35,781 research outputs found
Chiral spin-orbital liquids with nodal lines
Strongly correlated materials with strong spin-orbit coupling hold promise
for realizing topological phases with fractionalized excitations. Here we
propose a chiral spin-orbital liquid as a stable phase of a realistic model for
heavy-element double perovskites. This spin liquid state has Majorana fermion
excitations with a gapless spectrum characterized by nodal lines along the
edges of the Brillouin zone. We show that the nodal lines are topological
defects of a non-Abelian Berry connection and that the system exhibits
dispersing surface states. We discuss some experimental signatures of this
state and compare them with properties of the spin liquid candidate Ba_2YMoO_6.Comment: 5 pages + supplementary materia
A water level relationship between consecutive gauge stations along Solim\~oes/Amazonas main channel: a wavelet approach
Gauge stations are distributed along the Solim\~oes/Amazonas main channel to
monitor water level changes over time. Those measurements help quantify both
the water movement and its variability from one gauge station to the next
downstream. The objective of this study is to detect changes in the water level
relationship between consecutive gauge stations along the Solim\~oes/Amazonas
main channel, since 1980. To carry out the analyses, data spanning from 1980 to
2010 from three consecutive gauges (Tefe, Manaus and Obidos) were used to
compute standardized daily anomalies. In particular for infra-annual periods it
was possible to detect changes for the water level variability along the
Solim\~oes/Amazonas main channel, by applying the Morlet Wavelet Transformation
(WT) and Wavelet Cross Coherence (WCC) methods. It was possible to quantify the
waves amplitude for the WT infra-annual scaled-period and were quite similar to
the three gauge stations denoting that the water level variability are related
to the same hydrological forcing functions. Changes in the WCC was detected for
the Manaus-Obidos river stretch and this characteristic might be associated
with land cover changes in the floodplains. The next steps of this research,
will be to test this hypotheses by integrating land cover changes into the
floodplain with hydrological modelling simulations throughout the time-series
Privacy Preserving Internet Browsers: Forensic Analysis of Browzar
With the advance of technology, Criminal Justice agencies are being
confronted with an increased need to investigate crimes perpetuated partially
or entirely over the Internet. These types of crime are known as cybercrimes.
In order to conceal illegal online activity, criminals often use private
browsing features or browsers designed to provide total browsing privacy. The
use of private browsing is a common challenge faced in for example child
exploitation investigations, which usually originate on the Internet. Although
private browsing features are not designed specifically for criminal activity,
they have become a valuable tool for criminals looking to conceal their online
activity. As such, Technological Crime units often focus their forensic
analysis on thoroughly examining the web history on a computer. Private
browsing features and browsers often require a more in-depth, post mortem
analysis. This often requires the use of multiple tools, as well as different
forensic approaches to uncover incriminating evidence. This evidence may be
required in a court of law, where analysts are often challenged both on their
findings and on the tools and approaches used to recover evidence. However,
there are very few research on evaluating of private browsing in terms of
privacy preserving as well as forensic acquisition and analysis of privacy
preserving internet browsers. Therefore in this chapter, we firstly review the
private mode of popular internet browsers. Next, we describe the forensic
acquisition and analysis of Browzar, a privacy preserving internet browser and
compare it with other popular internet browser
Coupled-mode theory for periodic side-coupled microcavity and photonic crystal structures
We use a phenomenological Hamiltonian approach to derive a set of coupled
mode equations that describe light propagation in waveguides that are
periodically side-coupled to microcavities. The structure exhibits both Bragg
gap and (polariton like) resonator gap in the dispersion relation. The origin
and physical significance of the two types of gaps are discussed. The
coupled-mode equations derived from the effective field formalism are valid
deep within the Bragg gaps and resonator gaps.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Características sensoriais de vinhos tropicais.
Resumo também em inglês: Sensorial characteristics of tropical wines
Sinorhizobium Meliloti, A Bacterium Lacking The Autoinducer-2 (AI-2) Synthase, Responds To AI-2 Supplied By Other Bacteria
Many bacterial species respond to the quorum-sensing signal autoinducer-2 (AI-2) by regulating different niche-specific genes. Here, we show that Sinorhizobium meliloti, a plant symbiont lacking the gene for the AI-2 synthase, while not capable of producing AI-2 can nonetheless respond to AI-2 produced by other species. We demonstrate that S. meliloti has a periplasmic binding protein that binds AI-2. The crystal structure of this protein (here named SmlsrB) with its ligand reveals that it binds (2R,4S)-2-methyl-2,3,3,4-tetrahydroxytetrahydrofuran (R-THMF), the identical AI-2 isomer recognized by LsrB of Salmonella typhimurium. The gene encoding SmlsrB is in an operon with orthologues of the lsr genes required for AI-2 internalization in enteric bacteria. Accordingly, S. meliloti internalizes exogenous AI-2, and mutants in this operon are defective in AI-2 internalization. S. meliloti does not gain a metabolic benefit from internalizing AI-2, suggesting that AI-2 functions as a signal in S. meliloti. Furthermore, S. meliloti can completely eliminate the AI-2 secreted by Erwinia carotovora, a plant pathogen shown to use AI-2 to regulate virulence. Our findings suggest that S. meliloti is capable of \u27eavesdropping\u27 on the AI-2 signalling of other species and interfering with AI-2-regulated behaviours such as virulence
Excessive growth hormone expression in male GH transgenic mice adversely alters bone architecture and mechanical strength
Patients with acromegaly have a higher prevalence of vertebral fractures despite normal bone mineral density (BMD), suggesting that GH overexpression has adverse effects on skeletal architecture and strength. We used giant bovine GH (bGH) transgenic mice to analyze the effects of high serum GH levels on BMD, architecture, and mechanical strength. Five-month-old hemizygous male bGH mice were compared with age- and sex-matched nontransgenic littermates controls (NT; n=16/group). Bone architecture and BMD were analyzed in tibia and lumbar vertebrae using microcomputed tomography. Femora were tested to failure using three-point bending and bone cellular activity determined by bone histomorphometry. bGH transgenic mice displayed significant increases in body weight and bone lengths. bGH tibia showed decreases in trabecular bone volume fraction, thickness, and number compared with NT ones, whereas trabecular pattern factor and structure model index were significantly increased, indicating deterioration in bone structure. Although cortical tissue perimeter was increased in transgenic mice, cortical thickness was reduced. bGH mice showed similar trabecular BMD but reduced trabecular thickness in lumbar vertebra relative to controls. Cortical BMD and thickness were significantly reduced in bGH lumbar vertebra. Mechanical testing of femora confirmed that bGH femora have decreased intrinsic mechanical properties compared with NT ones. Bone turnover is increased in favor of bone resorption in bGH tibia and vertebra compared with controls, and serum PTH levels is also enhanced in bGH mice. These data collectively suggest that high serum GH levels negatively affect bone architecture and quality at multiple skeletal sites
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