D. Oliva | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

Variation in Patterns of Metal Accumulation in Thallus Parts of Lessonia trabeculata (Laminariales; Phaeophyceae): Implications for Biomonitoring

Seaweeds are well known to concentrate metals from seawater and have been employed as monitors of metal pollution in coastal waters and estuaries. However, research showing that various intrinsic and extrinsic factors can influence metal accumulation, raises doubts about the basis for using seaweeds in biomonitoring programmes. The thallus of brown seaweeds of the order Laminariales (kelps) is morphologically complex but there is limited information about the variation in metal accumulation between the different parts, which might result in erroneous conclusions being drawn if not accounted for in the biomonitoring protocol. To assess patterns of individual metals in the differentiated parts of the thallus (blade, stipe, holdfast), concentrations of a wide range of essential and non-essential metals (Fe, Cr, Cu, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cd, Ni and Al) were measured in the kelp Lessonia trabeculata. Seaweeds were collected from three sampling stations located at 5, 30 and 60 m from an illegal sewage outfall close to Ventanas, Chile and from a pristine location at Faro Curaumilla. For the majority of metals the highest concentrations in bottom sediment and seaweed samples were found at the site closest to the outfall, with concentrations decreasing with distance from the outfall and at control stations; the exception was Cd, concentrations of which were higher at control stations. The patterns of metal concentrations in different thallus parts were metal specific and independent of sampling station. These results and the available literature suggest that biomonitoring of metals using seaweeds must take account of differences in the accumulation of metals in thallus parts of complex seaweeds

q-bio.OT↗

arXiv2006

The Bose Gas Low Momentum Limit Revisited

We discuss the standard approach to the problem of the low momentum limit of the spectrum for a weakly interacting Bose gas. The Bogoliubov's spectrum is shown to be obtained as a Goldstone mode thanks to the introduction of a chemical potential $μ$. This procedure has, however, difficulties since the breaking of the gauge symmetry implies that the corresponding chemical potential must be taken as zero, unless it is introduced before breaking the symmetry. But if this is done, after the symmetry breaking $μ$ loses its meaning as a chemical potential. An alternative two-mode solution is suggested having two modes, one of them being the free-particle quadratic in momentum spectrum, the second bearing a gap. This gap leads to a $λ$-type behavior of the specific heat near the critical temperature.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2004

A subjective distance between stimuli: quantifying the metric structure of representations

As subjects perceive the sensory world, different stimuli elicit a number of neural representations. Here, a subjective distance between stimuli is defined, measuring the degree of similarity between the underlying representations. As an example, the subjective distance between different locations in space is calculated from the activity of rodent hippocampal place cells, and lateral septal cells. Such a distance is compared to the real distance, between locations. As the number of sampled neurons increases, the subjective distance shows a tendency to resemble the metrics of real space.

q-bio.NC↗