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We examined chemical communication in male and female European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis). In simultaneous binary choice tests, a focal animal was given a choice between pheromones from a conspecific and a choice chamber containing untreated water. Females did not show a preference, both when male and when female stimuli were presented. On the contrary, males preferred the odor of a female over untreated water, suggesting that males actively search for females. The strength of preference was positively correlated with the body size difference between the female and the focal male, indicating that males prefer to mate with larger females. Female fecundity is positively correlated with female size in E. orbicularis, which may account for male choosiness. No overall preference for the stimulus animal was observed when males were presented cues from another male. However, the strength of preference was negatively correlated with the difference in body size. Males avoided large males, but oriented towards smaller stimulus males. This reflects that males form dominance hierarchies, where large males aggressively attack smaller ones. Far-range chemical communication probably enables males to minimize the risk of costly aggressive interactions. This is, to our knowledge, the first study on the role of chemical cues for inter-and intrasexual communication in the European pond turtle
We prove the existence of sectors of minimal growth for general closed extensions of elliptic cone operators under natural ellipticity conditions. This is achieved by the construction of a suitable parametrix and reduction to the boundary. Special attention is devoted to the clarification of the analytic structure of the resolvent.
Requirements for an integration of methods analyzing social issues in knowledge organizations
(2006)
More than one century ago, sturgeons were prevalent species in the fish communities of all major German rivers both in the North and the Baltic seas drainages. Since then, the populations declined rapidly due to river damming, overfishing and pollution. The last sturgeon catches in the Baltic drainage system occurred during the late 1960ies. Only a few individual captures have been reported during the last 30 years with the most recent records in the Lake Ladoga ( Russia), where the last confirmed catch was recorded in 1984, and a single individual caught off Estonia in 1996. Today, sturgeons are considered missing or extinct in German waters. First attempts for remediation of the species were undertaken in the mid 1990ies. Subsequently, phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of the species were carried out using mtDNA, microsatellites, and nuclear markers ( SNPs). These genetic analyses using recent and historic material have proven the existence of two different species in the Baltic Sea in what was previously considered to represent the European Atlantic sturgeon only. In the Baltic Sea, the American Atlantic sturgeon ( A. oxyrinchus) succeeded to colonize this brackish water system during the Middle Ages. In the North Sea, the European Atlantic sturgeon ( A. sturio) is considered to be the endemic species. These results led to the separation of the remediation activities in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea tributaries. Further studies on the mechanism that lead to the extinction of A. sturio in Germany and the subsequent succession of the A. oxyrinchus mtDNA haplotype are currently been carried out. Broodstock development using the northernmost populations of A. oxyrinchus is currently under way. As a further prerequisite to re-introduce this species into the Baltic, the evaluation of the status of critical habitats for the early life stages of the American Atlantic sturgeon in the River Odra has been performed in collaboration with the Institute for Inland Fisheries of Poland. Alternative fisheries techniques, based on the data of by-catch of exotic sturgeons in the fishery, are presently developed in close cooperation with the fishery to reduce fisheries related mortality in juvenile sturgeons upon release. Monitoring of habitat utilization and migration characteristics of juvenile fish upon experimental release will have to be carried out shortly, using acoustic telemetry, with the aim to follow the fate of the released fish and to determine the best time-size-release-window for future release programmes.
Relaxation processes at the glass transition in polyamide 11: From rigidity to viscoelasticity
(2006)
Relaxation processes associated with the glass transition in nonferroelectric and ferroelectric polyamide (PA) 11 are investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) in order to obtain information about the molecular mobility within the amorphous phase. In particular, the effects of melt quenching, cold drawing, and annealing just below the melting region are studied with respect to potential possibilities and limitations for improving the piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of PA 11. A relaxation map is obtained from DRS that shows especially the crossover region where the cooperative alpha relaxation and the local beta relaxation merge into a single high-temperature process. No fundamental difference between quenched, cold-drawn, and annealed films is found, though in the cold-drawn (ferroelectric) film the alpha relaxation is suppressed and slowed down, but it is at least partly recovered by subsequent annealing. It is concluded that there exists an amorphous phase in all structures, even in the cold-drawn film. The amorphous phase can be more rigid or more viscoelastic depending on preparation. Cold drawing not only leads to crystallization in a ferroelectric form but also to higher rigidity of the remaining amorphous phase. Annealing just below the melting region after cold drawing causes a stronger phase separation between the crystalline phase and a more viscoelastic amorphous phase.
Relaxation processes at the glass transition in polyamide 11 : From rigidity to viscoelasticity
(2006)
Reliable information on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is rare and costly for financial intermediaries. Therefore relationship banking is often considered as the appropriate lending technique. In this paper we offer a theoretical model to analyze relationship banking and the pricing behavior of banks in a Bertrand competition framework with monitoring costs. We show that the lack of reliable information leads to comparable high interest rates even if a long-term relationship between borrower and bank exists. The paper offers a theoretical explanation why SMEs often are faced with borrowing constraints.
Context: Placental and circulatory soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) has proven to be elevated in pregnant women with preeclampsia, a disease characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and endothelial dysfunction. Recent studies also demonstrated an autoantibody against the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor (AT1-AA) in that disease. Objective: Both factors are discussed as key players in the etiology of preeclampsia. However, it has not yet been clarified whether these two circulating factors correlate and whether synergy determines the severity of pathology. Design: AT1-AA was retrospectively determined by a bioassay and sFlt1 by an ELISA. Patients: Serum from second-trimester pregnancies with normal or abnormal uterine perfusion and in women at term with or without pregnancy pathology was analyzed. Results: Most of the preeclamptic patients were characterized by high sFlt1 levels and the presence of AT1-AA, although the agonistic effects of the antibody did not correlate with the sFlt1 concentrations (P = 0.85). Although AT1- AA was also detected in second-trimester pregnancies evidencing abnormal uterine perfusion without later pathology, sFlt1 was not significantly elevated in these pregnancies, compared with those with normal uterine perfusion. However, whereas women with abnormal perfusion and later pregnancy pathology did not differ in AT1-AA, compared with those with normal outcome, sFlt1 was significantly increased. Again, the two factors did not correlate (P = 0.15). Conclusions: We conclude that AT1-AA bioactivity and sFlt1 concentrations do not correlate, are not mutually dependent, and are thus probably involved in distinct pathogenetic mechanisms. Both factors in combination may not be causative for the early impaired trophoblast invasion and pathological uterine perfusion
The active metabolite of vitaminA, retinoic acid (RA), plays an important role in the female reproductive system. The synthesis of RA is tightly regulated by the activity of retinaldehyde dehydrogenases (Raldh). Among these, Raldh1 and Raldh2 exhibit specific temporal and spatial expression patterns in the mouse uterus, both during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy. In the present study, we have assessed whether oestradiol and progesterone directly influence the uterine expression of Raldh1 and Raldh2 in ovariectomised mice. We investigated the effect of gestagen (promegestone 0.3 mg kg(-1) bodyweight), oestrogen (oestradiol 3 mu g kg(-1) bodyweight) and their combination on the uterine expression of Raldh2. Expression was analysed using in situ hybridisation and quantified using real-time detection reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The results show that the expression of Raldh2 is rapidly (within 1-4 h) induced in stromal cells by oestrogen, but not by gestagen, treatment, whereas combined oestrogen + gestagen treatment leads to a more prolonged (48 h) response. In contrast, oestrogen, but not progesterone, treatment downregulates (within 4 - 24 h) Raldh1 expression in the uterine glandular epithelium. We conclude that the uterine RA concentrations are regulated by oestrogens via an effect on the expression of the Raldh synthesising enzymes. Such a regulation is consistent with the natural fluctuations of Raldh expression during the oestrous cycle, early pregnancy and blastocyst implantation
Three ODP sites located on the Marion Plateau, Northeast Australian margin, were investigated for clay mineral and bulk mineralogy changes through the early to middle Miocene. Kaolinite to smectite (K/S) ratios, as well as mass accumulation rates of clays, point to a marked decrease in accumulation of smectite associated with an increase in accumulation of kaolinite starting at similar to 15.6 Ma, followed by a, second increase in accumulation of kaolinite at similar to 13.2 Ma. Both of these increases are correlative to an increase in the calcite to detritus ratio. Comparison of our record with published precipitation proxies from continental Queensland indicates that increases in kaolinite did not correspond to more intense tropical-humid conditions, but instead to periods of greater aridity. Three mechanisms are explored to explain the temporal trends in clad, on the Marion Plateau: sea-level changes, changes in oceanic currents, and denudation of the Australian continent followed by reworking and eolian transport of clays. Though low mass accumulation rates of kaolinite are compatible with a possible contribution of eolian material after 14 Ma, when Australia became more arid, the lateral distribution of kaolinite along slope indicates mainly fluvial input for all clays and thus rules out this mechanism as well as oceanic current transport as the main controls behind clay accumulation on the plateau. We propose a model explaining the good correlation between long-term sea-level fall, decrease in smectite accumulation, increase in kaolinite accumulation and increase in carbonate input to the distal slope locations. We hypothesize that during low sea level and thus periods of drier continental climate in Queensland, early Miocene kaolinite-rich lacustrine deposits were being reworked, and that the progradation of the heterozoan carbonate platforms towards the basin center favored input of carbonate to the distal slope sites. The major find of our study is that increase kaolinite fluxes on the Queensland margin during the early and middle Miocene did not reflect the establishment of a tropical climate, and this stresses that care must be taken when reconstructing Australian climate based on deep-sea clay records alone.
Cave animals are widely recognised as model organisms to study regressive evolutionary processes like the reduction of eyes. In this paper, we report on the regressive evolution of species discrimination in the cave molly, Poecilia mexicana, which, unlike other cave fishes, still has functional eyes. This allowed us to examine the response to both visual and non-visual cues involved in species discrimination. When surface-dwelling females were given a chance to associate with either a conspecific or a swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii) female, they strongly preferred the conspecific female both when multiple cues and when solely visual cues were available to the female. No association preference was observed when only non-visual cues were provided. In contrast, cave-dwelling females showed no preference under all testing conditions, suggesting that species recognition mechanisms have been reduced. We discuss the role of species discrimination in relation to habitat differences.
A novel method for the encapsulation of biomacromolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins, into polyelectrolyte microcapsules is described. Fluorescence-labelled double-stranded DNA and human serum albumin (HSA) are used as model substances for encapsulation in hollow microcapsules templated on human erythrocytes. The encapsulation procedure involves an intermediate drying C, step. The accumulation of DNA and HSA in the capsules is observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy, UV spectroscopy, and flourimetry. The mechanism of encapsulation is discussed
Recurrence plot analyses suggest a novel reference system involved in newborn spontaneous movements
(2006)
The movements of newborns have been thoroughly studied in terms of reflexes, muscle synergies, leg coordination, and target-directed arm/hand movements. Since these approaches have concentrated mainly on separate accomplishments, there has remained a clear need for more integrated investigations. Here, we report an inquiry in which we explicitly concentrated on taking such a perspective and, additionally, were guided by the methodological concept of home base behavior, which Ilan Golard developed for studies of exploratory behavior in animals. Methods from nonlinear dynamics, such as symbolic dynamics and recurrence plot analyses of kinematic data received from audiovisual newborn recordings, yielded new insights into the spatial and temporal organization of limb movements. In the framework of home base behavior, our approach uncovered a novel reference system of spontaneous newborn movements.
The four dominant theories of reasoning from conditionals are translated into formal models: The theory of mental models (Johnson-Laird, P. N., & Byrne, R. M. J. (2002). Conditionals: a theory of meaning, pragmatics, and inference. Psychological Review, 109, 646-678), the suppositional theory (Evans, J. S. B. T., & Over, D. E. (2004). If. Oxford: Oxford University Press), a dual-process variant of the model theory (Verschueren, N., Schaeken, W., & d'Ydewalle, G. (2005). A dual-process specification of causal conditional reasoning. Thinking & Reasoning, 11, 278-293), and the probabilistic theory (Oaksford, M., Chater, N., & Larkin, J. (2000). Probabilities and polarity biases in conditional inference. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 26, 883-899). The first three theories are formalized as multinomial models. The models are applied to the frequencies of patterns of acceptance or rejection across the four basic inferences modus ponens, acceptance of the consequent, denial of the antecedent, and modus tollens. Model fits are assessed for two large data sets, one representing reasoning with abstract, basic conditionals, the other reflecting reasoning with pseudo-realistic causal and non-causal conditionals. The best account of the data was provided by a modified version of the mental-model theory, augmented by directionality, and by the dual-process model.
An increasing number of applications requires user interfaces that facilitate the handling of large geodata sets. Using virtual 3D city models, complex geospatial information can be communicated visually in an intuitive way. Therefore, real-time visualization of virtual 3D city models represents a key functionality for interactive exploration, presentation, analysis, and manipulation of geospatial data. This thesis concentrates on the development and implementation of concepts and techniques for real-time city model visualization. It discusses rendering algorithms as well as complementary modeling concepts and interaction techniques. Particularly, the work introduces a new real-time rendering technique to handle city models of high complexity concerning texture size and number of textures. Such models are difficult to handle by current technology, primarily due to two problems: - Limited texture memory: The amount of simultaneously usable texture data is limited by the memory of the graphics hardware. - Limited number of textures: Using several thousand different textures simultaneously causes significant performance problems due to texture switch operations during rendering. The multiresolution texture atlases approach, introduced in this thesis, overcomes both problems. During rendering, it permanently maintains a small set of textures that are sufficient for the current view and the screen resolution available. The efficiency of multiresolution texture atlases is evaluated in performance tests. To summarize, the results demonstrate that the following goals have been achieved: - Real-time rendering becomes possible for 3D scenes whose amount of texture data exceeds the main memory capacity. - Overhead due to texture switches is kept permanently low, so that the number of different textures has no significant effect on the rendering frame rate. Furthermore, this thesis introduces two new approaches for real-time city model visualization that use textures as core visualization elements: - An approach for visualization of thematic information. - An approach for illustrative visualization of 3D city models. Both techniques demonstrate that multiresolution texture atlases provide a basic functionality for the development of new applications and systems in the domain of city model visualization.
Background: Racing drivers require multifaceted cognitive and physical abilities in a multitasking situation. A knowledge of their physical capacities may help to improve fitness and performance. Objective: To compare reaction time, stability performance capacity, and strength performance capacity of elite racing drivers with those of age-matched, physically active controls. Methods: Eight elite racing drivers and 10 physically active controls matched for age and weight were tested in a reaction and determination test requiring upper and lower extremity responses to visual and audio cues. Further tests comprised evaluation of one-leg postural stability on a two-dimensional moveable platform, measures of maximum strength performance capacity of the extensors of the leg on a leg press, and a test of force capacity of the arms in a sitting position at a steering wheel. An additional arm endurance test consisted of isometric work at the steering wheel at + 30 degrees and -30 degrees where an eccentric threshold load of 30 N.m was applied. Subjects had to hold the end positions above this threshold until exhaustion. Univariate one way analysis of variance (alpha = 0.05) including a Bonferroni adjustment was used to detect group differences between the drivers and controls. Results: The reaction time of the racing drivers was significantly faster than the controls ( p = 0.004). The following motor reaction time and reaction times in the multiple determination test did not differ between the groups. No significant differences (p> 0.05) were found for postural stability, leg extensor strength, or arm strength and endurance. Conclusions: Racing drivers have faster reaction times than age-matched physically active controls. Further development of motor sport-specific test protocols is suggested. According to the requirements of motor racing, strength and sensorimotor performance capacity can potentially be improved.
Plant phenolic compounds are known to interact with proteins producing changes in the food (e.g., biological value (BV), color, taste). Therefore, the in vivo relevance, especially, of covalent phenolprotein reactions on protein quality was studied in a rat bioassay. The rats were fed protein derivatives at a 10% protein level. Soy proteins were derivatized with chlorogenic acid and quercetin (derivatization levels: 0.056 and 0.28 mmol phenolic compound/gram protein). Analysis of nitrogen in diets, urine, and fecal samples as well as the distribution of amino acids were determined. Depending on the degree of derivatization, the rats fed with soy protein derivatives showed an increased excretion of fecal and urinary nitrogen. As a result, true nitrogen digestibility, BV, and net protein utilization were adversely affected. Protein digestibility corrected amino acid score was decreased for lysine, tryptophan, and sulfur containing amino acids.
The first goal of the present work focuses on the need for different rationing methods of the The Global Change and Financial Transition (GFT) work- ing group at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK): I provide a toolbox which contains a variety of rationing methods to be ap- plied to micro-economic disequilibrium models of the lagom model family. This toolbox consists of well known rationing methods, and of rationing methods provided specifically for lagom. To ensure an easy application the toolbox is constructed in modular fashion. The second goal of the present work is to present a micro-economic labour market where heterogenous labour suppliers experience consecu- tive job opportunities and need to decide whether to apply for employ- ment. The labour suppliers are heterogenous with respect to their qualifi- cations and their beliefs about the application behaviour of their competi- tors. They learn simultaneously – in Bayesian fashion – about their individ- ual perceived probability to obtain employment conditional on application (PPE) by observing each others’ application behaviour over a cycle of job opportunities.
We study the spontaneous emission of a single emitter close to a metallic nanoparticle, with the aim to clarify the distance dependence of the radiative and non-radiative decay rates. We derive analytical formulas based on a dipole- dipole model, and show that the nonradiative decay rate follows a R-6 dependence at short distance, where R is the distance between the emitter and the center of the nanoparticle, as in Forster's energy transfer. The distance dependence of the radiative decay rate is more subtle. It is chiefly dominated by a R-3 dependence, a R-6 dependence being visible at plasmon resonance. The latter is a consequence of radiative damping in the effective dipole polarizability of the nanoparticle. The different distance behavior of the radiative and non-radiative decay rates implies that the apparent quantum yield always vanishes at short distance. Moreover, non-radiative decay is strongly enhanced when the emitter radiates at the plasmon-resonance frequency of the nanoparticle.
It is shown that an elliptic scattering operator A on a compact manifold with boundary with operator valued coefficients in the morphisms of a bundle of Banach spaces of class (HT ) and Pisier’s property (α) has maximal regularity (up to a spectral shift), provided that the spectrum of the principal symbol of A on the scattering cotangent bundle avoids the right half-plane. This is accomplished by representing the resolvent in terms of pseudodifferential operators with R-bounded symbols, yielding by an iteration argument the R-boundedness of λ(A − λ)−1 in R(λ)≥ τ for some τ ∈ IR. To this end, elements of a symbolic and operator calculus of pseudodifferential operators with R-bounded symbols are introduced. The significance of this method for proving maximal regularity results for partial differential operators is underscored by considering also a more elementary situation of anisotropic elliptic operators on Rd with operator valued coefficients.
Contents: Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Information Structure 2 Grammatical Correlates of Information Structure 3 Structure of the Questionnaire 4 Experimental Tasks 5 Technicalities 6 Archiving 7 Acknowledgments Chapter 2. General Questions 1 General Information 2 Phonology 3 Morphology and Syntax Chapter 3. Experimental tasks 1 Changes (Given/New in Intransitives and Transitives) 2 Giving (Given/New in Ditransitives) 3 Visibility (Given/New, Animacy and Type/Token Reference) 4 Locations (Given/New in Locative Expressions) 5 Sequences (Given/New/Contrast in Transitives) 6 Dynamic Localization (Given/New in Dynamic Loc. Descriptions) 7 Birthday Party (Weight and Discourse Status) 8 Static Localization (Macro-Planning and Given/New in Locatives) 9 Guiding (Presentational Utterances) 10 Event Cards (All New) 11 Anima (Focus types and Animacy) 12 Contrast (Contrast in pairing events) 13 Animal Game (Broad/Narrow Focus in NP) 14 Properties (Focus on Property and Possessor) 15 Eventives (Thetic and Categorical Utterances) 16 Tell a Story (Contrast in Text) 17 Focus Cards (Selective, Restrictive, Additive, Rejective Focus) 18 Who does What (Answers to Multiple Constituent Questions) 19 Fairy Tale (Topic and Focus in Coherent Discourse) 20 Map Task (Contrastive and Selective Focus in Spontaneous Dialogue) 21 Drama (Contrastive Focus in Argumentation) 22 Events in Places (Spatial, Temporal and Complex Topics) 23 Path Descriptions (Topic Change in Narrative) 24 Groups (Partial Topic) 25 Connections (Bridging Topic) 26 Indirect (Implicational Topic) 27 Surprises (Subject-Topic Interrelation) 28 Doing (Action Given, Action Topic) 29 Influences (Question Priming) Chapter 4. Translation tasks 1 Basic Intonational Properties 2 Focus Translation 3 Topic Translation 4 Quantifiers Chapter 5. Information structure summary survey 1 Preliminaries 2 Syntax 3 Morphology 4 Prosody 5 Summary: Information structure Chapter 6. Performance of Experimental Tasks in the Field 1 Field sessions 2 Field Session Metadata 3 Informants’ Agreement
Recent progress towards a quantum theory of laser-induced desorption and related phenomena is reviewed, for specific examples. These comprise the photodesorption of NO from Pt(111), the scanning tunnelling microscope and laser- induced desorption and switching of H at Si(100), and the electron stimulated desorption and dissociation of CO at Ru(0001). The theoretical methods used for nuclear dynamics range from open-system density matrix theory over nonadiabatically coupled multi-state models to electron-nuclear wavepackets. Also, aspects of time-dependent spectroscopy to probe ultrafast nonadiabatic processes at surfaces will be considered for the example of two-photon photoemission of solvated electrons in ice layers on Cu(111)
Quantum dots (QDs) are common as luminescing markers for imaging in biological applications because their optical properties seem to be inert against their surrounding solvent. This, together with broad and strong absorption bands and intense, sharp tuneable luminescence bands, makes them interesting candidates for methods utilizing Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), e. g. for sensitive homogeneous fluoroimmunoassays (FIA). In this work we demonstrate energy transfer from Eu3+-trisbipyridin (Eu-TBP) donors to CdSe-ZnS-QD acceptors in solutions with and without serum. The QDs are commercially available CdSe-ZnS core-shell particles emitting at 655 nm (QD655). The FRET system was achieved by the binding of the streptavidin conjugated donors with the biotin conjugated acceptors. After excitation of Eu-TBP and as result of the energy transfer, the luminescence of the QD655 acceptors also showed lengthened decay times like the donors. The energy transfer efficiency, as calculated from the decay times of the bound and the unbound components, amounted to 37%. The Forster-radius, estimated from the absorption and emission bands, was ca. 77Å. The effective binding ratio, which not only depends on the ratio of binding pairs but also on unspecific binding, was obtained from the donor emission dependent on the concentration. As serum promotes unspecific binding, the overall FRET efficiency of the assay was reduced. We conclude that QDs are good substitutes for acceptors in FRET if combined with slow decay donors like Europium. The investigation of the influence of the serum provides guidance towards improving binding properties of QD assays.
Quantum dots (QDs) are common as luminescing markers for imaging in biological applications because their optical properties seem to be inert against their surrounding solvent. This, together with broad and strong absorption bands and intense, sharp tuneable luminescence bands, makes them interesting candidates for methods utilizing Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), e. g. for sensitive homogeneous fluoroimmunoassays (FIA). In this work we demonstrate energy transfer from Eu<SUP>3+</SUP>-trisbipyridin (Eu-TBP) donors to CdSe-ZnS-QD acceptors in solutions with and without serum. The QDs are commercially available CdSe-ZnS core-shell particles emitting at 655 nm (QD655). The FRET system was achieved by the binding of the streptavidin conjugated donors with the biotin conjugated acceptors. After excitation of Eu-TBP and as result of the energy transfer, the luminescence of the QD655 acceptors also showed lengthened decay times like the donors. The energy transfer efficiency, as calculated from the decay times of the bound and the unbound components, amounted to 37%. The Förster-radius, estimated from the absorption and emission bands, was ca. 77 Å. The effective binding ratio, which not only depends on the ratio of binding pairs but also on unspecific binding, was obtained from the donor emission dependent on the concentration. As serum promotes unspecific binding, the overall FRET efficiency of the assay was reduced. We conclude that QDs are good substitutes for acceptors in FRET if combined with slow decay donors like Europium. The investigation of the influence of the serum provides guidance towards improving binding properties of QD assays.
Three quantum cryptographic protocols of multiuser quantum networks with embedded authentication, allowing quantum key distribution or quantum direct communication, are discussed in this work. The security of the protocols against different types of attacks is analysed with a focus on various impersonation attacks and the man-in-the-middle attack. On the basis of the security analyses several improvements are suggested and implemented in order to adjust the investigated vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the impact of the eavesdropping test procedure on impersonation attacks is outlined. The framework of a general eavesdropping test is proposed to provide additional protection against security risks in impersonation attacks.
We study theoretically the coherent and correlated motion of many fermions inside an infinite square well potential. We will look at electrons and He-3 atoms, which behave very differently not only because of their masses, but also because of their different interaction potential. Also, the level of theory and the role of approximations in the solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation will be discussed
The advent of large-scale and high-throughput technologies has recently caused a shift in focus in contemporary biology from decades of reductionism towards a more systemic view. Alongside the availability of genome sequences the exploration of organisms utilizing such approach should give rise to a more comprehensive understanding of complex systems. Domestication and intensive breeding of crop plants has led to a parallel narrowing of their genetic basis. The potential to improve crops by conventional breeding using elite cultivars is therefore rather limited and molecular technologies, such as marker assisted selection (MAS) are currently being exploited to re-introduce allelic variance from wild species. Molecular breeding strategies have mostly focused on the introduction of yield or resistance related traits to date. However given that medical research has highlighted the importance of crop compositional quality in the human diet this research field is rapidly becoming more important. Chemical composition of biological tissues can be efficiently assessed by metabolite profiling techniques, which allow the multivariate detection of metabolites of a given biological sample. Here, a GC/MS metabolite profiling approach has been applied to investigate natural variation of tomatoes with respect to the chemical composition of their fruits. The establishment of a mass spectral and retention index (MSRI) library was a prerequisite for this work in order to establish a framework for the identification of metabolites from a complex mixture. As mass spectral and retention index information is highly important for the metabolomics community this library was made publicly available. Metabolite profiling of tomato wild species revealed large differences in the chemical composition, especially of amino and organic acids, as well as on the sugar composition and secondary metabolites. Intriguingly, the analysis of a set of S. pennellii introgression lines (IL) identified 889 quantitative trait loci of compositional quality and 326 yield-associated traits. These traits are characterized by increases/decreases not only of single metabolites but also of entire metabolic pathways, thus highlighting the potential of this approach in uncovering novel aspects of metabolic regulation. Finally the biosynthetic pathway of the phenylalanine-derived fruit volatiles phenylethanol and phenylacetaldehyde was elucidated via a combination of metabolic profiling of natural variation, stable isotope tracer experiments and reverse genetic experimentation.
In this paper we compare the behaviour of adverbs of frequency (de Swart 1993) like usually with the behaviour of adverbs of quantity like for the most part in sentences that contain plural definites. We show that sentences containing the former type of Q-adverb evidence that Quantificational Variability Effects (Berman 1991) come about as an indirect effect of quantification over situations: in order for quantificational variability readings to arise, these sentences have to obey two newly observed constraints that clearly set them apart from sentences containing corresponding quantificational DPs, and that can plausibly be explained under the assumption that quantification over (the atomic parts of) complex situations is involved. Concerning sentences with the latter type of Q-adverb, on the other hand, such evidence is lacking: with respect to the constraints just mentioned, they behave like sentences that contain corresponding quantificational DPs. We take this as evidence that Q-adverbs like for the most part do not quantify over the atomic parts of sum eventualities in the cases under discussion (as claimed by Nakanishi and Romero (2004)), but rather over the atomic parts of the respective sum individuals.
Variously substituted tolanes were employed to show that the push-pull effect is also active in C equivalent to C triple bonds by the successful correlation of the occupation quotient pi*/pi of the pi orbital in resonance with the substituted phenyl moieties of tolanes versus the bond length of the C equivalent to C triple bond. In addition, the influences of the ortho phenyl ring substituents on the C-13 chemical shifts of the triple bond carbon atoms, which were estimated by Rubin et al.(4) to be "inapplicable for describing triple bond polarization", were re-evaluated, leading to the conclusion that, while anisotropic effects of ortho substituents are negligible, the steric ortho-substituent effects do in fact dominate the deviations obtained. A detailed theoretical NBO/NCS study has been employed to illuminate the facts of this case
Quantification of discrete pressure-temperature domains in deformed chlorite + white mica-bearing metapelites was undertaken on mineral compositions derived by two-dimensional microprobe compositional mapping of selected areas of rock thin sections. In order to achieve compositional information at sufficient analytical precision, spatial resolution and sample coverage within a typical analysis time of 1 day, an optimization of measurement methods was necessary. The method presented here allows collection of raw counts for eight different element concentrations at an analytical precision of similar to 1-2 wt%. X-ray intensity multiplane maps (one map per measured chemical element) are translated into concentration multiplane maps, utilizing selected conventionally measured spot analyses combined with the Castaing approximation for each mineral. As this step requires identification of the different minerals present in the mapped area, a statistical clustering technique to identify different groups of composition was developed, guided by simple petrographic inspection of the thin section, to delineate the important minerals in the mapped area. Finally, the compositions of each pixel are translated into a mineral structural formula thus yielding a new kind of image with a high content of petrological information. The reliability of the mineral composition images was emphasized by carrying out precision tests on the analytical data. The possible use of chemical maps to infer the P-T-deformation history of metamorphic rocks is illustrated with two samples from the Spitzbergen and the Sambagawa blueschist facies belts. In both samples, a strong correlation between structures and chemistry is observed. Qualitative estimates of P-T conditions from the Si-content of mica and chlorite are in good agreement with their location in microstructures that formed at different times. Therefore, the combination of chemical maps with microstructural observations is a very powerful approach to understand both the evolution of complex metamorphic rocks and the control by deformation of mineral reactivity.
In 2002 guidelines for the implementation of the internship programme for prospective teachers have been released in a joint venture by the Basic Education Sector Programme(BESP) of the GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit/German Technical Cooperation) and the Professional Development Centre (Teacher Education) of the National Institute for Education of Sri Lanka (NIE). These guidelines aim at assisting the National Colleges of Education (NCOEs) and internship schools in implementing the internship programme and at improving its efficiency and effectiveness in the local venues of teacher training. The Monitoring & Evaluation activity described in the present article was to assess as to how far the intentions originally associated with the internship programme are being accomplished. Its main task is to bring strengths and weaknesses of the programme to light and to appraise the current status of its implementation.
Push-pull alkenes are substituted alkenes with one or two electron-donating substituents on one end of C=C double bond and with one or two electron-accepting substituents at the other end. Allowance for pi-electron delocalization leads to the central C=C double bond becoming ever more polarized and with rising push-pull character, the pi-bond order of this double bond is reduced and, conversely, the corresponding pi-bond orders of the C-Don and C- Ace bonds are accordingly increased. This push-pull effect is of decisive influence on both the dynamic behavior and the chemical reactivity of this class of compounds and thus it is Of Considerable interest to both determine and to quantify the inherent push-pull effect. previously, the barriers to rotation about the C=C, C-Don and/or C-Acc partial double bonds (Delta G(not equal), as determined by dynamic NMR spectroscopy) or the C-13 chemical shift difference of the polarized C=C partial double bond (Delta delta(C=C)) were employed for this purpose, However, these parameters can have serious limitations, viz. the barriers can be immeasurable on the NMR timescale (either by being too high or too low-, heavily-biased conformers are present, etc.) or Delta delta(C=C) behaves in a non-additive manner with respect to the combination of the four substituents. Hence, a general parameter to quantify the push-pull effect is not yet available. Ab initio MO calculations on a collection of compounds, together with NBO analysis, provided valuable information on the structure, bond energies, electron occupancies and bonding/antibonding interactions. In addition to Delta G(C=C)(not equal) (either experimentally determined or theoretically calculated) and Delta delta(C=C), the bond length of the C=C partial double bond was also examined and it proved to be a reliable parameter to quantify the push-pull effect. Equally so, the quotient of the occupation numbers of the antibonding and bonding pi orbitals of the central C=C partial double bond ( pi*(C=C)/pi(C=C) ) could also be employed for this purpose
Public Private Partnerships as an Accelerator of Broadband Diffusion? Findings from Case Studies,
(2006)
Differential and pseudo-differential operators on a manifold with (regular) geometric singularities can be studied within a calculus, inspired by the concept of classical pseudo-differential operators on a C1 manifold. In the singular case the operators form an algebra with a principal symbolic hierarchy σ = (σj)0≤j≤k, with k being the order of the singularity and σk operator-valued for k ≥ 1. The symbols determine ellipticity and the nature of parametrices. It is typical in this theory that, similarly as in boundary value problems (which are special edge problems, where the edge is just the boundary), there are trace, potential and Green operators, associated with the various strata of the configuration. The operators, obtained from the symbols by various quantisations, act in weighted distribution spaces with multiple weights. We outline some essential elements of this calculus, give examples and also comment on new challenges and interesting problems of the recent development.
Two-thirds of the organic matrix in urinary stones consists of proteins. Their relationship to calculogenesis remains controversial with regard to their effect as inhibitors or promoters during stone formation. The purpose of the present study was to determine the differences in peptide and protein pattern between the urine of stone formers (n = 23) and control dogs (n = 12), as well as between organic matrix of different urinary stones (struvite n = 11, calcium oxalate n = 8, uric acid n = 4) using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Specific differences in protein and peptide profiles were found in the organic matrix of different mineral compositions. Characteristic differences were also found in urinary peptide and protein pattern especially in molecular masses below 20 kDa between affected and healthy dogs. Based on the obtained molecular masses they were in some cases tentatively identified as proteins that are known to be involved in stone formation in humans. The study shows that in dogs, specific-urinary peptides and proteins might be associated with urolithiasis. It indicates the importance to further characterize those proteins for possible diagnostic purposes in prognosis and therapy
Stars are born in turbulent molecular clouds that fragment and collapse under the influence of their own gravity, forming a cluster of hundred or more stars. The star formation process is controlled by the interplay between supersonic turbulence and gravity. In this work, the properties of stellar clusters created by numerical simulations of gravoturbulent fragmentation are compared to those from observations. This includes the analysis of properties of individual protostars as well as statistical properties of the entire cluster. It is demonstrated that protostellar mass accretion is a highly dynamical and time-variant process. The peak accretion rate is reached shortly after the formation of the protostellar core. It is about one order of magnitude higher than the constant accretion rate predicted by the collapse of a classical singular isothermal sphere, in agreement with the observations. For a more reasonable comparison, the model accretion rates are converted to the observables bolometric temperature, bolometric luminosity, and envelope mass. The accretion rates from the simulations are used as input for an evolutionary scheme. The resulting distribution in the Tbol-Lbol-Menv parameter space is then compared to observational data by means of a 3D Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The highest probability found that the distributions of model tracks and observational data points are drawn from the same population is 70%. The ratios of objects belonging to different evolutionary classes in observed star-forming clusters are compared to the temporal evolution of the gravoturbulent models in order to estimate the evolutionary stage of a cluster. While it is difficult to estimate absolute ages, the realtive numbers of young stars reveal the evolutionary status of a cluster with respect to other clusters. The sequence shows Serpens as the youngest and IC 348 as the most evolved of the investigated clusters. Finally the structures of young star clusters are investigated by applying different statistical methods like the normalised mean correlation length and the minimum spanning tree technique and by a newly defined measure for the cluster elongation. The clustering parameters of the model clusters correspond in many cases well to those from observed ones. The temporal evolution of the clustering parameters shows that the star cluster builds up from several subclusters and evolves to a more centrally concentrated cluster, while the cluster expands slower than new stars are formed.
The arid Puna plateau of the southern Central Andes is characterized by Cenozoic distributed shortening forming intramontane basins that are disconnected from the humid foreland because of the defeat of orogen-traversing channels. Thick Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary fills in Puna basins have reduced topographic contrasts between the compressional basins and ranges, leading to a typical low-relief plateau morphology. Structurally identical basins that are still externally drained straddle the eastern border of the Puna and document the eastward propagation of orographic barriers and ensuing aridification. One of them, the Angastaco basin, is transitional between the highly compartmentalized Puna highlands and the undeformed Andean foreland. Sandstone petrography, structural and stratigraphic analysis, combined with detrital apatite fission-track thermochronology from a similar to 6200-m-thick Miocene to Pliocene stratigraphic section in the Angastaco basin, document the late Eocene to late Pliocene exhumation history of source regions along the eastern border of the Puna (Eastern Cordillera (EC)) as well as the construction of orographic barriers along the southeastern flank of the Central Andes. Onset of exhumation of a source in the EC in late Eocene time as well as a rapid exhumation of the Sierra de Luracatao (in the EC) at about 20 Ma are recorded in the detrital sediments of the Angastaco basin. Sediment accumulation in the basin began similar to 15 Ma, a time at which the EC had already built sufficient topography to prevent Puna sourced detritus from reaching the basin. After similar to 13 Ma, shortening shifted eastward, exhuming ranges that preserve an apatite fission-track partial annealing zone recording cooling during the late Cretaceous rifting event. Facies changes and fossil content suggest that after 9 Ma, the EC constituted an effective orographic barrier that prevented moisture penetration into the plateau. Between 3.4 and 2.4 Ma, another orographic barrier was uplifted to the east, leading to further aridification and pronounced precipitation gradients along the mountain front. This study emphasizes the important role of tectonics in the evolution of climate in this part of the Andes
We consider generating and accepting programmed grammars with bounded degree of non-regulation, that is, the maximum number of elements in success or in failure fields of the underlying grammar. In particular, it is shown that this measure can be restricted to two without loss of descriptional capacity, regardless of whether arbitrary derivations or left-most derivations are considered. Moreover, in some cases, precise characterizations of the linear bounded automaton problem in terms of programmed grammars are obtained. Thus, the results presented in this paper shed new light on some longstanding open problem in the theory of computational complexity.
Profiling of plant secondary metabolites is still a very difficult task. Liquid chromatography (LC) or capillary electrophoresis hyphenated with different kinds of detectors are methods of choice for analysis of polar, thermo labile compounds with high molecular masses. We demonstrate the applicability of LC combined with UV diode array or/and mass spectrometric detectors for the unambiguous identification and quantification of flavonoid conjugates isolated from Arahidopsis thaliana leaves of different genotypes and grown in different environmental conditions. During LC/UV/MS/MS analyses we were able to identify tetra-, tri, and di-glycosides of kaempferol, quercetin and isorhamnetin. Based on our results we can conclude that due to the co-elution of different chemical compounds in reversed phase H PLC systems the application of UV detectors does not allow to precisely profile all flavonoid conjugates existing in A. thaliana genotypes. Using MS detection it was possible to unambiguously recognize the glycosylation patterns of the aglycones. However, from the mass spectra we could not conclude neither the anomeric form of the C-1 carbon atoms of sugar moieties in glycosidic bonds between sugars or sugar and aglycone nor the position of the second carbon involved in disaccharides. The applicability of collision induced dissociation techniques (CID MS/MS) for structural analyses of the studied group of plant secondary metabolites with two types of analyzers (triple quadrupole or ion trap) was demonstrated.
In low-seismicity regions, such as France or Germany, the estimation of probabilistic seismic hazard must cope with the difficult identification of active faults and with the low amount of seismic data available. Since the probabilistic hazard method was initiated, most studies assume a Poissonian occurrence of earthquakes. Here we propose a method that enables the inclusion of time and space dependences between earthquakes into the probabilistic estimation of hazard. Combining the seismicity model Epidemic Type Aftershocks-Sequence (ETAS) with a Monte Carlo technique, aftershocks are naturally accounted for in the hazard determination. The method is applied to the Pyrenees region in Southern France. The impact on hazard of declustering and of the usual assumption that earthquakes occur according to a Poisson process is quantified, showing that aftershocks contribute on average less than 5 per cent to the probabilistic hazard, with an upper bound around 18 per cent
Preface
(2006)
Predicting the breeding success of large raptors in arid southern Africa : a first assessment
(2006)
Raptors are often priorities for conservation efforts and breeding success is a target measure for assessing their conservation status. The breeding success of large raptors in and southern Africa is thought to be higher in years of high rainfall. While this correlation has been found in several studies, it has not yet been shown for data from a wider geographical area. In conservation research, it is important to explore the differences between spatially- separated populations to estimate and to compare their conservation status, and to deduce specific management strategies. Using a theoretical approach, we develop a simplistic model to explain the breeding success-rainfall relationship in large African raptors at larger spatial scales. Secondly, we validate this model and we show that the inclusion of field data leads to consistent predictions. In particular, we recommend that the average size of the 'effective territory' should be included in the relationship between annual rainfall and breeding success of raptors in and southern Africa. Accordingly, we suggest that breeding success is a function of precipitation and inter- nest distance. We present a new measure of territory quality depending on rainfall and territory size. We suggest that our model provides a useful first approach to assess breeding success in large raptors of and southern Africa. However, we strongly emphasise the need to gather more data to further verify our model. A general problem in conservation research is to compare the status of populations assessed in different study areas under changing environmental conditions. Our simplistic approach indicates that this problem can be overcome by using a weighted evaluation of a target measure (i.e. breeding success), taking regional differences into account
Aims/hypothesis Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a risk factor of type 2 diabetes. Screening for impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) with an OGTT has been recommended, but this is relatively time-consuming and inconvenient. Thus, a strategy that could minimise the need for an OGTT would be beneficial. Materials and methods Consecutive PCOS patients (n=118) with fasting glucose < 6.1 mmol/l were included in the study. Parameters derived from medical history, clinical examination and fasting blood samples were assessed by decision tree modelling for their ability to discriminate women with IGM (2-h OGTT value >= 7.8 mmol/l) from those with NGT. Results According to the OGTT results, 93 PCOS women had NGT and 25 had IGM. The best decision tree consisted of HOMA-IR, the proinsulin:insulin ratio, proinsulin, 17-OH progesterone and the ratio of luteinising hormone:follicle-stimulating hormone. This tree identified 69 women with NGT. The remaining 49 women included all women with IGM (100% sensitivity, 74% specificity to detect IGM). Pruning this tree to three levels still identified 53 women with NGT (100% sensitivity, 57% specificity to detect IGM). Restricting the data matrix used for tree modelling to medical history and clinical parameters produced a tree using BMI, waist circumference and WHR. Pruning this tree to two levels separated 27 women with NGT (100% sensitivity, 29% specificity to detect IGM). The validity of both trees was tested by a leave-10%-out cross-validation. Conclusions/interpretation Decision trees are useful tools for separating PCOS women with NGT from those with IGM. They can be used for stratifying the metabolic screening of PCOS women, whereby the number of OGTTs can be markedly reduced.
Flagellates are important bacterial grazers in most planktonic food webs. The prey-size preference of the mixotrophic flagellate, Ochromonas sp. (Chrysophyceae), isolated from an extremely acidic lake, Lake 111 (pH 2.6), was determined using fluorescently labelled microspheres (beads). According to grazing experiments with cultured bacteria, also isolated from Lake 111, the potential grazing impact on Lake 111"s single-celled bacterial production was calculated. Ochromonas sp. ingested the smallest beads offered (0.5 µm diameter) at the highest rate. Ingestion rate declined with increasing bead size. The highest prey volume-specific ingestion was measured for Ochromonas sp. feeding on intermediate-sized beads (1.9 µm). Ingestion rates were low due in part to the large fraction of inactive flagellates observed. According to the bacterial ingestion rate, a mean of 88% (epilimnion) and 68% (hypolimnion) of in situ single- celled bacterial production is potentially grazed daily by Ochromonas sp. In the epilimnion of Lake 111, the heterotrophic carbon gain is three times higher than the autotrophic production. Alongside carbon uptake, Ochromonas sp. also benefits from ingesting bacteria through the uptake of phosphorus. A biovolume minimum corresponding to the prey size at which Ochromonas sp. feeds most efficiently occurred in the Lake 111 epilimnetic bacterial community, implying top-down control of the bacterial community by Ochromonas sp.
Electrically charged porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films are often discussed as active layers for electromechanical transducers. Here, the electric charging behavior of open-porous PTFE films with different porosities is investigated. Optimized electric charging of porous PTFE films is determined by variation of charging parameters such as electric fields and charging times. Maximum surface potentials are depending on the porosity of the PTFE films. Suitable charging leads to high surface potentials observed on non-stretched or slightly stretched porous PTFE films. Further increase of charging fields yields decreasing values of the surface potential accompanied with an increase of conductivity.
This paper presents a corpus-based approach to the meaning of verb phrase idioms and proposes a set of parameters for the systematic description of their meaning in different contexts. It also discusses polysemy and vagueness in relation to idioms and offers criteria for the operationalisation of this distinction.
This article presents recent progress in the field of polymeric surfactants made of permanently amphiphilic block copolymers or of stimulus-sensitive ones. We highlight key points in the design of amphiphilic macromolecules, to yield polymer surfactants with tailor-made properties, as well as recently developed and still challenging application fields for this new class of surfactants. The efficiency boosting of amphiphilic block copolymers as co-surfactants in microemulsions is discussed, as are surface modification by polymer surfactants, and stabilization of dispersions. Moreover, the use of block copolymers in nanosciences is presented, for instance as a tool for nanomaterial fabrication, or for biomedical and cosmetic applications in bio-nanotechnology. Finally, self-assembly and applications of some newly developed "exotic" amphiphilic block copolymer structures as new surface-active materials will be highlighted
We investigated the spectral properties of light-emitting diodes based on a deep blue-emitting pyrazoloquinoline dye doped into a poly(N-vinylcarbazole)-based matrix. Even though the electroluminescence (EL) of the host is redshifted and broadened with respect to the emission of the dye, the EL spectrum becomes fully dominated by the dye emission at concentrations of ca. 2 wt %. This is attributed to a competition of exciplex formation on the matrix and exciton formation on the dye.
This paper is focused on the use of branched poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) as reducing as well as stabilizing agent for the formation of gold nanoparticles in different media. The process of nanoparticle formation was investigated, in the absence of any other reducing agents, in microemulsion template phase in comparison to the nucleation process in aqueous polymer solution. On the one hand, it was shown that the polyelectrolyte can be used for the controlled single-step synthesis and stabilization of gold nanoparticles via a nucleation reaction and particles with an average diameter of 7.1 nm can be produced. On the other hand, it was demonstrated that the polymer can also act as reducing and stabilizing agent in much more complex systems, i.e. in water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion droplets. The reverse microemulsion droplets of the quaternary system sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)/toluene-pentanol (1:1)/water were successfully used for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles. The polymer, incorporated in the droplets, exhibits reducing properties, adsorbs on the surface of the nanoparticles and prevents their aggregation. Consequently, nanoparticles of 8.6 nm can be redispersed after solvent evaporation without a change of their size. Nevertheless, the polymer acts already as a "template" during the formation of the nanoparticles in water and in microemulsion, so that an additional template effect of the microemulsion is not observed. The particle formation for both methods is checked by means of UV-vis spectroscopy and the particle size and size distribution are investigated via dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The fabrication of compartmented micellar systems is an exciting new area of research in the field of polymer self-assembly. Multicompartment micelles composed of a water-soluble shell and a segregated hydrophobic core can be obtained via direct aqueous self-assembly of preformed polymeric amphiphiles possessing one hydrophilic segment and two incompatible hydrophobic segments (e.g. hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon blocks). Such macromolecular building-blocks were prepared in the present work principally via reversible addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization (RAFT). Polysoaps or triblock macrosurfactants can be synthesized in high yields by RAFT under relatively straightforward experimental conditions.
The pollination biology of three mass flowering Utricularia species of the Indian Western Ghats, U. albocaerulea, U. purpurascens, and U. reticulata, was studied for the first time by extensive observation of flower visitors, pollination experiments, and nectar analyses. The ephemerality of the Utricularia habitats on lateritic plateaus, weather conditions adverse to insects, lack of observations of flower visitors to other Utricularia spp., and the predominance of at least. facultative autogamy in the few Utricularia species studied so far suggested that an autogamous breeding system is the common case in the genus. In contrast, we showed that the studied populations are incapable of autonomous selfing, or that it is an event of negligible rarity, although P/O was similarily low as in autogamous species investigated by other authors. In all three species the spatial arrangement of the reproductive organs makes an insect vector necessary for pollen transfer between and within flowers. However, U. purpurascens and U. reticulata are highly self-compatible, which allows for visitor-mediated auto-selfing and geitonogamy on inflorescence and clone level. Floral nectar is present in extremely small volumes in all three species, but sugar concentrations are high. More than 50 species of bees, butterflies, moths, hawk moths, and clipterans were observed to visit the flowers, and flower morphology facilitated pollination by all observed visitors. The results are discussed in the context of the phenological characteristics of the studied species, especially the phenomenon of mass flowering, and the environmental conditions of their habitats.
Polyvinylidene fluoride was dissolved together with solid sodium hydroxide as catalyst in a dimethylsulfoxide/ acetone mixture and moderately dehydrofluorinated. The dehydrofluorination leads to a partial degradation of the fluorohydrocarbons, and in particular to main-chain scission and to formation of carbon double or triple bonds. This enhances the absorption at UV-vis frequencies. The degradation process also generates a large amount of excess charges in the polymer, which influence the electrical polarization behavior of the dehydrofluorinated polymer. Uniaxial stretching of moderately dehydrofluorinated polyvinylidene fluoride leads to films in a polar phase. Dipole polarization in the degraded and stretched films is demonstrated by means of switching experiments
Plastidial phosphorylase is required for normal starch synthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
(2006)
Among the three distinct starch phosphorylase activities detected in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, two distinct plastidial enzymes (PhoA and PhoB) are documented while a single extraplastidial form (PhoC) displays a higher affinity for glycogen as in vascular plants. The two plastidial phosphorylases are shown to function as homodimers containing two 91-kDa (PhoA) subunits and two 110-kDa (PhoB) subunits. Both lack the typical 80-amino-acid insertion found in the higher plant plastidial forms. PhoB is exquisitely sensitive to inhibition by ADP-glucose and has a low affinity for malto-oligosaccharides. PhoA is more similar to the higher plant plastidial phosphorylases: it is moderately sensitive to ADP-glucose inhibition and has a high affinity for unbranched malto-oligosaccharides. Molecular analysis establishes that STA4 encodes PhoB. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains carrying mutations at the STA4 locus display a significant decrease in amounts of starch during storage that correlates with the accumulation of abnormally shaped granules containing a modified amylopectin structure and a high amylose content. The wild-type phenotype could be rescued by reintroduction of the cloned wild-type genomic DNA, thereby demonstrating the involvement of phosphorylase in storage starch synthesis.
Peridinin-chlorophyll a-protein (PCP) is a unique antenna complex in dinoflagellates that employs peridinin (a carotenoid) as its main light-harvesting pigment. Strong excitonic interactions between peridinins, as well as between peridinins and chlorophylls (Chls) a, can be expected from the short intermolecular distances revealed by the crystal structure. Different experimental approaches of nonlinear polarization spectroscopy in the frequency domain (NLPF) were used to investigate the various interactions between pigments in PCP of Amphidinium carterae at room temperature. Lineshapes of NLPF spectra indicate strong excitonic interactions between the peridinin's optically allowed S-2 (1Bu(+)) states. A comprehensive subband analysis of the distinct NLPF spectral substructure in the peridinin region allows us to assign peridinin subbands to the two Chls a in PCP having different S-1-state lifetimes. Peridinin subbands at 487, 501, and 535 nm were assigned to the longer-lived Chl, whereas a peridinin subband peaking at 515 nm was detected in both clusters. Certain peridinin(s), obviously corresponding to the subband centered at 487 nm, show(s) specific (possibly Coulombic?) interaction between the optically dark S-1(2A(g)(-)) and/or intramolecular charge- transfer (ICT) state and S-1 of Chl a. The NLPF spectrum, hence, indicates that this peridinin state is approximately isoenergetic or slightly above S-1 of Chl a. A global subband analysis of absorption and NLPF spectra reveals that the Chl a Q(y)-band consists of two subbands ( peaking at 669 and 675 nm and having different lifetimes), confirmed by NLPF spectra recorded at high pump intensities. At the highest applied pump intensities an additional band centered at <= 660 nm appears, suggesting-together with the above results-an assignment to a low-dipole moment S-0-> S-1/ICT transition of peridinin
The acetone extracts of the root bark and stem bark of Erythrina sacleuxii showed antiplasmodial activities against the chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Chromatographic separation of the acetone extract of the root bark afforded a new isoflavone, 7-hydroxy-4 -methoxy-3'- prenylisoflavone (trivial name 5-deoxy-3' - prenylbiochanin A) along with known isoflavonoids as the antiplasmodial principles. Flavonoids and isoflavonoids isolated from the stem bark of E. sucleuxii were also tested and showed antiplasmodial activities. The structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic evidence.
In tropical West Africa, distribution patterns of forest islands in savannas are influenced by fires which occur regularly in the grass stratum. Along continuous forest-savanna transects in the Comoe National Park, the change in the amount and composition of non-woody phytomass was investigated from savanna to forest interior. This was correlated with the cover of vegetation strata above, soil depth, and the occurrence of seasonal surface fires. Phytomass mainly consisted of leaf litter in the forests (about 400 g m(-2) at the end of the rainy season, and about 600 g m(-2) at the end of the dry season) and of grasses in the savanna (about 900 g m(-2)). Low grass biomass appeared to be primarily the result of suppression by competing woody species and not of shallow soil. The occurrence of early dry-season fires seemed to be determined mainly by the amount of grass biomass as fuel because fires occurred in almost all savanna plots while forest sites remained unaffected. However, late dry-season fires will encounter higher amounts of leaf litter raising fire probability in forests. Due to the importance of the amount of combustible phytomass, fire probability and intensity might increase with annual precipitation in both savanna and forest
The photosensitive microvilli of Drosophila photoreceptors R1-R6 are not aligned in parallel over the entire length of the visual cells. In the distal half of each cell, the microvilli are slightly tilted toward one side and, in the proximal half, extremely toward the opposite side. This phenomenon, termed rhabdomere twisting, has been known for several decades, but the developmental and cell biological basis of rhabdomere twisting has not been studied so far. We show that rhabdomere twisting is also manifested as molecular polarization of the visual cell, because phosphotyrosine- containing proteins are selectively partitioned to different sides of the rhabdomere stalk in the distal. and proximal sections of each R1-R6 photoreceptor. Both the asymmetrical segregation of phosphotyrosine proteins and the tilting of the microvilli occur shortly before eclosion of the flies, when eye development in all other aspects is considered to be essentially complete. Establishment of rhabdomere twisting occurs in a light-independent manner, because phosphotyrosine staining is unchanged in dark-reared wild-type flies and in mutants with defects in the phototransduction cascade, ninaE(17) and norpA(P24). We conclude that antiphosphotyrosine immunofluorescence can be used as a light microscopic probe for the analysis of rhabdomere twisting and that microvilli tilting represents a type of planar cell polarity that is established by an active process in the last phase of photoreceptor morphogenesis, just prior to eclosion of the flies.
Two metal tetrapyrroles containing gallium, gallium hydroxyl tetratolylporphyrin and 13(2)-demethoxycarbonyl- (gallium hydroxyl)methyl pheophorbide a (Ga-(OH)-chlorin), were synthesized from their respective free bases using Ga(III)-acetylacetonate in a phenol melt. Their photophysical properties were investigated and the quantum yields of different monomolecular deactivation processes were determined. For Ga-(OH)-porphyrin S-2-fluorescence was observed and quantified. In contrast. for Ga-(OH)-chlorin no S-2-fluorescence was observed. Both compounds should be useful as efficient photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy.
In a recent contribution in Nature (vol. 442, pp. 555-558) Austin & Vivanco showed that sunlight is the dominant factor for decomposition of grass litter in a semi-arid grassland in Argentine. The quantification of this effect was portrayed as a novel finding. I put this result in the context of three other publications from as early as 1980 that quantified photodegradation. My synopsis shows that photodegradation is an important process in semi-arid grasslands in South America, North America and eastern Europe.
The velocity distributions of the laser-induced desorption of NO molecules from an epitaxially grown film of NiO(100) on Ni(100) have been studied [ Mull et al., J. Chem. Phys., 1992, 96, 7108]. A pronounced bimodality of velocity distributions has been found, where the NO molecules desorbing with higher velocities exhibit a coupling to the rotational quantum states J. In this article we present simulations of state resolved velocity distributions on a full ab initio level. As a basis for this quantum mechanical treatment a 4D potential energy surface (PES) was constructed for the electronic ground and a representative excited state, using a NiO5Mg1318+ cluster. The PESs of the electronic ground and an excited state were calculated at the CASPT2 and the configuration interaction (CI) level of theory, respectively. Multi-dimensional quantum wave packet simulations on these two surfaces were performed for different sets of degrees of freedom. Our key finding is that at least a 3D wave packet simulation, in which the desorption coordinate Z, polar angle theta and lateral coordinate X are included, is necessary to allow the simulation of experimental velocity distributions. Analysis of the wave packet dynamics demonstrates that essentially the lateral coordinate, which was neglected in previous studies [Kluner et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 1998, 80, 5208], is responsible for the experimentally observed bimodality. An extensive analysis shows that the bimodality is due to a bifurcation of the wave packet on the excited state PES, where the motion of the molecule parallel to the surface plays a decisive role
Photo-induced deformations in azobenzene-containing side-chain polymers : molecular dynamics study
(2006)
We perform molecular dynamics simulations of azobenzene containing side-chain liquid crystalline polymer subject to an external model field that mimicks the reorientations of the azobenzenes upon irradiation with polarized light. The smectic phase of the polymer is studied with the field applied parallel to the nematic director, forcing the trans isomers to reorient perpendicularly to the field (the direction of which can be assosiated with the light polarization). The coupling between the reorientation of azobenzenes and mechanical deformation of the sample is found to depend on the field strength. In a weak field the original smectic order is melted gradually with no apparent change in the simulation box shape, whereas in a strong field two regimes are observed. During the first one a rapid melting of the liquid crystalline order is accompanied by the contraction of the polymer along the field direction (the effect similar to the one observed experimentally in azopenzene containing elastomers). During the slower second regime, the smectic layers are rebuilt to accomodate the preferential direction of chromophores perperdicular to the field.
Glucan, water dikinase (GWD) and phosphoglucan, water dikinase (PWD) are required for normal starch metabolism. We analysed starch phosphorylation in Arabidopsis wildtype plants and mutants lacking either GWD or PWD using P-31 NMR. Phosphorylation at both C6- and C3-positions of glucose moieties in starch was drastically decreased in GWD-deficient mutants. In starch from PWD-deficient plants C3-bound phosphate was reduced to levels close to the detection limit. The latter result contrasts with previous reports according to which GWD phosphorylates both C6- and C3-positions. In these studies, phosphorylation had been analysed by HPLC of acid-hydrolysed glucans. We now show that maltose-6-phosphate, a product of incomplete starch hydrolysis, co-eluted with glucose-3-phosphate under the chromatographic conditions applied. Re-examination of the specificity of the dikinases using an improved method demonstrates that C6- and C3-phosphorylation is selectively catalysed by GWD and PWD, respectively.
Phonological specificity of early lexical representations in German 19-month-olds at risk for SLI
(2006)
Phase compactons
(2006)
We study the phase dynamics of a chain of autonomous, self-sustained, dispersively coupled oscillators. In the quasicontinuum limit the basic discrete model reduces to a Korteveg-de Vries-like equation, but with a nonlinear dispersion. The system supports compactons - solitary waves with a compact support - and kovatons - compact formations of glued together kink-antikink pairs that propagate with a unique speed, but may assume an arbitrary width. We demonstrate that lattice solitary waves, though not exactly compact, have tails which decay at a superexponential rate. They are robust and collide nearly elastically and together with wave sources are the building blocks of the dynamics that emerges from typical initial conditions. In finite lattices, after a long time, the dynamics becomes chaotic. Numerical studies of the complex Ginzburg-Landau lattice show that the non-dispersive coupling causes a damping and deceleration, or growth and acceleration, of compactons. A simple perturbation method is applied to study these effects. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Peptide microarrays with site-specifically immobilized synthetic peptides for antibody diagnostics
(2006)
Peptide microarrays bear the potential to discover molecular recognition events on protein level, particularly in the field of molecular immunology, in a manner and with an efficiency comparable to the performance of DNA microarrays. We developed a novel peptide microarray platform for the detection of antibodies in liquid samples. The system comprises site-specific solution phase coupling of biotinylated peptides to NeutrAvidin, localized microdispensing of peptide-NeutrAvidin conjugates onto activated glass slides and a fluorescence immuno sandwich assay format for antibody capture and detection. Our work includes synthetic peptides deduced from amino acid sequences of immunodominant linear epitopes, such as the T7 phage capsid protein, Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D, c-myc protein and three domains of the Human coronavirus 229E polymerase polyprotein. We demonstrate that our method produces peptide arrays with excellent spot morphology which are capable of specific and sensitive detection of monoclonal antibodies from fluid samples.
BACKGROUND: Proteins and peptides in human follicular fluid originate from plasma or are produced by follicular structures. Compositional changes reflect oocyte maturation and can be used as diagnostic markers. The aim of the study was to determine protein and peptide profiles in paired serum and follicular fluid samples from women undergoing IVF. METHODS: Surface-enhanced laser desorption and ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) was used to obtain characteristic protein pattern. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-six individual MS signals were obtained from a combination of enrichment on strong anion exchanger (110), weak cation exchanger (52) and normal phase surfaces (24). On the basis of molecular masses, isoelectric points and immunoreactivety, four signals were identified as haptoglobin (alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-chain), haptoglobin 1 and transthyretin (TTR). Immunological and MS characteristics of the TTR : retinol-binding protein (RBP) transport complex revealed no microheterogeneity differences between serum and follicular fluid. Discriminatory patterns arising from decision-tree-based classification and regression analysis distinguished between serum and follicular fluid with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative and qualitative differences indicate selective transport processes rather than mere filtration across the blood-follicle barrier. Identified proteins as well as characteristic peptide and/or protein signatures might emerge as potential candidates for diagnostic markers of follicle and/or oocyte maturation and thus oocyte quality.
Sexual dimorphism is expressed as median of the female values in percent of the median of the male values, of 4 length measurements, 3 circumferences, and 5 measurements of corpulence respectively fat. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional sample of more than 41.000 German subjects, aged from birth to age 62. The pattern of sexual dimorphism is similar in the length measurements. Girls are shorter at birth, but they increase in length at higher rates than boys and even temporarily overgrow the boys up to age 12. Thereafter, males show an obvious growth advantage leading to some 6 to 9% more length in adult males. In contrast, female circumferences are always smaller, from birth to senescence. Though, the differences between the sexes are low in circumferences, up to age 13, sexual dimorphism increases to 17% in the thoracic circumference at adulthood. Sexual dimorphism in weight and BMI is comparably with that in length measurements while subcutaneous fat and total body fat content are always higher in females. The results highlight that sexual dimorphism develops at different pace in the various components of the body and that it associates with a sex specific growth tempo.
Seasonal, host sex and age-related variations in helminth egg and coccidian oocyst counts were investigated in a naturally infected wild bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) population in Queen Elizabeth National Park, western Uganda from April 2000 to February 2002. The prevalence and mean intensity quantified as the number of eggs and oocysts per gram of faeces were taken as a measure of parasite burdens. Host sex and age-related differences in prevalence values were not found but the overall prevalence of Eimeria sp. was significantly higher during the rainy season, and peak counts were recorded either during or soon after a peak rainfall. A similar trend was observed for Moniezia spp., although the results were marginally not significant. There were also no significant differences in mean intensity values, relative to host sex, age or season.
Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006
Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006
Graphical models applying partial coherence to multivariate time series are a powerful tool to distinguish direct and indirect interdependencies in multivariate linear systems. We carry over the concept of graphical models and partialization analysis to phase signals of nonlinear synchronizing systems. This procedure leads to the partial phase synchronization index which generalizes a bivariate phase synchronization index to the multivariate case and reveals the coupling structure in multivariate synchronizing systems by differentiating direct and indirect interactions. This ensures that no false positive conclusions are drawn concerning the interaction structure in multivariate synchronizing systems. By application to the paradigmatic model of a coupled chaotic Roessler system, the power of the partial phase synchronization index is demonstrated
A fluidic chip system was developed, which combines a stable generation of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide with their sensorial detection. The generation of both reactive oxygen species was achieved by immobilization of xanthine oxidase on controlled pore glass in a reaction chamber. Antioxidants can be introduced into the fluidic chip system by means of mixing chamber. The detection of both species is based on the amperometric principle using a biosensor chip with two working electrodes. As sensing protein for both electrodes cytochrome c was used. The novel system was designed for the quantification of the antioxidant efficiency of different potential scavengers of the respective reactive species in an aqueous medium. Several model antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or catalase have been tested under flow conditions.
The late-Quaternary climate history of monsoonal Central Asia was inferred from 75 palaeoclimatic records which provide information about moisture conditions in the last 50 ka (or part of this period). Wet conditions occurred during middle and late Marine Isotope Stage 3, while the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was characterized by dry climate conditions in the region. A stepwise climate amelioration is suggested by the climate records following the LGM. Several climate signals of this period, which were reported from high-latitude ice core records, are preserved in archives from monsoonal Central Asia as well. During the early Holocene, high effective moisture was inferred from most records from the area dominated by the Indian Monsoon (e.g. the Tibetan Plateau) suggesting that Holocene optimal climate conditions occurred there during this period. In contrast, areas which are dominated by the South-East Asian monsoon (SE Monsoon) and the Westerlies (in north-western and north-central China, Mongolia) do not uniformly show an early Holocene climate optimum. For this area optimal conditions prevailed during the mid-Holocene. These apparent contradictions can possibly be explained by the regional uplift and descent of air masses in the Holocene. During the early Holocene, strengthened insolation possibly caused an enhanced low-level convergence over the Tibetan Plateau which led to the intensification of the summer monsoon. The strong air uplift caused intensified precipitation and air divergence in the upper troposphere over the Tibetan Plateau. The areas adjacent to the north therefore experienced an intensified descent of air masses and consequently increased aridity. The majority of the palaeoclimatic records suggest reduced effective moisture since the late Holocene in the region.