We theoretically study the development of spontaneous magnetization in diluted magnetic semiconductors as arising from a percolation of bound magnetic polarons. Within the framework of a generalized ...percolation theory we derive analytic expressions for the Curie temperature and the magnetization in the limit of low carrier density, obtaining excellent quantitative agreement with Monte Carlo simulation results and good qualitative agreement with experimental results.
The He
I
λ
10833 Å triplet is a powerful tool for characterising the upper atmosphere of exoplanets and tracing possible mass loss. Here, we analysed one transit of GJ 1214 b observed with the ...CARMENES high-resolution spectrograph to study its atmosphere via transmission spectroscopy around the He
I
triplet. Although previous studies using lower resolution instruments have reported non-detections of He
I
in the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b, we report here the first potential detection. We reconcile the conflicting results arguing that previous transit observations did not present good opportunities for the detection of He
I
, due to telluric H
2
O absorption and OH emission contamination. We simulated those earlier observations, and show evidence that the planetary signal was contaminated. From our single non-telluric-contaminated transit, we determined an excess absorption of 2.10
−0.50
+0.45
% (4.6
σ
) with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 1.30
−0.25
+0.30
Å. The detection of He
I
is statistically significant at the 4.6
σ
level, but repeatability of the detection could not be confirmed due to the availability of only one transit. By applying a hydrodynamical model and assuming an H/He composition of 98/2, we found that GJ 1214 b would undergo hydrodynamic escape in the photon-limited regime, losing its primary atmosphere with a mass-loss rate of (1.5–18) × 10
10
g s
−1
and an outflow temperature in the range of 2900–4400 K. Further high-resolution follow-up observations of GJ 1214 b are needed to confirm and fully characterise the detection of an extended atmosphere surrounding GJ 1214 b. If confirmed, this would be strong evidence that this planet has a primordial atmosphere accreted from the original planetary nebula. Despite previous intensive observations from space- and ground-based observatories, our He
I
excess absorption is the first tentative detection of a chemical species in the atmosphere of this benchmark sub-Neptune planet.
The recommended technique for colistin susceptibility testing by both EUCAST and CLSI is broth microdilution (BMD). However, many routine laboratories still use other methods such as gradient strips ...or semi-automated systems. The objective of this study was to compare six of the most widespread commercial products for colistin susceptibility testing in Europe with in-house prepared BMD.
A collection of 325 carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales was tested for colistin susceptibility with three semi-automated systems (Vitek 2, BD Phoenix, MicroScan WalkAway), one gradient-strip test (Etest®) and two commercial BMD products (MICRONAUT-S, TREK Sensititre). BMD, in-house prepared according to ISO standard 20776-1, served as reference.
The MICRONAUT-S BMD performed best with only one false-resistant (major error, ME) and four false-susceptible (very major error, VME) results while the TREK BMD performed poorer with 16 ME and seven VME. The semi-automated systems Vitek 2 and Phoenix performed poorly with 31 and 26 VME, respectively. The WalkAway semi-automated system showed 16 and 13 false results, depending on the inoculation method. The Etest® showed six ME and 10 VME.
This study shows that colistin susceptibility testing remains a challenging task for laboratories. It emphasizes the need for selecting the most reliable test method to advocate proper treatment and shows that critical evaluation and precautious usage of colistin susceptibility testing results is constantly required.
A reclassification of the agglutinated foraminifera (within the Class Foraminiferea) is presented, consisting of three subclasses, seven orders, 18 suborders, 32 superfamilies, 122 families, 148 ...subfamilies, and containing a total of 832 valid genera is presented. The classification is modified from the suprageneric scheme used by Kaminski (2004a), and incorporates all the new agglutinated genera described up to and including the year 2010. The major differences from the Kaminski (2004a) classification are (1) the subdivision of the Foraminifera into three supraordinal groups according to the molecular studies of Pawłowski and co-workers (2) the inclusion of the allogromiids in the classification alongside the astrorhizids (3) the inclusion of the xenophyophorids within the Astrorhizida at superfamily rank, (4) the merging of all pseudo-bilocular and pseudo-multichambered forms within a single subclass and (5) the revision of the schlumberigerinids to encompass all miliolids with an agglutinated wall. Numerous minor corrections and updates have been made to the generic classification based on the recent literature.
Current influenza vaccines elicit Abs to the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase envelope proteins. Due to antigenic drift, these vaccines must be reformulated annually to include the envelope proteins ...predicted to dominate in the following season. By contrast, vaccination with the conserved nucleoprotein (NP) elicits immunity against multiple serotypes (heterosubtypic immunity). NP vaccination is generally thought to convey protection primarily via CD8 effector mechanisms. However, significant titers of anti-NP Abs are also induced, yet the involvement of Abs in protection has largely been disregarded. To investigate how Ab responses might contribute to heterosubtypic immunity, we vaccinated C57BL/6 mice with soluble rNP. This approach induced high titers of NP-specific serum Ab, but only poorly detectable NP-specific T cell responses. Nevertheless, rNP immunization significantly reduced morbidity and viral titers after influenza challenge. Importantly, Ab-deficient mice were not protected by this vaccination strategy. Furthermore, rNP-immune serum could transfer protection to naive hosts in an Ab-dependent manner. Therefore, Ab to conserved, internal viral proteins, such as NP, provides an unexpected, yet important mechanism of protection against influenza. These results suggest that vaccines designed to elicit optimal heterosubtypic immunity to influenza should promote both Ab and T cell responses to conserved internal proteins.
We present three transit observations of HD 189733 b obtained with the high-resolution spectrograph CARMENES at Calar Alto. A strong absorption signal is detected in the near-infrared He I triplet at ...10830 Å in all three transits. During mid-transit, the mean absorption level is 0.88 ± 0.04% measured in a ±10 km s−1 range at a net blueshift of − 3.5 ± 0.4 km s−1 (10829.84–10830.57 Å). The absorption signal exhibits radial velocities of + 6.5 ± 3.1 km s−1 and − 12.6 ± 1.0 km s−1 during ingress and egress, respectively; all radial velocities are measured in the planetary rest frame. We show that stellar activity related pseudo-signals interfere with the planetary atmospheric absorption signal. They could contribute as much as 80% of the observed signal and might also affect the observed radial velocity signature, but pseudo-signals are very unlikely to explain the entire signal. The observed line ratio between the two unresolved and the third line of the He I triplet is 2.8 ± 0.2, which strongly deviates from the value expected for an optically thin atmospheres. When interpreted in terms of absorption in the planetary atmosphere, this favors a compact helium atmosphere with an extent of only 0.2 planetary radii and a substantial column density on the order of 4 × 1012 cm−2. The observed radial velocities can be understood either in terms of atmospheric circulation with equatorial superrotation or as a sign of an asymmetric atmospheric component of evaporating material. We detect no clear signature of ongoing evaporation, like pre- or post-transit absorption, which could indicate material beyond the planetary Roche lobe, or radial velocities in excess of the escape velocity. These findings do not contradict planetary evaporation, but only show that the detected helium absorption in HD 189733 b does not trace the atmospheric layers that show pronounced escape signatures.
To advance our understanding and treatment of disease, research immunologists have been called-upon to place more centralized emphasis on impactful human studies. Such endeavors will inevitably ...require large-scale study execution and data management regulation ("Big Biology"), necessitating standardized and reliable metrics of immune status and function. A well-known example setting this large-scale effort in-motion is identifying correlations between eventual disease outcome and T lymphocyte phenotype in large HIV-patient cohorts using multiparameter flow cytometry. However, infection, immunodeficiency, and autoimmunity are also characterized by correlative and functional contributions of B lymphocytes, which to-date have received much less attention in the human Big Biology enterprise. Here, we review progress in human B cell phenotyping, analysis, and bioinformatics tools that constitute valuable resources for the B cell research community to effectively join in this effort.
Influenza A virus causes recurring seasonal epidemics and occasional influenza pandemics. Because of changes in envelope glycoprotein Ags, neutralizing Abs induced by inactivated vaccines provide ...limited cross-protection against new viral serotypes. However, prior influenza infection induces heterosubtypic immunity that accelerates viral clearance of a second strain, even if the external proteins are distinct. In mice, cross-protection can also be elicited by systemic immunization with the highly conserved internal nucleoprotein (NP). Both T lymphocytes and Ab contribute to such cross-protection. In this paper, we demonstrate that anti-NP IgG specifically promoted influenza virus clearance in mice by using a mechanism involving both FcRs and CD8(+) cells. Furthermore, anti-NP IgG rescued poor heterosubtypic immunity in B cell-deficient mice, correlating with enhanced NP-specific CD8 T cell responses. Thus, Ab against this conserved Ag has potent antiviral activity both in naive and in influenza-immune subjects. Such antiviral activity was not seen when mice were vaccinated with another internal influenza protein, nonstructural 1. The high conservation of NP Ag and the known longevity of Ab responses suggest that anti-NP IgG may provide a critically needed component of a universal influenza vaccine.
Context. M dwarfs are known to generate the strongest magnetic fields among main-sequence stars with convective envelopes, but we are still lacking a consistent picture of the link between the ...magnetic fields and underlying dynamo mechanisms, rotation, and activity. Aims. In this work we aim to measure magnetic fields from the high-resolution near-infrared spectra taken with the CARMENES radial-velocity planet survey in a sample of 29 active M dwarfs and compare our results against stellar parameters. Methods. We used the state-of-the-art radiative transfer code to measure total magnetic flux densities from the Zeeman broadening of spectral lines and filling factors. Results. We detect strong kG magnetic fields in all our targets. In 16 stars the magnetic fields were measured for the first time. Our measurements are consistent with the magnetic field saturation in stars with rotation periods P < 4 d. The analysis of the magnetic filling factors reveal two different patterns of either very smooth distribution or a more patchy one, which can be connected to the dynamo state of the stars and/or stellar mass. Conclusions. Our measurements extend the list of M dwarfs with strong surface magnetic fields. They also allow us to better constrain the interplay between the magnetic energy, stellar rotation, and underlying dynamo action. The high spectral resolution and observations at near-infrared wavelengths are the beneficial capabilities of the CARMENES instrument that allow us to address important questions about the stellar magnetism.
ABSTRACT
With the purpose of assessing classic spectroscopic methods on high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra in the near-infrared wavelength region, we selected a sample of 65 F-, ...G-, and K-type stars observed with CARMENES, the new, ultra-stable, double-channel spectrograph at the 3.5 m Calar Alto telescope. We computed their stellar atmospheric parameters (Teff, log g, ξ, and Fe/H) by means of the stepar code, a python implementation of the equivalent width method that employs the 2017 version of the moog code and a grid of MARCS model atmospheres. We compiled four Fe i and Fe ii line lists suited to metal-rich dwarfs, metal-poor dwarfs, metal-rich giants, and metal-poor giants that cover the wavelength range from 5300 to 17 100 Å, thus substantially increasing the number of identified Fe i and Fe ii lines up to 653 and 23, respectively. We examined the impact of the near-infrared Fe i and Fe ii lines upon our parameter determinations after an exhaustive literature search, placing special emphasis on the 14 Gaia benchmark stars contained in our sample. Even though our parameter determinations remain in good agreement with the literature values, the increase in the number of Fe i and Fe ii lines when the near-infrared region is taken into account reveals a deeper Teff scale that might stem from a higher sensitivity of the near-infrared lines to Teff.
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