pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Comparative foraging ecology and ecological niche of a superabundant tropical seabird: the sooty tern  Sterna fuscata in the southwest Indian Ocean

Abstract  Over 6-million pairs of sooty terns Sterna fuscata breed once a year in the southwest Indian Ocean, mostly on three islands of the Mozambique Channel (Europa, Juan de Nova and Glorieuses) and in the Seychelles region. Seasonal reproduction in either winter or summer is the dominant strategy in the area, but non-seasonal reproduction also occurred in some places like at Glorieuses Archipelago. The feeding ecology of the sooty tern was investigated during the breeding seasons to determine whether terns showed significant differences in their trophic ecology between locations. Regurgitations were analyzed to describe the diet of individuals when breeding, and stable isotopes and mercury concentrations were used to temporally integrate over the medium-term of the trophic ecology of both adults and chicks. Overall, the diet was composed of fish, flying squid and fish larvae in different proportions. At Europa and Aride in the Seychelles, where winter reproduction occurs, large epipelagic prey like flying fish or squid dominated the diet. At Juan de Nova, sooty terns reproduce in summer and rely mostly on fish larvae. At Glorieuses (non-seasonal breeding), the diet was intermediate with fish larvae and flying squid being important prey items. The stable-carbon and nitrogen isotope values in blood confirm the differences observed in dietary analysis, and demonstrate different feeding strategies between colonies. d13C values of feathers showed spatial segregation between birds from the Mozambique Channel and the Seychelles region. Terns from the Seychelles had also higher d15N values. Feather d13C values also suggest a significant shift from summer to wintering habitat for birds from Juan de Nova. This study emphasizes the high phenotypic plasticity of the species, which may explain its numerical dominance in all tropical waters of the World’s Ocean.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-008-1049-
Identification of selected seaweed polysaccharides (phycocolloids) by vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR and FT-Raman)

The wide industrial application of phycocolloids (e.g. alginates, agar and carrageenans) is based on their
particular properties to form gels in aqueous solution. These seaweed polysaccharides present a chemical
structure related with the taxonomic position of the algae: carrageenans are produced by carrageenophytes
(red algae belonging mainly to the genera Kappaphycus, Eucheuma, Chondrus, Gigartina and
Chondracanthus). Recently, new spectroscopic techniques have provided more accurate identification of
the natural composition of the polysaccharides produced by these seaweeds. With the combination of
two spectroscopic techniques (FTIR-ATR and FT-Raman) it is possible to identify the principal seaweed
colloids in ground seaweed samples as in extracted material. Since the seaweed samples receive the
minimum of handling and treatment (e.g. they are simply dried and ground), the composition determined
represents, as accurately as possible, the native composition of the phycocolloids
Thermal decomposition of allantoin as probed by matrix isolation FTIR spectroscopy

The optimized geometries, energies of the possible conformers of allantoin (2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl urea, the diureide of glyoxylic acid) as well as the barriers for conformational interconversion have been calculated using the density functional theory [DFT(B3LYP)/6-311++G(d,p)] method. The calculations predicted the existence of four conformers (gC, tT, g′C, and g′T; where the first and second symbols in the name of the conformers designate the conformation around the exocyclic NHC–NHCO and CNH–CO axes, respectively), with the gC form contributing to more than 98% of the population in gas phase at room temperature. This conformer is different from that corresponding to the monomeric unit found in crystalline RS-allantoin (g′C; Mootz, D. Acta Crystallogr.1965, 19, 726), stressing the importance of intermolecular H-bonding in determining the structure of the crystal. Upon sublimation under vacuum (10−6 mbar), the compound was found to undergo extensive decomposition to urea, isocyanic acid, NH3, and carbon. The identification of the decomposition products was made by using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. In consonance with the theoretical predictions, the allantoin molecules surviving thermal decomposition were found to undergo conformational isomerization and be present in the cryogenic argon matrix in both the gC and g′C conformations. The solid state room temperature infrared spectrum of allantoin was also investigated and assigned
Optimization of a Thermal Hydrolysis process for sludge pre-treatment

Producción CientíficaAt industrial scale, thermal hydrolysis is the most used process to enhance biodegradability of the sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants. Through statistically guided Box-Behnken experimental design, the present study analyses the effect of TH as pre-treatment applied to activated sludge.  The selected process variables were temperature (130-180ºC), time (5-50 minutes) and decompression mode (slow or steam-explosion effect), and the parameters evaluated were sludge solubilisation and methane production by anaerobic digestion. A quadratic polynomial model was generated to compare the process performance for the 15 different combinations of operation conditions by modifying the process variables evaluated. The statistical analysis performed exhibited that methane production and solubility were significantly affected by pre-treatment time and temperature. During high intensity pre-treatment (high temperature and long times), the solubility increased sharply while the methane production exhibited the opposite behaviour, indicating the formation of some soluble but non-biodegradable materials. Therefore, solubilisation is not a reliable parameter to quantify the efficiency of a thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment, since it is not directly related to methane production. Based on the operational parameters optimization, the estimated optimal thermal hydrolysis conditions to enhance of sewage sludge digestion were: 140-170°C heating temperature, 5-35min residence time, and one sudden decompression
A note on the improvement ambiguity of the stress tensor and the
  critical limits of correlation functions

I study various properties of the critical limits of correlators containing
insertions of conserved and anomalous currents. In particular, I show that the
improvement term of the stress tensor can be fixed unambiguously, studying the
RG interpolation between the UV and IR limits. The removal of the improvement
ambiguity is encoded in a variational principle, which makes use of sum rules
for the trace anomalies a and a'. Compatible results follow from the analysis
of the RG equations. I perform a number of self-consistency checks and discuss
the issues in a large set of theories.Comment: 15 page
Study of Counting Characteristics of Porous Radiation Detectors

This paper presents the development of a new technology of registration of
ionizing radiation and a new type of detectors - single-cathode multiwire
porous detector with neither a gaseous nor semiconductor, but a porous
dielectric substance, e.g., CsI, being used as working medium. It is shown that
the performance of the multiwire porous detector is stable, ensuring highly
efficient detection of both heavily ionizing particles and soft X-rays with a
spatial resolution better than $\pm 60\mu m$. The continuous stable performance
opens up new perspectives for using porous detectors in research as well as
medicine. The obtained data are basic for the development of the theory of the
phenomenon of electrons' drift and multiplication in porous dielectrics under
the action of a strong external electric field.Comment: 43
Disagreement between correlations of quantum mechanics and stochastic
  electrodynamics in the damped parametric oscillator

Intracavity and external third order correlations in the damped nondegenerate
parametric oscillator are calculated for quantum mechanics and stochastic
electrodynamics (SED), a semiclassical theory. The two theories yield greatly
different results, with the correlations of quantum mechanics being cubic in
the system's nonlinear coupling constant and those of SED being linear in the
same constant. In particular, differences between the two theories are present
in at least a mesoscopic regime. They also exist when realistic damping is
included. Such differences illustrate distinctions between quantum mechanics
and a hidden variable theory for continuous variables.Comment: accepted by PR
Solar wind dynamic pressure effect on planetary wave propagation and synoptic-scale Rossby wave breaking

We provide statistical evidence of the effect of the solar wind dynamic pressure (Psw) on the northern winter and spring circulations. We find that the vertical structure of the Northern Annular Mode (NAM), the zonal mean circulation, and Eliassen-Palm (EP)-flux anomalies show a dynamically consistent pattern of downward propagation over a period of ~45 days in response to positive Psw anomalies. When the solar irradiance is high, the signature of Psw is marked by a positive NAM anomaly descending from the stratosphere to the surface during winter. When the solar irradiance is low, the Psw signal has the opposite sign, occurs in spring, and is confined to the stratosphere. The negative Psw signal in the NAM under low solar irradiance conditions is primarily governed by enhanced vertical EP-flux divergence and a warmer polar region. The winter Psw signal under high solar irradiance conditions is associated with positive anomalies of the horizontal EP-flux divergence at 55°N–75°N and negative anomalies at 25°N–45°N, which corresponds to the positive NAM anomaly. The EP-flux divergence anomalies occur ~15 days ahead of the mean-flow changes. A significant equatorward shift of synoptic-scale Rossby wave breaking (RWB) near the tropopause is detected during January–March, corresponding to increased anticyclonic RWB and a decrease in cyclonic RWB. We suggest that the barotropic instability associated with asymmetric ozone in the upper stratosphere and the baroclinic instability associated with the polar vortex in the middle and lower stratosphere play a critical role for the winter signal and its downward propagation
Outline of a dynamical inferential conception of the application of mathematics

We outline a framework for analyzing episodes from the history of science in which the application of mathematics plays a constitutive role in the conceptual development of empirical sciences. Our starting point is the inferential conception of the application of mathematics, recently advanced by Bueno and Colyvan (2011). We identify and discuss some systematic problems of this approach. We propose refinements of the inferential conception based on theoretical considerations and on the basis of a historical case study. We demonstrate the usefulness of the refined, dynamical inferential conception using the well-researched example of the genesis of general relativity. Specifically, we look at the collaboration of the physicist Einstein and the mathematician Grossmann in the years 1912–1913, which resulted in the jointly published “Outline of a Generalized Theory of Relativity and a Theory of Gravitation,” a precursor theory of the final theory of general relativity. In this episode, independently developed mathematical theories, the theory of differential invariants and the absolute differential calculus, were applied in the process of finding a relativistic theory of gravitation. The dynamical inferential conception not only provides a natural framework to describe and analyze this episode, but it also generates new questions and insights. We comment on the mathematical tradition on which Grossmann drew, and on his own contributions to mathematical theorizing. The dynamical inferential conception allows us to identify both the role of heuristics and of mathematical resources as well as the systematic role of problems and mistakes in the reconstruction of episodes of conceptual innovation and theory change
Multicenter analytical evaluation of the automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for cyclosporine

BACKGROUND:: Cyclosporine A (CsA) is used as a posttransplantation immunosuppressant drug, and careful monitoring of CsA concentration in whole blood is essential. A new automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) for CsA measurement has been assessed in a multicenter evaluation. METHODS:: Residual EDTA whole blood samples from patients undergoing CsA therapy after organ transplant were used in assay evaluation at 5 clinical laboratories in Europe. Experiments included imprecision according to CLSI EP5-A2 (within-run and intermediate), lower limit of quantification, linearity according to CLSI EP6-A, and recovery of commercial external quality control samples. In addition, comparisons to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods in routine use at each investigational site and to commercial chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay and antibody-conjugated magnetic immunoassay methods were performed. RESULTS:: Imprecision testing gave coefficients of variation of less than 9% in the 30-2000 mcg/L range for both within-run and intermediate imprecision. Lower limit of quantification of 6.8 mcg/L at one investigational site and 1.8 mcg/L at a second site at 20% coefficient of variation were observed. Linearity was measured over the concentration range 0-2000 mcg/L, yielding a deviation of less than ±12%. External quality control sample recovery by ECLIA was 93%-114% of LC-MS/MS sample recovery. Deming regression analysis of ECLIA method comparison to combined LC-MS/MS results yielded a slope of 1.04 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03-1.06] and intercept of 2.8 mcg/L (95% CI, 1.5-4.1 mcg/L). Comparison to chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay yielded a slope of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.85-0.89) and intercept of 1.4 mcg/L (95% CI, -0.89 to 3.7 mcg/L); comparison to antibody-conjugated magnetic immunoassay yielded a slope of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93-0.98) and intercept of -4.2 mcg/L (95% CI, -7.1 to -1.2 mcg/L). CONCLUSIONS:: The data from this multicenter evaluation indicate that the new ECLIA-based cyclosporine assay is fit for its purpose, the therapeutic monitoring of CsA
Resurgence and dynamics of O(N) and Grassmannian sigma models

We study the non-perturbative dynamics of the two dimensional O ( N ) and Grassmannian sigma models by using compactification with twisted boundary conditions on ℝ × S 1 $$ \mathbb{R}\times {S}^1 $$ , semi-classical techniques and resurgence. While the O ( N ) model has no instantons for N > 3, it has (non-instanton) saddles on ℝ 2 $$ {\mathbb{R}}^2 $$ , which we call 2d-saddles. On ℝ × S 1 $$ \mathbb{R}\times {S}^1 $$ , the resurgent relation between perturbation theory and non-perturbative physics is encoded in new saddles, which are associated with the affine root system of the o( N ) algebra. These events may be viewed as fractionalizations of the 2d-saddles. The first beta function coefficient, given by the dual Coxeter number, can then be intepreted as the sum of the multiplicities (dual Kac labels) of these fractionalized objects. Surprisingly, the new saddles in O ( N ) models in compactified space are in one-to-one correspondence with monopole-instanton saddles in SO( N ) gauge theory on ℝ 3 × S 1 $$ {\mathbb{R}}^3\times {S}^1 $$ . The Grassmannian sigma models Gr( N, M ) have 2d instantons, which fractionalize into N kink-instantons. The small circle dynamics of both sigma models can be described as a dilute gas of the one-events and two-events, bions. One-events are the leading source of a variety of non-perturbative effects, and produce the strong scale of the 2d theory in the compactified theory. We show that in both types of sigma models the neutral bion emulates the role of IR-renormalons. We also study the topological theta angle dependence in both the O (3) model and Gr( N, M ), and describe the multi-branched structure of the observables in terms of the theta-angle dependence of the saddle amplitudes, providing a microscopic argument for Haldane’s conjecture
Comparing EFT and exact one-loop analyses of non-degenerate stops

We develop a universal approach to the one-loop effective field theory (EFT) using the Covariant Derivative Expansion (CDE) method. We generalise previous results to include broader classes of UV models, showing how expressions previously obtained assuming degenerate heavy-particle masses can be extended to non-degenerate cases. We apply our method to the general MSSM with non-degenerate stop squarks, illustrating our approach with calculations of the coefficients of dimension-6 operators contributing to the hgg and hγγ couplings, and comparing with exact calculations of one-loop Feynman diagrams. We then use present and projected future sensitivities to these operator coefficients to obtain present and possible future indirect constraints on stop masses. The current sensitivity is already comparable to that of direct LHC searches, and future FCC-ee measurements could be sensitive to stop masses above a TeV. The universality of our one-loop EFT approach facilitates extending these constraints to a broader class of UV models
Looking for integrability on the worldsheet of confining strings

We study restrictions on scattering amplitudes on the worldvolume of branes and strings (such as confining flux tubes in QCD) implied by the target space Poincaré symmetry. We focus on exploring the conditions for the string worldsheet theory to be integrable. We prove that for a higher dimensional membrane the scattering amplitudes for the translational Goldstone modes (“branons”) are double soft. At one-loop double softness is generically violated for the string worldsheet scattering as a consequence of collinear singularities. Violation of double softness implies in turn the breakdown of integrability. We prove that if branons are the only gapless degrees of freedom then the worldsheet integrability is compatible with target space Poincaré symmetry only if the number of space-time dimensions is equal to D = 26 (a critical bosonic string), and for D = 3. We extend the analysis to include massless worldsheet fermions, resulting from spontaneous breakdown of the target space supersymmetry. We check that the tree-level integrability in this case is in one-to-one correspondence with the existence of a -symmetric Green-Schwarz (GS) action. As a byproduct we show that at the leading order in the derivative expansion an N = 1 $$ \mathcal{N}=1 $$ superstring without -symmetry in D = 3 , 4 , 6 , 10 dimensions exhibits an accidental enhanced supersymmetry and is equivalent to a -symmetric N = 2 $$ \mathcal{N}=2 $$ GS superstring
Chiral sum rules and vacuum condensates from tau-lepton decay data

QCD finite energy sum rules, together with the latest updated ALEPH data on hadronic decays of the tau-lepton are used in order to determine the vacuum condensates of dimension d = 2 and d = 4. These data are also used to check the validity of the Weinberg sum rules, and to determine the chiral condensates of dimension d = 6 and d = 8, as well as the chiral correlator at zero momentum, proportional to the counter term of the O p 4 $$ \mathcal{O}\left({p}^4\right) $$ Lagrangian of chiral perturbation theory, L ¯ 10 $$ {\overline{L}}_{10} $$ . Suitable (pinched) integration kernels are introduced in the sum rules in order to suppress potential quark-hadron duality violations. We find no compelling indications of duality violations in the kinematic region above s ≃ 2 . 2 GeV 2 after using pinched integration kernels
Dark antiatoms can explain DAMA

We show that the existence of a sub-dominant form of dark matter, made of dark “antiatoms” of mass m∼ 1 TeV and size ȧ0∼ 3 fm, can explain the results of direct detection experiments, with a positive  signal in DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA  and no signal in other experiments. The signal comes from the binding of the dark antiatoms to  thallium, a dopant in DAMA, and is not present for the constituent atoms of other experiments. The dark  antiatoms are made of two particles oppositely charged under a dark U(1) symmetry and can bind to terrestrial   atoms because of a kinetic mixing between the   photon and the massless dark photon, such that the dark   particles acquire an electric millicharge ∼ ± 5.10−4e. This millicharge enables them to bind to  high-Z   atoms via radiative capture, after they thermalize in terrestrial matter through elastic collisions
Model-independent precision constraints on dimension-6 operators

We discuss electroweak precision constraints on dimension-6 operators in the effective theory beyond the standard model. We identify the combinations of these operators that are constrained by the pole observables (the W and Z masses and on-shell decays) and by the W boson pair production. To this end, we define a set of effective couplings of W and Z bosons to fermions and to itself, which capture the effects of new physics corrections. This formalism clarifies which operators are constrained by which observable, independently of the adopted basis of operators. We obtain numerical constraints on the coefficients of dimension-6 operator in a form that can be easily adapted to any particular basis of operators, or any particular model with new heavy particles
Challenges for the Nelson-Barr mechanism

The axion and m u = 0 solutions to the strong CP problem have been subject to the most careful scrutiny and critique. Basic theoretical issues include hierarchy and fine-tuning problems, quality and genericity of symmetries, and compatibility with solutions to the electroweak hierarchy problem. We study the similar set of challenges for solutions to strong CP based on spontaneous CP violation and the Nelson-Barr mechanism. Some of our observations have appeared in the literature previously, and others are new; our purpose is to collect and analyze the issues as a whole and provide an assessment of the most plausible settings for the Nelson-Barr solution
Impact of vegetation die-off on spatial flow patterns over a tidal marsh

Large-scale die-off of tidal marsh vegetation, caused by global change, is expected to change flow patterns over tidal wetlands, and hence to affect valuable wetland functions such as reduction of shoreline erosion, attenuation of storm surges, and sedimentation in response to sea level rise. This study quantified for the first time the effects of large-scale (4 ha) artificial vegetation removal, as proxy of die-off, on the spatial flow patterns through a tidal marsh channel and over the surrounding marsh platform. After vegetation removal, the flow velocities measured on the platform increased by a factor of 2 to 4, while the channel flow velocities decreased by almost a factor of 3. This was associated with a change in flow directions on the platform, from perpendicular to the channel edges when vegetation was present, to a tendency of more parallel flow to the channel edges when vegetation was absent. Comparison with hydrodynamic model simulations explains that the vegetation-induced friction causes both flow reduction on the vegetated platform and flow acceleration towards the non-vegetated channels. Our findings imply that large-scale vegetation die-off would not only result in decreased platform sedimentation rates, but also in sediment infilling of the channels, which together would lead to further worsening of plant growth conditions and a potentially runaway feedback to permanent vegetation loss. Citation: Temmerman, S., P. Moonen, J. Schoelynck, G. Govers, and T. J. Bouma (2012), Impact of vegetation die-off on spatial flow patterns over a tidal marsh, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L03406, doi: 10.1029/2011GL050502