength of the groups and mass estimates that are based
on the richness of the groups. We measure the linear bias of the groups by
means of a group-galaxy cross-correlation analysis and convert it into mass
using the bias-mass relation for a given cosmology, checking the systematic
errors using realistic group and galaxy mock catalogs. The measured bias for
the zCOSMOS groups increases with group richness as expected by the theory of
cosmic structure formation and yields masses that are reasonably consistent
with the masses estimated from the richness directly, considering the scatter
that is obtained from the 24 mock catalogs. An exception are the richest groups
at high redshift (estimated to be more massive than 10^13.5 M_sun), for which
the measured bias is significantly larger than for any of the 24 mock catalogs
(corresponding to a 3-sigma effect), which is attributed to the extremely large
structure that is present in the COSMOS field at z ~ 0.7. Our results are in
general agreement with previous studies that reported unusually strong
clustering in the COSMOS field.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, published in Ap
Domestic dog demographic structure and dynamics relevant to rabies control planning in urban areas in Africa: The case of Iringa, Tanzania. Bmc Veterinary Research 8
Abstract Background: Mass vaccinations of domestic dogs have been shown to effectively control canine rabies and hence human exposure to rabies. Knowledge of dog population demography is essential for planning effective rabies vaccination programmes; however, such information is still rare for African domestic dog populations, particularly so in urban areas. This study describes the demographic structure and population dynamics of a domestic dog population in an urban sub-Saharan African setting. In July to November 2005, we conducted a full household-level census and a cross-sectional dog demography survey in four urban wards of Iringa Municipality, Tanzania. The achievable vaccination coverage was assessed by a two-stage vaccination campaign, and the proportion of feral dogs was estimated by a mark-recapture transect study. Results: The estimated size of the domestic dog population in Iringa was six times larger than official town records assumed, however, the proportion of feral dogs was estimated to account for less than 1% of the whole population. An average of 13% of all households owned dogs which equalled a dog:human ratio of 1:14, or 0.31 dogs per household or 334 dogs km -2 . Dog female:male ratio was 1:1.4. The average age of the population was 2.2 years, 52% of all individuals were less than one year old. But mortality within the first year was high (72%). Females became fertile at the age of 10 months and reportedly remained fertile up to the age of 11 years. The average number of litters whelped per fertile female per year was 0.6 with an average of 5.5 pups born per litter. The population growth was estimated at 10% y -1
An off-board quantum point contact as a sensitive detector of cantilever motion
Recent advances in the fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
and their evolution into nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have allowed
researchers to measure extremely small forces, masses, and displacements. In
particular, researchers have developed position transducers with resolution
approaching the uncertainty limit set by quantum mechanics. The achievement of
such resolution has implications not only for the detection of quantum behavior
in mechanical systems, but also for a variety of other precision experiments
including the bounding of deviations from Newtonian gravity at short distances
and the measurement of single spins. Here we demonstrate the use of a quantum
point contact (QPC) as a sensitive displacement detector capable of sensing the
low-temperature thermal motion of a nearby micromechanical cantilever.
Advantages of this approach include versatility due to its off-board design,
compatibility with nanoscale oscillators, and, with further development, the
potential to achieve quantum limited displacement detection.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Quantum Dissipative Dynamics of the Magnetic Resonance Force Microscope in the Single-Spin Detection Limit
We study a model of a magnetic resonance force microscope (MRFM) based on the
cyclic adiabatic inversion technique as a high-resolution tool to detect single
electron spins. We investigate the quantum dynamics of spin and cantilever in
the presence of coupling to an environment. To obtain the reduced dynamics of
the combined system of spin and cantilever, we use the Feynman-Vernon influence
functional and get results valid at any temperature as well as at arbitrary
system-bath coupling strength. We propose that the MRFM can be used as a
quantum measurement device, i.e., not only to detect the modulus of the spin
but also its direction
The 10k zCOSMOS: morphological transformation of galaxies in the group environment since z~1
We study the evolution of galaxies inside and outside of the group
environment since z=1 using a large well defined set of groups and galaxies
from the zCOSMOS-bright redshift survey in the COSMOS field. The fraction of
galaxies with early-type morphologies increases monotonically with M_B
luminosity and stellar mass and with cosmic epoch. It is higher in the groups
than elsewhere, especially at later epochs. The emerging environmental effect
is superposed on a strong global mass-driven evolution, and at z~0.5 and
log(M*/Msol)~10.2, the "effect" of group environment is equivalent to (only)
about 0.2 dex in stellar mass or 2 Gyr in time. The stellar mass function of
galaxies in groups is enriched in massive galaxies. We directly determine the
transformation rates from late to early morphologies, and for transformations
involving colour and star formation indicators. The transformation rates are
systematically about twice as high in the groups as outside, or up to 3-4 times
higher correcting for infall and the appearance of new groups. The rates reach
values, for masses around the crossing mass 10^10.5 Msol, as high as
(0.3-0.7)/Gyr in the groups, implying transformation timescales of 1.4-3 Gyr,
compared with less than 0.2/Gyr, i.e. timescales >5 Gyr, outside of groups. All
three transformation rates decrease at higher stellar masses, and must decrease
also at the lower masses below 10^10 Msol which we cannot well probe. The rates
involving colour and star formation are consistently higher than those for
morphology, by a factor of about 50%. Our conclusion is that the
transformations which drive the evolution of the overall galaxy population
since z~1 must occur at a rate 2-4 times higher in groups than outside of them.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Ap
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