Covariant density functional theory with a few parameters has been widely used to describe the ground- and excited-state properties for nuclei all over the nuclear chart. In order to describe the ...exotic properties of unstable nuclei, the contribution of the continuum and its coupling with bound states should be treated properly. In this review, the development of the covariant density functional theory in continuum is introduced, including the relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov theory, the relativistic Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory in continuum and the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum. Then the descriptions and predictions for the neutron halo phenomena in both spherical and deformed nuclei will be reviewed. The diffuseness of the nuclear potentials, nuclear shapes and density distributions, and the impact of the pairing correlations on nuclear size are discussed.
ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Hepeviridae Purdy, Michael A; Harrison, Tim J; Jameel, S ...
Journal of general virology,
11/2017, Letnik:
98, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The family Hepeviridae includes enterically transmitted small non-enveloped positive-sense RNA viruses. It includes the genera Piscihepevirus, whose members infect fish, and Orthohepevirus, whose ...members infect mammals and birds. Members of the genus Orthohepevirus include hepatitis E virus, which is responsible for self-limiting acute hepatitis in humans and several mammalian species; the infection may become chronic in immunocompromised individuals. Extrahepatic manifestations of Guillain-Barré syndrome, neuralgic amyotrophy, glomerulonephritis and pancreatitis have been described in humans. Avian hepatitis E virus causes hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome in chickens. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the taxonomy of the Hepeviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/hepeviridae.
Morphine and its pharmacological derivatives are the most prescribed analgesics for moderate to severe pain management. However, chronic use of morphine reduces pathogen clearance and induces ...bacterial translocation across the gut barrier. The enteric microbiome has been shown to have a critical role in the preservation of the mucosal barrier function and metabolic homeostasis. Here, we show for the first time, using bacterial 16s rDNA sequencing, that chronic morphine treatment significantly alters the gut microbial composition and induces preferential expansion of Gram-positive pathogenic and reduction in bile-deconjugating bacterial strains. A significant reduction in both primary and secondary bile acid levels was seen in the gut, but not in the liver with morphine treatment. Morphine-induced microbial dysbiosis and gut barrier disruption was rescued by transplanting placebo-treated microbiota into morphine-treated animals, indicating that microbiome modulation could be exploited as a therapeutic strategy for patients using morphine for pain management.
Composition and size distribution of atmospheric aerosols from Xi'an city (~400 m, altitude) in inland China during the spring of 2009 including a massive dust event on 24 April were measured and ...compared with a parallel measurement at the summit (2060 m, altitude) of Mt. Hua, an alpine site nearby Xi'an. EC (elemental carbon), OC (organic carbon) and major ions in the city were 2-22 times higher than those on the mountaintop during the whole sampling period. Compared to that in the non-dust period a sharp increase in OC was observed at both sites during the dust period, which was mainly caused by an input of biogenic organics from the Gobi desert. However, adsorption/heterogeneous reaction of gaseous organics with dust was another important source of OC in the urban, contributing 22% of OC in the dust event. In contrast to the mountain atmosphere where fine particles were less acidic when dust was present, the urban fine particles became more acidic in the dust event than in the non-dust event, mainly due to enhanced heterogeneous formation of nitrate and diluted NH sub(3). Cl super(-) and NO sub(3) super(-) in the urban air during the dust event significantly shifted toward coarse particles. Such redistributions were further pronounced on the mountaintop when dust was present, resulting in both ions almost entirely staying in coarse particles. On the contrary, no significant spatial difference in size distribution of SO sub(4) super(2-) was found between the urban ground surface and the mountain atmosphere, which dominated in the fine mode (<2.1 mu m) during the nonevent and comparably distributed in the fine (<2.1 mu m) and coarse (>2.1 mu m) modes during the dust event.
We report the observation of Kirkendall voids at the epitaxial titanium nitride (TiN)/magnesium oxide(MgO)(001) interface. While epitaxial growth of TiN on MgO has been known for years, many reports ...show a perfectly sharp epitaxial interface. Because TiN is a prototypical diffusion barrier material, observing the consequence of rapid diffusion at a TiN interface is interesting. Structural characterization of the interface using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy confirms the diffuse nature of the interface. Rectangular voids that form at the TiN/MgO(001) interface and extend into both TiN and MgO result from a large chemical potential gradient at the interface, which contributes a strong chemical driving force for diffusion. The spatial localization of the observed voids is limited to within ∼10 nm from the interface, consistent with a chemical potential gradient driving force. A composition gradient on the nanometer scale is also observed. Observation of Kirkendall voids at this nitride/oxide interface suggests possibilities for engineering oxygen and nitrogen vacancies at thin film interfaces.
We report the observation of Kirkendall voids at the epitaxial titanium nitride (TiN)/magnesium oxide(MgO)(001) interface.
Despite the considerable potential and significant promise of aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) ferroelectric materials for neuromorphic computing applications, challenges related to device ...engineering, along with the considerable structural disorder in thin films grown on various substrates using different vapor synthesis methods, make it difficult to systematically study the structure-property relationship. In this work, we approach such issues from the crystal growth side by successfully growing high-quality single crystal AlScN nanowires through ultra-high vacuum reactive sputtering under high substrate bias and low atomic flux conditions, which leads to simultaneous growth and etching. Characterization of nanowire arrays using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy shows that the wires are epitaxial single crystals with significantly reduced mosaic spread and predominantly single ferroelectric domains. Moreover, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties were evaluated using Piezoresponse Force Microscopy. The single crystal AlScN nanowires show an out-of-plane piezoelectric constant
d
33
that is greater than 20 pm V
−1
, which is higher than that of pure AlN by a factor of ∼4.
Single crystal ferroelectric AlScN nanowires.
To solve the crosstalk problem when the integration density of resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices increase, RRAM with self-rectifying function is required. Herein, the Au/10 nm ...Al2O3/heavily doped p-type Si (p++-Si) structure was fabricated, and bipolar resistive switching and self-rectifying effect were investigated. A rectification of 6.5 × 103 under ±5 V at low-resistive state (LRS) was observed. The rectifying effect is explained by the energy band diagrams of the structure and electrical conduction mechanism at LRS under negative bias is fitted by space charge limited conduction (SCLC) model. Finally, the endurance and retention properties of the structure were tested. This work would provide insights for further research on the RRAM device with self-rectifying effect, which can alleviate the crosstalk effect without additional switching elements in integrated circuit.
The anomalous rod shape in carbon isotopes has been investigated in the framework of the cranking covariant density functional theory, and two mechanisms to stabilize such a novel shape with respect ...to the bending motion, extreme spin, and isospin are simultaneously discussed for the first time in a self-consistent and microscopic way. By adding valence neutrons and rotating the system, we have found the mechanism stabilizing the rod shape; i.e., the σ orbitals (parallel to the symmetry axis) of the valence neutrons, important for the rod shape, are lowered by the rotation due to the Coriolis term. The spin and isospin effects enhance the stability of the rod-shaped configuration. This provides a strong hint that a rod shape could be realized in nuclei towards extreme spin and isospin.
Wild boars (Sus scrofa) are indigenous in many countries in the world. These free-living swine are known reservoirs for a number of viruses, bacteria and parasites that are transmissible to domestic ...animals and humans. Changes of human habitation to suburban areas, increased use of lands for agricultural purposes, increased hunting activities and consumption of wild boar meat have increased the chances of exposure of wild boars to domestic animals and humans. Wild boars can act as reservoirs for many important infectious diseases in domestic animals, such as classical swine fever, brucellosis and trichinellosis, and in humans, diseases such as hepatitis E, tuberculosis, leptospirosis and trichinellosis. For examples, wild boars are reservoirs for hepatitis E virus, and cluster cases of hepatitis E have been reported in Japan of humans who consumed wild boar meat. In Canada, an outbreak of trichinellosis was linked to the consumption of wild boar meat. The incidence of tuberculosis owing to Mycobacterium bovis has increased in wild boars, thus posing a potential concern for infections in livestock and humans. It has also been documented that six hunters contracted Brucella suis infections from wild swine in Florida. This article discusses the prevalence and risk of infectious agents in wild boars and their potential transmission to livestock and humans.
Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) support diverse, complex and dynamic ecosystems globally, providing important societal and economic services. Infrastructure development threatens the ecosystem processes, ...biodiversity and services that these rivers support. Here we assess the connectivity status of 12 million kilometres of rivers globally and identify those that remain free-flowing in their entire length. Only 37 per cent of rivers longer than 1,000 kilometres remain free-flowing over their entire length and 23 per cent flow uninterrupted to the ocean. Very long FFRs are largely restricted to remote regions of the Arctic and of the Amazon and Congo basins. In densely populated areas only few very long rivers remain free-flowing, such as the Irrawaddy and Salween. Dams and reservoirs and their up- and downstream propagation of fragmentation and flow regulation are the leading contributors to the loss of river connectivity. By applying a new method to quantify riverine connectivity and map FFRs, we provide a foundation for concerted global and national strategies to maintain or restore them.
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