Valence transition in the periodic Anderson model

A very rich phase diagram has recently been found in CeCu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ from high pressure experiments where, in particular, a transition between an intermediate valence configuration and an integral valent heavy fermion state has been observed. We show that such a valence transition can be understood in the framework of the periodic Anderson model. In particular, our results show a breakdown of a mixed-valence state which is accompanied by a drastic change in the \textit{f} occupation in agreement with experiment. This valence transition can possibly be interpreted as a collapse of the large Fermi surface of the heavy fermion state which incorporates not only the conduction electrons but also the localized \textit{f} electrons. The theoretical approach used in this paper is based on the novel projector-based renormalization method (PRM). With respect to the periodic Anderson model, the method was before only employed in combination with the basic approximations of the well-known slave-boson mean-field theory. In this paper, the PRM treatment is performed in a more sophisticated manner where both mixed as well as integral valent solutions have been obtained. Furthermore, we argue that the presented PRM approach might be a promising starting point to study the competing interactions in CeCu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ and related compounds.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures included; v2: completely revised and extended versio

Absolute resonance strengths in the 6,7Li(alpha,gamma)10,11B reactions

The absolute strengths of the Ea=1175keV resonance in the 6Li(a,g)10B reaction and of the Ea=814 keV resonance in the 7Li(a,g)11B reaction have been measured to $\omega\gamma$=366+-38 meV and $\omega\gamma$=300+-32 meV, respectively, in good agreement with previous values. These resonances can be used to measure the absolute acceptance of the recoil separator ERNA to a precision of about 10%.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, to appear in European Physical Journal

Biologia de la conservació d'un ocell críticament amenaçat: la baldritja Puffinus mauretanicus

Biologia de la conservació d’un ocell críticament amenaçat: la baldritja Puffinus mauretanicus. Una de les aus marines més amenaçades de la Mediterrània és la baldritja Puffinus mauretanicus. El present article resumeix l’estudi de la seva problemàtica de conservació al dos hàbitats que ocupen: les colònies de cria a terra i les zones d’alimentació a la mar. Una anàlisi demogràfic detallat va permetre determinar que la mortalitat adulta és la principal causa del declivi poblacional. La baixa supervivència adulta (0.78, SE = 0.02) en colònies lliures de depredadors suggeria que, a part de la depredació, devia haver altres fonts de mortalitat (arts de pesca, per exemple). L’anàlisi de viabilitat de la població va mostrar que les probabilitats d’extinció de la baldritja són extremadament altes, classificant a l’espècie en Perill Crític, segons criteris de la IUCN. En relació a la seva distribució a la mar, a rel d’una anàlisi de l’hàbitat oceanogràfic d’aquesta espècie durant l’època reproductora es va proposar la delimitació d’una àrea marina protegida. Així, les àrees d’alta densitat (principalment zones d’alimentació) definirien el nucli, d’especial interès per a la seva conservació, on s’implementarien mesures de protecció rigoroses: l’àrea d’influència del riu Ebre i l’entorn del cap de la Nau. Dins l’àrea de distribució (aigües costaneres de la plataforma continental Ibèrica caracteritzades per sistemes frontals en àrees properes a les colònies de cria), s’implementarien altres mesures de protecció més difuses.Conservation biology of a critically threatened bird: the Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus. The Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus is one of the most threatened seabirds in the Mediterranean. This article summarises the conservation problems in the two habitats they occupy: the breeding colonies on land and the feeding areas at sea. A detailed demographic analysis indicates that adult mortality is the principal cause of population decline. The low adult survival rate (0.78, SE = 0.02) in colonies free of predators suggests that, in addition to predation, there must be other sources of mortality (fishing gears, for example). The analysis of population viability shows that the probability of extinction for the Balearic shearwater is extremely high, classifying the species as Critically Endangered according to the criteria of the IUCN. With regard to its distribution at sea, by means of an analysis of the oceanographic habitat of this species during the breeding season, a marine protected area can be proposed. The areas of high density (mainly feeding zones) would determine the core, of special conservation interest for the species, where strict protection measures would be implemented: the area of influence of the Ebro river and the sea around the cap de la Nao. Elsewhere within the foraging range of the species (coastal waters of the Iberian continental platform characterised by frontal systems in areas close to breeding colonies), more diffuse protection measures could be applied

Investigations into vocal doses and parameters pertaining to primary school teachers in classrooms

Investigations into vocal doses and parameters were carried out on 40 primary school teachers (36 females and 4 males) in six schools in Italy, divided into two groups of three, A and B, on the basis of the type of building and the mid-frequency reverberation time in the classrooms, which was 1.13 s and 0.79 s, respectively. A total of 73 working-day samples were collected (66 for females and 7 for males), from which 54 traditional lessons were analyzed separately. The average value over the working days of the mean sound pressure level of the voiced speech at 1 m from the teacher's mouth was 62.1 dB for the females and 57.7 dB for the males, while the voicing time percentage was 25.9% and 25.1%, respectively. Even though the vocal doses and parameters did not differ for the two school groups, the differences in the subjective scores were significant, with enhanced scores in group B. A 0.72 dB increase in speech level per 1 dB increase in background noise level, LA90, was found during traditional lessons, as well as an increase in the mean value of the fundamental frequency with an increase in LA90, at a rate of 1.0 Hz/dB

THE DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF MESSENGER RNAs ENCODING NOGO-A AND NOGO-RECEPTOR IN THE RAT CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Nogo-A and Nogo-receptor have been considered to play pivotal roles in controlling axonal regeneration and neuronal plasticity. We investigated the total distribution of Nogo-A and Nogo-receptor mRNAs in the adult rat central nervous system using in situ hybridization histochemistry. Nogo-A is abundantly expressed in both neurons and oligodendrocytes throughout the central nervous system. Interestingly, we could not find any neurons which lack Nogo-A mRNA expression, indicating that Nogo-A mRNA is universally expressed in all neurons. In contrast, Nogo-R mRNA expression was very restricted. Nogo-R mRNA was expressed in the olfactory bulb, hippocampus, tentia tecta, some amygdala nuclei, cerebral cortex, some thalamic nuclei, medial habenular, whereas we could not detect it in the other regions. Interestingly, we did not detect Nogo-R mRNA in monoaminergic neurons, which are known to have high regenerative capacity, in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, locus caeruleus, and raphe nuclei. In addition, although neurons in the reticular thalamus and cerebellar nuclei are also known to show high capacity for regeneration, Nogo-R mRNA was not detected there. These data indicate that Nogo-A and Nogo-R mRNAs were differentially expressed in the central nervous system, and suggest that the lack of Nogo-R expression in a given neuron might be necessary to keep its high regenerative capacity