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2,11-Dialkylated 1,12-diazaperylenes (alkyl = Me, Et, iPr) dmedap, detdap and dipdap have been synthesized by reductive cyclization of 3,3-dialkylated 1,1-biisoquinolines 3a-c, resulting in the first copper(I) complexes of a large- surface ligand. The new copper(I) complexes show low-energy MLCT absorptions unprecedented for bis(-diimin)copper(I) complexes. The solid structures of the complexes[Cu(dipdap)2]BF4·CH2Cl2·1.5H2O, [Cu(dipdap)2]OTf·CH2Cl2, [Cu(dipdap)2]I·C2H4Cl2·THF·2H2O, [Cu(dmedap)2]OTf and [Cu(dipdap)2]AQSO3·H2O (AQSO3 = sodium 9,10-dihydro-9,10-dioxo-2- anthracenesulfonate) are reported. In [Cu(dipdap)2]BF4·CH2Cl2·1.5H2O, each copper(I) complex cation interacts with two others by - stacking interactions forming a novel supramolecular column structural motif running along the crystallographic c axis. In the crystalline compound [Cu(dipdap)2]AQSO3·H2O, aggregation between two complex cations and two additional anions by - stacking interactions is observed, leading to a tetrameric assembly. Furthermore, the three complex compounds [Cu(L)2]BF4 (L = dmedap, detdap, dipdap) were tested for sensory applications in aqueous buffer solutions in electrochemical studies of the complex immobilized on glassy carbon electrodes.
In this paper, two non-destructive thermal methods are used in order to determine, with a high degree of accuracy, three-dimensional polarization distributions in thin films (12 mu m) of poly(vinylidenefluoride- trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE). The techniques are the frequency-domain Focused Laser Intensity Modulation Method (FLIMM) and time-domain Thermal-Pulse Tomography (TPT). Samples were first metalized with grid-shaped electrode and poled. 3D polarization mapping yielded profiles which reproduce the electrode-grid shape. The polarization is not uniform across the sample thickness. Significant polarization values are found only at depths beyond 0.5 mu m from the sample surface. Both methods provide similar results, TPT method being faster, whereas the FLIMM technique has a better lateral resolution.
A new pterocarpan (named 8-methoxyneorautenol) was isolated from the acetone ext. of the root bark of Erythrina abyssinica. In addn., the known isoflavonoid derivs. eryvarin L, erycristagallin and shinpterocarpin were identified for the first time from the roots of this plant. The structures were detd. on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. The new compd. showed selective antimicrobial activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The acetone ext. of the root bark of E. abyssinica showed radical scavenging activity towards 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH). The pterocarpenes, 3-hydroxy-9-methoxy-10-(3,3-dimethylallyl)pterocarpene and erycristagallin, were the most active constituents of the roots of this plant and showing dose-dependent activities similar to that of the std. quercetin. [on SciFinder (R)]
The generalized hybrid Monte Carlo (GHMC) method combines Metropolis corrected constant energy simulations with a partial random refreshment step in the particle momenta. The standard detailed balance condition requires that momenta are negated upon rejection of a molecular dynamics proposal step. The implication is a trajectory reversal upon rejection, which is undesirable when interpreting GHMC as thermostated molecular dynamics. We show that a modified detailed balance condition can be used to implement GHMC without momentum flips. The same modification can be applied to the generalized shadow hybrid Monte Carlo (GSHMC) method. Numerical results indicate that GHMC/GSHMC implementations with momentum flip display a favorable behavior in terms of sampling efficiency, i.e., the traditional GHMC/GSHMC implementations with momentum flip got the advantage of a higher acceptance rate and faster decorrelation of Monte Carlo samples. The difference is more pronounced for GHMC. We also numerically investigate the behavior of the GHMC method as a Langevin-type thermostat. We find that the GHMC method without momentum flip interferes less with the underlying stochastic molecular dynamics in terms of autocorrelation functions and it to be preferred over the GHMC method with momentum flip. The same finding applies to GSHMC.
Situated in an active tectonic region, Santiago de Chile, the country's capital with more than six million inhabitants, faces tremendous earthquake risk. Macroseismic data for the 1985 Valparaiso event show large variations in the distribution of damage to buildings within short distances, indicating strong effects of local sediments on ground motion. Therefore, a temporary seismic network was installed in the urban area for recording earthquake activity and a study was carried out aiming to estimate site amplification derived from horizontal-to- vertical (H/V) spectral ratios from earthquake data (EHV) and ambient noise (NHV), as well as using the standard spectral ratio (SSR) technique with a nearby reference station located on igneous rock. The results lead to the following conclusions: The analysis of earthquake data shows significant dependence on the local geological structure with respect to amplitude and duration. An amplification of ground motion at frequencies higher than the fundamental one can be found. This amplification would not be found when looking at NHV ratios alone. The analysis of NHV spectral ratios shows that they can only provide a lower bound in amplitude for site amplification. P-wave site responses always show lower amplitudes than those derived by S waves, and sometimes even fail to provide some frequencies of amplification. No variability in terms of time and amplitude is observed in the analysis of the H/V ratio of noise. Due to the geological conditions in some parts of the investigated area, the fundamental resonance frequency of a site is difficult to estimate following standard criteria proposed by the SESAME consortium, suggesting that these are too restrictive under certain circumstances.
Nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) models are thought to be viable tools for investigating the structure, dynamics, and evolution of the coronae of solar active regions. In a series of NLFFF modeling studies, we have found that NLFFF models are successful in application to analytic test cases, and relatively successful when applied to numerically constructed Sun-like test cases, but they are less successful in application to real solar data. Different NLFFF models have been found to have markedly different field line configurations and to provide widely varying estimates of the magnetic free energy in the coronal volume, when applied to solar data. NLFFF models require consistent, force-free vector magnetic boundary data. However, vector magnetogram observations sampling the photosphere, which is dynamic and contains significant Lorentz and buoyancy forces, do not satisfy this requirement, thus creating several major problems for force-free coronal modeling efforts. In this paper, we discuss NLFFF modeling of NOAA Active Region 10953 using Hinode/SOT-SP, Hinode/XRT, STEREO/SECCHI-EUVI, and SOHO/MDI observations, and in the process illustrate three such issues we judge to be critical to the success of NLFFF modeling: (1) vector magnetic field data covering larger areas are needed so that more electric currents associated with the full active regions of interest are measured, (2) the modeling algorithms need a way to accommodate the various uncertainties in the boundary data, and (3) a more realistic physical model is needed to approximate the photosphere-to-corona interface in order to better transform the forced photospheric magnetograms into adequate approximations of nearly force-free fields at the base of the corona. We make recommendations for future modeling efforts to overcome these as yet unsolved problems.
A cytoplasmically inherited chlorophyll-deficient mutant of barley (Hordeum vulgare) termed cytoplasmic line 3 (CL3), displaying a viridis (homogeneously light-green colored) phenotype, has been previously shown to be affected by elevated temperatures. In this article, biochemical, biophysical, and molecular approaches were used to study the CL3 mutant under different temperature and light conditions. The results lead to the conclusion that an impaired assembly of photosystem I (PSI) under higher temperatures and certain light conditions is the primary cause of the CL3 phenotype. Compromised splicing of ycf3 transcripts, particularly at elevated temperature, resulting from a mutation in a noncoding region (intron 1) in the mutant ycf3 gene results in a defective synthesis of Ycf3, which is a chaperone involved in PSI assembly. The defective PSI assembly causes severe photoinhibition and degradation of PSII.
The study reports a group-randomized trial of a theatre-based intervention to prevent sexual abuse targeting first and second grade primary school children in Germany. A sample of 148 first and second graders saw a live performance of a play designed to promote skills in dealing with abuse-prone interactions with adults, watched a recording of the play on DVD or were assigned to a no intervention control group. Both the live performance and the DVD groups showed significant increases in the target variables (distinguishing good/bad touch and secrets, getting help, rejecting unwanted touch) from baseline to post-intervention and a follow-up after 2 weeks, while the control group did not show changes. The live performance and DVD groups participated in a further follow-up 30 weeks post-intervention, which showed sustained effects of the intervention. The findings indicate that with appropriately culture-sensitive measures, Sexual abuse prevention programmes can have Sustainable effects with young primary school children.
Motivation: Full-length DNA and protein sequences that span the entire length of a gene are ideally used for multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) and the subsequent inference of their relationships. Frequently, however, MSAs contain a substantial amount of missing data. For example, expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which are partial sequences of expressed genes, are the predominant source of sequence data for many organisms. The patterns of missing data typical for EST-derived alignments greatly compromise the accuracy of estimated phylogenies. Results: We present a statistical method for inferring phylogenetic trees from EST-based incomplete MSA data. We propose a class of hierarchical models for modeling pairwise distances between the sequences, and develop a fully Bayesian approach for estimation of the model parameters. Once the distance matrix is estimated, the phylogenetic tree may be constructed by applying neighbor-joining (or any other algorithm of choice). We also show that maximizing the marginal likelihood from the Bayesian approach yields similar results to a pro. le likelihood estimation. The proposed methods are illustrated using simulated protein families, for which the true phylogeny is known, and one real protein family.
We present a Monte Carlo technique for sampling from the canonical distribution in molecular dynamics. The method is built upon the Nose-Hoover constant temperature formulation and the generalized hybrid Monte Carlo method. In contrast to standard hybrid Monte Carlo methods only the thermostat degree of freedom is stochastically resampled during a Monte Carlo step.
In the present study, we describe synthesis and photochemical behaviour of the coumarinylmethyl phenyl ethers 1 and 6-10. Irradiation of the compounds in polar solvents leads to o-, p- and m-hydroxybenzyl substituted coumarins as main products. A side reaction is the photosolvolysis of the ethers that gives the (coumarin-4-yl)methyl alcohol and the corresponding phenol. Detailed studies of the quantum yields and product distributions upon irradiation of 6 as a function of the solvents are indicative of a dominant role of an ionic pathway in photochemical conversions. The found photochemical rearrangement is a useful tool for the preparation of hydroxylated 4-benzylcoumarins. A series of such compounds have been synthesised.
Using degenerate primers, we were able to identify seven Hox genes for the myzostomid Myzostoma cirriferum. The recovered fragments belong to anterior class (Mci_lab, Mci_pb), central class (Mci_Dfd, Mci_Lox5, Mci_Antp, Mci_Lox4), and posterior class (Mci_Post2) paralog groups. Orthology assignment was verified by phylogenetic analyses and presence of diagnostic regions in the homeodomain as well as flanking regions. The presence of Lox5, Lox4, and Post2 supports the inclusion of Myzostomida within Lophotrochozoa. We found signature residues within flanking regions of Lox5, which are also found in annelids, but not in Platyhelminthes. As such the available Hox genes data of myzostomids support an annelid relationship.
Three DNA regions carrying genes encoding putative homologs of xanthine dehydrogenases were identified in Escherichia coli, named xdhABC, xdhD, and yagTSRQ. Here, we describe the purification and characterization of gene products of the yagTSRQ operon, a molybdenum-containing iron-sulfur flavoprotein from E. coli, which is located in the periplasm. The 135 kDa enzyme comprised a noncovalent (alpha beta gamma) heterotrimer with a large (78.1 kDa) molybdenum cofactor (Moco)-containing YagR subunit, a medium (33.9 kDa) FAD-containing YagS subunit, and a small (21.0 kDa) 2 x [2Fe2S]-containing YagT subunit. YagQ is not a subunit of the mature enzyme, and the protein is expected to be involved in Moco modification and insertion into YagTSR. Analysis of the form of Moco present in YagTSR revealed the presence of the molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide cofactor. Two different [2Fe2S] clusters, typical for this class of enzyme, were identified by EPR. YagTSR represents the first example of a molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide-containing protein in E. coli. Kinetic characterization of the enzyme revealed that YagTSR converts a broad spectrum of aldehydes, with a preference for aromatic aldehydes. Ferredoxin instead of NAD(+) or molecular oxygen was used as terminal electron acceptor. Complete growth inhibition of E. coli cells devoid of genes from the yagTSRQ operon was observed by the addition of cinnamaldehyde to a low-pH medium. This finding shows that YagTSR might have a role in the detoxification of aromatic aldehydes for E. coli under certain growth conditions.
We report on the detection of a population of weak metal-line absorbers in the halo or nearby intergalactic environment of the Milky Way. Using high-resolution ultraviolet absorption-line spectra of bright quasars (QSO) obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), along six sight lines we have observed unsaturated, narrow absorption in O I and Si II, together with mildly saturated C II absorption at high radial velocities (vertical bar v(LSR)vertical bar = 100-320 km s(-1)). The measured O I column densities lie in the range N(O I) 2 x 10(14) cm(-2) implying that these structures represent Lyman limit Systems and sub-Lyman limit System with H I column densities between 10(16) and 3 x 10(18) cm(-2), thus below the detection limits of current 21 cm all-sky surveys of high-velocity clouds (HVCs). The absorbers apparently are not directly associated with any of the large high column density HVC complexes, but rather represent isolated, partly neutral gas clumps embedded in a more tenuous, ionized gaseous medium situated in the halo or nearby intergalactic environment of the Galaxy. Photoionization modeling of the observed low ion ratios suggests typical hydrogen volume densities of n(H) > 0.02 cm(-3) and characteristic thicknesses of a several parsec down to subparsec scales. For three absorbers, metallicities are constrained in the range of 0.1-1.0 solar, implying that these gaseous structures may have multiple origins inside and outside the Milky Way. Using supplementary optical absorption-line data, we find for two other absorbers Ca II/O I column-density ratios that correspond to solar Ca/O abundance ratios. This finding indicates that these clouds do not contain significant amounts of dust. This population of low column density gas clumps in the circumgalactic environment of the Milky Way is indicative of the various processes that contribute to the circulation of neutral gas in the extended halos of spiral galaxies. These processes include the accretion of gas from the intergalactic medium and satellite galaxies, galactic fountains, and outflows. We speculate that this absorber population represents the local analog of weak Mg II systems that are commonly observed in the circumgalactic environment of low- and high-redshift galaxies.
We show a scenario of a two-frequeney torus breakdown, in which a global bifurcation occurs due to the collision of a quasi-periodic torus T-2 with saddle points, creating a heteroclinic saddle connection. We analyze the geometry of this torus-saddle collision by showing the local dynamics and the invariant manifolds (global dynamics) of the saddle points. Moreover, we present detailed evidences of a heteroclinic saddle-focus orbit responsible for the type- if intermittency induced by this global bifurcation. We also characterize this transition to chaos by measuring the Lyapunov exponents and the scaling laws.
Several copper(II) methanoato complexes, namely mononuclear [Cu(O2CH)(2)(2-mpy)(2)] (1) (2-mpy = 2- methylpyridine), binuclear [Cu-2(mu-O2CH)(4)(2-mpy)(2)] (2), and the polynuclear {[Cu(mu-O2CH)(2)(2-mpy)(2)] [Cu-2(mu- O2CH)(4)]}(n) (3) and {Na-2[Cu(mu-O2CH)(2)(O2CH)(2)][Cu-2(mu-O2CH)(4)]}(n) (4), have been synthesized. The mononuclear complex I is formed by two asymmetric chelate methanoate anions and two 2-methylpyridine molecules, giving a highly distorted 'elongated octahedral' coordination sphere. Complex I decomposes outside the mother-liquid, transforming into a regular isolated binuclear paddle-wheel complex 2 with four intra-binuclear bridging methanoates and two axial 2-mpy ligands. The polynuclear complex 3 is formed of alternate mononuclear and binuclear building blocks resembling the central cores of I and 2, but with significant differences, especially for the methanoates of the mononuclear units. The oxygen atom of the mononuclear unit in the octahedral axial position in 3 is simultaneously coordinated to the axial position of the binuclear paddle-wheel central core, thus enabling a chain type of structure. A chain of alternate mononuclear and binuclear building blocks, as in the neutral compound 3. are found as well in the ionic polymeric compound 4, though two types of bridges are found in 4, while there is only one type in 3. Namely, the axial position of the octahedral mononuclear unit in 4 is occupied by the methanoate oxygen atom that is already a part of the binuclear paddle-wheel unit, while one equatorial methanoate from the mononuclear unit serves as a triatomic bridge to the axial position of the binuclear building block. A very strong antiferromagnetic interaction is found for all the complexes with the paddle-wheel building blocks [Cu-2(mu-O2CH)(4)] 2-4 (-2J = 444-482 cm(-1)), attributed to the methanoate intra-binuclear bridges. On the other hand, this strong antiferromagnetism, found already at room temperature, reduces the intensity of the EPR S = 1 spin signals reported for the isolated paddle-wheel complex 2. For the polymeric 3, only the spin S = 1/2 signals are found in the EPR spectra, and they are assigned to the mononuclear building blocks. No signals with a clear origin are however seen in the room temperature EPR spectrum of the polymeric analogue 4, only the S = 1/2 signals in the low temperature spectra. This feature is suggested to be due to a specific influence between the adjacent S = 1 (binuclear) and S = 1/2 (mononuclear) species via their bridges.
All stereoisomers of the natural product centrolobine are selectively synthesized, by starting from a common precursor. Key steps are an enantioselective allylation with enantiomerically pure allylsilanes, a tandem ring-closing metathesis-isomerization reaction, and a Heck reaction by using an arene diazonium salt. By choosing appropriate conditions for the final deprotection step, either the cis-configured centrolobines or their epimers are selectively obtained.
A test for conspecific cueing in two sympatric species of pupfish (Cyprinodon beltrani, C. simus)
(2009)
In many fishes, individuals prefer to associate with phenotypically similar or conspecific individuals (conspecific cueing). Such phenotypic segregation can be an important evolutionary driver, for example, in intralacustric sympatric speciation processes. I examined conspecific cueing in two species of sympatric pupfish from Laguna Chichancanab in southern Mexico: the little shoaling and highly territorial Cyprinodon beltrani and the highly shoaling but non-territorial C. simus. Females were tested for shoal species preferences in two testing scenarios: (1) a sequential choice test where shoals of four conspecific or four heterospecific (Cyprinodon sp. or Poecilia reticulata) females were presented in succession, and (2) a simultaneous choice test where female shoals of both Cyprindon species were presented concurrently. Overall, higher shoaling in C. simus was corroborated in this study. In the sequential test, no effect of the type of stimulus shoal (con- or heterospecific) on shoaling behavior was detected. In the simultaneous tests, C. beltrani, but not C. simus females showed a preference for the conspecific shoal. It seems possible that C. simus females did not evolve species recognition mechanisms because no other Cyprinodon species in the Laguna Chichancanab shows equally high shoaling, which automatically leads to the formation of single-species (i.e., C. simus-) shoals. C. simus males do not establish long-term territories, but rather spawn within shoals, whereas C. beltrani females approach males in their breeding territories to spawn. I discuss that this behavioral difference still provides a powerful reproductive isolation mechanism even in the absence of conspecific cueing in C. simus.
The theoretically possible stable conformers of free mn-15S2O3 maleonitrile-dithiacrown ether molecule were searched by means of a conformational study which consists of molecular dynamics and energy minimization calculations performed with MM2 force field and successive geometry optimization + frequency calculations performed first at B3LYP/3- 21G and then at B3LYP/6-31G(d) levels of theory. The obtained calculation results have clearly indicated that the free molecule in electronic ground state is very flexible and accordingly has many possible stable conformers of different conformational properties at room temperature; among them, the one having a macrocyclic ring structure in which all of the ether units oriented toward the center of the ring was determined the energetically most preferable conformer. In addition, the equilibrium geometrical parameters, vibrational normal modes and associated IR spectral data of the determined most stable three conformers of the molecule were calculated at B3LYP/6-31+G(d) and B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) levels of theory. A successful assignment of the fundamental bands observed in the recorded experimental solid phase and solution phase IR spectra of the molecule was achieved in the light of the theoretical data obtained from these DFT calculations. To fit the calculated harmonic wavenumbers to the experimental ones, two different scaling procedures, referred to as "Scaled Quantum Mechanical Force Field (SQM FF) methodology" and "Scaling wavenumbers with empirical dual scale factors", were proceeded independently.
We discuss the relaxation of a class of nonlinear elliptic Cauchy problems with data on a piece S of the boundary surface by means of a variational approach known in the optimal control literature as "equation error method". By the Cauchy problem is meant any boundary value problem for an unknown function y in a domain X with the property that the data on S, if combined with the differential equations in X, allow one to determine all derivatives of y on S by means of functional equations. In the case of real analytic data of the Cauchy problem, the existence of a local solution near S is guaranteed by the Cauchy-Kovalevskaya theorem. We also admit overdetermined elliptic systems, in which case the set of those Cauchy data on S for which the Cauchy problem is solvable is very "thin". For this reason we discuss a variational setting of the Cauchy problem which always possesses a generalised solution.
We have previously shown that the membrane conductance of mIMCD-3 cells at a holding potential of 0 mV is dominated by a Ca2+-dependent Cl- current (I-CLCA). Here we report that I-CLCA activity is also voltage dependent and that this dependence on voltage is linked to the opening of a novel Al3+-sensitive, voltage-dependent, Ca2+ influx pathway. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings at a physiological holding potential (-60 mV), I-CLCA was found to be inactive and resting currents were predominantly K+ selective. However, membrane depolarization to 0 mV resulted in a slow, sigmoidal, activation of I-CLCA (T (0.5) similar to 500 s), while repolarization in turn resulted in a monoexponential decay in I-CLCA (T (0.5) similar to 100 s). The activation of I-CLCA by depolarization was reduced by lowering extracellular Ca2+ and completely inhibited by buffering cytosolic Ca2+ with EGTA, suggesting a role for Ca2+ influx in the activation of I-CLCA. However, raising bulk cytosolic Ca2+ at -60 mV did not produce sustained I-CLCA activity. Therefore I-CLCA is dependent on both an increase in intracellular Ca2+ and depolarization to be active. We further show that membrane depolarization is coupled to opening of a Ca2+ influx pathway that displays equal permeability to Ca2+ and Ba2+ ions and that is blocked by extracellular Al3+ and La3+. Furthermore, Al3+ completely and reversibly inhibited depolarization-induced activation of I-CLCA, thereby directly linking Ca2+ influx to activation of I-CLCA. We speculate that during sustained membrane depolarization, calcium influx activates I-CLCA which functions to modulate NaCl transport across the apical membrane of IMCD cells.
It has been suggested that all species of spiral-horned antelopes (Tragelaphini) lack territoriality. Furthermore, some authors suggested that bushbuck (Tragelpahus scriptus) males form dominance hierarchies. In this study, we investigated the dominance relationships in two groups of free-ranging bushbuck males in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Adult males dominated young-adult bachelors and subadult males, but no distinct dominance relationships were found among adult males. Landau's index of linearity revealed no linear dominance hierarchy in the study populations. Our results support the idea that adult males are territorial, and overt aggression is directed almost exclusively towards bachelors that challenge territory holders.
Virtual 3D city models increasingly cover whole city areas; hence, the perception of complex urban structures becomes increasingly difficult. Using abstract visualization, complexity of these models can be hidden where its visibility is unnecessary, while important features are maintained and highlighted for better comprehension and communication. We present a technique to automatically generalize a given virtual 3D city model consisting of building models, an infrastructure network and optional land coverage data; this technique creates several representations of increasing levels of abstraction. Using the infrastructure network, our technique groups building models and replaces them with cell blocks, while preserving local landmarks. By computing a landmark hierarchy, we reduce the set of initial landmarks in a spatially balanced manner for use in higher levels of abstraction. In four application examples, we demonstrate smooth visualization of transitions between precomputed representations; dynamic landmark highlighting according to virtual camera distance; an implementation of a cognitively enhanced route representation, and generalization lenses to combine precomputed representations in focus + context visualization.
Evolutionary processes play an important role in shaping the dynamics of range expansions, and selection on dispersal propensity has been demonstrated to accelerate rates of advance. Previous theory has considered only the evolution of unconditional dispersal rates, but dispersal is often more complex. For example, many species emigrate in response to crowding. Here, we use an individual-based model to investigate the evolution of density dependent dispersal into empty habitat, such as during an invasion. The landscape is represented as a lattice and dispersal between Populations follows a stepping-stone pattern. Individuals carry three 'genes' that determine their dispersal strategy when experiencing different population densities. For a stationary range we obtain results consistent with previous theoretical studies: few individuals emigrate from patches that are below equilibrium density. However, during the range expansion of a previously stationary population, we observe evolution towards dispersal strategies where considerable emigration occurs well below equilibrium density. This is true even for moderate costs to dispersal, and always results in accelerating rates of range expansion. Importantly, the evolution we observe at an expanding front depends upon fitness integrated over several generations and cannot be predicted by a consideration of lifetime reproductive success alone. We argue that a better understanding of the role of density dependent dispersal, and its evolution, in driving population dynamics is required especially within the context of range expansions.
Accessory minerals of the Caledonian Rumburk granite are investigated to gain insight into its magmatic and post-magmatic evolution history. Recent geothermometers calibrated for trace elements in rutile (Zr), zircon (Ti), and quartz (Ti) were used to determine mineral-formation temperatures, which are compared with T data obtained from melt and fluid-inclusion Studies on quartz. Improved electron-microprobe analytical conditions allowed distinguishing several generations of rutile. Submicron-sized rutile needles included in quartz crystallized at around 739 +/- 13 degrees C and, thus, are evidently magmatic. Simultaneous crystallization of the high-T rutile and quartz is the favoured concept compared with an exsolution model for the needles. Th-U-total Pb dating of xenotime-(Y) by electron microprobe yielded a bimodal age distribution of 494 +/- 8 Ma (2 sigma; n = 44) and 311 +/- 8 Ma (2 sigma; n = 48), which is missing in monazite-(Ce). The older age correlates with the early Ordovician granite emplacement age Suggested by earlier isotopic Studies. The younger Carboniferous age also may be geologically reasonable, because the granite experienced a minor tectonothermal overprint during the Variscan orogenesis. However, whether this event has caused the resetting of the isotopic system in the xenotime is uncertain. This also holds for the age of the partial breakdown of monazite and xenotime into reaction coronas composed of fluorapatite, allanite-(Ce), epidote +/- clinozoisite. This alteration assemblage was likely produced already during autometasomatic reworking of the solidifying magma in Ordovician time, but it cannot be excluded that it relates to a Carboniferous fluid imprint connected with late-Variscan processes.
Achievement motive imagery in German schoolbooks : a pilot study testing McClelland's hypothesis
(2009)
McClelland [McClelland, D.C. (1961). The achieving society. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand] observed that the amount of achievement imagery in children's books predicted the economic development of societies. He argued that achievement imagery is an indicator of a motivational climate, and when children grow up in a society that emphasizes the striving for achievement, they will be more economically productive later on. We tested McClelland's hypothesis by coding school textbooks for achievement imagery from two German federal states (Baden-Wurttemberg and Bremen) with pronounced differences in economic and educational conditions. As expected, the schoolbooks from the state with the more advantageous conditions contained more achievement imagery.
Activated carbon has become a widely used tool to investigate root-mediated allelopathy of plants, especially in plant invasion biology, because it adsorbs and thereby neutralizes root exudates. Allelopathy has been a controversially debated phenomenon for years, which revived in plant invasion biology as one possible reason for the success of invasive plants. Noxious plant exudates may harm other plants and provide an advantage to the allelopathic plant. However, root exudates are not always toxic, but may stimulate the microbial community and change nutrient availability in the rhizosphere. In a greenhouse experiment, we investigated the interacting effects of activated carbon, arbuscular mycorrhiza and plant competition between the invasive Senecio inaequidens and the native Artemisia vulgaris. Furthermore, we tested whether activated carbon showed any undesired effects by directly affecting mycorrhiza or soil chemistry. Contrary to the expectation, S. inaequidens was a weak competitor and we could not support the idea that allelopathy was involved in the competition. Activated carbon led to a considerable increase in the aboveground biomass production and reduced the infection with arbuscular mycorrhiza of both plant species. We expected that arbuscular mycorrhiza promotes plant growth by increasing nutrient availability, but we found the contrary when activated carbon was added. Chemical analyses of the substrate showed, that adding activated carbon resulted in a strong increase in plant available phosphate and in a decrease of the C-organic/N-total ration both of which suggest stimulated microbial activity. Thus, activated carbon not only reduced potential allelopathic effects, but substantially changed the chemistry of the substrate. These results show that activated carbon should be handled with great care in ecological experiments on allelopathy because of possible confounding effects on the soil community.
The article presents a mathematical model of short-term recognition based on dual-process models and the three- component theory of working memory [Oberauer, K. (2002). Access to information in working memory: Exploring the focus of attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 28, 411-421]. Familiarity arises from activated representations in long-term memory, ignoring their relations; recollection retrieves bindings in the capacity- limited component of working memory. In three experiments participants encoded two short lists of nonwords for immediate recognition, one of which was then cued as irrelevant. Probes from the irrelevant list were rejected more slowly than new probes; this was also found with probes recombining letters of irrelevant nonwords, suggesting that familiarity arises from individual letters independent of their relations. When asked to accept probes whose letters were all in the relevant list, regardless of their conjunction, participants accepted probes preserving the original conjunctions faster than recombinations, showing that recollection accessed feature bindings automatically. The model fit the data best when familiarity depended only on matching letters, whereas recollection used binding information.
Applied to the nasal mucosa in low concentrations, nicotine vapor evokes odorous sensations (mediated by the olfactory system) whereas at higher concentrations nicotine vapor additionally produces burning and stinging sensations in the nose (mediated by the trigeminal system). The objective of this study was to determine whether intranasal stimulation with suprathreshold concentrations of S(-)-nicotine vapor causes brain activation in olfactory cortical areas or if trigeminal cortical areas are also activated. Individual olfactory detection thresholds for S(-)-nicotine were determined in 19 healthy occasional smokers using a computer-controlled air-dilution olfactometer. Functional magnetic resonance images were acquired using a 1.5T MR scanner with applications of nicotine in concentrations at or just above the individual"s olfactory detection threshold. Subjects reliably perceived the stimuli as being odorous. Accordingly, activation of brain areas known to be involved in processing of olfactory stimuli was identified. Although most of the subjects never or only rarely observed a burning or painful sensation in the nose, brain areas associated with the processing of painful stimuli were activated in all subjects. This indicates that the olfactory and trigeminal systems are activated during perception of nicotine and it is not possible to completely separate olfactory from trigeminal effects by lowering the concentration of the applied nicotine. In conclusion, even at low concentrations that do not consistently lead to painful sensations, intranasally applied nicotine activates both the olfactory and the trigeminal system.
Owing to the loose coupling between replicas, the replica-exchange (RE) class of algorithms should be able to benefit greatly from using as many resources as available. However, the ability to effectively use multiple distributed resources to reduce the time to completion remains a challenge at many levels. Additionally, an implementation of a pleasingly distributed algorithm such as replica-exchange, which is independent of infrastructural details, does not exist. This paper proposes an extensible and scalable framework based on Simple API for Grid Applications that provides a general-purpose, opportunistic mechanism to effectively use multiple resources in an infrastructure-independent way. By analysing the requirements of the RE algorithm and the challenges of implementing it on real production systems, we propose a new abstraction (BIGJOB), which forms the basis of the adaptive redistribution and effective scheduling of replicas.
Aggravation by prostaglandin e-2 of interleukin-6-dependent insulin resistance in hepatocytes
(2009)
Hepatic insulin resistance is a major contributor to fasting hyperglycemia in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Circumstantial evidence suggests that cyclooxygenase products in addition to cytokines might contribute to insulin resistance. However, direct evidence for a role of prostaglandins in the development of hepatic insulin resistance is lacking. Therefore, the impact of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE(2)) alone and in combination with interleukin-6 (IL-6) on insulin signaling was studied in primary hepatocyte cultures. Rat hepatocytes were incubated with IL-6 and/or PGE(2) and subsequently with insulin. Glycogen synthesis was monitored by radiochemical analysis; the activation state of proteins of the insulin receptor signal chain was analyzed by western blot with phosphospecific antibodies. In hepatocytes, insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis and insulin-dependent phosphorylation of Akt-kinase were attenuated synergistically by prior incubation with IL-6 and/or PGE(2) while insulin receptor autophosphorylation was barely affected. IL-6 but not PGE(2) induced suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS3). PGE(2) but not IL-6 activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) persistently. Inhibition of ERK1/2 activation by PD98059 abolished the PGE(2)-dependent but not the IL-6-dependent attenuation of insulin signaling. In HepG2 cells expressing a recombinant EP3-receptor, PGE(2) pre-incubation activated ERK1/2, caused a serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), and reduced the insulin-dependent Akt-phosphorylation. Conclusion: PGE(2) might contribute to hepatic insulin resistance via an EP3-receptor-dependent ERK1/2 activation resulting in a serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate, thereby preventing an insulin-dependent activation of Akt and glycogen synthesis. Since different molecular mechanisms appear to be employed, PGE(2) may synergize with IL-6, which interrupted the insulin receptor signal chain, principally by an induction of SOCS, namely SOCS3.
Agglomeration in a fluid flow, when collisions of aggregates with channel walls are important is analyzed. We assume the diffusion-limited mechanism for clusters growth and the Stokes' force exerted on the agglomerates from the flow. Collisions of the particles with the channel walls are modeled by a random Poisson process. We develop an analytical theory for the size distribution of the aggregates and check the theoretical predictions by Monte Carlo simulations. The numerical data agree well with the analytical results.
We determine all regular solid varieties of commutative semigroups. Each of them is contained in the Reg- hyperequational class V (RC) defined by the associative law and the commutative law, and every subvariety of V (RC) is regular solid. In the present paper, the subvariety lattice of V (RC) will be characterized.
The investigated HP/LT metasedimentary units of the Valaisan and adjacent European domains occupy a key position in the Alpine belt for understanding the transition from early subduction-related HP/LT metamorphism to collision-related Barrovian overprint and the evolution of mountain belts in general. The timing of high-pressure metamorphism, subsequent retrogression and following Barrow-type overprint was studied by Ar-40/Ar-39 dating of biotite and several white mica generations that are well characterized in terms of mineral chemistry, texture and associated mineral assemblages. Four distinct age populations of white mica record peak pressure conditions (42-40 Ma) and several stages of subsequent retrograde metamorphic evolution (36-25 Ma). Biotite isotopic analyses yield consistent apparent ages that cluster around 18-16 Ma for the Barrow-type thermal overprint. The recorded isotopic data reveal a significant time gap in the order of some 20 Ma between subduction-related HP/LT metamorphism and collision-related Barrovian overprint, supporting the notion of a polymetamorphic evolution associated with a bimodal P-T path.
Context: Most solar and stellar dynamo models use the alpha-Omega scenario where the magnetic field is generated by the interplay between differential rotation (the Omega effect) and a mean electromotive force due to helical turbulent convection flows (the alpha effect). There are, however, turbulent dynamo mechnisms that may complement the alpha effect or may be an alternative to it. Aims: We investigate models of solar-type dynamos where the alpha effect is completely replaced by two other turbulent dynamo mechanisms, namely the Omega x J effect and the shear- current effect, which both result from an inhomogeneity of the mean magnetic field. Methods: We studied axisymmetric mean-field dynamo models containing differential rotation, the Omega x J and shear-current effects, and a meridional circulation. The model calculations were carried out using the rotation profile of the Sun as obtained from helioseismic measurements and radial profiles of other quantities according to a standard model of the solar interior. Results: Without meridional flow, no satisfactory agreement of the models with the solar observations can be obtained. With a sufficiently strong meridional circulation included, however, the main properties of the large-scale solar magnetic field, namely, its oscillatory behavior, its latitudinal drift towards the equator within each half cycle, and its dipolar parity with respect to the equatorial plane, are correctly reproduced. Conclusions: We have thereby constructed the first mean-field models of solar-type dynamos that do not use the alpha effect.