Sinking a Granular Raft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Protière, Suzie; Josserand, Christophe; Aristoff, Jeffrey M.; Stone, Howard A.; Abkarian, Manouk

2017-03-01

We report experiments that yield new insights on the behavior of granular rafts at an oil-water interface. We show that these particle aggregates can float or sink depending on dimensionless parameters taking into account the particle densities and size and the densities of the two fluids. We characterize the raft shape and stability and propose a model to predict its shape and maximum length to remain afloat. Finally we find that wrinkles and folds appear along the raft due to compression by its own weight, which can trigger destabilization. These features are characteristics of an elastic instability, which we discuss, including the limitations of our model.

Spore Density Determines Infection Strategy by the Plant Pathogenic Fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina1[OPEN

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Necrotrophic and biotrophic pathogens are resisted by different plant defenses. While necrotrophic pathogens are sensitive to jasmonic acid (JA)-dependent resistance, biotrophic pathogens are resisted by salicylic acid (SA)- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent resistance. Although many pathogens switch from biotrophy to necrotrophy during infection, little is known about the signals triggering this transition. This study is based on the observation that the early colonization pattern and symptom development by the ascomycete pathogen Plectosphaerella cucumerina (P. cucumerina) vary between inoculation methods. Using the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) defense response as a proxy for infection strategy, we examined whether P. cucumerina alternates between hemibiotrophic and necrotrophic lifestyles, depending on initial spore density and distribution on the leaf surface. Untargeted metabolome analysis revealed profound differences in metabolic defense signatures upon different inoculation methods. Quantification of JA and SA, marker gene expression, and cell death confirmed that infection from high spore densities activates JA-dependent defenses with excessive cell death, while infection from low spore densities induces SA-dependent defenses with lower levels of cell death. Phenotyping of Arabidopsis mutants in JA, SA, and ROS signaling confirmed that P. cucumerina is differentially resisted by JA- and SA/ROS-dependent defenses, depending on initial spore density and distribution on the leaf. Furthermore, in situ staining for early callose deposition at the infection sites revealed that necrotrophy by P. cucumerina is associated with elevated host defense. We conclude that P. cucumerina adapts to early-acting plant defenses by switching from a hemibiotrophic to a necrotrophic infection program, thereby gaining an advantage of immunity-related cell death in the host. PMID:26842622

A physical mechanism for the onset of radial electric fields in magnetically confined plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moleti, A.

1996-04-01

A simple physical mechanism is described, which could trigger the Low-mode to High-mode (L-H) transition. The instantaneous ion density profile is significantly modified by a sudden temperature increase, because Larmor radii and banana orbit widths are proportional to thermal velocity. The electric fields that are observed in H-mode plasmas could be produced in the radial region where a large second derivative of the density profile exists, either by strong additional heating or by the heat pulse associated to a sawtooth crash. The L-H transition threshold for the time derivative of the ion temperature is of the order of magnitude of the values that are measured in the outer part of the plasma by electron temperature fast diagnostics at sawtooth crashes. This model agrees with the experimental evidence that L-H transitions are often triggered by a sawtooth crash, and the predicted dependence of the threshold on plasma parameters is fairly consistent with available data.

Disarmed by density

PubMed Central

Nasi, Aikaterini; Rethi, Bence

2013-01-01

We observed a cell concentration-dependent differentiation switch among cultured dendritic cells (DCs) triggered by lactic acid, a product of glycolytic metabolism. In particular, while interleukin (IL)-12, IL-23, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-producing, migratory DCs developed in sparse cultures, IL-10-producing, non-migratory DCs differentiated in dense cultures. This points to a novel opportunity for tailoring DC-based anticancer therapies through metabolism modulation in developing DCs. PMID:24575378

Why galactic gamma-ray bursts might depend on environment: Blast waves around neutron stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rees, Martin J.; Meszaros, Peter; Begelman, Mitchell C.

1994-01-01

Although galactic models for gamma-ray bursts are hard to reconcile with the isotropy data, the issue is still sufficiently open that both options should be explored. The most likely 'triggers' for bursts in our Galaxy would be violent disturbances in the magnetospheres of neutron stars. Any event of this kind is likely to expel magnetic flux and plasma at relativistic speed. Such ejecta would be braked by the interstellar medium (ISM), and a gamma-ray flash may result from this interaction. The radiative efficiency, of this mechanism would depend on the density of the circumstellar ISM. Therefore, even if neutron stars were uniformly distributed in space (at least within 1-2 kpc of the Sun), the observed locations of bursts would correlate with regions of above-average ISM density.

Disarmed by density: A glycolytic break for immunostimulatory dendritic cells?

PubMed

Nasi, Aikaterini; Rethi, Bence

2013-12-01

We observed a cell concentration-dependent differentiation switch among cultured dendritic cells (DCs) triggered by lactic acid, a product of glycolytic metabolism. In particular, while interleukin (IL)-12, IL-23, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-producing, migratory DCs developed in sparse cultures, IL-10-producing, non-migratory DCs differentiated in dense cultures. This points to a novel opportunity for tailoring DC-based anticancer therapies through metabolism modulation in developing DCs.

Density-dependent selection on mate search and evolution of Allee effects.

PubMed

Berec, Luděk; Kramer, Andrew M; Bernhauerová, Veronika; Drake, John M

2018-01-01

Sexually reproducing organisms require males and females to find each other. Increased difficulty of females finding mates as male density declines is the most frequently reported mechanism of Allee effects in animals. Evolving more effective mate search may alleviate Allee effects, but may depend on density regimes a population experiences. In particular, high-density populations may evolve mechanisms that induce Allee effects which become detrimental when populations are reduced and maintained at a low density. We develop an individual-based, eco-genetic model to study how mating systems and fitness trade-offs interact with changes in population density to drive evolution of the rate at which males or females search for mates. Finite mate search rate triggers Allee effects in our model and we explore how these Allee effects respond to such evolution. We allow a population to adapt to several population density regimes and examine whether high-density populations are likely to reverse adaptations attained at low densities. We find density-dependent selection in most of scenarios, leading to search rates that result in lower Allee thresholds in populations kept at lower densities. This mainly occurs when fecundity costs are imposed on mate search, and provides an explanation for why Allee effects are often observed in anthropogenically rare species. Optimizing selection, where the attained trait value minimizes the Allee threshold independent of population density, depended on the trade-off between search and survival, combined with monogamy when females were searching. Other scenarios led to runaway selection on the mate search rate, including evolutionary suicide. Trade-offs involved in mate search may thus be crucial to determining how density influences the evolution of Allee effects. Previous studies did not examine evolution of a trait related to the strength of Allee effects under density variation. We emphasize the crucial role that mating systems, fitness trade-offs and the evolving sex have in determining the density threshold for population persistence, in particular since evolution need not always take the Allee threshold to its minimum value. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2017 British Ecological Society.

Design and Operation of a Two-Color Interferometer to Measure Plasma and Neutral Gas Densities in a Laser-Triggered Spark Gap Switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camacho, J. F.; Ruden, E. L.; Domonkos, M. T.; Schmitt-Sody, A.; Lucero, A.

2014-10-01

A Mach-Zehnder imaging interferometer, operating with 1064-nm and 532-nm wavelength beams from a short-pulse laser and a frequency-doubled branch, respectively, has been designed and built to simultaneously measure plasma free electron and neutral gas densities profiles within a laser-triggered spark gap switch with a 5-mm gap. The switch will be triggered by focusing a separate 532-nm or 1064-nm laser pulse along the gap's axis to trigger low-jitter breakdown. Illuminating the gap transverse to this axis, the diagnostic will generate interferograms for each wavelength, which will then be numerically converted to phase-shift maps. These will be used to calculate independent line-integrated free electron and neutral density profiles by exploiting their different frequency dispersion curves. The density profiles themselves, then, will be calculated by Abel inversion. Details of the interferometer's design will be presented along with density data obtained using a variety of fill gasses at various pressures. Other switch parameters will be varied as well in order to characterize more fully the performance of the switch.

Modelling the Probability of Landslides Impacting Road Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, F. E.; Malamud, B. D.

2012-04-01

During a landslide triggering event, the threat of landslides blocking roads poses a risk to logistics, rescue efforts and communities dependant on those road networks. Here we present preliminary results of a stochastic model we have developed to evaluate the probability of landslides intersecting a simple road network during a landslide triggering event and apply simple network indices to measure the state of the road network in the affected region. A 4000 x 4000 cell array with a 5 m x 5 m resolution was used, with a pre-defined simple road network laid onto it, and landslides 'randomly' dropped onto it. Landslide areas (AL) were randomly selected from a three-parameter inverse gamma probability density function, consisting of a power-law decay of about -2.4 for medium and large values of AL and an exponential rollover for small values of AL; the rollover (maximum probability) occurs at about AL = 400 m2 This statistical distribution was chosen based on three substantially complete triggered landslide inventories recorded in existing literature. The number of landslide areas (NL) selected for each triggered event iteration was chosen to have an average density of 1 landslide km-2, i.e. NL = 400 landslide areas chosen randomly for each iteration, and was based on several existing triggered landslide event inventories. A simple road network was chosen, in a 'T' shape configuration, with one road 1 x 4000 cells (5 m x 20 km) in a 'T' formation with another road 1 x 2000 cells (5 m x 10 km). The landslide areas were then randomly 'dropped' over the road array and indices such as the location, size (ABL) and number of road blockages (NBL) recorded. This process was performed 500 times (iterations) in a Monte-Carlo type simulation. Initial results show that for a landslide triggering event with 400 landslides over a 400 km2 region, the number of road blocks per iteration, NBL,ranges from 0 to 7. The average blockage area for the 500 iterations (A¯ BL) is about 3000 m2, which closely matches the value of A¯ L for the triggered landslide inventories. We further find that over the 500 iterations, the probability of a given number of road blocks occurring on any given iteration, p(NBL) as a function of NBL, follows reasonably well a three-parameter inverse gamma probability density distribution with an exponential rollover (i.e., the most frequent value) at NBL = 1.3. In this paper we have begun to calculate the probability of the number of landslides blocking roads during a triggering event, and have found that this follows an inverse-gamma distribution, which is similar to that found for the statistics of landslide areas resulting from triggers. As we progress to model more realistic road networks, this work will aid in both long-term and disaster management for road networks by allowing probabilistic assessment of road network potential damage during different magnitude landslide triggering event scenarios.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xiong, L. H.; Wang, X. D.; Yu, Q.

Temperature-dependent atomistic structure evolution of liquid gallium (Ga) has been investigated by using in situ high energy X-ray diffraction experiment and ab initio molecular dynamics simulation. Both experimental and theoretical results reveal the existence of a liquid structural change around 1000 K in liquid Ga. Below and above this temperature the liquid exhibits differences in activation energy for selfdiffusion, temperature-dependent heat capacity, coordination numbers, density, viscosity, electric resistivity and thermoelectric power, which are reflected from structural changes of the bond-orientational order parameter Q6, fraction of covalent dimers, averaged string length and local atomic packing. This finding will trigger more studiesmore » on the liquid-to-liquid crossover in metallic melts.« less

Competition between Bose-Einstein Condensation and Spin Dynamics.

PubMed

Naylor, B; Brewczyk, M; Gajda, M; Gorceix, O; Maréchal, E; Vernac, L; Laburthe-Tolra, B

2016-10-28

We study the impact of spin-exchange collisions on the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensation by rapidly cooling a chromium multicomponent Bose gas. Despite relatively strong spin-dependent interactions, the critical temperature for Bose-Einstein condensation is reached before the spin degrees of freedom fully thermalize. The increase in density due to Bose-Einstein condensation then triggers spin dynamics, hampering the formation of condensates in spin-excited states. Small metastable spinor condensates are, nevertheless, produced, and they manifest in strong spin fluctuations.

Climatic Signals from Intra-annual Density Fluctuation Frequency in Mediterranean Pines at a Regional Scale

PubMed Central

Zalloni, Enrica; de Luis, Martin; Campelo, Filipe; Novak, Klemen; De Micco, Veronica; Di Filippo, Alfredo; Vieira, Joana; Nabais, Cristina; Rozas, Vicente; Battipaglia, Giovanna

2016-01-01

Tree rings provide information about the climatic conditions during the growing season by recording them in different anatomical features, such as intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs). IADFs are intra-annual changes of wood density appearing as latewood-like cells within earlywood, or earlywood-like cells within latewood. The occurrence of IADFs is dependent on the age and size of the tree, and it is triggered by climatic drivers. The variations of IADF frequency of different species and their dependence on climate across a wide geographical range have still to be explored. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of age, tree-ring width and climate on IADF formation and frequency at a regional scale across the Mediterranean Basin in Pinus halepensis Mill., Pinus pinaster Ait., and Pinus pinea L. The analyzed tree-ring network was composed of P. pinea trees growing at 10 sites (2 in Italy, 4 in Spain, and 4 in Portugal), P. pinaster from 19 sites (2 in Italy, 13 in Spain, and 4 in Portugal), and P. halepensis from 38 sites in Spain. The correlations between IADF frequency and monthly minimum, mean and maximum temperatures, as well as between IADF frequency and total precipitation, were analyzed. A significant negative relationship between IADF frequency and tree-ring age was found for the three Mediterranean pines. Moreover, IADFs were more frequent in wider rings than in narrower ones, although the widest rings showed a reduced IADF frequency. Wet conditions during late summer/early autumn triggered the formation of IADFs in the three species. Our results suggest the existence of a common climatic driver for the formation of IADFs in Mediterranean pines, highlighting the potential use of IADF frequency as a proxy for climate reconstructions with geographical resolution. PMID:27200052

A multiple gap plasma cathode electron gun and its electron beam analysis in self and trigger breakdown modes.

PubMed

Kumar, Niraj; Pal, Dharmendra Kumar; Jadon, Arvind Singh; Pal, Udit Narayan; Rahaman, Hasibur; Prakash, Ram

2016-03-01

In the present paper, a pseudospark discharge based multiple gap plasma cathode electron gun is reported which has been operated separately in self and trigger breakdown modes using two different gases, namely, argon and hydrogen. The beam current and beam energy have been analyzed using a concentric ring diagnostic arrangement. Two distinct electron beams are clearly seen with hollow cathode and conductive phases. The hollow cathode phase has been observed for ∼50 ns where the obtained electron beam is having low beam current density and high energy. While in conductive phase it is high current density and low energy electron beam. It is inferred that in the hollow cathode phase the beam energy is more for the self breakdown case whereas the current density is more for the trigger breakdown case. The tailor made operation of the hollow cathode phase electron beam can play an important role in microwave generation. Up to 30% variation in the electron beam energy has been achieved keeping the same gas and by varying the breakdown mode operations. Also, up to 32% variation in the beam current density has been achieved for the trigger breakdown mode at optimized trigger position by varying the gas type.

A multiple gap plasma cathode electron gun and its electron beam analysis in self and trigger breakdown modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Niraj; Pal, Udit Narayan; Prakash, Ram

In the present paper, a pseudospark discharge based multiple gap plasma cathode electron gun is reported which has been operated separately in self and trigger breakdown modes using two different gases, namely, argon and hydrogen. The beam current and beam energy have been analyzed using a concentric ring diagnostic arrangement. Two distinct electron beams are clearly seen with hollow cathode and conductive phases. The hollow cathode phase has been observed for ∼50 ns where the obtained electron beam is having low beam current density and high energy. While in conductive phase it is high current density and low energy electronmore » beam. It is inferred that in the hollow cathode phase the beam energy is more for the self breakdown case whereas the current density is more for the trigger breakdown case. The tailor made operation of the hollow cathode phase electron beam can play an important role in microwave generation. Up to 30% variation in the electron beam energy has been achieved keeping the same gas and by varying the breakdown mode operations. Also, up to 32% variation in the beam current density has been achieved for the trigger breakdown mode at optimized trigger position by varying the gas type.« less

Experimental investigation on the effect of plasma jet in the triggered discharge process of a gas switch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tie, W., E-mail: twh.110.666@163.com, E-mail: 84470220@qq.com; Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049; Liu, S.

The temporal and spatial evolution of a plasma jet generated by a spark discharge was observed. The electron temperature and density were obtained under different time and gas pressures by optical emission spectroscopy. Moreover, the discharge process of the plasma-jet triggered gas switch was recorded and analyzed at the lowest working coefficient. The results showed that the plasma jet moved forward in a bullet mode, and the advancing velocity increased with the decrease of pressure, and decreased with time growing. At initial time, the maximum velocity of a plasma jet could reach 3.68 × 10{sup 6 }cm/s. The electron temperature decreased from 2.0 eVmore » to 1.3 eV, and the electron density increased from 3.1 × 10{sup 15}/cm{sup 3} to 6.3 × 10{sup 15}/cm{sup 3} at the initial moment as the gas pressure increases from 0.1 MPa to 0.32 MPa. For a two-gap gas switch, the discharge performances were more depended on the second discharge spark gap (gap 2). Because plasma jet promoted the discharge in Gap 2, the gas switch operating in mode II had better triggered discharge characteristics. In the discharge process, the plasma-jet triggering had the effect of non-penetrating inducing, which not only provided initial electrons for reducing statistical lag but also enhanced the local electric field. The discharge was initiated and accelerated from electron avalanche to streamer. Therefore, a fast discharge was occurred in the gas switch.« less

The energy requirements of an aircraft triggered discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bicknell, J. A.; Shelton, R. W.

The corona produced at aircraft surfaces requires an energy input before the corona can develop into a high current discharge and, thus, a possible lightning stroke. This energy must be drawn from the space charge field of the thundercloud and, since this is of low density, the unique propagation characteristics of positive corona streamers may be important. Estimates of the energy made available by the propagation are compared with laboratory measurements of the minimum energy input required to trigger a breakdown. The comparison indicates a minimum streamer range for breakdown of several tens of meters. Also estimated is the energy released as a consequence of streamer-hydrometer interactions; this is shown to be significant so that breakdown could depend upon the precipitation rate within the cloud. Inhibiting streamer production may therefore provide an aircraft with a degree of corona protection.

Physics of GAM-initiated L-H transition in a tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askinazi, L. G.; Belokurov, A. A.; Bulanin, V. V.; Gurchenko, A. D.; Gusakov, E. Z.; Kiviniemi, T. P.; Lebedev, S. V.; Kornev, V. A.; Korpilo, T.; Krikunov, S. V.; Leerink, S.; Machielsen, M.; Niskala, P.; Petrov, A. V.; Tukachinsky, A. S.; Yashin, A. Yu; Zhubr, N. A.

2017-01-01

Based on experimental observations using the TUMAN-3M and FT-2 tokamaks, and the results of gyrokinetic modeling of the interplay between turbulence and the geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) in these installations, a simple model is proposed for the analysis of the conditions required for L-H transition triggering by a burst of radial electric field oscillations in a tokamak. In the framework of this model, one-dimensional density evolution is considered to be governed by an anomalous diffusion coefficient dependent on radial electric field shear. The radial electric field is taken as the sum of the oscillating term and the quasi-stationary one determined by density and ion temperature gradients through a neoclassical formula. If the oscillating field parameters (amplitude, frequency, etc) are properly adjusted, a transport barrier forms at the plasma periphery and sustains after the oscillations are switched off, manifesting a transition into the high confinement mode with a strong inhomogeneous radial electric field and suppressed transport at the plasma edge. The electric field oscillation parameters required for L-H transition triggering are compared with the GAM parameters observed at the TUMAN-3M (in the discharges with ohmic L-H transition) and FT-2 tokamaks (where no clear L-H transition was observed). It is concluded based on this comparison that the GAM may act as a trigger for the L-H transition, provided that certain conditions for GAM oscillation and tokamak discharge are met.

Microscopic Phase-Space Exploration Modeling of ^{258}Fm Spontaneous Fission.

PubMed

Tanimura, Yusuke; Lacroix, Denis; Ayik, Sakir

2017-04-14

We show that the total kinetic energy (TKE) of nuclei after the spontaneous fission of ^{258}Fm can be well reproduced using simple assumptions on the quantum collective phase space explored by the nucleus after passing the fission barrier. Assuming energy conservation and phase-space exploration according to the stochastic mean-field approach, a set of initial densities is generated. Each density is then evolved in time using the nuclear time-dependent density-functional theory with pairing. This approach goes beyond the mean-field theory by allowing spontaneous symmetry breaking as well as a wider dynamical phase-space exploration leading to larger fluctuations in collective space. The total kinetic energy and mass distributions are calculated. New information on the fission process: fluctuations in scission time, strong correlation between TKE and collective deformation, as well as prescission particle emission, are obtained. We conclude that fluctuations of the TKE and mass are triggered by quantum fluctuations.

Responsive block copolymer photonics triggered by protein-polyelectrolyte coacervation.

PubMed

Fan, Yin; Tang, Shengchang; Thomas, Edwin L; Olsen, Bradley D

2014-11-25

Ionic interactions between proteins and polyelectrolytes are demonstrated as a method to trigger responsive transitions in block copolymer (BCP) photonic gels containing one neutral hydrophobic block and one cationic hydrophilic block. Poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) blocks in lamellar poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) block copolymer thin films are quaternized with primary bromides to yield swollen gels that show strong reflectivity peaks in the visible range; exposure to aqueous solutions of various proteins alters the swelling ratios of the quaternized P2VP (QP2VP) gel layers in the PS-QP2VP materials due to the ionic interactions between proteins and the polyelectrolyte. Parameters such as charge density, hydrophobicity, and cross-link density of the QP2VP gel layers as well as the charge and size of the proteins play significant roles on the photonic responses of the BCP gels. Differences in the size and pH-dependent charge of proteins provide a basis for fingerprinting proteins based on their temporal and equilibrium photonic response. The results demonstrate that the BCP gels and their photonic effect provide a robust and visually interpretable method to differentiate different proteins.

Onset of 2D magnetic reconnection in the solar photosphere, chromosphere, and corona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snow, B.; Botha, G. J. J.; McLaughlin, J. A.; Hillier, A.

2018-01-01

Aims: We aim to investigate the onset of 2D time-dependent magnetic reconnection that is triggered using an external (non-local) velocity driver located away from, and perpendicular to, an equilibrium Harris current sheet. Previous studies have typically utilised an internal trigger to initiate reconnection, for example initial conditions centred on the current sheet. Here, an external driver allows for a more naturalistic trigger as well as the study of the earlier stages of the reconnection start-up process. Methods: Numerical simulations solving the compressible, resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations were performed to investigate the reconnection onset within different atmospheric layers of the Sun, namely the corona, chromosphere and photosphere. Results: A reconnecting state is reached for all atmospheric heights considered, with the dominant physics being highly dependent on atmospheric conditions. The coronal case achieves a sharp rise in electric field (indicative of reconnection) for a range of velocity drivers. For the chromosphere, we find a larger velocity amplitude is required to trigger reconnection (compared to the corona). For the photospheric environment, the electric field is highly dependent on the inflow speed; a sharp increase in electric field is obtained only as the velocity entering the reconnection region approaches the Alfvén speed. Additionally, the role of ambipolar diffusion is investigated for the chromospheric case and we find that the ambipolar diffusion alters the structure of the current density in the inflow region. Conclusions: The rate at which flux enters the reconnection region is controlled by the inflow velocity. This determines all aspects of the reconnection start-up process, that is, the early onset of reconnection is dominated by the advection term in Ohm's law in all atmospheric layers. A lower plasma-β enhances reconnection and creates a large change in the electric field. A high plasma-β hinders the reconnection, yielding a sharp rise in the electric field only when the velocity flowing into the reconnection region approaches the local Alfvén speed.

The Progenitor Dependence of Core-collapse Supernovae from Three-dimensional Simulations with Progenitor Models of 12–40 M ⊙

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ott, Christian D.; Roberts, Luke F.; da Silva Schneider, André; Fedrow, Joseph M.; Haas, Roland; Schnetter, Erik

2018-03-01

We present a first study of the progenitor star dependence of the three-dimensional (3D) neutrino mechanism of core-collapse supernovae. We employ full 3D general-relativistic multi-group neutrino radiation-hydrodynamics and simulate the postbounce evolutions of progenitors with zero-age main sequence masses of 12, 15, 20, 27, and 40 M ⊙. All progenitors, with the exception of the 12 M ⊙ star, experience shock runaway by the end of their simulations. In most cases, a strongly asymmetric explosion will result. We find three qualitatively distinct evolutions that suggest a complex dependence of explosion dynamics on progenitor density structure, neutrino heating, and 3D flow. (1) Progenitors with massive cores, shallow density profiles, and high post-core-bounce accretion rates experience very strong neutrino heating and neutrino-driven turbulent convection, leading to early shock runaway. Accretion continues at a high rate, likely leading to black hole formation. (2) Intermediate progenitors experience neutrino-driven, turbulence-aided explosions triggered by the arrival of density discontinuities at the shock. These occur typically at the silicon/silicon–oxygen shell boundary. (3) Progenitors with small cores and density profiles without strong discontinuities experience shock recession and develop the 3D standing-accretion shock instability (SASI). Shock runaway ensues late, once declining accretion rate, SASI, and neutrino-driven convection create favorable conditions. These differences in explosion times and dynamics result in a non-monotonic relationship between progenitor and compact remnant mass.

p-wave triggered superconductivity in single-layer graphene on an electron-doped oxide superconductor.

PubMed

Di Bernardo, A; Millo, O; Barbone, M; Alpern, H; Kalcheim, Y; Sassi, U; Ott, A K; De Fazio, D; Yoon, D; Amado, M; Ferrari, A C; Linder, J; Robinson, J W A

2017-01-19

Electron pairing in the vast majority of superconductors follows the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, which describes the condensation of electrons into pairs with antiparallel spins in a singlet state with an s-wave symmetry. Unconventional superconductivity was predicted in single-layer graphene (SLG), with the electrons pairing with a p-wave or chiral d-wave symmetry, depending on the position of the Fermi energy with respect to the Dirac point. By placing SLG on an electron-doped (non-chiral) d-wave superconductor and performing local scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, here we show evidence for a p-wave triggered superconducting density of states in SLG. The realization of unconventional superconductivity in SLG offers an exciting new route for the development of p-wave superconductivity using two-dimensional materials with transition temperatures above 4.2 K.

p-wave triggered superconductivity in single-layer graphene on an electron-doped oxide superconductor

PubMed Central

Di Bernardo, A.; Millo, O.; Barbone, M.; Alpern, H.; Kalcheim, Y.; Sassi, U.; Ott, A. K.; De Fazio, D.; Yoon, D.; Amado, M.; Ferrari, A. C.; Linder, J.; Robinson, J. W. A.

2017-01-01

Electron pairing in the vast majority of superconductors follows the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, which describes the condensation of electrons into pairs with antiparallel spins in a singlet state with an s-wave symmetry. Unconventional superconductivity was predicted in single-layer graphene (SLG), with the electrons pairing with a p-wave or chiral d-wave symmetry, depending on the position of the Fermi energy with respect to the Dirac point. By placing SLG on an electron-doped (non-chiral) d-wave superconductor and performing local scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, here we show evidence for a p-wave triggered superconducting density of states in SLG. The realization of unconventional superconductivity in SLG offers an exciting new route for the development of p-wave superconductivity using two-dimensional materials with transition temperatures above 4.2 K. PMID:28102222

Where do we stand after twenty years of dynamic triggering studies? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prejean, S. G.; Hill, D. P.

2013-12-01

In the past two decades, remote dynamic triggering of earthquakes by other earthquakes has been explored in a variety of physical environments with a wide array of observation and modeling techniques. These studies have significantly refined our understanding of the state of the crust and the physical conditions controlling earthquake nucleation. Despite an ever growing database of dynamic triggering observations, significant uncertainties remain and vigorous debate in almost all aspects of the science continues. For example, although dynamic earthquake triggering can occur with peak dynamic stresses as small as 1 kPa, triggering thresholds and their dependence on local stress state, hydrological environment, and frictional properties of faults are not well understood. Some studies find a simple threshold based on the peak amplitude of shaking while others find dependencies on frequency, recharge time, and other parameters. Considerable debate remains over the range of physical processes responsible for dynamic triggering, and the wide variation in dynamic triggering responses and time scales suggests triggering by multiple physical processes. Although Coulomb shear failure with various friction laws can often explain dynamic triggering, particularly instantaneous triggering, delayed dynamic triggering may be dependent on fluid transport and other slowly evolving aseismic processes. Although our understanding of the global distribution of dynamic triggering has improved, it is far from complete due to spatially uneven monitoring. A major challenge involves establishing statistical significance of potentially triggered earthquakes, particularly if they are isolated events or time-delayed with respect to triggering stresses. Here we highlight these challenges and opportunities with existing data. We focus on environmental dependence of dynamic triggering by large remote earthquakes particularly in volcanic and geothermal systems, as these systems often have high rates of background seismicity. In many volcanic and geothermal systems, such as the Geysers in Northern California, dynamic triggering of micro-earthquakes is frequent and predictable. In contrast, most active and even erupting volcanoes in Alaska (with the exception of the Katmai Volcanic Cluster) do not experience dynamic triggering. We explore why.

Decay of aftershock density with distance indicates triggering by dynamic stress

USGS Publications Warehouse

Felzer, K.R.; Brodsky, E.E.

2006-01-01

The majority of earthquakes are aftershocks, yet aftershock physics is not well understood. Many studies suggest that static stress changes trigger aftershocks, but recent work suggests that shaking (dynamic stresses) may also play a role. Here we measure the decay of aftershocks as a function of distance from magnitude 2-6 mainshocks in order to clarify the aftershock triggering process. We find that for short times after the mainshock, when low background seismicity rates allow for good aftershock detection, the decay is well fitted by a single inverse power law over distances of 0.2-50 km. The consistency of the trend indicates that the same triggering mechanism is working over the entire range. As static stress changes at the more distant aftershocks are negligible, this suggests that dynamic stresses may be triggering all of these aftershocks. We infer that the observed aftershock density is consistent with the probability of triggering aftershocks being nearly proportional to seismic wave amplitude. The data are not fitted well by models that combine static stress change with the evolution of frictionally locked faults. ?? 2006 Nature Publishing Group.

Investigations Of A Pulsed Cathodic Vacuum Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oates, T. W. H.; Pigott, J.; Denniss, P.; Mckenzie, D. R.; Bilek, M. M. M.

2003-06-01

Cathodic vacuum arcs are well established as a method for producing thin films for coatings and as a source of metal ions. Research into DC vacuum arcs has been going on for over ten years in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney. Recently a project was undertaken in the school to design and build a pulsed CVA for use in the investigation of plasma sheaths and plasma immersion ion implantation. Pulsed cathodic vacuum arcs generally have a higher current and plasma density and also provide a more stable and reproducible plasma density than their DC counterparts. Additionally it has been shown that if a high repetition frequency can be established the deposition rate of pulsed arcs is equal to or greater than that of DC arcs with a concomitant reduction in the rate of macro-particle formation. We present here results of our investigations into the building of a center-triggered pulsed cathodic vacuum arc. The design of the power supply and trigger mechanism and the geometry of the anode and cathode are examined. Observations of type I and II arc spots using a CCD camera, and cathode spot velocity dependence on arc current will be presented. The role of retrograde motion in a high current pulsed arc is discussed.

X6.9-CLASS FLARE-INDUCED VERTICAL KINK OSCILLATIONS IN A LARGE-SCALE PLASMA CURTAIN AS OBSERVED BY THE SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY/ATMOSPHERIC IMAGING ASSEMBLY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Srivastava, A. K.; Goossens, M.

2013-11-01

We present rare observational evidence of vertical kink oscillations in a laminar and diffused large-scale plasma curtain as observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The X6.9-class flare in active region 11263 on 2011 August 9 induces a global large-scale disturbance that propagates in a narrow lane above the plasma curtain and creates a low density region that appears as a dimming in the observational image data. This large-scale propagating disturbance acts as a non-periodic driver that interacts asymmetrically and obliquely with the top of the plasma curtain and triggers the observed oscillations. In themore » deeper layers of the curtain, we find evidence of vertical kink oscillations with two periods (795 s and 530 s). On the magnetic surface of the curtain where the density is inhomogeneous due to coronal dimming, non-decaying vertical oscillations are also observed (period ≈ 763-896 s). We infer that the global large-scale disturbance triggers vertical kink oscillations in the deeper layers as well as on the surface of the large-scale plasma curtain. The properties of the excited waves strongly depend on the local plasma and magnetic field conditions.« less

Optimization of the Swift X-Ray Follow-Up of Advanced LIGO and Virgo Gravitational Wave Triggers in 2015-16

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evans, P. A.; Osborne, J. P.; Kennea, J. A.; Campana, S.; O'Brien, P. T.; Tanvir, N. R.; Racusin, J. L.; Burrows, D. N.; Cenko, S. B.; Gehrels, N.

2015-01-01

One of the most exciting near-term prospects in physics is the potential discovery of gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detectors. To maximize both the confidence of the detection and the science return, it is essential to identify an electromagnetic counterpart.This is not trivial, as the events are expected to be poorly localized, particularly in the near-term, with error regions covering hundreds or even thousands of square degrees. In this paper, we discuss the prospects for finding an X-ray counterpart to a gravitational wave trigger with the Swift X-ray Telescope, using the assumption that the trigger is caused by a binary neutron star merger which also produces a short gamma-ray burst. We show that it is beneficial to target galaxies within the GW error region, highlighting the need for substantially complete galaxy catalogues out to distances of 300 Mpc. We also show that nearby, on-axis short GRBs are either extremely rare, or are systematically less luminous than those detected to date. We consider the prospects for detecting afterglow emission from an off-axis GRB which triggered the GW facilities, finding that the detectability, and the best time to look,are strongly dependent on the characteristics of the burst such as circumburst density and our viewing angle.

Implications of slab mineralogy for subduction dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bina, Craig R.; Stein, Seth; Marton, Frederic C.; Van Ark, Emily M.

2001-12-01

Phase relations among mantle minerals are perturbed by the thermal environment of subducting slabs, both under equilibrium and disequilibrium (metastable) conditions. Such perturbations yield anomalies not only in seismic velocities but also in density. The buoyancy forces arising from these density anomalies may exert several important effects. They contribute to the stress field within the slab, in a fashion consistent with observed patterns of seismicity. They may affect subduction rates, both by inducing time-dependent velocity changes under equilibrium conditions and by imposing velocity limits through a thermal feedback loop under disequilibrium conditions. They may affect slab morphology, possibly inhibiting penetration of slabs into the lower mantle and allowing temporary stagnation of deflected or detached slabs. Latent heat release from phase transitions under disequilibrium conditions in slabs can yield isobaric superheating, which may generate adiabatic shear instabilities capable of triggering deep seismicity.

Synthetic quorum sensing in model microcapsule colonies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shum, Henry; Balazs, Anna C.

2017-08-01

Biological quorum sensing refers to the ability of cells to gauge their population density and collectively initiate a new behavior once a critical density is reached. Designing synthetic materials systems that exhibit quorum sensing-like behavior could enable the fabrication of devices with both self-recognition and self-regulating functionality. Herein, we develop models for a colony of synthetic microcapsules that communicate by producing and releasing signaling molecules. Production of the chemicals is regulated by a biomimetic negative feedback loop, the “repressilator” network. Through theory and simulation, we show that the chemical behavior of such capsules is sensitive to both the density and number of capsules in the colony. For example, decreasing the spacing between a fixed number of capsules can trigger a transition in chemical activity from the steady, repressed state to large-amplitude oscillations in chemical production. Alternatively, for a fixed density, an increase in the number of capsules in the colony can also promote a transition into the oscillatory state. This configuration-dependent behavior of the capsule colony exemplifies quorum-sensing behavior. Using our theoretical model, we predict the transitions from the steady state to oscillatory behavior as a function of the colony size and capsule density.

Stress/strain changes and triggered seismicity at The Geysers, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, J.; Davis, S.

1996-01-01

The principal results of this study of remotely triggered seismicity in The Geysers geothermal field are the demonstration that triggering (initiation of earthquake failure) depends on a critical strain threshold and that the threshold level increases with decreasing frequency or equivalently, depends on strain rate. This threshold function derives from (1) analyses of dynamic strains associated with surface waves of the triggering earthquakes, (2) statistically measured aftershock zone dimensions, and (3) analytic functional representations of strains associated with power production and tides. The threshold is also consistent with triggering by static strain changes and implies that both static and dynamic strains may cause aftershocks. The observation that triggered seismicity probably occurs in addition to background activity also provides an important constraint on the triggering process. Assuming the physical processes underlying earthquake nucleation to be the same, Gomberg [this issue] discusses seismicity triggered by the MW 7.3 Landers earthquake, its constraints on the variability of triggering thresholds with site, and the implications of time delays between triggering and triggered earthquakes. Our results enable us to reject the hypothesis that dynamic strains simply nudge prestressed faults over a Coulomb failure threshold sooner than they would have otherwise. We interpret the rate-dependent triggering threshold as evidence of several competing processes with different time constants, the faster one(s) facilitating failure and the other(s) inhibiting it. Such competition is a common feature of theories of slip instability. All these results, not surprisingly, imply that to understand earthquake triggering one must consider not only simple failure criteria requiring exceedence of some constant threshold but also the requirements for generating instabilities.

Stress/strain changes and triggered seismicity at The Geysers, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomberg, Joan; Davis, Scott

1996-01-01

The principal results of this study of remotely triggered seismicity in The Geysers geothermal field are the demonstration that triggering (initiation of earthquake failure) depends on a critical strain threshold and that the threshold level increases with decreasing frequency, or, equivalently, depends on strain rate. This threshold function derives from (1) analyses of dynamic strains associated with surface waves of the triggering earthquakes, (2) statistically measured aftershock zone dimensions, and (3) analytic functional representations of strains associated with power production and tides. The threshold is also consistent with triggering by static strain changes and implies that both static and dynamic strains may cause aftershocks. The observation that triggered seismicity probably occurs in addition to background activity also provides an important constraint on the triggering process. Assuming the physical processes underlying earthquake nucleation to be the same, Gomberg [this issue] discusses seismicity triggered by the MW 7.3 Landers earthquake, its constraints on the variability of triggering thresholds with site, and the implications of time delays between triggering and triggered earthquakes. Our results enable us to reject the hypothesis that dynamic strains simply nudge prestressed faults over a Coulomb failure threshold sooner than they would have otherwise. We interpret the rate-dependent triggering threshold as evidence of several competing processes with different time constants, the faster one(s) facilitating failure and the other(s) inhibiting it. Such competition is a common feature of theories of slip instability. All these results, not surprisingly, imply that to understand earthquake triggering one must consider not only simple failure criteria requiring exceedence of some constant threshold but also the requirements for generating instabilities.

Frequency-Dependent Tidal Triggering of Low Frequency Earthquakes Near Parkfield, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, L.; Burgmann, R.; Shelly, D. R.

2017-12-01

The effect of small periodic stress perturbations on earthquake generation is not clear, however, the rate of low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) near Parkfield, California has been found to be strongly correlated with solid earth tides. Laboratory experiments and theoretical analyses show that the period of imposed forcing and source properties affect the sensitivity to triggering and the phase relation of the peak seismicity rate and the periodic stress, but frequency-dependent triggering has not been quantitatively explored in the field. Tidal forcing acts over a wide range of frequencies, therefore the sensitivity to tidal triggering of LFEs provides a good probe to the physical mechanisms affecting earthquake generation. In this study, we consider the tidal triggering of LFEs near Parkfield, California since 2001. We find the LFEs rate is correlated with tidal shear stress, normal stress rate and shear stress rate. The occurrence of LFEs can also be independently modulated by groups of tidal constituents at semi-diurnal, diurnal and fortnightly frequencies. The strength of the response of LFEs to the different tidal constituents varies between LFE families. Each LFE family has an optimal triggering frequency, which does not appear to be depth dependent or systematically related to other known properties. This suggests the period of the applied forcing plays an important role in the triggering process, and the interaction of periods of loading history and source region properties, such as friction, effective normal stress and pore fluid pressure, produces the observed frequency-dependent tidal triggering of LFEs.

CO line ratios in molecular clouds: the impact of environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peñaloza, Camilo H.; Clark, Paul C.; Glover, Simon C. O.; Klessen, Ralf S.

2018-04-01

Line emission is strongly dependent on the local environmental conditions in which the emitting tracers reside. In this work, we focus on modelling the CO emission from simulated giant molecular clouds (GMCs), and study the variations in the resulting line ratios arising from the emission from the J = 1-0, J = 2-1, and J = 3-2 transitions. We perform a set of smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations with time-dependent chemistry, in which environmental conditions - including total cloud mass, density, size, velocity dispersion, metallicity, interstellar radiation field (ISRF), and the cosmic ray ionization rate (CRIR) - were systematically varied. The simulations were then post-processed using radiative transfer to produce synthetic emission maps in the three transitions quoted above. We find that the cloud-averaged values of the line ratios can vary by up to ±0.3 dex, triggered by changes in the environmental conditions. Changes in the ISRF and/or in the CRIR have the largest impact on line ratios since they directly affect the abundance, temperature, and distribution of CO-rich gas within the clouds. We show that the standard methods used to convert CO emission to H2 column density can underestimate the total H2 molecular gas in GMCs by factors of 2 or 3, depending on the environmental conditions in the clouds.

Dissecting Regional Variations in Stress Fiber Mechanics in Living Cells with Laser Nanosurgery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanner, Kandice; Boudreau, Aaron; Bissell, Mina J

The ability of a cell to distribute contractile stresses across the extracellular matrix in a spatially heterogeneous fashion underlies many cellular behaviors, including motility and tissue assembly. Here we investigate the biophysical basis of this phenomenon by using femtosecond laser nanosurgery to measure the viscoelastic recoil and cell-shape contributions of contractile stress fibers (SFs) located in specific compartments of living cells. Upon photodisruption and recoil, myosin light chain kinase-dependent SFs located along the cell periphery display much lower effective elasticities and higher plateau retraction distances than Rho-associated kinase-dependent SFs located in the cell center, with severing of peripheral fibers uniquelymore » triggering a dramatic contraction of the entire cell within minutes of fiber irradiation. Image correlation spectroscopy reveals that when one population of SFs is pharmacologically dissipated, actin density flows toward the other population. Furthermore, dissipation of peripheral fibers reduces the elasticity and increases the plateau retraction distance of central fibers, and severing central fibers under these conditions triggers cellular contraction. Together, these findings show that SFs regulated by different myosin activators exhibit different mechanical properties and cell shape contributions. They also suggest that some fibers can absorb components and assume mechanical roles of other fibers to stabilize cell shape.« less

Mechanical confinement triggers glioma linear migration dependent on formin FHOD3

PubMed Central

Monzo, Pascale; Chong, Yuk Kien; Guetta-Terrier, Charlotte; Krishnasamy, Anitha; Sathe, Sharvari R.; Yim, Evelyn K. F.; Ng, Wai Hoe; Ang, Beng Ti; Tang, Carol; Ladoux, Benoit; Gauthier, Nils C.; Sheetz, Michael P.

2016-01-01

Glioblastomas are extremely aggressive brain tumors with highly invasive properties. Brain linear tracks such as blood vessel walls constitute their main invasive routes. Here we analyze rat C6 and patient-derived glioma cell motility in vitro using micropatterned linear tracks to mimic blood vessels. On laminin-coated tracks (3–10 μm), these cells used an efficient saltatory mode of migration similar to their in vivo migration. This saltatory migration was also observed on larger tracks (50–400 μm in width) at high cell densities. In these cases, the mechanical constraints imposed by neighboring cells triggered this efficient mode of migration, resulting in the formation of remarkable antiparallel streams of cells along the tracks. This motility involved microtubule-dependent polarization, contractile actin bundles and dynamic paxillin-containing adhesions in the leading process and in the tail. Glioma linear migration was dramatically reduced by inhibiting formins but, surprisingly, accelerated by inhibiting Arp2/3. Protein expression and phenotypic analysis indicated that the formin FHOD3 played a role in this motility but not mDia1 or mDia2. We propose that glioma migration under confinement on laminin relies on formins, including FHOD3, but not Arp2/3 and that the low level of adhesion allows rapid antiparallel migration. PMID:26912794

Myofascial trigger points: spontaneous electrical activity and its consequences for pain induction and propagation

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Active myofascial trigger points are one of the major peripheral pain generators for regional and generalized musculoskeletal pain conditions. Myofascial trigger points are also the targets for acupuncture and/or dry needling therapies. Recent evidence in the understanding of the pathophysiology of myofascial trigger points supports The Integrated Hypothesis for the trigger point formation; however unanswered questions remain. Current evidence shows that spontaneous electrical activity at myofascial trigger point originates from the extrafusal motor endplate. The spontaneous electrical activity represents focal muscle fiber contraction and/or muscle cramp potentials depending on trigger point sensitivity. Local pain and tenderness at myofascial trigger points are largely due to nociceptor sensitization with a lesser contribution from non-nociceptor sensitization. Nociceptor and non-nociceptor sensitization at myofascial trigger points may be part of the process of muscle ischemia associated with sustained focal muscle contraction and/or muscle cramps. Referred pain is dependent on the sensitivity of myofascial trigger points. Active myofascial trigger points may play an important role in the transition from localized pain to generalized pain conditions via the enhanced central sensitization, decreased descending inhibition and dysfunctional motor control strategy. PMID:21439050

Transient triggering of near and distant earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, J.; Blanpied, M.L.; Beeler, N.M.

1997-01-01

We demonstrate qualitatively that frictional instability theory provides a context for understanding how earthquakes may be triggered by transient loads associated with seismic waves from near and distance earthquakes. We assume that earthquake triggering is a stick-slip process and test two hypotheses about the effect of transients on the timing of instabilities using a simple spring-slider model and a rate- and state-dependent friction constitutive law. A critical triggering threshold is implicit in such a model formulation. Our first hypothesis is that transient loads lead to clock advances; i.e., transients hasten the time of earthquakes that would have happened eventually due to constant background loading alone. Modeling results demonstrate that transient loads do lead to clock advances and that the triggered instabilities may occur after the transient has ceased (i.e., triggering may be delayed). These simple "clock-advance" models predict complex relationships between the triggering delay, the clock advance, and the transient characteristics. The triggering delay and the degree of clock advance both depend nonlinearly on when in the earthquake cycle the transient load is applied. This implies that the stress required to bring about failure does not depend linearly on loading time, even when the fault is loaded at a constant rate. The timing of instability also depends nonlinearly on the transient loading rate, faster rates more rapidly hastening instability. This implies that higher-frequency and/or longer-duration seismic waves should increase the amount of clock advance. These modeling results and simple calculations suggest that near (tens of kilometers) small/moderate earthquakes and remote (thousands of kilometers) earthquakes with magnitudes 2 to 3 units larger may be equally effective at triggering seismicity. Our second hypothesis is that some triggered seismicity represents earthquakes that would not have happened without the transient load (i.e., accumulated strain energy would have been relieved via other mechanisms). We test this using two "new-seismicity" models that (1) are inherently unstable but slide at steady-state conditions under the background load and (2) are conditionally stable such that instability occurs only for sufficiently large perturbations. For the new-seismicity models, very small-amplitude transients trigger instability relative to the clock-advance models. The unstable steady-state models predict that the triggering delay depends inversely and nonlinearly on the transient amplitude (as in the clock-advance models). We were unable to generate delayed triggering with conditionally stable models. For both new-seismicity models, the potential for triggering is independent of when the transient load is applied or, equivalently, of the prestress (unlike in the clock-advance models). In these models, a critical triggering threshold appears to be inversely proportional to frequency. Further advancement of our understanding will require more sophisticated, quantitative models and observations that distinguish between our qualitative, yet distinctly different, model predictions.

Pseudospin Dependent One-Way Transmission in Graphene-Based Topological Plasmonic Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Pingping; Qiu, Weibin; Ren, Junbo; Lin, Zhili; Wang, Zeyu; Wang, Jia-Xian; Kan, Qiang; Pan, Jiao-Qing

2018-04-01

Originating from the investigation of condensed matter states, the concept of quantum Hall effect and quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE) has recently been expanded to other field of physics and engineering, e.g., photonics and phononics, giving rise to strikingly unconventional edge modes immune to scattering. Here, we present the plasmonic analog of QSHE in graphene plasmonic crystal (GPC) in mid-infrared frequencies. The band inversion occurs when deforming the honeycomb lattice GPCs, which further leads to the topological band gaps and pseudospin features of the edge states. By overlapping the band gaps with different topologies, we numerically simulated the pseudospin-dependent one-way propagation of edge states. The designed GPC may find potential applications in the fields of topological plasmonics and trigger the exploration of the technique of the pseudospin multiplexing in high-density nanophotonic integrated circuits.

Influence of cross-linkers on the cohesive and adhesive self-healing ability of polysulfide-based thermosets.

PubMed

Lafont, U; van Zeijl, H; van der Zwaag, S

2012-11-01

Synthetic systems with intrinsic self-repairing or self-healing abilities have emerged during the past decade. In this work, the influence of the cross-linker and chain rigidity on the healing ability of thermoset rubbers containing disulfide bonds have been investigated. The produced materials exhibit adhesive and cohesive self-healing properties. The recovery of these two functionalities upon the thermally triggered healing events has shown to be highly dependent on the network cross-link density and chain rigidity. As a result, depending on the rubber thermoset intrinsic physical properties, the thermal mending leading to full cohesive recovery can be achieved in 20-300 min at a modest healing temperature of 65 °C. The adhesive strength ranges from 0.2 to 0.5 MPa and is fully recovered even after multiple failure events.

Out-of-equilibrium spin transport in mesoscopic superconductors.

PubMed

Quay, C H L; Aprili, M

2018-08-06

The excitations in conventional superconductors, Bogoliubov quasi-particles, are spin-[Formula: see text] fermions but their charge is energy-dependent and, in fact, zero at the gap edge. Therefore, in superconductors (unlike normal metals) spin and charge degrees of freedom may be separated. In this article, we review spin injection into conventional superconductors and focus on recent experiments on mesoscopic superconductors. We show how quasi-particle spin transport and out-of-equilibrium spin-dependent superconductivity can be triggered using the Zeeman splitting of the quasi-particle density of states in thin-film superconductors with small spin-mixing scattering. Finally, we address the spin dynamics and the feedback of quasi-particle spin imbalances on the amplitude of the superconducting energy gap.This article is part of the theme issue 'Andreev bound states'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Quantum dynamics of charge state in silicon field evaporation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silaeva, Elena P.; Uchida, Kazuki; Watanabe, Kazuyuki, E-mail: kazuyuki@rs.kagu.tus.ac.jp

2016-08-15

The charge state of an ion field-evaporating from a silicon-atom cluster is analyzed using time-dependent density functional theory coupled to molecular dynamics. The final charge state of the ion is shown to increase gradually with increasing external electrostatic field in agreement with the average charge state of silicon ions detected experimentally. When field evaporation is triggered by laser-induced electronic excitations the charge state also increases with increasing intensity of the laser pulse. At the evaporation threshold, the charge state of the evaporating ion does not depend on the electrostatic field due to the strong contribution of laser excitations to themore » ionization process both at low and high laser energies. A neutral silicon atom escaping the cluster due to its high initial kinetic energy is shown to be eventually ionized by external electrostatic field.« less

Calcium-dependent transferrin receptor recycling in bovine chromaffin cells.

PubMed

Knight, Derek E

2002-04-01

The release of regulated secretory granules is known to be calcium dependent. To examine the Ca2+-dependence of other exocytic fusion events, transferrin recycling in bovine chromaffin cells was examined. Internalised 125I-transferrin was released constitutively from cells with a half-time of about 7 min. Secretagogues that triggered catecholamine secretion doubled the rate of 125I-transferrin release, the time courses of the two triggered secretory responses being similar. The triggered 125I-transferrin release came from recycling endosomes rather than from sorting endosomes or a triggered secretory vesicle pool. Triggered 125I-transferrin release, like catecholamine secretion from the same cells, was calcium dependent but the affinities for calcium were very different. The extracellular calcium concentrations that gave rise to half-maximal evoked secretion were 0.1 mm for 125I-transferrin and 1.0 mm for catecholamine, and the intracellular concentrations were 0.1 microm and 1 microm, respectively. There was significant 125I-transferrin recycling in the virtual absence of intracellular Ca2+, but the rate increased when Ca2+ was raised above 1 nm, and peaked at 1 microm when the rate had doubled. Botulinum toxin type D blocked both transferrin recycling and catecholamine secretion. These results indicate that a major component of the vesicular transport required for the constitutive recycling of transferrin in quiescent cells is calcium dependent and thus under physiological control, and also that some of the molecular machinery involved in transferrin recycling/fusion processes is shared with that for triggered neurosecretion.

NIK and Cot cooperate to trigger NF-kappaB p65 phosphorylation.

PubMed

Wittwer, Tobias; Schmitz, M Lienhard

2008-06-27

The serine/threonine kinase Cot triggers NF-kappaB-dependent transactivation and activation of various MAPKinases. Here we identify Cot as a novel p65 interacting protein kinase. Cot expression induces p65 phosphorylation at serines 536 and 468 in dependence from its kinase function. Accordingly, shRNA-mediated knockdown of Cot expression interferes with TNF-induced NF-kappaB-dependent gene expression. Also the C-terminally truncated, oncogenic form of Cot is able to trigger p65 phosphorylation. In vitro kinase assays and dominant negative mutants revealed that NIK functions downstream of Cot to mediate p65 phosphorylation.

The mode of bioturbation triggers pesticide remobilization from aquatic sediments.

PubMed

Bundschuh, Mirco; Schletz, Marco; Goedkoop, Willem

2016-08-01

After their release into the aquatic environment, contaminants may - depending on the physicochemical properties - adsorb to sediments. From there these contaminants can either be buried or remobilised by abiotic factors (e.g., resuspension) as well as by the bioturbating activity of sediment dwelling invertebrates. Little is, however, know about the effects of bioturbation on the fate of pesticides. Therefore, the present study quantified the impact of the bioturbation mode of benthic invertebrate species (bio-diffusor vs. bio-irrigation), the invertebrate density (i.e. 0-8 individuals per replicate), and the substance-inherent properties (i.e. hydrophobicity, water solubility) on the remobilization of sediment-associated pesticides in a laboratory-based set-up over 13 days. We found that both the bioturbation mode (i.e., species identity) and species density, as well as pesticide properties (i.e., hydrophobicity) affected the direction and magnitude of remobilisation of sediment-bound pesticides. The oligochaeta Lumbriculus variegatus showed a density-dependent effect on the remobilization of lindane to the water phase, whereas those with the amphipod Monoporeia affinis and larvae of the midge Chironomus riparius did not. Although these findings show that sediments not per definition are a sink for pesticides, the rates of pesticide remobilization are limited. This observation, thus, suggests that the risk for aquatic communities posed by the remobilization of pesticides from the sediment due to bioturbation is low. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Landslides triggered by the Minxian-Zhangxian, China, Mw 5.9 earthquake of 22 July 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chong; Xu, Xiwei; Shyu, J. Bruce H.

2014-05-01

On July 22, 2013, an earthquake of Ms 6.6 occurred at the junction area of Minxian and Zhangxian counties, Gansu Province, China. This earthquake triggered many landslides of various types, dominated by small-scale soil falls, slides, and topples on loess scarps. There were also some deep-seated landslides, large-scale soil avalanches, and fissure-developing slopes. In this paper, an inventory of landslides triggered by this event is prepared based on field investigations and visual interpretation of high-resolution satellite images. The spatial distribution of the landslides is then analyzed. The inventory indicates that at least 2,330 landslides were triggered by the earthquake. A correlation statistics of the landslides with topographic, geologic, and earthquake factors is performed based on the GIS platform. The results show that the largest number of landslides and the highest landslide density are at 2,400m-2,600m of absolute elevation, and 200m-300m of relative elevation, respectively. The landslide density does not always increase with slope gradient as previously suggested. The slopes most prone to landslides are in S, SW, W, and NW directions. Concave slopes register higher landslide density and larger number of landslides than convex slopes. The largest number of landslides occurs on topographic position with middle slopes, whereas the highest landslide density corresponds to valleys and lower slopes. The underlying bedrocks consisting of conglomerate and sandstone of Lower Paleogene (Eb) register both the largest number of landslides and the highest landslide density value. There is no clear relationship between PGA and the co-seismic landslides. Correlations of landslide number and landslide density with perpendicular- and along-strike distance from the epicenter show an obvious spatial intensifying character of the co-seismic landslides. The spatial pattern of the co-seismic landslides is strongly controlled by a branch of the Lintan-Dangchang fault, which indicates the effect of seismogenic fault on co-seismic landslides. In addition, the landslide limit area related to the earthquake is compared to the relationship of "landslide limit area vs. earthquake magnitude" constructed based on earthquakes worldwide, and it is shown that the limit area of landslides triggered by the Minxian-Zhangxian earthquake is larger than that of almost all other events with similar magnitudes. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (41202235).

Environmental dependence of star formation induced by cloud collisions in a barred galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujimoto, Yusuke; Tasker, Elizabeth J.; Habe, Asao

2014-11-01

Cloud collision has been proposed as a way to link the small-scale star formation process with the observed global relation between the surface star formation rate and gas surface density. We suggest that this model can be improved further by allowing the productivity of such collisions to depend on the relative velocity of the two clouds. Our adjustment implements a simple step function that results in the most successful collisions being at the observed velocities for triggered star formation. By applying this to a high-resolution simulation of a barred galaxy, we successfully reproduce the observational result that the star formation efficiency (SFE) in the bar is lower than that in the spiral arms. This is not possible when we use an efficiency dependent on the internal turbulence properties of the clouds. Our results suggest that high-velocity collisions driven by the gravitational pull of the clouds are responsible for the low bar SFE.

Adaptive Significance of Quorum Sensing-Dependent Regulation of Rhamnolipids by Integration of Growth Rate in Burkholderia glumae: A Trade-Off between Survival and Efficiency.

PubMed

Nickzad, Arvin; Déziel, Eric

2016-01-01

Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell density-dependent mechanism which enables a population of bacteria to coordinate cooperative behaviors in response to the accumulation of self-produced autoinducer signals in their local environment. An emerging framework is that the adaptive significance of QS in the regulation of production of costly extracellular metabolites ("public goods") is to maintain the homeostasis of cooperation. We investigated this model using the phytopathogenic bacterium Burkholderia glumae, which we have previously demonstrated uses QS to regulate the production of rhamnolipids, extracellular surface-active glycolipids promoting the social behavior called "swarming motility." Using mass spectrometric quantification and chromosomal lux-based gene expression, we made the unexpected finding that when unrestricted nutrient resources are provided, production of rhamnolipids is carried out completely independently of QS regulation. This is a unique observation among known QS-controlled factors in bacteria. On the other hand, under nutrient-limited conditions, QS then becomes the main regulating mechanism, significantly enhancing the specific rhamnolipids yield. Accordingly, decreasing nutrient concentrations amplifies rhamnolipid biosynthesis gene expression, revealing a system where QS-dependent regulation is specifically triggered by the growth rate of the population, rather than by its cell density. Furthermore, a gradual increase in QS signal specific concentration upon decrease of specific growth rate suggests a reduction in quorum threshold, which reflects an increase in cellular demand for production of QS-dependent target gene product at low density populations. Integration of growth rate with QS as a decision-making mechanism for biosynthesis of costly metabolites, such as rhamnolipids, could serve to assess the demand and timing for expanding the carrying capacity of a population through spatial expansion mechanisms, such as swarming motility, thus promoting the chances of survival, even if the cell density might not be high enough for an otherwise efficient production of rhamnolipids. In conclusion, we propose that the adaptive significance of growth rate-dependent functionality of QS in biosynthesis of costly public goods lies within providing a regulatory mechanism for selecting the optimal trade-off between survival and efficiency.

Comparative study of hadron- and γ-triggered azimuthal correlations in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

DOE PAGES

Ma, Guo -Lang; Wang, Xin -Nian

2012-01-01

In the framework of a multi-phase transport model, initial fluctuations in the transverse parton density lead to all orders of harmonic flows. Hadron-triggered azimuthal correlations include all contributions from harmonic flows, hot spots, and jet-medium excitations, which are isolated by using different initial conditions. We found that different physical components dominate different pseudorapidity ranges of dihadron correlations. Because γ-triggered azimuthal correlations can only be caused by jet-medium interactions, a comparative study of hadron- and γ -triggered azimuthal correlations can reveal more dynamics about jet-medium interactions.

B-lymphoma cells escape rituximab-triggered elimination by NK cells through increased HLA class I expression.

PubMed

Borgerding, Andrea; Hasenkamp, Justin; Engelke, Michael; Burkhart, Nina; Trümper, Lorenz; Wienands, Jürgen; Glass, Bertram

2010-03-01

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by natural killer (NK) cells is a major effector mechanism of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab in eliminating B-cell lymphomas. Resistance to this treatment occurs, although CD20 antigen is expressed on the tumor cells. A model of ADCC was established by stimulating human bulk NK cells and inhibitory killer immunoglobulin receptor (KIR)-defined NK cells from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-typed donors. NK-cell activation was triggered via stimulation of the Fc receptor with immunoglobulin G aggregates, rituximab-labeled HLA-defined CD20-positive B-lymphoblast cell lines or CD20-positive B-lymphoma cell lines. The effect of KIR ligation by anti-KIR antibodies and HLA, the HLA expression density and rituximab concentrations on the efficacy of ADCC were analyzed in granzyme B ELISPOT measuring NK-cell activation and fluorescein-activated cell sorting cytotoxicity assay. HLA, but not CD20 expression density correlated with NK-cell activity against rituximab-labeled targets. ADCC was increased or decreased following HLA shielding or KIR activation by anti-KIR antibodies, respectively. Herein we show that rituximab-induced ADCC is attenuated upon ligation of KIR by HLA molecules expressed on human B-lymphoma target cells. Moreover, anti-KIR antibodies do not only block KIR/HLA interactions, but display agonistic effects at the KIR, which has to be considered for therapeutical applications. KIR activation and HLA expression density are critical determinants for the efficacy of rituximab treatment. An explanation for the failure of rituximab treatment may be the protection of the tumor cells from ADCC by inhibiting NK-cell function with their surface HLA. Copyright 2010 ISEH - Society for Hematology and Stem Cells. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coupled Leidenfrost states as a monodisperse granular clock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Rui; Yang, Mingcheng; Chen, Ke; Hou, Meiying; To, Kiwing

2016-08-01

Using an event-driven molecular dynamics simulation, we show that simple monodisperse granular beads confined in coupled columns may oscillate as a different type of granular clock. To trigger this oscillation, the system needs to be driven against gravity into a density-inverted state, with a high-density clustering phase supported from below by a gaslike low-density phase (Leidenfrost effect) in each column. Our analysis reveals that the density-inverted structure and the relaxation dynamics between the phases can amplify any small asymmetry between the columns, and lead to a giant oscillation. The oscillation occurs only for an intermediate range of the coupling strength, and the corresponding phase diagram can be universally described with a characteristic height of the density-inverted structure. A minimal two-phase model is proposed and a linear stability analysis shows that the triggering mechanism of the oscillation can be explained as a switchable two-parameter Andronov-Hopf bifurcation. Numerical solutions of the model also reproduce similar oscillatory dynamics to the simulation results.

CAPS drives trans-SNARE complex formation and membrane fusion through syntaxin interactions.

PubMed

James, Declan J; Kowalchyk, Judith; Daily, Neil; Petrie, Matt; Martin, Thomas F J

2009-10-13

Ca(2+)-dependent activator protein for secretion (CAPS) is an essential factor for regulated vesicle exocytosis that functions in priming reactions before Ca(2+)-triggered fusion of vesicles with the plasma membrane. However, the precise events that CAPS regulates to promote vesicle fusion are unclear. In the current work, we reconstituted CAPS function in a SNARE-dependent liposome fusion assay using VAMP2-containing donor and syntaxin-1/SNAP-25-containing acceptor liposomes. The CAPS stimulation of fusion required PI(4,5)P(2) in acceptor liposomes and was independent of Ca(2+), but Ca(2+) dependence was restored by inclusion of synaptotagmin. CAPS stimulated trans-SNARE complex formation concomitant with the stimulation of full membrane fusion at physiological SNARE densities. CAPS bound syntaxin-1, and CAPS truncations that competitively inhibited syntaxin-1 binding also inhibited CAPS-dependent fusion. The results revealed an unexpected activity of a priming protein to accelerate fusion by efficiently promoting trans-SNARE complex formation. CAPS may function in priming by organizing SNARE complexes on the plasma membrane.

Cell-type-dependent action potentials and voltage-gated currents in mouse fungiform taste buds.

PubMed

Kimura, Kenji; Ohtubo, Yoshitaka; Tateno, Katsumi; Takeuchi, Keita; Kumazawa, Takashi; Yoshii, Kiyonori

2014-01-01

Taste receptor cells fire action potentials in response to taste substances to trigger non-exocytotic neurotransmitter release in type II cells and exocytotic release in type III cells. We investigated possible differences between these action potentials fired by mouse taste receptor cells using in situ whole-cell recordings, and subsequently we identified their cell types immunologically with cell-type markers, an IP3 receptor (IP3 R3) for type II cells and a SNARE protein (SNAP-25) for type III cells. Cells not immunoreactive to these antibodies were examined as non-IRCs. Here, we show that type II cells and type III cells fire action potentials using different ionic mechanisms, and that non-IRCs also fire action potentials with either of the ionic mechanisms. The width of action potentials was significantly narrower and their afterhyperpolarization was deeper in type III cells than in type II cells. Na(+) current density was similar in type II cells and type III cells, but it was significantly smaller in non-IRCs than in the others. Although outwardly rectifying current density was similar between type II cells and type III cells, tetraethylammonium (TEA) preferentially suppressed the density in type III cells and the majority of non-IRCs. Our mathematical model revealed that the shape of action potentials depended on the ratio of TEA-sensitive current density and TEA-insensitive current one. The action potentials of type II cells and type III cells under physiological conditions are discussed. © 2013 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Perceived Triggers of Asthma: Key to Symptom Perception and Management

PubMed Central

Janssens, Thomas; Ritz, Thomas

2013-01-01

Adequate asthma management depends on an accurate identification of asthma triggers. A review of the literature on trigger perception in asthma shows that individuals vary in their perception of asthma triggers and that the correlation between self-reported asthma triggers and allergy tests is only modest. In this paper, we provide an overview of psychological mechanisms involved in the process of asthma triggers identification. We identify sources of errors in trigger identification and targets for behavioral interventions that aim to improve the accuracy of asthma trigger identification and thereby enhance asthma control. PMID:23957335

Plant Strategies for Enhancing Access to Sunlight.

PubMed

Fiorucci, Anne-Sophie; Fankhauser, Christian

2017-09-11

Light is a vital resource for plants, which compete for it particularly in dense communities. Plants have multiple photosensory receptors to detect the presence of competitors and thereby adjust their growth and developmental strategies accordingly. Broadly speaking, plants fall into two categories depending on their response to shading by leaves: shade tolerant or shade avoiding. Here, we describe the photoperception mechanisms and the growth responses elicited by the neighboring vegetation in shade-avoiding plants, focusing on Arabidopsis thaliana, where these responses are best understood. The type of response depends on plant density, ranging from neighbor detection modulating growth in anticipation of future shading to the response to canopy shade where light resources are limiting. These diverse environments are sensed by various photoreceptors, and we will describe our current understanding of signal integration triggered by distinct light cues in diverse light conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ICRF Mode Conversion Flow Drive Experiments on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J. E.; Wukitch, S. J.; Granetz, R.; Greenwald, M.; Hubbard, A. E.; Marmar, E. S.; Podpaly, Y. A.; Porkolab, M.; Tsujii, N.; Wolfe, S.

2011-12-01

We have carried out a detailed study of the dependence of ICRF mode conversion flow drive (MCFD) on plasma and RF parameters. The flow drive efficiency is found to depend strongly on the 3He concentration in D(3He) plasmas, a key parameter separating the ICRF minority heating regime and mode conversion regime. At +90 ° antenna phasing (waves in the co-Ip direction) and dipole phasing, the driven flow is in the co-Ip direction, and the change of the rotation velocity increases with both PRF and Ip, and scales unfavorably vs. plasma density and antenna frequency. When MCFD is applied to I-mode plasmas, the plasma rotation increases until the onset of MHD modes triggered by large sawtooth crashes. Very high performance I-mode plasmas with HITER98,y2˜1.4 and Te0˜8 keV have been obtained in these experiments.

Platinum Nanoparticles Induce Apoptosis on Raw 264.7 Macrophage Cells.

PubMed

Loan, Ta Thi; Do, Le Thanh; Yoo, Hoon

2018-02-01

The cellular effects of platinum nanoparticles (PNP05, average size of 5 nm, and PNP30, average size of 30 nm) were investigated on murine leukemia Raw 264.7 cells. Cells treated with various concentrations of PNPs showed size-dependent cytotoxicity in an MTT assay with PNP5 of smaller nanoparticles higher toxicity than PNP30. Investigations on cell morphology, Annexin V assay, DNA fragmentation and the activity of caspase-3/-7 showed that PNPs induced apoptosis on Raw 264.7 cells by changing cell morphology and density, increasing cell population in apoptosis and causing nucleus fragmentation. Further study on caspase activity by Western blotting revealed that the apoptosis was induced by the activation of caspase-3 and -7. In addition, PNPs inactivated DNA repair system, generating dose-dependent DNA ladder bands on agarose gel electrophoresis. Taken together, PNPs triggered cytotoxicity on Raw 264.7 cells by suppressing cell growth/survival and inducing apoptosis.

The effect of electrodes on 11 acene molecular spin valve: Semi-empirical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aadhityan, A.; Preferencial Kala, C.; John Thiruvadigal, D.

2017-10-01

A new revolution in electronics is molecular spintronics, with the contemporary evolution of the two novel disciplines of spintronics and molecular electronics. The key point is the creation of molecular spin valve which consists of a diamagnetic molecule in between two magnetic leads. In this paper, non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) combined with Extended Huckel Theory (EHT); a semi-empirical approach is used to analyse the electron transport characteristics of 11 acene molecular spin valve. We examine the spin-dependence transport on 11 acene molecular junction with various semi-infinite electrodes as Iron, Cobalt and Nickel. To analyse the spin-dependence transport properties the left and right electrodes are joined to the central region in parallel and anti-parallel configurations. We computed spin polarised device density of states, projected device density of states of carbon and the electrode element, and transmission of these devices. The results demonstrate that the effect of electrodes modifying the spin-dependence behaviours of these systems in a controlled way. In Parallel and anti-parallel configuration the separation of spin up and spin down is lager in the case of iron electrode than nickel and cobalt electrodes. It shows that iron is the best electrode for 11 acene spin valve device. Our theoretical results are reasonably impressive and trigger our motivation for comprehending the transport properties of these molecular-sized contacts.

Star Formation History In Merging Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chien, Li-Hsin

2009-01-01

Interacting and merging galaxies are believed to play an important role in many aspects of galactic evolution. Their violent interactions can trigger starbursts, which lead to formation of young globular clusters. Therefore the ages of these young globular clusters can be interpreted to yield the timing of interaction-triggered events, and thus provide a key to reconstruct the star formation history in merging galaxies. The link between galaxy interaction and star formation is well established, but the triggers of star formation in interacting galaxies are still not understood. To date there are two competing formulas that describe the star formation mechanism--density-dependent and shock-induced rules. Numerical models implementing the two rules predict significantly different star formation histories in merging galaxies. My dissertation combines these two distinct areas of astrophysics, stellar evolution and galactic dynamics, to investigate the star formation history in galaxies at various merging stages. Begin with NGC 4676 as an example, I will briefly describe its model and illustrate the idea of using the ages of clusters to constrain the modeling. The ages of the clusters are derived from spectra that were taken with multi-object spectroscopy on Keck. Using NGC 7252 as a second example, I will present a state of the art dynamical model which predicts NGC7252's star formation history and other properties. I will then show a detailed comparison and analysis between the clusters and the modeling. In the end, I will address this important link as the key to answer the fundamental question of my thesis: what is the trigger of star formation in merging galaxies?

Study on the plasma generation characteristics of an induction-triggered coaxial pulsed plasma thruster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisheng, CUI; Wenzheng, LIU; Jia, TIAN; Xiuyang, CHEN

2018-02-01

At present, spark plugs are used to trigger discharge in pulsed plasma thrusters (PPT), which are known to be life-limiting components due to plasma corrosion and carbon deposition. A strong electric field could be formed in a cathode triple junction (CTJ) to achieve a trigger function under vacuum conditions. We propose an induction-triggered electrode structure on the basis of the CTJ trigger principle. The induction-triggered electrode structure could increase the electric field strength of the CTJ without changing the voltage between electrodes, contributing to a reduction in the electrode breakdown voltage. Additionally, it can maintain the plasma generation effect when the breakdown voltage is reduced in the discharge experiments. The induction-triggered electrode structure could ensure an effective trigger when the ablation distance of Teflon increases, and the magnetic field produced by the discharge current could further improve the plasma density and propagation velocity. The induction-triggered coaxial PPT we propose has a simplified trigger structure, and it is an effective attempt to optimize the micro-satellite thruster.

Discrimination between induced, triggered, and natural earthquakes close to hydrocarbon reservoirs: A probabilistic approach based on the modeling of depletion-induced stress changes and seismological source parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahm, Torsten; Cesca, Simone; Hainzl, Sebastian; Braun, Thomas; Krüger, Frank

2015-04-01

Earthquakes occurring close to hydrocarbon fields under production are often under critical view of being induced or triggered. However, clear and testable rules to discriminate the different events have rarely been developed and tested. The unresolved scientific problem may lead to lengthy public disputes with unpredictable impact on the local acceptance of the exploitation and field operations. We propose a quantitative approach to discriminate induced, triggered, and natural earthquakes, which is based on testable input parameters. Maxima of occurrence probabilities are compared for the cases under question, and a single probability of being triggered or induced is reported. The uncertainties of earthquake location and other input parameters are considered in terms of the integration over probability density functions. The probability that events have been human triggered/induced is derived from the modeling of Coulomb stress changes and a rate and state-dependent seismicity model. In our case a 3-D boundary element method has been adapted for the nuclei of strain approach to estimate the stress changes outside the reservoir, which are related to pore pressure changes in the field formation. The predicted rate of natural earthquakes is either derived from the background seismicity or, in case of rare events, from an estimate of the tectonic stress rate. Instrumentally derived seismological information on the event location, source mechanism, and the size of the rupture plane is of advantage for the method. If the rupture plane has been estimated, the discrimination between induced or only triggered events is theoretically possible if probability functions are convolved with a rupture fault filter. We apply the approach to three recent main shock events: (1) the Mw 4.3 Ekofisk 2001, North Sea, earthquake close to the Ekofisk oil field; (2) the Mw 4.4 Rotenburg 2004, Northern Germany, earthquake in the vicinity of the Söhlingen gas field; and (3) the Mw 6.1 Emilia 2012, Northern Italy, earthquake in the vicinity of a hydrocarbon reservoir. The three test cases cover the complete range of possible causes: clearly "human induced," "not even human triggered," and a third case in between both extremes.

Simulation of Arrhythmogenic Effect of Rogue RyRs in Failing Heart by Using a Coupled Model

PubMed Central

Lu, Luyao; Xia, Ling; Zhu, Xiuwei

2012-01-01

Cardiac cells with heart failure are usually characterized by impairment of Ca2+ handling with smaller SR Ca2+ store and high risk of triggered activities. In this study, we developed a coupled model by integrating the spatiotemporal Ca2+ reaction-diffusion system into the cellular electrophysiological model. With the coupled model, the subcellular Ca2+ dynamics and global cellular electrophysiology could be simultaneously traced. The proposed coupled model was then applied to study the effects of rogue RyRs on Ca2+ cycling and membrane potential in failing heart. The simulation results suggested that, in the presence of rogue RyRs, Ca2+ dynamics is unstable and Ca2+ waves are prone to be initiated spontaneously. These release events would elevate the membrane potential substantially which might induce delayed afterdepolarizations or triggered action potentials. Moreover, the variation of membrane potential depolarization is indicated to be dependent on the distribution density of rogue RyR channels. This study provides a new possible arrhythmogenic mechanism for heart failure from subcellular to cellular level. PMID:23056145

Dzuds, droughts, and livestock mortality in Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palat Rao, Mukund; Davi, Nicole K.; D'Arrigo, Rosanne D.; Skees, Jerry; Nachin, Baatarbileg; Leland, Caroline; Lyon, Bradfield; Wang, Shih-Yu; Byambasuren, Oyunsanaa

2015-07-01

Recent incidences of mass livestock mortality, known as dzud, have called into question the sustainability of pastoral nomadic herding, the cornerstone of Mongolian culture. A total of 20 million head of livestock perished in the mortality events of 2000-2002, and 2009-2010. To mitigate the effects of such events on the lives of herders, international agencies such as the World Bank are taking increasing interest in developing tailored market-based solutions like index-insurance. Their ultimate success depends on understanding the historical context and underlying causes of mortality. In this paper we examine mortality in 21 Mongolian aimags (provinces) between 1955 and 2013 in order to explain its density independent cause(s) related to climate variability. We show that livestock mortality is most strongly linked to winter (November-February) temperatures, with incidences of mass mortality being most likely to occur because of an anomalously cold winter. Additionally, we find prior summer (July-September) drought and precipitation deficit to be important triggers for mortality that intensifies the effect of upcoming winter temperatures on livestock. Our density independent mortality model based on winter temperature, summer drought, summer precipitation, and summer potential evaporanspiration explains 48.4% of the total variability in the mortality dataset. The Mongolian index based livestock insurance program uses a threshold of 6% mortality to trigger payouts. We find that on average for Mongolia, the probability of exceedance of 6% mortality in any given year is 26% over the 59 year period between 1955 and 2013.

The Presence of Dense Material in the Deep Mantle: Implications for Plate Motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, C.; Hansen, U.

2017-12-01

The dense material in the deep mantle strongly interacts with the convective flow in the mantle. On the one hand, it has a restoring effect on rising plumes. On the other hand, the dense material is swept about by the flow forming dense piles. Consequently this affects the plate motion and, in particular, the onset time and the style of plate tectonics varies considerably for different model scenarios. In this study we apply a thermochemical mantle convection model combined with a rheological model (temperature- and stress-dependent viscosity) that allows for plate formation according to the convective flow. The model's starting condition is the post-magma ocean period. We analyse a large number of model scenarios ranging from variations in thickness, density and depth of a layer of dense material to different initial temperatures.Furthermore, we present a mechanism in which the dense layer at the core-mantle boundary forms without prescribing the thickness or the density contrast. Due to advection-assisted diffusion, long-lived piles can be established that act on the style of convection and therefore on plate motion. We distinguish between the subduction-triggered regime with early plate tectonics and the plume-triggered regime with a late onset of plate tectonics. The formation of piles by advection-assisted diffusion is a typical phenomenon that appears not only at the lower boundary, but also at internal boundaries that form in the layering phase during the evolution of the system.

Lessons from (triggered) tremor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, Joan

2010-01-01

I test a “clock-advance” model that implies triggered tremor is ambient tremor that occurs at a sped-up rate as a result of loading from passing seismic waves. This proposed model predicts that triggering probability is proportional to the product of the ambient tremor rate and a function describing the efficacy of the triggering wave to initiate a tremor event. Using data mostly from Cascadia, I have compared qualitatively a suite of teleseismic waves that did and did not trigger tremor with ambient tremor rates. Many of the observations are consistent with the model if the efficacy of the triggering wave depends on wave amplitude. One triggered tremor observation clearly violates the clock-advance model. The model prediction that larger triggering waves result in larger triggered tremor signals also appears inconsistent with the measurements. I conclude that the tremor source process is a more complex system than that described by the clock-advance model predictions tested. Results of this and previous studies also demonstrate that (1) conditions suitable for tremor generation exist in many tectonic environments, but, within each, only occur at particular spots whose locations change with time; (2) any fluid flow must be restricted to less than a meter; (3) the degree to which delayed failure and secondary triggering occurs is likely insignificant; and 4) both shear and dilatational deformations may trigger tremor. Triggered and ambient tremor rates correlate more strongly with stress than stressing rate, suggesting tremor sources result from time-dependent weakening processes rather than simple Coulomb failure.

Triggering soft bombs at the LHC

DOE PAGES

Knapen, Simon; Griso, Simone Pagan; Papucci, Michele; ...

2017-08-18

Very high multiplicity, spherically-symmetric distributions of soft particles, with p T ~ few×100 MeV, may be a signature of strongly-coupled hidden valleys that exhibit long, efficient showering windows. With traditional triggers, such ‘soft bomb’ events closely resemble pile-up and are therefore only recorded with minimum bias triggers at a very low efficiency. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a high-level triggering strategy that efficiently separates soft bombs from pile-up by searching for a ‘belt of fire’: a high density band of hits on the innermost layer of the tracker. Seeding our proposed high-level trigger with existing jet, missing transverse energy ormore » lepton hardware-level triggers, we show that net trigger efficiencies of order 10% are possible for bombs of mass several × 100 GeV. We also consider the special case that soft bombs are the result of an exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs. The fiducial rate for ‘Higgs bombs’ triggered in this manner is marginally higher than the rate achievable by triggering directly on a hard muon from associated Higgs production.« less

Triggering soft bombs at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knapen, Simon; Griso, Simone Pagan; Papucci, Michele; Robinson, Dean J.

2017-08-01

Very high multiplicity, spherically-symmetric distributions of soft particles, with p T ˜ few×100 MeV, may be a signature of strongly-coupled hidden valleys that exhibit long, efficient showering windows. With traditional triggers, such `soft bomb' events closely resemble pile-up and are therefore only recorded with minimum bias triggers at a very low efficiency. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a high-level triggering strategy that efficiently separates soft bombs from pile-up by searching for a `belt of fire': a high density band of hits on the innermost layer of the tracker. Seeding our proposed high-level trigger with existing jet, missing transverse energy or lepton hardware-level triggers, we show that net trigger efficiencies of order 10% are possible for bombs of mass several × 100 GeV. We also consider the special case that soft bombs are the result of an exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs. The fiducial rate for `Higgs bombs' triggered in this manner is marginally higher than the rate achievable by triggering directly on a hard muon from associated Higgs production.

Triggering soft bombs at the LHC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knapen, Simon; Griso, Simone Pagan; Papucci, Michele

Very high multiplicity, spherically-symmetric distributions of soft particles, with p T ~ few×100 MeV, may be a signature of strongly-coupled hidden valleys that exhibit long, efficient showering windows. With traditional triggers, such ‘soft bomb’ events closely resemble pile-up and are therefore only recorded with minimum bias triggers at a very low efficiency. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a high-level triggering strategy that efficiently separates soft bombs from pile-up by searching for a ‘belt of fire’: a high density band of hits on the innermost layer of the tracker. Seeding our proposed high-level trigger with existing jet, missing transverse energy ormore » lepton hardware-level triggers, we show that net trigger efficiencies of order 10% are possible for bombs of mass several × 100 GeV. We also consider the special case that soft bombs are the result of an exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs. The fiducial rate for ‘Higgs bombs’ triggered in this manner is marginally higher than the rate achievable by triggering directly on a hard muon from associated Higgs production.« less

Star-formation and stellar feedback recipes in galaxy evolution models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hensler, Gerhard; Recchi, Simone; Ploeckinger, Sylvia; Kuehtreiber, Matthias; Steyrleithner, Patrick; Liu, Lei

2015-08-01

Modeling galaxy formation and evolution is critically depending on star formation (SF). Since cosmological and galaxy-scale simulations cannot resolve the spatial and density scales on which SF acts, a large variety of methods are developed and applied over the last decades. Nonetheless, we are still in the test phase how the choice of parameters affects the models and how they agree with observations.As a simple ansatz, recipes are based on power-law SF dependences on gas density as justified by gas cooling and collapse timescales. In order to prevent SF spread throughout the gas, temperature and density thresholds are also used, although gas dynamical effects, like e.g. gas infall, seem to trigger SF significantly.The formed stars influence their environment immediately by energetic and materialistic feedback. It has been experienced in numerical models that supernova typeII explosions act with a too long time delay to regulate the SF, but that winds and ionizing radiation by massive stars must be included. The implementation of feedback processes, their efficiencies and timescales, is still in an experimental state, because they depend also on the physical state of the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM).Combining a SF-gas density relation with stellar heating vs. gas cooling and taking the temperature dependence into account, we have derived an analytical expression of self-regulated SF which is free of arbitrary parameters. We have performed numerical models to study this recipe and different widely used SF criteria in both, particle and grid codes. Moreover, we compare the SF behavior between single-gas phase and multi-phase treatments of the ISM.Since dwarf galaxies (DGs) are most sensitive to environmental influences and contain only low SF rates, we explore two main affects on their models: 1. For external effects we compare SF rates of isolated and ram-pressure suffering DGs. Moreover, we find a SF enhancement in tidal-tail DGs by the compressive tidal field. 2. Because of locally low SF rates we compare the stellar feedback of a mostly assumed but only fractionally occupied stellar initial mass function with a bottom-heavy one.

Multi-line triggering and interdigitated electrode structure for photoconductive semiconductor switches

DOEpatents

Mar, Alan [Albuquerque, NM; Zutavern, Fred J [Albuquerque, NM; Loubriel, Guillermo [Albuquerque, NM

2007-02-06

An improved photoconductive semiconductor switch comprises multiple-line optical triggering of multiple, high-current parallel filaments between the switch electrodes. The switch can also have a multi-gap, interdigitated electrode for the generation of additional parallel filaments. Multi-line triggering can increase the switch lifetime at high currents by increasing the number of current filaments and reducing the current density at the contact electrodes in a controlled manner. Furthermore, the improved switch can mitigate the degradation of switching conditions with increased number of firings of the switch.

Plasma-puff initiation of high Coulomb transfer switches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, Kwang S.; Venable, Demetrius D.; Lee, Ja H.; Choi, Eun H.; Kim, Y. K.; Kim, J. H.; Nguyen, D. X.

1993-01-01

The plasma-puff triggering mechanism based on a hypocycloidal pinch geometry was investigated to determine the optimal operating conditions for an azimuthally uniform surface flashover which initiates plasma-puff under wide ranges of fill gas pressures of Ar, He and N2. The optimal fill gas pressures for the azimuthally uniform plasma-puff were about 120 mTorr less than P(sub opt) less than 450 Torr for He and N2. For Argon 20 mTorr is less than P(sub opt) is less than 5 Torr. The inverse pinch switch was triggered with the plasma-puff and the switching capability under various electrical parameters and working gas pressures of Ar, He and N2 was determined. It was also shown that the azimuthally uniform switching discharges were dependent on the type of fill gas and its fill pressure. A new concept of plasma-focus driven plasma-puff was also discussed in comparison with hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff triggering. The main discharge of the inverse pinch switch with the plasma-focus driven plasma-puff trigger is found to be more azimuthally uniform than that with the hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff trigger in a gas pressure region between 80 mTorr and 1 Torr. In order to assess the effects of plasma current density on material erosion of electrodes, emissions from both an inverse-pinch plasma switch (INPIStron) and from a spark gap switch under test were studied with an optical multichannel analyzer (OMA). The color temperature of the argon plasma was approximately 4,000 K which corresponded with the peak continuum emission near 750 nm. There are the strong line emissions of argon in the 650 - 800 nm range and a lack of line emissions of copper and other solid material used in the switch. This indicates that the plasma current density during closing is low and the hot spot or hot filament in the switch is negligible. This result also indicates considerable reduction of line emission with the INPIStron switch over that of a spark-gap switch. However, a strong carbon line emission exists due to vaporization of the plastic insulator used. In order to reduce the vaporization of the insulator, the plexiglass insulating material of INPIStron was replaced with Z-9 material. A comparative study of the INPIStron and a spark gap also reveals that the INPIStron, with a low impedance of Z = 9 ohms, can transfer a high voltage pulse with a superior pulse-shape fidelity over that of a spark gap with Z = 100 ohms.

Plasma-puff initiation of high Coulomb transfer switches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venable, D. D.; Han, K. S.

1993-01-01

The plasma-puff triggering mechanism based on a hypocycloidal pinch geometry was investigated to determine the optimal operating conditions for an azimuthally uniform surface flashover which initiates plasma-puff under wide ranges of fill gas pressures of Ar, He and N2. The optimal fill gas pressures for the azimuthally uniform plasma-puff were about 120 mTorr less than P(opt) less than 450 Torr for He and N2. For Argon 120 mTorr less than P(opt) less than 5 Torr for argon. The inverse pinch switch was triggered with the plasma-puff and the switching capability under various electrical parameters and working gas pressures of Ar, He and N2 was determined. It was also shown that the azimuthally uniform switching discharges were dependent on the type of fill gas and its fill pressure. A new concept of plasma-focus driven plasma-puff was also discussed in comparison with hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff triggering. The main discharge of the inverse pinch switch with the plasma-focus driven plasma-puff trigger is found to be more azimuthally uniform than that with the hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff trigger in a gas pressure region between 80 mTorr and 1 Torr. In order to assess the effects of plasma current density on material erosion of electrodes, emissions from both an inverse-pinch plasma switch (INPIStron) and from a spark gap switch under test were studied with an optical multichannel analyzer (OMA). The color temperature of the argon plasma was approximately 4,000 K which corresponded with the peak continuum emission near 750 nm. There are the strong line emissions of argon in the 650 - 800 nm range and a lack of line emissions of copper and other solid material used in the switch. This indicates that the plasma current density during closing is low and the hot spot or hot filament in the switch is negligible. This result also indicates considerable reduction of line emission with the INPIStron switch over that of a spark-gap switch. However, a strong carbon line emission exists due to vaporization of the plastic insulator used. In order to reduce the vaporization of the insulator, the plexiglass insulating material of INPIStron was replaced with Z-9 material. A comparative study of the INPIStron and a spark gap also reveals that the INPIStron, with a low impedance of Z equals 9 ohms, can transfer a high voltage pulse with a superior pulse-shape fidelity over that of a spark gap with Z equals 100 ohms.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xie, Xueqian; Greuter, Marcel J. W.; Groen, Jaap M.

Purpose: Coronary artery calcium score, traditionally based on electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered computed tomography (CT), predicts cardiovascular risk. However, nontriggered CT is extensively utilized. The study-purpose is to evaluate the in vitro agreement in coronary calcium score between nontriggered thoracic CT and ECG-triggered cardiac CT.Methods: Three artificial coronary arteries containing calcifications of different densities (high, medium, and low), and sizes (large, medium, and small), were studied in a moving cardiac phantom. Two 64-detector CT systems were used. The phantom moved at 0–90 mm/s in nontriggered low-dose CT as index test, and at 0–30 mm/s in ECG-triggered CT as reference. Differences in calciummore » scores between nontriggered and ECG-triggered CT were analyzed by t-test and 95% confidence interval. The sensitivity to detect calcification was calculated as the percentage of positive calcium scores.Results: Overall, calcium scores in nontriggered CT were not significantly different to those in ECG-triggered CT (p > 0.05). Calcium scores in nontriggered CT were within the 95% confidence interval of calcium scores in ECG-triggered CT, except predominantly at higher velocities (≥50 mm/s) for the high-density and large-size calcifications. The sensitivity for a nonzero calcium score was 100% for large calcifications, but 46%± 11% for small calcifications in nontriggered CT.Conclusions: When performing multiple measurements, good agreement in positive calcium scores is found between nontriggered thoracic and ECG-triggered cardiac CT. Agreement decreases with increasing coronary velocity. From this phantom study, it can be concluded that a high calcium score can be detected by nontriggered CT, and thus, that nontriggered CT likely can identify individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, a zero calcium score in nontriggered CT does not reliably exclude coronary calcification.« less

Design and investigation of a multichannel laser-triggered vacuum switch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, Wenfang, E-mail: fwf1990@126.com; He, Zhenghao; Mao, Xiaopo

2016-03-15

A laser-triggered vacuum switch (LTVS) is an advanced closing switch with nanosecond delay and jitter. In order to enhance hold-off voltage and extend the service lifetime of an LTVS, we designed a multichannel laser-triggered vacuum switch (MLTVS) utilizing a cone-shaped target electrode placed on the cathode platform. The fabrication and testing of the MLTVS is described in this paper. Experimental results show that the working voltage of the MLTVS with a gap distance of 12 mm is from 30 V to 20 kV. The threshold energy for triggering the switch is 0.4 mJ corresponding to a peak power density ofmore » 27.9 MW/cm{sup 2}. The triggering lifetime of a spot can reach up to 18 000 shots. In addition, the relationship between triggering lifetime and target materials is analyzed using a field emission scanning electron microscope. A hypothesis of the vacuum gap’s triggering mechanism is discussed based on the measured results.« less

Highly Efficient Moisture-Triggered Nanogenerator Based on Graphene Quantum Dots.

PubMed

Huang, Yaxin; Cheng, Huhu; Shi, Gaoquan; Qu, Liangti

2017-11-08

A high-performance moisture triggered nanogenerator is fabricated by using graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as the active material. GQDs are prepared by direct oxidation and etching of natural graphite powder, which have small sizes of 2-5 nm and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups. After the treatment by electrochemical polarization, the GQDs-based moisture triggered nanogenerator can deliver a high voltage up to 0.27 V under 70% relative humidity variation, and a power density of 1.86 mW cm -2 with an optimized load resistor. The latter value is much higher than the moisture-electric power generators reported previously. The GQD moisture triggered nanogenerator is promising for self-power electronics and miniature sensors.

Anomalous electron doping independent two-dimensional superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Wei; Xing, Xiangzhuo; Zhao, Haijun; Feng, Jiajia; Pan, Yongqiang; Zhou, Nan; Zhang, Yufeng; Qian, Bin; Shi, Zhixiang

2017-07-01

Transition metal (Co and Ni) co-doping effects are investigated on an underdoped Ca0.94La0.06Fe2As2 compound. It is discovered that electron doping from substituting Fe with transition metal (TM = Co, Ni) can trigger high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity around 35 K, which emerges abruptly before the total suppression of the innate spin-density-wave/anti-ferromagnetism (SDW/AFM) state. Remarkably, the critical temperature for the high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity remains constant against a wide range of TM doping levels. And the net electron doping density dependence of the superconducting {T}{{c}} based on the rigid band model can be nicely scaled into a single curve for Co and Ni substitutions, in stark contrast to the case of Ba(Fe1-x TM x )2As2. This carrier density independent superconductivity and the unusual scaling behavior are presumably resulted from the interface superconductivity based on the similarity with the interface superconductivity in a La2-x Sr x CuO4-La2CuO4 bilayer. Evidence of the two-dimensional character of the superfluid by angle-resolved magneto-resistance measurements can further strengthen the interface nature of the high-{T}{{c}} superconductivity.

Control of edge localized modes by pedestal deposited impurity in the HL-2A tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. P.; Mazon, D.; Zou, X. L.; Zhong, W. L.; Gao, J. M.; Zhang, K.; Sun, P.; Dong, C. F.; Cui, Z. Y.; Liu, Yi; Shi, Z. B.; Yu, D. L.; Cheng, J.; Jiang, M.; Xu, J. Q.; Isobe, M.; Xiao, G. L.; Chen, W.; Song, S. D.; Bai, X. Y.; Zhang, P. F.; Yuan, G. L.; Ji, X. Q.; Li, Y. G.; Zhou, Y.; Delpech, L.; Ekedahl, A.; Giruzzi, G.; Hoang, T.; Peysson, Y.; Song, X. M.; Song, X. Y.; Li, X.; Ding, X. T.; Dong, J. Q.; Yang, Q. W.; Xu, M.; Duan, X. R.; Liu, Y.; the HL-2A Team

2018-04-01

Effect of the pedestal deposited impurity on the edge-localized mode (ELM) behaviour has been observed and intensively investigated in the HL-2A tokamak. Impurities have been externally seeded by a newly developed laser blow-off (LBO) system. Both mitigation and suppression of ELMs have been realized by LBO-seeded impurity. Measurements have shown that the LBO-seeded impurity particles are mainly deposited in the pedestal region. During the ELM mitigation phase, the pedestal density fluctuation is significantly increased, indicating that the ELM mitigation may be achieved by the enhancement of the pedestal transport. The transition from ELM mitigation to ELM suppression was triggered when the number of the LBO-seeded impurity exceeds a threshold value. During the ELM suppression phase, a harmonic coherent mode (HCM) is excited by the LBO-seeded impurity, and the pedestal density fluctuation is significantly decreased, the electron density is continuously increased, implying that HCM may reduce the pedestal turbulence, suppress ELMs, increase the pedestal pressure, thus extending the Peeling-Ballooning instability limit. It has been found that the occurance of the ELM mitigation and ELM suppression closely depends on the LBO laser spot diameter.

Density-Dependent Recycling Promotes the Long-Term Survival of Bacterial Populations during Periods of Starvation.

PubMed

Takano, Sotaro; Pawlowska, Bogna J; Gudelj, Ivana; Yomo, Tetsuya; Tsuru, Saburo

2017-02-07

The amount of natural resources in the Earth's environment is in flux, which can trigger catastrophic collapses of ecosystems. How populations survive under nutrient-poor conditions is a central question in ecology. Curiously, some bacteria persist for a long time in nutrient-poor environments. Although this survival may be accomplished through cell death and the recycling of dead cells, the importance of these processes and the mechanisms underlying the survival of the populations have not been quantitated. Here, we use microbial laboratory experiments and mathematical models to demonstrate that death and recycling are essential activities for the maintenance of cell survival. We also show that the behavior of the survivors is governed by population density feedback, wherein growth is limited not only by the available resources but also by the population density. The numerical simulations suggest that population density-dependent recycling could be an advantageous behavior under starvation conditions. How organisms survive after exhaustion of resources is a central question in ecology. Starving Escherichia coli constitute a model system to understand survival mechanisms during long-term starvation. Although death and the recycling of dead cells might play a key role in the maintenance of long-term survival, their mechanisms and importance have not been quantitated. Here, we verified the significance of social recycling of dead cells for long-term survival. We also show that the survivors restrained their recycling and did not use all available nutrients released from dead cells, which may be advantageous under starvation conditions. These results indicate that not only the utilization of dead cells but also restrained recycling coordinate the effective utilization of limited resources for long-term survival under starvation. Copyright © 2017 Takano et al.

Individual and interpersonal triggers to quit smoking in China: a cross-sectional analysis

PubMed Central

Im, Pek Kei; McNeill, Ann; Thompson, Mary E.; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Xu, Steve; Quah, Anne C. K.; Jiang, Yuan; Shahab, Lion

2015-01-01

Aims To determine the most prominent individual and interpersonal triggers to quit smoking in China and their associations with socio-demographic characteristics. Methods Data come from Waves 1-3 (2006-2009) of the ITC China Survey, analysed cross-sectionally as person-waves (N=14,358). Measures included socio-demographic and smoking characteristics. Those who quit between waves (4.3%) were asked about triggers that “very much” led them to stop smoking, and continuing smokers about triggers that “very much” made them think about quitting. Triggers covered individual (personal health concerns, cigarette price, smoking restrictions, advertisements, warning labels) and interpersonal factors (family/societal disapproval of smoking, setting an example to children, concerns about second-hand smoke). Results Over a third of respondents (34.9%) endorsed at least one trigger strongly; quitters were more likely than smokers to mention any trigger. While similar proportions of smokers endorsed individual (24.4%) and interpersonal triggers (24.0%), quitters endorsed more individual (61.1%) than interpersonal (48.3%) triggers. However, the most common triggers (‘personal health concerns’; ‘setting an example to children’) were the same, endorsed by two-thirds of quitters and a quarter of smokers, as were the least common triggers (‘warning labels’; ‘cigarette price’), endorsed by one in ten quitters and one in twenty smokers. Lower dependence among smokers and greater education among all respondents were associated with endorsing any trigger. Conclusions Individual rather than interpersonal triggers appear more important for quitters. Major opportunities to motivate quit attempts are missed in China, particularly with regard to taxation and risk communication. Interventions need to focus on more dependent and less-educated smokers. PMID:25888422

Possible Triggering of the Largest Deccan Eruptions by the Chicxulub Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, Mark; Alvarez, Walter; Self, Stephen; Karlstrom, Leif; Renne, Paul; Manga, Michael; Sprain, Courtney

2014-05-01

New constraints on the timing of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction, the Chicxulub impact, and a particularly voluminous and apparently brief pulse within the "main-stage" eruptions of the Deccan Traps continental flood basalt province suggest that these three events may have occurred within less than several hundred thousand years of each other. Partial melting induced by the Chicxulub event does not provide an energetically-plausible explanation for this coincidence, and both geochronological and magnetic-polarity data show that Deccan volcanism was underway well before Chicxulub/K-Pg time. However, historical evidence for the triggering of distant volcanic and hydrologic events due to earthquakes suggests that surface waves excited by the Chicxulub impact might plausibly have caused a transient increase in the effective permeability of the deep magmatic system beneath the Deccan province ("plume head"), depending upon the efficiency of coupling between the impact energy and seismic waves. Recently published seismic modeling [Meschede et al., 2011] suggests that the Chicxulub impact may have generated seismic energy densities of order 0.1-1.0 J/m3 globally throughout the upper ~200 km of the Earth's mantle, just sufficient to trigger volcanic eruptions worldwide. It therefore seems reasonable to ask whether the Chicxulub impact might have triggered the enormous Poladpur, Ambenali, and Mahabaleshwar (Wai Subgroup) lava flows that account for >50% of the entire Deccan Traps volume. High-precision radioisotopic dating of the main-phase Deccan flood basalt formations should be able to either confirm or reject this hypothesis. In the former case, this singular outburst within the Deccan Traps (and possibly volcanic eruptions worldwide) may have contributed significantly to the K-Pg extinction. In the latter case, a major role for the Deccan Traps in the K-Pg extinction would seem unlikely.

Trophic Cascades Induced by Lobster Fishing Are Not Ubiquitous in Southern California Kelp Forests

PubMed Central

Guenther, Carla M.; Lenihan, Hunter S.; Grant, Laura E.; Lopez-Carr, David; Reed, Daniel C.

2012-01-01

Fishing can trigger trophic cascades that alter community structure and dynamics and thus modify ecosystem attributes. We combined ecological data of sea urchin and macroalgal abundance with fishery data of spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) landings to evaluate whether: (1) patterns in the abundance and biomass among lobster (predator), sea urchins (grazer), and macroalgae (primary producer) in giant kelp forest communities indicated the presence of top-down control on urchins and macroalgae, and (2) lobster fishing triggers a trophic cascade leading to increased sea urchin densities and decreased macroalgal biomass. Eight years of data from eight rocky subtidal reefs known to support giant kelp forests near Santa Barbara, CA, USA, were analyzed in three-tiered least-squares regression models to evaluate the relationships between: (1) lobster abundance and sea urchin density, and (2) sea urchin density and macroalgal biomass. The models included reef physical structure and water depth. Results revealed a trend towards decreasing urchin density with increasing lobster abundance but little evidence that urchins control the biomass of macroalgae. Urchin density was highly correlated with habitat structure, although not water depth. To evaluate whether fishing triggered a trophic cascade we pooled data across all treatments to examine the extent to which sea urchin density and macroalgal biomass were related to the intensity of lobster fishing (as indicated by the density of traps pulled). We found that, with one exception, sea urchins remained more abundant at heavily fished sites, supporting the idea that fishing for lobsters releases top-down control on urchin grazers. Macroalgal biomass, however, was positively correlated with lobster fishing intensity, which contradicts the trophic cascade model. Collectively, our results suggest that factors other than urchin grazing play a major role in controlling macroalgal biomass in southern California kelp forests, and that lobster fishing does not always catalyze a top-down trophic cascade. PMID:23209573

Intermittent behavior of galactic dynamo activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, C. M.; Parker, E. N.

1989-01-01

Recent observations by Beck and Golla of far-infrared and radio continuum emission from nearby spiral galaxies suggest that the galactic magnetic field strength is connected to the current star formation rate. The role of star formation on the generation of large-scale galactic magnetic field is studied in this paper. Using a simple galactic model, it is shown how the galactic dynamo depends strongly on the turbulent velocity of the interstellar medium. When the star formation efficiency is high, the ISM is churned which in turn amplifies the galactic magnetic field. Between active star formation epochs, the magnetic field is in dormant state and decays at a negligible rate. If density waves trigger star formation, then they also turn on the otherwise dormant dynamo.

Free Fatty Acids Shift Insulin-induced Hepatocyte Proliferation towards CD95-dependent Apoptosis*

PubMed Central

Sommerfeld, Annika; Reinehr, Roland; Häussinger, Dieter

2015-01-01

Insulin is known to induce hepatocyte swelling, which triggers via integrins and c-Src kinase an activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and subsequent cell proliferation (1). Free fatty acids (FFAs) are known to induce lipoapoptosis in liver cells in a c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent, but death receptor-independent way (2). As non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with hyperinsulinemia and increased FFA-blood levels, the interplay between insulin and FFA was studied with regard to hepatocyte proliferation and apoptosis in isolated rat and mouse hepatocytes. Saturated long chain FFAs induced apoptosis and JNK activation in primary rat hepatocytes, but did not activate the CD95 (Fas, APO-1) system, whereas insulin triggered EGFR activation and hepatocyte proliferation. Coadministration of insulin and FFAs, however, abolished hepatocyte proliferation and triggered CD95-dependent apoptosis due to a JNK-dependent association of the activated EGFR with CD95, subsequent CD95 tyrosine phosphorylation and formation of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC). JNK inhibition restored the proliferative insulin effect in presence of FFAs and prevented EGFR/CD95 association, CD95 tyrosine phosphorylation and DISC formation. Likewise, in presence of FFAs insulin increased apoptosis in hepatocytes from wild type but not from Alb-Cre-FASfl/fl mice, which lack functional CD95. It is concluded that FFAs can shift insulin-induced hepatocyte proliferation toward hepatocyte apoptosis by triggering a JNK signal, which allows activated EGFR to associate with CD95 and to trigger CD95-dependent apoptosis. Such phenomena may contribute to the pathogenesis of NASH. PMID:25548285

Externally triggered renewed bubble nucleation in basaltic magma: the 12 October 2008 eruption at Halema‘uma‘u Overlook vent, Kīlauea, Hawai‘i, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carey, Rebecca J.; Manga, Michael; Degruyter, Wim; Swanson, Donald; Houghton, Bruce F.; Orr, Tim R.; Patrick, Matthew R.

2012-01-01

From October 2008 until present, dozens of small impulsive explosive eruptions occurred from the Overlook vent on the southeast side of Halema‘uma‘u Crater, at Kīlauea volcano, USA. These eruptions were triggered by rockfalls from the walls of the volcanic vent and conduit onto the top of the lava column. Here we use microtextural observations and data from clasts erupted during the well-characterized 12 October 2008 explosive eruption at Halema‘uma‘u to extend existing models of eruption triggering. We present a potential mechanism for this eruption by combining microtextural observations with existing geophysical and visual data sets. We measure the size and number density of bubbles preserved in juvenile ejecta using 2D images and X-ray microtomography. Our data suggest that accumulations of large bubbles with diameters of >50μm to at least millimeters existed at shallow levels within the conduit prior to the 12 October 2008 explosion. Furthermore, a high number density of small bubbles <50 μm is measured in the clasts, implying very rapid nucleation of bubbles. Visual observations, combined with preexisting geophysical data, suggest that the impact of rockfalls onto the magma free surface induces pressure changes over short timescales that (1) nucleated new additional bubbles in the shallow conduit leading to high number densities of small bubbles and (2) expanded the preexisting bubbles driving upward acceleration. The trigger of eruption and bubble nucleation is thus external to the degassing system.

A high parasite density environment induces transcriptional changes and cell death in Plasmodium falciparum blood stages.

PubMed

Chou, Evelyn S; Abidi, Sabia Z; Teye, Marian; Leliwa-Sytek, Aleksandra; Rask, Thomas S; Cobbold, Simon A; Tonkin-Hill, Gerry Q; Subramaniam, Krishanthi S; Sexton, Anna E; Creek, Darren J; Daily, Johanna P; Duffy, Michael F; Day, Karen P

2018-03-01

Transient regulation of Plasmodium numbers below the density that induces fever has been observed in chronic malaria infections in humans. This species transcending control cannot be explained by immunity alone. Using an in vitro system we have observed density dependent regulation of malaria population size as a mechanism to possibly explain these in vivo observations. Specifically, Plasmodium falciparum blood stages from a high but not low-density environment exhibited unique phenotypic changes during the late trophozoite (LT) and schizont stages of the intraerythrocytic cycle. These included in order of appearance: failure of schizonts to mature and merozoites to replicate, apoptotic-like morphological changes including shrinking, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and blebbing with eventual release of aberrant parasites from infected erythrocytes. This unique death phenotype was triggered in a stage-specific manner by sensing of a high-density culture environment. Conditions of glucose starvation, nutrient depletion, and high lactate could not induce the phenotype. A high-density culture environment induced rapid global changes in the parasite transcriptome including differential expression of genes involved in cell remodeling, clonal antigenic variation, metabolism, and cell death pathways including an apoptosis-associated metacaspase gene. This transcriptional profile was also characterized by concomitant expression of asexual and sexual stage-specific genes. The data show strong evidence to support our hypothesis that density sensing exists in P. falciparum. They indicate that an apoptotic-like mechanism may play a role in P. falciparum density regulation, which, as in yeast, has features quite distinguishable from mammalian apoptosis. Gene expression data are available in the GEO databases under the accession number GSE91188. © 2017 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Independent of plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) infection, pDC triggered by virus-infected cells mount enhanced type I IFN responses of different composition as opposed to pDC stimulated with free virus.

PubMed

Frenz, Theresa; Graalmann, Lukas; Detje, Claudia N; Döring, Marius; Grabski, Elena; Scheu, Stefanie; Kalinke, Ulrich

2014-09-01

Upon treatment with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) particles, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are triggered to mount substantial type I IFN responses, whereas myeloid DC (mDC) are only minor producers. Interestingly, bone marrow-derived (BM-)mDC were more vulnerable to infection with enhanced GFP (eGFP)-expressing VSV (VSVeGFP) than BM-pDC. BM-pDC stimulated with wild-type VSV mounted TLR-dependent IFN responses that were independent of RIG-I-like helicase (RLH) signaling. In contrast, in BM-pDC the VSV variant M2 induced particularly high IFN responses triggered in a TLR- and RLH-dependent manner, whereas BM-mDC stimulation was solely RLH-dependent. Importantly, VSVeGFP treatment of BM-pDC derived from IFN-β yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) reporter mice (messenger of IFN-β) resulted in YFP(+) and eGFP(+) single-positive cells, whereas among messenger of IFN-β-BM-mDC most YFP(+) cells were also eGFP(+). This observation indicated that unlike mDC, direct virus infection was not required to trigger IFN responses of pDC. VSV-infected BM-mDC triggered BM-pDC to mount significantly higher IFN responses than free virus particles. Stimulation with infected cells enhanced the percentages of pDC subsets expressing either IFN-β(+) or IFN-α6(+) plus IFN-β(+). Irrespective of whether stimulated with free virus or infected cells, IFN induction was dependent on autophagy of pDC, whereas autophagy of the infected mDC was dispensable. Collectively, these results indicated that productive VSV infection was needed to trigger IFN responses of mDC, but not of pDC, and that IFN responses were primarily induced by virus-infected cells that stimulated pDC in a TLR-dependent manner. Copyright © 2014 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

The subcellular distribution of T-type Ca2+ channels in interneurons of the lateral geniculate nucleus.

PubMed

Allken, Vaneeda; Chepkoech, Joy-Loi; Einevoll, Gaute T; Halnes, Geir

2014-01-01

Inhibitory interneurons (INs) in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) provide both axonal and dendritic GABA output to thalamocortical relay cells (TCs). Distal parts of the IN dendrites often enter into complex arrangements known as triadic synapses, where the IN dendrite plays a dual role as postsynaptic to retinal input and presynaptic to TC dendrites. Dendritic GABA release can be triggered by retinal input, in a highly localized process that is functionally isolated from the soma, but can also be triggered by somatically elicited Ca(2+)-spikes and possibly by backpropagating action potentials. Ca(2+)-spikes in INs are predominantly mediated by T-type Ca(2+)-channels (T-channels). Due to the complex nature of the dendritic signalling, the function of the IN is likely to depend critically on how T-channels are distributed over the somatodendritic membrane (T-distribution). To study the relationship between the T-distribution and several IN response properties, we here run a series of simulations where we vary the T-distribution in a multicompartmental IN model with a realistic morphology. We find that the somatic response to somatic current injection is facilitated by a high T-channel density in the soma-region. Conversely, a high T-channel density in the distal dendritic region is found to facilitate dendritic signalling in both the outward direction (increases the response in distal dendrites to somatic input) and the inward direction (the soma responds stronger to distal synaptic input). The real T-distribution is likely to reflect a compromise between several neural functions, involving somatic response patterns and dendritic signalling.

The Subcellular Distribution of T-Type Ca2+ Channels in Interneurons of the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus

PubMed Central

Allken, Vaneeda; Chepkoech, Joy-Loi; Einevoll, Gaute T.; Halnes, Geir

2014-01-01

Inhibitory interneurons (INs) in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) provide both axonal and dendritic GABA output to thalamocortical relay cells (TCs). Distal parts of the IN dendrites often enter into complex arrangements known as triadic synapses, where the IN dendrite plays a dual role as postsynaptic to retinal input and presynaptic to TC dendrites. Dendritic GABA release can be triggered by retinal input, in a highly localized process that is functionally isolated from the soma, but can also be triggered by somatically elicited Ca2+-spikes and possibly by backpropagating action potentials. Ca2+-spikes in INs are predominantly mediated by T-type Ca2+-channels (T-channels). Due to the complex nature of the dendritic signalling, the function of the IN is likely to depend critically on how T-channels are distributed over the somatodendritic membrane (T-distribution). To study the relationship between the T-distribution and several IN response properties, we here run a series of simulations where we vary the T-distribution in a multicompartmental IN model with a realistic morphology. We find that the somatic response to somatic current injection is facilitated by a high T-channel density in the soma-region. Conversely, a high T-channel density in the distal dendritic region is found to facilitate dendritic signalling in both the outward direction (increases the response in distal dendrites to somatic input) and the inward direction (the soma responds stronger to distal synaptic input). The real T-distribution is likely to reflect a compromise between several neural functions, involving somatic response patterns and dendritic signalling. PMID:25268996

Fully localised nonlinear energy growth optimals in pipe flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pringle, Chris C. T.; Willis, Ashley P.; Kerswell, Rich R.

A new, fully localised, energy growth optimal is found over large times and in long pipe domains at a given mass flow rate. This optimal emerges at a threshold disturbance energy below which a nonlinear version of the known (streamwise-independent) linear optimal [P. J. Schmid and D. S. Henningson, “Optimal energy density growth in Hagen-Poiseuille flow,” J. Fluid Mech. 277, 192–225 (1994)] is selected and appears to remain the optimal up until the critical energy at which transition is triggered. The form of this optimal is similar to that found in short pipes [Pringle et al., “Minimal seeds for shearmore » flow turbulence: Using nonlinear transient growth to touch the edge of chaos,” J. Fluid Mech. 702, 415–443 (2012)], but now with full localisation in the streamwise direction. This fully localised optimal perturbation represents the best approximation yet of the minimal seed (the smallest perturbation which is arbitrarily close to states capable of triggering a turbulent episode) for “real” (laboratory) pipe flows. Dependence of the optimal with respect to several parameters has been computed and establishes that the structure is robust.« less

Effects of phenotypic plasticity on pathogen transmission in the field in a Lepidoptera-NPV system.

PubMed

Reeson, A F; Wilson, K; Cory, J S; Hankard, P; Weeks, J M; Goulson, D; Hails, R S

2000-08-01

In models of insect-pathogen interactions, the transmission parameter (ν) is the term that describes the efficiency with which pathogens are transmitted between hosts. There are two components to the transmission parameter, namely the rate at which the host encounters pathogens (contact rate) and the rate at which contact between host and pathogen results in infection (host susceptibility). Here it is shown that in larvae of Spodoptera exempta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in which rearing density triggers the expression of one of two alternative phenotypes, the high-density morph is associated with an increase in larval activity. This response is likely to result in an increase in the contact rate between hosts and pathogens. Rearing density is also known to affect susceptibility of S. exempta to pathogens, with the high-density morph showing increased resistance to a baculovirus. In order to determine whether density-dependent differences observed in the laboratory might affect transmission in the wild, a field trial was carried out to estimate the transmission parameter for S. exempta and its nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV). The transmission parameter was found to be significantly higher among larvae reared in isolation than among those reared in crowds. Models of insect-pathogen interactions, in which the transmission parameter is assumed to be constant, will therefore not fully describe the S. exempta-NPV system. The finding that crowding can influence transmission in this way has major implications for both the long-term population dynamics and the invasion dynamics of insect-pathogen systems.

Evolution of periodicity in periodical cicadas.

PubMed

Ito, Hiromu; Kakishima, Satoshi; Uehara, Takashi; Morita, Satoru; Koyama, Takuya; Sota, Teiji; Cooley, John R; Yoshimura, Jin

2015-09-14

Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) in the USA are famous for their unique prime-numbered life cycles of 13 and 17 years and their nearly perfectly synchronized mass emergences. Because almost all known species of cicada are non-periodical, periodicity is assumed to be a derived state. A leading hypothesis for the evolution of periodicity in Magicicada implicates the decline in average temperature during glacial periods. During the evolution of periodicity, the determinant of maturation in ancestral cicadas is hypothesized to have switched from size dependence to time (period) dependence. The selection for the prime-numbered cycles should have taken place only after the fixation of periodicity. Here, we build an individual-based model of cicadas under conditions of climatic cooling to explore the fixation of periodicity. In our model, under cold environments, extremely long juvenile stages lead to extremely low adult densities, limiting mating opportunities and favouring the evolution of synchronized emergence. Our results indicate that these changes, which were triggered by glacial cooling, could have led to the fixation of periodicity in the non-periodical ancestors.

A multistate pH-triggered nonlinear optical switch.

PubMed

Castet, Frédéric; Champagne, Benoît; Pina, Fernando; Rodriguez, Vincent

2014-08-04

By using hyper-Rayleigh scattering experiments and quantum-chemical calculations, we demonstrate that nonlinear optics can be used to probe unequivocally, within a non-destructive process, the multiple electronic states that are activated upon pH- and light-triggered transformations of the 4'-hydroxyflavylium ion. These results open new perspectives in the design of molecular-scale high-density optical memory. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Rab9-dependent autophagy is required for the IGF-IIR triggering mitophagy to eliminate damaged mitochondria.

PubMed

Huang, Chih-Yang; Kuo, Wei-Wen; Ho, Tsung-Jung; Chiang, Shu-Fen; Pai, Pei-Ying; Lin, Jing-Ying; Lin, Ding-Yu; Kuo, Chia-Hua; Huang, Chih-Yang

2018-03-25

Mitochondria dysfunction is the major characteristic of mitophagy, which is essential in mitochondrial quality control. However, excessive mitophagy contributes to cell death in a number of diseases, including ischemic stroke and hepatotoxicity. Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) and its receptor (IGF-IIR) play vital roles in the development of heart failure during hypertension. We found that IGF-II triggers IGF-IIR receptor activation, causing mitochondria dysfunction, resulting in mitophagy, and cardiomyocyte cell death. These results indicated that IGF-IIR activation triggers mitochondria fragmentation, leading to autophagosome formation, and loss of mitochondria content. These results are associated with Parkin-dependent mitophagy. Additionally, autophagic proteins Atg5, and Atg7 deficiency did not suppress IGF-IIR-induced mitophagy. However, Rab9 knockdown reduced mitophagy and maintained mitochondrial function. These constitutive mitophagies through IGF-IIR activation trigger mitochondria loss and mitochondrial ROS accumulation for cardiomyocyte viability decrease. Together, our results indicate that IGF-IIR predominantly induces mitophagy through the Rab9-dependent alternative autophagy. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

TECHNICAL DESIGN REPORT FOR A NOSECONE CALORIMETER (NCC) FOR THE PHENIX EXPERIMENT.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

PHENIX EXPERIMENT; OBRIEN,E.; BOOSE, S.

2007-08-01

A remarkable result has emerged from the first several years of data taking at RHIC--the high temperature and density phase of QCD matter created in heavy ion collisions at RHIC is best described as a near perfect fluid--the strongly interacting Quark-Gluon-Plasma (sQGP). This state is characterized by a small viscosity to entropy ratio, and a high density of color charges which induces huge energy losses of partons transversing the medium. The task for the future is to understand the characteristics of the sQGP, and perhaps more importantly--to gain some insight into how and why such a medium is created. Themore » PHENIX detector has been one of the primary experimental tools at RHIC; in particular the electromagnetic calorimeter has been a critical component of many of the measurements leading to this discovery. The coverage of the present PHENIX electromagnetic calorimeter is rather limited, covering half the azimuth and -0.35< {eta} <0.35 Further progress requires larger coverage of electromagnetic calorimetry, both to increase the rate for low cross section phenomena, and to cover a broader range of pseudorapidity to study the rapidity dependence of the medium. A pair of Nosecone Calorimeters (NCC) has been designed covering both positive and negative rapidity regions 1< |{eta}| <3 of the PHENIX detector. The NCC will make it possible to perform tomographic studies of the jet energy dependence of energy loss and medium response, by using direct photons as trigger particles over a large rapidity range. The technique of correlating trigger hadrons with low momentum hadrons has been powerfully exploited at RHIC to study the evolution of back to back jets [1, 2] and hence the response of the medium. The NCC will make it possible to do such studies using direct photons as the trigger particles. The direct photon in such ''photon-jet'' events tags the transverse momentum of outgoing parton which then fragments into lower energy particles. Together with the Forward Silicon Vertex detector (FVTX), the NCC will make PHENIX a large acceptance spectrometer, capable of detecting photons, electrons, muons, and hadrons. Our prime motivation is to provide precision measurements of direct photons, {pi}{sup 0}s and dielectrons in A+A, p(d)+A, and polarized p+p collisions. The upgrade will provide access to physics observables that are not currently accessible to PHENIX or that are now available only indirectly with very limited accuracy.« less

Activity-dependent control of NMDA receptor subunit composition at hippocampal mossy fibre synapses.

PubMed

Carta, Mario; Srikumar, Bettadapura N; Gorlewicz, Adam; Rebola, Nelson; Mulle, Christophe

2018-02-15

CA3 pyramidal cells display input-specific differences in the subunit composition of synaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs). Although at low density, GluN2B contributes significantly to NMDAR-mediated EPSCs at mossy fibre synapses. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDARs triggers a modification in the subunit composition of synaptic NMDARs by insertion of GluN2B. GluN2B subunits are essential for the expression of LTP of NMDARs at mossy fibre synapses. Single neurons express NMDA receptors (NMDARs) with distinct subunit composition and biophysical properties that can be segregated in an input-specific manner. The dynamic control of the heterogeneous distribution of synaptic NMDARs is crucial to control input-dependent synaptic integration and plasticity. In hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells from mice of both sexes, we found that mossy fibre (MF) synapses display a markedly lower proportion of GluN2B-containing NMDARs than associative/commissural synapses. The mechanism involved in such heterogeneous distribution of GluN2B subunits is not known. Here we show that long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDARs, which is selectively expressed at MF-CA3 pyramidal cell synapses, triggers a modification in the subunit composition of synaptic NMDARs by insertion of GluN2B. This activity-dependent recruitment of GluN2B at mature MF-CA3 pyramidal cell synapses contrasts with the removal of GluN2B subunits at other glutamatergic synapses during development and in response to activity. Furthermore, although expressed at low levels, GluN2B is necessary for the expression of LTP of NMDARs at MF-CA3 pyramidal cell synapses. Altogether, we reveal a previously unknown activity-dependent regulation and function of GluN2B subunits that may contribute to the heterogeneous plasticity induction rules in CA3 pyramidal cells. © 2017 Centre Nationnal de la Recherche Scientifique. The Journal of Physiology © 2017 The Physiological Society.

Many-body delocalization with random vector potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Chen; Mondaini, Rubem

2016-11-01

We study the ergodic properties of excited states in a model of interacting fermions in quasi-one-dimensional chains subjected to a random vector potential. In the noninteracting limit, we show that arbitrarily small values of this complex off-diagonal disorder trigger localization for the whole spectrum; the divergence of the localization length in the single-particle basis is characterized by a critical exponent ν which depends on the energy density being investigated. When short-range interactions are included, the localization is lost, and the system is ergodic regardless of the magnitude of disorder in finite chains. Our numerical results suggest a delocalization scheme for arbitrary small values of interactions. This finding indicates that the standard scenario of the many-body localization cannot be obtained in a model with random gauge fields.

Density-dependent effects of Caligus rogercresseyi infestation on the immune responses of Salmo salar.

PubMed

Boltaña, Sebastian; Sanchez, Marcos; Valenzuela, Valentina; Gallardo-Escárate, Cristian

2016-12-01

Sea lice infestations are a particular concern in the salmonid aquaculture industry due to damaging effects on fish growth, disease/infection susceptibility, and survival. Despite the impacts of sea lice parasitism, few studies have determined corresponding physiological thresholds, or the quantity of sea lice that can trigger measurable effects in the host immune response. The present study evaluated the mRNA expressions of immune-related genes in Salmo salar (Atlantic salmon) under infestation challenges with contrasting loads of the sea louse Caligus rogercresseyi. Specifically, two groups of S. salar were infected with either 35 (i.e. low parasitic load) or 100 (i.e. high parasitic load) copepodids per fish. At 14 days post-infestation, the mRNA levels of immune-related genes (e.g. related to oxidative stress, pro- and inflammatory responses, and the adaptive T H 1/T H 2 pathways) were assessed through RT-qPCR. Significant differences were found in relation to parasitic load, suggesting density-dependent effects that activated the S. salar immune system. Higher parasitic load promoted strong inflammatory and oxidative stress responses that were correlated with the T H 1 immune response. This study highlights the molecular signatures for distinct parasitic loads, providing new perspectives towards fully understanding parasite-host interactions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moon origin - The impact-trigger hypothesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, William K.

1986-01-01

Arguments in favor of the impact-trigger model of lunar origin are presented. Lunar properties favoring this hypothesis include: (1) lunar iron and volatile deficiency; (2) angular momentum of the earth-moon system; and (3) similar O isotopes, bulk iron contents, and densities of earth's mantle and the moon. It is shown that the intense early bombardment averaged during earth's formation was several billion times the present meteoritic mass flux, consistent with a giant impact.

Remotely Triggered Cisplatin Release from Carbon Nanocapsules by Radiofrequency Fields

PubMed Central

Raoof, Mustafa; Cisneros, Brandon T.; Guven, Adem; Corr, Stuart J.; Wilson, Lon J.; Curley, Steven A.

2013-01-01

The efficacy of nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery is limited by its peri-vascular sequestration, thus necessitating a strategy to trigger drug release from such intra-tumoral nanocarrier-drug depots. In our efforts to explore remotely-activated nanocarriers, we have developed carbon nanocapsules comprised of an ultrashort carbon nanotube shell (US-tubes) loaded with cisplatin (CDDP@US-tubes) and covered with a Pluronic surfactant wrapping to minimize passive release. We demonstrate here that non-invasive radiofrequency (RF) field activation of the CDDP@US-tubes produces heat that causes Pluronic disruption which triggers cisplatin release in an RF-dependent manner. Furthermore, release-dependent cytotoxicity is demonstrated in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. PMID:23228421

Stochastic events lead to accretion in Saturn’s rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, L. W.

2009-12-01

UVIS occultations indicate accretion is triggered at the B ring edge, in strong density waves in ring A and in the F ring. Moons may trigger accretion by streamline crowding (Lewis & Stewart); which enhances collisions, leading to accretion; increasing random velocities; leading to more collisions and more accretion. Cassini occultations of these strongly perturbed locations show not only accretion but also disaggregation, with time scales of hours to weeks. The collisions may lead to temporary aggregations via stochastic events: they can compress unconsolidated objects, trigger adhesion or bring small pieces into contact with larger or higher-density seeds. Disaggregation then can follow from disruptive collisions or tidal shedding. In the accretion/disruption balance, increased random motions could eventually give the upper hand to disruption… just as ‘irrational exuberance’ can lead to financial panic in the economy; or the overpopulation of hares can lead to boom-and-bust in the population of foxes. This unstable equilibrium can similarly give rise to episodic cycles in accretion: explaining why the observable ring features that indicate embedded objects have been increasing since the beginning of Cassini’s observations of Saturn in 2004.

Stochastic events lead to accretion in Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Larry W.

2010-05-01

UVIS occultations indicate accretion is triggered at the B ring edge, in strong density waves in ring A and in the F ring. Moons may trigger accretion by streamline crowding (Lewis & Stewart); which enhances collisions, leading to accretion; increasing random velocities; leading to more collisions and more accretion. Cassini occultations of these strongly perturbed locations show not only accretion but also disaggregation, with time scales of hours to weeks. The collisions may lead to temporary aggregations via stochastic events: collisions can compress unconsolidated objects, trigger adhesion or bring small pieces into contact with larger or higher-density seeds. Disaggregation then can follow from disruptive collisions or tidal shedding. In the accretion/disruption balance, increased random motions could eventually give the upper hand to disruption… just as ‘irrational exuberance' can lead to financial panic in the economy; or the overpopulation of hares can lead to boom-and-bust in the population of foxes. This unstable equilibrium can similarly give rise to episodic cycles in accretion: explaining why the observable ring features that indicate embedded objects have been increasing since the beginning of Cassini's observations of Saturn in 2004.

Landslide triggering-thickness susceptibility, a simple proxy for landslide hazard? A test in the Mili catchment (North-Eastern Sicily, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombardo, Luigi; Fubelli, Giandomenico; Amato, Gabriele; Bonasera, Mauro; Mai, Martin

2016-04-01

This study implements a landslide triggering-thickness susceptibility approach in order to investigate the landslide scenario in the catchment of Mili, this being located in the north-easternmost sector of Sicily (Italy). From a detailed geomorphological campaign, thicknesses of mobilised materials at the triggering zone of each mass movement were collected and subsequently used as a dependent variable to be analysed in the framework of spatial predictive models. The adopted modelling methodology consisted of a presence-only learning algorithm which differently from classic presence-absence methods does not rely on stable conditions in order to derive functional relationships between dependent and independent variables. The dependent was pre-processed by reclassifying the crown thickness spectrum into a binary condition expressing thick (values equal or greater than 1m) and thin (values less than 1m) landslide crown classes. The explanatory variables were selected to express triggering-thickness dependency at different scales, these being in close proximity to the triggering point through primary and secondary attributes from a 2m-cell side Lidar HRDEM, at a medium scale through vegetation indexes from multispectral satellite images (ASTER) and a coarser scale through a geological, land use and tectonic maps. The choice of a presence-only approach allowed to effectively discriminate between the two types of landslide thicknesses at the triggering zone, producing excellent prediction skills associated with relatively low variances across a set of 50 randomly generated replicates. In addition, the role of each predictor was assessed for the two considered classes as relevant differences arose in terms of their contribution to the final models. In this regard, predictor importance, Jack-knife tests and response curves were used to assess the reliability of the models together with their geomorphological reasonability. This work attempts to capitalize on fieldwork data in order to produce an example for a landslide triggering-thickness susceptibility which differently from more common approaches, may performs as a better proxy for more complex landslide hazard assessments.

Experimental and analytic studies of the triggered lightning environment of the F106B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudolph, Terence; Easterbrook, Calvin C.; Ng, Poh H.; Haupt, Robert W.; Perala, Rodney A.

1987-01-01

The triggered lightning environment of the F106B aircraft is investigated. Scale modeling of the F106B with a metallized model was done to measure electric field enhancement factors on the aircraft and on canonically shaped conducting objects. These are then compared to numerically determined quantities. Detailed numerical modeling is done of the development of the triggered lightning channel. This is done using nonlinear air chemistry models to model a variety of physical phenomena which occur in a triggered lightning event. The effect of a triggered lightning strike on internal wires in the F106B is investigated using finite difference models and transmission line models to calculate the electromagnetic coupling of lightning currents through seams and joints of the aircraft to internal cables. Time domain waveforms are computed and compared to measured waveforms. The effect of thunderstorm particles on the initial triggering of a lightning strike is investigated. The electric field levels needed to cause air breakdown in the presence and absence of thunderstorm particles are calculated. This is done as a function of the size, shape, and density of the particles.

Aspect-dependent soil saturation and insight into debris-flow initiation during extreme rainfall in the Colorado Front Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ebel, Brian A.; Rengers, Francis K.; Tucker, Gregory E.

2015-01-01

Hydrologic processes during extreme rainfall events are poorly characterized because of the rarity of measurements. Improved understanding of hydrologic controls on natural hazards is needed because of the potential for substantial risk during extreme precipitation events. We present field measurements of the degree of soil saturation and estimates of available soil-water storage during the September 2013 Colorado extreme rainfall event at burned (wildfire in 2010) and unburned hillslopes with north- and south-facing slope aspects. Soil saturation was more strongly correlated with slope aspect than with recent fire history; south-facing hillslopes became fully saturated while north-facing hillslopes did not. Our results suggest multiple explanations for why aspect-dependent hydrologic controls favor saturation development on south-facing slopes, causing reductions in effective stress and triggering of slope failures during extreme rainfall. Aspect-dependent hydrologic behavior may result from (1) a larger gravel and stone fraction, and hence lower soil-water storage capacity, on south-facing slopes, and (2) lower weathered-bedrock permeability on south-facing slopes, because of lower tree density and associated deep roots penetrating bedrock as well as less intense weathering, inhibiting soil drainage.

Event-triggered attitude control of spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Baolin; Shen, Qiang; Cao, Xibin

2018-02-01

The problem of spacecraft attitude stabilization control system with limited communication and external disturbances is investigated based on an event-triggered control scheme. In the proposed scheme, information of attitude and control torque only need to be transmitted at some discrete triggered times when a defined measurement error exceeds a state-dependent threshold. The proposed control scheme not only guarantees that spacecraft attitude control errors converge toward a small invariant set containing the origin, but also ensures that there is no accumulation of triggering instants. The performance of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated through numerical simulation.

Population III Gamma-ray Burst Afterglows: Constraints on Stellar Masses and External Medium Densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toma, Kenji; Sakamoto, Takanori; Mészáros, Peter

2011-04-01

Population (Pop.) III stars are theoretically expected to be prominent around redshifts z ~ 20, consisting of mainly very massive stars with M * >~ 100 M sun, though there is no direct observational evidence for these objects. They may produce collapsar gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), with jets driven by magnetohydrodynamic processes, whose total isotropic-equivalent energy could be as high as E iso >~ 1057 erg over a cosmological-rest-frame duration of td >~ 104 s, depending on the progenitor mass. Here, we calculate the afterglow spectra of such Pop. III GRBs based on the standard external shock model and show that they will be detectable with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT)/XRT and Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) instruments. We find that in some cases a spectral break due to electron-positron pair creation will be observable in the LAT energy range, which can put constraints on the ambient density of the pre-collapse Pop. III star. Thus, high-redshift GRB afterglow observations could be unique and powerful probes of the properties of Pop. III stars and their environments. We examine the trigger threshold of the BAT instrument in detail, focusing on the image trigger system, and show that the prompt emission of Pop. III GRBs could also be detected by BAT. Finally we briefly show that the late-time radio afterglows of Pop. III GRBs for typical parameters, despite the large distances, can be very bright: ~= 140 mJy at 1 GHz, which may lead to a constraint on the Pop. III GRB rate from the current radio survey data, and ~= 2.4 mJy at 70 MHz, which implies that Pop. III GRB radio afterglows could be interesting background source candidates for 21 cm absorption line detections.

Population Dynamics of Viral Inactivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeman, Krista; Li, Dong; Behrens, Manja; Streletzky, Kiril; Olsson, Ulf; Evilevitch, Alex

We have investigated the population dynamics of viral inactivation in vitrousing time-resolved cryo electron microscopy combined with light and X-ray scattering techniques. Using bacteriophage λ as a model system for pressurized double-stranded DNA viruses, we found that virions incubated with their cell receptor eject their genome in a stochastic triggering process. The triggering of DNA ejection occurs in a non synchronized manner after the receptor addition, resulting in an exponential decay of the number of genome-filled viruses with time. We have explored the characteristic time constant of this triggering process at different temperatures, salt conditions, and packaged genome lengths. Furthermore, using the temperature dependence we determined an activation energy for DNA ejections. The dependences of the time constant and activation energy on internal DNA pressure, affected by salt conditions and encapsidated genome length, suggest that the triggering process is directly dependent on the conformational state of the encapsidated DNA. The results of this work provide insight into how the in vivo kinetics of the spread of viral infection are influenced by intra- and extra cellular environmental conditions. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. DGE-1252522.

Distinct regulatory functions of SLP-76 and MIST in NK cell cytotoxicity and IFN-gamma production.

PubMed

Hidano, Shinya; Sasanuma, Hiroki; Ohshima, Keiko; Seino, Ken-ichiro; Kumar, Lalit; Hayashi, Katsuhiko; Hikida, Masaki; Kurosaki, Tomohiro; Taniguchi, Masaru; Geha, Raif S; Kitamura, Daisuke; Goitsuka, Ryo

2008-03-01

Activation of NK cells is triggered by multiple receptors. We demonstrate here that SLP-76 is required for CD16- and NKG2D-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity, while MIST negatively regulates these responses in an SLP-76-dependent manner. Exceptionally, MIST acts as a positive regulator of cytotoxicity against YAC-1 cells, although SLP-76 plays a more key role. SLP-76 acts as a dominant positive regulator for both NKG2D-mediated and YAC-1 cell-triggered IFN-gamma production. Although NKG2D-mediated IFN-gamma production depends on phospholipase C (PLC) gamma 2, YAC-1 cell-triggered IFN-gamma production is PLC gamma 2- and Syk/ZAP-70 independent and nuclear factor-kappa B mediated. SLP-76 is required for this process in the presence of MIST but is dispensable in the absence of MIST. Thus, YAC-1 cell-triggered NKG2D-independent IFN-gamma production appears to be regulated by SLP-76-dependent and -independent pathways, in which the latter is negatively regulated by MIST. Taken together, these results suggest that SLP-76 and MIST distinctly but interactively regulate NK cell cytotoxicity and IFN-gamma production.

Sunlight Triggers Cutaneous Lupus through a Colony Stimulating Factor-1 (CSF-1) Dependent Mechanism in MRL-Faslpr mice

PubMed Central

Menke, Julia; Hsu, Mei-Yu; Byrne, Katelyn T.; Lucas, Julie A.; Rabacal, Whitney A.; Croker, Byron P.; Zong, Xiao-Hua; Stanley, E. Richard; Kelley, Vicki R.

2008-01-01

Sunlight (UVB) triggers cutaneous (CLE) and systemic lupus through an unknown mechanism. We tested the hypothesis that UVB triggers CLE through a CSF-1-dependent, macrophage (Mø) -mediated mechanism in MRL-Faslpr mice. By constructing mutant MRL-Faslpr strains expressing varying levels of CSF-1 (high, intermediate, none), and use of an ex-vivo gene transfer to deliver CSF-1 intra-dermally, we determined that CSF-1 induces CLE in lupus-susceptible, MRL-Faslpr mice, but not in lupus-resistant, BALB/c mice. Notably, UVB incites an increase in Mø, apoptosis in the skin and CLE in MRL-Faslpr, but not in CSF-1-deficient MRL-Faslpr mice. Furthermore, UVB did not induce CLE in BALB/c mice. Probing further, UVB stimulates CSF-1 expression by keratinocytes leading to recruitment and activation of Mø that, in turn, release mediators, which induce apoptosis in keratinocytes. Thus, sunlight triggers a CSF-1-dependent, Mø-mediated destructive inflammation in the skin leading to CLE in lupus-susceptible MRL-Faslpr, but not lupus-resistant BALB/c mice. Taken together, we envision CSF-1 as the “match” and lupus-susceptibility as the “tinder” leading to CLE. PMID:18981160

Sunlight triggers cutaneous lupus through a CSF-1-dependent mechanism in MRL-Fas(lpr) mice.

PubMed

Menke, Julia; Hsu, Mei-Yu; Byrne, Katelyn T; Lucas, Julie A; Rabacal, Whitney A; Croker, Byron P; Zong, Xiao-Hua; Stanley, E Richard; Kelley, Vicki R

2008-11-15

Sunlight (UVB) triggers cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) and systemic lupus through an unknown mechanism. We tested the hypothesis that UVB triggers CLE through a CSF-1-dependent, macrophage (Mø)-mediated mechanism in MRL-Fas(lpr) mice. By constructing mutant MRL-Fas(lpr) strains expressing varying levels of CSF-1 (high, intermediate, none), and use of an ex vivo gene transfer to deliver CSF-1 intradermally, we determined that CSF-1 induces CLE in lupus-susceptible MRL-Fas(lpr) mice, but not in lupus-resistant BALB/c mice. UVB incites an increase in Møs, apoptosis in the skin, and CLE in MRL-Fas(lpr), but not in CSF-1-deficient MRL-Fas(lpr) mice. Furthermore, UVB did not induce CLE in BALB/c mice. Probing further, UVB stimulates CSF-1 expression by keratinocytes leading to recruitment and activation of Møs that, in turn, release mediators, which induce apoptosis in keratinocytes. Thus, sunlight triggers a CSF-1-dependent, Mø-mediated destructive inflammation in the skin leading to CLE in lupus-susceptible MRL-Fas(lpr) but not lupus-resistant BALB/c mice. Taken together, CSF-1 is envisioned as the match and lupus susceptibility as the tinder leading to CLE.

Triggering Mechanism for Neutron Induced Single-Event Burnout in Power Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoji, Tomoyuki; Nishida, Shuichi; Hamada, Kimimori

2013-04-01

Cosmic ray neutrons can trigger catastrophic failures in power devices. It has been reported that parasitic transistor action causes single-event burnout (SEB) in power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). However, power diodes do not have an inherent parasitic transistor. In this paper, we describe the mechanism triggering SEB in power diodes for the first time using transient device simulation. Initially, generated electron-hole pairs created by incident recoil ions generate transient current, which increases the electron density in the vicinity of the n-/n+ boundary. The space charge effect of the carriers leads to an increase in the strength of the electric field at the n-/n+ boundary. Finally, the onset of impact ionization at the n-/n+ boundary can trigger SEB. Furthermore, this failure is closely related to diode secondary breakdown. It was clarified that the impact ionization at the n-/n+ boundary is a key point of the mechanism triggering SEB in power devices.

CHANGES IN EARTHWORM DENSITY AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE DURING SECONDARY SUCCESSION IN ABANDONED TROPICAL PASTURES

Treesearch

Xiaoming Zou; Grizelle Gonzalez

1997-01-01

Plant community succession alters the quantity and chemistry of organic inputs to soils. These differences in organic input may trigger changes in soil fertility and fauna1 activity. We examined earthworm density and community structure along a successional sequence of plant communities in abandoned tropical pastures in Puerto Rico. The chronological sequence of these...

A Game of Russian Roulette for a Generalist Dinoflagellate Parasitoid: Host Susceptibility Is the Key to Success

PubMed Central

Alacid, Elisabet; Park, Myung G.; Turon, Marta; Petrou, Katherina; Garcés, Esther

2016-01-01

Marine microbial interactions involving eukaryotes and their parasites play an important role in shaping the structure of phytoplankton communities. These interactions may alter population densities of the main host, which in turn may have consequences for the other concurrent species. The effect generalist parasitoids exert on a community is strongly dependent on the degree of host specificity. Parvilucifera sinerae is a generalist parasitoid able to infect a wide range of dinoflagellates, including toxic-bloom-forming species. A density-dependent chemical cue has been identified as the trigger for the activation of the infective stage. Together these traits make Parvilucifera-dinoflagellate hosts a good model to investigate the degree of specificity of a generalist parasitoid, and the potential effects that it could have at the community level. Here, we present for the first time, the strategy by which a generalist dinoflagellate parasitoid seeks out its host and determine whether it exhibits host preferences, highlighting key factors in determining infection. Our results demonstrate that in its infective stage, P. sinerae is able to sense potential hosts, but does not actively select among them. Instead, the parasitoids contact the host at random, governed by the encounter probability rate and once encountered, the chance to penetrate inside the host cell and develop the infection strongly depends on the degree of host susceptibility. As such, their strategy for persistence is more of a game of Russian roulette, where the chance of survival is dependent on the susceptibility of the host. Our study identifies P. sinerae as a potential key player in community ecology, where in mixed dinoflagellate communities consisting of hosts that are highly susceptible to infection, parasitoid preferences may mediate coexistence between host species, reducing the dominance of the superior competitor. Alternatively, it may increase competition, leading to species exclusion. If, however, highly susceptible hosts are absent from the community, the parasitoid population could suffer a dilution effect maintaining a lower parasitoid density. Therefore, both host community structure and host susceptibility will determine infectivity in the field. PMID:27252688

Stress/strain changes and triggered seismicity following the MW7.3 Landers, California, earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, J.

1996-01-01

Calculations of dynamic stresses and strains, constrained by broadband seismograms, are used to investigate their role in generating the remotely triggered seismicity that followed the June 28, 1992, MW7.3 Landers, California earthquake. I compare straingrams and dynamic Coulomb failure functions calculated for the Landers earthquake at sites that did experience triggered seismicity with those at sites that did not. Bounds on triggering thresholds are obtained from analysis of dynamic strain spectra calculated for the Landers and MW,6.1 Joshua Tree, California, earthquakes at various sites, combined with results of static strain investigations by others. I interpret three principal results of this study with those of a companion study by Gomberg and Davis [this issue]. First, the dynamic elastic stress changes themselves cannot explain the spatial distribution of triggered seismicity, particularly the lack of triggered activity along the San Andreas fault system. In addition to the requirement to exceed a Coulomb failure stress level, this result implies the need to invoke and satisfy the requirements of appropriate slip instability theory. Second, results of this study are consistent with the existence of frequency- or rate-dependent stress/strain triggering thresholds, inferred from the companion study and interpreted in terms of earthquake initiation involving a competition of processes, one promoting failure and the other inhibiting it. Such competition is also part of relevant instability theories. Third, the triggering threshold must vary from site to site, suggesting that the potential for triggering strongly depends on site characteristics and response. The lack of triggering along the San Andreas fault system may be correlated with the advanced maturity of its fault gouge zone; the strains from the Landers earthquake were either insufficient to exceed its larger critical slip distance or some other critical failure parameter; or the faults failed stably as aseismic creep events. Variations in the triggering threshold at sites of triggered seismicity may be attributed to variations in gouge zone development and properties. Finally, these interpretations provide ready explanations for the time delays between the Landers earthquake and the triggered events.

Enhancement of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Functions by Encapsulation of Policosanol Exerts Anti-Senescence and Tissue Regeneration Effects Via Improvement of Anti-Glycation, Anti-Apoptosis, and Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Inhibition.

PubMed

Lim, So-Mang; Yoo, Jeong-Ah; Lee, Eun-Young; Cho, Kyung-Hyun

2016-02-01

Consumption of policosanol (PCO), a refined mixture of sugar cane wax alcohols, can elevate serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), although the molecular mechanism is still unknown. To investigate the mechanism of action responsible for the anti-senescence effects of PCO on lipoprotein metabolism and HDL functionality, we synthesized reconstituted HDL (rHDL) containing PCO. Encapsulation of PCO by rHDL (PCO-rHDL) enhanced anti-oxidant activity against cupric ion-mediated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. PCO-rHDL (final concentration, 9 μM PCO) showed more potent anti-oxidant activity than vitamin C treatment (final concentration, 100 μM). PCO-rHDL inhibited fructose-mediated glycation, which is a major pathological mechanism of diabetic complications, in a dose-dependent manner. PCO also showed cytoprotective effects in monocytes and macrophages with less triggering of apoptotic processes and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). PCO-rHDL strongly inhibited uptake of acetylated LDL into macrophages, which is an initial atherosclerotic process. Surprisingly, PCO-rHDL inhibited human serum cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity by up to 47% (final concentration, 10 μM PCO). Subcutaneous injection of PCO-rHDL dose-dependently enhanced tissue regeneration activity by 2.4-fold and 3.6-fold compared to that of the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) control. In conclusion, PCO in HDL showed potent anti-oxidant, anti-glycation, and CETP inhibitory activities along with tissue regenerative activity, especially upon incorporation into HDL. These results suggest that PCO can enhance functionality of HDL in serum to exert anti-senescence and longevity effects.

Cell cholesterol modulates metalloproteinase-dependent shedding of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1) and clearance function

PubMed Central

Selvais, Charlotte; D'Auria, Ludovic; Tyteca, Donatienne; Perrot, Gwenn; Lemoine, Pascale; Troeberg, Linda; Dedieu, Stéphane; Noël, Agnès; Nagase, Hideaki; Henriet, Patrick; Courtoy, Pierre J.; Marbaix, Etienne; Emonard, Hervé

2011-01-01

Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1) is a plasma membrane scavenger and signaling receptor, composed of a large ligand-binding subunit (515-kDa α-chain) linked to a shorter transmembrane subunit (85-kDa β-chain). LRP-1 cell-surface level and function are controlled by proteolytic shedding of its ectodomain. Here, we identified ectodomain sheddases in human HT1080 cells and demonstrated regulation of the cleavage by cholesterol by comparing the classical fibroblastoid type with a spontaneous epithelioid variant, enriched ∼2-fold in cholesterol. Two membrane-associated metalloproteinases were involved in LRP-1 shedding: a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-12 (ADAM-12) and membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP). Although both variants expressed similar levels of LRP-1, ADAM-12, MT1-MMP, and specific tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), LRP-1 shedding from epithelioid cells was ∼4-fold lower than from fibroblastoid cells. Release of the ectodomain was triggered by cholesterol depletion in epithelioid cells and impaired by cholesterol overload in fibroblastoid cells. Modulation of LRP-1 shedding on clearance was reflected by accumulation of gelatinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in the medium. We conclude that cholesterol exerts an important control on LRP-1 levels and function at the plasma membrane by modulating shedding of its ectodomain, and therefore represents a novel regulator of extracellular proteolytic activities.—Selvais, C., D'Auria, L., Tyteca, D., Perrot, G, Lemoine, P., Troeberg, L., Dedieu, S., Noël, A., Nagase, H., Henriet, P., Courtoy, P. J., Marbaix, E., Emonard, H. Cell cholesterol modulates metalloproteinase-dependent shedding of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP-1) and clearance function. PMID:21518850

History dependence in insect flight decisions during odor tracking.

PubMed

Pang, Rich; van Breugel, Floris; Dickinson, Michael; Riffell, Jeffrey A; Fairhall, Adrienne

2018-02-01

Natural decision-making often involves extended decision sequences in response to variable stimuli with complex structure. As an example, many animals follow odor plumes to locate food sources or mates, but turbulence breaks up the advected odor signal into intermittent filaments and puffs. This scenario provides an opportunity to ask how animals use sparse, instantaneous, and stochastic signal encounters to generate goal-oriented behavioral sequences. Here we examined the trajectories of flying fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) navigating in controlled plumes of attractive odorants. While it is known that mean odor-triggered flight responses are dominated by upwind turns, individual responses are highly variable. We asked whether deviations from mean responses depended on specific features of odor encounters, and found that odor-triggered turns were slightly but significantly modulated by two features of odor encounters. First, encounters with higher concentrations triggered stronger upwind turns. Second, encounters occurring later in a sequence triggered weaker upwind turns. To contextualize the latter history dependence theoretically, we examined trajectories simulated from three normative tracking strategies. We found that neither a purely reactive strategy nor a strategy in which the tracker learned the plume centerline over time captured the observed history dependence. In contrast, "infotaxis", in which flight decisions maximized expected information gain about source location, exhibited a history dependence aligned in sign with the data, though much larger in magnitude. These findings suggest that while true plume tracking is dominated by a reactive odor response it might also involve a history-dependent modulation of responses consistent with the accumulation of information about a source over multi-encounter timescales. This suggests that short-term memory processes modulating decision sequences may play a role in natural plume tracking.

History dependence in insect flight decisions during odor tracking

PubMed Central

van Breugel, Floris; Dickinson, Michael; Riffell, Jeffrey A.; Fairhall, Adrienne

2018-01-01

Natural decision-making often involves extended decision sequences in response to variable stimuli with complex structure. As an example, many animals follow odor plumes to locate food sources or mates, but turbulence breaks up the advected odor signal into intermittent filaments and puffs. This scenario provides an opportunity to ask how animals use sparse, instantaneous, and stochastic signal encounters to generate goal-oriented behavioral sequences. Here we examined the trajectories of flying fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) navigating in controlled plumes of attractive odorants. While it is known that mean odor-triggered flight responses are dominated by upwind turns, individual responses are highly variable. We asked whether deviations from mean responses depended on specific features of odor encounters, and found that odor-triggered turns were slightly but significantly modulated by two features of odor encounters. First, encounters with higher concentrations triggered stronger upwind turns. Second, encounters occurring later in a sequence triggered weaker upwind turns. To contextualize the latter history dependence theoretically, we examined trajectories simulated from three normative tracking strategies. We found that neither a purely reactive strategy nor a strategy in which the tracker learned the plume centerline over time captured the observed history dependence. In contrast, “infotaxis”, in which flight decisions maximized expected information gain about source location, exhibited a history dependence aligned in sign with the data, though much larger in magnitude. These findings suggest that while true plume tracking is dominated by a reactive odor response it might also involve a history-dependent modulation of responses consistent with the accumulation of information about a source over multi-encounter timescales. This suggests that short-term memory processes modulating decision sequences may play a role in natural plume tracking. PMID:29432454

A Tool for Modelling the Probability of Landslides Impacting Road Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Faith E.; Santangelo, Michele; Marchesini, Ivan; Malamud, Bruce D.; Guzzetti, Fausto

2014-05-01

Triggers such as earthquakes or heavy rainfall can result in hundreds to thousands of landslides occurring across a region within a short space of time. These landslides can in turn result in blockages across the road network, impacting how people move about a region. Here, we show the development and application of a semi-stochastic model to simulate how landslides intersect with road networks during a triggered landslide event. This was performed by creating 'synthetic' triggered landslide inventory maps and overlaying these with a road network map to identify where road blockages occur. Our landslide-road model has been applied to two regions: (i) the Collazzone basin (79 km2) in Central Italy where 422 landslides were triggered by rapid snowmelt in January 1997, (ii) the Oat Mountain quadrangle (155 km2) in California, USA, where 1,350 landslides were triggered by the Northridge Earthquake (M = 6.7) in January 1994. For both regions, detailed landslide inventory maps for the triggered events were available, in addition to maps of landslide susceptibility and road networks of primary, secondary and tertiary roads. To create 'synthetic' landslide inventory maps, landslide areas (AL) were randomly selected from a three-parameter inverse gamma probability density function, consisting of a power law decay of about -2.4 for medium and large values of AL and an exponential rollover for small values of AL. The number of landslide areas selected was based on the observed density of landslides (number of landslides km-2) in the triggered event inventories. Landslide shapes were approximated as ellipses, where the ratio of the major and minor axes varies with AL. Landslides were then dropped over the region semi-stochastically, conditioned by a landslide susceptibility map, resulting in a synthetic landslide inventory map. The originally available landslide susceptibility maps did not take into account susceptibility changes in the immediate vicinity of roads, therefore our landslide susceptibility map was adjusted to further reduce the susceptibility near each road based on the road level (primary, secondary, tertiary). For each model run, we superimposed the spatial location of landslide drops with the road network, and recorded the number, size and location of road blockages recorded, along with landslides within 50 and 100 m of the different road levels. Network analysis tools available in GRASS GIS were also applied to measure the impact upon the road network in terms of connectivity. The model was performed 100 times in a Monte-Carlo simulation for each region. Initial results show reasonable agreement between model output and the observed landslide inventories in terms of the number of road blockages. In Collazzone (length of road network = 153 km, landslide density = 5.2 landslides km-2), the median number of modelled road blockages over 100 model runs was 5 (±2.5 standard deviation) compared to the mapped inventory observed number of 5 road blockages. In Northridge (length of road network = 780 km, landslide density = 8.7 landslides km-2), the median number of modelled road blockages over 100 model runs was 108 (±17.2 standard deviation) compared to the mapped inventory observed number of 48 road blockages. As we progress with model development, we believe this semi-stochastic modelling approach will potentially aid civil protection agencies to explore different scenarios of road network potential damage as the result of different magnitude landslide triggering event scenarios.

Polymer-Based Protein Engineering: Synthesis and Characterization of Armored, High Graft Density Polymer-Protein Conjugates.

PubMed

Carmali, Sheiliza; Murata, Hironobu; Cummings, Chad; Matyjaszewski, Krzysztof; Russell, Alan J

2017-01-01

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from the surface of a protein can generate remarkably dense polymer shells that serve as armor and rationally tune protein function. Using straightforward chemistry, it is possible to covalently couple or display multiple small molecule initiators onto a protein surface. The chemistry is fine-tuned to be sequence specific (if one desires a single targeted site) at controlled density. Once the initiator is anchored on the protein surface, ATRP is used to grow polymers on protein surface, in situ. The technique is so powerful that a single-protein polymer conjugate molecule can contain more than 90% polymer coating by weight. If desired, stimuli-responsive polymers can be "grown" from the initiated sites to prepare enzyme conjugates that respond to external triggers such as temperature or pH, while still maintaining enzyme activity and stability. Herein, we focus mainly on the synthesis of chymotrypsin-polymer conjugates. Control of the number of covalently coupled initiator sites by changing the stoichiometric ratio between enzyme and the initiator during the synthesis of protein-initiator complexes allowed fine-tuning of the grafting density. For example, very high grafting density chymotrypsin conjugates were prepared from protein-initiator complexes to grow the temperature-responsive polymers, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and poly[N,N'-dimethyl(methacryloyloxyethyl) ammonium propane sulfonate]. Controlled growth of polymers from protein surfaces enables one to predictably manipulate enzyme kinetics and stability without the need for molecular biology-dependent mutagenesis. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Compaction shock dissipation in low density granular explosive

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rao, Pratap T.; Gonthier, Keith A., E-mail: gonthier@me.lsu.edu; Chakravarthy, Sunada

The microstructure of granular explosives can affect dissipative heating within compaction shocks that can trigger combustion and initiate detonation. Because initiation occurs over distances that are much larger than the mean particle size, homogenized (macroscale) theories are often used to describe local thermodynamic states within and behind shocks that are regarded as the average manifestation of thermodynamic fields at the particle scale. In this paper, mesoscale modeling and simulation are used to examine how the initial packing density of granular HMX (C{sub 4}H{sub 8}N{sub 8}O{sub 8}) C{sub 4}H{sub 8}N{sub 8}O{sub 8} having a narrow particle size distribution influences dissipation withinmore » resolved, planar compaction shocks. The model tracks the evolution of thermomechanical fields within large ensembles of particles due to pore collapse. Effective shock profiles, obtained by averaging mesoscale fields over space and time, are compared with those given by an independent macroscale compaction theory that predicts the variation in effective thermomechanical fields within shocks due to an imbalance between the solid pressure and a configurational stress. Reducing packing density is shown to reduce the dissipation rate within shocks but increase the integrated dissipated work over shock rise times, which is indicative of enhanced sensitivity. In all cases, dissipated work is related to shock pressure by a density-dependent power law, and shock rise time is related to pressure by a power law having an exponent of negative one.« less

ELECTRIC CURRENT FILAMENTATION AT A NON-POTENTIAL MAGNETIC NULL-POINT DUE TO PRESSURE PERTURBATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jelínek, P.; Karlický, M.; Murawski, K., E-mail: pjelinek@prf.jcu.cz

2015-10-20

An increase of electric current densities due to filamentation is an important process in any flare. We show that the pressure perturbation, followed by an entropy wave, triggers such a filamentation in the non-potential magnetic null-point. In the two-dimensional (2D), non-potential magnetic null-point, we generate the entropy wave by a negative or positive pressure pulse that is launched initially. Then, we study its evolution under the influence of the gravity field. We solve the full set of 2D time dependent, ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations numerically, making use of the FLASH code. The negative pulse leads to an entropy wave with amore » plasma density greater than in the ambient atmosphere and thus this wave falls down in the solar atmosphere, attracted by the gravity force. In the case of the positive pressure pulse, the plasma becomes evacuated and the entropy wave propagates upward. However, in both cases, owing to the Rayleigh–Taylor instability, the electric current in a non-potential magnetic null-point is rapidly filamented and at some locations the electric current density is strongly enhanced in comparison to its initial value. Using numerical simulations, we find that entropy waves initiated either by positive or negative pulses result in an increase of electric current densities close to the magnetic null-point and thus the energy accumulated here can be released as nanoflares or even flares.« less

Event-triggered Kalman-consensus filter for two-target tracking sensor networks.

PubMed

Su, Housheng; Li, Zhenghao; Ye, Yanyan

2017-11-01

This paper is concerned with the problem of event-triggered Kalman-consensus filter for two-target tracking sensor networks. According to the event-triggered protocol and the mean-square analysis, a suboptimal Kalman gain matrix is derived and a suboptimal event-triggered distributed filter is obtained. Based on the Kalman-consensus filter protocol, all sensors which only depend on its neighbors' information can track their corresponding targets. Furthermore, utilizing Lyapunov method and matrix theory, some sufficient conditions are presented for ensuring the stability of the system. Finally, a simulation example is presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed event-triggered protocol. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A hypothesis for delayed dynamic earthquake triggering

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parsons, T.

2005-01-01

It's uncertain whether more near-field earthquakes are triggered by static or dynamic stress changes. This ratio matters because static earthquake interactions are increasingly incorporated into probabilistic forecasts. Recent studies were unable to demonstrate all predictions from the static-stress-change hypothesis, particularly seismicity rate reductions. However, current dynamic stress change hypotheses do not explain delayed earthquake triggering and Omori's law. Here I show numerically that if seismic waves can alter some frictional contacts in neighboring fault zones, then dynamic triggering might cause delayed triggering and an Omori-law response. The hypothesis depends on faults following a rate/state friction law, and on seismic waves changing the mean critical slip distance (Dc) at nucleation zones.

Density regulation in Northeast Atlantic fish populations: Density dependence is stronger in recruitment than in somatic growth.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Fabian; Ricard, Daniel; Heino, Mikko

2018-05-01

Population regulation is a central concept in ecology, yet in many cases its presence and the underlying mechanisms are difficult to demonstrate. The current paradigm maintains that marine fish populations are predominantly regulated by density-dependent recruitment. While it is known that density-dependent somatic growth can be present too, its general importance remains unknown and most practical applications neglect it. This study aimed to close this gap by for the first time quantifying and comparing density dependence in growth and recruitment over a large set of fish populations. We fitted density-dependent models to time-series data on population size, recruitment and age-specific weight from commercially exploited fish populations in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea. Data were standardized to enable a direct comparison within and among populations, and estimated parameters were used to quantify the impact of density regulation on population biomass. Statistically significant density dependence in recruitment was detected in a large proportion of populations (70%), whereas for density dependence in somatic growth the prevalence of density dependence depended heavily on the method (26% and 69%). Despite age-dependent variability, the density dependence in recruitment was consistently stronger among age groups and between alternative approaches that use weight-at-age or weight increments to assess growth. Estimates of density-dependent reduction in biomass underlined these results: 97% of populations with statistically significant parameters for growth and recruitment showed a larger impact of density-dependent recruitment on population biomass. The results reaffirm the importance of density-dependent recruitment in marine fishes, yet they also show that density dependence in somatic growth is not uncommon. Furthermore, the results are important from an applied perspective because density dependence in somatic growth affects productivity and catch composition, and therefore the benefits of maintaining fish populations at specific densities. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

Reactive oxygen species trigger Parkin/PINK1 pathway-dependent mitophagy by inducing mitochondrial recruitment of Parkin.

PubMed

Xiao, Bin; Goh, Jian-Yuan; Xiao, Lin; Xian, Hongxu; Lim, Kah-Leong; Liou, Yih-Cherng

2017-10-06

Defective mitophagy linked to dysfunction in the proteins Parkin and PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) is implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Although the mechanism by which Parkin mediates mitophagy in a PINK1-dependent manner is becoming clearer, the triggers for this mitophagy pathway remain elusive. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been suggested as such triggers, but this proposal remains controversial because ROS scavengers fail to retard mitophagy. Here we demonstrate that the role of ROS in mitophagy has been underappreciated as a result of the inefficiency of ROS scavengers to control ROS bursts after high-dose treatment with carbonyl cyanide m -chlorophenylhydrazone. Supporting this, combinatorial treatment with N -acetyl-l-cysteine and catalase substantially inhibited the ROS upsurge and PINK1-dependent Parkin translocation to mitochondria in response to carbonyl cyanide m -chlorophenylhydrazone treatment. In addition to the chemical mitophagy inducer, overexpression of voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) induced Parkin translocation to mitochondria, presumably by stimulating ROS generation. Similarly, combined N -acetyl-l-cysteine and catalase treatment also suppressed VDAC1-induced redistribution of Parkin. Alongside these observations, we also found that the elevated protein level of PINK1 was not necessary for Parkin translocation to mitochondria. Thus, our data suggest that ROS may act as a trigger for the induction of Parkin/PINK1-dependent mitophagy. In addition, our study casts doubt on the importance of protein quantity of PINK1 in the recruitment of Parkin to mitochondria. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Networked event-triggered control: an introduction and research trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmoud, Magdi S.; Sabih, Muhammad

2014-11-01

A physical system can be studied as either continuous time or discrete-time system depending upon the control objectives. Discrete-time control systems can be further classified into two categories based on the sampling: (1) time-triggered control systems and (2) event-triggered control systems. Time-triggered systems sample states and calculate controls at every sampling instant in a periodic fashion, even in cases when states and calculated control do not change much. This indicates unnecessary and useless data transmission and computation efforts of a time-triggered system, thus inefficiency. For networked systems, the transmission of measurement and control signals, thus, cause unnecessary network traffic. Event-triggered systems, on the other hand, have potential to reduce the communication burden in addition to reducing the computation of control signals. This paper provides an up-to-date survey on the event-triggered methods for control systems and highlights the potential research directions.

Multilayered Regulation of Ethylene Induction Plays a Positive Role in Arabidopsis Resistance against Pseudomonas syringae1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Guan, Rongxia; Su, Jianbin; Meng, Xiangzong; Li, Sen; Liu, Yidong; Xu, Juan; Zhang, Shuqun

2015-01-01

Ethylene, a key phytohormone involved in plant-pathogen interaction, plays a positive role in plant resistance against fungal pathogens. However, its function in plant bacterial resistance remains unclear. Here, we report a detailed analysis of ethylene induction in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in response to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 (Pst). Ethylene biosynthesis is highly induced in both pathogen/microbe-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity and effector-triggered immunity (ETI), and the induction is potentiated by salicylic acid (SA) pretreatment. In addition, Pst actively suppresses PAMP-triggered ethylene induction in a type III secretion system-dependent manner. SA potentiation of ethylene induction is dependent mostly on MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE6 (MPK6) and MPK3 and their downstream ACS2 and ACS6, two type I isoforms of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthases (ACSs). ACS7, a type III ACS whose expression is enhanced by SA pretreatment, is also involved. Pst expressing the avrRpt2 effector gene (Pst-avrRpt2), which is capable of triggering ETI, induces a higher level of ethylene production, and the elevated portion is dependent on SALICYLIC ACID INDUCTION DEFICIENT2 and NONEXPRESSER OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1, two key players in SA biosynthesis and signaling. High-order ACS mutants with reduced ethylene induction are more susceptible to both Pst and Pst-avrRpt2, demonstrating a positive role of ethylene in plant bacterial resistance mediated by both PAMP-triggered immunity and ETI. PMID:26265775

Transition-metal prion protein attachment: Competition with copper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodak, Miroslav; Bernholc, Jerry

2012-02-01

Prion protein, PrP, is a protein capable of binding copper ions in multiple modes depending on their concentration. Misfolded PrP is implicated in a group of neurodegenerative diseases, which include ``mad cow disease'' and its human form, variant Creutzfeld-Jacob disease. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that attachment of non-copper metal ions to PrP triggers transformations to abnormal forms similar to those observed in prion diseases. In this work, we use hybrid Kohn-Sham/orbital-free density functional theory simulations to investigate copper replacement by other transition metals that bind to PrP, including zinc, iron and manganese. We consider all known copper binding modes in the N-terminal domain of PrP. Our calculations identify modes most susceptible to copper replacement and reveal metals that can successfully compete with copper for attachment to PrP.

Scaling of Convective Mixing in Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo, Juan J.; Fe, Jaime; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis; Juanes, Ruben

2012-12-01

Convective mixing in porous media is triggered by a Rayleigh-Bénard-type hydrodynamic instability as a result of an unstable density stratification of fluids. While convective mixing has been studied extensively, the fundamental behavior of the dissolution flux and its dependence on the system parameters are not yet well understood. Here, we show that the dissolution flux and the rate of fluid mixing are determined by the mean scalar dissipation rate. We use this theoretical result to provide computational evidence that the classical model of convective mixing in porous media exhibits, in the regime of high Rayleigh number, a dissolution flux that is constant and independent of the Rayleigh number. Our findings support the universal character of convective mixing and point to the need for alternative explanations for nonlinear scalings of the dissolution flux with the Rayleigh number, recently observed experimentally.

Thickness-dependent photocatalytic performance of graphite oxide for degrading organic pollutants under visible light.

PubMed

Oh, Junghoon; Chang, Yun Hee; Kim, Yong-Hyun; Park, Sungjin

2016-04-28

Photocatalysts use sustainable solar light energy to trigger various catalytic reactions. Metal-free nanomaterials have been suggested as cost-effective and environmentally friendly photocatalysts. In this work, we propose thickness-controlled graphite oxide (GO) as a metal-free photocatalyst, which is produced by exfoliating thick GO particles via stirring and sonication. All GO samples exhibit photocatalytic activity for degrading an organic pollutant, rhodamine B under visible light, and the thickest sample shows the best catalytic performance. UV-vis-NIR diffuse reflectance absorption spectra indicate that thicker GO samples absorb more vis-NIR light than thinner ones. Density-functional theory calculations show that GO has a much smaller band gap than that of single-layer graphene oxide, and thus suggest that the largely-reduced band gap is responsible for this trend of light absorption.

Syn-eruptive, soft-sediment deformation of dilute pyroclastic density current deposits: triggers from granular shear, dynamic pore pressure, ballistic impacts and shock waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douillet, G. A.; Taisne, B.; Tsang-Hin-Sun, È.; Müller, S. K.; Kueppers, U.; Dingwell, D. B.

2014-12-01

Soft-sediment deformation produces intriguing sedimentary structures and can occur in diverse environments and from a variety of triggers. From the observation of such structures and their interpretation in terms of trigger mechanisms, valuable information can be extracted about former conditions. Here we document examples of syn-eruptive deformation in dilute pyroclastic density current deposits. Outcrops from 6 different volcanoes have been compiled in order to provide a broad perspective on the variety of structures: Ubehebe craters (USA), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Laacher See (Germany), Tower Hill and Purrumbete lake (both Australia). Isolated slumps as well as sinking pseudonodules are driven by their excess weight and occur after deposition but penecontemporaneous to the eruption. Isolated, cm-scale, overturned beds with vortex forms have been interpreted to be the signature of shear instabilities occurring at the boundary of two granular media. They may represent the frozen record of granular, pseudo Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Their recognition can be a diagnostic for flows with a granular basal boundary layer. The occurrence of degassing pipes together with basal intrusive dikes suggest fluidization during flow stages, and can facilitate the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz structures. The occurrence at the base of flow units of injection dikes in some outcrops compared with suction-driven local uplifts in others indicates the role of dynamic pore pressure. Variations of the latter are possibly related to local changes between depletive and accumulative dynamics of flows. Ballistic impacts can trigger unconventional sags producing local displacement or liquefaction. Based on the deformation depth, these can yield precise insights into depositional unit boundaries. Such impact structures may also be at the origin of some of the steep truncation planes visible at the base of the so-called "chute and pool" structures. Finally, the passage of shock waves emanating from the vent may be preserved in the form of trains of isolated, fine-grained overturned beds which may disturb the surface bedding without occurrence of a sedimentation phase in the vicinity of a vent. Dilute pyroclastic density currents occur contemporaneously with seismogenic volcanic explosions. They are often deposited on steep slopes and can incorporate large amounts of water and gas in the sediment. They can experience extremely high sedimentation rates and may flow at the border between traction, granular and fluid-escape boundary zones. These are just some of the many possible triggers acting in a single environment, and reveal the potential for insights into the eruptive mechanisms of dilute pyroclastic density currents.

INTERACTIONS OF THE INFRARED BUBBLE N4 WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Hong-Li; Li, Jin-Zeng; Yuan, Jing-Hua

The physical mechanisms that induce the transformation of a certain mass of gas in new stars are far from being well understood. Infrared bubbles associated with H ii regions have been considered to be good samples for investigating triggered star formation. In this paper we report on the investigation of the dust properties of the infrared bubble N4 around the H ii region G11.898+0.747, analyzing its interaction with its surroundings and star formation histories therein, with the aim of determining the possibility of star formation triggered by the expansion of the bubble. Using Herschel PACS and SPIRE images with a widemore » wavelength coverage, we reveal the dust properties over the entire bubble. Meanwhile, we are able to identify six dust clumps surrounding the bubble, with a mean size of 0.50 pc, temperature of about 22 K, mean column density of 1.7 × 10{sup 22} cm{sup −2}, mean volume density of about 4.4 × 10{sup 4} cm{sup −3}, and a mean mass of 320 M{sub ⊙}. In addition, from PAH emission seen at 8 μm, free–free emission detected at 20 cm, and a probability density function in special regions, we could identify clear signatures of the influence of the H ii region on the surroundings. There are hints of star formation, though further investigation is required to demonstrate that N4 is the triggering source.« less

Functions of Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases in Plant Innate Immunity

PubMed Central

Gao, Xiquan; Cox, Kevin L.; He, Ping

2014-01-01

An increase of cytosolic Ca2+ is generated by diverse physiological stimuli and stresses, including pathogen attack. Plants have evolved two branches of the immune system to defend against pathogen infections. The primary innate immune response is triggered by the detection of evolutionarily conserved pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP), which is called PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). The second branch of plant innate immunity is triggered by the recognition of specific pathogen effector proteins and known as effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is essential in both plant PTI and ETI responses. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) have emerged as important Ca2+ sensor proteins in transducing differential Ca2+ signatures, triggered by PAMPs or effectors and activating complex downstream responses. CDPKs directly transmit calcium signals by calcium binding to the elongation factor (EF)-hand domain at the C-terminus and substrate phosphorylation by the catalytic kinase domain at the N-terminus. Emerging evidence suggests that specific and overlapping CDPKs phosphorylate distinct substrates in PTI and ETI to regulate diverse plant immune responses, including production of reactive oxygen species, transcriptional reprogramming of immune genes, and the hypersensitive response. PMID:27135498

Modelling heterogeneous ice nucleation on mineral dust and soot with parameterizations based on laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoose, C.; Hande, L. B.; Mohler, O.; Niemand, M.; Paukert, M.; Reichardt, I.; Ullrich, R.

2016-12-01

Between 0 and -37°C, ice formation in clouds is triggered by aerosol particles acting as heterogeneous ice nuclei. At lower temperatures, heterogeneous ice nucleation on aerosols can occur at lower supersaturations than homogeneous freezing of solutes. In laboratory experiments, the ability of different aerosol species (e.g. desert dusts, soot, biological particles) has been studied in detail and quantified via various theoretical or empirical parameterization approaches. For experiments in the AIDA cloud chamber, we have quantified the ice nucleation efficiency via a temperature- and supersaturation dependent ice nucleation active site density. Here we present a new empirical parameterization scheme for immersion and deposition ice nucleation on desert dust and soot based on these experimental data. The application of this parameterization to the simulation of cirrus clouds, deep convective clouds and orographic clouds will be shown, including the extension of the scheme to the treatment of freezing of rain drops. The results are compared to other heterogeneous ice nucleation schemes. Furthermore, an aerosol-dependent parameterization of contact ice nucleation is presented.

Evolution of periodicity in periodical cicadas

PubMed Central

Ito, Hiromu; Kakishima, Satoshi; Uehara, Takashi; Morita, Satoru; Koyama, Takuya; Sota, Teiji; Cooley, John R.; Yoshimura, Jin

2015-01-01

Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) in the USA are famous for their unique prime-numbered life cycles of 13 and 17 years and their nearly perfectly synchronized mass emergences. Because almost all known species of cicada are non-periodical, periodicity is assumed to be a derived state. A leading hypothesis for the evolution of periodicity in Magicicada implicates the decline in average temperature during glacial periods. During the evolution of periodicity, the determinant of maturation in ancestral cicadas is hypothesized to have switched from size dependence to time (period) dependence. The selection for the prime-numbered cycles should have taken place only after the fixation of periodicity. Here, we build an individual-based model of cicadas under conditions of climatic cooling to explore the fixation of periodicity. In our model, under cold environments, extremely long juvenile stages lead to extremely low adult densities, limiting mating opportunities and favouring the evolution of synchronized emergence. Our results indicate that these changes, which were triggered by glacial cooling, could have led to the fixation of periodicity in the non-periodical ancestors. PMID:26365061

Study of Tectonic Tremor in Depth: Triggering Stress Observation and Model of the Triggering Mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tien-Huei

Non-volcanic tremor (NVT) has been discovered in recent years due to advances in seismic instruments and increased density of seismic networks. The NVT is a special kind of seismic signal indicative of the physical conditions and the failure mechanism on the source on the fault where NVT occurs. The detection methods used and the sensitivity of them relies on the density, distance and instrumentation of the station network available. How accurately the tremor is identified in different regions varies greatly among different studies. Therefore, there has not been study that rigorously documents tectonic tremors in different regions under limited methods and data. Meanwhile, many incidences of NVTs are observed during or after small but significant strain change induced by teleseismic, regional or local earthquake. The understanding of the triggering mechanisms critical for tremor remains unclear. In addition, characteristics of the triggering of NVT in different regions are rarely compared because of the short time frame after the discovery of the triggered NVTs. We first explore tectonic tremor based on observations to learn about its triggering, frequency of occurrence, location and spectral characteristics. Then, we numerically model the triggering of instability on the estimated tremor-source, under assumptions fine-tuned according to previous studies (Thomas et al., 2009; Miyazawa et al., 2005; Hill, 2008; Ito, 2009; Rubinstein et al., 2007; Peng and Chao, 2008). The onset of the slip reveals that how and when the external loading triggers tremor. It also holds the information to the background stress conditions under which tremor source starts with. We observe and detect tremor in two regions: Anza and Cholame, along San Jacinto Fault (SJF) and San Andreas Fault (SAF) respectively. These two sections of the faults, relative to general fault zone on which general earthquakes occur, are considered transition zones where slip of slow rates occurs. Slip events including NVT occur on these sections have slower slip rates than that of the general earthquakes (Rubin, 2008; Ide, 2008). In Azna region, we use envelope and waveform cross-correlation to detect tremor. We investigate the stress required to trigger tremor and tremor spectrum using continuous broadband seismograms from 11 stations located near Anza, California. We examine 44 Mw≥7.4 teleseismic events between 2001 and 2011, in addition to one regional earthquake of smaller-magnitude, the 2009 Mw 6.5 Gulf of California earthquake, because it induced extremely high strain at Anza. The result suggests that not only the amplitude of the induced strain, but also the period of the incoming surface wave, may control triggering of tremor near Anza. In addition, we find that the transient-shear stress (17--35 kPa) required to trigger tremor along the SJF at Anza is distinctly higher than what has been reported for the well-studied SAF (Gulihem et al. 2010). We model slip initiation using the analytical solution of rate-and-state friction. We verify the correctness of this method by comparing the results with that from the dynamic model, implemented using the Multi-Dimensional Spectral Boundary Integral Code (MDSBI) written by Eric M. Dunham from Sanford University. We find that the analytical result is consistent with that of the dynamic model. We set up a patch model with which the source stress and frictional conditions best resemble the current estimates of the tremor source. The frictional regime of this patch is rate-weakening. The initial normal and shear stress, and friction parameters are suggested by previous observations of tectonic tremors both in this and other studies (Brown et al., 2005; Shelly et al., 2006; Miyazawa, 2008; Ben-Zion, 2012). Our dynamic loading first consists of simple harmonic stress change with fixed periods, simplifying the transient stress history to resemble teleseismic earthquakes. We tested the period and amplitude of such periodic loading. We find that the period of the transient shear stress is less important relative to the amplitude. The triggering depends mainly on the ratio between amplitude of the shear stress loading and the background normal stress. We define a range of ratio indicative of the occurrence of the triggering. We later test the triggering of the instability using the shear stress history from 44 large teleseismic earthquakes (data equivalent to those used in Chapter 1). With the constraints of these observations, we find that the background normal stress should be in the range of ˜400-700 kPa. The background normal stress suggested agrees with the common hypothesis that the tremor source is under low normal stress. In addition, our results provide a first estimation of the background normal stress with numerical method. We also demonstrate how our model find constrains on the background physical stress or frictional conditions, with several true incidences that transient shear stress triggers or not-triggers tremor. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Membrane fluidity controls redox-regulated cold stress responses in cyanobacteria.

PubMed

Maksimov, Eugene G; Mironov, Kirill S; Trofimova, Marina S; Nechaeva, Natalya L; Todorenko, Daria A; Klementiev, Konstantin E; Tsoraev, Georgy V; Tyutyaev, Eugene V; Zorina, Anna A; Feduraev, Pavel V; Allakhverdiev, Suleyman I; Paschenko, Vladimir Z; Los, Dmitry A

2017-09-01

Membrane fluidity is the important regulator of cellular responses to changing ambient temperature. Bacteria perceive cold by the transmembrane histidine kinases that sense changes in thickness of the cytoplasmic membrane due to its rigidification. In the cyanobacterium Synechocystis, about a half of cold-responsive genes is controlled by the light-dependent transmembrane histidine kinase Hik33, which also partially controls the responses to osmotic, salt, and oxidative stress. This implies the existence of some universal, but yet unknown signal that triggers adaptive gene expression in response to various stressors. Here we selectively probed the components of photosynthetic machinery and functionally characterized the thermodynamics of cyanobacterial photosynthetic membranes with genetically altered fluidity. We show that the rate of oxidation of the quinone pool (PQ), which interacts with both photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport chains, depends on membrane fluidity. Inhibitor-induced stimulation of redox changes in PQ triggers cold-induced gene expression. Thus, the fluidity-dependent changes in the redox state of PQ may universally trigger cellular responses to stressors that affect membrane properties.

Evolution in population parameters: density-dependent selection or density-dependent fitness?

PubMed

Travis, Joseph; Leips, Jeff; Rodd, F Helen

2013-05-01

Density-dependent selection is one of earliest topics of joint interest to both ecologists and evolutionary biologists and thus occupies an important position in the histories of these disciplines. This joint interest is driven by the fact that density-dependent selection is the simplest form of feedback between an ecological effect of an organism's own making (crowding due to sustained population growth) and the selective response to the resulting conditions. This makes density-dependent selection perhaps the simplest process through which we see the full reciprocity between ecology and evolution. In this article, we begin by tracing the history of studying the reciprocity between ecology and evolution, which we see as combining the questions of evolutionary ecology with the assumptions and approaches of ecological genetics. In particular, density-dependent fitness and density-dependent selection were critical concepts underlying ideas about adaptation to biotic selection pressures and the coadaptation of interacting species. However, theory points to a critical distinction between density-dependent fitness and density-dependent selection in their influences on complex evolutionary and ecological interactions among coexisting species. Although density-dependent fitness is manifestly evident in empirical studies, evidence of density-dependent selection is much less common. This leads to the larger question of how prevalent and important density-dependent selection might really be. Life-history variation in the least killifish Heterandria formosa appears to reflect the action of density-dependent selection, and yet compelling evidence is elusive, even in this well-studied system, which suggests some important challenges for understanding density-driven feedbacks between ecology and evolution.

Landslides triggered by the storm of November 3-5, 1985, Wills Mountain Anticline, West Virginia and Virginia: Chapter C in Geomorphic studies of the storm and flood of November 3-5, 1985, in the upper Potomac and Cheat River basins in West Virginia and Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacobson, Robert B.; McGeehin, John P.; Cron, Elizabeth D.; Carr, Carolyn E.; Harper, John M.; Howard, Alan D.

1993-01-01

More than 3,000 landslides were triggered by heavy rainfall in the central Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia and Virginia, November 3-5, 1985. These landslides provided the opportunity to study spatial controls on landslides, magnitude and frequency of triggering events, and the effects of landslides on flood-induced geomorphic change. The study area consists of parts of the Wills Mountain anticline, a major NE-trending structure in the central Appalachians, and a portion of the adjacent Appalachian Plateau. Across the anticline and adjacent plateau, bedrock lithologies vary markedly and include pure marine limestone, marine shale, deltaic mudstone/sandstone sequences, and orthoquartzites. Because of the geologic structure, bedrock lithology varies little along strike. The spatial distribution of landslides triggered by the storm was controlled primarily by rainfall, bedrock lithology, surficial lithology, land cover, and slope morphology. The triggering rainfall was of moderate intensity and long duration. Two-day storm totals varied from 170 mm to more than 240 mm in the study area. Most landslides occurred at the northeast end of the study area, where 48-h rainfall totals were in excess of 200 mm. Different rainfall thresholds are apparent for triggering landslides on different bedrock lithologies. The highest density of landslides occurred in shallow colluvium and residuum of the Reedsville Shale (Ordovician), followed by regolith of the Greenbriar and Mauch Chunk Groups (Mississippian). Most of the landslides in these fine-grained regoliths were shallow slides and slumps, many of which transformed to mudflows and delivered sediment directly to streams; a smaller number of debris avalanches were triggered high on quartzite ridges.Instability of colluvium and residuum derived from the Reedsville Shale, compared with regolith from four other fine-grained bedrock lithologies, is attributable to its low strength combined with moderate infiltration rates that allowed soil moisture to accumulate under the moderate intensities of the rainfall. Slopes covered by coarse, cobbly debris flow and alluvial deposits, mostly of Pleistocene age, were very stable due to their low slope angles and high frictional strength. For a particular bedrock lithology, the spatial distribution of landslides appears controlled by interdependent influences of slope morphology and land cover. On the Reedsville Shale, most landslides occurred on north- to northeast-facing slopes, which might have had higher antecedent levels of soil moisture; these slopes have also been preferentially cleared because they produce better pasture forage for livestock. A secondary concentration of landslides on south- to southwest-facing slopes cannot be explained by conventional soil-moisture models. Landslide density was 100--200 percent higher on cleared land than on forested land. On pastured land, most landslides occurred on laterally planar slopes, but on forested land, most landslides occurred in slope positions that were laterally concave (hillslope hollows). Compared with other documented Appalachian storms that have triggered landslides, the November 1985 storm had lower rainfall intensities over longer durations. Comparison with these other storms suggests that the anomalously high degree of slope instability in 1985 is due to the long duration of low-intensity rainfall on fine-grained regolith derived from shale; the triggering rainfall can be approximated by the 48-h storm total. Landslide density in Reedsville Shale regolith is linearly related to the varying 48-h rainfall along the anticline. These data define a probabilistic model that estimates return intervals of 43 to 300 yr for landslide densities ranging from 1 to 70 landslides/km2. Analysis of flood-induced geomorphic changes in 79 small drainage basins that received 210-240 mm of rainfall showed a clear local association between landslides and channel erosion or deposition adjacent to where the landslides delivered sediment to the stream. When channel change was quantified using an index evaluated at each basin mouth, most of the channel change was attributable to the influence of basin morphology on flood discharge. Landslide density in the basins was of secondary, although measurable, importance in explaining flood-induced channel changes at the basin scale. 

Evolution of Starburst Galaxies in the Illustris Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, C. L.; Pimbblet, K. A.; Stott, J. P.; Few, C. G.; Gibson, B. K.

2018-06-01

There is a consensus in the literature that starburst galaxies are triggered by interaction events. However, it remains an open question as to what extent both merging and non-merging interactions have in triggering starbursts? In this study, we make use of the Illustris simulation to test how different triggering mechanisms can effect starburst events. We examine star formation rate, colour and environment of starburst galaxies to determine if this could be why we witness a bimodality in post-starburst populations within observational studies. Further, we briefly test the extent of quenching due to AGN feedback. From Illustris, we select 196 starburst galaxies at z = 0.15 and split them into post-merger and pre-merger/harassment driven starburst samples. We find that 55% of this sample not undergone a merger in the past 2 Gyr. Both of our samples are located in low-density environments within the filament regions of the cosmic web, however we find that pre-merger/harassment driven starburst are in higher density environments than post-merger driven starbursts. We also find that pre-merger/harassment starbursts are redder than post-merger starbursts, this could be driven by environmental effects. Both however, produce nuclear starbursts of comparable strengths.

Headache triggers in the US military.

PubMed

Theeler, Brett J; Kenney, Kimbra; Prokhorenko, Olga A; Fideli, Ulgen S; Campbell, William; Erickson, Jay C

2010-05-01

Headaches can be triggered by a variety of factors. Military service members have a high prevalence of headache but the factors triggering headaches in military troops have not been identified. The objective of this study is to determine headache triggers in soldiers and military beneficiaries seeking specialty care for headaches. A total of 172 consecutive US Army soldiers and military dependents (civilians) evaluated at the headache clinics of 2 US Army Medical Centers completed a standardized questionnaire about their headache triggers. A total of 150 (87%) patients were active-duty military members and 22 (13%) patients were civilians. In total, 77% of subjects had migraine; 89% of patients reported at least one headache trigger with a mean of 8.3 triggers per patient. A wide variety of headache triggers was seen with the most common categories being environmental factors (74%), stress (67%), consumption-related factors (60%), and fatigue-related factors (57%). The types of headache triggers identified in active-duty service members were similar to those seen in civilians. Stress-related triggers were significantly more common in soldiers. There were no significant differences in trigger types between soldiers with and without a history of head trauma. Headaches in military service members are triggered mostly by the same factors as in civilians with stress being the most common trigger. Knowledge of headache triggers may be useful for developing strategies that reduce headache occurrence in the military.

Density-dependence interacts with extrinsic mortality in shaping life histories

PubMed Central

Burger, Oskar; Kozłowski, Jan

2017-01-01

The role of extrinsic mortality in shaping life histories is poorly understood. However, substantial evidence suggests that extrinsic mortality interacts with density-dependence in crucial ways. We develop a model combining Evolutionarily Stable Strategies with a projection matrix that allows resource allocation to growth, tissue repairs, and reproduction. Our model examines three cases, with density-dependence acting on: (i) mortality, (ii) fecundity, and (iii) production rate. We demonstrate that density-independent extrinsic mortality influences the rate of aging, age at maturity, growth rate, and adult size provided that density-dependence acts on fertility or juvenile mortality. However, density-independent extrinsic mortality has no effect on these life history traits when density-dependence acts on survival. We show that extrinsic mortality interacts with density-dependence via a compensation mechanism: the higher the extrinsic mortality the lower the strength of density-dependence. However, this compensation fully offsets the effect of extrinsic mortality only if density-dependence acts on survival independently of age. Both the age-pattern and the type of density-dependence are crucial for shaping life history traits. PMID:29049399

Activation of microglial cells triggers a release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) inducing their proliferation in an adenosine A2A receptor-dependent manner: A2A receptor blockade prevents BDNF release and proliferation of microglia

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to control microglial responses in neuropathic pain. Since adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs) control neuroinflammation, as well as the production and function of BDNF, we tested to see if A2AR controls the microglia-dependent secretion of BDNF and the proliferation of microglial cells, a crucial event in neuroinflammation. Methods Murine N9 microglial cells were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 ng/mL) in the absence or in the presence of the A2AR antagonist, SCH58261 (50 nM), as well as other modulators of A2AR signaling. The BDNF cellular content and secretion were quantified by Western blotting and ELISA, A2AR density was probed by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry and cell proliferation was assessed by BrdU incorporation. Additionally, the A2AR modulation of LPS-driven cell proliferation was also tested in primary cultures of mouse microglia. Results LPS induced time-dependent changes of the intra- and extracellular levels of BDNF and increased microglial proliferation. The maximal LPS-induced BDNF release was time-coincident with an LPS-induced increase of the A2AR density. Notably, removing endogenous extracellular adenosine or blocking A2AR prevented the LPS-mediated increase of both BDNF secretion and proliferation, as well as exogenous BDNF-induced proliferation. Conclusions We conclude that A2AR activation plays a mandatory role controlling the release of BDNF from activated microglia, as well as the autocrine/paracrine proliferative role of BDNF. PMID:23363775

The effect of the isotope on the H-mode density limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, A.; Wiesen, S.; Bernert, M.; Brezinsek, S.; Chankin, A. V.; Sergienko, G.; Huber, V.; Abreu, P.; Boboc, A.; Brix, M.; Carralero, D.; Delabie, E.; Eich, T.; Esser, H. G.; Guillemaut, C.; Jachmich, S.; Joffrin, E.; Kallenbach, A.; Kruezi, U.; Lang, P.; Linsmeier, Ch.; Lowry, C. G.; Maggi, C. F.; Matthews, G. F.; Meigs, A. G.; Mertens, Ph.; Reimold, F.; Schweinzer, J.; Sips, G.; Stamp, M.; Viezzer, E.; Wischmeier, M.; Zohm, H.; contributors, JET; ASDEX Upgrade Team

2017-08-01

In order to understand the mechanisms for the H-mode density limit in machines with fully metallic walls, systematic investigations of H-mode density limit plasmas in experiments with deuterium and hydrogen external gas fuelling have been performed on JET-ILW. The observed H-mode density limit on JET in D- as well as in H-plasmas demonstrates similar operation phases: the stable H-mode phase, degrading H-mode, breakdown of the H-mode with energy confinement deterioration accompanied by a dithering cycling phase, followed by the L-mode phase. The density limit is not related to an inward collapse of the hot core plasma due to an overcooling of the plasma periphery by radiation. Indeed, independently of the isotopic effect, the total radiated power stay almost constant during the H-mode phase until the H-L back transition. It was observed in D- and H-plasmas that neither detachment, nor the X-point MARFE itself do trigger the H-L transition and that they thus do not present a limit on the plasma density. It is the plasma confinement, most likely determined by edge parameters, which is ultimately responsible for the H-mode DL. By comparing similar discharges but fuelled with either deuterium or hydrogen, we have found that the H-mode density limit exhibits a dependence on the isotope mass: the density limit is up to 35% lower in hydrogen compared to similar deuterium plasma conditions (the obtained density limit is in agreement with the Greenwald limit for D-plasma). In addition, the density limit is nearly independent of the applied power both in deuterium or hydrogen fuelling conditions. The measured Greenwald fractions are consistent with the predictions from a theoretical model based on an MHD instability theory in the near-SOL. The JET operational domains are significantly broadened when increasing the plasma effective mass (e.g. tritium or deuterium-tritium operation), i.e. the L to H power threshold is reduced whereas the density limit for the L-mode back transition is increased.

Methods for roof-top mini-arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazen, W. E.; Hazen, E. S.

1985-08-01

To test the idea of the Linsley effect mini array for the study of giant air showers, it is desirable to have a trigger that exploits the effect itself. In addition to the trigger, it is necessary to have a method for measuring the relative arrival times of the particle swarm selected by the trigger. Since the idea of mini arrays is likely to appeal to small research groups, it is desirable to try to design relatively simple and inexpensive methods, and methods that utilize existing detectors. Clusters of small detectors have been designed for operation in the local particle density realm where the probability of or = 2 particles per detector is small. Consequently, this method can discriminate pulses from each detector and thenceforth deal mainly with logic pulses.

T-cell triggering thresholds are modulated by the number of antigen within individual T-cell receptor clusters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manz, Boryana N.; Jackson, Bryan L.; Petit, Rebecca S.

2011-05-31

T cells react to extremely small numbers of activating agonist peptides. Spatial organization of T-cell receptors (TCR) and their peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) ligands into microclusters is correlated with T-cell activation. In this study, we have designed an experimental strategy that enables control over the number of agonist peptides per TCR cluster, without altering the total number engaged by the cell. Supported membranes, partitioned with grids of barriers to lateral mobility, provide an effective way of limiting the total number of pMHC ligands that may be assembled within a single TCR cluster. Observations directly reveal that restriction of pMHC contentmore » within individual TCR clusters can decrease T-cell sensitivity for triggering initial calcium flux at fixed total pMHC density. Further analysis suggests that triggering thresholds are determined by the number of activating ligands available to individual TCR clusters, not by the total number encountered by the cell. Results from a series of experiments in which the overall agonist density and the maximum number of agonist per TCR cluster are independently varied in primary T cells indicate that the most probable minimal triggering unit for calcium signaling is at least four pMHC in a single cluster for this system. In conclusion, this threshold is unchanged by inclusion of coagonist pMHC, but costimulation of CD28 by CD80 can modulate the threshold lower.« less

Physical conditions in star-forming regions around S235

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirsanova, M. S.; Wiebe, D. S.; Sobolev, A. M.; Henkel, C.; Tsivilev, A. P.

2014-01-01

Gas density and temperature in star-forming regions around Sh2-235 are derived from ammonia line observations. This information is used to evaluate formation scenarios and to determine evolutionary stages of the young embedded clusters S235 East 1, S235 East 2 and S235 Central. We also estimate the gas mass in the embedded clusters and its ratio to the stellar mass. S235 East 1 appears to be less evolved than S235 East 2 and S235 Central. In S235 East 1 the molecular gas mass exceeds that in the other clusters. Also, this cluster is more embedded in the parent gas cloud than the other two. Comparison with a theoretical model shows that the formation of these three clusters could have been stimulated by the expansion of the Sh2-235 H II region (hereafter S235) via a collect-and-collapse process, provided the density in the surrounding gas exceeds 3 × 103 cm-3, or via collapse of pre-existing clumps. The expansion of S235 cannot be responsible for star formation in the southern S235 A-B region. However, formation of the massive stars in this region might have been triggered by a large-scale supernova shock. Thus, triggered star formation in the studied region may come in three varieties, namely collect-and-collapse and collapse of pre-existing clumps, both initiated by expansion of the local H II regions, and triggered by an external large-scale shock. We argue that the S235 A H II region expands into a highly non-uniform medium with increasing density. It is too young to trigger star formation in its vicinity by a collect-and-collapse process. There is an age spread inside the S235 A-B region. Massive stars in the S235 A-B region are considerably younger than lower mass stars in the same area. This follows from the estimates of their ages and the ages of associated H II regions.

Interfacial ordering of thermotropic liquid crystals triggered by the secondary structures of oligopeptides.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoguang; Yang, Pei; Mondiot, Frederic; Li, Yaoxin; Miller, Daniel S; Chen, Zhan; Abbott, Nicholas L

2015-12-07

We report that assemblies formed by eight oligopeptides at phospholipid-decorated interfaces of thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs) trigger changes in ordering of the LCs that are dependent on the secondary structures of the oligopeptides (as characterized in situ using infrared-visible sum-frequency spectroscopy).

Disambiguating Syntactic Triggers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sakas, William Gregory; Fodor, Janet Dean

2012-01-01

We present data from an artificial language domain that suggest new contributions to the theory of syntactic triggers. Whether a learning algorithm is capable of matching the achievements of child learners depends in part on how much parametric ambiguity there is in the input. For practical reasons this cannot be established for the domain of all…

Ultra-Fine Highly Energetic Core-Shell Nanoparticles with Triggerable Protective Coatings

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-01

volume ratios and strong electronic coupling, which offers higher stored energy densities and decreased warhead size. Current technologies produce nano...aluminum (Al) – the most attractive high-energetic candidate for the use in explosives because of its density and high relative heat of oxide...major breakthrough in the area of explosive materials. II. Project Objectives The overall objective of this research program was to develop a new

Theoretical investigations on the structures and properties of CL-20/TNT cocrystal and its defective models by molecular dynamics simulation.

PubMed

Hang, Gui-Yun; Yu, Wen-Li; Wang, Tao; Wang, Jin-Tao

2018-06-09

"Perfect" and defective models of CL-20/TNT cocrystal explosive were established. Molecular dynamics methods were introduced to determine the structures and predict the comprehensive performances, including stabilities, sensitivity, energy density and mechanical properties, of the different models. The influences of crystal defects on the properties of these explosives were investigated and evaluated. The results show that, compared with the "perfect" model, the rigidity and toughness of defective models are decreased, while the ductility, tenacity and plastic properties are enhanced. The binding energies, interaction energy of the trigger bond, and the cohesive energy density of defective crystals declined, thus implying that stabilities are weakened, the explosive molecule is activated, trigger bond strength is diminished and safety is worsened. Detonation performance showed that, owing to the influence of crystal defects, the density is lessened, detonation pressure and detonation velocity are also declined, i.e., the power of defective explosive is decreased. In a word, the crystal defects may have a favorable effect on the mechanical properties, but have a disadvantageous influence on sensitivity, stability and energy density of CL-20/TNT cocrystal explosive. The results could provide theoretical guidance and practical instructions to estimate the properties of defective crystal models.

Simulations of Atmospheric Neutral Wave Coupling to the Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siefring, C. L.; Bernhardt, P. A.

2005-12-01

The densities in the E- and F-layer plasmas are much less than the density of background neutral atmosphere. Atmospheric neutral waves are primary sources of plasma density fluctuations and are the sources for triggering plasma instabilities. The neutral atmosphere supports acoustic waves, acoustic gravity waves, and Kelvin Helmholtz waves from wind shears. These waves help determine the structure of the ionosphere by changes in neutral density that affect ion-electron recombination and by neutral velocities that couple to the plasma via ion-neutral collisions. Neutral acoustic disturbances can arise from thunderstorms, chemical factory explosions and intentional high-explosive tests. Based on conservation of energy, acoustic waves grow in amplitude as they propagate upwards to lower atmospheric densities. Shock waves can form in an acoustic pulse that is eventually damped by viscosity. Ionospheric effects from acoustic waves include transient perturbations of E- and F-Regions and triggering of E-Region instabilities. Acoustic-gravity waves affect the ionosphere over large distances. Gravity wave sources include thunderstorms, auroral region disturbances, Space Shuttle launches and possibly solar eclipses. Low frequency acoustic-gravity waves propagate to yield traveling ionospheric disturbances (TID's), triggering of Equatorial bubbles, and possible periodic structuring of the E-Region. Gravity wave triggering of equatorial bubbles is studied numerically by solving the equations for plasma continuity and ion velocity along with Ohms law to provide an equation for the induced electric potential. Slow moving gravity waves provide density depressions on bottom of ionosphere and a gravitational Rayleigh-Taylor instability is initiated. Radar scatter detects field aligned irregularities in the resulting plasma bubble. Neutral Kelvin-Helmholtz waves are produced by strong mesospheric wind shears that are also coincident with the formation of intense E-layers. An atmospheric model for periodic structures with Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) wavelengths is used to show the development of quasi-periodic structures in the E-layer. For the model, a background atmosphere near 100 km altitude with a scale height of 12.2 km is subjected to a wind shear profile varying by 100 m/s over a distance of 1.7 km. This neutral speed shear drives the KH instability with a growth time of about 100 seconds. The neutral KH wave is a source of plasma turbulence. The E-layer responds to the KH-Wave structure in the neutral atmosphere as an electrodynamic tracer. The plasma flow leads to small scale plasma field aligned irregularities from a gradient drift, plasma interchange instability (GDI) or a Farley-Buneman, two-stream instability (FBI). These irregularities are detected by radar scatter as quasi-periodic structures. All of these plasma phenomena would not occur without the initiation by neutral atmospheric waves.

Simulations of thermionic suppression during tungsten transient melting experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komm, M.; Tolias, P.; Ratynskaia, S.; Dejarnac, R.; Gunn, J. P.; Krieger, K.; Podolnik, A.; Pitts, R. A.; Panek, R.

2017-12-01

Plasma-facing components receive enormous heat fluxes under steady state and especially during transient conditions that can even lead to tungsten (W) melting. Under these conditions, the unimpeded thermionic current density emitted from the W surfaces can exceed the incident plasma current densities by several orders of magnitude triggering a replacement current which drives melt layer motion via the {\\boldsymbol{J}}× {\\boldsymbol{B}} force. However, in tokamaks, the thermionic current is suppressed by space-charge effects and prompt re-deposition due to gyro-rotation. We present comprehensive results of particle-in-cell modelling using the 2D3V code SPICE2 for the thermionic emissive sheath of tungsten. Simulations have been performed for various surface temperatures and selected inclinations of the magnetic field corresponding to the leading edge and sloped exposures. The surface temperature dependence of the escaping thermionic current and its limiting value are determined for various plasma parameters; for the leading edge geometry, the results agree remarkably well with the Takamura analytical model. For the sloped geometry, the limiting value is observed to be proportional to the thermal electron current and a simple analytical expression is proposed that accurately reproduces the numerical results.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Quorum-sensing of bacteria and its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Guoliang; Su, Mingxia

2009-12-01

Quorum sensing, or auto induction, as a cell density dependent signaling mechanism in many microorganisms, is triggered via auto inducers which passively diffuse across the bacterial envelope and therefore intracellulaly accumulate only at higher bacterial densities to regulate specialized processes such as genetic competence, bioluminescence, virulence and sporulation. N-acyl homoserine lactones are the most common type of signal molecules. Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food-producing industries, but disease outbreaks caused by pathogenic bacteria are a significant constraint on the development of the sector worldwide. Many of these pathogens have been found to be controlled by their quorum sensing systems. As there is relevance between the pathogenic bacteria's virulence factor expression and their auto inducers, quorum quenching is a new effective anti-infective strategy to control infections caused by bacterial pathogens in aquaculture. The techniques used to do this mainly include the following: (1) the inhibition of signal molecule biosynthesis, (2) blocking signal transduction, and (3) chemical inactivation and biodegradation of signal molecules. To provide a basis for finding alternative means of controlling aquatic diseases by quorum quenching instead of treatment by antibiotics and disinfectants, we will discuss the examination, purification and identification of auto inducers in this paper.

The impact of baryonic discs on the shapes and profiles of self-interacting dark matter halos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sameie, Omid; Creasey, Peter; Yu, Hai-Bo; Sales, Laura V.; Vogelsberger, Mark; Zavala, Jesús

2018-06-01

We employ isolated N-body simulations to study the response of self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) halos in the presence of the baryonic potentials. Dark matter self-interactions lead to kinematic thermalization in the inner halo, resulting in a tight correlation between the dark matter and baryon distributions. A deep baryonic potential shortens the phase of SIDM core expansion and triggers core contraction. This effect can be further enhanced by a large self-scattering cross section. We find the final SIDM density profile is sensitive to the baryonic concentration and the strength of dark matter self-interactions. Assuming a spherical initial halo, we also study evolution of the SIDM halo shape together with the density profile. The halo shape at later epochs deviates from spherical symmetry due to the influence of the non-spherical disc potential, and its significance depends on the baryonic contribution to the total gravitational potential, relative to the dark matter one. In addition, we construct a multi-component model for the Milky Way, including an SIDM halo, a stellar disc and a bulge, and show it is consistent with observations from stellar kinematics and streams.

[Sex differences in neuromodulation of mucosal mast cells in the rat jejunum].

PubMed

Gottwald, T; Becker, H D; Stead, R H

1997-01-01

The effect of electrical stimulation of both cervical vagal nerves on mucosal mast cells in the jejunum was investigated in an in vivo animal model with rats of both sexes. Males showed a significant increase of mast cell densities after electrical stimulation (1.0 mA, 5 Hz, 5 ms, 12 min) in the lamina propria. Simultaneously, we observed a significant increase of tissue histamine levels (ANOVA: P < 0.05), whereas serum levels remained unchanged. However, even though females had significantly higher levels throughout compared to males (ANOVA: P < 0.05), they did not show any significant reaction to electrical stimulation. These in vivo data support morphological and in vitro data from other investigators, who hypothesized a functional interaction between mucosal mast cells and nerves. However, degranulation seems to be a poor in situ indicator for mast-cell stimulation, as mast-cell densities increased in males, while the percentage of degranulated cells remained the same in all groups (about 40%). Instead, electrical stimulation of the vagal nerve seems to trigger histamine synthesis, or simply stabilization of mast cells. Interestingly, this phenomenon seems to be sex-dependent, suggesting a regulatory role for sex hormones in this scenario.

Control of ITBs in Magnetically Confined Burning Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panta, S. R.; Newman, D. E.; Terry, P. W.; Sanchez, R.

2017-10-01

In the magnetically confined burning plasma devices (in this case Tokamaks), internal transport barriers (ITBs) are those regimes in which the turbulence is suppressed by the E X B velocity shear, reducing the turbulent transport. This often occurs at a critical gradient in the profiles. The change in the transport then modifies the density and temperature profiles feeding back on the system. These transport barriers have to be controlled both to form them for improved confinement and remove them to both prevent global instabilities and to remove the ash and unnecessary impurities in the device. In this work we focus on pellet injection and modulated RF heating as a way to trigger and control the ITBs. These have an immediate consequence on density and temperature and hence pressure profiles acting as a control knob. For example, depending upon pellet size and its radial position of injection, it either helps to form or strengthen the barrier or to get rid of ITBs in the different transport channels of the burning plasmas. This transport model is then used to investigate the control and dynamics of the transport barriers in burning plasmas using pellets and RF addition to the NBI power and alpha power.

Triggers for suicidal behavior in depressed older adolescents and young adults: do alcohol use disorders make a difference?

PubMed

Sher, Leo; Sperling, Dahlia; Stanley, Barbara H; Carballo, Juan J; Shoval, Gal; Zalsman, Gil; Burke, Ainsley K; Mann, J John; Oquendo, Maria A

2007-01-01

Adolescent suicide is a major social and medical problem. Alcohol use disorders with comorbid major depression represent an especially high-risk profile for suicidal behavior, repeated suicidal behavior and completed suicide. We compared demographic and clinical characteristics, prevalence of interpersonal triggers and the number of triggers for suicidal behavior in depressed late adolescents and young adults with or without comorbid alcohol use disorders. 18-26-year-old subjects were recruited through advertising and referrals and participated in mood disorders research in a university hospital. Thirty-eight depressed suicide attempters without a history of any alcohol or substance abuse/dependence and 29 depressed suicide attempters with comorbid alcohol abuse or dependence participated in the study. Demographic and clinical parameters including parameters related to suicidal behavior were examined and recorded. There was no difference with regard to demographic parameters between the two groups. Depressed suicide attempters with comorbid alcohol use disorders had higher aggression and impulsivity scale scores and were more likely to be tobacco smokers compared to their counterparts without alcohol use disorders. Additionally, there was a trend towards higher lethality of suicide attempts in subjects with alcohol use disorders compared to the other group. We found no difference in the prevalence of interpersonal triggers or in the number of triggers for suicidal behavior between the two groups. It appears that among 18-26-year-old depressed suicide attempters, individuals with comorbid alcohol use disorders are more impaired with regard to aggressiveness and impulsivity compared to persons without comorbid alcohol abuse/dependence.

Multilayered Regulation of Ethylene Induction Plays a Positive Role in Arabidopsis Resistance against Pseudomonas syringae.

PubMed

Guan, Rongxia; Su, Jianbin; Meng, Xiangzong; Li, Sen; Liu, Yidong; Xu, Juan; Zhang, Shuqun

2015-09-01

Ethylene, a key phytohormone involved in plant-pathogen interaction, plays a positive role in plant resistance against fungal pathogens. However, its function in plant bacterial resistance remains unclear. Here, we report a detailed analysis of ethylene induction in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in response to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 (Pst). Ethylene biosynthesis is highly induced in both pathogen/microbe-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity and effector-triggered immunity (ETI), and the induction is potentiated by salicylic acid (SA) pretreatment. In addition, Pst actively suppresses PAMP-triggered ethylene induction in a type III secretion system-dependent manner. SA potentiation of ethylene induction is dependent mostly on MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE6 (MPK6) and MPK3 and their downstream ACS2 and ACS6, two type I isoforms of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthases (ACSs). ACS7, a type III ACS whose expression is enhanced by SA pretreatment, is also involved. Pst expressing the avrRpt2 effector gene (Pst-avrRpt2), which is capable of triggering ETI, induces a higher level of ethylene production, and the elevated portion is dependent on SALICYLIC ACID INDUCTION DEFICIENT2 and NONEXPRESSER OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE1, two key players in SA biosynthesis and signaling. High-order ACS mutants with reduced ethylene induction are more susceptible to both Pst and Pst-avrRpt2, demonstrating a positive role of ethylene in plant bacterial resistance mediated by both PAMP-triggered immunity and ETI. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Filament formation in wind-cloud interactions- II. Clouds with turbulent density, velocity, and magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banda-Barragán, W. E.; Federrath, C.; Crocker, R. M.; Bicknell, G. V.

2018-01-01

We present a set of numerical experiments designed to systematically investigate how turbulence and magnetic fields influence the morphology, energetics, and dynamics of filaments produced in wind-cloud interactions. We cover 3D, magnetohydrodynamic systems of supersonic winds impacting clouds with turbulent density, velocity, and magnetic fields. We find that lognormal density distributions aid shock propagation through clouds, increasing their velocity dispersion and producing filaments with expanded cross-sections and highly magnetized knots and subfilaments. In self-consistently turbulent scenarios, the ratio of filament to initial cloud magnetic energy densities is ∼1. The effect of Gaussian velocity fields is bound to the turbulence Mach number: Supersonic velocities trigger a rapid cloud expansion; subsonic velocities only have a minor impact. The role of turbulent magnetic fields depends on their tension and is similar to the effect of radiative losses: the stronger the magnetic field or the softer the gas equation of state, the greater the magnetic shielding at wind-filament interfaces and the suppression of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Overall, we show that including turbulence and magnetic fields is crucial to understanding cold gas entrainment in multiphase winds. While cloud porosity and supersonic turbulence enhance the acceleration of clouds, magnetic shielding protects them from ablation and causes Rayleigh-Taylor-driven subfilamentation. Wind-swept clouds in turbulent models reach distances ∼15-20 times their core radius and acquire bulk speeds ∼0.3-0.4 of the wind speed in one cloud-crushing time, which are three times larger than in non-turbulent models. In all simulations, the ratio of turbulent magnetic to kinetic energy densities asymptotes at ∼0.1-0.4, and convergence of all relevant dynamical properties requires at least 64 cells per cloud radius.

Tissue Factor Coagulant Activity is Regulated by the Plasma Membrane Microenvironment.

PubMed

Yu, Yuanjie; Böing, Anita N; Hau, Chi M; Hajji, Najat; Ruf, Wolfram; Sturk, Auguste; Nieuwland, Rienk

2018-06-01

 Tissue factor (TF) can be present in a non-coagulant and coagulant form. Whether the coagulant activity is affected by the plasma membrane microenvironment is unexplored.  This article studies the presence and coagulant activity of human TF in plasma membrane micro-domains.  Plasma membranes were isolated from human MIA PaCa2 cells, MDA-MB-231 cells and human vascular smooth muscle cells by Percoll gradient ultracentrifugation after cell disruption. Plasma membranes were fractionated by OptiPrep gradient ultracentrifugation, and the presence of TF, flotillin, caveolin, clathrin, protein disulphide isomerase (PDI), TF pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and phosphatidylserine (PS) were determined.  Plasma membranes contain two detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) compartments differing in density and biochemical composition. High-density DRMs (DRM-H) have a density ( ρ ) of 1.15 to 1.20 g/mL and contain clathrin, whereas low-density DRMs (DRM-L) have a density between 1.09 and 1.13 g/mL and do not contain clathrin. Both DRMs contain TF, flotillin and caveolin. PDI is detectable in DRM-H, TFPI is not detectable in either DMR-H or DRM-L and PS is detectable in DRM-L. The DRM-H-associated TF (> 95% of the TF antigen) lacks detectable coagulant activity, whereas the DRM-L-associated TF triggers coagulation. This coagulant activity is inhibited by lactadherin and thus PS-dependent, but seemed insensitive to 16F16, an inhibitor of PDI.  Non-coagulant and coagulant TF are present within different types of DRMs in the plasma membrane, and the composition of these DRMs may affect the TF coagulant activity. Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.

Multistage electronic nematic transitions in cuprate superconductors: A functional-renormalization-group analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuchiizu, Masahisa; Kawaguchi, Kouki; Yamakawa, Youichi; Kontani, Hiroshi

2018-04-01

Recently, complex rotational symmetry-breaking phenomena have been discovered experimentally in cuprate superconductors. To find the realized order parameters, we study various unconventional charge susceptibilities in an unbiased way by applying the functional-renormalization-group method to the d -p Hubbard model. Without assuming the wave vector of the order parameter, we reveal that the most dominant instability is the uniform (q =0 ) charge modulation on the px and py orbitals, which possesses d symmetry. This uniform nematic order triggers another nematic p -orbital density wave along the axial (Cu-Cu) direction at Qa≈(π /2 ,0 ) . It is predicted that uniform nematic order is driven by the spin fluctuations in the pseudogap region, and another nematic density-wave order at q =Qa is triggered by the uniform order. The predicted multistage nematic transitions are caused by Aslamazov-Larkin-type fluctuation-exchange processes.

The Seismic Velocity In Gas-charged Magma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturton, S.; Neuberg, J. W.

2001-12-01

Long-period and hybrid events, seen at the Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, show dominant low frequency content suggesting the seismic wavefield is formed as a result of interface waves at the boundary between a fluid and a solid medium. This wavefield will depend on the impedance contrast between the two media and therefore the difference in seismic velocity. For a gas-charged magma, increasing pressure with depth reduces the volume of gas exsolved, increasing the seismic velocity with depth in the conduit. The seismic radiation pattern along the conduit can then be modelled. Where single events merge into tremor, gliding lines can sometimes be seen in the spectra and indicate either changes in the seismic parameters with time or varying triggering rates of single events.The differential equation describing the time dependence of bubble growth by diffusion is solved numerically for a stationary magma column undergoing a decompression event. The volume of gas is depth dependent and increases with time as the bubbles grow and expand. It is used to calculate the depth and time dependence of the density, pressure and seismic velocity. The effect of different viscosities associated with different magma types and concentration of water in the melt on the rate of bubble growth is explored. Crystal growth, which increases the concentration of water in the melt, affects the amount of gas that can be exsolved.

Vibration paradox in orthodontics: Anabolic and catabolic effects

PubMed Central

Alikhani, Mani; Alansari, Sarah; Hamidaddin, Mohammad A.; Sangsuwon, Chinapa; Alyami, Bandar; Thirumoorthy, Soumya N.; Oliveira, Serafim M.; Nervina, Jeanne M.

2018-01-01

Vibration in the form of High Frequency Acceleration (HFA) is anabolic on the craniofacial skeleton in the absence of inflammation. Orthodontic forces trigger an inflammation-dependent catabolic cascade that is crucial for tooth movement. It is unknown what effect HFA has on alveolar bone if applied during orthodontic treatment. The objectives of this study are to examine the effect of HFA on the rate of tooth movement and alveolar bone, and determine the mechanism by which HFA affects tooth movement. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided to control, orthodontic force alone (OTM), and different experimental groups that received the same orthodontic forces and different HFA regimens. Orthodontic tooth movement was assessed when HFA parameters, frequency, acceleration, duration of exposure, and direct or indirect application were varied. We found that HFA treatment significantly enhanced the inflammation-dependent catabolic cascade during orthodontic tooth movement. HFA treatment increased inflammatory mediators and osteoclastogenesis, and decreased alveolar bone density during orthodontic tooth movement. Each of the HFA variables produced significant changes in the rate of tooth movement and the effect was PDL-dependent. This is the first report that HFA enhances inflammation-dependent catabolic cascades in bone. The clinical implications of our study are highly significant, as HFA can be utilized to enhance the rate of orthodontic tooth movement during the catabolic phase of treatment and subsequently be utilized to enhance retention during the anabolic remodeling phase after orthodontic forces are removed. PMID:29734391

Plasma opening switch

DOEpatents

Savage, Mark E.; Mendel, Jr., Clifford W.

2001-01-01

A command triggered plasma opening switch assembly using an amplification stage. The assembly surrounds a coaxial transmission line and has a main plasma opening switch (POS) close to the load and a trigger POS upstream from the main POS. The trigger POS establishes two different current pathways through the assembly depended on whether it has received a trigger current pulse. The initial pathway has both POS's with plasma between their anodes and cathodes to form a short across the transmission line and isolating the load. The final current pathway is formed when the trigger POS receives a trigger current pulse which energizes its fast coil to push the conductive plasma out from between its anode and cathode, allowing the main transmission line current to pass to the fast coil of the main POS, thus pushing its plasma out the way so as to establish a direct current pathway to the load.

Dual-stage periodic event-triggered output-feedback control for linear systems.

PubMed

Ruan, Zhen; Chen, Wu-Hua; Lu, Xiaomei

2018-05-01

This paper proposes an event-triggered control framework, called dual-stage periodic event-triggered control (DSPETC), which unifies periodic event-triggered control (PETC) and switching event-triggered control (SETC). Specifically, two period parameters h 1 and h 2 are introduced to characterize the new event-triggering rule, where h 1 denotes the sampling period, while h 2 denotes the monitoring period. By choosing some specified values of h 2 , the proposed control scheme can reduce to PETC or SETC scheme. In the DSPETC framework, the controlled system is represented as a switched system model and its stability is analyzed via a switching-time-dependent Lyapunov functional. Both the cases with/without network-induced delays are investigated. Simulation and experimental results show that the DSPETC scheme is superior to the PETC scheme and the SETC scheme. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laser-based ion sources for medical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bychenkov, V. Yu.; Brantov, A. V.

2015-10-01

Interaction of relativistic short laser pulses with thin foils is studied by using 3D PIC simulations in the context of ICAN's "dream laser". It is shown that such a laser will make it possible to accelerate protons and deuterons to multi-MeV energies with a current density of 100 A/cm2. The laser-triggered hadron beams may trigger nuclear reactions of interest for nuclear medicine and pharmacy. As an example, the yields C-11 for PET, of Tc-99m for SPECT, and neutrons for therapy have been analyzed.

Near-side azimuthal and pseudorapidity correlations using neutral strange baryons and mesons in d +Au , Cu + Cu, and Au + Au collisions at √{sN N}=200 GeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abelev, B.; Adamczyk, L.; Adkins, J. K.; Agakishiev, G.; Aggarwal, M. M.; Ahammed, Z.; Alekseev, I.; Aparin, A.; Arkhipkin, D.; Aschenauer, E. C.; Ashraf, M. U.; Attri, A.; Averichev, G. S.; Bai, X.; Bairathi, V.; Barnby, L. S.; Bellwied, R.; Bhasin, A.; Bhati, A. K.; Bhattarai, P.; Bielcik, J.; Bielcikova, J.; Bland, L. C.; Bombara, M.; Bordyuzhin, I. G.; Bouchet, J.; Brandenburg, J. D.; Brandin, A. V.; Bunzarov, I.; Butterworth, J.; Caines, H.; Calderón de la Barca Sánchez, M.; Campbell, J. M.; Cebra, D.; Chakaberia, I.; Chaloupka, P.; Chang, Z.; Chatterjee, A.; Chattopadhyay, S.; Chen, J. H.; Chen, X.; Cheng, J.; Cherney, M.; Christie, W.; Contin, G.; Crawford, H. J.; Das, S.; De Silva, L. C.; Debbe, R. R.; Dedovich, T. G.; Deng, J.; Derevschikov, A. A.; di Ruzza, B.; Didenko, L.; Dilks, C.; Dong, X.; Drachenberg, J. L.; Draper, J. E.; Du, C. M.; Dunkelberger, L. E.; Dunlop, J. C.; Efimov, L. G.; Engelage, J.; Eppley, G.; Esha, R.; Evdokimov, O.; Eyser, O.; Fatemi, R.; Fazio, S.; Federic, P.; Fedorisin, J.; Feng, Z.; Filip, P.; Fisyak, Y.; Flores, C. E.; Fulek, L.; Gagliardi, C. A.; Gaillard, L.; Garand, D.; Geurts, F.; Gibson, A.; Girard, M.; Greiner, L.; Grosnick, D.; Gunarathne, D. S.; Guo, Y.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, S.; Guryn, W.; Hamad, A. I.; Hamed, A.; Haque, R.; Harris, J. W.; He, L.; Heppelmann, S.; Heppelmann, S.; Hirsch, A.; Hoffmann, G. W.; Horvat, S.; Huang, T.; Huang, B.; Huang, X.; Huang, H. Z.; Huck, P.; Humanic, T. J.; Igo, G.; Jacobs, W. W.; Jang, H.; Jentsch, A.; Jia, J.; Jiang, K.; Jones, P. G.; Judd, E. G.; Kabana, S.; Kalinkin, D.; Kang, K.; Kauder, K.; Ke, H. W.; Keane, D.; Kechechyan, A.; Khan, Z. H.; Kikoła, D. P.; Kisel, I.; Kisiel, A.; Kochenda, L.; Koetke, D. D.; Kosarzewski, L. K.; Kraishan, A. F.; Kravtsov, P.; Krueger, K.; Kumar, L.; Lamont, M. A. C.; Landgraf, J. M.; Landry, K. D.; Lauret, J.; Lebedev, A.; Lednicky, R.; Lee, J. H.; Li, C.; Li, Y.; Li, W.; Li, X.; Li, X.; Lin, T.; Lisa, M. A.; Liu, F.; Ljubicic, T.; Llope, W. J.; Lomnitz, M.; Longacre, R. S.; Luo, S.; Luo, X.; Ma, L.; Ma, R.; Ma, G. L.; Ma, Y. G.; Magdy, N.; Majka, R.; Manion, A.; Margetis, S.; Markert, C.; Matis, H. S.; McDonald, D.; McKinzie, S.; Meehan, K.; Mei, J. C.; Miller, Z. W.; Minaev, N. G.; Mioduszewski, S.; Mishra, D.; Mohanty, B.; Mondal, M. M.; Morozov, D. A.; Mustafa, M. K.; Nandi, B. K.; Nattrass, C.; Nasim, Md.; Nayak, T. K.; Nigmatkulov, G.; Niida, T.; Nogach, L. V.; Noh, S. Y.; Novak, J.; Nurushev, S. B.; Odyniec, G.; Ogawa, A.; Oh, K.; Okorokov, V. A.; Olvitt, D.; Page, B. S.; Pak, R.; Pan, Y. X.; Pandit, Y.; Panebratsev, Y.; Pawlik, B.; Pei, H.; Perkins, C.; Pile, P.; Pluta, J.; Poniatowska, K.; Porter, J.; Posik, M.; Poskanzer, A. M.; Pruthi, N. K.; Putschke, J.; Qiu, H.; Quintero, A.; Ramachandran, S.; Ray, R. L.; Ritter, H. G.; Roberts, J. B.; Rogachevskiy, O. V.; Romero, J. L.; Ruan, L.; Rusnak, J.; Rusnakova, O.; Sahoo, N. R.; Sahu, P. K.; Sakrejda, I.; Salur, S.; Sandweiss, J.; Sarkar, A.; Schambach, J.; Scharenberg, R. P.; Schmah, A. M.; Schmidke, W. B.; Schmitz, N.; Seger, J.; Seyboth, P.; Shah, N.; Shahaliev, E.; Shanmuganathan, P. V.; Shao, M.; Sharma, B.; Sharma, A.; Sharma, M. K.; Shen, W. Q.; Shi, Z.; Shi, S. S.; Shou, Q. Y.; Sichtermann, E. P.; Sikora, R.; Simko, M.; Singha, S.; Skoby, M. J.; Smirnov, N.; Smirnov, D.; Solyst, W.; Song, L.; Sorensen, P.; Spinka, H. M.; Srivastava, B.; Stanislaus, T. D. S.; Stepanov, M.; Stock, R.; Strikhanov, M.; Stringfellow, B.; Sumbera, M.; Summa, B.; Sun, Y.; Sun, Z.; Sun, X. M.; Surrow, B.; Svirida, D. N.; Tang, Z.; Tang, A. H.; Tarnowsky, T.; Tawfik, A.; Thäder, J.; Thomas, J. H.; Timmins, A. R.; Tlusty, D.; Todoroki, T.; Tokarev, M.; Trentalange, S.; Tribble, R. E.; Tribedy, P.; Tripathy, S. K.; Tsai, O. D.; Ullrich, T.; Underwood, D. G.; Upsal, I.; Van Buren, G.; van Nieuwenhuizen, G.; Vandenbroucke, M.; Varma, R.; Vasiliev, A. N.; Vertesi, R.; Videbæk, F.; Vokal, S.; Voloshin, S. A.; Vossen, A.; Wang, H.; Wang, Y.; Wang, G.; Wang, Y.; Wang, J. S.; Wang, F.; Webb, G.; Webb, J. C.; Wen, L.; Westfall, G. D.; Wieman, H.; Wissink, S. W.; Witt, R.; Wu, Y.; Xiao, Z. G.; Xie, W.; Xie, G.; Xin, K.; Xu, Y. F.; Xu, Q. H.; Xu, N.; Xu, J.; Xu, H.; Xu, Z.; Yang, Y.; Yang, Q.; Yang, S.; Yang, Y.; Yang, Y.; Yang, C.; Ye, Z.; Ye, Z.; Yi, L.; Yip, K.; Yoo, I.-K.; Yu, N.; Zbroszczyk, H.; Zha, W.; Zhang, S.; Zhang, X. P.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, S.; Zhang, J. B.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, J.; Zhong, C.; Zhou, L.; Zhu, X.; Zoulkarneeva, Y.; Zyzak, M.; STAR Collaboration

2016-07-01

We present measurements of the near side of triggered di-hadron correlations using neutral strange baryons (Λ ,Λ ¯) and mesons (KS0) at intermediate transverse momentum (3 < pT <6 GeV /c ) to look for possible flavor and baryon-meson dependence. This study is performed in d +Au , Cu+Cu, and Au+Au collisions at √{sN N}=200 GeV measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The near-side di-hadron correlation contains two structures, a peak which is narrow in azimuth and pseudorapidity consistent with correlations from jet fragmentation, and a correlation in azimuth which is broad in pseudorapidity. The particle composition of the jet-like correlation is determined using identified associated particles. The dependence of the conditional yield of the jet-like correlation on the trigger particle momentum, associated particle momentum, and centrality for correlations with unidentified trigger particles are presented. The neutral strange particle composition in jet-like correlations with unidentified charged particle triggers is not well described by PYTHIA. However, the yield of unidentified particles in jet-like correlations with neutral strange particle triggers is described reasonably well by the same model.

Near-side azimuthal and pseudorapidity correlations using neutral strange baryons and mesons in d + Au , Cu + Cu, and Au + Au collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abelev, B.; Adamczyk, L.; Adkins, J. K.

Here we present measurements of the near side of triggered di-hadron correlations using neutral strange baryons (more » $$Λ,\\overline{Λ}$$) and mesons (K$$0\\atop{S}$$ ) at intermediate transverse momentum (3 < pT< 6 GeV/c) to look for possible flavor and baryon-meson dependence. This study is performed in d+Au, Cu+Cu, and Au+Au collisions at $$\\sqrt{s}$$$_{NN}$$ = 200 GeV measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The near-side di-hadron correlation contains two structures, a peak which is narrow in azimuth and pseudorapidity consistent with correlations from jet fragmentation, and a correlation in azimuth which is broad in pseudorapidity. The particle composition of the jet-like correlation is determined using identified associated particles. The dependence of the conditional yield of the jet-like correlation on the trigger particle momentum, associated particle momentum, and centrality for correlations with unidentified trigger particles are presented. The neutral strange particle composition in jet-like correlations with unidentified charged particle triggers is not well described by PYTHIA. However, the yield of unidentified particles in jet-like correlations with neutral strange particle triggers is described reasonably well by the same model.« less

Near-side azimuthal and pseudorapidity correlations using neutral strange baryons and mesons in d + Au , Cu + Cu, and Au + Au collisions at s N N = 200 GeV

DOE PAGES

Abelev, B.; Adamczyk, L.; Adkins, J. K.; ...

2016-07-28

Here we present measurements of the near side of triggered di-hadron correlations using neutral strange baryons (more » $$Λ,\\overline{Λ}$$) and mesons (K$$0\\atop{S}$$ ) at intermediate transverse momentum (3 < pT< 6 GeV/c) to look for possible flavor and baryon-meson dependence. This study is performed in d+Au, Cu+Cu, and Au+Au collisions at $$\\sqrt{s}$$$_{NN}$$ = 200 GeV measured by the STAR experiment at RHIC. The near-side di-hadron correlation contains two structures, a peak which is narrow in azimuth and pseudorapidity consistent with correlations from jet fragmentation, and a correlation in azimuth which is broad in pseudorapidity. The particle composition of the jet-like correlation is determined using identified associated particles. The dependence of the conditional yield of the jet-like correlation on the trigger particle momentum, associated particle momentum, and centrality for correlations with unidentified trigger particles are presented. The neutral strange particle composition in jet-like correlations with unidentified charged particle triggers is not well described by PYTHIA. However, the yield of unidentified particles in jet-like correlations with neutral strange particle triggers is described reasonably well by the same model.« less

Memory Reconsolidation and Extinction in the Crab: Mutual Exclusion or Coexistence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Cuesta, Luis Maria; Maldonado, Hector

2009-01-01

A conditioned stimulus (CS) exposure has the ability to induce two qualitatively different mnesic processes: memory reconsolidation and memory extinction. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that upon a single CS presentation the triggering of one or the other process depends on CS duration (short CS exposure triggers reconsolidation,…

Selenium suppresses leukemia through the action of endogenous eicosanoids

PubMed Central

Gandhi, Ujjawal H.; Kaushal, Naveen; Hegde, Shailaja; Finch, Emily R.; Kudva, Avinash K.; Kennett, Mary J.; Jordan, Craig T.; Paulson, Robert F.; Prabhu, K. Sandeep

2014-01-01

Eradicating cancer stem-like cells (CSC) may be essential to fully eradicate cancer. Metabolic changes in CSC could hold a key to their targeting. Here we report that the dietary micronutrient selenium can trigger apoptosis of CSC derived from chronic or acute myelogenous leukemias when administered at supraphysiological but non-toxic doses. In leukemia CSC, selenium treatment activated ATM-p53-dependent apoptosis accompanied by increased intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species. Importantly, the same treatment did not trigger apoptosis in hematopoietic stem cells. Serial transplantation studies with BCR-ABL-expressing CSC revealed that the selenium status in mice was a key determinant of CSC survival. Selenium action relied upon the endogenous production of the cyclooxygenase-derived prostaglandins Δ12-PGJ2 and 15d-PGJ2. Accordingly, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and NADPH oxidase inhibitors abrogated the ability of selenium to trigger apoptosis in leukemia CSC. Our results reveal how selenium-dependent modulation of arachidonic acid metabolism can be directed to trigger apoptosis of primary human and murine CSC in leukemia. PMID:24872387

The density dilemma: limitations on juvenile production in threatened salmon populations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walters, Annika W.; Copeland, Timothy; Venditti, David A.

2013-01-01

Density-dependent processes have repeatedly been shown to have a central role in salmonid population dynamics, but are often assumed to be negligible for populations at low abundances relative to historical records. Density dependence has been observed in overall spring/summer Snake River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha production, but it is not clear how patterns observed at the aggregate level relate to individual populations within the basin. We used a Bayesian hierarchical modelling approach to explore the degree of density dependence in juvenile production for nine Idaho populations. Our results indicate that density dependence is ubiquitous, although its strength varies between populations. We also investigated the processes driving the population-level pattern and found density-dependent growth and mortality present for both common life-history strategies, but no evidence of density-dependent movement. Overwinter mortality, spatial clustering of redds and limited resource availability were identified as potentially important limiting factors contributing to density dependence. The ubiquity of density dependence for these threatened populations is alarming as stability at present low abundance levels suggests recovery may be difficult without major changes. We conclude that density dependence at the population level is common and must be considered in demographic analysis and management.

Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of the Wiggle Instability in Spiral Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Minoru; Wada, Keiichi; Machida, Mami; Matsumoto, Ryoji; Miyaji, Shigeki

2005-09-01

We studied the stability of galactic spiral shocks through two dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Recently, Wada & Koda (2003) showed, using global hydrodynamic simulations, that galactic gas flows behind a spiral shock becomes unstable against a perturbation parallel to the shock front and form spur-like density structures. They attributed the origin of this wiggle instability to the Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability triggered by the acceleration of the gas behind the shock. We carried out global simulations including galactic magnetic fields. The initial magnetic field is assumed to be either uniform or purely toroidal. We found that although the magnetic field reduces the growth rate of the K-H instability, wiggle instability develops even in galaxies with μG magnetic fields. We also present the results of local simulations to demonstrate the dependence of the growth rate of the instability with the wavelength. The interval of spurs is determined by the most unstable wavelength of the wiggle instability.

The Influence of Individual Driver Characteristics on Congestion Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lanjun; Zhang, Hao; Meng, Huadong; Wang, Xiqin

Previous works have pointed out that one of the reasons for the formation of traffic congestion is instability in traffic flow. In this study, we investigate theoretically how the characteristics of individual drivers influence the instability of traffic flow. The discussions are based on the optimal velocity model, which has three parameters related to individual driver characteristics. We specify the mappings between the model parameters and driver characteristics in this study. With linear stability analysis, we obtain a condition for when instability occurs and a constraint about how the model parameters influence the unstable traffic flow. Meanwhile, we also determine how the region of unstable flow densities depends on these parameters. Additionally, the Langevin approach theoretically validates that under the constraint, the macroscopic characteristics of the unstable traffic flow becomes a mixture of free flows and congestions. All of these results imply that both overly aggressive and overly conservative drivers are capable of triggering traffic congestion.

Differential diffusion effects on buoyancy-driven instabilities of acid-base fronts: the case of a color indicator.

PubMed

Kuster, S; Riolfo, L A; Zalts, A; El Hasi, C; Almarcha, C; Trevelyan, P M J; De Wit, A; D'Onofrio, A

2011-10-14

Buoyancy-driven hydrodynamic instabilities of acid-base fronts are studied both experimentally and theoretically in the case where an aqueous solution of a strong acid is put above a denser aqueous solution of a color indicator in the gravity field. The neutralization reaction between the acid and the color indicator as well as their differential diffusion modifies the initially stable density profile in the system and can trigger convective motions both above and below the initial contact line. The type of patterns observed as well as their wavelength and the speed of the reaction front are shown to depend on the value of the initial concentrations of the acid and of the color indicator and on their ratio. A reaction-diffusion model based on charge balances and ion pair mobility explains how the instability scenarios change when the concentration of the reactants are varied.

Dynamical current-induced ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guimarães, F. S. M.; Lounis, S.; Costa, A. T.; Muniz, R. B.

2015-12-01

We demonstrate that ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic excitations can be triggered by the dynamical spin accumulations induced by the bulk and surface contributions of the spin Hall effect. Due to the spin-orbit interaction, a time-dependent spin density is generated by an oscillatory electric field applied parallel to the atomic planes of Fe/W(110) multilayers. For symmetric trilayers of Fe/W/Fe in which the Fe layers are ferromagnetically coupled, we demonstrate that only the collective out-of-phase precession mode is excited, while the uniform (in-phase) mode remains silent. When they are antiferromagnetically coupled, the oscillatory electric field sets the Fe magnetizations into elliptical precession motions with opposite angular velocities. The manipulation of different collective spin-wave dynamical modes through the engineering of the multilayers and their thicknesses may be used to develop ultrafast spintronics devices. Our work provides a general framework that probes the realistic responses of materials in the time or frequency domain.

Group 1 mGluR-dependent synaptic long-term depression: mechanisms and implications for circuitry and disease.

PubMed

Lüscher, Christian; Huber, Kimberly M

2010-02-25

Many excitatory synapses express Group 1, or Gq coupled, metabotropic glutamate receptors (Gp1 mGluRs) at the periphery of their postsynaptic density. Activation of Gp1 mGluRs typically occurs in response to strong activity and triggers long-term plasticity of synaptic transmission in many brain regions, including the neocortex, hippocampus, midbrain, striatum, and cerebellum. Here we focus on mGluR-induced long-term synaptic depression (LTD) and review the literature that implicates Gp1 mGluRs in the plasticity of behavior, learning, and memory. Moreover, recent studies investigating the molecular mechanisms of mGluR-LTD have discovered links to mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and drug addiction. We discuss how mGluRs lead to plasticity of neural circuits and how the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of mGluR plasticity provides insight into brain disease.

Sliding mode control of outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.

PubMed

Xiao, Yanni; Xu, Xiaxia; Tang, Sanyi

2012-10-01

This paper proposes and analyzes a mathematical model of an infectious disease system with a piecewise control function concerning threshold policy for disease management strategy. The proposed models extend the classic models by including a piecewise incidence rate to represent control or precautionary measures being triggered once the number of infected individuals exceeds a threshold level. The long-term behaviour of the proposed non-smooth system under this strategy consists of the so-called sliding motion-a very rapid switching between application and interruption of the control action. Model solutions ultimately approach either one of two endemic states for two structures or the sliding equilibrium on the switching surface, depending on the threshold level. Our findings suggest that proper combinations of threshold densities and control intensities based on threshold policy can either preclude outbreaks or lead the number of infected to a previously chosen level.

Exploring the complex free-energy landscape of the simplest glass by rheology.

PubMed

Jin, Yuliang; Yoshino, Hajime

2017-04-11

For amorphous solids, it has been intensely debated whether the traditional view on solids, in terms of the ground state and harmonic low energy excitations on top of it, such as phonons, is still valid. Recent theoretical developments of amorphous solids revealed the possibility of unexpectedly complex free-energy landscapes where the simple harmonic picture breaks down. Here we demonstrate that standard rheological techniques can be used as powerful tools to examine nontrivial consequences of such complex free-energy landscapes. By extensive numerical simulations on a hard sphere glass under quasistatic shear at finite temperatures, we show that above the so-called Gardner transition density, the elasticity breaks down, the stress relaxation exhibits slow, and ageing dynamics and the apparent shear modulus becomes protocol-dependent. Being designed to be reproducible in laboratories, our approach may trigger explorations of the complex free-energy landscapes of a large variety of amorphous materials.

Exploring the complex free-energy landscape of the simplest glass by rheology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yuliang; Yoshino, Hajime

2017-04-01

For amorphous solids, it has been intensely debated whether the traditional view on solids, in terms of the ground state and harmonic low energy excitations on top of it, such as phonons, is still valid. Recent theoretical developments of amorphous solids revealed the possibility of unexpectedly complex free-energy landscapes where the simple harmonic picture breaks down. Here we demonstrate that standard rheological techniques can be used as powerful tools to examine nontrivial consequences of such complex free-energy landscapes. By extensive numerical simulations on a hard sphere glass under quasistatic shear at finite temperatures, we show that above the so-called Gardner transition density, the elasticity breaks down, the stress relaxation exhibits slow, and ageing dynamics and the apparent shear modulus becomes protocol-dependent. Being designed to be reproducible in laboratories, our approach may trigger explorations of the complex free-energy landscapes of a large variety of amorphous materials.

Environmental influences on the seasonal distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the Pacific Northwest of the USA.

PubMed

Paranjpye, Rohinee N; Nilsson, William B; Liermann, Martin; Hilborn, Elizabeth D; George, Barbara J; Li, Quanlin; Bill, Brian D; Trainer, Vera L; Strom, Mark S; Sandifer, Paul A

2015-12-01

Populations of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the environment can be influenced by numerous factors. We assessed the correlation of total (tl+) and potentially virulent (tdh+) V. parahaemolyticus in water with three harmful algal bloom (HAB) genera (Pseudo-nitzschia, Alexandrium and Dinophysis), the abundance of diatoms and dinoflagellates, chlorophyll-a and temperature, salinity and macronutrients at five sites in Washington State from 2008-2009. The variability in V. parahaemolyticus density was explained predominantly by strong seasonal trends where maximum densities occurred in June, 2 months prior to the highest seasonal water temperature. In spite of large geographic differences in temperature, salinity and nutrients, there was little evidence of corresponding differences in V. parahaemolyticus density. In addition, there was no evident relationship between V. parahaemolyticus and indices of HAB genera, perhaps due to a lack of significant HAB events during the sampling period. The only nutrient significantly associated with V. parahaemolyticus density after accounting for the seasonal trend was silicate. This negative relationship may be caused by a shift in cell wall structure for some diatom species to a chitinous substrate preferred by V. parahaemolyticus. Results from our study differ from those in other regions corroborating previous findings that environmental factors that trigger vibrio and HAB events may differ depending on geographic locations. Therefore caution should be used when applying results from one region to another. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS 2015. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Experimental Examination of Intraspecific Density-Dependent Competition during the Breeding Period in Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

PubMed Central

Flockhart, D. T. Tyler; Martin, Tara G.; Norris, D. Ryan

2012-01-01

A central goal of population ecology is to identify the factors that regulate population growth. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in eastern North America re-colonize the breeding range over several generations that result in population densities that vary across space and time during the breeding season. We used laboratory experiments to measure the strength of density-dependent intraspecific competition on egg laying rate and larval survival and then applied our results to density estimates of wild monarch populations to model the strength of density dependence during the breeding season. Egg laying rates did not change with density but larvae at high densities were smaller, had lower survival, and weighed less as adults compared to lower densities. Using mean larval densities from field surveys resulted in conservative estimates of density-dependent population reduction that varied between breeding regions and different phases of the breeding season. Our results suggest the highest levels of population reduction due to density-dependent intraspecific competition occur early in the breeding season in the southern portion of the breeding range. However, we also found that the strength of density dependence could be almost five times higher depending on how many life-stages were used as part of field estimates. Our study is the first to link experimental results of a density-dependent reduction in vital rates to observed monarch densities in the wild and show that the effects of density dependent competition in monarchs varies across space and time, providing valuable information for developing robust, year-round population models in this migratory organism. PMID:22984614

Gamma-vinyl GABA inhibits cocaine-triggered reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in rats by a non-dopaminergic mechanism

PubMed Central

Peng, Xiao-Qing; Li, Xia; Gilbert, Jeremy G.; Pak, Arlene C.; Ashby, Charles R.; Brodie, Jonathan D.; Dewey, Stephen L.; Gardner, Eliot L.; Xi, Zheng-Xiong

2008-01-01

Relapse to drug use is a core feature of addiction. Previous studies demonstrate that γ-vinyl GABA (GVG), an irreversible GABA transaminase inhibitor, attenuates the acute rewarding effects of cocaine and other addictive drugs. We here report that systemic administration of GVG (25–300 mg/kg) dose-dependently inhibits cocaine- or sucrose-induced reinstatement of reward-seeking behavior in rats. In vivo microdialysis data indicated that the same doses of GVG dose-dependently elevate extracellular GABA levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, GVG, when administered systemically or locally into the NAc, failed to inhibit either basal or cocaine-priming enhanced NAc dopamine in either naïve rats or cocaine extinction rats. These data suggest that: (1) GVG significantly inhibits cocaine- or sucrose-triggered reinstatement of reward-seeking behavior; and (2) a GABAergic-, but not dopaminergic-, dependent mechanism may underlie the antagonism by GVG of cocaine-triggered reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior, at least with respect to GVG's action on the NAc. PMID:18063319

Interpretation of earthquake-induced landslides triggered by the 12 May 2008, M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in the Beichuan area, Sichuan Province, China using satellite imagery and Google Earth

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sato, H.P.; Harp, E.L.

2009-01-01

The 12 May 2008 M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake in the People's Republic of China represented a unique opportunity for the international community to use commonly available GIS (Geographic Information System) tools, like Google Earth (GE), to rapidly evaluate and assess landslide hazards triggered by the destructive earthquake and its aftershocks. In order to map earthquake-triggered landslides, we provide details on the applicability and limitations of publicly available 3-day-post- and pre-earthquake imagery provided by GE from the FORMOSAT-2 (formerly ROCSAT-2; Republic of China Satellite 2). We interpreted landslides on the 8-m-resolution FORMOSAT-2 image by GE; as a result, 257 large landslides were mapped with the highest concentration along the Beichuan fault. An estimated density of 0.3 landslides/km2 represents a minimum bound on density given the resolution of available imagery; higher resolution data would have identified more landslides. This is a preliminary study, and further study is needed to understand the landslide characteristics in detail. Although it is best to obtain landslide locations and measurements from satellite imagery having high resolution, it was found that GE is an effective and rapid reconnaissance tool. ?? 2009 Springer-Verlag.

Density dependence in demography and dispersal generates fluctuating invasion speeds

PubMed Central

Li, Bingtuan; Miller, Tom E. X.

2017-01-01

Density dependence plays an important role in population regulation and is known to generate temporal fluctuations in population density. However, the ways in which density dependence affects spatial population processes, such as species invasions, are less understood. Although classical ecological theory suggests that invasions should advance at a constant speed, empirical work is illuminating the highly variable nature of biological invasions, which often exhibit nonconstant spreading speeds, even in simple, controlled settings. Here, we explore endogenous density dependence as a mechanism for inducing variability in biological invasions with a set of population models that incorporate density dependence in demographic and dispersal parameters. We show that density dependence in demography at low population densities—i.e., an Allee effect—combined with spatiotemporal variability in population density behind the invasion front can produce fluctuations in spreading speed. The density fluctuations behind the front can arise from either overcompensatory population growth or density-dependent dispersal, both of which are common in nature. Our results show that simple rules can generate complex spread dynamics and highlight a source of variability in biological invasions that may aid in ecological forecasting. PMID:28442569

β1-Adrenoceptor in the Central Amygdala Is Required for Unconditioned Stimulus-Induced Drug Memory Reconsolidation

PubMed Central

Zhu, Huiwen; Zhou, Yiming; Liu, Zhiyuan; Chen, Xi; Li, Yanqing; Liu, Xing; Ma, Lan

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Drug memories become labile and reconsolidated after retrieval by presentation of environmental cues (conditioned stimulus) or drugs (unconditioned stimulus). Whether conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus retrieval trigger different memory reconsolidation processes is not clear. Methods Protein synthesis inhibitor or β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) antagonist was systemically administrated or intra-central amygdala infused immediately after cocaine reexposure in cocaine-conditioned place preference or self-administration mice models. β-ARs were selectively knocked out in the central amygdala to further confirm the role of β-adrenergic receptor in cocaine reexposure-induced memory reconsolidation of cocaine-conditioned place preference. Results Cocaine reexposure triggered de novo protein synthesis dependent memory reconsolidation of cocaine-conditioned place preference. Cocaine-priming-induced reinstatement was also impaired with post cocaine retrieval manipulation, in contrast to the relapse behavior with post context retrieval manipulation. Cocaine retrieval, but not context retrieval, induced central amygdala activation. Protein synthesis inhibitor or β1-adrenergic receptor antagonist infused in the central amygdala after cocaine retrieval, but not context retrieval, inhibited memory reconsolidation and reinstatement. β1-adrenergic receptor knockout in the central amygdala suppressed cocaine retrieval-triggered memory reconsolidation and reinstatement of cocaine conditioned place preference. β1-adrenergic receptor antagonism after cocaine retrieval also impaired reconsolidation and reinstatement of cocaine self-administration. Conclusions Cocaine reward memory triggered by unconditioned stimulus retrieval is distinct from conditioned stimulus retrieval. Unconditioned stimulus retrieval induced reconsolidation of cocaine reward memory depends on β1-adrenergic signaling in the central amygdala. Post unconditioned stimulus retrieval manipulation can prevent drug memory reconsolidation and relapse to cocaine, thus providing a potential strategy for the prevention of substance addiction. Significance Statement It is well known that drug memories become labile and reconsolidated upon retrieval by the presentation of conditioned stimulus (CS) or unconditioned stimulus (US). Whether CS and US retrieval trigger different memory reconsolidation processes is unknown. In this study, we found that US retrieval, but not CS retrieval, triggered memory reconsolidation of cocaine-conditioned place preference dependent on β1-AR and de novo protein synthesis in the central amygdala. Furthermore, cocaine priming-induced reinstatement was impaired with post US retrieval manipulation in contrast to the relapse behavior with post CS retrieval manipulation. In cocaine self-administration, β1-AR antagonism after US retrieval also impaired reconsolidation and reinstatement. Our study indicates that reconsolidation of cocaine reward memory triggered by US retrieval is distinct from CS retrieval. US retrieval induced reconsolidation of cocaine reward memory depends on β1-adrenergic signaling in the central amygdala. PMID:29216351

Experimental Results from a Laser-Triggered, Gas-Insulated, Spark-Gap Switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camacho, J. F.; Ruden, E. L.; Domonkos, M. T.

2017-10-01

We are performing experiments on a laser-triggered spark-gap switch with the goal of studying the transition from photoionization to current conduction. The discharge of current through the switch is triggered by a focused 532-nm wavelength beam from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a pulse duration of about 10 ns. The trigger pulse is delivered along the longitudinal axis of the switch, and the focal spot can be placed anywhere along the axis of the 5-mm, gas-insulated gap between the switch electrodes. The switch test bed is designed to support a variety of working gases (e.g., Ar, N2) over a range of pressures. Electrical and optical diagnostics are used to measure switch performance as a function of parameters such as charge voltage, trigger pulse energy, insulating gas pressure, and gas species. A Mach-Zehnder imaging interferometer system operating at 532 nm is being used to obtain interferograms of the discharge plasma in the switch. We are also developing a 1064-nm interferometry diagnostic in an attempt to measure plasma free electron and neutral gas density profiles simultaneously within the switch gap. Results from our most recent experiments will be presented.

Development of Active Control Method for Supercooling Releasing of Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mito, Daisuke; Kozawa, Yoshiyuki; Tanino, Masayuki; Inada, Takaaki

We have tested the prototype ice-slurry generator that enables both production of supercooled water (-2°C) and releasing of its supercooling simultaneously and continuously in a closed piping system. In the experiment, we adopted the irradiation of ultrasonic wave as an active control method of triggering for supercooling releasing, and evaluated the reliability for a practical use compared with the seed ice-crystal trigger. As the results, it has been confirmed that the ultrasonic wave trigger acts assuredly at the same level of degree of supercooling as that by using the seed ice-crystal Trigger. Moreover, it can be found that the ultrasonic wave trigger has the advantage of removing the growing ice-crystals on the pipe wall at the same time. Finally, we have specified the bombardment condition of ultrasonic wave enough to make continuously the ice-slurry in a closed system as the output surface power density > 31.4kW/m2 and the superficial bombardment time > 4.1sec. We have also demonstrated the continuous ice-slurry making for more than 6hours by using the refrigerator system with the practical scale of 88kW.

Immigration Rates during Population Density Reduction in a Coral Reef Fish

PubMed Central

Turgeon, Katrine; Kramer, Donald L.

2016-01-01

Although the importance of density-dependent dispersal has been recognized in theory, few empirical studies have examined how immigration changes over a wide range of densities. In a replicated experiment using a novel approach allowing within-site comparison, we examined changes in immigration rate following the gradual removal of territorial damselfish from a limited area within a much larger patch of continuous habitat. In all sites, immigration occurred at intermediate densities but did not occur before the start of removals and only rarely as density approached zero. In the combined data and in 5 of 7 sites, the number of immigrants was a hump-shaped function of density. This is the first experimental evidence for hump-shaped, density-dependent immigration. This pattern may be more widespread than previously recognized because studies over more limited density ranges have identified positive density dependence at low densities and negative density dependence at high densities. Positive density dependence at low density can arise from limits to the number of potential immigrants and from behavioral preferences for settling near conspecifics. Negative density dependence at high density can arise from competition for resources, especially high quality territories. The potential for non-linear effects of local density on immigration needs to be recognized for robust predictions of conservation reserve function, harvest impacts, pest control, and the dynamics of fragmented populations. PMID:27271081

α4βδ GABAA Receptors Reduce Dendritic Spine Density In CA1 Hippocampus And Impair Relearning Ability Of Adolescent Female Mice: Effects Of A GABA Agonist And A Stress Steroid

PubMed Central

Afroz, Sonia; Shen, Hui; Smith, Sheryl S.

2017-01-01

Synaptic pruning underlies the transition from an immature to an adult CNS through refinements of neuronal circuits. Our recent study indicates that pubertal synaptic pruning is triggered by the inhibition generated by extrasynaptic α4βδ GABAA receptors (GABARs) which are increased for 10 d on dendritic spines of CA1 pyramidal cells at the onset of puberty (PND 35–44) in the female mouse, suggesting α4βδ GABARs as a novel target for the regulation of adolescent synaptic pruning. In the present study we used a pharmacological approach to further examine the role of these receptors in altering spine density during puberty of female mice and the impact of these changes on spatial learning, assessed in adulthood. Two drugs were chronically administered during the pubertal period (PND 35–44): the GABA agonist gaboxadol (GBX, 0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), to enhance current gated by α4βδ GABARs and the neurosteroid/stress steroid THP (3α-OH-5β-pregnan-20-one, 10 mg/kg, i.p.) to decrease expression of α4βδ. Spine density was determined on PND 56 with Golgi staining. Spatial learning and relearning were assessed using the multiple object relocation task (MPORT) and an active place avoidance task (APA) on PND 56. Pubertal GBX decreased spine density post-pubertally by 70% (P<0.05), while decreasing α4βδ expression with THP increased spine density by two-fold (P<0.05), in both cases, with greatest effects on the mushroom spines. Adult relearning ability was compromised in both hippocampus-dependent tasks after pubertal administration of either drug. These findings suggest that an optimal spine density produced by α4βδ GABARs is necessary for optimal cognition in adults. PMID:28189613

Investigation of Potential Triggered Tremor in Latin America and the Caribbean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez-Huizar, H.; Velasco, A. A.; Peng, Z.

2012-12-01

Recent observations have shown that seismic waves generate transient stresses capable of triggering earthquakes and tectonic (or non-volcanic) tremor far away from the original earthquake source. However, the mechanisms behind remotely triggered seismicity still remain unclear. Triggered tremor signals can be particularly useful in investigating remote triggering processes, since in many cases, the tremor pulses are very clearly modulated by the passing surface waves. The temporal stress changes (magnitude and orientation) caused by seismic waves at the tremor source region can be calculated and correlated with tremor pulses, which allows for exploring the stresses involved in the triggering process. Some observations suggest that triggered and ambient tremor signals are generated under similar physical conditions; thus, investigating triggered tremor might also provide important clues on how and under what conditions ambient tremor signals generate. In this work we present some of the results and techniques we employ in the research of potential cases of triggered tectonic tremor in Latin America and the Caribbean. This investigation includes: (1) the triggered tremor detection, with the use of specific signal filters; (2) localization of the sources, using uncommon techniques like time reversal signals; (3) and the analysis of the stress conditions under which they are generated, by modeling the triggering waves related dynamic stress. Our results suggest that tremor can be dynamically triggered by both Love and Rayleigh waves and in broad variety of tectonic environments depending strongly on the dynamic stress amplitude and orientation. Investigating remotely triggered seismicity offers the opportunity to improve our knowledge about deformation mechanisms and the physics of rupture.

Reactive-transport modelling of gypsum dissolution in a coastal karst aquifer in Puglia, southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campana, Claudia; Fidelibus, Maria Dolores

2015-11-01

The gypsum coastal aquifer of Lesina Marina (Puglia, southern Italy) has been affected by sinkhole formation in recent decades. Previous studies based on geomorphologic and hydrogeological data ascribed the onset of collapse phenomena to the erosion of material that fills palaeo-cavities (suffosion sinkholes). The change in the hydrodynamic conditions of groundwater induced by the excavation of a canal within the evaporite formation nearly 100 years ago was identified as the major factor in triggering the erosion, while the contribution of gypsum dissolution was considered negligible. A combined reactive-transport/density-dependent flow model was applied to the gypsum aquifer to evaluate whether gypsum dissolution rate is a dominant or insignificant factor in recent sinkhole formation under current hydrodynamic conditions. The conceptual model was first defined with a set of assumptions based on field and laboratory data along a two-dimensional transect of the aquifer, and then a density-dependent, tide-influenced flow model was set up and solved using the numerical code SEAWAT. Finally, the resulting transient flow field was used by the reactive multicomponent transport model PHT3D to estimate the gypsum dissolution rate. The validation tests show that the model accurately represents the real system, and the multi-disciplinary approach provides consistent information about the causes and evolution time of dissolution processes. The modelled porosity development rate is too low to represent a significant contribution to the recent sinkhole formation in the Lesina Marina area, although it justifies cavity formation and cavity position over geological time.

Designing high speed diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veliz Carrillo, Gerardo; Martinez, Adam; Mula, Swathi; Prestridge, Kathy; Extreme Fluids Team Team

2017-11-01

Timing and firing for shock-driven flows is complex because of jitter in the shock tube mechanical drivers. Consequently, experiments require dynamic triggering of diagnostics from pressure transducers. We explain the design process and criteria for setting up re-shock experiments at the Los Alamos Vertical Shock Tube facility, and the requirements for particle image velocimetry and planar laser induced fluorescence measurements necessary for calculating Richtmeyer-Meshkov variable density turbulent statistics. Dynamic triggering of diagnostics allows for further investigation of the development of the Richtemeyer-Meshkov instability at both initial shock and re-shock. Thanks to the Los Alamos National Laboratory for funding our project.

Depletion of NADP(H) due to CD38 activation triggers endothelial dysfunction in the postischemic heart.

PubMed

Reyes, Levy A; Boslett, James; Varadharaj, Saradhadevi; De Pascali, Francesco; Hemann, Craig; Druhan, Lawrence J; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; El-Mahdy, Mohamed; Zweier, Jay L

2015-09-15

In the postischemic heart, coronary vasodilation is impaired due to loss of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) function. Although the eNOS cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is depleted, its repletion only partially restores eNOS-mediated coronary vasodilation, indicating that other critical factors trigger endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, studies were performed to characterize the unidentified factor(s) that trigger endothelial dysfunction in the postischemic heart. We observed that depletion of the eNOS substrate NADPH occurs in the postischemic heart with near total depletion from the endothelium, triggering impaired eNOS function and limiting BH4 rescue through NADPH-dependent salvage pathways. In isolated rat hearts subjected to 30 min of ischemia and reperfusion (I/R), depletion of the NADP(H) pool occurred and was most marked in the endothelium, with >85% depletion. Repletion of NADPH after I/R increased NOS-dependent coronary flow well above that with BH4 alone. With combined NADPH and BH4 repletion, full restoration of NOS-dependent coronary flow occurred. Profound endothelial NADPH depletion was identified to be due to marked activation of the NAD(P)ase-activity of CD38 and could be prevented by inhibition or specific knockdown of this protein. Depletion of the NADPH precursor, NADP(+), coincided with formation of 2'-phospho-ADP ribose, a CD38-derived signaling molecule. Inhibition of CD38 prevented NADP(H) depletion and preserved endothelium-dependent relaxation and NO generation with increased recovery of contractile function and decreased infarction in the postischemic heart. Thus, CD38 activation is an important cause of postischemic endothelial dysfunction and presents a novel therapeutic target for prevention of this dysfunction in unstable coronary syndromes.

Dural stimulation in rats causes BDNF-dependent priming to subthreshold stimuli including a migraine trigger

PubMed Central

Burgos-Vega, Carolina C.; Quigley, Lilyana D.; Avona, Amanda; Price, Theodore; Dussor, Gregory

2016-01-01

Migraine is one of the most common and most disabling disorders. Between attacks, migraine patients are otherwise normal but are sensitized to non-noxious events known as triggers. The purpose of these studies was to investigate whether a headache-like event causes sensitization, or priming, to subsequent subthreshold events. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was applied to the rat cranial dura mater which produced cutaneous facial and hindpaw allodynia that lasted 24 hours. At 72-hours, IL-6 treated rats developed allodynia in response to dural stimulation with either a pH 6.8 or pH 7.0 solution and to a systemic nitric oxide (NO) donor, a well-known migraine trigger. Vehicle-treated rats did not respond to either pH stimulus nor to the NO donor, demonstrating that IL-6 exposure primes rats to subthreshold stimuli. Inhibitors of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling given either systemically or intracisternally 24-hours after IL-6 eliminated responses to dural pH stimulation at 72 hours. Additionally, intracisternal administration of BDNF without prior dural stimulation produced allodynia and once resolved, animals were primed to dural pH 6.8/pH 7.0 and a systemic NO donor. Finally, hindpaw IL-6 produced paw allodynia but not priming to paw injection of pH 7.0 at 72 hours demonstrating differences in priming depending on location. These data indicate that afferent input from the meninges produces BDNF-dependent priming of the dural nociceptive system. This primed state mimics the interictal period of migraine where attacks can be triggered by normally non-noxious events and suggests that BDNF-dependent plasticity may contribute to migraine. PMID:27841839

Raft-dependent endocytic movement and intracellular cluster formation during T cell activation triggered by concanavalin A.

PubMed

Yabuuchi, Satomi; Endo, Satoshi; Baek, KeangOk; Hoshino, Kunihide; Tsujino, Yoshio; Vestergaard, Mun'delanji C; Takagi, Masahiro

2017-12-01

Certain food ingredients can stimulate the human immune system. A lectin, concanavalin A (ConA), from Canavalia ensiformis (jack bean) is one of the most well-known food-derived immunostimulants and mediates activation of cell-mediated immunity through T cell proliferation. Generally, T cell activation is known to be triggered by the interaction between T cells and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) via a juxtacrine (contact-dependent) signaling pathway. The mechanism has been well characterized and is referred to as formation of the immunological synapse (IS). We were interested in the mechanism behind the T cell activation by food-derived ConA which might be different from that of T cell activation by APCs. The purpose of this study was to characterize T cell activation by ConA with regard to (i) movement of raft domain, (ii) endocytic vesicular transport, (iii) the cytoskeleton (actin and microtubules), and (iv) cholesterol composition. We found that raft-dependent endocytic movement was important for T cell activation by ConA and this movement was dependent on actin, microtubules, and cholesterol. The T cell signaling mechanism triggered by ConA can be defined as endocrine signaling which is distinct from the activation process triggered by interaction between T cells and APCs by juxtacrine signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that T cell activation by ConA includes both two-dimensional superficial raft movement on the membrane surface along actin filaments and three-dimensional endocytic movement toward the inside of the cell along microtubules. These findings are important for developing new methods for immune stimulation and cancer therapy based on the function of ConA. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrospun core-shell microfiber separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Kai; Liu, Wei; Qiu, Yongcai

Although the energy densities of batteries continue to increase, safety problems (for example, fires and explosions) associated with the use of highly flammable liquid organic electrolytes remain a big issue, significantly hindering further practical applications of the next generation of high-energy batteries. We have fabricated a novel “smart” nonwoven electrospun separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries. The encapsulation of a flame retardant inside a protective polymer shell has prevented direct dissolution of the retardant agent into the electrolyte, which would otherwise have negative effects on battery performance. Furthermore, during thermal runaway of the lithium-ion battery, the protective polymermore » shell would melt, triggered by the increased temperature, and the flame retardant would be released, thus effectively suppressing the combustion of the highly flammable electrolytes.« less

Ray tracing study of rising tone EMIC-triggered emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanzelka, Miroslav; Santolík, Ondřej; Grison, Benjamin; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, Nicole

2017-04-01

ElectroMagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) triggered emissions have been subject of extensive theoretical and experimental research in last years. These emissions are characterized by high coherence values and a frequency range of 0.5 - 2.0 Hz, close to local helium gyrofrequency. We perform ray tracing case studies of rising tone EMIC-triggered emissions observed by the Cluster spacecraft in both nightside and dayside regions off the equatorial plane. By comparison of simulated and measured wave properties, namely wave vector orientation, group velocity, dispersion and ellipticity of polarization, we determine possible source locations. Diffusive equilibrium density model and other, semi-empirical models are used with ion composition inferred from cross-over frequencies. Ray tracing simulations are done in cold plasma approximation with inclusion of Landau and cyclotron damping. Various widths, locations and profiles of plasmapause are tested.

Electrospun core-shell microfiber separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries

DOE PAGES

Liu, Kai; Liu, Wei; Qiu, Yongcai; ...

2017-01-13

Although the energy densities of batteries continue to increase, safety problems (for example, fires and explosions) associated with the use of highly flammable liquid organic electrolytes remain a big issue, significantly hindering further practical applications of the next generation of high-energy batteries. We have fabricated a novel “smart” nonwoven electrospun separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries. The encapsulation of a flame retardant inside a protective polymer shell has prevented direct dissolution of the retardant agent into the electrolyte, which would otherwise have negative effects on battery performance. Furthermore, during thermal runaway of the lithium-ion battery, the protective polymermore » shell would melt, triggered by the increased temperature, and the flame retardant would be released, thus effectively suppressing the combustion of the highly flammable electrolytes.« less

Electrospun core-shell microfiber separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries

PubMed Central

Liu, Kai; Liu, Wei; Qiu, Yongcai; Kong, Biao; Sun, Yongming; Chen, Zheng; Zhuo, Denys; Lin, Dingchang; Cui, Yi

2017-01-01

Although the energy densities of batteries continue to increase, safety problems (for example, fires and explosions) associated with the use of highly flammable liquid organic electrolytes remain a big issue, significantly hindering further practical applications of the next generation of high-energy batteries. We have fabricated a novel “smart” nonwoven electrospun separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries. The encapsulation of a flame retardant inside a protective polymer shell has prevented direct dissolution of the retardant agent into the electrolyte, which would otherwise have negative effects on battery performance. During thermal runaway of the lithium-ion battery, the protective polymer shell would melt, triggered by the increased temperature, and the flame retardant would be released, thus effectively suppressing the combustion of the highly flammable electrolytes. PMID:28097221

Electrospun core-shell microfiber separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries.

PubMed

Liu, Kai; Liu, Wei; Qiu, Yongcai; Kong, Biao; Sun, Yongming; Chen, Zheng; Zhuo, Denys; Lin, Dingchang; Cui, Yi

2017-01-01

Although the energy densities of batteries continue to increase, safety problems (for example, fires and explosions) associated with the use of highly flammable liquid organic electrolytes remain a big issue, significantly hindering further practical applications of the next generation of high-energy batteries. We have fabricated a novel "smart" nonwoven electrospun separator with thermal-triggered flame-retardant properties for lithium-ion batteries. The encapsulation of a flame retardant inside a protective polymer shell has prevented direct dissolution of the retardant agent into the electrolyte, which would otherwise have negative effects on battery performance. During thermal runaway of the lithium-ion battery, the protective polymer shell would melt, triggered by the increased temperature, and the flame retardant would be released, thus effectively suppressing the combustion of the highly flammable electrolytes.

Direct and indirect trophic effects of predator depletion on basal trophic levels.

PubMed

Chen, Huili; Hagerty, Steven; Crotty, Sinead M; Bertness, Mark D

2016-02-01

Human population growth and development have heavily degraded coastal ecosystems with cascading impacts across multiple trophic levels. Understanding both the direct and indirect trophic effects of human activities is important for coastal conservation. In New England, recreational overfishing has triggered a regional trophic cascade. Predator depletion releases the herbivorous purple marsh crab from consumer control and leads to overgrazing of marsh cordgrass and salt marsh die-off. The direct and indirect trophic effects of predator depletion on basal trophic levels, however, are not understood. Using observational and experimental data, we examined the hypotheses that (1) direct trophic effects of predator depletion decrease meiofaunal abundance by releasing deposit feeding fiddler crabs from consumer control, and/or (2) indirect trophic effects of predator depletion increase meiofaunal abundance by releasing blue carbon via the erosion of centuries of accreted marsh peat. Experimental deposit feeder removal led to 23% higher meiofaunal density at die-off than at healthy sites, while reciprocally transplanting sediment from die-off and healthy sites revealed that carbon-rich die-off sediment increased meiofauna density by over 164%: six times stronger than direct trophic effects. Recovering sites had both carbon-rich sediment and reduced deposit feeding leading to higher meiofauna densities than both die-off and healthy sites. This suggests that consequences of the trophic downgrading of coastal habitats can be driven by both direct and indirect trophic mechanisms that may vary in direction and magnitude, making their elucidation dependent on experimental manipulations.

Calmodulin Activation by Calcium Transients in the Postsynaptic Density of Dendritic Spines

PubMed Central

Keller, Daniel X.; Franks, Kevin M.; Bartol, Thomas M.; Sejnowski, Terrence J.

2008-01-01

The entry of calcium into dendritic spines can trigger a sequence of biochemical reactions that begins with the activation of calmodulin (CaM) and ends with long-term changes to synaptic strengths. The degree of activation of CaM can depend on highly local elevations in the concentration of calcium and the duration of transient increases in calcium concentration. Accurate measurement of these local changes in calcium is difficult because the spaces are so small and the numbers of molecules are so low. We have therefore developed a Monte Carlo model of intracellular calcium dynamics within the spine that included calcium binding proteins, calcium transporters and ion channels activated by voltage and glutamate binding. The model reproduced optical recordings using calcium indicator dyes and showed that without the dye the free intracellular calcium concentration transient was much higher than predicted from the fluorescent signal. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials induced large, long-lasting calcium gradients across the postsynaptic density, which activated CaM. When glutamate was released at the synapse 10 ms before an action potential occurred, simulating activity patterns that strengthen hippocampal synapses, the calcium gradient and activation of CaM in the postsynaptic density were much greater than when the order was reversed, a condition that decreases synaptic strengths, suggesting a possible mechanism underlying the induction of long-term changes in synaptic strength. The spatial and temporal mechanisms for selectivity in CaM activation demonstrated here could be used in other signaling pathways. PMID:18446197

Nonlinear oscillations of compact stars in the vicinity of the maximum mass configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brillante, A.; Mishustin, I. N.

2015-07-01

We solve the dynamical GR equations for the spherically symmetric evolution of compact stars in the vicinity of the maximum mass, for which instability sets in according to linear perturbation theory. The calculations are done with the analytical Zeldovich-like EOS P=a≤ft(ρ-ρ_0\\right) and with the TM1 parametrisation of the RMF model. The initial configurations for the dynamical calculations are represented by spherical stars with equilibrium density profile, which are perturbed by either i) an artificially added inward velocity field proportional to the radial coordinate, or ii) a rarefaction corresponding to a static and expanded star. These configurations are evolved using a one-dimensional GR hydro code for ideal and barotropic fluids. Depending on the initial conditions we obtain either stable oscillations or the collapse to a black hole. The minimal amplitude of the perturbation, needed to trigger gravitational collapse is evaluated. The approximate independence of this energy on the type of perturbation is pointed out. At the threshold we find type-I critical behaviour for all stellar models considered and discuss the dependence of the time scaling exponent on the baryon mass and EOS.

Glow plasma trigger for electron cyclotron resonance ion sources.

PubMed

Vodopianov, A V; Golubev, S V; Izotov, I V; Nikolaev, A G; Oks, E M; Savkin, K P; Yushkov, G Yu

2010-02-01

Electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs) are particularly useful for nuclear, atomic, and high energy physics, as unique high current generators of multicharged ion beams. Plasmas of gas discharges in an open magnetic trap heated by pulsed (100 micros and longer) high power (100 kW and higher) high-frequency (greater than 37.5 GHz) microwaves of gyrotrons is promising in the field of research in the development of electron cyclotron resonance sources for high charge state ion beams. Reaching high ion charge states requires a decrease in gas pressure in the magnetic trap, but this method leads to increases in time, in which the microwave discharge develops. The gas breakdown and microwave discharge duration becomes greater than or equal to the microwave pulse duration when the pressure is decreased. This makes reaching the critical plasma density initiate an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharge during pulse of microwave gyrotron radiation with gas pressure lower than a certain threshold. In order to reduce losses of microwave power, it is necessary to shorten the time of development of the ECR discharge. For fast triggering of ECR discharge under low pressure in an ECRIS, we initially propose to fill the magnetic trap with the plasmas of auxiliary pulsed discharges in crossed ExB fields. The glow plasma trigger of ECR based on a Penning or magnetron discharge has made it possible not only to fill the trap with plasma with density of 10(12) cm(-3), required for a rapid increase in plasma density and finally for ECR discharge ignition, but also to initially heat the plasma electrons to T(e) approximately = 20 eV.

The Yin and Yang of Calcium Effects on Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis

PubMed Central

Wu, Xin-Sheng

2014-01-01

A large number of studies suggest that calcium triggers and accelerates vesicle endocytosis at many synapses and non-neuronal secretory cells. However, many studies show that prolonging the duration of the stimulation train, which induces more calcium influx, slows down endocytosis; and several studies suggest that instead of triggering endocytosis, calcium actually inhibits endocytosis. Here we addressed this apparent conflict at a large nerve terminal, the calyx of Held in rat brainstem, in which recent studies suggest that transient calcium increase up to tens of micromolar concentration at the micro/nano domain triggers endocytosis. By dialyzing 0–1 μm calcium into the calyx via a whole-cell pipette, we found that slow endocytosis was inhibited by calcium dialysis in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, prolonged, small, and global calcium increase inhibits endocytosis, whereas transient and large calcium increase at the micro/nano domain triggers endocytosis and facilitates endocytosis. This yin and yang effect of calcium may reconcile apparent conflicts regarding whether calcium accelerates or inhibits endocytosis. Whether endocytosis is fast or slow depends on the net outcome between the yin and yang effect of calcium. PMID:24523554

Headaches: a Review of the Role of Dietary Factors.

PubMed

Zaeem, Zoya; Zhou, Lily; Dilli, Esma

2016-11-01

Dietary triggers are commonly reported by patients with a variety of headaches, particularly those with migraines. The presence of any specific dietary trigger in migraine patients varies from 10 to 64 % depending on study population and methodology. Some foods trigger headache within an hour while others develop within 12 h post ingestion. Alcohol (especially red wine and beer), chocolate, caffeine, dairy products such as aged cheese, food preservatives with nitrates and nitrites, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame have all been studied as migraine triggers in the past. This review focuses the evidence linking these compounds to headache and examines the prevalence of these triggers from prior population-based studies. Recent literature surrounding headache related to fasting and weight loss as well as elimination diets based on serum food antibody testing will also be summarized to help physicians recommend low-risk, non-pharmacological adjunctive therapies for patients with debilitating headaches.

Analysis of a potential trigger of an acute illness.

PubMed

Becker, Niels G; Salim, Agus; Kelman, Christopher W

2006-01-01

Sometimes certain short-term risk exposures are postulated to act as a trigger for the onset of a specific acute illness. When the incidence of the illness is low it is desirable to investigate this possible association using only data on cases detected during a specific observation period. Here we propose an analysis for such a study based on a model expressed in terms of the probability that the exposure triggers the illness and a random delay from a triggered illness until its diagnosis. Both the natural hazard rate for the illness and the probability that the exposure triggers the illness are assumed to be small and possibly dependent on age and covariates such as sex and duration or severity of the exposure. The method of analysis is illustrated with a study of the association between long flights and hospitalization for venous thromboembolism.

Triggering of longitudinal combustion instabilities in solid rocket motors: Nonlinear combustion response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wicker, J. M.; Greene, W. D.; Kim, S. I.; Yang, V.

1995-01-01

Pulsed oscillations in solid rocket motors are investigated with emphasis on nonlinear combustion response. The study employs a wave equation governing the unsteady motions in a two-phase flow, and a solution technique based on spatial- and time-averaging. A wide class of combustion response functions is studied to second-order in fluctuation amplitude to determine if, when, and how triggered instabilities arise. Conditions for triggering are derived from analysis of limit cycles, and regions of triggering are found in parametric space. Based on the behavior of model dynamical systems, introduction of linear cross-coupling and quadratic self-coupling among the acoustic modes appears to be the manner in which the nonlinear combustion response produces triggering to a stable limit cycle. Regions of initial conditions corresponding to stable pulses were found, suggesting that stability depends on initial phase angle and harmonic content, as well as the composite amplitude, of the pulse.

Synchronization of Switched Neural Networks With Communication Delays via the Event-Triggered Control.

PubMed

Wen, Shiping; Zeng, Zhigang; Chen, Michael Z Q; Huang, Tingwen

2017-10-01

This paper addresses the issue of synchronization of switched delayed neural networks with communication delays via event-triggered control. For synchronizing coupled switched neural networks, we propose a novel event-triggered control law which could greatly reduce the number of control updates for synchronization tasks of coupled switched neural networks involving embedded microprocessors with limited on-board resources. The control signals are driven by properly defined events, which depend on the measurement errors and current-sampled states. By using a delay system method, a novel model of synchronization error system with delays is proposed with the communication delays and event-triggered control in the unified framework for coupled switched neural networks. The criteria are derived for the event-triggered synchronization analysis and control synthesis of switched neural networks via the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional method and free weighting matrix approach. A numerical example is elaborated on to illustrate the effectiveness of the derived results.

Fire timing in relation to masting: an important determinant of post-fire recruitment success for the obligate-seeding arid zone soft spinifex (Triodia pungens).

PubMed

Wright, Boyd R; Fensham, Roderick J

2018-01-25

Plant species with fire-triggered germination are common in many fire-prone ecosystems. For such plants, fire timing in relation to the timing of reproduction may strongly influence post-fire population regeneration if: (a) flowering occurs infrequently (e.g. plants are mast seeders); and (b) seed survival rates are low and input from the current year's flowering therefore contributes a large proportion of the viable dormant seedbank. The role of fire timing in relation to masting as a driver of post-fire recruitment has rarely been examined directly, so this study tested the hypothesis that fires shortly after masting trigger increased recruitment of the obligate-seeding arid zone spinifex, Triodia pungens R. Br., an iteroparous masting grass with smoke-cued germination. Phenological monitoring of T. pungens was conducted over 5 years, while a longitudinal seedbank study assessed the influence of seeding events on soil-stored seedbank dynamics. Concurrently, a fire experiment with randomized blocking was undertaken to test whether T. pungens hummocks burnt shortly after masting have greater post-fire recruitment than hummocks burnt when there has not been recent input of seeds. Triodia pungens flowered in all years, though most flowerings were characterized by high rates of flower abortion. A mast flowering with high seed set in 2012 triggered approx. 200-fold increases in seedbank densities, and seedbank densities remained elevated for 24 months after this event. The fire experiment showed significantly higher recruitment around hummocks burnt 6 months after the 2012 mast event than around hummocks that were burnt but prevented from masting by having inflorescences clipped. Fires shortly after masting trigger mass recruitment in T. pungens because such fires synchronize an appropriate germination cue (smoke) with periods when seedbank densities are elevated. Interactions between natural fire regimes, seedbank dynamics and fire management prescriptions must be considered carefully when managing fire-sensitive masting plants such as T. pungens. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Congestion relaxation due to density-dependent junction rules in TASEP network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tannai, Takahiro; Nishinari, Katsuhiro

2017-09-01

We now consider a small network module of Totally Asymmetric Simple Exclusion Process with branching and aggregation points, and rules of junctions dependent on the densities of segments of the network module. We also focus on the interaction among junctions which are branching and aggregation. The interaction among junctions with density-dependent rules possesses more complexity than those with density-independent rules studied in the previous papers. In conclusion, we confirm the result that density-dependent rules enable vehicles to move more effectively than the density-independent rules.

Mid-latitude Plasma Irregularities During Sub-Auroral Polarization Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, N.; Loper, R. D.

2017-12-01

Geomagnetic storming impacts the ionosphere in different ways at different latitudes. In the mid latitudes, Sub-Auroral Polarization Streams (SAPS) may trigger a redistribution of plasma leading to the creation of ionospheric troughs, storm enhanced density plumes, and acceleration of sub-auroral ion drifts. Solar cycle data, real time space weather satellite data, and radar data will be analyzed to study mid-latitude plasma densities and characterize the plasma anomalies SAPS create in order to increase short-term mid-latitude space weather forecasting.

Population-Level Density Dependence Influences the Origin and Maintenance of Parental Care

PubMed Central

Reyes, Elijah; Thrasher, Patsy; Bonsall, Michael B.; Klug, Hope

2016-01-01

Parental care is a defining feature of animal breeding systems. We now know that both basic life-history characteristics and ecological factors influence the evolution of care. However, relatively little is known about how these factors interact to influence the origin and maintenance of care. Here, we expand upon previous work and explore the relationship between basic life-history characteristics (stage-specific rates of mortality and maturation) and the fitness benefits associated with the origin and the maintenance of parental care for two broad ecological scenarios: the scenario in which egg survival is density dependent and the case in which adult survival is density dependent. Our findings suggest that high offspring need is likely critical in driving the origin, but not the maintenance, of parental care regardless of whether density dependence acts on egg or adult survival. In general, parental care is more likely to result in greater fitness benefits when baseline adult mortality is low if 1) egg survival is density dependent or 2) adult mortality is density dependent and mutant density is relatively high. When density dependence acts on egg mortality, low rates of egg maturation and high egg densities are less likely to lead to strong fitness benefits of care. However, when density dependence acts on adult mortality, high levels of egg maturation and increasing adult densities are less likely to maintain care. Juvenile survival has relatively little, if any, effect on the origin and maintenance of egg-only care. More generally, our results suggest that the evolution of parental care will be influenced by an organism’s entire life history characteristics, the stage at which density dependence acts, and whether care is originating or being maintained. PMID:27093056

Density-dependent seedling mortality varies with light availability and species abundance in wet and dry Hawaiian forests

Treesearch

Faith Inman-Narahari; Rebecca Ostertag; Stephen P. Hubbell; Christian P. Giardina; Susan Cordell; Lawren Sack; Andrew MacDougall

2016-01-01

Conspecific density may contribute to patterns of species assembly through negative density dependence (NDD) as predicted by the Janzen-Connell hypothesis, or through facilitation (positive density dependence; PDD). Conspecific density effects are expected to be more negative in darker and wetter environments due to higher pathogen abundance and...

Observations of phytoplankton spring bloom onset triggered by a density front in NW Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olita, A.; Sparnocchia, S.; Cusí, S.; Fazioli, L.; Sorgente, R.; Tintoré, J.; Ribotti, A.

2013-09-01

Phytoplankton bloom in NW Mediterranan sea is a seasonal event that mainly occurrs in a limited area (Gulf of Lyon and Provençal basin) where this phenomenon is promoted by a cyclonic circulation, strong wind-driven mixing and subsequent spring restratification. At the southern boundary of this area a density front (North Balearic Front) separating denser waters from the lighter Modified Atlantic Waters reservoir at south is suspected to trigger weaker and earlier (late winter) blooms by (a) enhanced pumping of nutrients into the euphotic layer and (b) promoting an early restratification of the water column (by frontal instabilities). A multisensor glider round trip, equipped with CTD and fluorimeter, crossing the frontal area in February-March 2013, allowed to observe the bloom triggering after the decrease of intense wind-driven turbulent convection and mixing. Satellite imagery supports and confirms in-situ observations. It was shown that frontal activity has a relevant role in the promotion and acceleration of the dynamical restratification, with a consequent biological response in terms of primary production. Restratification is necessary preconditioning factor for bloom triggering in frontal area, net of other involved mechanism promoting the bloom as the enhanced biological pump. So, like for high-latitude fronts (Taylor and Ferrari, 2011a), also for this mid-latitude oligotrophic region front seems to promote new production by dynamically enahnced restratification inhibiting mixing. Finally, we argued that Sverdrup's Critical Depth criterion seems to apply in the northern well-mixed area, where the zeroing of heat fluxes (and related turbulent convection) does not correspond to a prompt onset of the bloom (which appeared 1 month later).

A case study of two M~5 mainshocks in Anza, California: Is the footprint of an aftershock sequence larger than we think?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fritts, Karen R.; Kilb, Debi

2009-01-01

It has been traditionally held that aftershocks occur within one to two fault lengths of the mainshock. Here we demonstrate that this perception has been shaped by the sensitivity of seismic networks. The 31 October 2001 Mw 5.0 and 12 June 2005 Mw 5.2 Anza mainshocks in southern California occurred in the middle of the densely instrumented ANZA seismic network and thus were unusually well recorded. For the June 2005 event, aftershocks as small as M 0.0 could be observed stretching for at least 50 km along the San Jacinto fault even though the mainshock fault was only ∼4.5 km long. It was hypothesized that an observed aseismic slipping patch produced a spatially extended aftershock-triggering source, presumably slowing the decay of aftershock density with distance and leading to a broader aftershock zone. We find, however, the decay of aftershock density with distance for both Anza sequences to be similar to that observed elsewhere in California. This indicates there is no need for an additional triggering mechanism and suggests that given widespread dense instrumentation, aftershock sequences would routinely have footprints much larger than currently expected. Despite the large 2005 aftershock zone, we find that the probability that the 2005 Anza mainshock triggered the M 4.9 Yucaipa mainshock, which occurred 4.2 days later and 72 km away, to be only 14%±1%. This probability is a strong function of the time delay; had the earthquakes been separated by only an hour, the probability of triggering would have been 89%.

A model and simulation of fast space charge pulses in polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Zepeng; Rowland, Simon M.; Wu, Kai

2017-11-01

The transport of space charge packets across polyethylene and epoxy resin in high electric fields has been characterized as fast or slow depending on packet mobility. Several explanations for the formation and transport of slow space charge packets have been proposed, but the origins of fast space charge pulses, with mobilities above 10-11 m2 V-1 s-1, are unclear. In one suggested model, it is assumed that the formation of fast charge pulses is due to discontinuous electromechanical compression and charge injection at the electrode-insulation interface, and their transport is related to corresponding relaxation processes. In that model, charges travel as a pulse because of group polarization. This paper provides an alternative model based on the reduction of charge carrier activation energy due to charge density triggered polymer chain movement and subsequent chain relaxation times. The generation and transport of fast charge pulses are readily simulated by a bipolar charge transport model with three additional parameters: reduced activation energy, charge density threshold, and chain relaxation time. Such a model is shown to reproduce key features of fast space charge pulses including speed, duration, repetition rate and pulse size. This model provides the basis for a deep understanding of the physical origins of fast space charge pulses in polymers.

Density patterns in metal films produced by laser interference.

PubMed

Peláez, R J; Afonso, C N; Škereň, M; Bulíř, J

2015-01-26

Fringed periodic patterns have been produced by laser interference at 193 nm in an almost continuous 9.5 nm-thick Ag film that exhibits a number density of ≈189 μm(-2) holes. Patterns with four periods in the range of 1.8-10.2 μm were produced by changing the projection optics. At high fluences, the film breaks up into nanostructures around the regions exposed to intensity maxima due to laser-induced melting. At low fluences, a new process is observed that is triggered at the initial holes of the film by solid-state dewetting. Once the fluence is high enough to prevent the temperature balance across the pattern, mass transport from cold to hot regions is observed, leading to film densification in regions around intensity maxima sites. The novel patterns are thus formed by fringes of material that is more/less dense than the as-grown film, each of which is located at intensity maxima/minima sites, and have negligible topography. Comparing the present results to earlier reports in the literature shows that the thermal gradient across the pattern is influenced by the initial film microstructure, rather than by the thickness. The existence of a minimum period, which is achievable depending on the thermal continuity of the film, is also discussed.

Sporulation during Growth in a Gut Isolate of Bacillus subtilis

PubMed Central

Serra, Cláudia R.; Earl, Ashlee M.; Barbosa, Teresa M.; Kolter, Roberto

2014-01-01

Sporulation by Bacillus subtilis is a cell density-dependent response to nutrient deprivation. Central to the decision of entering sporulation is a phosphorelay, through which sensor kinases promote phosphorylation of Spo0A. The phosphorelay integrates both positive and negative signals, ensuring that sporulation, a time- and energy-consuming process that may bring an ecological cost, is only triggered should other adaptations fail. Here we report that a gastrointestinal isolate of B. subtilis sporulates with high efficiency during growth, bypassing the cell density, nutritional, and other signals that normally make sporulation a post-exponential-phase response. Sporulation during growth occurs because Spo0A is more active per cell and in a higher fraction of the population than in a laboratory strain. This in turn, is primarily caused by the absence from the gut strain of the genes rapE and rapK, coding for two aspartyl phosphatases that negatively modulate the flow of phosphoryl groups to Spo0A. We show, in line with recent results, that activation of Spo0A through the phosphorelay is the limiting step for sporulation initiation in the gut strain. Our results further suggest that the phosphorelay is tuned to favor sporulation during growth in gastrointestinal B. subtilis isolates, presumably as a form of survival and/or propagation in the gut environment. PMID:25225273

Inhibition of NMDA Receptors Prevents the Loss of BDNF Function Induced by Amyloid β.

PubMed

Tanqueiro, Sara R; Ramalho, Rita M; Rodrigues, Tiago M; Lopes, Luísa V; Sebastião, Ana M; Diógenes, Maria J

2018-01-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays important functions in cell survival and differentiation, neuronal outgrowth and plasticity. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), BDNF signaling is known to be impaired, partially because amyloid β (Aβ) induces truncation of BDNF main receptor, TrkB-full length (TrkB-FL). We have previously shown that such truncation is mediated by calpains, results in the formation of an intracellular domain (ICD) fragment and causes BDNF loss of function. Since calpains are Ca 2+ -dependent proteases, we hypothesized that excessive intracellular Ca 2+ build-up could be due to dysfunctional N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) activation. To experimentally address this hypothesis, we investigated whether TrkB-FL truncation by calpains and consequent BDNF loss of function could be prevented by NMDAR blockade. We herein demonstrate that a NMDAR antagonist, memantine, prevented excessive calpain activation and TrkB-FL truncation induced by Aβ 25-35 . When calpains were inhibited by calpastatin, BDNF was able to increase the dendritic spine density of neurons exposed to Aβ 25135 . Moreover, NMDAR inhibition by memantine also prevented Aβ-driven deleterious impact of BDNF loss of function on structural (spine density) and functional outcomes (synaptic potentiation). Collectively, these findings support NMDAR/Ca 2+ /calpains mechanistic involvement in Aβ-triggered BDNF signaling disruption.

Frequency sweep rates of rising tone electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves: Comparison between nonlinear theory and Cluster observation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Zhaoguo; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049; Zong, Qiugang, E-mail: qgzong@gmail.com

2014-12-15

Resonant pitch angle scattering by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves has been suggested to account for the rapid loss of ring current ions and radiation belt electrons. For the rising tone EMIC wave (classified as triggered EMIC emission), its frequency sweep rate strongly affects the efficiency of pitch-angle scattering. Based on the Cluster observations, we analyze three typical cases of rising tone EMIC waves. Two cases locate at the nightside (22.3 and 22.6 magnetic local time (MLT)) equatorial region and one case locates at the duskside (18MLT) higher magnetic latitude (λ = –9.3°) region. For the three cases, the time-dependent wave amplitude,more » cold electron density, and cold ion density ratio are derived from satellite data; while the ambient magnetic field, thermal proton perpendicular temperature, and the wave spectral can be directly provided by observation. These parameters are input into the nonlinear wave growth model to simulate the time-frequency evolutions of the rising tones. The simulated results show good agreements with the observations of the rising tones, providing further support for the previous finding that the rising tone EMIC wave is excited through the nonlinear wave growth process.« less

Impact of Tissue Factor Localization on Blood Clot Structure and Resistance under Venous Shear.

PubMed

Govindarajan, Vijay; Zhu, Shu; Li, Ruizhi; Lu, Yichen; Diamond, Scott L; Reifman, Jaques; Mitrophanov, Alexander Y

2018-02-27

The structure and growth of a blood clot depend on the localization of tissue factor (TF), which can trigger clotting during the hemostatic process or promote thrombosis when exposed to blood under pathological conditions. We sought to understand how the growth, structure, and mechanical properties of clots under flow are shaped by the simultaneously varying TF surface density and its exposure area. We used an eight-channel microfluidic device equipped with a 20- or 100-μm-long collagen surface patterned with lipidated TF of surface densities ∼0.1 and ∼2 molecules/μm 2 . Human whole blood was perfused at venous shear, and clot growth was continually measured. Using our recently developed computational model of clot formation, we performed simulations to gain insights into the clot's structure and its resistance to blood flow. An increase in TF exposure area resulted not only in accelerated bulk platelet, thrombin, and fibrin accumulation, but also in increased height of the platelet mass and increased clot resistance to flow. Moreover, increasing the TF surface density or exposure area enhanced platelet deposition by approximately twofold, and thrombin and fibrin generation by greater than threefold, thereby increasing both clot size and its viscous resistance. Finally, TF effects on blood flow occlusion were more pronounced for the longer thrombogenic surface than for the shorter one. Our results suggest that TF surface density and its exposure area can independently enhance both the clot's occlusivity and its resistance to blood flow. These findings provide, to our knowledge, new insights into how TF affects thrombus growth in time and space under flow. Copyright © 2018 Biophysical Society. All rights reserved.

Density-Dependent Growth in Invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans)

PubMed Central

Benkwitt, Cassandra E.

2013-01-01

Direct demographic density dependence is necessary for population regulation and is a central concept in ecology, yet has not been studied in many invasive species, including any invasive marine fish. The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is an invasive predatory marine fish that is undergoing exponential population growth throughout the tropical western Atlantic. Invasive lionfish threaten coral-reef ecosystems, but there is currently no evidence of any natural population control. Therefore, a manipulative field experiment was conducted to test for density dependence in lionfish. Juvenile lionfish densities were adjusted on small reefs and several demographic rates (growth, recruitment, immigration, and loss) were measured throughout an 8-week period. Invasive lionfish exhibited direct density dependence in individual growth rates, as lionfish grew slower at higher densities throughout the study. Individual growth in length declined linearly with increasing lionfish density, while growth in mass declined exponentially with increasing density. There was no evidence, however, for density dependence in recruitment, immigration, or loss (mortality plus emigration) of invasive lionfish. The observed density-dependent growth rates may have implications for which native species are susceptible to lionfish predation, as the size and type of prey that lionfish consume is directly related to their body size. The absence of density-dependent loss, however, contrasts with many native coral-reef fish species and suggests that for the foreseeable future manual removals may be the only effective local control of this invasion. PMID:23825604

Density-dependent growth in invasive Lionfish (Pterois volitans).

PubMed

Benkwitt, Cassandra E

2013-01-01

Direct demographic density dependence is necessary for population regulation and is a central concept in ecology, yet has not been studied in many invasive species, including any invasive marine fish. The red lionfish (Pterois volitans) is an invasive predatory marine fish that is undergoing exponential population growth throughout the tropical western Atlantic. Invasive lionfish threaten coral-reef ecosystems, but there is currently no evidence of any natural population control. Therefore, a manipulative field experiment was conducted to test for density dependence in lionfish. Juvenile lionfish densities were adjusted on small reefs and several demographic rates (growth, recruitment, immigration, and loss) were measured throughout an 8-week period. Invasive lionfish exhibited direct density dependence in individual growth rates, as lionfish grew slower at higher densities throughout the study. Individual growth in length declined linearly with increasing lionfish density, while growth in mass declined exponentially with increasing density. There was no evidence, however, for density dependence in recruitment, immigration, or loss (mortality plus emigration) of invasive lionfish. The observed density-dependent growth rates may have implications for which native species are susceptible to lionfish predation, as the size and type of prey that lionfish consume is directly related to their body size. The absence of density-dependent loss, however, contrasts with many native coral-reef fish species and suggests that for the foreseeable future manual removals may be the only effective local control of this invasion.

Chemically Triggered Formation of Two-Dimensional Epitaxial Quantum Dot Superlattices.

PubMed

Walravens, Willem; De Roo, Jonathan; Drijvers, Emile; Ten Brinck, Stephanie; Solano, Eduardo; Dendooven, Jolien; Detavernier, Christophe; Infante, Ivan; Hens, Zeger

2016-07-26

Two dimensional superlattices of epitaxially connected quantum dots enable size-quantization effects to be combined with high charge carrier mobilities, an essential prerequisite for highly performing QD devices based on charge transport. Here, we demonstrate that surface active additives known to restore nanocrystal stoichiometry can trigger the formation of epitaxial superlattices of PbSe and PbS quantum dots. More specifically, we show that both chalcogen-adding (sodium sulfide) and lead oleate displacing (amines) additives induce small area epitaxial superlattices of PbSe quantum dots. In the latter case, the amine basicity is a sensitive handle to tune the superlattice symmetry, with strong and weak bases yielding pseudohexagonal or quasi-square lattices, respectively. Through density functional theory calculations and in situ titrations monitored by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we link this observation to the concomitantly different coordination enthalpy and ligand displacement potency of the amine. Next to that, an initial ∼10% reduction of the initial ligand density prior to monolayer formation and addition of a mild, lead oleate displacing chemical trigger such as aniline proved key to induce square superlattices with long-range, square micrometer order; an effect that is the more pronounced the larger the quantum dots. Because the approach applies to PbS quantum dots as well, we conclude that it offers a reproducible and rational method for the formation of highly ordered epitaxial quantum dot superlattices.

High-yield, ultrafast, surface plasmon-enhanced, Au nanorod optical field electron emitter arrays.

PubMed

Hobbs, Richard G; Yang, Yujia; Fallahi, Arya; Keathley, Philip D; De Leo, Eva; Kärtner, Franz X; Graves, William S; Berggren, Karl K

2014-11-25

Here we demonstrate the design, fabrication, and characterization of ultrafast, surface-plasmon enhanced Au nanorod optical field emitter arrays. We present a quantitative study of electron emission from Au nanorod arrays fabricated by high-resolution electron-beam lithography and excited by 35 fs pulses of 800 nm light. We present accurate models for both the optical field enhancement of Au nanorods within high-density arrays, and electron emission from those nanorods. We have also studied the effects of surface plasmon damping induced by metallic interface layers at the substrate/nanorod interface on near-field enhancement and electron emission. We have identified the peak optical field at which the electron emission mechanism transitions from a 3-photon absorption mechanism to strong-field tunneling emission. Moreover, we have investigated the effects of nanorod array density on nanorod charge yield, including measurement of space-charge effects. The Au nanorod photocathodes presented in this work display 100-1000 times higher conversion efficiency relative to previously reported UV triggered emission from planar Au photocathodes. Consequently, the Au nanorod arrays triggered by ultrafast pulses of 800 nm light in this work may outperform equivalent UV-triggered Au photocathodes, while also offering nanostructuring of the electron pulse produced from such a cathode, which is of interest for X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) development where nanostructured electron pulses may facilitate more efficient and brighter XFEL radiation.

Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves in the Helium Branch Induced by Multiple Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Triggered Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoji, M.; Omura, Y.; Grison, B.; Pickett, J. S.; Dandouras, I. S.; Engebretson, M. J.

2011-12-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) triggered emissions with rising tones between the H+ and He+ cyclotron frequencies were found in the inner magnetosphere by the recent Cluster observations. Another type of EMIC wave with a constant frequency is occasionally observed below the He+ cyclotron frequency after the multiple EMIC triggered emissions. We performed a self-consistent hybrid simulation with a one-dimensional cylindrical magnetic flux model approximating the dipole magnetic field of the Earth's inner magnetosphere. In the presence of energetic protons with a sufficient density and temperature anisotropy, multiple EMIC triggered emissions are reproduced due to the nonlinear wave growth mechanism of rising-tone chorus emissions, and a constant frequency wave in the He+ EMIC branch is subsequently generated. Through interaction with the multiple EMIC rising-tone emissions, the velocity distribution function of the energetic protons is strongly modified. Because of the pitch angle scattering of the protons, the gradient of the distribution in velocity phase space is enhanced along the diffusion curve of the He+ branch wave, resulting in the linear growth of the EMIC wave in the He+ branch.

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the helium branch induced by multiple electromagnetic ion cyclotron triggered emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoji, Masafumi; Omura, Yoshiharu; Grison, Benjamin; Pickett, Jolene; Dandouras, Iannis; Engebretson, Mark

2011-09-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) triggered emissions with rising tones between the H+ and He+ cyclotron frequencies were found in the inner magnetosphere by the recent Cluster observations. Another type of EMIC wave with a constant frequency is occasionally observed below the He+ cyclotron frequency after the multiple EMIC triggered emissions. We performed a self-consistent hybrid simulation with a one-dimensional cylindrical magnetic flux model approximating the dipole magnetic field of the Earth's inner magnetosphere. In the presence of energetic protons with a sufficient density and temperature anisotropy, multiple EMIC triggered emissions are reproduced due to the nonlinear wave growth mechanism of rising-tone chorus emissions, and a constant frequency wave in the He+ EMIC branch is subsequently generated. Through interaction with the multiple EMIC rising-tone emissions, the velocity distribution function of the energetic protons is strongly modified. Because of the pitch angle scattering of the protons, the gradient of the distribution in velocity phase space is enhanced along the diffusion curve of the He+ branch wave, resulting in the linear growth of the EMIC wave in the He+ branch.

The Environmental Neurotoxicant PCB 95 Promotes Synaptogenesis via Ryanodine Receptor-Dependent miR132 Upregulation

PubMed Central

Lesiak, Adam; Zhu, Mingyan; Chen, Hao; Appleyard, Suzanne M.; Impey, Soren; Wayman, Gary A.

2014-01-01

Non–dioxin-like (NDL) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widespread environmental contaminants linked to neuropsychological dysfunction in children. NDL PCBs increase spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in neurons by stabilizing ryanodine receptor (RyR) calcium release channels in the open configuration, which results in CREB-dependent dendritic outgrowth. In this study, we address the question of whether activation of CREB by NDL PCBs also triggers dendritic spine formation. Nanomolar concentrations of PCB 95, a NDL congener with potent RyR activity, significantly increased spine density and the frequency of miniature EPSCs in primary dissociated rat hippocampal cultures coincident with upregulation of miR132. Inhibition of RyR, CREB, or miR132 as well as expression of a mutant p250GAP cDNA construct that is not suppressed by miR132 blocked PCB 95 effects on spines and miniature EPSCs. PCB 95 also induced spine formation via RyR- and miR132-dependent mechanisms in hippocampal slice cultures. These data demonstrate a novel mechanism of PCB developmental neurotoxicity whereby RyR sensitization modulates spine formation and synaptogenesis via CREB-mediated miR132 upregulation, which in turn suppresses the translation of p250GAP, a negative regulator of synaptogenesis. In light of recent evidence implicating miR132 dysregulation in Rett syndrome and schizophrenia, these findings identify NDL PCBs as potential environmental risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders. PMID:24431430

Reflex seizures in Rett syndrome.

PubMed

Roche Martínez, Ana; Alonso Colmenero, M Itziar; Gomes Pereira, Andreia; Sanmartí Vilaplana, Francesc X; Armstrong Morón, Judith; Pineda Marfa, Mercé

2011-12-01

Reflex seizures are a rare phenomenon among epileptic patients, in which an epileptic discharge is triggered by various kinds of stimuli (visual, auditory, tactile or gustatory). Epilepsy is common in Rett syndrome patients (up to 70%), but to the authors' knowledge, no pressure or eating-triggered seizures have yet been reported in Rett children. We describe three epileptic Rett patients with reflex seizures, triggered by food intake or proprioception. One patient with congenital Rett Sd. developed infantile epileptic spasms at around seven months and two patients with classic Rett Sd. presented with generalised tonic-clonic seizures at around five years. Reflex seizures appeared when the patients were teenagers. The congenital-Rett patient presented eating-triggered seizures at the beginning of almost every meal, demonstrated by EEG recording. Both classic Rett patients showed self-provoked pressure -triggered attacks, influenced by stress or excitement. Non-triggered seizures were controlled with carbamazepine or valproate, but reflex seizures did not respond to antiepileptic drugs. Risperidone partially improved self-provoked seizures. When reflex seizures are suspected, reproducing the trigger during EEG recording is fundamental; however, self-provoked seizures depend largely on the patient's will. Optimal therapy (though not always possible) consists of avoiding the trigger. Stress modifiers such as risperidone may help control self-provoked seizures.

Distribution of tsunami interevent times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geist, Eric L.; Parsons, Tom

2008-01-01

The distribution of tsunami interevent times is analyzed using global and site-specific (Hilo, Hawaii) tsunami catalogs. An empirical probability density distribution is determined by binning the observed interevent times during a period in which the observation rate is approximately constant. The empirical distributions for both catalogs exhibit non-Poissonian behavior in which there is an abundance of short interevent times compared to an exponential distribution. Two types of statistical distributions are used to model this clustering behavior: (1) long-term clustering described by a universal scaling law, and (2) Omori law decay of aftershocks and triggered sources. The empirical and theoretical distributions all imply an increased hazard rate after a tsunami, followed by a gradual decrease with time approaching a constant hazard rate. Examination of tsunami sources suggests that many of the short interevent times are caused by triggered earthquakes, though the triggered events are not necessarily on the same fault.

Sensitivity to methylmercury toxicity is enhanced in oxoguanine glycosylase 1 knockout murine embryonic fibroblasts and is dependent on cellular proliferation capacity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ondovcik, Stephanie L.; Tamblyn, Laura; McPherson, John Peter

2013-07-01

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a persistent environmental contaminant with potent neurotoxic action for which the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be conclusively delineated. Our objectives herein were twofold: first, to corroborate our previous findings of an increased sensitivity of spontaneously-immortalized oxoguanine glycosylase 1-null (Ogg1{sup −/−}) murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) to MeHg through generation of Simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen-immortalized wild-type and Ogg1{sup −/−} MEFs; and second, to determine whether MeHg toxicity is proliferation-dependent. As with the spontaneously-immortalized cells used previously, the SV40 large T antigen-immortalized cells exhibited similar tendencies to undergo MeHg-initiated cell cycle arrest, with increased sensitivity inmore » the Ogg1{sup −/−} MEFs as measured by clonogenic survival and DNA damage. Compared to exponentially growing cells, those seeded at a higher density exhibited compromised proliferation, which proved protective against MeHg-mediated cell cycle arrest and induction of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), measured by phosphorylation of the core histone H2A variant (H2AX) on serine 139 (γH2AX), and by its functional confirmation by micronucleus assessment. This enhanced sensitivity of Ogg1{sup −/−} MEFs to MeHg toxicity using discrete SV40 immortalization corroborates our previous studies, and suggests a novel role for OGG1 in minimizing MeHg-initiated DNA lesions that trigger replication-associated DSBs. Furthermore, proliferative capacity may determine MeHg toxicity in vivo and in utero. Accordingly, variations in cellular proliferative capacity and interindividual variability in repair activity may modulate the risk of toxicological consequences following MeHg exposure. - Highlights: • SV40 large T antigen-immortalized Ogg1{sup −/−} cells are more sensitive to MeHg. • Sensitivity to MeHg is dependent on cellular proliferation capacity. • OGG1 maintains genomic integrity following MeHg-initiated DNA damage. • OGG1 may limit MeHg-initiated DNA lesions that trigger replication-associated DSBs. • Variations in proliferation and repair activity may modulate toxicological risk.« less

A comparison of temporal and location-based sampling strategies for global positioning system-triggered electronic diaries.

PubMed

Törnros, Tobias; Dorn, Helen; Reichert, Markus; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich; Salize, Hans-Joachim; Tost, Heike; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Zipf, Alexander

2016-11-21

Self-reporting is a well-established approach within the medical and psychological sciences. In order to avoid recall bias, i.e. past events being remembered inaccurately, the reports can be filled out on a smartphone in real-time and in the natural environment. This is often referred to as ambulatory assessment and the reports are usually triggered at regular time intervals. With this sampling scheme, however, rare events (e.g. a visit to a park or recreation area) are likely to be missed. When addressing the correlation between mood and the environment, it may therefore be beneficial to include participant locations within the ambulatory assessment sampling scheme. Based on the geographical coordinates, the database query system then decides if a self-report should be triggered or not. We simulated four different ambulatory assessment sampling schemes based on movement data (coordinates by minute) from 143 voluntary participants tracked for seven consecutive days. Two location-based sampling schemes incorporating the environmental characteristics (land use and population density) at each participant's location were introduced and compared to a time-based sampling scheme triggering a report on the hour as well as to a sampling scheme incorporating physical activity. We show that location-based sampling schemes trigger a report less often, but we obtain more unique trigger positions and a greater spatial spread in comparison to sampling strategies based on time and distance. Additionally, the location-based methods trigger significantly more often at rarely visited types of land use and less often outside the study region where no underlying environmental data are available.

Larval habitats of the Anopheles farauti and Anopheles lungae complexes in the Solomon Islands.

PubMed

Russell, Tanya L; Burkot, Thomas R; Bugoro, Hugo; Apairamo, Allan; Beebe, Nigel W; Chow, Weng K; Cooper, Robert D; Collins, Frank H; Lobo, Neil F

2016-03-15

There is an urgent need for vector control tools to supplement long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying; particularly in the Solomon Islands where the primary vector, Anopheles farauti, is highly anthropophagic and feeds mainly outdoors and early in the evening. Currently, the only supplementary tool recommended by the World Health Organization is larval source management (LSM). The feasibility and potential effectiveness of LSM requires information on the distribution of anophelines, the productivity of larval habitats and the potential impacts of larval control on adult fitness. The distribution of anophelines in Central and Western Provinces in the Solomon Islands was mapped from cross-sectional larval habitat surveys. The composition and micro-distribution of larval instars within a large permanent river-mouth lagoon was examined with a longitudinal survey. Density-dependent regulation of An. farauti larvae was investigated by longitudinally following the development and survival of different densities of first instars in floating cages in a river-mouth lagoon. Five anopheline species were molecularly identified from a range of fresh and brackish water habitats: An. farauti s.s., An. hinesorum, An. lungae, An. nataliae and An. solomonis. The most common habitats used by the primary malaria vector, An. farauti, were coastal lagoons and swamps. In the detailed study of lagoon micro-productivity, An. farauti was non-uniformly distributed with highest densities found at collections sites most proximal and distal to the mouth of the lagoon. The survival of An. farauti larvae was more than twofold lower when larvae were held at the highest experimental density (1 larva per 3.8 cm(2)) when compared with the lowest density (1 larva per 38 cm(2)). The only documented major malaria vector collected in larval surveys in both Central and Western Provinces was An. farauti. Lagoons and swamps, the most common, largest and (potentially) most productive larval sites of this malaria vector, were "few, fixed and findable" and theoretically, therefore, amenable to successful LSM. However, the immense scale and complexity of these ecosystems in which An. farauti larvae are found raises questions regarding the ability to effectively control the larvae, as incomplete larviciding could trigger density dependent effects resulting in increased larval survivorship. While LSM has the potential to significantly contribute to malaria control of this early and outdoor biting vector, more information on the distribution of larvae within these extensive habitats is required to maximize the effectiveness of LSM.

Drug-sensing hydrogels for the inducible release of biopharmaceuticals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehrbar, Martin; Schoenmakers, Ronald; Christen, Erik H.; Fussenegger, Martin; Weber, Wilfried

2008-10-01

Drug-dependent dissociation or association of cellular receptors represents a potent pharmacologic mode of action for regulating cell fate and function. Transferring the knowledge of pharmacologically triggered protein-protein interactions to materials science will enable novel design concepts for stimuli-sensing smart hydrogels. Here, we show the design and validation of an antibiotic-sensing hydrogel for the trigger-inducible release of human vascular endothelial growth factor. Genetically engineered bacterial gyrase subunit B (GyrB) (ref. 4) coupled to polyacrylamide was dimerized by the addition of the aminocoumarin antibiotic coumermycin, resulting in hydrogel formation. Addition of increasing concentrations of clinically validated novobiocin (Albamycin) dissociated the GyrB subunits, thereby resulting in dissociation of the hydrogel and dose- and time-dependent liberation of the entrapped protein pharmaceutical VEGF121 for triggering proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Pharmacologically controlled hydrogels have the potential to fulfil the promises of stimuli-sensing materials as smart devices for spatiotemporally controlled delivery of drugs within the patient.

Study of a novel ultrasonically triggered drug vehicle with magnetic resonance properties.

PubMed

Liu, Tse-Ying; Huang, Hsin-Hui; Chen, Yen-Ju; Chen, Yu-Jen

2011-02-01

We developed a novel ultrasonically triggered drug vehicle with magnetic resonance (MR) properties by encapsulating superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles in hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated liposomes. The effects of HA coating on the background leakage, ultrasound response and MR signal were investigated. HA coating of liposomes significantly reduced the background leakage of liposome. It also enhanced their sensitivity to ultrasound regardless of HA thickness or ultrasound frequency, even under sonication conditions of high frequency (1 and 3 MHz) and low power density (0.2-0.4 Wcm(-2)) used for diagnosis. However, it was found that the ultrasonically triggered vehicle could exhibit T(2) contrast in MR images by encapsulating SPIO. However, HA coating reduced the r(2) value of SPIO encapsulated in liposomes, but had no significant effect on the r(2)(∗) value, implying that MR images of HA-coated liposomes encapsulating SPIO could be probed by the T(2)(∗) signal. Most importantly, the r(2)(∗)-r(2) value of HA-coated liposomes encapsulating SPIO decreased after sonication, suggesting that the proposed vehicle could be used not only as a MR-guided drug vehicle capable of ultrasonically triggered release but also as a MR reporter to probe ultrasonic triggering. Copyright © 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Benjamin; Tan, Jonathan C.; Christie, Duncan

We study giant molecular cloud (GMC) collisions and their ability to trigger star cluster formation. We further develop our three-dimensional magnetized, turbulent, colliding GMC simulations by implementing star formation subgrid models. Two such models are explored: (1) “Density-Regulated,” i.e., fixed efficiency per free-fall time above a set density threshold and (2) “Magnetically Regulated,” i.e., fixed efficiency per free-fall time in regions that are magnetically supercritical. Variations of parameters associated with these models are also explored. In the non-colliding simulations, the overall level of star formation is sensitive to model parameter choices that relate to effective density thresholds. In the GMCmore » collision simulations, the final star formation rates and efficiencies are relatively independent of these parameters. Between the non-colliding and colliding cases, we compare the morphologies of the resulting star clusters, properties of star-forming gas, time evolution of the star formation rate (SFR), spatial clustering of the stars, and resulting kinematics of the stars in comparison to the natal gas. We find that typical collisions, by creating larger amounts of dense gas, trigger earlier and enhanced star formation, resulting in 10 times higher SFRs and efficiencies. The star clusters formed from GMC collisions show greater spatial substructure and more disturbed kinematics.« less

Landslides Triggered by the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, C.

2018-04-01

The 25 April 2015 Gorkha Mw 7.8 earthquake in central Nepal caused a large number of casualties and serious property losses, and also induced numerous landslides. Based on visual interpretation of high-resolution optical satellite images pre- and post-earthquake and field reconnaissance, we delineated 47,200 coseismic landslides with a total distribution extent more than 35,000 km2, which occupy a total area about 110 km2. On the basis of a scale relationship between landslide area (A) and volume (V), V = 1.3147 × A1.2085, the total volume of the coseismic landslides is estimated to be about 9.64 × 108 m3. Calculation yields that the landslide number density, area density, and volume density are 1.32 km-2, 0.31 %, and 0.027 m, respectively. The spatial distribution of these landslides is consistent with that of the mainshock and aftershocks and the inferred causative fault, indicating the effect of the earthquake energy release on the pattern on coseismic landslides. This study provides a new, more detailed and objective inventory of the landslides triggered by the Gorkha earthquake, which would be significant for further study of genesis of coseismic landslides, hazard assessment and the long-term impact of the slope failure on the geological environment in the earthquake-scarred region.

Population Density Modulates Drug Inhibition and Gives Rise to Potential Bistability of Treatment Outcomes for Bacterial Infections.

PubMed

Karslake, Jason; Maltas, Jeff; Brumm, Peter; Wood, Kevin B

2016-10-01

The inoculum effect (IE) is an increase in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic as a function of the initial size of a microbial population. The IE has been observed in a wide range of bacteria, implying that antibiotic efficacy may depend on population density. Such density dependence could have dramatic effects on bacterial population dynamics and potential treatment strategies, but explicit measures of per capita growth as a function of density are generally not available. Instead, the IE measures MIC as a function of initial population size, and population density changes by many orders of magnitude on the timescale of the experiment. Therefore, the functional relationship between population density and antibiotic inhibition is generally not known, leaving many questions about the impact of the IE on different treatment strategies unanswered. To address these questions, here we directly measured real-time per capita growth of Enterococcus faecalis populations exposed to antibiotic at fixed population densities using multiplexed computer-automated culture devices. We show that density-dependent growth inhibition is pervasive for commonly used antibiotics, with some drugs showing increased inhibition and others decreased inhibition at high densities. For several drugs, the density dependence is mediated by changes in extracellular pH, a community-level phenomenon not previously linked with the IE. Using a simple mathematical model, we demonstrate how this density dependence can modulate population dynamics in constant drug environments. Then, we illustrate how time-dependent dosing strategies can mitigate the negative effects of density-dependence. Finally, we show that these density effects lead to bistable treatment outcomes for a wide range of antibiotic concentrations in a pharmacological model of antibiotic treatment. As a result, infections exceeding a critical density often survive otherwise effective treatments.

Population Density Modulates Drug Inhibition and Gives Rise to Potential Bistability of Treatment Outcomes for Bacterial Infections

PubMed Central

Maltas, Jeff; Brumm, Peter; Wood, Kevin B.

2016-01-01

The inoculum effect (IE) is an increase in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of an antibiotic as a function of the initial size of a microbial population. The IE has been observed in a wide range of bacteria, implying that antibiotic efficacy may depend on population density. Such density dependence could have dramatic effects on bacterial population dynamics and potential treatment strategies, but explicit measures of per capita growth as a function of density are generally not available. Instead, the IE measures MIC as a function of initial population size, and population density changes by many orders of magnitude on the timescale of the experiment. Therefore, the functional relationship between population density and antibiotic inhibition is generally not known, leaving many questions about the impact of the IE on different treatment strategies unanswered. To address these questions, here we directly measured real-time per capita growth of Enterococcus faecalis populations exposed to antibiotic at fixed population densities using multiplexed computer-automated culture devices. We show that density-dependent growth inhibition is pervasive for commonly used antibiotics, with some drugs showing increased inhibition and others decreased inhibition at high densities. For several drugs, the density dependence is mediated by changes in extracellular pH, a community-level phenomenon not previously linked with the IE. Using a simple mathematical model, we demonstrate how this density dependence can modulate population dynamics in constant drug environments. Then, we illustrate how time-dependent dosing strategies can mitigate the negative effects of density-dependence. Finally, we show that these density effects lead to bistable treatment outcomes for a wide range of antibiotic concentrations in a pharmacological model of antibiotic treatment. As a result, infections exceeding a critical density often survive otherwise effective treatments. PMID:27764095

Application of Fault Management Theory to the Quantitive Selection of a Launch Vehicle Abort Trigger Suite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lo, Yunnhon; Johnson, Stephen B.; Breckenridge, Jonathan T.

2014-01-01

SHM/FM theory has been successfully applied to the selection of the baseline set Abort Triggers for the NASA SLS center dot Quantitative assessment played a useful role in the decision process ? M&FM, which is new within NASA MSFC, required the most "new" work, as this quantitative analysis had never been done before center dot Required development of the methodology and tool to mechanize the process center dot Established new relationships to the other groups ? The process is now an accepted part of the SLS design process, and will likely be applied to similar programs in the future at NASA MSFC ? Future improvements center dot Improve technical accuracy ?Differentiate crew survivability due to an abort, vs. survivability even no immediate abort occurs (small explosion with little debris) ?Account for contingent dependence of secondary triggers on primary triggers ?Allocate "? LOC Benefit" of each trigger when added to the previously selected triggers. center dot Reduce future costs through the development of a specialized tool ? Methodology can be applied to any manned/unmanned vehicle, in space or terrestrial

Seismic link at plate boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramdani, Faical; Kettani, Omar; Tadili, Benaissa

2015-06-01

Seismic triggering at plate boundaries has a very complex nature that includes seismic events at varying distances. The spatial orientation of triggering cannot be reduced to sequences from the main shocks. Seismic waves propagate at all times in all directions, particularly in highly active zones. No direct evidence can be obtained regarding which earthquakes trigger the shocks. The first approach is to determine the potential linked zones where triggering may occur. The second step is to determine the causality between the events and their triggered shocks. The spatial orientation of the links between events is established from pre-ordered networks and the adapted dependence of the spatio-temporal occurrence of earthquakes. Based on a coefficient of synchronous seismic activity to grid couples, we derive a network link by each threshold. The links of high thresholds are tested using the coherence of time series to determine the causality and related orientation. The resulting link orientations at the plate boundary conditions indicate that causal triggering seems to be localized along a major fault, as a stress transfer between two major faults, and parallel to the geothermal area extension.

CS Emission Near MIR-bubbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, C.; Devine, Kathryn; Quintanar, N.; Candelaria, T.

2016-02-01

We survey 44 young stellar objects located near the edges of mid-IR-identified bubbles in CS (1-0) using the Green Bank Telescope. We detect emission in 18 sources, indicating young protostars that are good candidates for being triggered by the expansion of the bubble. We calculate CS column densities and abundances. Three sources show evidence of infall through non-Gaussian line-shapes. Two of these sources are associated with dark clouds and are promising candidates for further exploration of potential triggered star formation. We obtained on-the-fly maps in CS (1-0) of three sources, showing evidence of significant interactions between the sources and the surrounding environment.

Cosmic string loops as the seeds of super-massive black holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bramberger, Sebastian F.; Brandenberger, Robert H.; Jreidini, Paul

2015-06-01

Recent discoveries of super-massive black holes at high redshifts indicate a possible tension with the standard ΛCDM paradigm of early universe cosmology which has difficulties in explaining the origin of the required nonlinear compact seeds which trigger the formation of these super-massive black holes. Here we show that cosmic string loops which result from a scaling solution of strings formed during a phase transition in the very early universe lead to an additional source of compact seeds. The number density of string-induced seeds dominates at high redshifts and can help trigger the formation of the observed super-massive black holes.

Monte Carlo simulations of time-of-flight PET with double-ended readout: calibration, coincidence resolving times and statistical lower bounds

PubMed Central

Derenzo, Stephen E

2017-01-01

This paper demonstrates through Monte Carlo simulations that a practical positron emission tomograph with (1) deep scintillators for efficient detection, (2) double-ended readout for depth-of-interaction information, (3) fixed-level analog triggering, and (4) accurate calibration and timing data corrections can achieve a coincidence resolving time (CRT) that is not far above the statistical lower bound. One Monte Carlo algorithm simulates a calibration procedure that uses data from a positron point source. Annihilation events with an interaction near the entrance surface of one scintillator are selected, and data from the two photodetectors on the other scintillator provide depth-dependent timing corrections. Another Monte Carlo algorithm simulates normal operation using these corrections and determines the CRT. A third Monte Carlo algorithm determines the CRT statistical lower bound by generating a series of random interaction depths, and for each interaction a set of random photoelectron times for each of the two photodetectors. The most likely interaction times are determined by shifting the depth-dependent probability density function to maximize the joint likelihood for all the photoelectron times in each set. Example calculations are tabulated for different numbers of photoelectrons and photodetector time jitters for three 3 × 3 × 30 mm3 scintillators: Lu2SiO5:Ce,Ca (LSO), LaBr3:Ce, and a hypothetical ultra-fast scintillator. To isolate the factors that depend on the scintillator length and the ability to estimate the DOI, CRT values are tabulated for perfect scintillator-photodetectors. For LSO with 4000 photoelectrons and single photoelectron time jitter of the photodetector J = 0.2 ns (FWHM), the CRT value using the statistically weighted average of corrected trigger times is 0.098 ns FWHM and the statistical lower bound is 0.091 ns FWHM. For LaBr3:Ce with 8000 photoelectrons and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.070 and 0.063 ns FWHM, respectively. For the ultra-fast scintillator with 1 ns decay time, 4000 photoelectrons, and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.021 and 0.017 ns FWHM, respectively. The examples also show that calibration and correction for depth-dependent variations in pulse height and in annihilation and optical photon transit times are necessary to achieve these CRT values. PMID:28327464

Monte Carlo simulations of time-of-flight PET with double-ended readout: calibration, coincidence resolving times and statistical lower bounds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Derenzo, Stephen E.

Here, this paper demonstrates through Monte Carlo simulations that a practical positron emission tomograph with (1) deep scintillators for efficient detection, (2) double-ended readout for depth-of-interaction information, (3) fixed-level analog triggering, and (4) accurate calibration and timing data corrections can achieve a coincidence resolving time (CRT) that is not far above the statistical lower bound. One Monte Carlo algorithm simulates a calibration procedure that uses data from a positron point source. Annihilation events with an interaction near the entrance surface of one scintillator are selected, and data from the two photodetectors on the other scintillator provide depth-dependent timing corrections. Anothermore » Monte Carlo algorithm simulates normal operation using these corrections and determines the CRT. A third Monte Carlo algorithm determines the CRT statistical lower bound by generating a series of random interaction depths, and for each interaction a set of random photoelectron times for each of the two photodetectors. The most likely interaction times are determined by shifting the depth-dependent probability density function to maximize the joint likelihood for all the photoelectron times in each set. Example calculations are tabulated for different numbers of photoelectrons and photodetector time jitters for three 3 × 3 × 30 mm 3 scintillators: Lu 2SiO 5 :Ce,Ca (LSO), LaBr 3:Ce, and a hypothetical ultra-fast scintillator. To isolate the factors that depend on the scintillator length and the ability to estimate the DOI, CRT values are tabulated for perfect scintillator-photodetectors. For LSO with 4000 photoelectrons and single photoelectron time jitter of the photodetector J = 0.2 ns (FWHM), the CRT value using the statistically weighted average of corrected trigger times is 0.098 ns FWHM and the statistical lower bound is 0.091 ns FWHM. For LaBr 3:Ce with 8000 photoelectrons and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.070 and 0.063 ns FWHM, respectively. For the ultra-fast scintillator with 1 ns decay time, 4000 photoelectrons, and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.021 and 0.017 ns FWHM, respectively. Lastly, the examples also show that calibration and correction for depth-dependent variations in pulse height and in annihilation and optical photon transit times are necessary to achieve these CRT values.« less

Monte Carlo simulations of time-of-flight PET with double-ended readout: calibration, coincidence resolving times and statistical lower bounds

DOE PAGES

Derenzo, Stephen E.

2017-04-11

Here, this paper demonstrates through Monte Carlo simulations that a practical positron emission tomograph with (1) deep scintillators for efficient detection, (2) double-ended readout for depth-of-interaction information, (3) fixed-level analog triggering, and (4) accurate calibration and timing data corrections can achieve a coincidence resolving time (CRT) that is not far above the statistical lower bound. One Monte Carlo algorithm simulates a calibration procedure that uses data from a positron point source. Annihilation events with an interaction near the entrance surface of one scintillator are selected, and data from the two photodetectors on the other scintillator provide depth-dependent timing corrections. Anothermore » Monte Carlo algorithm simulates normal operation using these corrections and determines the CRT. A third Monte Carlo algorithm determines the CRT statistical lower bound by generating a series of random interaction depths, and for each interaction a set of random photoelectron times for each of the two photodetectors. The most likely interaction times are determined by shifting the depth-dependent probability density function to maximize the joint likelihood for all the photoelectron times in each set. Example calculations are tabulated for different numbers of photoelectrons and photodetector time jitters for three 3 × 3 × 30 mm 3 scintillators: Lu 2SiO 5 :Ce,Ca (LSO), LaBr 3:Ce, and a hypothetical ultra-fast scintillator. To isolate the factors that depend on the scintillator length and the ability to estimate the DOI, CRT values are tabulated for perfect scintillator-photodetectors. For LSO with 4000 photoelectrons and single photoelectron time jitter of the photodetector J = 0.2 ns (FWHM), the CRT value using the statistically weighted average of corrected trigger times is 0.098 ns FWHM and the statistical lower bound is 0.091 ns FWHM. For LaBr 3:Ce with 8000 photoelectrons and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.070 and 0.063 ns FWHM, respectively. For the ultra-fast scintillator with 1 ns decay time, 4000 photoelectrons, and J = 0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.021 and 0.017 ns FWHM, respectively. Lastly, the examples also show that calibration and correction for depth-dependent variations in pulse height and in annihilation and optical photon transit times are necessary to achieve these CRT values.« less

Spatial variation and density-dependent dispersal in competitive coexistence.

PubMed Central

Amarasekare, Priyanga

2004-01-01

It is well known that dispersal from localities favourable to a species' growth and reproduction (sources) can prevent competitive exclusion in unfavourable localities (sinks). What is perhaps less well known is that too much emigration can undermine the viability of sources and cause regional competitive exclusion. Here, I investigate two biological mechanisms that reduce the cost of dispersal to source communities. The first involves increasing the spatial variation in the strength of competition such that sources can withstand high rates of emigration; the second involves reducing emigration from sources via density-dependent dispersal. I compare how different forms of spatial variation and modes of dispersal influence source viability, and hence source-sink coexistence, under dominance and pre-emptive competition. A key finding is that, while spatial variation substantially reduces dispersal costs under both types of competition, density-dependent dispersal does so only under dominance competition. For instance, when spatial variation in the strength of competition is high, coexistence is possible (regardless of the type of competition) even when sources experience high emigration rates; when spatial variation is low, coexistence is restricted even under low emigration rates. Under dominance competition, density-dependent dispersal has a strong effect on coexistence. For instance, when the emigration rate increases with density at an accelerating rate (Type III density-dependent dispersal), coexistence is possible even when spatial variation is quite low; when the emigration rate increases with density at a decelerating rate (Type II density-dependent dispersal), coexistence is restricted even when spatial variation is quite high. Under pre-emptive competition, density-dependent dispersal has only a marginal effect on coexistence. Thus, the diversity-reducing effects of high dispersal rates persist under pre-emptive competition even when dispersal is density dependent, but can be significantly mitigated under dominance competition if density-dependent dispersal is Type III rather than Type II. These results lead to testable predictions about source-sink coexistence under different regimes of competition, spatial variation and dispersal. They identify situations in which density-independent dispersal provides a reasonable approximation to species' dispersal patterns, and those under which consideration of density-dependent dispersal is crucial to predicting long-term coexistence. PMID:15306322

A comparison of solar wind and ionospheric ion acoustic waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kintner, P. M.; Kelley, M. C.

1980-01-01

Ion acoustic waves produced during the Trigger experiment are compared to ion acoustic waves observed in the solar wind. After normalizing to the Debye length the spectra are nearly identical, although the ionospheric wave relative energy density is 100 times larger than the solar wind case.

Electron dynamics in high energy density plasma bunch generation driven by intense picosecond laser pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, M.; Yuan, T.; Xu, Y. X.; Luo, S. N.

2018-05-01

When an intense picosecond laser pulse is loaded upon a dense plasma, a high energy density plasma bunch, including electron bunch and ion bunch, can be generated in the target. We simulate this process through one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation and find that the electron bunch generation is mainly due to a local high energy density electron sphere originated in the plasma skin layer. Once generated the sphere rapidly expands to compress the surrounding electrons and induce high density electron layer, coupled with that, hot electrons are efficiently triggered in the local sphere and traveling in the whole target. Under the compressions of light pressure, forward-running and backward-running hot electrons, a high energy density electron bunch generates. The bunch energy density is as high as TJ/m3 order of magnitude in our conditions, which is significant in laser driven dynamic high pressure generation and may find applications in high energy density physics.

When can a single-species, density-dependent model capture the dynamics of a consumer-resource system?

PubMed

Reynolds, Sara A; Brassil, Chad E

2013-12-21

Single-species population models often include density-dependence phenomenologically in order to approximate higher order mechanisms. Here we consider the common scenario in which density-dependence acts via depletion of a renewed resource. When the response of the resource is very quick relative to that of the consumer, the consumer dynamics can be captured by a single-species, density-dependent model. Time scale separation is used to show analytically how the shape of the density-dependent relationship depends on the type of resource and the form of the functional response. Resource types of abiotic, biotic, and biotic with migration are considered, in combination with linear and saturating functional responses. In some cases, we derive familiar forms of single-species models, adding to the justification for their use. In other scenarios novel forms of density-dependence are derived, for example an abiotic resource and a saturating functional response can result in a nonlinear density-dependent relationship in the associated single-species model of the consumer. In this case, the per capita relationship has both concave-up and concave-down sections. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parasitism and a shortage of refuges jointly mediate the strength of density dependence in a reef fish.

PubMed

Forrester, Graham E; Finley, Rachel J

2006-05-01

Various predator-prey, host-pathogen, and competitive interactions can combine to cause density dependence in population growth. Despite this possibility, most empirical tests for density-dependent interactions have focused on single mechanisms. Here we tested the hypothesis that two mechanisms of density dependence, parasitism and a shortage of refuges, jointly influence the strength of density-dependent mortality. We used mark-recapture analysis to estimate mortality of the host species, the bridled goby (Coryphopterus glaucofraenum). Sixty-three marked gobies were infected with a copepod gill parasite (Pharodes tortugensis), and 188 were uninfected. We used the spatial scale at which gobies were clustered naturally (approximately 4 m2) as an ecologically relevant neighborhood and measured goby density and the availability of refuges from predators within each goby's neighborhood. Goby survival generally declined with increasing density, and this decline was steeper for gobies with access to few refuges than for gobies in neighborhoods where refuges were common. The negative effects of high density and refuge shortage were also more severe for parasitized gobies than for gobies free of parasites. This parasite has characteristics typical of emerging diseases and appears to have altered the strength of a preexisting density-dependent interaction.

Gas Hydrate Exploration, Mid Chilean Coast; Geochemical-Geophysical Survey

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-27

design for the piston core provided a more safe core delivery and retrieval protocol with changes in the messenger weight and triggering mechanism ...selection of samples that were analyzed onboard depended on key data needed to assist in sample station selection and the ability to transport and...weight and triggering mechanism . Through the cruise there were 17 piston coring attempts resulting in 15 successful cores. Failures in the core

Compassion fatigue in nurses.

PubMed

Yoder, Elizabeth A

2010-11-01

Compassion fatigue, trigger situations, and coping strategies were investigated in hospital and home care nurses. The Professional Quality of Life Scale measured compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout. Narrative questions elicited trigger situations and coping strategies. Compassion fatigue scores were significantly different between nurses who worked 8- or 12-hour shifts. Fifteen percent of the participants had scores indicating risk of the compassion fatigue. There were significant differences in compassion satisfaction, depending on the unit worked and time as a nurse. The most common category of trigger situations was caring for the patient. Work-related and personal coping strategies were identified. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ATIC Flight Data Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahn, H. S.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The first flight of the Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter (ATIC) experiment from McMurdo, Antarctica lasted for 16 days, starting in December, 2000. The ATIC instrument consists of a fully active 320-crystal, 960-channel Bismuth Germanate (BGO) calorimeter, 202 scintillator strips in 3 hodoscopes interleaved with a graphite target, and a 4480-pixel silicon matrix charge detector. We have developed an Object Oriented data processing package based on ROOT. In this paper, we will describe the data processing scheme used in handling the accumulated 45 GB of flight data. We will also discuss trigger issues by comparing the measured energy-dependent trigger efficiency with its simulation and calibration issues by considering the time-dependence of housekeeping information, etc.

Induction of Sirt1 by Mechanical Stretch of Skeletal Muscle through the Early Response Factor EGR1 Triggers an Antioxidative Response*

PubMed Central

Pardo, Patricia S.; Mohamed, Junaith S.; Lopez, Michael A.; Boriek, Aladin M.

2011-01-01

Mechanical loading of muscles by intrinsic muscle activity or passive stretch leads to an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (1, 2). The NAD-dependent protein deacetylase SIRT1 is involved in the protection against oxidative stress by enhancing FOXO-driven Sod2 transcription (3–5). In this report, we unravel a mechanism triggered by mechanical stretch of skeletal muscle cells that leads to an EGR1-dependent transcriptional activation of the Sirt1 gene. The resulting transient increase in SIRT1 expression generates an antioxidative response that contributes to reactive oxygen species scavenging. PMID:20971845

Paediatric cerebrovascular CT angiography-towards better image quality.

PubMed

Thust, Stefanie C; Chong, Wui Khean Kling; Gunny, Roxana; Mazumder, Asif; Poitelea, Marius; Welsh, Anna; Ederies, Ash; Mankad, Kshitij

2014-12-01

Paediatric cerebrovascular CT angiography (CTA) can be challenging to perform due to variable cardiovascular physiology between different age groups and the risk of movement artefact. This analysis aimed to determine what proportion of CTA at our institution was of diagnostic quality and identify technical factors which could be improved. a retrospective analysis of 20 cases was performed at a national paediatric neurovascular centre assessing image quality with a subjective scoring system and Hounsfield Unit (HU) measurements. Demographic data, contrast dose, flow rate and triggering times were recorded for each patient. Using a qualitative scoring system, 75% of studies were found to be of diagnostic quality (n=9 'good', n=6 'satisfactory') and 25% (n=5) were 'poor'. Those judged subjectively to be poor had arterial contrast density measured at less than 250 HU. Increased arterial opacification was achieved for cases performed with an increased flow rate (2.5-4 mL/s) and higher intravenous contrast dose (2 mL/kg). Triggering was found to be well timed in nine cases, early in four cases and late in seven cases. Of the scans triggered early, 75% were poor. Of the scans triggered late, less (29%) were poor. High flow rates (>2.5 mL/s) were a key factor for achieving high quality paediatric cerebrovascular CTA imaging. However, appropriate triggering by starting the scan immediately on contrast opacification of the monitoring vessel plays an important role and could maintain image quality when flow rates were lower. Early triggering appeared more detrimental than late.

Decay of aftershock density with distance does not indicate triggering by dynamic stress

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richards-Dinger, K.; Stein, R.S.; Toda, S.

2010-01-01

Resolving whether static or dynamic stress triggers most aftershocks and subsequent mainshocks is essential to understand earthquake interaction and to forecast seismic hazard. Felzer and Brodsky examined the distance distribution of earthquakes occurring in the first five minutes after 2 ≤ M  M  M ≥ 2 aftershocks showed a uniform power-law decay with slope −1.35 out to 50 km from the mainshocks. From this they argued that the distance decay could be explained only by dynamic triggering. Here we propose an alternative explanation for the decay, and subject their hypothesis to a series of tests, none of which it passes. At distances more than 300 m from the 2 ≤  M< 3 mainshocks, the seismicity decay 5 min before the mainshocks is indistinguishable from the decay five minutes afterwards, indicating that the mainshocks have no effect at distances outside their static triggering range. Omori temporal decay, the fundamental signature of aftershocks, is absent at distances exceeding 10 km from the mainshocks. Finally, the distance decay is found among aftershocks that occur before the arrival of the seismic wave front from the mainshock, which violates causality. We argue that Felzer and Brodsky implicitly assume that the first of two independent aftershocks along a fault rupture triggers the second, and that the first of two shocks in a creep- or intrusion-driven swarm triggers the second, when this need not be the case.

Triggered Slow Slip and Afterslip on the Southern Hikurangi Subduction Zone Following the Kaikōura Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Laura M.; Hreinsdóttir, Sigrún; Ellis, Susan; Hamling, Ian; D'Anastasio, Elisabetta; Denys, Paul

2018-05-01

The 2016 MW7.8 Kaikōura earthquake ruptured a complex sequence of strike-slip and reverse faults in New Zealand's northeastern South Island. In the months following the earthquake, time-dependent inversions of Global Positioning System and interferometric synthetic aperture radar data reveal up to 0.5 m of afterslip on the subduction interface beneath the northern South Island underlying the crustal faults that ruptured in the earthquake. This is clear evidence that the far southern end of the Hikurangi subduction zone accommodates plate motion. The MW7.8 earthquake also triggered widespread slow slip over much of the subduction zone beneath the North Island. The triggered slow slip included immediate triggering of shallow (<15 km), short (2-3 weeks) slow slip events along much of the east coast, and deep (>30 km), long-term (>1 year) slow slip beneath the southern North Island. The southern Hikurangi slow slip was likely triggered by large (0.5-1.0 MPa) static Coulomb stress increases.

Density-dependent effects on physical condition and reproduction in North American elk: an experimental test.

Treesearch

Kelley M. Stewart; R. Terry Bowyer; Brian L. Dick; Bruce K. Johnson; John G. Kie

2005-01-01

Density dependence plays a key role in life-history characteristics and population ecology of large, herbivorous mammals. We designed a manipulative experiment to test hypotheses relating effects of density-dependent mechanisms on physical condition and fecundity of North American elk (Cervus elaphus) by creating populations at low and high density...

Bacterial superantigens bypass Lck-dependent T cell receptor signaling by activating a Galpha11-dependent, PLC-beta-mediated pathway.

PubMed

Bueno, Clara; Lemke, Caitlin D; Criado, Gabriel; Baroja, Miren L; Ferguson, Stephen S G; Rahman, A K M Nur-Ur; Tsoukas, Constantine D; McCormick, John K; Madrenas, Joaquin

2006-07-01

The paradigm to explain antigen-dependent T cell receptor (TCR) signaling is based on the activation of the CD4 or CD8 coreceptor-associated kinase Lck. It is widely assumed that this paradigm is also applicable to signaling by bacterial superantigens. However, these bacterial toxins can activate human T cells lacking Lck, suggesting the existence of an additional pathway of TCR signaling. Here we showed that this alternative pathway operates in the absence of Lck-dependent tyrosine-phosphorylation events and was initiated by the TCR-dependent activation of raft-enriched heterotrimeric Galpha11 proteins. This event, in turn, activated a phospholipase C-beta and protein kinase C-mediated cascade that turned on the mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK-1 and ERK-2, triggered Ca(2+) influx, and translocated the transcription factors NF-AT and NF-kappaB to the nucleus, ultimately inducing the production of interleukin-2 in Lck-deficient T cells. The triggering of this alternative pathway by superantigens suggests that these toxins use a G protein-coupled receptor as a coreceptor on T cells.

Quantum chemical methods for the investigation of photoinitiated processes in biological systems: theory and applications.

PubMed

Dreuw, Andreas

2006-11-13

With the advent of modern computers and advances in the development of efficient quantum chemical computer codes, the meaningful computation of large molecular systems at a quantum mechanical level became feasible. Recent experimental effort to understand photoinitiated processes in biological systems, for instance photosynthesis or vision, at a molecular level also triggered theoretical investigations in this field. In this Minireview, standard quantum chemical methods are presented that are applicable and recently used for the calculation of excited states of photoinitiated processes in biological molecular systems. These methods comprise configuration interaction singles, the complete active space self-consistent field method, and time-dependent density functional theory and its variants. Semiempirical approaches are also covered. Their basic theoretical concepts and mathematical equations are briefly outlined, and their properties and limitations are discussed. Recent successful applications of the methods to photoinitiated processes in biological systems are described and theoretical tools for the analysis of excited states are presented.

Many-body physics in two-component Bose–Einstein condensates in a cavity: fragmented superradiance and polarization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lode, Axel U. J.; Diorico, Fritz S.; Wu, RuGway; Molignini, Paolo; Papariello, Luca; Lin, Rui; Lévêque, Camille; Exl, Lukas; Tsatsos, Marios C.; Chitra, R.; Mauser, Norbert J.

2018-05-01

We consider laser-pumped one-dimensional two-component bosons in a parabolic trap embedded in a high-finesse optical cavity. Above a threshold pump power, the photons that populate the cavity modify the effective atom trap and mediate a coupling between the two components of the Bose–Einstein condensate. We calculate the ground state of the laser-pumped system and find different stages of self-organization depending on the power of the laser. The modified potential and the laser-mediated coupling between the atomic components give rise to rich many-body physics: an increase of the pump power triggers a self-organization of the atoms while an even larger pump power causes correlations between the self-organized atoms—the BEC becomes fragmented and the reduced density matrix acquires multiple macroscopic eigenvalues. In this fragmented superradiant state, the atoms can no longer be described as two-level systems and the mapping of the system to the Dicke model breaks down.

Group 1 mGluR-dependent synaptic long-term depression (mGluR-LTD): mechanisms and implications for circuitry & disease

PubMed Central

Lüscher, Christian; Huber, Kimberly M.

2010-01-01

Many excitatory synapses express Group 1, or Gq coupled, metabotropic glutamate receptors (Gp1 mGluRs) at the periphery of their postsynaptic density. Activation of Gp1 mGluRs typically occurs in response to strong activity and triggers long-term plasticity of synaptic transmission in many brain regions including the neocortex, hippocampus, midbrain, striatum and cerebellum. Here we focus on mGluR-induced long-term synaptic depression (LTD) and review the literature that implicates Gp1 mGluRs in the plasticity of behavior, learning and memory. Moreover, recent studies investigating the molecular mechanisms of mGluR-LTD have discovered links to mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and drug addiction. We discuss how mGluRs lead to plasticity of neural circuits and how the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of mGluR plasticity provides insight into brain disease. PMID:20188650

Cloud fluid models of gas dynamics and star formation in galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Struck-Marcell, Curtis; Scalo, John M.; Appleton, P. N.

1987-01-01

The large dynamic range of star formation in galaxies, and the apparently complex environmental influences involved in triggering or suppressing star formation, challenges the understanding. The key to this understanding may be the detailed study of simple physical models for the dominant nonlinear interactions in interstellar cloud systems. One such model is described, a generalized Oort model cloud fluid, and two simple applications of it are explored. The first of these is the relaxation of an isolated volume of cloud fluid following a disturbance. Though very idealized, this closed box study suggests a physical mechanism for starbursts, which is based on the approximate commensurability of massive cloud lifetimes and cloud collisional growth times. The second application is to the modeling of colliding ring galaxies. In this case, the driving processes operating on a dynamical timescale interact with the local cloud processes operating on the above timescale. The results is a variety of interesting nonequilibrium behaviors, including spatial variations of star formation that do not depend monotonically on gas density.

Many-body delocalization with random vector potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Chen; Mondaini, Rubem

In this talk we present the ergodic properties of excited states in a model of interacting fermions in quasi-one dimensional chains subjected to a random vector potential. In the non-interacting limit, we show that arbitrarily small values of this complex off-diagonal disorder triggers localization for the whole spectrum; the divergence of the localization length in the single particle basis is characterized by a critical exponent ν which depends on the energy density being investigated. However, when short-ranged interactions are included, the localization is lost and the system is ergodic regardless of the magnitude of disorder in finite chains. Our numerical results suggest a delocalization scheme for arbitrary small values of interactions. This finding indicates that the standard scenario of the many-body localization cannot be obtained in a model with random gauge fields. This research is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant Nos. U1530401 and 11674021). RM also acknowledges support from NSFC (Grant No. 11650110441).

Density-Dependent Effects on Group Size Are Sex-Specific in a Gregarious Ungulate

PubMed Central

Vander Wal, Eric; van Beest, Floris M.; Brook, Ryan K.

2013-01-01

Density dependence can have marked effects on social behaviors such as group size. We tested whether changes in population density of a large herbivore (elk, Cervus canadensis) affected sex-specific group size and whether the response was density- or frequency-dependent. We quantified the probability and strength of changes in group sizes and dispersion as population density changed for each sex. We used group size data from a population of elk in Manitoba, Canada, that was experimentally reduced from 1.20 to 0.67 elk/km2 between 2002 and 2009. Our results indicated that functional responses of group size to population density are sex-specific. Females showed a positive density-dependent response in group size at population densities ≥0.70 elk/km2 and we found evidence for a minimum group size at population density ≤0.70 elk/km2. Changes in male group size were also density-dependent; however, the strength of the relationship was lower than for females. Density dependence in male group size was predominantly a result of fusion of solitary males into larger groups, rather than fusion among existing groups. Our study revealed that density affects group size of a large herbivore differently between males and females, which has important implications for the benefits e.g., alleviating predation risk, and costs of social behaviors e.g., competition for resources and mates, and intra-specific pathogen transmission. PMID:23326502

Crossing to safety: dispersal, colonization and mate choice in evolutionarily distinct populations of Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus.

PubMed

O'Corry-Crowe, Greg; Gelatt, Tom; Rea, Lorrie; Bonin, Carolina; Rehberg, Michael

2014-11-01

Population growth typically involves range expansion and establishment of new breeding sites, while the opposite occurs during declines. Although density dependence is widely invoked in theoretical studies of emigration and colonization in expanding populations, few empirical studies have documented the mechanisms. Still fewer have documented the direction and mechanisms of individual transfer in declining populations. Here, we screen large numbers of pups sampled on their natal rookeries for variation in mtDNA (n = 1106) and 16 microsatellite loci (n = 588) and show that new Steller sea lion breeding sites did not follow the typical paradigm and were instead colonized by sea lions from both a declining (Endangered) population and an increasing population. Dispersing individuals colonized rookeries in the distributional hiatus between two evolutionarily distinct (Φ¯(st) = 0.222, R¯(st) = 0.053, K = 2) metapopulations recently described as separate subspecies. Hardy-Weinberg, mixed-stock and relatedness analysis revealed levels of interbreeding on the new rookeries that exclude (i) assortative mating among eastern and western forms, and (ii) inbreeding avoidance as primary motivations for dispersal. Positive and negative density dependence is implicated in both cases of individual transfer. Migration distance limits, and conspecific attraction and performance likely influenced the sequence of rookery colonizations. This study demonstrates that resource limitation may trigger an exodus of breeding animals from declining populations, with substantial impacts on distribution and patterns of genetic variation. It also revealed that this event is rare because colonists dispersed across an evolutionary boundary, suggesting that the causative factors behind recent declines are unusual or of larger magnitude than normally occur. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Permanent Whisker Removal Reduces the Density of c-Fos+ Cells and the Expression of Calbindin Protein, Disrupts Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Affects Spatial-Memory-Related Tasks.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Perez, Oscar; López-Virgen, Verónica; Ibarra-Castaneda, Nereida

2018-01-01

Facial vibrissae, commonly known as whiskers, are the main sensitive tactile system in rodents. Whisker stimulation triggers neuronal activity that promotes neural plasticity in the barrel cortex (BC) and helps create spatial maps in the adult hippocampus. Moreover, activity-dependent inputs and calcium homeostasis modulate adult neurogenesis. Therefore, the neuronal activity of the BC possibly regulates hippocampal functions and neurogenesis. To assess whether tactile information from facial whiskers may modulate hippocampal functions and neurogenesis, we permanently eliminated whiskers in CD1 male mice and analyzed the effects in cellular composition, molecular expression and memory processing in the adult hippocampus. Our data indicated that the permanent deprivation of whiskers reduced in 4-fold the density of c-Fos+ cells (a calcium-dependent immediate early gene) in cornu ammonis subfields (CA1, CA2 and CA3) and 4.5-fold the dentate gyrus (DG). A significant reduction in the expression of calcium-binding proteincalbindin-D 28k was also observed in granule cells of the DG. Notably, these changes coincided with an increase in apoptosis and a decrease in the proliferation of neural precursor cells in the DG, which ultimately reduced the number of Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)+NeuN+ mature neurons generated after whisker elimination. These abnormalities in the hippocampus were associated with a significant impairment of spatial memory and navigation skills. This is the first evidence indicating that tactile inputs from vibrissal follicles strongly modify the expression of c-Fos and calbindin in the DG, disrupt different aspects of hippocampal neurogenesis, and support the notion that spatial memory and navigation skills strongly require tactile information in the hippocampus.

Causes and consequences of complex population dynamics in an annual plant, Cardamine pensylvanica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crone, E.E.

1995-11-08

The relative importance of density-dependent and density-independent factors in determining the population dynamics of plants has been widely debated with little resolution. In this thesis, the author explores the effects of density-dependent population regulation on population dynamics in Cardamine pensylvanica, an annual plant. In the first chapter, she shows that experimental populations of C. pensylvanica cycled from high to low density in controlled constant-environment conditions. These cycles could not be explained by external environmental changes or simple models of direct density dependence (N{sub t+1} = f[N{sub t}]), but they could be explained by delayed density dependence (N{sub t+1} = f[N{submore » t}, N{sub t+1}]). In the second chapter, she shows that the difference in the stability properties of population growth models with and without delayed density dependence is due to the presence of Hopf as well as slip bifurcations from stable to chaotic population dynamics. She also measures delayed density dependence due to effects of parental density on offspring quality in C. pensylvanica and shows that this is large enough to be the cause of the population dynamics observed in C. pensylvanica. In the third chapter, the author extends her analyses of density-dependent population growth models to include interactions between competing species. In the final chapter, she compares the effects of fixed spatial environmental variation and variation in population size on the evolutionary response of C. pensylvanica populations.« less

Single Prazosin Infusion in Prelimbic Cortex Fosters Extinction of Amphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference.

PubMed

Latagliata, Emanuele C; Lo Iacono, Luisa; Chiacchierini, Giulia; Sancandi, Marco; Rava, Alessandro; Oliva, Valeria; Puglisi-Allegra, Stefano

2017-01-01

Exposure to drug-associated cues to induce extinction is a useful strategy to contrast cue-induced drug seeking. Norepinephrine (NE) transmission in medial prefrontal cortex has a role in the acquisition and extinction of conditioned place preference induced by amphetamine. We have reported recently that NE in prelimbic cortex delays extinction of amphetamine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). A potential involvement of α1-adrenergic receptors in the extinction of appetitive conditioned response has been also suggested, although their role in prelimbic cortex has not been yet fully investigated. Here, we investigated the effects of the α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin infusion in the prelimbic cortex of C57BL/6J mice on expression and extinction of amphetamine-induced CPP. Acute prelimbic prazosin did not affect expression of amphetamine-induced CPP on the day of infusion, while in subsequent days it produced a clear-cut advance of extinction of preference for the compartment previously paired with amphetamine (Conditioned stimulus, CS). Moreover, prazosin-treated mice that had extinguished CS preference showed increased mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF ) and post-synaptic density 95 ( PSD-95 ) in the nucleus accumbens shell or core, respectively, thus suggesting that prelimbic α1-adrenergic receptor blockade triggers neural adaptations in subcortical areas that could contribute to the extinction of cue-induced drug-seeking behavior. These results show that the pharmacological blockade of α1-adrenergic receptors in prelimbic cortex by a single infusion is able to induce extinction of amphetamine-induced CPP long before control (vehicle) animals, an effect depending on contingent exposure to retrieval, since if infused far from or after reactivation it did not affect preference. Moreover, they suggest strongly that the behavioral effects depend on post-treatment neuroplasticity changes in corticolimbic network, triggered by a possible "priming" effect of prazosin, and point to a potential therapeutic power of the antagonist for maladaptive memories.

Prompt triggering of edge localized modes through lithium granule injection on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunsford, Robert; Sun, Z.; Hu, J. S.; Xu, W.; Zuo, G. Z.; Gong, X. Z.; Wan, B. N.; Li, J. G.; Huang, M.; Maingi, R.; Diallo, A.; Tritz, K.; the EAST Team

2017-10-01

We report successful triggering of edge localized mode (ELMs) in EAST with Lithium (Li) micropellets, and the observed dependence of ELM triggering efficiency on granule size. ELM control is essential for successful ITER operation throughout the entire campaign, relying on magnetic perturbations for ELM suppression and ELM frequency enhancement via pellet injection. To separate the task of fueling from ELM pacing, we initiate the prompt generation of ELMs via impurity granule injection. Lithium granules ranging in size from 200 - 1000 microns are mechanically injected into upper-single null EAST long pulse H-mode discharges. The injections are monitored for their effect on high Z impurity accumulation and to assess the pressure perturbation required for reliable ELM triggering. We have determined that granules of diameter larger than 600 microns (corresponding to 5.2 x 1018 Li atoms) are successful at triggering ELMs more than 90% of the time. The triggering efficiency drops precipitously to less than 40% as the granule size is reduced to 400 microns (1.5 x 1018 Li atoms), indicating a triggering threshold has been crossed. Using this information an optimal impurity granule size which will regularly trigger a prompt ELM in these EAST discharges is determined. Coupling these results with alternate discharge scenarios on EAST and similar experiments performed on DIII-D provides the possibility of extrapolation to future devices.

S -Nitrosylation inhibits the kinase activity of tomato phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Jian-Zhong; Duan, Jicheng; Ni, Min

It is well known that the reactive oxygen species NO can trigger cell death in plants and other organisms, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Here we provide evidence that NO may trigger cell death in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by inhibiting the activity of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (SlPDK1), a conserved negative regulator of cell death in yeasts, mammals, and plants, via S-nitrosylation. Biotin-switch assays indicated that SlPDK1 is a target of S-nitrosylation. Moreover, the kinase activity of SlPDK1 was inhibited by S-nitrosoglutathione in a concentration-dependent manner, indicating that SlPDK1 activity is abrogated by S-nitrosylation. The S-nitrosoglutathione–induced inhibitionmore » was reversible in the presence of a reducing agent but additively enhanced by hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2). Our LC-MS/MS analyses further indicated that SlPDK1 is primarily S-nitrosylated on a cysteine residue at position 128 (Cys 128), and substitution of Cys 128 with serine completely abolished SlPDK1 kinase activity, suggesting that S-nitrosylation of Cys 128 is responsible for SlPDK1 inhibition. In summary, our results establish a potential link between NO-triggered cell death and inhibition of the kinase activity of tomato PDK1.« less

Catalase and NO CATALASE ACTIVITY1 Promote Autophagy-Dependent Cell Death in Arabidopsis[C][W][OPEN

PubMed Central

Hackenberg, Thomas; Juul, Trine; Auzina, Aija; Gwiżdż, Sonia; Małolepszy, Anna; Van Der Kelen, Katrien; Dam, Svend; Bressendorff, Simon; Lorentzen, Andrea; Roepstorff, Peter; Lehmann Nielsen, Kåre; Jørgensen, Jan-Elo; Hofius, Daniel; Breusegem, Frank Van; Petersen, Morten; Andersen, Stig Uggerhøj

2013-01-01

Programmed cell death often depends on generation of reactive oxygen species, which can be detoxified by antioxidative enzymes, including catalases. We previously isolated catalase-deficient mutants (cat2) in a screen for resistance to hydroxyurea-induced cell death. Here, we identify an Arabidopsis thaliana hydroxyurea-resistant autophagy mutant, atg2, which also shows reduced sensitivity to cell death triggered by the bacterial effector avrRpm1. To test if catalase deficiency likewise affected both hydroxyurea and avrRpm1 sensitivity, we selected mutants with extremely low catalase activities and showed that they carried mutations in a gene that we named NO CATALASE ACTIVITY1 (NCA1). nca1 mutants showed severely reduced activities of all three catalase isoforms in Arabidopsis, and loss of NCA1 function led to strong suppression of RPM1-triggered cell death. Basal and starvation-induced autophagy appeared normal in the nca1 and cat2 mutants. By contrast, autophagic degradation induced by avrRpm1 challenge was compromised, indicating that catalase acted upstream of immunity-triggered autophagy. The direct interaction of catalase with reactive oxygen species could allow catalase to act as a molecular link between reactive oxygen species and the promotion of autophagy-dependent cell death. PMID:24285797

S -Nitrosylation inhibits the kinase activity of tomato phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1)

DOE PAGES

Liu, Jian-Zhong; Duan, Jicheng; Ni, Min; ...

2017-09-29

It is well known that the reactive oxygen species NO can trigger cell death in plants and other organisms, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Here we provide evidence that NO may trigger cell death in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by inhibiting the activity of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (SlPDK1), a conserved negative regulator of cell death in yeasts, mammals, and plants, via S-nitrosylation. Biotin-switch assays indicated that SlPDK1 is a target of S-nitrosylation. Moreover, the kinase activity of SlPDK1 was inhibited by S-nitrosoglutathione in a concentration-dependent manner, indicating that SlPDK1 activity is abrogated by S-nitrosylation. The S-nitrosoglutathione–induced inhibitionmore » was reversible in the presence of a reducing agent but additively enhanced by hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2). Our LC-MS/MS analyses further indicated that SlPDK1 is primarily S-nitrosylated on a cysteine residue at position 128 (Cys 128), and substitution of Cys 128 with serine completely abolished SlPDK1 kinase activity, suggesting that S-nitrosylation of Cys 128 is responsible for SlPDK1 inhibition. In summary, our results establish a potential link between NO-triggered cell death and inhibition of the kinase activity of tomato PDK1.« less

Isoform-specific PKA dynamics revealed by dye-triggered aggregation and DAKAP1alpha-mediated localization in living cells.

PubMed

Martin, Brent R; Deerinck, Thomas J; Ellisman, Mark H; Taylor, Susan S; Tsien, Roger Y

2007-09-01

The tetracysteine sequence YRECCPGCCMWR fused to the N terminus of green fluorescent protein (GFP) self-aggregates upon biarsenical labeling in living cells or in vitro. Such dye-triggered aggregates form temperature-dependent morphologies and are dispersed by photobleaching. Fusion of the biarsenical aggregating GFP to the regulatory (R) or catalytic (C) subunit of PKA traps intact holoenzyme in compact fluorescent puncta upon biarsenical labeling. Contrary to the classical model of PKA activation, elevated cAMP does not allow RIalpha and Calpha to diffuse far apart unless the pseudosubstrate inhibitor PKI or locally concentrated substrate is coexpressed. However, RIIalpha releases Calpha upon elevated cAMP alone, dependent on autophosphorylation of the RIIalpha inhibitory domain. DAKAP1alpha overexpression induced R and C outer mitochondrial colocalization and showed similar regulation. Overall, effective separation of type I PKA is substrate dependent, whereas type II PKA dissociation relies on autophosphorylation.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2)-dependent Oligomerization of Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) Triggers the Formation of a Lipidic Membrane Pore Implicated in Unconventional Secretion*

PubMed Central

Steringer, Julia P.; Bleicken, Stephanie; Andreas, Helena; Zacherl, Sonja; Laussmann, Mareike; Temmerman, Koen; Contreras, F. Xabier; Bharat, Tanmay A. M.; Lechner, Johannes; Müller, Hans-Michael; Briggs, John A. G.; García-Sáez, Ana J.; Nickel, Walter

2012-01-01

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is a critical mitogen with a central role in specific steps of tumor-induced angiogenesis. It is known to be secreted by unconventional means bypassing the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi-dependent secretory pathway. However, the mechanism of FGF2 membrane translocation into the extracellular space has remained elusive. Here, we show that phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate-dependent membrane recruitment causes FGF2 to oligomerize, which in turn triggers the formation of a lipidic membrane pore with a putative toroidal structure. This process is strongly up-regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation of FGF2. Our findings explain key requirements of FGF2 secretion from living cells and suggest a novel self-sustained mechanism of protein translocation across membranes with a lipidic membrane pore being a transient translocation intermediate. PMID:22730382

The spread of Ras activity triggered by activation of a single dendritic spine.

PubMed

Harvey, Christopher D; Yasuda, Ryohei; Zhong, Haining; Svoboda, Karel

2008-07-04

In neurons, individual dendritic spines isolate N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated calcium ion (Ca2+) accumulations from the dendrite and other spines. However, the extent to which spines compartmentalize signaling events downstream of Ca2+ influx is not known. We combined two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging with two-photon glutamate uncaging to image the activity of the small guanosine triphosphatase Ras after NMDA receptor activation at individual spines. Induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) triggered robust Ca2+-dependent Ras activation in single spines that decayed in approximately 5 minutes. Ras activity spread over approximately 10 micrometers of dendrite and invaded neighboring spines by diffusion. The spread of Ras-dependent signaling was necessary for the local regulation of the threshold for LTP induction. Thus, Ca2+-dependent synaptic signals can spread to couple multiple synapses on short stretches of dendrite.

Two-stage control of an oxidative stress regulon: the Escherichia coli SoxR protein triggers redox-inducible expression of the soxS regulatory gene.

PubMed Central

Nunoshiba, T; Hidalgo, E; Amábile Cuevas, C F; Demple, B

1992-01-01

Escherichia coli responds to the redox stress imposed by superoxide-generating agents such as paraquat by activating the synthesis of as many as 80 polypeptides. Expression of a key group of these inducible proteins is controlled at the transcriptional level by the soxRS locus (the soxRS regulon). A two-stage control system was hypothesized for soxRS, in which an intracellular redox signal would trigger the SoxR protein as a transcriptional activator of the soxS gene and the resulting increased levels of SoxS protein would activate transcription of the various soxRS regulon genes (B. Demple and C.F. Amábile Cuevas, Cell 67:837-839, 1990). We have constructed operon fusions of the E. coli lac genes to the soxS promoter to monitor soxS transcription. Expression from the soxS promoter is strongly inducible by paraquat in a manner strictly dependent on a functional soxR gene. Several other superoxide-generating agents also trigger soxR(+)-dependent soxS expression, and the inductions by paraquat and phenazine methosulfate were dependent on the presence of oxygen. Numerous other oxidative stress agents (H2O2, gamma rays, heat shock, etc.) failed to induce soxS, while aerobic growth of superoxide dismutase-deficient bacteria triggered soxR-dependent soxS expression. These results indicate a specific redox signal for soxS induction. A direct role for SoxR protein in the activation of the soxS gene is indicated by band-shift and DNase I footprinting experiments that demonstrate specific binding of the SoxR protein in cell extracts to the soxS promoter. The mode of SoxR binding to DNA appears to be similar to that of its homolog MerR in that the SoxR footprint spans the -10 to -35 region of the soxS promoter. Images PMID:1400156

Excitation-transcription coupling via calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase/ERK1/2 signaling mediates the coordinate induction of VGLUT2 and Narp triggered by a prolonged increase in glutamatergic synaptic activity.

PubMed

Doyle, Sukhjeevan; Pyndiah, Slovénie; De Gois, Stéphanie; Erickson, Jeffrey D

2010-05-07

Homeostatic scaling of glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission is triggered by prolonged alterations in synaptic neuronal activity. We have previously described a presynaptic mechanism for synaptic homeostasis and plasticity that involves scaling the level of vesicular glutamate (VGLUT1) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (VGAT) transporter biosynthesis. These molecular determinants of vesicle filling and quantal size are regulated by neuronal activity in an opposite manner and bi-directionally. Here, we report that a striking induction of VGLUT2 mRNA and synaptic protein is triggered by a prolonged increase in glutamatergic synaptic activity in mature neocortical neuronal networks in vitro together with two determinants of inhibitory synaptic strength, the neuronal activity-regulated pentraxin (Narp), and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65). Activity-dependent induction of VGLUT2 and Narp exhibits a similar intermediate-early gene response that is blocked by actinomycin D and tetrodotoxin, by inhibitors of ionotropic glutamate receptors and L-type voltage-gated calcium channels, and is dependent on downstream signaling via calmodulin, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). The co-induction of VGLUT2 and Narp triggered by prolonged gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor blockade is independent of brain-derived nerve growth factor and TrkB receptor signaling. VGLUT2 protein induction occurs on a subset of cortically derived synaptic vesicles in excitatory synapses on somata and dendritic processes of multipolar GABAergic interneurons, recognized sites for the clustering of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate glutamate receptors by Narp. We propose that VGLUT2 and Narp induction by excitation-transcription coupling leads to increased glutamatergic transmission at synapses on GABAergic inhibitory feedback neurons as part of a coordinated program of Ca(2+)-signal transcription involved in mechanisms of homeostatic plasticity after prolonged hyperactivity.

The metabolic waste ammonium regulates mTORC2 and mTORC1 signaling

PubMed Central

Merhi, Ahmad; Delrée, Paul; Marini, Anna Maria

2017-01-01

Two structurally and functionally distinct mammalian TOR complexes control cell growth and metabolism in physiological and pathological contexts including cancer. Upregulated glutaminolysis is part of the metabolic reprogramming occurring in cancer, providing fuels for growth but also liberating ammonium, a potent neurotoxic waste product. Here, we identify ammonium as a novel dose-dependent signal mediating rapid mTORC2 activation and further regulating mTORC1. We show that ammonium induces rapid RICTOR-dependent phosphorylation of AKT-S473, a process requiring the PI3K pathway and further involving the Src-family kinase YES1, the FAK kinase and the ITGβ1 integrin. Release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum store triggers rapid mTORC2 activation, similar to ammonium-induced activation, the latter being conversely prevented by calcium chelation.Moreover, in analogy to growth factors, ammonium triggers the AKT-dependent phosphoinhibition of the TSC complex and of PRAS40, two negative regulators of mTORC1. Consistent with mTORC1 stimulation, ammonium induces the inhibitory phosphorylation of 4EBP1, a negative regulator of protein biogenesis. Ammonium however dually impacts on the phosphorylation of p70S6K1 triggering a transient AKT-independent decrease in the phosphorylation of this second mTORC1 readout. Finally, we reveal ammonium as a dose-dependent stimulator of proliferation. This study underscores an mTORC2 and mTORC1 response to the so-called ammonium waste. PMID:28303961

The metabolic waste ammonium regulates mTORC2 and mTORC1 signaling.

PubMed

Merhi, Ahmad; Delrée, Paul; Marini, Anna Maria

2017-03-17

Two structurally and functionally distinct mammalian TOR complexes control cell growth and metabolism in physiological and pathological contexts including cancer. Upregulated glutaminolysis is part of the metabolic reprogramming occurring in cancer, providing fuels for growth but also liberating ammonium, a potent neurotoxic waste product. Here, we identify ammonium as a novel dose-dependent signal mediating rapid mTORC2 activation and further regulating mTORC1. We show that ammonium induces rapid RICTOR-dependent phosphorylation of AKT-S473, a process requiring the PI3K pathway and further involving the Src-family kinase YES1, the FAK kinase and the ITGβ1 integrin. Release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum store triggers rapid mTORC2 activation, similar to ammonium-induced activation, the latter being conversely prevented by calcium chelation.Moreover, in analogy to growth factors, ammonium triggers the AKT-dependent phosphoinhibition of the TSC complex and of PRAS40, two negative regulators of mTORC1. Consistent with mTORC1 stimulation, ammonium induces the inhibitory phosphorylation of 4EBP1, a negative regulator of protein biogenesis. Ammonium however dually impacts on the phosphorylation of p70S6K1 triggering a transient AKT-independent decrease in the phosphorylation of this second mTORC1 readout. Finally, we reveal ammonium as a dose-dependent stimulator of proliferation. This study underscores an mTORC2 and mTORC1 response to the so-called ammonium waste.

Angular Distributions of High-Mass Dilepton Production in Hadron Collisions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McClellan, Randall Evan

The SeaQuest experiment is a fixed-target dimuon experiment currently running at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). By utilizing the high-intensity, 120 GeV proton beam delivered by the FNAL Main Injector (MI), SeaQuest is able to measure proton-induced Drell-Yan dimuon production off of various nuclear targets in kinematic regions inaccessible to previous similar experiments. A suitably large fraction of the final dataset has been recorded, reconstructed, and analyzed. Very preliminary results from light-sea flavor asymmetry, nuclear dependence, and partonic energy loss analyses have been presented at numerous international conferences. A novel, FPGA-based trigger system has been designed, implemented, and optimizedmore » for the SeaQuest experiment. By implementing the trigger decision logic in FPGA firmware, it is more adaptable to changing experimental conditions. Additionally, the peripheral tasks of timing alignment, “trigger matrix” generation, and firmware uploading have been mostly automated, reducing the likelihood of user error in the maintenance and operation of the trigger system. Significant upgrades to hardware and firmware have greatly improved the performance of the trigger system since the 2012 commissioning run of SeaQuest. Four additional v1495 modules were added to facilitate thorough pulser testing of the firmware designs and in-situ pulser tests of all compiled firmware. These pulser tests proved crucial for diagnosing many errors that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. A significant change to the internal clocking of the trigger system eliminated a subtle source of rate-dependent trigger efficiency. With this upgrade, the trigger finally meets the “dead-time free” design specification. Drell-Yan dimuon data have been collected and analyzed for central θCS , with nearly flat acceptance in φCS , in the mass range 5.0 GeV < Mγ* < 10.0 GeV at forward xF with the SeaQuest spectrometer at FNAL. A very preliminary extraction of λ has been performed, and the remaining difficulties in extracting ν have been evaluated. Although the results are not yet publishable, significant progress has been made in developing this very challenging angular distributions analysis. A simple scheme for correcting for the angular acceptances of the spectrometer, trigger, and reconstruction has been developed and demonstrated. A generally applicable correction for the kinematically-dependent, rate-dependent reconstruction efficiency has been developed and applied to all current analyses on SeaQuest data. This rate-dependence correction was the first major hurdle in the path to publication of many preliminary SeaQuest results. The last remaining major correction for all analyses, but especially important for the angular parameter extraction, is the full characterization, rate-dependence correction, and subtraction of the combinatoric background contribution to the reconstructed dimuon sample. Independently, an intuitive, kinematic derivation of the single-event definitions of the Drell-Yan angular parameters has been developed under the assumption of unpolarized annihilating quarks within unpolarized nuclei. At O(αs), where the quarks remain co-planar with the hadrons in the photon rest frame, this kinematic method reproduces the Lam-Tung relation and derives an additional equality for µ2, which is only interpretable for single-event parameters. This method has been extended to the case of quark non- coplanarity, and the coplanar equalities become inequalities. A new equality was discovered, which should be obeyed by single-event parameters even in the case of a non-coplanar quark axis. The non-coplanar parameter relations have been used to derive constraints on the experimentally accessible values of λ and ν. These constraints are compared with existing data and have been found consistent, except in the cases where significant contributions from non-zero Boer-Mulders functions are expected. Finally, the kinematically- derived parameter definitions have been applied to high-precision CMS data. The relative contributions of the qq¯ and qg processes to the Z-boson “Drell-Yan” cross-section have been extracted. Further, an average measure of non-coplanarity, likely caused by O(α2) and higher processes, has been extracted.« less

Density Dependence and Growth Rate: Evolutionary Effects on Resistance Development to Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis).

PubMed

Martinez, Jeannette C; Caprio, Michael A; Friedenberg, Nicholas A

2018-02-09

It has long been recognized that pest population dynamics can affect the durability of a pesticide, but dose remains the primary component of insect resistance management (IRM). For transgenic pesticidal traits such as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae)), dose (measured as the mortality of susceptibles caused by a toxin) is a relatively fixed characteristic and often falls below the standard definition of high dose. Hence, it is important to understand how pest population dynamics modify durability and what targets they present for IRM. We used a deterministic model of a generic arthropod pest to examine how timing and strength of density dependence interacted with population growth rate and Bt mortality to affect time to resistance. As in previous studies, durability typically reached a minimum at intermediate doses. However, high population growth rates could eliminate benefits of high dose. The timing of density dependence had a more subtle effect. If density dependence operated simultaneously with Bt mortality, durability was insensitive to its strengths. However, if density dependence was driven by postselection densities, decreasing its strength could increase durability. The strength of density dependence could affect durability of both single traits and pyramids, but its influence depended on the timing of density dependence and size of the refuge. Our findings suggest the utility of a broader definition of high dose, one that incorporates population-dynamic context. That maximum growth rates and timing and strength of interactions causing density dependent mortality can all affect durability, also highlights the need for ecologically integrated approaches to IRM research. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effective size of density-dependent two-sex populations: the effect of mating systems.

PubMed

Myhre, A M; Engen, S; SAEther, B-E

2017-08-01

Density dependence in vital rates is a key feature affecting temporal fluctuations of natural populations. This has important implications for the rate of random genetic drift. Mating systems also greatly affect effective population sizes, but knowledge of how mating system and density regulation interact to affect random genetic drift is poor. Using theoretical models and simulations, we compare N e in short-lived, density-dependent animal populations with different mating systems. We study the impact of a fluctuating, density-dependent sex ratio and consider both a stable and a fluctuating environment. We find a negative relationship between annual N e /N and adult population size N due to density dependence, suggesting that loss of genetic variation is reduced at small densities. The magnitude of this decrease was affected by mating system and life history. A male-biased, density-dependent sex ratio reduces the rate of genetic drift compared to an equal, density-independent sex ratio, but a stochastic change towards male bias reduces the N e /N ratio. Environmental stochasticity amplifies temporal fluctuations in population size and is thus vital to consider in estimation of effective population sizes over longer time periods. Our results on the reduced loss of genetic variation at small densities, particularly in polygamous populations, indicate that density regulation may facilitate adaptive evolution at small population sizes. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Density-dependent nest predation in waterfowl: the relative importance of nest density versus nest dispersion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ackerman, Joshua T.; Ringelman, Kevin M.; Eadie, J.M.

2012-01-01

When nest predation levels are very high or very low, the absolute range of observable nest success is constrained (a floor/ceiling effect), and it may be more difficult to detect density-dependent nest predation. Density-dependent nest predation may be more detectable in years with moderate predation rates, simply because there can be a greater absolute difference in nest success between sites. To test this, we replicated a predation experiment 10 years after the original study, using both natural and artificial nests, comparing a year when overall rates of nest predation were high (2000) to a year with moderate nest predation (2010). We found no evidence for density-dependent predation on artificial nests in either year, indicating that nest predation is not density-dependent at the spatial scale of our experimental replicates (1-ha patches). Using nearest-neighbor distances as a measure of nest dispersion, we also found little evidence for “dispersion-dependent” predation on artificial nests. However, when we tested for dispersion-dependent predation using natural nests, we found that nest survival increased with shorter nearest-neighbor distances, and that neighboring nests were more likely to share the same nest fate than non-adjacent nests. Thus, at small spatial scales, density-dependence appears to operate in the opposite direction as predicted: closer nearest neighbors are more likely to be successful. We suggest that local nest dispersion, rather than larger-scale measures of nest density per se, may play a more important role in density-dependent nest predation.

Climate and Creativity: Cold and Heat Trigger Invention and Innovation in Richer Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van de Vliert, Evert; Murray, Damian R.

2018-01-01

Nobel laureates, technological pioneers, and innovative entrepreneurs are unequally distributed across the globe. Their density increases in regions toward the North Pole, toward the South Pole, and very close to the Equator. This geographic anomaly led us to explore whether stressful demands of climatic cold and climatic heat (imposed…

High population density enhances recruitment and survival of a harvested coral reef fish.

PubMed

Wormald, Clare L; Steele, Mark A; Forrester, Graham E

2013-03-01

A negative relationship between population growth and population density (direct density dependence) is necessary for population regulation and is assumed in most models of harvested populations. Experimental tests for density dependence are lacking for large-bodied, harvested fish because of the difficulty of manipulating population density over large areas. We studied a harvested coral reef fish, Lutjanus apodus (schoolmaster snapper), using eight large, isolated natural reefs (0.4-1.6 ha) in the Bahamas as replicates. An initial observational test for density dependence was followed by a manipulation of population density. The manipulation weakened an association between density and shelter-providing habitat features and revealed a positive effect of population density on recruitment and survival (inverse density dependence), but no effect of density on somatic growth. The snappers on an individual reef were organized into a few shoals, and we hypothesize that large shoals on high-density reefs were less vulnerable to large piscivores (groupers and barracudas) than the small shoals on low-density reefs. Reductions in predation risk for individuals in large social groups are well documented, but because snapper shoals occupied reefs the size of small marine reserves, these ecological interactions may influence the outcome of management actions.

Object-Place Recognition Learning Triggers Rapid Induction of Plasticity-Related Immediate Early Genes and Synaptic Proteins in the Rat Dentate Gyrus

PubMed Central

Soulé, Jonathan; Penke, Zsuzsa; Kanhema, Tambudzai; Alme, Maria Nordheim; Laroche, Serge; Bramham, Clive R.

2008-01-01

Long-term recognition memory requires protein synthesis, but little is known about the coordinate regulation of specific genes. Here, we examined expression of the plasticity-associated immediate early genes (Arc, Zif268, and Narp) in the dentate gyrus following long-term object-place recognition learning in rats. RT-PCR analysis from dentate gyrus tissue collected shortly after training did not reveal learning-specific changes in Arc mRNA expression. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were therefore used to assess possible sparse effects on gene expression. Learning about objects increased the density of granule cells expressing Arc, and to a lesser extent Narp, specifically in the dorsal blade of the dentate gyrus, while Zif268 expression was elevated across both blades. Thus, object-place recognition triggers rapid, blade-specific upregulation of plasticity-associated immediate early genes. Furthermore, Western blot analysis of dentate gyrus homogenates demonstrated concomitant upregulation of three postsynaptic density proteins (Arc, PSD-95, and α-CaMKII) with key roles in long-term synaptic plasticity and long-term memory. PMID:19190776

Enhancement of AGN Activity in Distant Galaxy Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, Charutha; Hatch, Nina; Almaini, Omar

2017-07-01

I present our recent study of the prevalence of X-ray AGN in the high-redshift protocluster Cl 0218.3-0510 at z=1.62, and review the implications for our understanding of galaxy evolution. There has long been a consensus that X-ray AGN avoid clusters in the local universe, particularly their cores. The high-redshift universe appears to not follow these trends, as there is a reversal in the local anti-correlation between galaxy density and AGN activity. In this z=1.62 protocluster, we find a large overdensity of AGN by a factor of 23, and an enhancement in the AGN fraction among massive galaxies relative to the field by a factor of 2. I will discuss the comparison of the properties of AGN in the protocluster to the field, and explain how our results point towards similar triggering mechanisms in the two environments. I will also describe how our study of the morphologies of these galaxies provide tentative evidence towards galaxy mergers and interactions being responsible for triggering AGN, and explain the reversal of the local anti-correlation between galaxy density and AGN activity.

Effect of n = 3 perturbation field amplitudes below the ELM triggering threshold on edge and SOL transport in NSTX

DOE PAGES

J. M. Canik; Lore, J. D.; Ahn, J. -W.; ...

2013-01-12

Here, the pulsed application of n = 3 magnetic perturbation fields with amplitudes below that which triggers ELMs results in distinct, transient responses observable on several edge and divertor diagnostics in NSTX. We refer to these responses as Sub-Threshold Edge Perturbations (STEPs). An analysis of edge measurements suggests that STEPs result in increased transport in the plasma edge and scrape-off layer, which leads to augmentation of the intrinsic strike point splitting due to error fields, i.e., an intensification of the helical divertor footprint flux pattern. These effects are much smaller in magnitude than those of triggered ELMs, and are observedmore » for the duration of the field perturbation measured internal to the vacuum vessel. In addition, STEPs are correlated with changes to the MHD activity, along with transient reductions in the neutron production rate. Ideally the STEPs could be used to provide density control and prevent impurity accumulation, in the same manner that on-demand ELM triggering is used on NSTX, without the impulsive divertor fluxes and potential for damage to plasma facing components associated with ELMs.« less

Landslides triggered by the 12 January 2010 Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Mw = 7.0 earthquake: visual interpretation, inventory compiling, and spatial distribution statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, C.; Shyu, J. B. H.; Xu, X.

2014-07-01

The 12 January 2010 Port-au-Prince, Haiti, earthquake (Mw= 7.0) triggered tens of thousands of landslides. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlations of the occurrence of landslides and the thicknesses of their erosion with topographic, geologic, and seismic parameters. A total of 30 828 landslides triggered by the earthquake covered a total area of 15.736 km2, distributed in an area more than 3000 km2, and the volume of landslide accumulation materials is estimated to be about 29 700 000 m3. These landslides are of various types, mostly belonging to shallow disrupted landslides and rock falls, but also include coherent deep-seated landslides and rock slides. These landslides were delineated using pre- and post-earthquake high-resolution satellite images. Spatial distribution maps and contour maps of landslide number density, landslide area percentage, and landslide erosion thickness were constructed in order to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of co-seismic landslides. Statistics of size distribution and morphometric parameters of co-seismic landslides were carried out and were compared with other earthquake events in the world. Four proxies of co-seismic landslide abundance, including landslides centroid number density (LCND), landslide top number density (LTND), landslide area percentage (LAP), and landslide erosion thickness (LET) were used to correlate co-seismic landslides with various environmental parameters. These parameters include elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, slope curvature, topographic position, distance from drainages, lithology, distance from the epicenter, distance from the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault, distance along the fault, and peak ground acceleration (PGA). A comparison of these impact parameters on co-seismic landslides shows that slope angle is the strongest impact parameter on co-seismic landslide occurrence. Our co-seismic landslide inventory is much more detailed than other inventories in several previous publications. Therefore, we carried out comparisons of inventories of landslides triggered by the Haiti earthquake with other published results and proposed possible reasons for any differences. We suggest that the empirical functions between earthquake magnitude and co-seismic landslides need to be updated on the basis of the abundant and more complete co-seismic landslide inventories recently available.

Landslides triggered by the 12 January 2010 Mw 7.0 Port-au-Prince, Haiti, earthquake: visual interpretation, inventory compiling and spatial distribution statistical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, C.; Shyu, J. B. H.; Xu, X.-W.

2014-02-01

The 12 January 2010 Port-au-Prince, Haiti, earthquake (Mw 7.0) triggered tens of thousands of landslides. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlations of the occurrence of landslides and their erosion thicknesses with topographic factors, seismic parameters, and their distance from roads. A total of 30 828 landslides triggered by the earthquake covered a total area of 15.736 km2, distributed in an area more than 3000 km2, and the volume of landslide accumulation materials is estimated to be about 29 700 000 m3. These landslides are of various types, mostly belonging to shallow disrupted landslides and rock falls, but also include coherent deep-seated landslides and rock slides. These landslides were delineated using pre- and post-earthquake high-resolutions satellite images. Spatial distribution maps and contour maps of landslide number density, landslide area percentage, and landslide erosion thickness were constructed in order to analyze the spatial distribution patterns of co-seismic landslides. Statistics of size distribution and morphometric parameters of co-seismic landslides were carried out and were compared with other earthquake events in the world. Four proxies of co-seismic landslide abundance, including landslides centroid number density (LCND), landslide top number density (LTND), landslide area percentage (LAP), and landslide erosion thickness (LET) were used to correlate co-seismic landslides with various landslide controlling parameters. These controlling parameters include elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, slope curvature, topographic position, distance from drainages, lithology, distance from the epicenter, distance from the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault, distance along the fault, and peak ground acceleration (PGA). A comparison of these impact parameters on co-seismic landslides shows that slope angle is the strongest impact parameter on co-seismic landslide occurrence. Our co-seismic landslide inventory is much more detailed than other inventories in several previous publications. Therefore, we carried out comparisons of inventories of landslides triggered by the Haiti earthquake with other published results and proposed possible reasons of any differences. We suggest that the empirical functions between earthquake magnitude and co-seismic landslides need to update on the basis of the abundant and more complete co-seismic landslide inventories recently available.

Regulation of Aedes aegypti Population Dynamics in Field Systems: Quantifying Direct and Delayed Density Dependence

PubMed Central

Walsh, Rachael K.; Aguilar, Cristobal L.; Facchinelli, Luca; Valerio, Laura; Ramsey, Janine M.; Scott, Thomas W.; Lloyd, Alun L.; Gould, Fred

2013-01-01

Transgenic strains of Aedes aegypti have been engineered to help control transmission of dengue virus. Although resources have been invested in developing the strains, we lack data on the ecology of mosquitoes that could impact the success of this approach. Although studies of intra-specific competition have been conducted using Ae. aegypti larvae, none of these studies examine mixed age cohorts at densities that occur in the field, with natural nutrient levels. Experiments were conducted in Mexico to determine the impact of direct and delayed density dependence on Ae. aegypti populations. Natural water, food, and larval densities were used to estimate the impacts of density dependence on larval survival, development, and adult body size. Direct and delayed density-dependent factors had a significant impact on larval survival, larval development, and adult body size. These results indicate that control methods attempting to reduce mosquito populations may be counteracted by density-dependent population regulation. PMID:23669230

Interactions of the Algicidal Bacterium Kordia algicida with Diatoms: Regulated Protease Excretion for Specific Algal Lysis

PubMed Central

Paul, Carsten; Pohnert, Georg

2011-01-01

Interactions of planktonic bacteria with primary producers such as diatoms have great impact on plankton population dynamics. Several studies described the detrimental effect of certain bacteria on diatoms but the biochemical nature and the regulation mechanism involved in the production of the active compounds remained often elusive. Here, we investigated the interactions of the algicidal bacterium Kordia algicida with the marine diatoms Skeletonema costatum, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Chaetoceros didymus. Algicidal activity was only observed towards the first three of the tested diatom species while C. didymus proved to be not susceptible. The cell free filtrate and the >30 kDa fraction of stationary K. algicida cultures is fully active, suggesting a secreted algicidal principle. The active supernatant from bacterial cultures exhibited high protease activity and inhibition experiments proved that these enzymes are involved in the observed algicidal action of the bacteria. Protease mediated interactions are not controlled by the presence of the alga but dependent on the cell density of the K. algicida culture. We show that protease release is triggered by cell free bacterial filtrates suggesting a quorum sensing dependent excretion mechanism of the algicidal protein. The K. algicida / algae interactions in the plankton are thus host specific and under the control of previously unidentified factors. PMID:21695044

Interactions of the algicidal bacterium Kordia algicida with diatoms: regulated protease excretion for specific algal lysis.

PubMed

Paul, Carsten; Pohnert, Georg

2011-01-01

Interactions of planktonic bacteria with primary producers such as diatoms have great impact on plankton population dynamics. Several studies described the detrimental effect of certain bacteria on diatoms but the biochemical nature and the regulation mechanism involved in the production of the active compounds remained often elusive. Here, we investigated the interactions of the algicidal bacterium Kordia algicida with the marine diatoms Skeletonema costatum, Thalassiosira weissflogii, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Chaetoceros didymus. Algicidal activity was only observed towards the first three of the tested diatom species while C. didymus proved to be not susceptible. The cell free filtrate and the >30 kDa fraction of stationary K. algicida cultures is fully active, suggesting a secreted algicidal principle. The active supernatant from bacterial cultures exhibited high protease activity and inhibition experiments proved that these enzymes are involved in the observed algicidal action of the bacteria. Protease mediated interactions are not controlled by the presence of the alga but dependent on the cell density of the K. algicida culture. We show that protease release is triggered by cell free bacterial filtrates suggesting a quorum sensing dependent excretion mechanism of the algicidal protein. The K. algicida / algae interactions in the plankton are thus host specific and under the control of previously unidentified factors.

Complex Terahertz and Direct Current Inverse Spin Hall Effect in YIG/Cu1-xIrx Bilayers Across a Wide Concentration Range.

PubMed

Cramer, Joel; Seifert, Tom; Kronenberg, Alexander; Fuhrmann, Felix; Jakob, Gerhard; Jourdan, Martin; Kampfrath, Tobias; Kläui, Mathias

2018-02-14

We measure the inverse spin Hall effect of Cu 1-x Ir x thin films on yttrium iron garnet over a wide range of Ir concentrations (0.05 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.7). Spin currents are triggered through the spin Seebeck effect, either by a continuous (dc) temperature gradient or by ultrafast optical heating of the metal layer. The spin Hall current is detected by electrical contacts or measurement of the emitted terahertz radiation. With both approaches, we reveal the same Ir concentration dependence that follows a novel complex, nonmonotonous behavior as compared to previous studies. For small Ir concentrations a signal minimum is observed, whereas a pronounced maximum appears near the equiatomic composition. We identify this behavior as originating from the interplay of different spin Hall mechanisms as well as a concentration-dependent variation of the integrated spin current density in Cu 1-x Ir x . The coinciding results obtained for dc and ultrafast stimuli provide further support that the spin Seebeck effect extends to terahertz frequencies, thus enabling a transfer of established spintronic measurement schemes into the terahertz regime. Our findings also show that the studied material allows for efficient spin-to-charge conversion even on ultrafast time scales.

Ferroelectric Plasma Sources for Ion Beam Neutralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanov, A.; Gilson, E. P.; Grisham, L. R.; Davidson, R. C.

2014-10-01

A 40 keV Ar+ beam with a dimensionless perveance of 4 ×10-4 is propagated through a Ferroelectric Plasma Source (FEPS) to determine the effects of charge neutralization on the transverse beam profile. Neutralization is established 5 μs after the FEPS is triggered, and lasts between 10 and 35 μs. When the beam is fully neutralized, the profile has a Gaussian shape with a half-angle divergence of 0.87°, which is attributed to ion optics. The effects of the resistance and capacitance in the pulser circuit on the FEPS discharge are studied. The electron current emitted by the FEPS is calculated from measurements of the forward and return currents in the circuit. Electron emission typically begins 0.5 μs after the driving pulse, lasting for tens of μs, which is similar to the duration of ion beam neutralization. The total emitted charge does not depend significantly on the resistance, but depends strongly on the storage capacitance. Lowering the capacitance from 141 nF to 47 nF results in a near-complete shut-off of charge emission, although the amplitude of the applied voltage pulse is as high as when high-density plasma is produced. Overall, the data suggest that ferroelectric effects are significant in the physics of the FEPS discharge.

A voltage-division-type low-jitter self-triggered repetition-rate switch.

PubMed

Su, Jian-Cang; Zeng, Bo; Gao, Peng-Cheng; Li, Rui; Wu, Xiao-Long; Zhao, Liang

2016-10-01

A voltage-division-type (V/N) low-jitter self-triggered multi-stage switch is put forward. It comprises of a triggered corona gap, several quasi-uniform-field gaps, and an inversion inductor. When the corona gap is in the stage of self-breakdown, the multi-stage gaps are triggered and the switch is closed via an over-voltage. This type of V/N switch has the advantage of compact structure since the auxiliary components like the gas-blowing system and the triggered system are eliminated from the whole system. It also has advantages such as low breakdown jitter and high energy efficiency. The dependence of the self-triggered voltage on the over-voltage factor and the switch operating voltage is deduced. A switch of this type is designed and fabricated and experiments to research its characteristics are conducted. The results show that this switch can operate on a voltage of 1 MV at 50 Hz and can generate 1000 successive pulses with a jitter as low as 3% and an energy efficiency as high as 90%. This V/N switch can work under a high repetition rate with a long lifetime.

Evolution of complex density-dependent dispersal strategies.

PubMed

Parvinen, Kalle; Seppänen, Anne; Nagy, John D

2012-11-01

The question of how dispersal behavior is adaptive and how it responds to changes in selection pressure is more relevant than ever, as anthropogenic habitat alteration and climate change accelerate around the world. In metapopulation models where local populations are large, and thus local population size is measured in densities, density-dependent dispersal is expected to evolve to a single-threshold strategy, in which individuals stay in patches with local population density smaller than a threshold value and move immediately away from patches with local population density larger than the threshold. Fragmentation tends to convert continuous populations into metapopulations and also to decrease local population sizes. Therefore we analyze a metapopulation model, where each patch can support only a relatively small local population and thus experience demographic stochasticity. We investigated the evolution of density-dependent dispersal, emigration and immigration, in two scenarios: adult and natal dispersal. We show that density-dependent emigration can also evolve to a nonmonotone, "triple-threshold" strategy. This interesting phenomenon results from an interplay between the direct and indirect benefits of dispersal and the costs of dispersal. We also found that, compared to juveniles, dispersing adults may benefit more from density-dependent vs. density-independent dispersal strategies.

GDC-0941 enhances the lysosomal compartment via TFEB and primes glioblastoma cells to lysosomal membrane permeabilization and cell death.

PubMed

Enzenmüller, Stefanie; Gonzalez, Patrick; Karpel-Massler, Georg; Debatin, Klaus-Michael; Fulda, Simone

2013-02-01

Since phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors are primarily cytostatic against glioblastoma, we searched for new drug combinations. Here, we discover that the PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941 acts in concert with the natural compound B10, a glycosylated derivative of betulinic acid, to induce cell death in glioblastoma cells. Importantly, parallel experiments in primary glioblastoma cultures similarly show that GDC-0941 and B10 cooperate to trigger cell death, underscoring the clinical relevance of this finding. Molecular studies revealed that treatment with GDC-0941 stimulates the expression and nuclear translocation of Transcription Factor EB (TFEB), a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis, the lysosomal membrane marker LAMP-1 and the mature form of cathepsin B. Also, GDC-0941 triggers a time-dependent increase of the lysosomal compartment in a TFEB-dependent manner, since knockdown of TFEB significantly reduces this GDC-0941-stimulated lysosomal enhancement. Importantly, GDC-0941 cooperates with B10 to trigger lysosomal membrane permeabilization, leading to increased activation of Bax, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), caspase-3 activation and cell death. Addition of the cathepsin B inhibitor CA-074me reduces Bax activation, loss of MMP, caspase-3 activation and cell death upon treatment with GDC-0941/B10. By comparison, knockdown of caspase-3 or the broad-range caspase inhibitor zVAD.fmk inhibits GDC-0941/B10-induced DNA fragmentation, but does not prevent cell death, thus pointing to both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways. By identifying the combination of GDC-0941 and B10 as a new, potent strategy to trigger cell death in glioblastoma cells, our findings have important implications for the development of novel treatment approaches for glioblastoma. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Scaling of the MHD perturbation amplitude required to trigger a disruption and predictions for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Vries, P. C.; Pautasso, G.; Nardon, E.; Cahyna, P.; Gerasimov, S.; Havlicek, J.; Hender, T. C.; Huijsmans, G. T. A.; Lehnen, M.; Maraschek, M.; Markovič, T.; Snipes, J. A.; the COMPASS Team; the ASDEX Upgrade Team; Contributors, JET

2016-02-01

The amplitude of locked instabilities, likely magnetic islands, seen as precursors to disruptions has been studied using data from the JET, ASDEX Upgrade and COMPASS tokamaks. It was found that the thermal quench, that often initiates the disruption, is triggered when the amplitude has reached a distinct level. This information can be used to determine thresholds for simple disruption prediction schemes. The measured amplitude in part depends on the distance of the perturbation to the measurement coils. Hence the threshold for the measured amplitude depends on the mode location (i.e. the rational q-surface) and thus indirectly on parameters such as the edge safety factor, q 95, and the internal inductance, li(3), that determine the shape of the q-profile. These dependencies can be used to set the disruption thresholds more precisely. For the ITER baseline scenario, with typically q 95  =  3.2, li(3)  =  0.9 and taking into account the position of the measurement coils on ITER, the maximum allowable measured locked mode amplitude normalized to engineering parameters was estimated to be a·B ML(r c)/I p  =  0.92 m mT/MA, or directly as a fraction edge poloidal magnetic field: B ML(r c)/B θ (a)  =  5 · 10-3. But these values decrease for operation at higher q 95 or lower li(3). The analysis found furthermore that the above empirical criterion to trigger a thermal quench is more consistent with a criterion derived with the concept of a critical island size, i.e. the thermal quench seemed to be triggered at a distinct island width.

Cytosolic calcium rises and related events in ergosterol-treated Nicotiana cells.

PubMed

Vatsa, Parul; Chiltz, Annick; Luini, Estelle; Vandelle, Elodie; Pugin, Alain; Roblin, Gabriel

2011-07-01

The typical fungal membrane component ergosterol was previously shown to trigger defence responses and protect plants against pathogens. Most of the elicitors mobilize the second messenger calcium, to trigger plant defences. We checked the involvement of calcium in response to ergosterol using Nicotiana plumbaginifolia and Nicotiana tabacum cv Xanthi cells expressing apoaequorin in the cytosol. First, it was verified if ergosterol was efficient in these cells inducing modifications of proton fluxes and increased expression of defence-related genes. Then, it was shown that ergosterol induced a rapid and transient biphasic increase of free [Ca²⁺](cyt) which intensity depends on ergosterol concentration in the range 0.002-10 μM. Among sterols, this calcium mobilization was specific for ergosterol and, ergosterol-induced pH and [Ca²⁺](cyt) changes were specifically desensitized after two subsequent applications of ergosterol. Specific modulators allowed elucidating some events in the signalling pathway triggered by ergosterol. The action of BAPTA, LaCl₃, nifedipine, verapamil, neomycin, U73122 and ruthenium red suggested that the first phase was linked to calcium influx from external medium which subsequently triggered the second phase linked to calcium release from internal stores. The calcium influx and the [Ca²⁺](cyt) increase depended on upstream protein phosphorylation. The extracellular alkalinization and ROS production depended on calcium influx but, the ergosterol-induced MAPK activation was calcium-independent. ROS were not involved in cytosolic calcium rise as described in other models, indicating that ROS do not systematically participate in the amplification of calcium signalling. Interestingly, ergosterol-induced ROS production is not linked to cell death and ergosterol does not induce any calcium elevation in the nucleus. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Surface freezing of water.

PubMed

Pérez-Díaz, J L; Álvarez-Valenzuela, M A; Rodríguez-Celis, F

2016-01-01

Freezing, melting, evaporation and condensation of water are essential ingredients for climate and eventually life on Earth. In the present work, we show how surface freezing of supercooled water in an open container is conditioned and triggered-exclusively-by humidity in air. Additionally, a change of phase is demonstrated to be triggered on the water surface forming surface ice crystals prior to freezing of bulk. The symmetry of the surface crystal, as well as the freezing point, depend on humidity, presenting at least three different types of surface crystals. Humidity triggers surface freezing as soon as it overpasses a defined value for a given temperature, generating a plurality of nucleation nodes. An evidence of simultaneous nucleation of surface ice crystals is also provided.

Disentangling density-dependent dynamics using full annual cycle models and Bayesian model weight updating

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robinson, Orin J.; McGowan, Conor P.; Devers, Patrick K.

2017-01-01

Density dependence regulates populations of many species across all taxonomic groups. Understanding density dependence is vital for predicting the effects of climate, habitat loss and/or management actions on wild populations. Migratory species likely experience seasonal changes in the relative influence of density dependence on population processes such as survival and recruitment throughout the annual cycle. These effects must be accounted for when characterizing migratory populations via population models.To evaluate effects of density on seasonal survival and recruitment of a migratory species, we used an existing full annual cycle model framework for American black ducks Anas rubripes, and tested different density effects (including no effects) on survival and recruitment. We then used a Bayesian model weight updating routine to determine which population model best fit observed breeding population survey data between 1990 and 2014.The models that best fit the survey data suggested that survival and recruitment were affected by density dependence and that density effects were stronger on adult survival during the breeding season than during the non-breeding season.Analysis also suggests that regulation of survival and recruitment by density varied over time. Our results showed that different characterizations of density regulations changed every 8–12 years (three times in the 25-year period) for our population.Synthesis and applications. Using a full annual cycle, modelling framework and model weighting routine will be helpful in evaluating density dependence for migratory species in both the short and long term. We used this method to disentangle the seasonal effects of density on the continental American black duck population which will allow managers to better evaluate the effects of habitat loss and potential habitat management actions throughout the annual cycle. The method here may allow researchers to hone in on the proper form and/or strength of density dependence for use in models for conservation recommendations.

A high voltage pulse generator based on silicon-controlled rectifier for field-reversed configuration experiment.

PubMed

Lin, Munan; Liu, Ming; Zhu, Guanghui; Wang, Yanpeng; Shi, Peiyun; Sun, Xuan

2017-08-01

A high voltage pulse generator based on a silicon-controlled rectifier has been designed and implemented for a field reversed configuration experiment. A critical damping circuit is used in the generator to produce the desired pulse waveform. Depending on the load, the rise time of the output trigger signal can be less than 1 μs, and the peak amplitudes of trigger voltage and current are up to 8 kV and 85 A in a single output. The output voltage can be easily adjusted by changing the voltage on a capacitor of the generator. In addition, the generator integrates an electrically floating heater circuit so it is capable of triggering either pseudosparks (TDI-type hydrogen thyratron) or ignitrons. Details of the circuits and their implementation are described in the paper. The trigger generator has successfully controlled the discharging sequence of the pulsed power supply for a field reversed configuration experiment.

A high voltage pulse generator based on silicon-controlled rectifier for field-reversed configuration experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Munan; Liu, Ming; Zhu, Guanghui; Wang, Yanpeng; Shi, Peiyun; Sun, Xuan

2017-08-01

A high voltage pulse generator based on a silicon-controlled rectifier has been designed and implemented for a field reversed configuration experiment. A critical damping circuit is used in the generator to produce the desired pulse waveform. Depending on the load, the rise time of the output trigger signal can be less than 1 μs, and the peak amplitudes of trigger voltage and current are up to 8 kV and 85 A in a single output. The output voltage can be easily adjusted by changing the voltage on a capacitor of the generator. In addition, the generator integrates an electrically floating heater circuit so it is capable of triggering either pseudosparks (TDI-type hydrogen thyratron) or ignitrons. Details of the circuits and their implementation are described in the paper. The trigger generator has successfully controlled the discharging sequence of the pulsed power supply for a field reversed configuration experiment.

Activity-induced convergence of APP and BACE-1 in acidic microdomains via an endocytosis-dependent pathway

PubMed Central

Das, Utpal; Scott, David; Ganguly, Archan; Koo, Edward H.; Tang, Yong; Roy, Subhojit

2013-01-01

The convergence of APP (substrate) and BACE-1 (enzyme) is a rate-limiting, obligatory event triggering the amyloidogenic pathway – a key step in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. However, as both APP/BACE-1 are highly expressed in brain, mechanisms precluding their unabated convergence are unclear. Exploring dynamic localization of APP/BACE-1 in cultured hippocampal neurons, we found that after synthesis via the secretory-pathway, dendritic APP/BACE-1-containing vesicles are largely segregated in physiologic states. While BACE-1 is largely sorted into acidic recycling endosomes, APP is conveyed in Golgi-derived vesicles. However upon activity-induction – a known trigger of the amyloidogenic pathway – APP is routed into BACE-1-positive recycling endosomes via a clathrin-dependent mechanism. A partitioning/convergence of APP/BACE-1 vesicles is also apparent in control/AD brains respectively. Considering BACE-1 is optimally active in an acidic environment, our experiments suggest that neurons have evolved trafficking strategies that normally limit APP/BACE-1 proximity; and also uncover a pathway routing APP into BACE-1-containing organelles – triggering amyloidogenesis. PMID:23931995

Mechanism for Active Membrane Fusion Triggering by Morbillivirus Attachment Protein

PubMed Central

Ader, Nadine; Brindley, Melinda; Avila, Mislay; Örvell, Claes; Horvat, Branka; Hiltensperger, Georg; Schneider-Schaulies, Jürgen; Vandevelde, Marc; Zurbriggen, Andreas; Plemper, Richard K.

2013-01-01

The paramyxovirus entry machinery consists of two glycoproteins that tightly cooperate to achieve membrane fusion for cell entry: the tetrameric attachment protein (HN, H, or G, depending on the paramyxovirus genus) and the trimeric fusion protein (F). Here, we explore whether receptor-induced conformational changes within morbillivirus H proteins promote membrane fusion by a mechanism requiring the active destabilization of prefusion F or by the dissociation of prefusion F from intracellularly preformed glycoprotein complexes. To properly probe F conformations, we identified anti-F monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that recognize conformation-dependent epitopes. Through heat treatment as a surrogate for H-mediated F triggering, we demonstrate with these MAbs that the morbillivirus F trimer contains a sufficiently high inherent activation energy barrier to maintain the metastable prefusion state even in the absence of H. This notion was further validated by exploring the conformational states of destabilized F mutants and stabilized soluble F variants combined with the use of a membrane fusion inhibitor (3g). Taken together, our findings reveal that the morbillivirus H protein must lower the activation energy barrier of metastable prefusion F for fusion triggering. PMID:23077316

Oligomers of Amyloid β Prevent Physiological Activation of the Cellular Prion Protein-Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 Complex by Glutamate in Alzheimer Disease.

PubMed

Haas, Laura T; Strittmatter, Stephen M

2016-08-12

The dysfunction and loss of synapses in Alzheimer disease are central to dementia symptoms. We have recently demonstrated that pathological Amyloid β oligomer (Aβo) regulates the association between intracellular protein mediators and the synaptic receptor complex composed of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5). Here we sought to determine whether Aβo alters the physiological signaling of the PrP(C)-mGluR5 complex upon glutamate activation. We provide evidence that acute exposure to Aβo as well as chronic expression of familial Alzheimer disease mutant transgenes in model mice prevents protein-protein interaction changes of the complex induced by the glutamate analog 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine. We further show that 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine triggers the phosphorylation and activation of protein-tyrosine kinase 2-β (PTK2B, also referred to as Pyk2) and of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in wild-type brain slices but not in Alzheimer disease transgenic brain slices or wild-type slices incubated with Aβo. This study further distinguishes two separate Aβo-dependent signaling cascades, one dependent on extracellular Ca(2+) and Fyn kinase activation and the other dependent on the release of Ca(2+) from intracellular stores. Thus, Aβo triggers multiple distinct PrP(C)-mGluR5-dependent events implicated in neurodegeneration and dementia. We propose that targeting the PrP(C)-mGluR5 complex will reverse aberrant Aβo-triggered states of the complex to allow physiological fluctuations of glutamate signaling. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Highly Structured Wind in Vela X-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreykenbohm, Ingo; Wilms, Joern; Kretschmar, Peter; Torrejon, Jose Miguel; Pottschmidt, Katja; Hanke, Manfred; Santangelo, Andrea; Ferrigno, Carlo; Staubert, Ruediger

2008-01-01

We present an in-depth analysis of the spectral and temporal behavior of a long almost uninterrupted INTEGRAL observation of Vela X-1 in Nov/Dec 2003. In addition to an already high activity level, Vela X-1 exhibited several very intense flares with a maximum intensity of more than 5 Crab in the 20 40 keV band. Furthermore Vela X-1 exhibited several off states where the source became undetectable with ISGRI. We interpret flares and off states as being due to the strongly structured wind of the optical companion: when Vela X-1 encounters a cavity in the wind with strongly reduced density, the flux will drop, thus potentially triggering the onset of the propeller effect which inhibits further accretion, thus giving rise to the off states. The required drop in density to trigger the propeller effect in Vela X-1 is of the same order as predicted by theoretical papers for the densities in the OB star winds. The same structured wind can give rise to the giant flares when Vela X-1 encounters a dense blob in the wind. Further temporal analysis revealed that a short lived QPO with a period of 6800 sec is present. The part of the light curve during which the QPO is present is very close to the off states and just following a high intensity state, thus showing that all these phenomena are related.

Experimental evidence that density dependence strongly influences plant invasions through fragmented landscapes.

PubMed

Williams, Jennifer L; Levine, Jonathan M

2018-04-01

Populations of range expanding species encounter patches of both favorable and unfavorable habitat as they spread across landscapes. Theory shows that increasing patchiness slows the spread of populations modeled with continuously varying population density when dispersal is not influence by the environment or individual behavior. However, as is found in uniformly favorable landscapes, spread remains driven by fecundity and dispersal from low density individuals at the invasion front. In contrast, when modeled populations are composed of discrete individuals, patchiness causes populations to build up to high density before dispersing past unsuitable habitat, introducing an important influence of density dependence on spread velocity. To test the hypothesized interaction between habitat patchiness and density dependence, we simultaneously manipulated these factors in a greenhouse system of annual plants spreading through replicated experimental landscapes. We found that increasing the size of gaps and amplifying the strength of density dependence both slowed spread velocity, but contrary to predictions, the effect of amplified density dependence was similar across all landscape types. Our results demonstrate that the discrete nature of individuals in spreading populations has a strong influence on how both landscape patchiness and density dependence influence spread through demographic and dispersal stochasticity. Both finiteness and landscape structure should be critical components to theoretical predictions of future spread for range expanding native species or invasive species colonizing new habitat. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Earthquake triggering at alaskan volcanoes following the 3 November 2002 denali fault earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moran, S.C.; Power, J.A.; Stihler, S.D.; Sanchez, J.J.; Caplan-Auerbach, J.

2004-01-01

The 3 November 2002 Mw 7.9 Denali fault earthquake provided an excellent opportunity to investigate triggered earthquakes at Alaskan volcanoes. The Alaska Volcano Observatory operates short-period seismic networks on 24 historically active volcanoes in Alaska, 247-2159 km distant from the mainshock epicenter. We searched for evidence of triggered seismicity by examining the unfiltered waveforms for all stations in each volcano network for ???1 hr after the Mw 7.9 arrival time at each network and for significant increases in located earthquakes in the hours after the mainshock. We found compelling evidence for triggering only at the Katmai volcanic cluster (KVC, 720-755 km southwest of the epicenter), where small earthquakes with distinct P and 5 arrivals appeared within the mainshock coda at one station and a small increase in located earthquakes occurred for several hours after the mainshock. Peak dynamic stresses of ???0.1 MPa at Augustine Volcano (560 km southwest of the epicenter) are significantly lower than those recorded in Yellowstone and Utah (>3000 km southeast of the epicenter), suggesting that strong directivity effects were at least partly responsible for the lack of triggering at Alaskan volcanoes. We describe other incidents of earthquake-induced triggering in the KVC, and outline a qualitative magnitude/distance-dependent triggering threshold. We argue that triggering results from the perturbation of magmatic-hydrothermal systems in the KVC and suggest that the comparative lack of triggering at other Alaskan volcanoes could be a result of differences in the nature of magmatic-hydrothermal systems.

pi-eta mixing and charge symmetry violating NN potential in matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biswas, Subhrajyoti; Roy, Pradip; Dutt-Mazumder, Abhee K.

2010-06-15

We construct density-dependent class III charge symmetry violating (CSV) potential caused by the mixing of pi-eta mesons with off-shell corrections. The density dependence enters through the nonvanishing pi-eta mixing driven by both the neutron-proton mass difference and their asymmetric density distribution. The contribution of density-dependent mixing to the CSV potential is found to be appreciably larger than that of the vacuum part.

Paediatric cerebrovascular CT angiography—towards better image quality

PubMed Central

Thust, Stefanie C.; Chong, Wui Khean Kling; Gunny, Roxana; Mazumder, Asif; Poitelea, Marius; Welsh, Anna; Ederies, Ash

2014-01-01

Background Paediatric cerebrovascular CT angiography (CTA) can be challenging to perform due to variable cardiovascular physiology between different age groups and the risk of movement artefact. This analysis aimed to determine what proportion of CTA at our institution was of diagnostic quality and identify technical factors which could be improved. Materials and methods a retrospective analysis of 20 cases was performed at a national paediatric neurovascular centre assessing image quality with a subjective scoring system and Hounsfield Unit (HU) measurements. Demographic data, contrast dose, flow rate and triggering times were recorded for each patient. Results Using a qualitative scoring system, 75% of studies were found to be of diagnostic quality (n=9 ‘good’, n=6 ‘satisfactory’) and 25% (n=5) were ‘poor’. Those judged subjectively to be poor had arterial contrast density measured at less than 250 HU. Increased arterial opacification was achieved for cases performed with an increased flow rate (2.5-4 mL/s) and higher intravenous contrast dose (2 mL/kg). Triggering was found to be well timed in nine cases, early in four cases and late in seven cases. Of the scans triggered early, 75% were poor. Of the scans triggered late, less (29%) were poor. Conclusions High flow rates (>2.5 mL/s) were a key factor for achieving high quality paediatric cerebrovascular CTA imaging. However, appropriate triggering by starting the scan immediately on contrast opacification of the monitoring vessel plays an important role and could maintain image quality when flow rates were lower. Early triggering appeared more detrimental than late. PMID:25525579

Syn-eruptive, soft-sediment deformation of deposits from dilute pyroclastic density current: triggers from granular shear, dynamic pore pressure, ballistic impacts and shock waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douillet, G. A.; Taisne, B.; Tsang-Hin-Sun, E.; Muller, S. K.; Kueppers, U.; Dingwell, D. B.

2015-05-01

Soft-sediment deformation structures can provide valuable information about the conditions of parent flows, the sediment state and the surrounding environment. Here, examples of soft-sediment deformation in deposits of dilute pyroclastic density currents are documented and possible syn-eruptive triggers suggested. Outcrops from six different volcanoes have been compiled in order to provide a broad perspective on the variety of structures: Soufriere Hills (Montserrat), Tungurahua (Ecuador), Ubehebe craters (USA), Laacher See (Germany), and Tower Hill and Purrumbete lakes (both Australia). The variety of features can be classified in four groups: (1) tubular features such as pipes; (2) isolated, laterally oriented deformation such as overturned or oversteepened laminations and vortex-shaped laminae; (3) folds-and-faults structures involving thick (>30 cm) units; (4) dominantly vertical inter-penetration of two layers such as potatoids, dishes, or diapiric flame-like structures. The occurrence of degassing pipes together with basal intrusions suggest fluidization during flow stages, and can facilitate the development of other soft-sediment deformation structures. Variations from injection dikes to suction-driven, local uplifts at the base of outcrops indicate the role of dynamic pore pressure. Isolated, centimeter-scale, overturned beds with vortex forms have been interpreted to be the signature of shear instabilities occurring at the boundary of two granular media. They may represent the frozen record of granular, pseudo Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. Their recognition can be a diagnostic for flows with a granular basal boundary layer. Vertical inter-penetration and those folds-and-faults features related to slumps are driven by their excess weight and occur after deposition but penecontemporaneous to the eruption. The passage of shock waves emanating from the vent may also produce trains of isolated, fine-grained overturned beds that disturb the surface bedding without occurrence of a sedimentation phase in the vicinity of explosion centers. Finally, ballistic impacts can trigger unconventional sags producing local displacement or liquefaction. Based on the deformation depth, these can yield precise insights into depositional unit boundaries. Such impact structures may also be at the origin of some of the steep truncation planes visible at the base of the so-called "chute and pool" structures. Dilute pyroclastic density currents occur contemporaneously with seismogenic volcanic explosions. They can experience extremely high sedimentation rates and may flow at the border between traction, granular and fluid-escape boundary zones. They are often deposited on steep slopes and can incorporate large amounts of water and gas in the sediment. These are just some of the many possible triggers acting in a single environment, and they reveal the potential for insights into the eruptive and flow mechanisms of dilute pyroclastic density currents.

Sporulation during growth in a gut isolate of Bacillus subtilis.

PubMed

Serra, Cláudia R; Earl, Ashlee M; Barbosa, Teresa M; Kolter, Roberto; Henriques, Adriano O

2014-12-01

Sporulation by Bacillus subtilis is a cell density-dependent response to nutrient deprivation. Central to the decision of entering sporulation is a phosphorelay, through which sensor kinases promote phosphorylation of Spo0A. The phosphorelay integrates both positive and negative signals, ensuring that sporulation, a time- and energy-consuming process that may bring an ecological cost, is only triggered should other adaptations fail. Here we report that a gastrointestinal isolate of B. subtilis sporulates with high efficiency during growth, bypassing the cell density, nutritional, and other signals that normally make sporulation a post-exponential-phase response. Sporulation during growth occurs because Spo0A is more active per cell and in a higher fraction of the population than in a laboratory strain. This in turn, is primarily caused by the absence from the gut strain of the genes rapE and rapK, coding for two aspartyl phosphatases that negatively modulate the flow of phosphoryl groups to Spo0A. We show, in line with recent results, that activation of Spo0A through the phosphorelay is the limiting step for sporulation initiation in the gut strain. Our results further suggest that the phosphorelay is tuned to favor sporulation during growth in gastrointestinal B. subtilis isolates, presumably as a form of survival and/or propagation in the gut environment. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Separable requirements for cytoplasmic domain of PSGL-1 in leukocyte rolling and signaling under flow

PubMed Central

Miner, Jonathan J.; Xia, Lijun; Yago, Tadayuki; Kappelmayer, János; Liu, Zhenghui; Klopocki, Arkadiusz G.; Shao, Bojing; McDaniel, J. Michael; Setiadi, Hendra; Schmidtke, David W.

2008-01-01

In inflamed venules, leukocytes use P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) to roll on P-selectin and E-selectin and to activate integrin αLβ2 (lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1, LFA-1) to slow rolling on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Studies in cell lines have suggested that PSGL-1 requires its cytoplasmic domain to localize in membrane domains, to support rolling on P-selectin, and to signal through spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). We generated “ΔCD” mice that express PSGL-1 without the cytoplasmic domain. Unexpectedly, neutrophils from these mice localized PSGL-1 normally in microvilli, uropods, and lipid rafts. ΔCD neutrophils expressed less PSGL-1 on their surfaces because of inefficient export from the endoplasmic reticulum. Limited digestion of wild-type neutrophils with O-sialoglycoprotein endopeptidase was used to reduce the PSGL-1 density to that on ΔCD neutrophils. At matched PSGL-1 densities, both ΔCD and wild-type neutrophils rolled similarly on P-selectin. However, ΔCD neutrophils rolling on P-selectin did not trigger Syk-dependent activation of LFA-1 to slow rolling on ICAM-1. These data demonstrate that the PSGL-1 cytoplasmic domain is dispensable for leukocyte rolling on P-selectin but is essential to activate β2 integrins to slow rolling on ICAM-1. PMID:18550846

Sulfur poisoning of Ni/Gadolinium-doped ceria anodes: A long-term study outlining stable solid oxide fuel cell operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riegraf, Matthias; Zekri, Atef; Knipper, Martin; Costa, Rémi; Schiller, Günter; Friedrich, K. Andreas

2018-03-01

This work presents an analysis of the long-term behavior of nickel/gadolinium-doped ceria (CGO) anode-based solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) under sulfur poisoning conditions. A parameter study of sulfur-induced irreversible long-term degradation of commercial, high-performance single cells was carried out at 900 °C for different H2/N2/H2S fuel gas atmospheres, current densities and Ni/CGO anodes. The poisoning periods of the cells varied from 200 to 1500 h. The possibility of stable long-term Ni/CGO anode operation under sulfur exposure is established and the critical operating regime is outlined. Depending on the operating conditions, two degradation phenomena can be observed. Small degradation of the ohmic resistance was witnessed for sulfur exposure times of approximately 1000 h. Moreover, degradation of the anode charge transfer resistance was observed to be triggered by the combination of a small anodic potential step and high sulfur coverage on Ni. The microstructural evolution of altered Ni/CGO anodes was examined post-mortem by means of SEM and FIB/SEM, and is correlated to the anode performance degradation under critical operating conditions, establishing Ni depletion, porosity increase and a tripe phase boundary density decrease in the anode functional layer. It is shown that short-term sulfur poisoning behavior can be used to assess long-term stability.

THE LOCATION, CLUSTERING, AND PROPAGATION OF MASSIVE STAR FORMATION IN GIANT MOLECULAR CLOUDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ochsendorf, Bram B.; Meixner, Margaret; Chastenet, Jérémy

Massive stars are key players in the evolution of galaxies, yet their formation pathway remains unclear. In this work, we use data from several galaxy-wide surveys to build an unbiased data set of ∼600 massive young stellar objects, ∼200 giant molecular clouds (GMCs), and ∼100 young (<10 Myr) optical stellar clusters (SCs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We employ this data to quantitatively study the location and clustering of massive star formation and its relation to the internal structure of GMCs. We reveal that massive stars do not typically form at the highest column densities nor centers of their parentmore » GMCs at the ∼6 pc resolution of our observations. Massive star formation clusters over multiple generations and on size scales much smaller than the size of the parent GMC. We find that massive star formation is significantly boosted in clouds near SCs. However, whether a cloud is associated with an SC does not depend on either the cloud’s mass or global surface density. These results reveal a connection between different generations of massive stars on timescales up to 10 Myr. We compare our work with Galactic studies and discuss our findings in terms of GMC collapse, triggered star formation, and a potential dichotomy between low- and high-mass star formation.« less

Analysis of ELF Radio Atmospherics Radiated by Rocket-Triggered Lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupree, N. A.; Moore, R. C.; Pilkey, J. T.; Uman, M. A.; Jordan, D. M.; Caicedo, J. A.; Hare, B.; Ngin, T. K.

2014-12-01

Experimental observations of ELF radio atmospherics produced by rocket-triggered lightning flashes are used to analyze Earth-ionosphere waveguide excitation and propagation characteristics. Rocket-triggered lightning experiments are performed at the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT) located at Camp Blanding, Florida. Long-distance ELF observations are performed in California, Greenland, and Antarctica. The lightning current waveforms directly measured at the base of the lightning channel (at the ICLRT) along with pertinent Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) data are used together with the Long Wavelength Propagation Capability (LWPC) code to predict the radio atmospheric (sferic) waveform observed at the receiver locations under various ionospheric conditions. We identify fitted exponential electron density profiles that accurately describe the observed propagation delays, phase delays, and signal amplitudes. The ability to infer ionospheric characteristics using distant ELF observations greatly enhances ionospheric remote sensing capabilities, especially in regard to interpreting observations of transient luminous events (TLEs) and other ionospheric effects associated with lightning.

Traffic jams induced by fluctuation of a leading car.

PubMed

Nagatani, T

2000-04-01

We present a phase diagram of the different kinds of congested traffic triggered by fluctuation of a leading car in an open system without sources and sinks. Traffic states and density waves are investigated numerically by varying the amplitude of fluctuation using a car following model. The phase transitions among the free traffic, oscillatory congested traffic, and homogeneous congested traffic occur by fluctuation of a leading car. With increasing the amplitude of fluctuation, the transition between the free traffic and oscillatory traffic occurs at lower density and the transition between the homogeneous congested traffic and the oscillatory traffic occurs at higher density. The oscillatory congested traffic corresponds to the coexisting phase. Also, the moving localized clusters appear just above the transition lines.

Exploring variable patterns of density-dependent larval settlement among corals with distinct and shared functional traits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doropoulos, Christopher; Gómez-Lemos, Luis A.; Babcock, Russell C.

2018-03-01

Coral settlement is a key process for the recovery and maintenance of coral reefs, yet interspecific variations in density-dependent settlement are unknown. Settlement of the submassive Goniastrea retiformis and corymbose Acropora digitifera and A. millepora was quantified at densities ranging from 1 to 50 larvae per 20 mL from 110 to 216 h following spawning. Settlement patterns were distinct for each species. Goniastrea settlement was rapid and increased linearly with time, whereas both Acropora spp. hardly settled until crustose coralline algae was provided. Both Goniastrea and A. digitifera showed positive density-dependent settlement, but the relationship was exponential for Goniastrea but linear for A. digitifera. Settlement was highest but density independent in A. millepora. Our results suggest that larval density can have significant effects on settler replenishment, and highlight variability in density-dependent settlement among corals with distinct functional traits as well as those with similar functional forms.

Plasma puff initiation of high Coulomb transfer switches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venable, D. D.; Choi, E. H.

1990-01-01

The plasma-puff triggering mechanism based on a hypocycloidal pinch geometry was investigated to determine the optimal operating conditions for the azimuthally uniform surface flashover which initiates plasma-puff under wide range of fill gas pressure of Ar, He and N2. The optimal fill gas pressure for the azimuthally uniform plasma-puff was about 120 mTorr and 450 Torr for He and N2, and between 120 mTorr and 5 Torr for Ar. The inverse pinch switch was triggered with the plasma-puff and the switching capability under various electrical parameters and working gas pressures of Ar, He and N2 was determined. It was also shown that the azimuthally uniform switching discharges were dependent on the type of fill gas and its fill pressure. A new concept of plasma-focus driven plasma-puff was also discussed in comparison with the hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff triggering. The main discharge of inverse pinch switch with plasma-focus driven plasma-puff trigger is found to be more azimuthally uniform than that with hypocycloidal pinch plasma-puff trigger in a gas pressure region between 80 mTorr and 1 Torr.

Dependence of SOL widths on plasma current and density in NSTX H-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, J.-W.; Maingi, R.; Boedo, J. A.; Soukhanovskii, V.; NSTX Team

2009-06-01

The dependence of various SOL widths on the line-averaged density ( n) and plasma current ( Ip) for the quiescent H-mode plasmas with Type-V ELMs in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) was investigated. It is found that the heat flux SOL width ( λq), measured by the IR camera, is virtually insensitive to n and has a strong negative dependence on Ip. This insensitivity of λq to n¯e is consistent with the scaling law from JET H-mode plasmas that shows a very weak dependence on the upstream density. The electron temperature, ion saturation current density, electron density, and electron pressure decay lengths ( λTe, λjsat, λne, and λpe, respectively) measured by the probe showed that λTe and λjsat have strong negative dependence on Ip, whereas λne and λpe revealed only a little or no dependence. The dependence of λTe on Ip is consistent with the scaling law in the literature, while λne and λpe dependence shows a different trend.

Determining the functional form of density dependence: deductive approaches for consumer-resource systems having a single resource.

PubMed

Abrams, Peter A

2009-09-01

Consumer-resource models are used to deduce the functional form of density dependence in the consumer population. A general approach to determining the form of consumer density dependence is proposed; this involves determining the equilibrium (or average) population size for a series of different harvest rates. The relationship between a consumer's mortality and its equilibrium population size is explored for several one-consumer/one-resource models. The shape of density dependence in the resource and the shape of the numerical and functional responses all tend to be "inherited" by the consumer's density dependence. Consumer-resource models suggest that density dependence will very often have both concave and convex segments, something that is impossible under the commonly used theta-logistic model. A range of consumer-resource models predicts that consumer population size often declines at a decelerating rate with mortality at low mortality rates, is insensitive to or increases with mortality over a wide range of intermediate mortalities, and declines at a rapidly accelerating rate with increased mortality when mortality is high. This has important implications for management and conservation of natural populations.

The dependence of stellar properties on initial cloud density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Michael O.; Bate, Matthew R.

2018-05-01

We investigate the dependence of stellar properties on the initial mean density of the molecular cloud in which stellar clusters form using radiation hydrodynamical simulations that resolve the opacity limit for fragmentation. We have simulated the formation of three star clusters from the gravitational collapse of molecular clouds whose densities vary by a factor of a hundred. As with previous calculations including radiative feedback, we find that the dependence of the characteristic stellar mass, Mc, on the initial mean density of the cloud, ρ, is weaker than the dependence of the thermal Jeans mass. However, unlike previous calculations, which found no statistically significant variation in the median mass with density, we find a weak dependence approximately of the form Mc∝ρ-1/5. The distributions of properties of multiple systems do not vary significantly between the calculations. We compare our results to the result of observational surveys of star-forming regions, and suggest that the similarities between the properties of our lowest density calculation and the nearby Taurus-Auriga region indicate that the apparent excess of solar-type stars observed may be due to the region's low density.

Active Space Dependence in Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory.

PubMed

Sharma, Prachi; Truhlar, Donald G; Gagliardi, Laura

2018-02-13

In multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT), multiconfiguration self-consistent-field calculations and on-top density functionals are combined to describe both static and dynamic correlation. Here, we investigate how the MC-PDFT total energy and its components depend on the active space choice in the case of the H 2 and N 2 molecules. The active space dependence of the on-top pair density, the total density, the ratio of on-top pair density to half the square of the electron density, and the satisfaction of the virial theorem are also explored. We find that the density and on-top pair density do not change significantly with changes in the active space. However, the on-top ratio does change significantly with respect to active space change, and this affects the on-top energy. This study provides a foundation for designing on-top density functionals and automatizing the active space choice in MC-PDFT.

Excitation-transcription coupling in parvalbumin-positive interneurons employs a novel CaM Kinase-dependent pathway distinct from excitatory neurons

PubMed Central

Cohen, Samuel M.; Ma, Huan; Kuchibhotla, Kishore V.; Watson, Brendon O.; Buzsáki, György; Froemke, Robert C.; Tsien, Richard W.

2016-01-01

Properly functional CNS circuits depend on inhibitory interneurons that in turn rely upon activity-dependent gene expression for morphological development, connectivity and excitatory-inhibitory coordination. Despite its importance, excitation-transcription coupling in inhibitory interneurons is poorly understood. Here, we report that PV+ interneurons employ a novel CaMK-dependent pathway to trigger CREB phosphorylation and gene expression. As in excitatory neurons, voltage-gated Ca2+ influx through CaV1 channels triggers CaM nuclear translocation via local Ca2+ signaling. However, PV+ interneurons are distinct in that nuclear signaling is mediated by γCaMKI, not γCaMKII. CREB phosphorylation also proceeds with slow, sigmoid kinetics, rate-limited by paucity of CaMKIV, protecting against saturation of phospho-CREB in the face of higher firing rates and bigger Ca2+ transients. Our findings support the generality of CaM shuttling to drive nuclear CaMK activity, and are relevant to disease pathophysiology, insofar as dysfunction of PV+ interneurons and molecules underpinning their excitation-transcription coupling both relate to neuropsychiatric disease. PMID:27041500

Atomic view of the histidine environment stabilizing higher-pH conformations of pH-dependent proteins

PubMed Central

Valéry, Céline; Deville-Foillard, Stéphanie; Lefebvre, Christelle; Taberner, Nuria; Legrand, Pierre; Meneau, Florian; Meriadec, Cristelle; Delvaux, Camille; Bizien, Thomas; Kasotakis, Emmanouil; Lopez-Iglesias, Carmen; Gall, Andrew; Bressanelli, Stéphane; Le Du, Marie-Hélène; Paternostre, Maïté; Artzner, Franck

2015-01-01

External stimuli are powerful tools that naturally control protein assemblies and functions. For example, during viral entry and exit changes in pH are known to trigger large protein conformational changes. However, the molecular features stabilizing the higher pH structures remain unclear. Here we elucidate the conformational change of a self-assembling peptide that forms either small or large nanotubes dependent on the pH. The sub-angstrom high-pH peptide structure reveals a globular conformation stabilized through a strong histidine-serine H-bond and a tight histidine-aromatic packing. Lowering the pH induces histidine protonation, disrupts these interactions and triggers a large change to an extended β-sheet-based conformation. Re-visiting available structures of proteins with pH-dependent conformations reveals both histidine-containing aromatic pockets and histidine-serine proximity as key motifs in higher pH structures. The mechanism discovered in this study may thus be generally used by pH-dependent proteins and opens new prospects in the field of nanomaterials. PMID:26190377

WASH and Tsg101/ALIX-dependent diversion of stress-internalized EGFR from the canonical endocytic pathway

PubMed Central

Tomas, Alejandra; Vaughan, Simon O.; Burgoyne, Thomas; Sorkin, Alexander; Hartley, John A.; Hochhauser, Daniel; Futter, Clare E.

2015-01-01

Stress exposure triggers ligand-independent EGF receptor (EGFR) endocytosis, but its post-endocytic fate and role in regulating signalling are unclear. We show that the p38 MAP kinase-dependent, EGFR tyrosine kinase (TK)-independent EGFR internalization induced by ultraviolet light C (UVC) or the cancer therapeutic cisplatin, is followed by diversion from the canonical endocytic pathway. Instead of lysosomal degradation or plasma membrane recycling, EGFR accumulates in a subset of LBPA-rich perinuclear multivesicular bodies (MVBs) distinct from those carrying EGF-stimulated EGFR. Stress-internalized EGFR co-segregates with exogenously expressed pre-melanosomal markers OA1 and fibrillar PMEL, following early endosomal sorting by the actin polymerization-promoting WASH complex. Stress-internalized EGFR is retained intracellularly by continued p38 activity in a mechanism involving ubiquitin-independent, ESCRT/ALIX-dependent incorporation onto intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) of MVBs. In contrast to the internalization-independent EGF-stimulated activation, UVC/cisplatin-triggered EGFR activation depends on EGFR internalization and intracellular retention. EGFR signalling from this MVB subpopulation delays apoptosis and might contribute to chemoresistance. PMID:26066081

Multi-hop Whistler-Mode ELF/VLF Signals and Triggered Emissions Excited by the HAARP HF Heater

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-28

distribution along the field line [ Angerami and Thomas, 1964] to infer the equatorial electron density Neq. This analysis revealed values of L ’ 4.9 and...the ELF/VLF receiver used on RV Tangaroa. References Angerami , J. J., and J. O. Thomas (1964), Studies of planetary atmospheres: 1. The distribution of

Airborne signals from Trichoderma fungi stimulate iron uptake responses in roots resulting in priming of jasmonic acid-dependent defences in shoots of Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum lycopersicum.

PubMed

Martínez-Medina, Ainhoa; Van Wees, Saskia C M; Pieterse, Corné M J

2017-11-01

Root colonization by Trichoderma fungi can trigger induced systemic resistance (ISR). In Arabidopsis, Trichoderma-ISR relies on the transcription factor MYB72, which plays a dual role in the onset of ISR and the activation of Fe uptake responses. Volatile compounds (VCs) from rhizobacteria are important elicitors of MYB72 in Arabidopsis roots. Here, we investigated the mode of action of VCs from Trichoderma fungi in the onset of ISR and Fe uptake responses. VCs from Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma harzianum were applied in an in vitro split-plate system with Arabidopsis or tomato seedlings. Locally, Trichoderma-VCs triggered MYB72 expression and molecular, physiological and morphological Fe uptake mechanisms in Arabidopsis roots. In leaves, Trichoderma-VCs primed jasmonic acid-dependent defences, leading to an enhanced resistance against Botrytis cinerea. By using Arabidopsis micrografts of VCs-exposed rootstocks and non-exposed scions, we demonstrated that perception of Trichoderma-VCs by the roots leads to a systemic signal that primes shoots for enhanced defences. Trichoderma-VCs also elicited Fe deficiency responses and shoot immunity in tomato, suggesting that this phenomenon is expressed in different plant species. Our results indicate that Trichoderma-VCs trigger locally a readjustment of Fe homeostasis in roots, which links to systemic elicitation of ISR by priming of jasmonic acid-dependent defences. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Abnormal mitosis triggers p53-dependent cell cycle arrest in human tetraploid cells.

PubMed

Kuffer, Christian; Kuznetsova, Anastasia Yurievna; Storchová, Zuzana

2013-08-01

Erroneously arising tetraploid mammalian cells are chromosomally instable and may facilitate cell transformation. An increasing body of evidence shows that the propagation of mammalian tetraploid cells is limited by a p53-dependent arrest. The trigger of this arrest has not been identified so far. Here we show by live cell imaging of tetraploid cells generated by an induced cytokinesis failure that most tetraploids arrest and die in a p53-dependent manner after the first tetraploid mitosis. Furthermore, we found that the main trigger is a mitotic defect, in particular, chromosome missegregation during bipolar mitosis or spindle multipolarity. Both a transient multipolar spindle followed by efficient clustering in anaphase as well as a multipolar spindle followed by multipolar mitosis inhibited subsequent proliferation to a similar degree. We found that the tetraploid cells did not accumulate double-strand breaks that could cause the cell cycle arrest after tetraploid mitosis. In contrast, tetraploid cells showed increased levels of oxidative DNA damage coinciding with the p53 activation. To further elucidate the pathways involved in the proliferation control of tetraploid cells, we knocked down specific kinases that had been previously linked to the cell cycle arrest and p53 phosphorylation. Our results suggest that the checkpoint kinase ATM phosphorylates p53 in tetraploid cells after abnormal mitosis and thus contributes to proliferation control of human aberrantly arising tetraploids.

Dependences of contraction/expansion of stacking faults on temperature and current density in 4H-SiC p–i–n diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, Aoi; Nishio, Johji; Iijima, Ryosuke; Ota, Chiharu; Goryu, Akihiro; Miyazato, Masaki; Ryo, Mina; Shinohe, Takashi; Miyajima, Masaaki; Kato, Tomohisa; Yonezawa, Yoshiyuki; Okumura, Hajime

2018-06-01

To investigate the mechanism of contraction/expansion behavior of Shockley stacking faults (SSFs) in 4H-SiC p–i–n diodes, the dependences of the SSF behavior on temperature and injection current density were investigated by electroluminescence image observation. We investigated the dependences of both triangle- and bar-shaped SSFs on the injection current density at four temperature levels. All SSFs in this study show similar temperature and injection current density dependences. We found that the expansion of SSFs at a high current density was converted to contraction at a certain value as the current decreased and that the value is temperature-dependent. It has been confirmed that SSF behavior, which was considered complex or peculiar, might be explained mainly by the energy change caused by SSFs.

Spatially varying density dependence drives a shifting mosaic of survival in a recovering apex predator (Canis lupus).

PubMed

O'Neil, Shawn T; Bump, Joseph K; Beyer, Dean E

2017-11-01

Understanding landscape patterns in mortality risk is crucial for promoting recovery of threatened and endangered species. Humans affect mortality risk in large carnivores such as wolves ( Canis lupus ), but spatiotemporally varying density dependence can significantly influence the landscape of survival. This potentially occurs when density varies spatially and risk is unevenly distributed. We quantified spatiotemporal sources of variation in survival rates of gray wolves ( C. lupus ) during a 21-year period of population recovery in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. We focused on mapping risk across time using Cox Proportional Hazards (CPH) models with time-dependent covariates, thus exploring a shifting mosaic of survival. Extended CPH models and time-dependent covariates revealed influences of seasonality, density dependence and experience, as well as individual-level factors and landscape predictors of risk. We used results to predict the shifting landscape of risk at the beginning, middle, and end of the wolf recovery time series. Survival rates varied spatially and declined over time. Long-term change was density-dependent, with landscape predictors such as agricultural land cover and edge densities contributing negatively to survival. Survival also varied seasonally and depended on individual experience, sex, and resident versus transient status. The shifting landscape of survival suggested that increasing density contributed to greater potential for human conflict and wolf mortality risk. Long-term spatial variation in key population vital rates is largely unquantified in many threatened, endangered, and recovering species. Variation in risk may indicate potential for source-sink population dynamics, especially where individuals preemptively occupy suitable territories, which forces new individuals into riskier habitat types as density increases. We encourage managers to explore relationships between adult survival and localized changes in population density. Density-dependent risk maps can identify increasing conflict areas or potential habitat sinks which may persist due to high recruitment in adjacent habitats.

Spatially Offset Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Triggering in Galaxy Mergers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barrows, R. Scott; Comerford, Julia M.; Greene, Jenny E.

Galaxy mergers are likely to play a role in triggering active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but the conditions under which this process occurs are poorly understood. In Paper I, we constructed a sample of spatially offset X-ray AGNs that represent galaxy mergers hosting a single AGN. In this paper, we use our offset AGN sample to constrain the parameters that affect AGN observability in galaxy mergers. We also construct dual-AGN samples with similar selection properties for comparison. We find that the offset AGN fraction shows no evidence for a dependence on AGN luminosity, while the dual-AGN fractions show stronger evidence formore » a positive dependence, suggesting that the merger events forming dual AGNs are more efficient at instigating accretion onto supermassive black holes than those forming offset AGNs. We also find that the offset and dual-AGN fractions both have a negative dependence on nuclear separation and are similar in value at small physical scales. This dependence may become stronger when restricted to high AGN luminosities, although a larger sample is needed for confirmation. These results indicate that the probability of AGN triggering increases at later merger stages. This study is the first to systematically probe down to nuclear separations of <1 kpc (∼0.8 kpc) and is consistent with predictions from simulations that AGN observability peaks in this regime. We also find that the offset AGNs are not preferentially obscured compared to the parent AGN sample, suggesting that our selection may be targeting galaxy mergers with relatively dust-free nuclear regions.« less

Spatially Offset Active Galactic Nuclei. II. Triggering in Galaxy Mergers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrows, R. Scott; Comerford, Julia M.; Greene, Jenny E.; Pooley, David

2017-04-01

Galaxy mergers are likely to play a role in triggering active galactic nuclei (AGNs), but the conditions under which this process occurs are poorly understood. In Paper I, we constructed a sample of spatially offset X-ray AGNs that represent galaxy mergers hosting a single AGN. In this paper, we use our offset AGN sample to constrain the parameters that affect AGN observability in galaxy mergers. We also construct dual-AGN samples with similar selection properties for comparison. We find that the offset AGN fraction shows no evidence for a dependence on AGN luminosity, while the dual-AGN fractions show stronger evidence for a positive dependence, suggesting that the merger events forming dual AGNs are more efficient at instigating accretion onto supermassive black holes than those forming offset AGNs. We also find that the offset and dual-AGN fractions both have a negative dependence on nuclear separation and are similar in value at small physical scales. This dependence may become stronger when restricted to high AGN luminosities, although a larger sample is needed for confirmation. These results indicate that the probability of AGN triggering increases at later merger stages. This study is the first to systematically probe down to nuclear separations of <1 kpc (˜0.8 kpc) and is consistent with predictions from simulations that AGN observability peaks in this regime. We also find that the offset AGNs are not preferentially obscured compared to the parent AGN sample, suggesting that our selection may be targeting galaxy mergers with relatively dust-free nuclear regions.

The Venus Flytrap Dionaea muscipula Counts Prey-Induced Action Potentials to Induce Sodium Uptake.

PubMed

Böhm, Jennifer; Scherzer, Sönke; Krol, Elzbieta; Kreuzer, Ines; von Meyer, Katharina; Lorey, Christian; Mueller, Thomas D; Shabala, Lana; Monte, Isabel; Solano, Roberto; Al-Rasheid, Khaled A S; Rennenberg, Heinz; Shabala, Sergey; Neher, Erwin; Hedrich, Rainer

2016-02-08

Carnivorous plants, such as the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), depend on an animal diet when grown in nutrient-poor soils. When an insect visits the trap and tilts the mechanosensors on the inner surface, action potentials (APs) are fired. After a moving object elicits two APs, the trap snaps shut, encaging the victim. Panicking preys repeatedly touch the trigger hairs over the subsequent hours, leading to a hermetically closed trap, which via the gland-based endocrine system is flooded by a prey-decomposing acidic enzyme cocktail. Here, we asked the question as to how many times trigger hairs have to be stimulated (e.g., now many APs are required) for the flytrap to recognize an encaged object as potential food, thus making it worthwhile activating the glands. By applying a series of trigger-hair stimulations, we found that the touch hormone jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway is activated after the second stimulus, while more than three APs are required to trigger an expression of genes encoding prey-degrading hydrolases, and that this expression is proportional to the number of mechanical stimulations. A decomposing animal contains a sodium load, and we have found that these sodium ions enter the capture organ via glands. We identified a flytrap sodium channel DmHKT1 as responsible for this sodium acquisition, with the number of transcripts expressed being dependent on the number of mechano-electric stimulations. Hence, the number of APs a victim triggers while trying to break out of the trap identifies the moving prey as a struggling Na(+)-rich animal and nutrition for the plant. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Venus Flytrap Dionaea muscipula Counts Prey-Induced Action Potentials to Induce Sodium Uptake

PubMed Central

Böhm, Jennifer; Scherzer, Sönke; Krol, Elzbieta; Kreuzer, Ines; von Meyer, Katharina; Lorey, Christian; Mueller, Thomas D.; Shabala, Lana; Monte, Isabel; Solano, Roberto; Al-Rasheid, Khaled A.S.; Rennenberg, Heinz; Shabala, Sergey; Neher, Erwin; Hedrich, Rainer

2016-01-01

Summary Carnivorous plants, such as the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), depend on an animal diet when grown in nutrient-poor soils. When an insect visits the trap and tilts the mechanosensors on the inner surface, action potentials (APs) are fired. After a moving object elicits two APs, the trap snaps shut, encaging the victim. Panicking preys repeatedly touch the trigger hairs over the subsequent hours, leading to a hermetically closed trap, which via the gland-based endocrine system is flooded by a prey-decomposing acidic enzyme cocktail. Here, we asked the question as to how many times trigger hairs have to be stimulated (e.g., now many APs are required) for the flytrap to recognize an encaged object as potential food, thus making it worthwhile activating the glands. By applying a series of trigger-hair stimulations, we found that the touch hormone jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway is activated after the second stimulus, while more than three APs are required to trigger an expression of genes encoding prey-degrading hydrolases, and that this expression is proportional to the number of mechanical stimulations. A decomposing animal contains a sodium load, and we have found that these sodium ions enter the capture organ via glands. We identified a flytrap sodium channel DmHKT1 as responsible for this sodium acquisition, with the number of transcripts expressed being dependent on the number of mechano-electric stimulations. Hence, the number of APs a victim triggers while trying to break out of the trap identifies the moving prey as a struggling Na+-rich animal and nutrition for the plant. Video Abstract PMID:26804557

Candida albicans triggers interleukin-8 secretion by oral epithelial cells.

PubMed

Dongari-Bagtzoglou, A; Kashleva, H

2003-04-01

Oropharyngeal candidiasis is a frequent opportunistic infection associated with immunocompromised hosts. Candida albicans is the principal species responsible for this infection. Production of interleukin-8 (IL-8), by oral epithelial cells can be expected to play a major role in the recruitment and activation of professional phagocytes at the infected site. The purpose of this study was to determine whether C. albicans triggers secretion of IL-8 by oral epithelial cells in vitro and investigate mechanisms of host cell-fungal interactions that trigger such responses. Oral epithelial cell lines (SCC4, SCC15, and OKF6/TERT-2) as well as primary gingival epithelial cells were used. Epithelial cells were cocultured with C. albicans, strains SC5314, ATCC28366 or ATCC32077, for 24-48 hr, and supernatants were analyzed for IL-8 content by ELISA. A germination-deficient mutant (efg1/efg1 cph1/cph1), otherwise isogenic to strain SC5314, was used to assess the requirement for germination in triggering IL-8 responses. In order to ascertain whether direct contact of yeast with host cells is required to trigger cytokine production, epithelial cells were separated from yeast using cell culture inserts. To test whether IL-8 secretion is dependent on IL-1alpha activity, epithelial cells were challenged with viable C. albicans in the presence or absence of neutralizing anti-IL-1alpha antibody or IL-1ra, and IL-8 secretion was measured in the supernatants. All cell lines and primary cultures responded to C. albicans with an increase in IL-8 secretion. IL-8 responses were contact-dependent, strain-specific, required yeast viability and germination into hyphae, and were in part autoregulated by IL-1alpha. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Deer density and disease prevalence influence transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease in White-tailed Deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Samuel, Michael D.; Richards, Bryan J.; Storm, Daniel J.; Rolley, Robert E.; Shelton, Paul; Nicholas S. Keuler,; Timothy R. Van Deelen,

2013-01-01

Host-parasite dynamics and strategies for managing infectious diseases of wildlife depend on the functional relationship between disease transmission rates and host density. However, the disease transmission function is rarely known for free-living wildlife, leading to uncertainty regarding the impacts of diseases on host populations and effective control actions. We evaluated the influence of deer density, landscape features, and soil clay content on transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in young (<2-year-old) white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in south-central Wisconsin, USA. We evaluated how frequency-dependent, density-dependent, and intermediate transmission models predicted CWD incidence rates in harvested yearling deer. An intermediate transmission model, incorporating both disease prevalence and density of infected deer, performed better than simple density- and frequency-dependent models. Our results indicate a combination of social structure, non-linear relationships between infectious contact and deer density, and distribution of disease among groups are important factors driving CWD infection in young deer. The landscape covariates % deciduous forest cover and forest edge density also were positively associated with infection rates, but soil clay content had no measurable influences on CWD transmission. Lack of strong density-dependent transmission rates indicates that controlling CWD by reducing deer density will be difficult. The consequences of non-linear disease transmission and aggregation of disease on cervid populations deserves further consideration.

Microbe–microbe interactions trigger Mn(II)-oxidizing gene expression

PubMed Central

Liang, Jinsong; Bai, Yaohui; Men, Yujie; Qu, Jiuhui

2017-01-01

Manganese (Mn) is an important metal in geochemical cycles. Some microorganisms can oxidize Mn(II) to Mn oxides, which can, in turn, affect the global cycles of other elements by strong sorption and oxidation effects. Microbe–microbe interactions have important roles in a number of biological processes. However, how microbial interactions affect Mn(II) oxidation still remains unknown. Here, we investigated the interactions between two bacteria (Arthrobacter sp. and Sphingopyxis sp.) in a co-culture, which exhibited Mn(II)-oxidizing activity, although neither were able to oxidize Mn(II) in isolation. We demonstrated that the Mn(II)-oxidizing activity in co-culture was most likely induced via contact-dependent interactions. The expressed Mn(II)-oxidizing protein in the co-culture was purified and identified as a bilirubin oxidase belonging to strain Arthrobacter. Full sequencing of the bilirubin oxidase-encoding gene (boxA) was performed. The Mn(II)-oxidizing protein and the transcripts of boxA were detected in the co-culture, but not in either of the isolated cultures. This indicate that boxA was silent in Arthrobacter monoculture, and was activated in response to presence of Sphingopyxis in the co-culture. Further, transcriptomic analysis by RNA-Seq, extracellular superoxide detection and cell density quantification by flow cytometry indicate induction of boxA gene expression in Arthrobacter was co-incident with a stress response triggered by co-cultivation with Sphingopyxis. Our findings suggest the potential roles of microbial physiological responses to stress induced by other microbes in Mn(II) oxidation and extracellular superoxide production. PMID:27518809

The Effects of Thunderstorm Static and Quasi-Static Electric Fields on the Lower Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, Mohammad Ahmad

Thunderstorms and their lightning discharges are of great interest to many areas of geophysics and atmospheric electricity. A thunderstorm is an electric generator; it can produce both electrostatic and quasi-electrostatic fields in the overhead atmospheric D region. The D region is the lower part of the ionosphere that extends from about 40-90 km altitude where the electrons and ions are sufficient enough to affect the propagation of radio waves. In contrast to the electrostatic field, the quasi-electrostatic fields can be much stronger in magnitude, but shorter in duration, and can trigger halos. A halo is one type of the transient luminous events (TLEs) and typically appears within 1-2 ms after an intense cloud to ground lightning discharge. It looks like a relatively homogeneous glow in the shape of a pancake that is centered around 75-80 km altitude with a horizontal extent of tens of kilometers and vertical thickness of several kilometers. The goals of this dissertation research are to investigate the electrical effects of thunderstorm electrostatic and quasi-electrostatic fields on the nighttime lower ionosphere, and their covert relation to the formation of atmospheric halos. This work entails numerical and theoretical modeling analyses, and comparison of current theory and simulation results with the actual observations. For the first part of this study we have demonstrated that, under steady state conditions, electrostatic fields of <0.4Ek values (not strong enough to produce TLEs) can be established in the lower ionosphere due to underlying thunderstorms. We utilized the simplified nighttime ion chemistry model described in the work of Liu [2012] to investigate how these fields affect the lower ionosphere ion density profile. The three-body electron attachment, through which electrons can be converted to negative ions, is the only process whose rate constant depends on the field values within the above-mentioned limit. As a result of the variation of the rate constant with the electric field, the nighttime steady state electron density profile can be reduced by ˜40% or enhanced by a factor of ˜6. We have improved our model in order to self-consistently calculate the steady state conductivity of the lower ionosphere above a thunderstorm. The new model takes into account the heating effects of thunderstorm electrostatic fields on the free electrons. The modeling results indicate that under steady state condition, although the electron density is generally increased, the nighttime lower ionospheric conductivity can be reduced by up to 1-2 orders of magnitude because electron mobility is significantly reduced due to the electron heating effect. Because of this reduction, it is found that for a typical ionospheric density profile, the resulting changes in the reflection heights of ELF and VLF waves are 5 and 2 km, respectively. In the second part of this dissertation, a one-dimensional plasma discharge fluid model is developed to study the response of the nighttime lower ionosphere to the quasi-electrostatic field produced by cloud-to-ground lightning flashes. When the quasi-electrostatic field reaches and exceeds about E k, a halo can be triggered in the lower ionosphere. The modeling results indicate that the ionospheric perturbation is determined by the ambient ionospheric density profile, the charge. moment change, and charge transfer time. Tenuous ambient profiles result in larger changes in the ionospheric electron density. Cloud-to-ground lightning discharges, with larger charge moment changes and shorter charge transfer times, result in a larger change in the ionospheric electron density. In particular, the enhancement in the lower ionospheric electron density due to impulsive negative cloud-to-ground lightning flashes has been investigated. It is found that the enhancement can reach up to about 3 orders of magnitude above ˜70 km altitude in a few seconds. Below ˜75 km altitude, this enhancement recovers in a few seconds due to the fast electron attachment process. The recovery time of the electron enhancement above ˜75 km altitude is controlled by a slower recombination process; it depends on the ambient density profile and can last for tens of minutes to hours. Finally, the modeling results of the lower ionosphere recovery time are analyzed to investigate the role of halos in producing early VLF events with long recovery time. It is found that these events can be explained when sufficient ionization is produced around ˜80 km altitude. Such ionization can be produced by the impact of impulsive negative cloud-to-ground lightning flashes with a relatively large charge moment change on a tenuous ionospheric density profile.

UV-Induced Triggering of a Biomechanical Initiation Switch Within Collagen Promotes Development of a Melanoma-Permissive Microenvironment in the Skin

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

addition, our new data suggest that pre-treating mice with anti-HU177 antibody inhibited UVB -induced accumulation of mast cells in the skin. Moreover, pre...work is provided below. Our previous studies have indicated that UVA and UVB irradiation can dose dependently trigger conformational changes in both...vitro following UV-irradiation was unlikely do to thermal denaturation. Interestingly, macrophage adhesion to UVB irradiated collagen type-IV but not

The Relationship Between Sociodemographic Characteristics and Clinical Features in Burning Mouth Syndrome.

PubMed

Adamo, Daniela; Celentano, Antonio; Ruoppo, Elvira; Cucciniello, Claudia; Pecoraro, Giuseppe; Aria, Massimo; Mignogna, Michele D

2015-11-01

To compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and their relationship with pain. Cross-sectional clinical study. University-Hospital. 75 BMS patients were enrolled. The study was conducted between September 2011 and March 2012 at the "Federico II" University of Naples. Demographic characteristics and clinical information including age, sex, educational level, marital status, job status, age at disease onset, oral symptoms, and triggers were collected via questionnaire interviews. To assess pain intensity the visual analogue scale (VAS) was administered. Descriptive statistics were collected, and Pearson Chi-square tests, Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests and the Spearman bivariate correlation were performed. The mean age was 61.17 (±11.75, female/male ratio = 3:1). The mean age at disease onset was 56.75 (±12.01). A low educational level (8.57 ± 4.95) and 80% of unemployment were found. Job status and age at disease onset correlated with the VAS scale (P = 0.019 and P = 0.015, respectively). Tongue morphology changes, taste disturbances, and intraoral foreign body sensation have a significant dependence on gender (P = 0.049, 0.001, and 0.045, respectively); intraoral foreign body sensation has a significant dependence on marital status (P = 0.033); taste disturbances have a significant dependence on job status. (P = 0.049); xerostomia has a significant dependence on age (P = 0.039); and tongue color changes and a bitter taste have a significant dependence on educational level (P = 0.040 and 0.022, respectively). Marital status and educational level have a significant dependence on the triggers (P = 0.036 and 0.049, respectively). The prevalence of BMS is higher in women, and in married, unemployed, and less highly educated patients. Burning is the most frequent symptom while stressful life events are the most frequent trigger reported. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Synthetic Rhamnolipid Bolaforms trigger an innate immune response in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Luzuriaga-Loaiza, W Patricio; Schellenberger, Romain; De Gaetano, Yannick; Obounou Akong, Firmin; Villaume, Sandra; Crouzet, Jérôme; Haudrechy, Arnaud; Baillieul, Fabienne; Clément, Christophe; Lins, Laurence; Allais, Florent; Ongena, Marc; Bouquillon, Sandrine; Deleu, Magali; Dorey, Stephan

2018-06-04

Stimulation of plant innate immunity by natural and synthetic elicitors is a promising alternative to conventional pesticides for a more sustainable agriculture. Sugar-based bolaamphiphiles are known for their biocompatibility, biodegradability and low toxicity. In this work, we show that Synthetic Rhamnolipid Bolaforms (SRBs) that have been synthesized by green chemistry trigger Arabidopsis innate immunity. Using structure-function analysis, we demonstrate that SRBs, depending on the acyl chain length, differentially activate early and late immunity-related plant defense responses and provide local increase in resistance to plant pathogenic bacteria. Our biophysical data suggest that SRBs can interact with plant biomimetic plasma membrane and open the possibility of a lipid driven process for plant-triggered immunity by SRBs.

Single-Photon-Triggered Quantum Phase Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lü, Xin-You; Zheng, Li-Li; Zhu, Gui-Lei; Wu, Ying

2018-06-01

We propose a hybrid quantum model combining cavity QED and optomechanics, which allows the occurrence of an equilibrium superradiant quantum phase transition (QPT) triggered by a single photon. This single-photon-triggered QPT exists in the cases of both ignoring and including the so-called A2 term; i.e., it is immune to the no-go theorem. It originally comes from the photon-dependent quantum criticality featured by the proposed hybrid quantum model. Moreover, a reversed superradiant QPT is induced by the competition between the introduced A2 term and the optomechanical interaction. This work offers an approach to manipulate QPT with a single photon, which should inspire the exploration of single-photon quantum-criticality physics and the engineering of new single-photon quantum devices.

Density-dependent intraspecific aggression regulates survival in northern Yellowstone wolves (Canis lupus).

PubMed

Cubaynes, Sarah; MacNulty, Daniel R; Stahler, Daniel R; Quimby, Kira A; Smith, Douglas W; Coulson, Tim

2014-11-01

Understanding the population dynamics of top-predators is essential to assess their impact on ecosystems and to guide their management. Key to this understanding is identifying the mechanisms regulating vital rates. Determining the influence of density on survival is necessary to understand the extent to which human-caused mortality is compensatory or additive. In wolves (Canis lupus), empirical evidence for density-dependent survival is lacking. Dispersal is considered the principal way in which wolves adjust their numbers to prey supply or compensate for human exploitation. However, studies to date have primarily focused on exploited wolf populations, in which density-dependent mechanisms are likely weak due to artificially low wolf densities. Using 13 years of data on 280 collared wolves in Yellowstone National Park, we assessed the effect of wolf density, prey abundance and population structure, as well as winter severity, on age-specific survival in two areas (prey-rich vs. prey-poor) of the national park. We further analysed cause-specific mortality and explored the factors driving intraspecific aggression in the prey-rich northern area of the park. Overall, survival rates decreased during the study. In northern Yellowstone, density dependence regulated adult survival through an increase in intraspecific aggression, independent of prey availability. In the interior of the park, adult survival was less variable and density-independent, despite reduced prey availability. There was no effect of prey population structure in northern Yellowstone, or of winter severity in either area. Survival was similar among yearlings and adults, but lower for adults older than 6 years. Our results indicate that density-dependent intraspecific aggression is a major driver of adult wolf survival in northern Yellowstone, suggesting intrinsic density-dependent mechanisms have the potential to regulate wolf populations at high ungulate densities. When low prey availability or high removal rates maintain wolves at lower densities, limited inter-pack interactions may prevent density-dependent survival, consistent with our findings in the interior of the park. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2014 British Ecological Society.

Triggering collective oscillations by three-flavor effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dasgupta, Basudeb; Raffelt, Georg G.; Tamborra, Irene

2010-04-01

Collective flavor transformations in supernovae, caused by neutrino-neutrino interactions, are essentially a two-flavor phenomenon driven by the atmospheric mass difference and the small mixing angle {theta}{sub 13}. In the two-flavor approximation, the initial evolution depends logarithmically on {theta}{sub 13} and the system remains trapped in an unstable fixed point for {theta}{sub 13}=0. However, any effect breaking exact {nu}{sub {mu}-{nu}{tau}}equivalence triggers the conversion. Such three-flavor perturbations include radiative corrections to weak interactions, small differences between the {nu}{sub {mu}}and {nu}{sub {tau}}fluxes, or nonstandard interactions. Therefore, extremely small values of {theta}{sub 13} are in practice equivalent, the fate of the system depending onlymore » on the neutrino spectra and their mass ordering.« less

Extreme plasma states in laser-governed vacuum breakdown.

PubMed

Efimenko, Evgeny S; Bashinov, Aleksei V; Bastrakov, Sergei I; Gonoskov, Arkady A; Muraviev, Alexander A; Meyerov, Iosif B; Kim, Arkady V; Sergeev, Alexander M

2018-02-05

Triggering vacuum breakdown at laser facility is expected to provide rapid electron-positron pair production for studies in laboratory astrophysics and fundamental physics. However, the density of the produced plasma may cease to increase at a relativistic critical density, when the plasma becomes opaque. Here, we identify the opportunity of breaking this limit using optimal beam configuration of petawatt-class lasers. Tightly focused laser fields allow generating plasma in a small focal volume much less than λ 3 and creating extreme plasma states in terms of density and produced currents. These states can be regarded to be a new object of nonlinear plasma physics. Using 3D QED-PIC simulations we demonstrate a possibility of reaching densities over 10 25  cm -3 , which is an order of magnitude higher than expected earlier. Controlling the process via initial target parameters provides an opportunity to reach the discovered plasma states at the upcoming laser facilities.

Rainfall thresholds for the triggering of landslides in Slovenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peternel, Tina; Jemec Auflič, Mateja; Rosi, Ascanio; Segoni, Samuele; Komac, Marko; Casagli, Nicola

2017-04-01

Both at the worldwide level and in Slovenia, precipitation and related phenomena represent one of the most important triggering factors for the occurrence of slope mass movements. In the past decade, extreme rainfall events with a very high amount of precipitation occurs in a relatively short rainfall period have become increasingly important and more frequent, that causing numerous undesirable consequences. Intense rainstorms cause flash floods and mostly trigger shallow landslides and soil slips. On the other hand, the damage of long lasting rainstorms depends on the region's adaptation and its capacity to store or infiltrate excessive water from the rain. The amount and, consequently, the intensity of daily precipitation that can cause floods in the eastern part of Slovenia is a rather common event for the north-western part of the country. Likewise, the effect of rainfall is very dependent on the prior soil moisture, periods of full soil saturation and the creation of drifts in groundwater levels due to the slow melting of snow, growing period, etc. Landslides could be identified and to some extent also prevent with better knowledge of the relation between landslides and rainfall. In this paper the definition of rainfall thresholds for rainfall-induced landslides in Slovenia is presented. The thresholds have been calculated by collecting approximately 900 landslide data and the relative rainfall amounts, which have been collected from 41 rain gauges all over the country. The thresholds have been defined by the (1) use of an existing procedure, characterized by a high degree of objectiveness and (2) software that was developed for a test site with very different geological and climatic characteristics (Tuscany, central Italy). Firstly, a single national threshold has been defined, later the country was divided into four zones, on the basis of major the river basins and a single threshold has been calculated for each of them. Validation of the calculated thresholds has been verified by the use of several statistical parameters. Equations of thresholds of each specific zone are quite different mainly due to different climate regime and the density of the rain gauge network. In general, all thresholds have good capacity of avoiding false alarms, but at the same time, some missed alarm can be expected from local threshold, while the national threshold will lead to less missed alarm. Beside the setting of a threshold system, directly usable for civil protection purposes at national scale, an additional outcome of this work is possibility of applying methodology to another region, therefore testing its degree of exportability in different geological and climatological settings.

The role of density dependence in growth patterns of ceded territory walleye populations of northern Wisconsin: Effects of changing management regimes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sass, G.G.; Hewett, S.W.; Beard, T.D.; Fayram, A.H.; Kitchell, J.F.

2004-01-01

We assessed density-related changes in growth of walleye Sander vitreus in the ceded territory of northern Wisconsin from 1977 to 1999. We used asymptotic length (Lz), growth rate near t0 (??), and body condition as measures of walleye growth to determine the relationship between growth and density. Among lakes, there was weak evidence of density-dependent growth: adult density explained only 0-6% of the variability in the growth metrics. Within lakes, growth was density dependent. Lz, ??, and body condition of walleyes changing with density for 69, 28, and 62% of the populations examined, respectively. Our results suggest that walleye growth was density dependent within individual lakes. However, growth was not coherently density dependent among lakes, which was possibly due to inherent differences in the productivity, surface area, forage base, landscape position, species composition, and management regime of lakes in the ceded territory. Densities of adult walleyes averaged 8.3 fish/ha and did not change significantly during 1990-1999. Mean Lz and body condition of walleyes were signilicantly higher before 1990 than after 1990, which may indicate an increase in density due to changes in management regimes. The observed growth changes do not appear to be a consequence of the statewide 15-in minimum size limit adopted in 1990 but rather a response to the treaty rights management regime. We conclude that walleye growth has the potential to predict regional-scale adult walleye densities if lake-specific variables are included in a model to account for regional-scale differences among walleye populations and lakes.

Watching excitons move: the time-dependent transition density matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ullrich, Carsten

2012-02-01

Time-dependent density-functional theory allows one to calculate excitation energies and the associated transition densities in principle exactly. The transition density matrix (TDM) provides additional information on electron-hole localization and coherence of specific excitations of the many-body system. We have extended the TDM concept into the real-time domain in order to visualize the excited-state dynamics in conjugated molecules. The time-dependent TDM is defined as an implicit density functional, and can be approximately obtained from the time-dependent Kohn-Sham orbitals. The quality of this approximation is assessed in simple model systems. A computational scheme for real molecular systems is presented: the time-dependent Kohn-Sham equations are solved with the OCTOPUS code and the time-dependent Kohn-Sham TDM is calculated using a spatial partitioning scheme. The method is applied to show in real time how locally created electron-hole pairs spread out over neighboring conjugated molecular chains. The coupling mechanism, electron-hole coherence, and the possibility of charge separation are discussed.

Minimization of Basis Risk in Parametric Earthquake Cat Bonds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franco, G.

2009-12-01

A catastrophe -cat- bond is an instrument used by insurance and reinsurance companies, by governments or by groups of nations to cede catastrophic risk to the financial markets, which are capable of supplying cover for highly destructive events, surpassing the typical capacity of traditional reinsurance contracts. Parametric cat bonds, a specific type of cat bonds, use trigger mechanisms or indices that depend on physical event parameters published by respected third parties in order to determine whether a part or the entire bond principal is to be paid for a certain event. First generation cat bonds, or cat-in-a-box bonds, display a trigger mechanism that consists of a set of geographic zones in which certain conditions need to be met by an earthquake’s magnitude and depth in order to trigger payment of the bond principal. Second generation cat bonds use an index formulation that typically consists of a sum of products of a set of weights by a polynomial function of the ground motion variables reported by a geographically distributed seismic network. These instruments are especially appealing to developing countries with incipient insurance industries wishing to cede catastrophic losses to the financial markets because the payment trigger mechanism is transparent and does not involve the parties ceding or accepting the risk, significantly reducing moral hazard. In order to be successful in the market, however, parametric cat bonds have typically been required to specify relatively simple trigger conditions. The consequence of such simplifications is the increase of basis risk. This risk represents the possibility that the trigger mechanism fails to accurately capture the actual losses of a catastrophic event, namely that it does not trigger for a highly destructive event or vice versa, that a payment of the bond principal is caused by an event that produced insignificant losses. The first case disfavors the sponsor who was seeking cover for its losses while the second disfavors the investor who loses part of the investment without a reasonable cause. A streamlined and fairly automated methodology has been developed to design parametric triggers that minimize the basis risk while still maintaining their level of relative simplicity. Basis risk is minimized in both, first and second generation, parametric cat bonds through an optimization procedure that aims to find the most appropriate magnitude thresholds, geographic zones, and weight index values. Sensitivity analyses to different design assumptions show that first generation cat bonds are typically affected by a large negative basis risk, namely the risk that the bond will not trigger for events within the risk level transferred, unless a sufficiently small geographic resolution is selected to define the trigger zones. Second generation cat bonds in contrast display a bias towards negative or positive basis risk depending on the degree of the polynomial used as well as on other design parameters. Two examples are presented, the construction of a first generation parametric trigger mechanism for Costa Rica and the design of a second generation parametric index for Japan.

Density dependence in a recovering osprey population: demographic and behavioural processes.

PubMed

Bretagnolle, V; Mougeot, F; Thibault, J-C

2008-09-01

1. Understanding how density-dependent and independent processes influence demographic parameters, and hence regulate population size, is fundamental within population ecology. We investigated density dependence in growth rate and fecundity in a recovering population of a semicolonial raptor, the osprey Pandion haliaetus [Linnaeus, 1758], using 31 years of count and demographic data in Corsica. 2. The study population increased from three pairs in 1974 to an average of 22 pairs in the late 1990s, with two distinct phases during the recovery (increase followed by stability) and contrasted trends in breeding parameters in each phase. 3. We show density dependence in population growth rate in the second phase, indicating that the stabilized population was regulated. We also show density dependence in productivity (fledging success between years and hatching success within years). 4. Using long-term data on behavioural interactions at nest sites, and on diet and fish provisioning rate, we evaluated two possible mechanisms of density dependence in productivity, food depletion and behavioural interference. 5. As density increased, both provisioning rate and the size of prey increased, contrary to predictions of a food-depletion mechanism. In the time series, a reduction in fledging success coincided with an increase in the number of non-breeders. Hatching success decreased with increasing local density and frequency of interactions with conspecifics, suggesting that behavioural interference was influencing hatching success. 6. Our study shows that, taking into account the role of non-breeders, in particular in species or populations where there are many floaters and where competition for nest sites is intense, can improve our understanding of density-dependent processes and help conservation actions.

Stochastic events may lead to accretion in Saturn's rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Larry W.

Stochastic events may lead to accretion in Saturn's rings Larry W. Esposito LASP, University of Colorado UVIS occultations indicate accretion is triggered at the B ring edge, in strong density waves in ring A and in the F ring. Moons may trigger accretion by streamline crowding (Lewis & Stewart); which enhances collisions, leading to accretion; increasing random velocities; leading to more collisions and more accretion. Cassini occultations of these strongly perturbed locations show not only accretion but also disaggregation, with time scales of hours to weeks. The collisions may lead to temporary aggregations via stochastic events: collisions can compress unconsolidated objects, trigger adhesion or bring small pieces into contact with larger or higher-density seeds. Disaggregation then can follow from disruptive collisions or tidal shedding. In the accretion/disruption balance, increased random motions could eventually give the upper hand to disruption. . . just as `irrational exuberance' can lead to financial panic in the economy; or the overpopulation of hares can lead to boom-and-bust in the population of foxes. I present a simple predator-prey model. This system's unstable equilibrium can similarly give rise to episodic cycles in accretion: explaining why the observable ring features that indicate embedded objects have been increasing since the beginning of Cassini's observations of Saturn in 2004. Unlike other interpretations of the peculiar events seen near Saturn Equinox, I emphasize the kinetic description of particle interactions rather than a fluid instability approach; and the dominance of stochastic events involving individual aggregates over free and/or driven modes in a flat disk.

Partitioning the sources of demographic variation reveals density-dependent nest predation in an island bird population

PubMed Central

Sofaer, Helen R; Sillett, T Scott; Langin, Kathryn M; Morrison, Scott A; Ghalambor, Cameron K

2014-01-01

Ecological factors often shape demography through multiple mechanisms, making it difficult to identify the sources of demographic variation. In particular, conspecific density can influence both the strength of competition and the predation rate, but density-dependent competition has received more attention, particularly among terrestrial vertebrates and in island populations. A better understanding of how both competition and predation contribute to density-dependent variation in fecundity can be gained by partitioning the effects of density on offspring number from its effects on reproductive failure, while also evaluating how biotic and abiotic factors jointly shape demography. We examined the effects of population density and precipitation on fecundity, nest survival, and adult survival in an insular population of orange-crowned warblers (Oreothlypis celata) that breeds at high densities and exhibits a suite of traits suggesting strong intraspecific competition. Breeding density had a negative influence on fecundity, but it acted by increasing the probability of reproductive failure through nest predation, rather than through competition, which was predicted to reduce the number of offspring produced by successful individuals. Our results demonstrate that density-dependent nest predation can underlie the relationship between population density and fecundity even in a high-density, insular population where intraspecific competition should be strong. PMID:25077023

Partitioning the sources of demographic variation reveals density-dependent nest predation in an island bird population.

PubMed

Sofaer, Helen R; Sillett, T Scott; Langin, Kathryn M; Morrison, Scott A; Ghalambor, Cameron K

2014-07-01

Ecological factors often shape demography through multiple mechanisms, making it difficult to identify the sources of demographic variation. In particular, conspecific density can influence both the strength of competition and the predation rate, but density-dependent competition has received more attention, particularly among terrestrial vertebrates and in island populations. A better understanding of how both competition and predation contribute to density-dependent variation in fecundity can be gained by partitioning the effects of density on offspring number from its effects on reproductive failure, while also evaluating how biotic and abiotic factors jointly shape demography. We examined the effects of population density and precipitation on fecundity, nest survival, and adult survival in an insular population of orange-crowned warblers (Oreothlypis celata) that breeds at high densities and exhibits a suite of traits suggesting strong intraspecific competition. Breeding density had a negative influence on fecundity, but it acted by increasing the probability of reproductive failure through nest predation, rather than through competition, which was predicted to reduce the number of offspring produced by successful individuals. Our results demonstrate that density-dependent nest predation can underlie the relationship between population density and fecundity even in a high-density, insular population where intraspecific competition should be strong.

Creep stability of the proposed AIDA mission target 65803 Didymos: I. Discrete cohesionless granular physics model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yun; Richardson, Derek C.; Barnouin, Olivier S.; Maurel, Clara; Michel, Patrick; Schwartz, Stephen R.; Ballouz, Ronald-Louis; Benner, Lance A. M.; Naidu, Shantanu P.; Li, Junfeng

2017-09-01

As the target of the proposed Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission, the near-Earth binary asteroid 65803 Didymos represents a special class of binary asteroids, those whose primaries are at risk of rotational disruption. To gain a better understanding of these binary systems and to support the AIDA mission, this paper investigates the creep stability of the Didymos primary by representing it as a cohesionless self-gravitating granular aggregate subject to rotational acceleration. To achieve this goal, a soft-sphere discrete element model (SSDEM) capable of simulating granular systems in quasi-static states is implemented and a quasi-static spin-up procedure is carried out. We devise three critical spin limits for the simulated aggregates to indicate their critical states triggered by reshaping and surface shedding, internal structural deformation, and shear failure, respectively. The failure condition and mode, and shear strength of an aggregate can all be inferred from the three critical spin limits. The effects of arrangement and size distribution of constituent particles, bulk density, spin-up path, and interparticle friction are numerically explored. The results show that the shear strength of a spinning self-gravitating aggregate depends strongly on both its internal configuration and material parameters, while its failure mode and mechanism are mainly affected by its internal configuration. Additionally, this study provides some constraints on the possible physical properties of the Didymos primary based on observational data and proposes a plausible formation mechanism for this binary system. With a bulk density consistent with observational uncertainty and close to the maximum density allowed for the asteroid, the Didymos primary in certain configurations can remain geo-statically stable without requiring cohesion.

Distribution and Kinetics of Lipoprotein-Bound Lipoteichoic Acid

PubMed Central

Levels, Johannes H. M.; Abraham, Philip R.; van Barreveld, Erik P.; Meijers, Joost C. M.; van Deventer, Sander J. H.

2003-01-01

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a major cell wall component of gram-positive bacteria, is an amphipathic anionic glycolipid with structural similarities to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria. LTA has been implicated as one of the primary immunostimulatory components that may trigger the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Plasma lipoproteins have been shown to sequester LPS, which results in attenuation of the host response to infection, but little is known about the LTA binding characteristics of plasma lipid particles. In this study, we have examined the LTA binding capacities and association kinetics of the major lipoprotein classes under simulated physiological conditions in human whole blood (ex vivo) by using biologically active, fluorescently labeled LTA and high-performance gel permeation chromatography. The average distribution of an LTA preparation from Staphylococcus aureus in whole blood from 10 human volunteers revealed that >95% of the LTA was associated with total plasma lipoproteins in the following proportions: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), 68% ± 10%; low-density lipoprotein (LDL), 28% ± 8%; and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), 4% ± 5%. The saturation capacity of lipoproteins for LTA was in excess of 150 μg/ml. The LTA distribution was temperature dependent, with an optimal binding between 22 and 37°C. The binding of LTA by lipoproteins was essentially complete within 10 min and was followed by a subsequent redistribution from HDL and VLDL to LDL. We conclude that HDL has the highest binding capacity for LTA and propose that the loading and redistribution of LTA among plasma lipoproteins is a specific process that closely resembles that previously described for LPS (J. H. M. Levels, P. R. Abraham, A. van den Ende, and S. J. H. van Deventer, Infect. Immun. 68:2821-2828, 2001). PMID:12761109

A Biomechanical Assessment of Hand/Arm Force with Pneumatic Nail Gun Actuation Systems.

PubMed

Lowe, Brian D; Albers, James; Hudock, Stephen D

2014-09-01

A biomechanical model is presented, and combined with measurements of tip press force, to estimate total user hand force associated with two pneumatic nail gun trigger systems. The contact actuation trigger (CAT) can fire a nail when the user holds the trigger depressed first and then "bumps" the nail gun tip against the workpiece. With a full sequential actuation trigger (SAT) the user must press the tip against the workpiece prior to activating the trigger. The SAT is demonstrably safer in reducing traumatic injury risk, but increases the duration (and magnitude) of tip force exertion. Time integrated (cumulative) hand force was calculated for a single user from measurements of the tip contact force with the workpiece and transfer time between nails as inputs to a static model of the nail gun and workpiece in two nailing task orientations. The model shows the hand force dependence upon the orientation of the workpiece in addition to the trigger system. Based on standard time allowances from work measurement systems (i.e. Methods-Time Measurement - 1) it is proposed that efficient application of hand force with the SAT in maintaining tip contact can reduce force exertion attributable to the sequential actuation trigger to 2-8% (horizontal nailing) and 9-20% (vertical nailing) of the total hand/arm force. The present model is useful for considering differences in cumulative hand/arm force exposure between the SAT and CAT systems and may explain the appeal of the CAT trigger in reducing the user's perception of muscular effort.

A Biomechanical Assessment of Hand/Arm Force with Pneumatic Nail Gun Actuation Systems

PubMed Central

Lowe, Brian D.; Albers, James; Hudock, Stephen D.

2015-01-01

A biomechanical model is presented, and combined with measurements of tip press force, to estimate total user hand force associated with two pneumatic nail gun trigger systems. The contact actuation trigger (CAT) can fire a nail when the user holds the trigger depressed first and then “bumps” the nail gun tip against the workpiece. With a full sequential actuation trigger (SAT) the user must press the tip against the workpiece prior to activating the trigger. The SAT is demonstrably safer in reducing traumatic injury risk, but increases the duration (and magnitude) of tip force exertion. Time integrated (cumulative) hand force was calculated for a single user from measurements of the tip contact force with the workpiece and transfer time between nails as inputs to a static model of the nail gun and workpiece in two nailing task orientations. The model shows the hand force dependence upon the orientation of the workpiece in addition to the trigger system. Based on standard time allowances from work measurement systems (i.e. Methods-Time Measurement - 1) it is proposed that efficient application of hand force with the SAT in maintaining tip contact can reduce force exertion attributable to the sequential actuation trigger to 2–8% (horizontal nailing) and 9–20% (vertical nailing) of the total hand/arm force. The present model is useful for considering differences in cumulative hand/arm force exposure between the SAT and CAT systems and may explain the appeal of the CAT trigger in reducing the user’s perception of muscular effort. PMID:26321780

Star Formation in a Complete Spectroscopic Survey of Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, B. J.; Fabricant, D. G.; Geller, M. J.; Kurtz, M. J.; McLean, B.

2001-10-01

The 15R-North galaxy redshift survey is a uniform spectroscopic survey (S/N~10) covering the range 3650-7400 Å for 3149 galaxies with median redshift 0.05. The sample is 90% complete to R=15.4. The median slit covering fraction is 24% of the galaxy, apparently sufficient to minimize the effects of aperture bias on the EW(Hα). Forty-nine percent of the galaxies in the survey have one or more emission lines detected at >=2 σ. In agreement with previous surveys, the fraction of absorption-line galaxies increases steeply with galaxy luminosity. We use Hβ, [O III], Hα, and [N II] to discriminate between star-forming galaxies and AGNs. At least 20% of the galaxies are star-forming, at least 17% have AGN-like emission, and 12% have unclassifiable emission. The unclassified 12% may include a ``hybrid'' population of galaxies with both star formation and AGN activity. The AGN fraction increases steeply with luminosity; the fraction of star-forming galaxies decreases. We use the EW(Hα+[N II]) to estimate the Scalo birthrate parameter, b, the ratio of the current star formation rate to the time averaged star formation rate. The median birthrate parameter is inversely correlated with luminosity in agreement with the conclusions based on smaller samples (Kennicutt, Tamblyn, & Congdon). Because our survey is large, we identify 33 vigorously star-forming galaxies with b>3. We confirm the conclusion of Jansen, Franx, & Fabricant that EW([O II]) must be used with caution as a measure of current star formation. Finally, we examine the way galaxies of different spectroscopic type trace the large-scale galaxy distribution. As expected the absorption-line fraction decreases and the star-forming emission-line fraction increases as the galaxy density decreases. The AGN fraction is insensitive to the surrounding galaxy density; the unclassified fraction declines slowly as the density increases. For the star-forming galaxies, the EW(Hα) increases very slowly as the galaxy number density decreases. Whether a galaxy forms stars or not is strongly correlated with the surrounding galaxy density averaged over a scale of a few Mpc. This dependence reflects, in large part, the morphology-density relation. However, for galaxies forming stars, the stellar birthrate parameter is remarkably insensitive to the galaxy density. This conclusion suggests that the triggering of star formation occurs on a smaller spatial scale.

American Marten Respond to Seismic Lines in Northern Canada at Two Spatial Scales

PubMed Central

Tigner, Jesse; Bayne, Erin M.; Boutin, Stan

2015-01-01

Development of hydrocarbon resources across northwest Canada has spurred economic prosperity and generated concerns over impacts to biodiversity. To balance these interests, numerous jurisdictions have adopted management thresholds that allow for limited energy development but minimize undesirable impacts to wildlife. Used for exploration, seismic lines are the most abundant linear feature in the boreal forest and exist at a variety of widths and recovery states. We used American marten (Martes americana) as a model species to measure how line attributes influence species’ response to seismic lines, and asked whether responses to individual lines trigger population impacts. Marten response to seismic lines was strongly influenced by line width and recovery state. Compared to forest interiors, marten used open seismic lines ≥ 3 m wide less often, but used open lines ≤ 2 m wide and partially recovered lines ≥ 6 m wide similarly. Marten response to individual line types appeared to trigger population impacts. The probability of occurrence at the home range scale declined with increasing seismic line density, and the inclusion of behavioral response to line density calculations improved model fit. In our top performing model, we excluded seismic lines ≤ 2 m from our calculation of line density, and the probability of occurrence declined > 80% between home ranges with the lowest and highest line densities. Models that excluded seismic lines did not strongly explain occurrence. We show how wildlife-derived metrics can inform regulatory guidelines to increase the likelihood those guidelines meet intended management objectives. With respect to marten, not all seismic lines constitute disturbances, but avoidance of certain line types scales to population impacts. This approach provides the ecological context required to understand cause and effect relationships among socio-economic and ecological conservation goals. PMID:25768848

Comparative studies on structures, mechanical properties, sensitivity, stabilities and detonation performance of CL-20/TNT cocrystal and composite explosives by molecular dynamics simulation.

PubMed

Hang, Gui-Yun; Yu, Wen-Li; Wang, Tao; Wang, Jin-Tao; Li, Zhen

2017-09-19

To investigate and compare the differences of structures and properties of CL-20/TNT cocrystal and composite explosives, the CL-20/TNT cocrystal and composite models were established. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the structures, mechanical properties, sensitivity, stabilities and detonation performance of cocrystal and composite models with COMPASS force field in NPT ensemble. The lattice parameters, mechanical properties, binding energies, interaction energy of trigger bond, cohesive energy density and detonation parameters were determined and compared. The results show that, compared with pure CL-20, the rigidity and stiffness of cocrystal and composite models decreased, while plastic properties and ductility increased, so mechanical properties can be effectively improved by adding TNT into CL-20 and the cocrystal model has better mechanical properties. The interaction energy of the trigger bond and the cohesive energy density is in the order of CL-20/TNT cocrystal > CL-20/TNT composite > pure CL-20, i.e., cocrystal model is less sensitive than CL-20 and the composite model, and has the best safety parameters. Binding energies show that the cocrystal model has higher intermolecular interaction energy values than the composite model, thus illustrating the better stability of the cocrystal model. Detonation parameters vary as CL-20 > cocrystal > composite, namely, the energy density and power of cocrystal and composite model are weakened; however, the CL-20/TNT cocrystal explosive still has desirable energy density and detonation performance. This results presented in this paper help offer some helpful guidance to better understand the mechanism of CL-20/TNT cocrystal explosives and provide some theoretical assistance for cocrystal explosive design.

Core transport properties in JT-60U and JET identity plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litaudon, X.; Sakamoto, Y.; de Vries, P. C.; Salmi, A.; Tala, T.; Angioni, C.; Benkadda, S.; Beurskens, M. N. A.; Bourdelle, C.; Brix, M.; Crombé, K.; Fujita, T.; Futatani, S.; Garbet, X.; Giroud, C.; Hawkes, N. C.; Hayashi, N.; Hoang, G. T.; Hogeweij, G. M. D.; Matsunaga, G.; Nakano, T.; Oyama, N.; Parail, V.; Shinohara, K.; Suzuki, T.; Takechi, M.; Takenaga, H.; Takizuka, T.; Urano, H.; Voitsekhovitch, I.; Yoshida, M.; ITPA Transport Group; JT-60 Team; EFDA contributors, JET

2011-07-01

The paper compares the transport properties of a set of dimensionless identity experiments performed between JET and JT-60U in the advanced tokamak regime with internal transport barrier, ITB. These International Tokamak Physics Activity, ITPA, joint experiments were carried out with the same plasma shape, toroidal magnetic field ripple and dimensionless profiles as close as possible during the ITB triggering phase in terms of safety factor, normalized Larmor radius, normalized collision frequency, thermal beta, ratio of ion to electron temperatures. Similarities in the ITB triggering mechanisms and sustainment were observed when a good match was achieved of the most relevant normalized profiles except the toroidal Mach number. Similar thermal ion transport levels in the two devices have been measured in either monotonic or non-monotonic q-profiles. In contrast, differences between JET and JT-60U were observed on the electron thermal and particle confinement in reversed magnetic shear configurations. It was found that the larger shear reversal in the very centre (inside normalized radius of 0.2) of JT-60U plasmas allowed the sustainment of stronger electron density ITBs compared with JET. As a consequence of peaked density profile, the core bootstrap current density is more than five times higher in JT-60U compared with JET. Thanks to the bootstrap effect and the slightly broader neutral beam deposition, reversed magnetic shear configurations are self-sustained in JT-60U scenarios. Analyses of similarities and differences between the two devices address key questions on the validity of the usual assumptions made in ITER steady scenario modelling, e.g. a flat density profile in the core with thermal transport barrier? Such assumptions have consequences on the prediction of fusion performance, bootstrap current and on the sustainment of the scenario.

Prevalence and strength of density-dependent tree recruitment

Treesearch

Kai Zhu; Christopher W. Woodall; Joao V.D. Monteiro; James S. Clark

2015-01-01

Density dependence could maintain diversity in forests, but studies continue to disagree on its role. Part of the disagreement results from the fact that different studies have evaluated different responses (survival, recruitment, or growth) of different stages (seeds, seedlings, or adults) to different inputs (density of seedlings, density or distance to adults). Most...

Modeling ecological traps for the control of feral pigs

PubMed Central

Dexter, Nick; McLeod, Steven R

2015-01-01

Ecological traps are habitat sinks that are preferred by dispersing animals but have higher mortality or reduced fecundity compared to source habitats. Theory suggests that if mortality rates are sufficiently high, then ecological traps can result in extinction. An ecological trap may be created when pest animals are controlled in one area, but not in another area of equal habitat quality, and when there is density-dependent immigration from the high-density uncontrolled area to the low-density controlled area. We used a logistic population model to explore how varying the proportion of habitat controlled, control mortality rate, and strength of density-dependent immigration for feral pigs could affect the long-term population abundance and time to extinction. Increasing control mortality, the proportion of habitat controlled and the strength of density-dependent immigration decreased abundance both within and outside the area controlled. At higher levels of these parameters, extinction was achieved for feral pigs. We extended the analysis with a more complex stochastic, interactive model of feral pig dynamics in the Australian rangelands to examine how the same variables as the logistic model affected long-term abundance in the controlled and uncontrolled area and time to extinction. Compared to the logistic model of feral pig dynamics, the stochastic interactive model predicted lower abundances and extinction at lower control mortalities and proportions of habitat controlled. To improve the realism of the stochastic interactive model, we substituted fixed mortality rates with a density-dependent control mortality function, empirically derived from helicopter shooting exercises in Australia. Compared to the stochastic interactive model with fixed mortality rates, the model with the density-dependent control mortality function did not predict as substantial decline in abundance in controlled or uncontrolled areas or extinction for any combination of variables. These models demonstrate that pest eradication is theoretically possible without the pest being controlled throughout its range because of density-dependent immigration into the area controlled. The stronger the density-dependent immigration, the better the overall control in controlled and uncontrolled habitat combined. However, the stronger the density-dependent immigration, the poorer the control in the area controlled. For feral pigs, incorporating environmental stochasticity improves the prospects for eradication, but adding a realistic density-dependent control function eliminates these prospects. PMID:26045954

Role of the Excitability Brake Potassium Current IKD in Cold Allodynia Induced by Chronic Peripheral Nerve Injury.

PubMed

González, Alejandro; Ugarte, Gonzalo; Restrepo, Carlos; Herrera, Gaspar; Piña, Ricardo; Gómez-Sánchez, José Antonio; Pertusa, María; Orio, Patricio; Madrid, Rodolfo

2017-03-22

Cold allodynia is a common symptom of neuropathic and inflammatory pain following peripheral nerve injury. The mechanisms underlying this disabling sensory alteration are not entirely understood. In primary somatosensory neurons, cold sensitivity is mainly determined by a functional counterbalance between cold-activated TRPM8 channels and Shaker-like Kv1.1-1.2 channels underlying the excitability brake current I KD Here we studied the role of I KD in damage-triggered painful hypersensitivity to innocuous cold. We found that cold allodynia induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in mice, was related to both an increase in the proportion of cold-sensitive neurons (CSNs) in DRGs contributing to the sciatic nerve, and a decrease in their cold temperature threshold. I KD density was reduced in high-threshold CSNs from CCI mice compared with sham animals, with no differences in cold-induced TRPM8-dependent current density. The electrophysiological properties and neurochemical profile of CSNs revealed an increase of nociceptive-like phenotype among neurons from CCI animals compared with sham mice. These results were validated using a mathematical model of CSNs, including I KD and TRPM8, showing that a reduction in I KD current density shifts the thermal threshold to higher temperatures and that the reduction of this current induces cold sensitivity in former cold-insensitive neurons expressing low levels of TRPM8-like current. Together, our results suggest that cold allodynia is largely due to a functional downregulation of I KD in both high-threshold CSNs and in a subpopulation of polymodal nociceptors expressing TRPM8, providing a general molecular and neural mechanism for this sensory alteration. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This paper unveils the critical role of the brake potassium current I KD in damage-triggered cold allodynia. Using a well-known form of nerve injury and combining behavioral analysis, calcium imaging, patch clamping, and pharmacological tools, validated by mathematical modeling, we determined that the functional expression of I KD is reduced in sensory neurons in response to peripheral nerve damage. This downregulation not only enhances cold sensitivity of high-threshold cold thermoreceptors signaling cold discomfort, but it also transforms a subpopulation of polymodal nociceptors signaling pain into neurons activated by mild temperature drops. Our results suggest that cold allodynia is linked to a reduction of I KD in both high-threshold cold thermoreceptors and nociceptors expressing TRPM8, providing a general model for this form of cold-induced pain. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/373109-18$15.00/0.

Monte Carlo simulations of time-of-flight PET with double-ended readout: calibration, coincidence resolving times and statistical lower bounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

E Derenzo, Stephen

2017-05-01

This paper demonstrates through Monte Carlo simulations that a practical positron emission tomograph with (1) deep scintillators for efficient detection, (2) double-ended readout for depth-of-interaction information, (3) fixed-level analog triggering, and (4) accurate calibration and timing data corrections can achieve a coincidence resolving time (CRT) that is not far above the statistical lower bound. One Monte Carlo algorithm simulates a calibration procedure that uses data from a positron point source. Annihilation events with an interaction near the entrance surface of one scintillator are selected, and data from the two photodetectors on the other scintillator provide depth-dependent timing corrections. Another Monte Carlo algorithm simulates normal operation using these corrections and determines the CRT. A third Monte Carlo algorithm determines the CRT statistical lower bound by generating a series of random interaction depths, and for each interaction a set of random photoelectron times for each of the two photodetectors. The most likely interaction times are determined by shifting the depth-dependent probability density function to maximize the joint likelihood for all the photoelectron times in each set. Example calculations are tabulated for different numbers of photoelectrons and photodetector time jitters for three 3  ×  3  ×  30 mm3 scintillators: Lu2SiO5:Ce,Ca (LSO), LaBr3:Ce, and a hypothetical ultra-fast scintillator. To isolate the factors that depend on the scintillator length and the ability to estimate the DOI, CRT values are tabulated for perfect scintillator-photodetectors. For LSO with 4000 photoelectrons and single photoelectron time jitter of the photodetector J  =  0.2 ns (FWHM), the CRT value using the statistically weighted average of corrected trigger times is 0.098 ns FWHM and the statistical lower bound is 0.091 ns FWHM. For LaBr3:Ce with 8000 photoelectrons and J  =  0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.070 and 0.063 ns FWHM, respectively. For the ultra-fast scintillator with 1 ns decay time, 4000 photoelectrons, and J  =  0.2 ns FWHM, the CRT values are 0.021 and 0.017 ns FWHM, respectively. The examples also show that calibration and correction for depth-dependent variations in pulse height and in annihilation and optical photon transit times are necessary to achieve these CRT values.

Arabidopsis sodium dependent and independent phenotypes triggered by H+-PPase up-regulation are SOS1 dependent

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The goal of the study and research was to coordinate regulation of transporters at both the plasma membrane and vacuole contribute to plant cell’s ability to adapt to a changing environment and play a key role in the maintenance of the chemiosmotic circuits required for cellular growth. In this stud...

Effects of Forgiveness Therapy on Anger, Mood, and Vulnerability to Substance Use among Inpatient Substance-Dependent Clients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Wei-Fen; Mack, David; Enright, Robert D.; Krahn, Dean; Baskin, Thomas W.

2004-01-01

Anger and related emotions have been identified as triggers in substance use. Forgiveness therapy (FT) targets anger, anxiety, and depression as foci of treatment. Fourteen patients with substance dependence from a local residential treatment facility were randomly assigned to and completed either 12 approximately twice-weekly sessions of…

Adaptive nest clustering and density-dependent nest survival in dabbling ducks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ringelman, Kevin M.; Eadie, John M.; Ackerman, Joshua T.

2014-01-01

Density-dependent population regulation is observed in many taxa, and understanding the mechanisms that generate density dependence is especially important for the conservation of heavily-managed species. In one such system, North American waterfowl, density dependence is often observed at continental scales, and nest predation has long been implicated as a key factor driving this pattern. However, despite extensive research on this topic, it remains unclear if and how nest density influences predation rates. Part of this confusion may have arisen because previous studies have studied density-dependent predation at relatively large spatial and temporal scales. Because the spatial distribution of nests changes throughout the season, which potentially influences predator behavior, nest survival may vary through time at relatively small spatial scales. As such, density-dependent nest predation might be more detectable at a spatially- and temporally-refined scale and this may provide new insights into nest site selection and predator foraging behavior. Here, we used three years of data on nest survival of two species of waterfowl, mallards and gadwall, to more fully explore the relationship between local nest clustering and nest survival. Throughout the season, we found that the distribution of nests was consistently clustered at small spatial scales (˜50–400 m), especially for mallard nests, and that this pattern was robust to yearly variation in nest density and the intensity of predation. We demonstrated further that local nest clustering had positive fitness consequences – nests with closer nearest neighbors were more likely to be successful, a result that is counter to the general assumption that nest predation rates increase with nest density.

Nonlinear effects of climate and density in the dynamics of a fluctuating population of reindeer.

PubMed

Tyler, Nicholas J C; Forchhammer, Mads C; Øritsland, Nils Are

2008-06-01

Nonlinear and irregular population dynamics may arise as a result of phase dependence and coexistence of multiple attractors. Here we explore effects of climate and density in the dynamics of a highly fluctuating population of wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) on Svalbard observed over a period of 29 years. Time series analyses revealed that density dependence and the effects of local climate (measured as the degree of ablation [melting] of snow during winter) on numbers were both highly nonlinear: direct negative density dependence was found when the population was growing (Rt > 0) and during phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) characterized by winters with generally high (1979-1995) and low (1996-2007) indices, respectively. A growth-phase-dependent model explained the dynamics of the population best and revealed the influence of density-independent processes on numbers that a linear autoregressive model missed altogether. In particular, the abundance of reindeer was enhanced by ablation during phases of growth (Rt > 0), an observation that contrasts with the view that periods of mild weather in winter are normally deleterious for reindeer owing to icing of the snowpack. Analyses of vital rates corroborated the nonlinearity described in the population time series and showed that both starvation mortality in winter and fecundity were nonlinearly related to fluctuations in density and the level of ablation. The erratic pattern of growth of the population of reindeer in Adventdalen seems, therefore, to result from a combination of the effects of nonlinear density dependence, strong density-dependent mortality, and variable density independence related to ablation in winter.

Self-heating–induced healing of lithium dendrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lu; Basu, Swastik; Wang, Yiping; Chen, Zhizhong; Hundekar, Prateek; Wang, Baiwei; Shi, Jian; Shi, Yunfeng; Narayanan, Shankar; Koratkar, Nikhil

2018-03-01

Lithium (Li) metal electrodes are not deployable in rechargeable batteries because electrochemical plating and stripping invariably leads to growth of dendrites that reduce coulombic efficiency and eventually short the battery. It is generally accepted that the dendrite problem is exacerbated at high current densities. Here, we report a regime for dendrite evolution in which the reverse is true. In our experiments, we found that when the plating and stripping current density is raised above ~9 milliamperes per square centimeter, there is substantial self-heating of the dendrites, which triggers extensive surface migration of Li. This surface diffusion heals the dendrites and smoothens the Li metal surface. We show that repeated doses of high-current-density healing treatment enables the safe cycling of Li-sulfur batteries with high coulombic efficiency.

Molybdenum induces pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis via interdependent of JNK and AMPK activation-regulated mitochondria-dependent and ER stress-triggered pathways

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Tsung-Yuan; Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan; Yen, Cheng-Chieh

2016-03-01

Molybdenum (Mo), a well-known toxic environmental and industrial pollutant, causes adverse health effects and diseases in humans and has received attention as a potential risk factor for DM. However, the roles of Mo in the mechanisms of the toxicological effects in pancreatic β-cells are mostly unclear. In this study, the results revealed dysfunction of insulin secretion and apoptosis in the pancreatic β-cell-derived RIN-m5F cells and the isolated mouse islets in response to Mo. These effects were accompanied by a mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signals including a decreased in the MMP, an increase in cytochrome c release, and the activation of caspase cascadesmore » and PARP. In addition, ER stress was triggered as indicated by several key molecules of the UPR. Furthermore, exposure to Mo induced the activation of ERK1/2, JNK, AMPKα, and GSK3-α/β. Pretreatment with specific pharmacological inhibitors (in RIN-m5F cells and isolated mouse islets) of JNK (SP600125) and AMPK (Compound C) or transfection with si-RNAs (in RIN-m5F cells) specific to JNK and AMPKα effectively prevented the Mo-induced apoptosis and related signals, but inhibitors of ERK1/2 and GSK3-α/β (PD98059 and LiCl, respectively) did not reverse the Mo-induced effects. Additionally, both the inhibitors and specific si-RNAs could suppress the Mo-induced phosphorylation of JNK and AMPKα each other. Taken together, these results suggest that Mo exerts its cytotoxicity on pancreatic β-cells by inducing dysfunction and apoptosis via interdependent JNK and AMPK activation downstream-regulated mitochondrial-dependent and ER stress-triggered apoptosis pathways. - Highlights: • Molybdenum (Mo) induces pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis. • Mo causes β-cell death via mitochondria-dependent caspase cascades signals. • ER stress-triggered apoptotic pathway also regulates Mo-induced β-cell death. • Interdependent of JNK and AMPK activation involves in Mo-induced β-cell apoptosis.« less

Mice expressing T4826I-RYR1 are viable but exhibit sex- and genotype-dependent susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia and muscle damage

PubMed Central

Yuen, Benjamin; Boncompagni, Simona; Feng, Wei; Yang, Tianzhong; Lopez, Jose R.; Matthaei, Klaus I.; Goth, Samuel R.; Protasi, Feliciano; Franzini-Armstrong, Clara; Allen, Paul D.; Pessah, Isaac N.

2012-01-01

Mutation T4825I in the type 1 ryanodine receptor (RYR1T4825I/+) confers human malignant hyperthermia susceptibility (MHS). We report a knock-in mouse line that expresses the isogenetic mutation T4826I. Heterozygous RYR1T4826I/+ (Het) or homozygous RYR1T4826I/T4826I (Hom) mice are fully viable under typical rearing conditions but exhibit genotype- and sex-dependent susceptibility to environmental conditions that trigger MH. Hom mice maintain higher core temperatures than WT in the home cage, have chronically elevated myoplasmic[Ca2+]rest, and present muscle damage in soleus with a strong sex bias. Mice subjected to heat stress in an enclosed 37°C chamber fail to trigger MH regardless of genotype, whereas heat stress at 41°C invariably triggers fulminant MH in Hom, but not Het, mice within 20 min. WT and Het female mice fail to maintain euthermic body temperature when placed atop a bed whose surface is 37°C during halothane anesthesia (1.75%) and have no hyperthermic response, whereas 100% Hom mice of either sex and 17% of the Het males develop fulminant MH. WT mice placed on a 41°C bed maintain body temperature while being administered halothane, and 40% of the Het females and 100% of the Het males develop fulminant MH within 40 min. Myopathic alterations in soleus were apparent by 12 mo, including abnormally distributed and enlarged mitochondria, deeply infolded sarcolemma, and frequent Z-line streaming regions, which were more severe in males. These data demonstrate that an MHS mutation within the S4-S5 cytoplasmic linker of RYR1 confers genotype- and sex-dependent susceptibility to pharmacological and environmental stressors that trigger fulminant MH and promote myopathy.—Yuen, B., Boncompagni, S., Feng, W., Yang, T., Lopez, J. R., Matthaei, K. I., Goth, S. R., Protasi, F., Franzini-Armstrong, C., Allen, P. D., Pessah, I. N. Mice expressing T4826I-RYR1 are viable but exhibit sex- and genotype-dependent susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia and muscle damage. PMID:22131268

Substrate-Triggered Formation and Remarkable Stability of the C-H-Cleaving Chloroferryl Intermediate in the Aliphatic Halogenase, SyrB2†

PubMed Central

Matthews, Megan L.; Krest, Courtney M.; Barr, Eric W.; Vaillancourt, Frédéric H.; Walsh, Christopher T.; Green, Michael T.; Krebs, Carsten; Bollinger, J. Martin

2009-01-01

Aliphatic halogenases activate O2, cleave α-ketoglutarate (αKG) to CO2 and succinate, and form haloferryl [X-Fe(IV)=O; X = Cl, Br] complexes that cleave aliphatic C-H bonds to install halogens during the biosynthesis of natural products by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). For the related αKG-dependent dioxygenases, it has been shown that reaction of the Fe(II) cofactor with O2 to form the C-H-cleaving ferryl complex is “triggered” by binding of the target substrate. In this study, we have tested for and defined structural determinants of substrate triggering (ST) in the halogenase, SyrB2, from the syringomycin E biosynthetic NRPS of Pseudomonas syringae B301D. As for other halogen ases, the substrate of SyrB2 is complex, consisting of l-Thr tethered via thioester linkage to a covalently bound phosphopantetheine (PPant) cofactor of a carrier protein, SyrB1. Without an appended amino acid, SyrB1 does not trigger formation of the chloroferryl intermediate state in SyrB2, even in the presence of free l-Thr or its analogues, but SyrB1 charged either by l-Thr or by any of several non-native amino acids does trigger the reaction by as much as 8,000-fold (for l-Thr-S-SyrB1). Triggering efficacy is sensitive to the structures of both the amino acid and the carrier protein, being diminished by 5–20-fold when the native l-Thr is replaced by another amino acid and by ∼ 40-fold when SyrB1 is replaced by a heterologous carrier protein, CytC2. The directing effect of the carrier protein and consequent tolerance for profound modifications to the target amino acid allow the chloroferryl state to be formed in the presence of substrates that perturb the ratio of its two putative coordination isomers, lack the target C-H bond (l-Ala-S-SyrB1), or contain a C-H bond of enhanced strength (l-cyclopropylglycyl-S-SyrB1). For the latter two cases, the SyrB2 chloroferryl state so formed exhibits unprecedented stability (t1/2 = 30 – 110 min at 0 °C), can be trapped in high concentration and purity by manual freezing without a cryo-solvent, and represents an ideal target for structural characterization. As initial steps toward this goal, extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy has been used to determine the Fe-O and Fe-Cl distances and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used to confirm that the measured distances are consistent with the anticipated structure of the intermediate. PMID:19245217

Finite metapopulation models with density-dependent migration and stochastic local dynamics

PubMed Central

Saether, B.-E.; Engen, S.; Lande, R.

1999-01-01

The effects of small density-dependent migration on the dynamics of a metapopulation are studied in a model with stochastic local dynamics. We use a diffusion approximation to study how changes in the migration rate and habitat occupancy affect the rates of local colonization and extinction. If the emigration rate increases or if the immigration rate decreases with local population size, a positive expected rate of change in habitat occupancy is found for a greater range of habitat occupancies than when the migration is density-independent. In contrast, the reverse patterns of density dependence in respective emigration and immigration reduce the range of habitat occupancies where the metapopulation will be viable. This occurs because density-dependent migration strongly influences both the establishment and rescue effects in the local dynamics of metapopulations.

Global analysis of Skyrme forces with higher-order density dependencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuo, Zhi-Wei; Pei, Jun-Chen; Xiong, Xue-Yu; Zhu, Yi

2018-05-01

The density-dependent term in Skyrme forces is essential to simulate three-body and many-body correlations beyond the low-momentum two-body interaction. We speculate that a single density term may be insufficient and a higher-order density dependent term is added. The present work investigates the influence of higher-order density dependencies based on extended UNEDF0 and SkM* forces. Global descriptions of nuclear masses and charge radii are presented. The extended UNEDF0 force gives a global rms error on binding energies of 1.29 MeV. The influence on fission barriers and equation of state are also investigated. Perspectives to improve Skyrme forces are discussed, including global center-of-mass corrections and Lipkin-Nogami pairing corrections. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11522538)

Founder takes all: density-dependent processes structure biodiversity.

PubMed

Waters, Jonathan M; Fraser, Ceridwen I; Hewitt, Godfrey M

2013-02-01

Density-dependent processes play a key role in the spatial structuring of biodiversity. Specifically, interrelated demographic processes, such as gene surfing, high-density blocking, and competitive exclusion, can generate striking geographic contrasts in the distributions of genes and species. Here, we propose that well-studied evolutionary and ecological biogeographic patterns of postglacial recolonization, progressive island colonization, microbial sectoring, and even the 'Out of Africa' pattern of human expansion, are fundamentally similar, underpinned by a 'founder takes all' density-dependent principle. Additionally, we hypothesize that older historic constraints of density-dependent processes are seen today in the dramatic biogeographic shifts that occur in response to human-mediated extinction events, whereby surviving lineages rapidly expand their ranges to replace extinct sister taxa. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antisense knockdown of sphingosine kinase 1 in human macrophages inhibits C5a receptor-dependent signal transduction, Ca2+ signals, enzyme release, cytokine production, and chemotaxis.

PubMed

Melendez, Alirio J; Ibrahim, Farazeela Bte Mohd

2004-08-01

The anaphylatoxin C5a is produced following the activation of the complement system and is associated with a variety of pathologies, including septic shock and adult respiratory distress syndrome, and with immune complex-dependent diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. C5a has been shown to regulate inflammatory functions by interacting with its receptor, C5aR, which belong to the rhodopsin family of seven-transmembrane GPCRs. However, the intracellular signaling pathways triggered by C5aR on immune-effector cells are not well understood. In this report we present data showing that, in human monocyte-derived macrophages, C5aR uses the intracellular signaling molecule sphingosine kinase (SPHK)1 to trigger various physiological responses. Our data show that C5a rapidly stimulates the generation of sphingosine-1-phosphate, SPHK activity, and membrane translocation of SPHK1. Using an antisense oligonucleotide against SPHK1, we show that knockdown of SPHK1 abolishes the C5a-triggered intracellular Ca(2+) signals, degranulation, cytokine generation, and chemotaxis. Our study shows for the first time that SPHK1 not only plays a key role in the generation and release of proinflammatory mediators triggered by anaphylatoxins from human macrophages but is also involved in the process of immune cell motility, thus pointing out SPHK1 as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Smart nanovehicles based on pH-triggered disassembly of supramolecular peptide-amphiphiles for efficient intracellular drug delivery.

PubMed

Xu, Xianghui; Li, Yunkun; Li, Haiping; Liu, Rong; Sheng, Mingming; He, Bin; Gu, Zhongwei

2014-03-26

A novel type of nanovehicle (NV) based on stimuli-responsive supramolecular peptide-amphiphiles (SPAs, dendritic poly (L-lysine) non-covalently linked poly (L-leucine)) is developed for intracellular drug delivery. To determine the pH-dependent mechanism, the supramolecular peptide-amphiphile system (SPAS) is investigated at different pH conditions using a variety of physical and chemical approaches. The pH-triggered disassembly of SPAS can be attributed to the disappearance of non-covalent interactions within SPAs around the isoelectric point of poly (L-leucine). SPAS is found to encapsulate guest molecules at pH 7.4 but release them at pH 6.2. In this way, SPAS is able to act as a smart NV to deliver its target to tumor cells using intracellular pH as a trigger. The DOX-loaded NVs are approximately 150 nm in size. In vitro release profiles and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images of HepG2 cells confirm that lower pH conditions can trigger the disassembly of NVs and so achieve pH-dependent intracellular DOX delivery. In vitro cytotoxicity of the DOX-loaded NVs to HepG2 cells demonstrate that the smart NVs enhance the efficacy of hydrophobic DOX. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and CLSM results show that the NVs can enhance the endocytosis of DOX into HepG2 cells considerably and deliver DOX to the nuclei. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Landslides triggered by the 14 November 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake, New Zealand

USGS Publications Warehouse

Massey, C.; Townsend, D.; Rathje, Ellen M.; Allstadt, Kate E.; Lukovic, B.; Kaneko, Yoshihiro; Bradley, Brendon A.; Wartman, J.; Jibson, Randall W.; Petley, D. N.; Horspool, Nick; Hamling, I.; Carey, J.; Cox, S.; Davidson, John; Dellow, S.; Godt, Jonathan W.; Holden, Christopher; Jones, Katherine D.; Kaiser, Anna E.; Little, M.; Lyndsell, B.; McColl, S.; Morgenstern, R.; Rengers, Francis K.; Rhoades, D.; Rosser, B.; Strong, D.; Singeisen, C.; Villeneuve, M.

2018-01-01

The 14 November 2016 Mw">MwMw 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake generated more than 10,000 landslides over a total area of about 10,000  km2">10,000  km210,000  km2, with the majority concentrated in a smaller area of about 3600  km2">3600  km23600  km2. The largest landslide triggered by the earthquake had an approximate volume of 20(±2)  M m3">20(±2)  M m320(±2)  M m3, with a runout distance of about 2.7 km, forming a dam on the Hapuku River. In this article, we present version 1.0 of the landslide inventory we have created for this event. We use the inventory presented in this article to identify and discuss some of the controls on the spatial distribution of landslides triggered by the Kaikōura earthquake. Our main findings are (1) the number of medium to large landslides (source area ≥10,000  m2">≥10,000  m2≥10,000  m2) triggered by the Kaikōura earthquake is smaller than for similar‐sized landslides triggered by similar magnitude earthquakes in New Zealand; (2) seven of the largest eight landslides (from 5 to 20  M m3">20  M m320  M m3) occurred on faults that ruptured to the surface during the earthquake; (3) the average landslide density within 200 m of a mapped surface fault rupture is three times that at a distance of 2500 m or more from a mapped surface fault rupture; (4) the “distance to fault” predictor variable, when used as a proxy for ground‐motion intensity, and when combined with slope angle, geology, and elevation variables, has more power in predicting landslide probability than the modeled peak ground acceleration or peak ground velocity; and (5) for the same slope angles, the coastal slopes have landslide point densities that are an order of magnitude greater than those in similar materials on the inland slopes, but their source areas are significantly smaller.

Regulation of Cardiac ATP-sensitive Potassium Channel Surface Expression by Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase II*

PubMed Central

Sierra, Ana; Zhu, Zhiyong; Sapay, Nicolas; Sharotri, Vikas; Kline, Crystal F.; Luczak, Elizabeth D.; Subbotina, Ekaterina; Sivaprasadarao, Asipu; Snyder, Peter M.; Mohler, Peter J.; Anderson, Mark E.; Vivaudou, Michel; Zingman, Leonid V.; Hodgson-Zingman, Denice M.

2013-01-01

Cardiac ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are key sensors and effectors of the metabolic status of cardiomyocytes. Alteration in their expression impacts their effectiveness in maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and resistance to injury. We sought to determine how activation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), a central regulator of calcium signaling, translates into reduced membrane expression and current capacity of cardiac KATP channels. We used real-time monitoring of KATP channel current density, immunohistochemistry, and biotinylation studies in isolated hearts and cardiomyocytes from wild-type and transgenic mice as well as HEK cells expressing wild-type and mutant KATP channel subunits to track the dynamics of KATP channel surface expression. Results showed that activation of CaMKII triggered dynamin-dependent internalization of KATP channels. This process required phosphorylation of threonine at 180 and 224 and an intact 330YSKF333 endocytosis motif of the KATP channel Kir6.2 pore-forming subunit. A molecular model of the μ2 subunit of the endocytosis adaptor protein, AP2, complexed with Kir6.2 predicted that μ2 docks by interaction with 330YSKF333 and Thr-180 on one and Thr-224 on the adjacent Kir6.2 subunit. Phosphorylation of Thr-180 and Thr-224 would favor interactions with the corresponding arginine- and lysine-rich loops on μ2. We concluded that calcium-dependent activation of CaMKII results in phosphorylation of Kir6.2, which promotes endocytosis of cardiac KATP channel subunits. This mechanism couples the surface expression of cardiac KATP channels with calcium signaling and reveals new targets to improve cardiac energy efficiency and stress resistance. PMID:23223335

Ecological drivers of guanaco recruitment: variable carrying capacity and density dependence.

PubMed

Marino, Andrea; Pascual, Miguel; Baldi, Ricardo

2014-08-01

Ungulates living in predator-free reserves offer the opportunity to study the influence of food limitation on population dynamics without the potentially confounding effects of top-down regulation or livestock competition. We assessed the influence of relative forage availability and population density on guanaco recruitment in two predator-free reserves in eastern Patagonia, with contrasting scenarios of population density. We also explored the relative contribution of the observed recruitment to population growth using a deterministic linear model to test the assumption that the studied populations were closed units. The observed densities increased twice as fast as our theoretical populations, indicating that marked immigration has taken place during the recovery phase experienced by both populations, thus we rejected the closed-population assumption. Regarding the factors driving variation in recruitment, in the low- to medium-density setting, we found a positive linear relationship between recruitment and surrogates of annual primary production, whereas no density dependence was detected. In contrast, in the high-density scenario, both annual primary production and population density showed marked effects, indicating a positive relationship between recruitment and per capita food availability above a food-limitation threshold. Our results support the idea that environmental carrying capacity fluctuates in response to climatic variation, and that these fluctuations have relevant consequences for herbivore dynamics, such as amplifying density dependence in drier years. We conclude that including the coupling between environmental variability in resources and density dependence is crucial to model ungulate population dynamics; to overlook temporal changes in carrying capacity may even mask density dependence as well as other important processes.

Disruption mitigation and avoidance at ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maraschek, M.; Pautasso, G.; Esposito, B.; Granucci, G.; Stober, J.; Treutterer, W.

2009-11-01

Disruptions are a major concern for tokamaks and in particular for ITER. They cause high heat loads during the thermal quench and high mechanical forces during the subsequent current quench. The generation and loss of runaway electrons (highly accelerated electrons carrying large fractions of the plasma current) can produce damage to the vessel structures. Therefore, schemes are implemented in present tokamaks to mitigate or to even avoid them. Mitigation has been proven to be effective through the injection of noble gases causing a reduction of the thermal heat load by radiation and a reduction of the mechanical forces. In addition 25% of the required density for the collisional suppression of runaways in ITER has been reached. For the trigger of the noble gas injection a locked mode detector is routinely used at ASDEX Upgrade. An extension to more complex precursors is planed. A different approach has been used for disruption avoidance by injecting ECRH triggered by the loop voltage increase before the disruption. The avoidance of an ongoing density limit disruption has been achieved when the ECRH is deposited at resonant surfaces where MHD modes, such as the m=2/n=1, occur. Present schemes for the mitigation and eventually avoidance of disruptions will be discussed.

Towards higher stability of resonant absorption measurements in pulsed plasmas.

PubMed

Britun, Nikolay; Michiels, Matthieu; Snyders, Rony

2015-12-01

Possible ways to increase the reliability of time-resolved particle density measurements in pulsed gaseous discharges using resonant absorption spectroscopy are proposed. A special synchronization, called "dynamic source triggering," between a gated detector and two pulsed discharges, one representing the discharge of interest and another being used as a reference source, is developed. An internal digital delay generator in the intensified charge coupled device camera, used at the same time as a detector, is utilized for this purpose. According to the proposed scheme, the light pulses from the reference source follow the gates of detector, passing through the discharge of interest only when necessary. This allows for the utilization of short-pulse plasmas as reference sources, which is critical for time-resolved absorption analysis of strongly emitting pulsed discharges. In addition to dynamic source triggering, the reliability of absorption measurements can be further increased using simultaneous detection of spectra relevant for absorption method, which is also demonstrated in this work. The proposed methods are illustrated by the time-resolved measurements of the metal atom density in a high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge, using either a hollow cathode lamp or another HiPIMS discharge as a pulsed reference source.

Identification of a vacuolar proton channel that triggers the bioluminescent flash in dinoflagellates.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Juan D; Haq, Saddef; Bachvaroff, Tsvetan; Nowak, Kristine F; Nowak, Scott J; Morgan, Deri; Cherny, Vladimir V; Sapp, Maredith M; Bernstein, Steven; Bolt, Andrew; DeCoursey, Thomas E; Place, Allen R; Smith, Susan M E

2017-01-01

In 1972, J. Woodland Hastings and colleagues predicted the existence of a proton selective channel (HV1) that opens in response to depolarizing voltage across the vacuole membrane of bioluminescent dinoflagellates and conducts protons into specialized luminescence compartments (scintillons), thereby causing a pH drop that triggers light emission. HV1 channels were subsequently identified and demonstrated to have important functions in a multitude of eukaryotic cells. Here we report a predicted protein from Lingulodinium polyedrum that displays hallmark properties of bona fide HV1, including time-dependent opening with depolarization, perfect proton selectivity, and characteristic ΔpH dependent gating. Western blotting and fluorescence confocal microscopy of isolated L. polyedrum scintillons immunostained with antibody to LpHV1 confirm LpHV1's predicted organellar location. Proteomics analysis demonstrates that isolated scintillon preparations contain peptides that map to LpHV1. Finally, Zn2+ inhibits both LpHV1 proton current and the acid-induced flash in isolated scintillons. These results implicate LpHV1 as the voltage gated proton channel that triggers bioluminescence in L. polyedrum, confirming Hastings' hypothesis. The same channel likely mediates the action potential that communicates the signal along the tonoplast to the scintillon.

Key Physiological Parameters Dictate Triggering of Activity-Dependent Bulk Endocytosis in Hippocampal Synapses

PubMed Central

Wenzel, Eva M.; Morton, Andrew; Ebert, Katrin; Welzel, Oliver; Kornhuber, Johannes; Cousin, Michael A.; Groemer, Teja W.

2012-01-01

To maintain neurotransmission in central neurons, several mechanisms are employed to retrieve synaptically exocytosed membrane. The two major modes of synaptic vesicle (SV) retrieval are clathrin-mediated endocytosis and activity-dependent bulk endocytosis (ADBE). ADBE is the dominant SV retrieval mode during intense stimulation, however the precise physiological conditions that trigger this mode are not resolved. To determine these parameters we manipulated rat hippocampal neurons using a wide spectrum of stimuli by varying both the pattern and duration of stimulation. Using live-cell fluorescence imaging and electron microscopy approaches, we established that stimulation frequency, rather than the stimulation load, was critical in the triggering of ADBE. Thus two hundred action potentials, when delivered at high frequency, were sufficient to induce near maximal bulk formation. Furthermore we observed a strong correlation between SV pool size and ability to perform ADBE. We also identified that inhibitory nerve terminals were more likely to utilize ADBE and had a larger SV recycling pool. Thus ADBE in hippocampal synaptic terminals is tightly coupled to stimulation frequency and is more likely to occur in terminals with large SV pools. These results implicate ADBE as a key modulator of both hippocampal neurotransmission and plasticity. PMID:22675521

Shear-rate-dependent strength control on the dynamics of rainfall-triggered landslides, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, G.; Suemine, A.; Schulz, W.H.

2010-01-01

A typhoon (Typhoon No. 10) attacked Shikoku Island and the Tyugoku area of Japan in 2004. This typhoon produced a new daily precipitation record of 1317 mm on Shikoku Island and triggered hundreds of landslides in Tokushima Prefecture. One catastrophic landslide was triggered in the Shiraishi area of Kisawa village, and destroyed more than 10 houses while also leaving an unstable block high on the slope. The unstable block kept moving after the event, showing accelerating and decelerating movement during and after rainfall and reaching a displacement of several meters before countermeasures were put into place. To examine the mechanism for this landsliding characteristic, samples (weathered serpentinite) were taken from the field, and their shear behaviours examined using ring shear tests. The test results revealed that the residual shear strength of the samples is positively dependent on the shear rate, which may provide an explanation for the continuous acceleratingdecelerating process of the landsliding. The roughness of the shear surface and the microstructure of the shear zone were measured and observed by laser microscope and SEM techniques in an attempt to clarify the mechanism of shear rate effect on the residual shear strength. Copyright ?? 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

γCaMKII shuttles Ca2+/CaM to the nucleus to trigger CREB phosphorylation and gene expression

PubMed Central

Ma, Huan; Groth, Rachel D.; Cohen, Samuel M.; Emery, John F.; Li, Bo-Xing; Hoedt, Esthelle; Zhang, Guo-An; Neubert, Thomas A.; Tsien, Richard W.

2014-01-01

SUMMARY Activity-dependent CREB phosphorylation and gene expression are critical for long-term neuronal plasticity. Local signaling at CaV1 channels triggers these events but how information is relayed onward to the nucleus remains unclear. Here we report a novel mechanism that mediates long-distance communication within cells: a shuttle that transports Ca2+/calmodulin from the surface membrane to the nucleus. We show that the shuttle protein is γCaMKII, that its phosphorylation at Thr287 by βCaMKII protects the Ca2+/CaM signal, and that CaN triggers its nuclear translocation. Both βCaMKII and CaN act in close proximity to CaV1 channels, supporting their dominance, while γCaMKII operates as a carrier, not as a kinase. Upon arrival within the nucleus, Ca2+/CaM activates CaMKK and its substrate CaMKIV, the CREB kinase. This mechanism resolves longstanding puzzles about CaM/CaMK-dependent signaling to the nucleus. The significance of the mechanism is emphasized by dysregulation of CaV1, γCaMKII, βCaMKII and CaN in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders. PMID:25303525

Identification of a vacuolar proton channel that triggers the bioluminescent flash in dinoflagellates

PubMed Central

Rodriguez, Juan D.; Haq, Saddef; Bachvaroff, Tsvetan; Nowak, Kristine F.; Nowak, Scott J.; Morgan, Deri; Cherny, Vladimir V.; Sapp, Maredith M.; Bernstein, Steven; Bolt, Andrew; DeCoursey, Thomas E.; Place, Allen R.; Smith, Susan M. E.

2017-01-01

In 1972, J. Woodland Hastings and colleagues predicted the existence of a proton selective channel (HV1) that opens in response to depolarizing voltage across the vacuole membrane of bioluminescent dinoflagellates and conducts protons into specialized luminescence compartments (scintillons), thereby causing a pH drop that triggers light emission. HV1 channels were subsequently identified and demonstrated to have important functions in a multitude of eukaryotic cells. Here we report a predicted protein from Lingulodinium polyedrum that displays hallmark properties of bona fide HV1, including time-dependent opening with depolarization, perfect proton selectivity, and characteristic ΔpH dependent gating. Western blotting and fluorescence confocal microscopy of isolated L. polyedrum scintillons immunostained with antibody to LpHV1 confirm LpHV1’s predicted organellar location. Proteomics analysis demonstrates that isolated scintillon preparations contain peptides that map to LpHV1. Finally, Zn2+ inhibits both LpHV1 proton current and the acid-induced flash in isolated scintillons. These results implicate LpHV1 as the voltage gated proton channel that triggers bioluminescence in L. polyedrum, confirming Hastings’ hypothesis. The same channel likely mediates the action potential that communicates the signal along the tonoplast to the scintillon. PMID:28178296

Characteristics of plasma-puff trigger for a inverse-pinch plasma switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Eun H.; Venable, Demetrius D.; Han, Kwang S.; Lee, Ja H.

1993-01-01

The plasma-puff triggering mechanism based on a hypocycloidal pinch geometry was investigated to determine the optimal operating conditions for the azimuthally uniform surface flashover which initiates plasma-puff under wide ranges of fill gas pressure of Ar, He and N2. The optimal fill-gas pressure range for the azimuthally uniform plasma-puff was about 120 mTorr less than or equal to P(sub op) less than or equal to 450 Torr for He and N2. For Argon 120 mTorr is less than or equal to P(sub op) is less than or equal to 5 Torr. The inverse-pinch switch was triggered with the plasma-puff and the switching capability under various electrical parameters and working gas pressures of Ar, He and N2 was determined. The azimuthally uniform switching discharges were dependent on the type of fill gas and its fill pressure. A new concept of plasma-focus driven plasma-puff will be discussed in comparison with the current hypocycloidal-pinch plasma-puff triggering.

Data processing device test apparatus and method therefor

DOEpatents

Wilcox, Richard Jacob; Mulig, Jason D.; Eppes, David; Bruce, Michael R.; Bruce, Victoria J.; Ring, Rosalinda M.; Cole, Jr., Edward I.; Tangyunyong, Paiboon; Hawkins, Charles F.; Louie, Arnold Y.

2003-04-08

A method and apparatus mechanism for testing data processing devices are implemented. The test mechanism isolates critical paths by correlating a scanning microscope image with a selected speed path failure. A trigger signal having a preselected value is generated at the start of each pattern vector. The sweep of the scanning microscope is controlled by a computer, which also receives and processes the image signals returned from the microscope. The value of the trigger signal is correlated with a set of pattern lines being driven on the DUT. The trigger is either asserted or negated depending the detection of a pattern line failure and the particular line that failed. In response to the detection of the particular speed path failure being characterized, and the trigger signal, the control computer overlays a mask on the image of the device under test (DUT). The overlaid image provides a visual correlation of the failure with the structural elements of the DUT at the level of resolution of the microscope itself.

Engineering a pH-Regulated Switch in the Major Light-Harvesting Complex of Plants (LHCII): Proof of Principle.

PubMed

Liguori, Nicoletta; Natali, Alberto; Croce, Roberta

2016-12-15

Under excess light, photosynthetic organisms employ feedback mechanisms to avoid photodamage. Photoprotection is triggered by acidification of the lumen of the photosynthetic membrane following saturation of the metabolic activity. A low pH triggers thermal dissipation of excess absorbed energy by the light-harvesting complexes (LHCs). LHCs are not able to sense pH variations, and their switch to a dissipative mode depends on stress-related proteins and allosteric cofactors. In green algae the trigger is the pigment-protein complex LHCSR3. Its C-terminus is responsible for a pH-driven conformational change from a light-harvesting to a quenched state. Here, we show that by replacing the C-terminus of the main LHC of plants with that of LHCSR3, it is possible to regulate its excited-state lifetime solely via protonation, demonstrating that the protein template of LHCs can be modified to activate reversible quenching mechanisms independent of external cofactors and triggers.

Clearance of PML/RARA-bound promoters suffice to initiate APL differentiation.

PubMed

Vitaliano-Prunier, Adeline; Halftermeyer, Juliane; Ablain, Julien; de Reynies, Aurélien; Peres, Laurent; Le Bras, Morgane; Metzger, Daniel; de Thé, Hugues

2014-12-11

PML/RARA, a potent transcriptional inhibitor of nuclear receptor signaling, represses myeloid differentiation genes and drives acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Association of the retinoid X receptor-α (RXRA) coreceptor to PML/RARA is required for transformation, with RXRA promoting its efficient DNA binding. APL is exquisitely sensitive to retinoic acid (RA) and arsenic trioxide (arsenic), which both trigger cell differentiation in vivo. Whereas RA elicits transcriptional activation of PML/RARA targets, how arsenic triggers differentiation remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that extinction of PML/RARA triggers terminal differentiation in vivo. Similarly, ablation of retinoid X receptors loosens PML/RARA DNA binding, inducing terminal differentiation of APL cells ex vivo or in vivo. RXRA sumoylation directly contributes to PML/RARA-dependent transformation ex vivo, presumably by enhancing transcriptional repression. Thus, APL differentiation is a default program triggered by clearance of PML/RARA-bound promoters, rather than obligatory active transcriptional activation, explaining how arsenic elicits APL maturation through PML/RARA degradation. © 2014 by The American Society of Hematology.

Earthquake triggering by transient and static deformations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, J.; Beeler, N.M.; Blanpied, M.L.; Bodin, P.

1998-01-01

Observational evidence for both static and transient near-field and far-field triggered seismicity are explained in terms of a frictional instability model, based on a single degree of freedom spring-slider system and rate- and state-dependent frictional constitutive equations. In this study a triggered earthquake is one whose failure time has been advanced by ??t (clock advance) due to a stress perturbation. Triggering stress perturbations considered include square-wave transients and step functions, analogous to seismic waves and coseismic static stress changes, respectively. Perturbations are superimposed on a constant background stressing rate which represents the tectonic stressing rate. The normal stress is assumed to be constant. Approximate, closed-form solutions of the rate-and-state equations are derived for these triggering and background loads, building on the work of Dieterich [1992, 1994]. These solutions can be used to simulate the effects of static and transient stresses as a function of amplitude, onset time t0, and in the case of square waves, duration. The accuracies of the approximate closed-form solutions are also evaluated with respect to the full numerical solution and t0. The approximate solutions underpredict the full solutions, although the difference decreases as t0, approaches the end of the earthquake cycle. The relationship between ??t and t0 differs for transient and static loads: a static stress step imposed late in the cycle causes less clock advance than an equal step imposed earlier, whereas a later applied transient causes greater clock advance than an equal one imposed earlier. For equal ??t, transient amplitudes must be greater than static loads by factors of several tens to hundreds depending on t0. We show that the rate-and-state model requires that the total slip at failure is a constant, regardless of the loading history. Thus a static load applied early in the cycle, or a transient applied at any time, reduces the stress at the initiation of failure, whereas static loads that are applied sufficiently late raise it. Rate-and-state friction predictions differ markedly from those based on Coulomb failure stress changes (??CFS) in which ??t equals the amplitude of the static stress change divided by the background stressing rate. The ??CFS model assumes a stress failure threshold, while the rate-and-state equations require a slip failure threshold. The complete rale-and-state equations predict larger ??t than the ??CFS model does for static stress steps at small t0, and smaller ??t than the ??CFS model for stress steps at large t0. The ??CFS model predicts nonzero ??t only for transient loads that raise the stress to failure stress levels during the transient. In contrast, the rate-and-state model predicts nonzero ??t for smaller loads, and triggered failure may occur well after the transient is finished. We consider heuristically the effects of triggering on a population of faults, as these effects might be evident in seismicity data. Triggering is manifest as an initial increase in seismicity rate that may be followed by a quiescence or by a return to the background rate. Available seismicity data are insufficient to discriminate whether triggered earthquakes are "new" or clock advanced. However, if triggering indeed results from advancing the failure time of inevitable earthquakes, then our modeling suggests that a quiescence always follows transient triggering and that the duration of increased seismicity also cannot exceed the duration of a triggering transient load. Quiescence follows static triggering only if the population of available faults is finite.

Improving Image Quality of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography Using Patient Weight and Height-Dependent Scan Trigger Threshold.

PubMed

Kang, Deqiang; Hua, Haiqin; Peng, Nan; Zhao, Jing; Wang, Zhiqun

2017-04-01

We aim to improve the image quality of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) by using personalized weight and height-dependent scan trigger threshold. This study was divided into two parts. First, we performed and analyzed the 100 scheduled CCTA data, which were acquired by using body mass index-dependent Smart Prep sequence (trigger threshold ranged from 80 Hu to 250 Hu based on body mass index). By identifying the cases of high quality image, a linear regression equation was established to determine the correlation among the Smart Prep threshold, height, and body weight. Furthermore, a quick search table was generated for weight and height-dependent Smart Prep threshold in CCTA scan. Second, to evaluate the effectiveness of the new individual threshold method, an additional 100 consecutive patients were divided into two groups: individualized group (n = 50) with weight and height-dependent threshold and control group (n = 50) with the conventional constant threshold of 150 HU. Image quality was compared between the two groups by measuring the enhancement in coronary artery, aorta, left and right ventricle, and inferior vena cava. By visual inspection, image quality scores were performed to compare between the two groups. Regression equation between Smart Prep threshold (K, Hu), height (H, cm), and body weight (BW, kg) was K = 0.811 × H + 1.917 × BW - 99.341. When compared to the control group, the individualized group presented an average overall increase of 12.30% in enhancement in left main coronary artery, 12.94% in proximal right coronary artery, and 10.6% in aorta. Correspondingly, the contrast-to-noise ratios increased by 26.03%, 27.08%, and 23.17%, respectively, and by 633.1% in contrast between aorta and left ventricle. Meanwhile, the individualized group showed an average overall decrease of 22.7% in enhancement of right ventricle and 32.7% in inferior vena cava. There was no significant difference of the image noise between the two groups (P > .05). By visual inspection, the image quality score of the individualized group was higher than that of the control group. Using personalized weight and height-dependent Smart Prep threshold to adjust scan trigger time can significantly improve the image quality of CCTA. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Large-Scale Identification and Characterization of Heterodera avenae Putative Effectors Suppressing or Inducing Cell Death in Nicotiana benthamiana

PubMed Central

Chen, Changlong; Chen, Yongpan; Jian, Heng; Yang, Dan; Dai, Yiran; Pan, Lingling; Shi, Fengwei; Yang, Shanshan; Liu, Qian

2018-01-01

Heterodera avenae is one of the most important plant pathogens and causes vast losses in cereal crops. As a sedentary endoparasitic nematode, H. avenae secretes effectors that modify plant defenses and promote its biotrophic infection of its hosts. However, the number of effectors involved in the interaction between H. avenae and host defenses remains unclear. Here, we report the identification of putative effectors in H. avenae that regulate plant defenses on a large scale. Our results showed that 78 of the 95 putative effectors suppressed programmed cell death (PCD) triggered by BAX and that 7 of the putative effectors themselves caused cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana. Among the cell-death-inducing effectors, three were found to be dependent on their specific domains to trigger cell death and to be expressed in esophageal gland cells by in situ hybridization. Ten candidate effectors that suppressed BAX-triggered PCD also suppressed PCD triggered by the elicitor PsojNIP and at least one R-protein/cognate effector pair, suggesting that they are active in suppressing both pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Notably, with the exception of isotig16060, these putative effectors could also suppress PCD triggered by cell-death-inducing effectors from H. avenae, indicating that those effectors may cooperate to promote nematode parasitism. Collectively, our results indicate that the majority of the tested effectors of H. avenae may play important roles in suppressing cell death induced by different elicitors in N. benthamiana. PMID:29379510

Stochastic seasonality and nonlinear density-dependent factors regulate population size in an African rodent

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leirs, H.; Stenseth, N.C.; Nichols, J.D.; Hines, J.E.; Verhagen, R.; Verheyen, W.

1997-01-01

Ecology has long been troubled by the controversy over how populations are regulated. Some ecologists focus on the role of environmental effects, whereas others argue that density-dependent feedback mechanisms are central. The relative importance of both processes is still hotly debated, but clear examples of both processes acting in the same population are rare. Keyfactor analysis (regression of population changes on possible causal factors) and time-series analysis are often used to investigate the presence of density dependence, but such approaches may be biased and provide no information on actual demographic rates. Here we report on both density-dependent and density-independent effects in a murid rodent pest species, the multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis (Smith, 1834), using statistical capture-recapture models. Both effects occur simultaneously, but we also demonstrate that they do not affect all demographic rates in the same way. We have incorporated the obtained estimates of demographic rates in a population dynamics model and show that the observed dynamics are affected by stabilizing nonlinear density-dependent components coupled with strong deterministic and stochastic seasonal components.

Parametric dependence of density limits in the Tokamak Experiment for Technology Oriented Research (TEXTOR): Comparison of thermal instability theory with experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, F. A.; Stacey, W. M.; Rapp, J.

2001-11-01

The observed dependence of the TEXTOR [Tokamak Experiment for Technology Oriented Research: E. Hintz, P. Bogen, H. A. Claassen et al., Contributions to High Temperature Plasma Physics, edited by K. H. Spatschek and J. Uhlenbusch (Akademie Verlag, Berlin, 1994), p. 373] density limit on global parameters (I, B, P, etc.) and wall conditioning is compared with the predicted density limit parametric scaling of thermal instability theory. It is necessary first to relate the edge parameters of the thermal instability theory to n¯ and the other global parameters. The observed parametric dependence of the density limit in TEXTOR is generally consistent with the predicted density limit scaling of thermal instability theory. The observed wall conditioning dependence of the density limit can be reconciled with the theory in terms of the radiative emissivity temperature dependence of different impurities in the plasma edge. The thermal instability theory also provides an explanation of why symmetric detachment precedes radiative collapse for most low power shots, while a multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge MARFE precedes detachment for most high power shots.

Dependence of Plastic TATB Shock-Wave Sensitivity on Temperature, Density and Technology Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlasov, Yu. A.; Kosolapov, V. B.; Fomicheva, L. V.; Khabarov, I. P.

1999-06-01

Mixed TATB-based HE is the most perspective because of the manufacture and exploitation safety of its items. At the same time the safety of these explosive, at high temperatures, which take place at emergencies, causes the certain anxiety. Plastic TATB shock-wave sensitivity (SWS) researches has shown that temperature as one of the important factors of external influence is not always the determining reason of SWS change. It is known that density influence on SWS significantly. At the same time density depends on temperature and technology of details manufacturing. In this connection in this work the temperature dependence of plastic TATB SWS was studied in view of convertible and irreversible changes of density (p) under heating at -50[C up to 90[C . It is shown that during these influences the dependence of threshold pressure of initiation (P) from temperature is explained, first of all, by change of HE density, caused by its thermal expansion (compression), and also by irreversible changes of p and HE structure, arising at heating. It is found also that the share of irreversible change of density depends on technology of HE details manufacturing and is explained by relaxation of residual pressure in them. The mentioned relaxation is finished after the first cycles of thermal influence. The value of density change, caused by this factor, depends on temperature and duration of heating.

Simulation studies on the differences between spontaneous and triggered seismicity and on foreshock probabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, J.; Vere-Jones, D.; Ogata, Y.; Christophersen, A.; Savage, M. K.; Jackson, D. D.

2008-12-01

In this study we investigate the foreshock probabilities calculated from earthquake catalogs from Japan, Southern California and New Zealand. Unlike conventional studies on foreshocks, we use a probability-based declustering method to separate each catalog into stochastic versions of family trees, such that each event is classified as either having been triggered by a preceding event, or being a spontaneous event. The probabilities are determined from parameters that provide the best fit of the real catalogue using a space- time epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model. The model assumes that background and triggered earthquakes have the same magnitude dependent triggering capability. A foreshock here is defined as a spontaneous event that has one or more larger descendants, and a triggered foreshock is a triggered event that has one or more larger descendants. The proportion of foreshocks in spontaneous events of each catalog is found to be lower than the proportion of triggered foreshocks in triggered events. One possibility is that this is due to different triggering productivity in spontaneous versus triggered events, i.e., a triggered event triggers more children than a spontaneous events of the same magnitude. To understand what causes the above differences between spontaneous and triggered events, we apply the same procedures to several synthetic catalogs simulated by using different models. The first simulation is done by using the ETAS model with parameters and spontaneous rate fitted from the JMA catalog. The second synthetic catalog is simulated by using an adjusted ETAS model that takes into account the triggering effect from events lower than the magnitude. That is, we simulated the catalog with a low magnitude threshold with the original ETAS model, and then we remove the events smaller than a higher magnitude threshold. The third model for simulation assumes that different triggering behaviors exist between spontaneous event and triggered events. We repeat the fitting and reconstruction procedures to all those simulated catalogs. The reconstruction results for the first synthetic catalog do not show the difference between spontaneous events and triggered event or the differences in foreshock probabilities. On the other hand, results from the synthetic catalogs simulated with the second and the third models clearly reconstruct such differences. In summary our results implies that one of the causes of such differences may be neglecting the triggering effort from events smaller than the cut-off magnitude or magnitude errors. For the objective of forecasting seismicity, we can use a clustering model in which spontaneous events trigger child events in a different way from triggered events to avoid over-predicting earthquake risks with foreshocks. To understand the physical implication of this study, we need further careful studies to compare the real seismicity and the adjusted ETAS model, which takes the triggering effect from events below the cut-off magnitude into account.

Landslides triggered by the January 12, 2010 Port-au-Prince, Haiti Mw 7.0 earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chong

2014-05-01

The January 12, 2010 Port-au-Prince, Haiti earthquake (Mw 7.0) triggered tens of thousands of landslides. The purpose of this study is to investigate correlations of the occurrence of landslides and its erosion thickness with topographic factors, seismic parameters, and distance from roads. A total of 30,828 landslides triggered by the earthquake cover a total area of 15.736 km2, and the volume of landslide accumulation materials is estimated to be about 30,000,000 m3, and throughout an area more than 3,000 km2. These landslides are of various types, mainly in shallow disrupted landslides and rock falls, and also including coherent deep-seated landslides, shallow disrupted landslides, rock falls, and rock slides. These landslides were delineated using pre- and post-earthquake high-resolutions satellite images. Spatial distribution maps and contour maps of landslide number density, landslide area percentage, and landslide erosion thickness were respectively constructed in order to more intuitive to discover the spatial distribution patterns of the co-seismic landslides. Statistics of size distribution and morphometric parameters of the co-seismic landslides were carried out and were compared with other earthquake events. Four proxies of co-seismic landslides abundances, including landslides centroid number density (LCND), landslide top number density (LTND), landslide area percentage (LAP), and landslide erosion thickness (LET) were used to correlate the co-seismic landslides with various landslide controlling parameters. These controlling parameters include elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, slope curvature, topographic position, distance from drainages, stratum/lithology, distance from the epicenter, distance from the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault, distance along the fault, and peak ground acceleration (PGA). Comparing of controls of impact parameters on co-seismic landslides show that slope angle is the strongest impact parameter on co-seismic landslides occurrence. In addition, it should be noted that the co-seismic landslides of our inventories is much more detailed than other inventories in several previous publications. Therefore, comparisons of inventories of landslides triggered by the Haiti earthquake with other published results were carried out and the reasons of such differences were presented. We suggest it should not be limited by past empirical functions between earthquake magnitude and co-seismic landslides or it is necessary to update the past empirical functions based on more and more latest and complete co-seismic landslide inventories. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (41202235)

Modification of jet-like correlations in Pb-Au collisions at 158A GeV/c

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceres Collaboration; Adamová, D.; Agakichiev, G.; Antończyk, D.; Appelshäuser, H.; Belaga, V.; Bielčíková, J.; Braun-Munzinger, P.; Busch, O.; Cherlin, A.; Damjanović, S.; Dietel, T.; Dietrich, L.; Drees, A.; Dubitzky, W.; Esumi, S. I.; Filimonov, K.; Fomenko, K.; Fraenkel, Z.; Garabatos, C.; Glässel, P.; Holeczek, J.; Kalisky, M.; Kniege, S.; Kushpil, V.; Maas, A.; Marín, A.; Milošević, J.; Milov, A.; Miśkowiec, D.; Panebrattsev, Yu.; Petchenova, O.; Petráček, V.; Pfeiffer, A.; Płoskoń, M.; Rak, J.; Ravinovich, I.; Rehak, P.; Sako, H.; Schmitz, W.; Schuchmann, S.; Sedykh, S.; Shimansky, S.; Stachel, J.; Šumbera, M.; Tilsner, H.; Tserruya, I.; Wessels, J. P.; Wienold, T.; Wurm, J. P.; Xie, W.; Yurevich, S.; Yurevich, V.

2009-07-01

Results of a two-particle correlation analysis of high-p charged particles in Pb-Au collisions at 158A GeV/c are presented. The data have been recorded by the CERES experiment at the CERN-SPS. The correlations are studied as function of transverse momentum, particle charge and collision centrality. We observe a jet-like structure in the vicinity of a high-p trigger particle and a broad back-to-back distribution. The yields of associated particles per trigger show a strong dependence on the trigger/associate charge combination. A comparison to PYTHIA confirms the jet-like pattern at the near-side but suggests a strong modification at the away-side, implying significant energy transfer of the hard-scattered parton to the medium.

Glutamate Receptor-Like Channel3.3 Is Involved in Mediating Glutathione-Triggered Cytosolic Calcium Transients, Transcriptional Changes, and Innate Immunity Responses in Arabidopsis1[W][OA

PubMed Central

Li, Feng; Wang, Jing; Ma, Chunli; Zhao, Yongxiu; Wang, Yingchun; Hasi, Agula; Qi, Zhi

2013-01-01

The tripeptide reduced glutathione (GSH; γ-glutamate [Glu]-cysteine [Cys]-glycine) is a major endogenous antioxidant in both animal and plant cells. It also functions as a neurotransmitter mediating communication among neurons in the central nervous system of animals through modulating specific ionotropic Glu receptors (GLRs) in the membrane. Little is known about such signaling roles in plant cells. Here, we report that transient rises in cytosolic calcium triggered by exogenous GSH in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaves were sensitive to GLR antagonists and abolished in loss-of-function atglr3.3 mutants. Like the GSH biosynthesis-defective mutant PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT2, atglr3.3 showed enhanced susceptibility to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000. Pathogen-induced defense marker gene expression was also decreased in atglr3.3 mutants. Twenty-seven percent of genes that were rapidly responsive to GSH treatment of seedlings were defense genes, most of which were dependent on functional AtGLR3.3, while GSH suppressed pathogen propagation through the AtGLR3.3-dependent pathway. Eight previously identified putative AtGLR3.3 ligands, GSH, oxidized glutathione, alanine, asparagine, Cys, Glu, glycine, and serine, all elicited the AtGLR3.3-dependent cytosolic calcium transients, but only GSH and Cys induced the defense response, with the Glu-induced AtGLR3.3-dependent transcription response being much less apparent than that triggered by GSH. Together, these observations suggest that AtGLR3.3 is required for several signaling effects mediated by extracellular GSH, even though these effects may not be causally related. PMID:23656893

A rapid and transient ROS generation by cadmium triggers apoptosis via caspase-dependent pathway in HepG2 cells and this is inhibited through N-acetylcysteine-mediated catalase upregulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oh, Seon-Hee; Lim, Sung-Chul

2006-05-01

Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in cadmium (Cd)-induced hepatotoxicity, the role of ROS in this pathway remains unclear. Therefore, we attempted to determine the molecular mechanisms relevant to Cd-induced cell death in HepG2 cells. Cd was found to induce apoptosis in the HepG2 cells in a time- and dose-dependent fashion, as confirmed by DNA fragmentation analysis and TUNEL staining. In the early stages, both rapid and transient ROS generation triggered apoptosis via Fas activation and subsequent caspase-8-dependent Bid cleavage, as well as by calpain-mediated mitochondrial Bax cleavage. The timing of Bid activation was coincided with the timingmore » at which the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MMP) collapsed as well as the cytochrome c (Cyt c) released into the cytosol. Furthermore, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore inhibitors, such as cyclosporin A (CsA) and bongkrekic acid (BA), did not block Cd-induced ROS generation, MMP collapse and Cyt c release. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pretreatment resulted in the complete inhibition of the Cd-induced apoptosis via catalase upregulation and subsequent Fas downregulation. NAC treatment also completely blocked the Cd-induced intracellular ROS generation, MMP collapse and Cyt c release, indicating that Cd-induced mitochondrial dysfunction may be regulated indirectly by ROS-mediated signaling pathway. Taken together, a rapid and transient ROS generation by Cd triggers apoptosis via caspase-dependent pathway and subsequent mitochondrial pathway. NAC inhibits Cd-induced apoptosis through the blocking of ROS generation as well as the catalase upregulation.« less

Semi-nonparametric VaR forecasts for hedge funds during the recent crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Brio, Esther B.; Mora-Valencia, Andrés; Perote, Javier

2014-05-01

The need to provide accurate value-at-risk (VaR) forecasting measures has triggered an important literature in econophysics. Although these accurate VaR models and methodologies are particularly demanded for hedge fund managers, there exist few articles specifically devoted to implement new techniques in hedge fund returns VaR forecasting. This article advances in these issues by comparing the performance of risk measures based on parametric distributions (the normal, Student’s t and skewed-t), semi-nonparametric (SNP) methodologies based on Gram-Charlier (GC) series and the extreme value theory (EVT) approach. Our results show that normal-, Student’s t- and Skewed t- based methodologies fail to forecast hedge fund VaR, whilst SNP and EVT approaches accurately success on it. We extend these results to the multivariate framework by providing an explicit formula for the GC copula and its density that encompasses the Gaussian copula and accounts for non-linear dependences. We show that the VaR obtained by the meta GC accurately captures portfolio risk and outperforms regulatory VaR estimates obtained through the meta Gaussian and Student’s t distributions.

Generation of long subharmonic internal waves by surface waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahvildari, Navid; Kaihatu, James M.; Saric, William S.

2016-10-01

A new set of Boussinesq equations is derived to study the nonlinear interactions between long waves in a two-layer fluid. The fluid layers are assumed to be homogeneous, inviscid, incompressible, and immiscible. Based on the Boussinesq equations, an analytical model is developed using a second-order perturbation theory and applied to examine the transient evolution of a resonant triad composed of a surface wave and two oblique subharmonic internal waves. Wave damping due to weak viscosity in both layers is considered. The Boussinesq equations and the analytical model are verified. In contrast to previous studies which focus on short internal waves, we examine long waves and investigate some previously unexplored characteristics of this class of triad interaction. In viscous fluids, surface wave amplitudes must be larger than a threshold to overcome viscous damping and trigger internal waves. The dependency of this critical amplitude as well as the growth and damping rates of internal waves on important parameters in a two-fluid system, namely the directional angle of the internal waves, depth, density, and viscosity ratio of the fluid layers, and surface wave amplitude and frequency is investigated.

Cellular localization of the activated EGFR determines its effect on cell growth in MDA-MB-468 cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hyatt, Dustin C.; Ceresa, Brian P.

2008-11-01

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) is a ubiquitously expressed receptor tyrosine kinase that regulates diverse cell functions that are dependent upon cell type, the presence of downstream effectors, and receptor density. In addition to activating biochemical pathways, ligand stimulation causes the EGFR to enter the cell via clathrin-coated pits. Endocytic trafficking influences receptor signaling by controlling the duration of EGFR phosphorylation and coordinating the receptor's association with downstream effectors. To better understand the individual contributions of cell surface and cytosolic EGFRs on cell physiology, we used EGF that was conjugated to 900 nm polystyrene beads (EGF-beads). EGF-beads canmore » stimulate the EGFR and retain the activated receptor at the plasma membrane. In MDA-MB-468 cells, a breast cancer cell line that over-expresses the EGFR, only internalized, activated EGFRs stimulate caspase-3 and induce cell death. Conversely, signaling cascades triggered from activated EGFR retained at the cell surface inhibit caspase-3 and promote cell proliferation. Thus, through endocytosis, the activated EGFR can differentially regulate cell growth in MDA-MB-468 cells.« less

Regulation of spinogenesis in mature Purkinje cells via mGluR/PKC-mediated phosphorylation of CaMKIIβ

PubMed Central

Sugawara, Takeyuki; Hisatsune, Chihiro; Miyamoto, Hiroyuki; Ogawa, Naoko; Mikoshiba, Katsuhiko

2017-01-01

Dendritic spines of Purkinje cells form excitatory synapses with parallel fiber terminals, which are the primary sites for cerebellar synaptic plasticity. Nevertheless, how density and morphology of these spines are properly maintained in mature Purkinje cells is not well understood. Here we show an activity-dependent mechanism that represses excessive spine development in mature Purkinje cells. We found that CaMKIIβ promotes spine formation and elongation in Purkinje cells through its F-actin bundling activity. Importantly, activation of group I mGluR, but not AMPAR, triggers PKC-mediated phosphorylation of CaMKIIβ, which results in dissociation of the CaMKIIβ/F-actin complex. Defective function of the PKC-mediated CaMKIIβ phosphorylation promotes excess F-actin bundling and leads to abnormally numerous and elongated spines in mature IP3R1-deficient Purkinje cells. Thus, our data suggest that phosphorylation of CaMKIIβ through the mGluR/IP3R1/PKC signaling pathway represses excessive spine formation and elongation in mature Purkinje cells. PMID:28607044

Conceptual Design of the ITER Plasma Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snipes, J. A.

2013-10-01

The conceptual design of the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS) has been approved and the preliminary design has begun for the 1st plasma PCS. This is a collaboration of many plasma control experts from existing devices to design and test plasma control techniques applicable to ITER on existing machines. The conceptual design considered all phases of plasma operation, ranging from non-active H/He plasmas through high fusion gain inductive DT plasmas to fully non-inductive steady-state operation, to ensure that the PCS control functionality and architecture can satisfy the demands of the ITER Research Plan. The PCS will control plasma equilibrium and density, plasma heat exhaust, a range of MHD instabilities (including disruption mitigation), and the non-inductive current profile required to maintain stable steady-state scenarios. The PCS architecture requires sophisticated shared actuator management and event handling systems to prioritize control goals, algorithms, and actuators according to dynamic control needs and monitor plasma and plant system events to trigger automatic changes in the control algorithms or operational scenario, depending on real-time operating limits and conditions.

Initial decomposition of the condensed-phase β-HMX under shock waves: molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Ge, Ni-Na; Wei, Yong-Kai; Ji, Guang-Fu; Chen, Xiang-Rong; Zhao, Feng; Wei, Dong-Qing

2012-11-26

We have performed quantum-based multiscale simulations to study the initial chemical processes of condensed-phase octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) under shock wave loading. A self-consistent charge density-functional tight-binding (SCC-DFTB) method was employed. The results show that the initial decomposition of shocked HMX is triggered by the N-NO(2) bond breaking under the low velocity impact (8 km/s). As the shock velocity increases (11 km/s), the homolytic cleavage of the N-NO(2) bond is suppressed under high pressure, the C-H bond dissociation becomes the primary pathway for HMX decomposition in its early stages. It is accompanied by a five-membered ring formation and hydrogen transfer from the CH(2) group to the -NO(2) group. Our simulations suggest that the initial chemical processes of shocked HMX are dependent on the impact velocity, which gain new insights into the initial decomposition mechanism of HMX upon shock loading at the atomistic level, and have important implications for understanding and development of energetic materials.

Ethylene biosynthesis by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase: a DFT study.

PubMed

Bassan, Arianna; Borowski, Tomasz; Schofield, Christopher J; Siegbahn, Per E M

2006-11-24

The reaction catalyzed by the plant enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACCO) was investigated by using hybrid density functional theory. ACCO belongs to the non-heme iron(II) enzyme superfamily and carries out the bicarbonate-dependent two-electron oxidation of its substrate ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) concomitant with the reduction of dioxygen and oxidation of a reducing agent probably ascorbate. The reaction gives ethylene, CO(2), cyanide and two water molecules. A model including the mononuclear iron complex with ACC in the first coordination sphere was used to study the details of O-O bond cleavage and cyclopropane ring opening. Calculations imply that this unusual and complex reaction is triggered by a hydrogen atom abstraction step generating a radical on the amino nitrogen of ACC. Subsequently, cyclopropane ring opening followed by O-O bond heterolysis leads to a very reactive iron(IV)-oxo intermediate, which decomposes to ethylene and cyanoformate with very low energy barriers. The reaction is assisted by bicarbonate located in the second coordination sphere of the metal.

Counter-facing plasma guns for efficient extreme ultra-violet plasma light source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, Yusuke; Yamamoto, Akiko; Kuwabara, Hajime; Nakajima, Mitsuo; Kawamura, Tohru; Horioka, Kazuhiko

2013-11-01

A plasma focus system composed of a pair of counter-facing coaxial guns was proposed as a long-pulse and/or repetitive high energy density plasma source. We applied Li as the source of plasma for improvement of the conversion efficiency, the spectral purity, and the repetition capability. For operation of the system with ideal counter-facing plasma focus mode, we changed the system from simple coaxial geometry to a multi-channel configuration. We applied a laser trigger to make synchronous multi-channel discharges with low jitter. The results indicated that the configuration is promising to make a high energy density plasma with high spectral efficiency.

Short-interval multi-laser Thomson scattering measurements of hydrogen pellet ablation in LHD.

PubMed

Yasuhara, R; Sakamoto, R; Yamada, I; Motojima, G; Hayashi, H

2014-11-01

Thomson scattering forms an important aspect of measuring the electron density and temperature profiles of plasmas. In this study, we demonstrate Thomson scattering measurements obtained over a short interval (<1 ms) by using an event triggering system with a multi-laser configuration. We attempt to use our system to obtain the electron temperature and density profiles before and immediately after pellet injection into the large helical device. The obtained profiles exhibit dramatic changes after pellet injection as per our shot-by-shot measurements. We believe that this measurement technique will contribute towards a better understanding of the physics of the pellet deposition.

Short-interval multi-laser Thomson scattering measurements of hydrogen pellet ablation in LHD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yasuhara, R., E-mail: yasuhara@nifs.ac.jp; Sakamoto, R.; Yamada, I.

2014-11-15

Thomson scattering forms an important aspect of measuring the electron density and temperature profiles of plasmas. In this study, we demonstrate Thomson scattering measurements obtained over a short interval (<1 ms) by using an event triggering system with a multi-laser configuration. We attempt to use our system to obtain the electron temperature and density profiles before and immediately after pellet injection into the large helical device. The obtained profiles exhibit dramatic changes after pellet injection as per our shot-by-shot measurements. We believe that this measurement technique will contribute towards a better understanding of the physics of the pellet deposition.

Shiga Toxins Activate the NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway To Promote Both Production of the Proinflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-1β and Apoptotic Cell Death

PubMed Central

Lee, Moo-Seung; Kwon, Haenaem; Lee, Eun-Young; Kim, Dong-Jae; Park, Jong-Hwan; Tesh, Vernon L.; Oh, Tae-Kwang

2015-01-01

Shiga toxin (Stx)-mediated immune responses, including the production of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), may exacerbate vascular damage and accelerate lethality. However, the immune signaling pathway activated in response to Stx is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that enzymatically active Stx, which leads to ribotoxic stress, triggers NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion in differentiated macrophage-like THP-1 (D-THP-1) cells. The treatment of cells with a chemical inhibitor of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, which suppresses the expression of the Stx receptor globotriaosylceramide and subsequent endocytosis of the toxin, substantially blocked activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and processing of caspase-1 and IL-1β. Processing and release of both caspase-1 and IL-1β were significantly reduced or abolished in Stx-intoxicated D-THP-1 cells in which the expression of NLRP3 or ASC was stably knocked down. Furthermore, Stx mediated the activation of caspases involved in apoptosis in an NLRP3- or ASC-dependent manner. In Stx-intoxicated cells, the NLRP3 inflammasome triggered the activation of caspase-8/3, leading to the initiation of apoptosis, in addition to caspase-1-dependent pyroptotic cell death. Taken together, these results suggest that Stxs trigger the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway to release proinflammatory IL-1β as well as to promote apoptotic cell death. PMID:26502906

Long-term persistence, density dependence and effects of climate change on rosyside dace (Cyprinidae)

Treesearch

Gary D. Grossman; Gary Sundin; Robert E. Ratajczak

2016-01-01

SummaryWe used long-term population data for rosyside dace (Clinostomus funduloides), a numerically dominant member of a stochastically organised fish assemblage, to evaluate the relative importance of density-dependent and density-independent processes to population...

Density Dependent Functional Forms Drive Compensation in Populations Exposed to Stressors

EPA Science Inventory

The interaction between density dependence (DD) and environmental stressors can result in a compensatory or synergistic response in population growth, and population models that use density-independent demographic rates or generic DD functions may be introducing bias into managem...

Density functional and theoretical study of the temperature and pressure dependency of the plasmon energy of solids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Attarian Shandiz, M., E-mail: mohammad.attarianshandiz@mail.mcgill.ca; Gauvin, R.

The temperature and pressure dependency of the volume plasmon energy of solids was investigated by density functional theory calculations. The volume change of crystal is the major factor responsible for the variation of valence electron density and plasmon energy in the free electron model. Hence, to introduce the effect of temperature and pressure for the density functional theory calculations of plasmon energy, the temperature and pressure dependency of lattice parameter was used. Also, by combination of the free electron model and the equation of state based on the pseudo-spinodal approach, the temperature and pressure dependency of the plasmon energy wasmore » modeled. The suggested model is in good agreement with the results of density functional theory calculations and available experimental data for elements with the free electron behavior.« less

Anthropogenically-Mediated Density Dependence in a Declining Farmland Bird

PubMed Central

Dunn, Jenny C.; Hamer, Keith C.; Benton, Tim G.

2015-01-01

Land management intrinsically influences the distribution of animals and can consequently alter the potential for density-dependent processes to act within populations. For declining species, high densities of breeding territories are typically considered to represent productive populations. However, as density-dependent effects of food limitation or predator pressure may occur (especially when species are dependent upon separate nesting and foraging habitats), high territory density may limit per-capita productivity. Here, we use a declining but widespread European farmland bird, the yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella L., as a model system to test whether higher territory densities result in lower fledging success, parental provisioning rates or nestling growth rates compared to lower densities. Organic landscapes held higher territory densities, but nests on organic farms fledged fewer nestlings, translating to a 5 times higher rate of population shrinkage on organic farms compared to conventional. In addition, when parental provisioning behaviour was not restricted by predation risk (i.e., at times of low corvid activity), nestling provisioning rates were higher at lower territory densities, resulting in a much greater increase in nestling mass in low density areas, suggesting that food limitation occurred at high densities. These findings in turn suggest an ecological trap, whereby preferred nesting habitat does not provide sufficient food for rearing nestlings at high population density, creating a population sink. Habitat management for farmland birds should focus not simply on creating a high nesting density, but also on ensuring heterogeneous habitats to provide food resources in close proximity to nesting birds, even if this occurs through potentially restricting overall nest density but increasing population-level breeding success. PMID:26431173

Suppression of Structural Phase Transition in VO2 by Epitaxial Strain in Vicinity of Metal-insulator Transition

PubMed Central

Yang, Mengmeng; Yang, Yuanjun; Bin Hong; Wang, Liangxin; Hu, Kai; Dong, Yongqi; Xu, Han; Huang, Haoliang; Zhao, Jiangtao; Chen, Haiping; Song, Li; Ju, Huanxin; Zhu, Junfa; Bao, Jun; Li, Xiaoguang; Gu, Yueliang; Yang, Tieying; Gao, Xingyu; Luo, Zhenlin; Gao, Chen

2016-01-01

Mechanism of metal-insulator transition (MIT) in strained VO2 thin films is very complicated and incompletely understood despite three scenarios with potential explanations including electronic correlation (Mott mechanism), structural transformation (Peierls theory) and collaborative Mott-Peierls transition. Herein, we have decoupled coactions of structural and electronic phase transitions across the MIT by implementing epitaxial strain on 13-nm-thick (001)-VO2 films in comparison to thicker films. The structural evolution during MIT characterized by temperature-dependent synchrotron radiation high-resolution X-ray diffraction reciprocal space mapping and Raman spectroscopy suggested that the structural phase transition in the temperature range of vicinity of the MIT is suppressed by epitaxial strain. Furthermore, temperature-dependent Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) revealed the changes in electron occupancy near the Fermi energy EF of V 3d orbital, implying that the electronic transition triggers the MIT in the strained films. Thus the MIT in the bi-axially strained VO2 thin films should be only driven by electronic transition without assistance of structural phase transition. Density functional theoretical calculations further confirmed that the tetragonal phase across the MIT can be both in insulating and metallic states in the strained (001)-VO2/TiO2 thin films. This work offers a better understanding of the mechanism of MIT in the strained VO2 films. PMID:26975328

Detection of carcinogenic metals in kidney stones using ultraviolet laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

PubMed

Khalil, Ahmed Asaad I; Gondal, Mohammed A; Shemis, Mohamed; Khan, Irfan S

2015-03-10

The UV single-pulsed (SP) laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system was developed to detect the carcinogenic metals in human kidney stones extracted through the surgical operation. A neodymium yttrium aluminium garnet laser operating at 266 nm wavelength and 20 Hz repetition rate along with a spectrometer interfaced with an intensified CCD (ICCD) was applied for spectral analysis of kidney stones. The ICCD camera shutter was synchronized with the laser-trigger pulse and the effect of laser energy and delay time on LIBS signal intensity was investigated. The experimental parameters were optimized to obtain the LIBS plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium. Laser energy was varied from 25 to 50 mJ in order to enhance the LIBS signal intensity and attain the best signal to noise ratio. The parametric dependence studies were important to improve the limit of detection of trace amounts of toxic elements present inside stones. The carcinogenic metals detected in kidney stones were chromium, cadmium, lead, zinc, phosphate, and vanadium. The results achieved from LIBS system were also compared with the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis and the concentration detected with both techniques was in very good agreement. The plasma parameters (electron temperature and density) for SP-LIBS system were also studied and their dependence on incident laser energy and delay time was investigated as well.

Detection of density dependence requires density manipulations and calculation of lambda.

PubMed

Fowler, N L; Overath, R Deborah; Pease, Craig M

2006-03-01

To investigate density-dependent population regulation in the perennial bunchgrass Bouteloua rigidiseta, we experimentally manipulated density by removing adults or adding seeds to replicate quadrats in a natural population for three annual intervals. We monitored the adjacent control quadrats for 14 annual intervals. We constructed a population projection matrix for each quadrat in each interval, calculated lambda, and did a life table response experiment (LTRE) analysis. We tested the effects of density upon lambda by comparing experimental and control quadrats, and by an analysis of the 15-year observational data set. As measured by effects on lambda and on N(t+1/Nt in the experimental treatments, negative density dependence was strong: the population was being effectively regulated. The relative contributions of different matrix elements to treatment effect on lambda differed among years and treatments; overall the pattern was one of small contributions by many different life cycle stages. In contrast, density dependence could not be detected using only the observational (control quadrats) data, even though this data set covered a much longer time span. Nor did experimental effects on separate matrix elements reach statistical significance. These results suggest that ecologists may fail to detect density dependence when it is present if they have only descriptive, not experimental, data, do not have data for the entire life cycle, or analyze life cycle components separately.

Unusual Central Engine Activity in the Double Burst GRB 110709B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Bin-Bin; Burrows, David N.; Zhang, Bing; Meszaros, Peter; Stratta, Giulia; D'Elia, Valerio; Frederiks, Dmitry; Golenetskii, S.; Cummings, Jay R.; Wang, Xiang-Yu;

Intraspecific density dependence and a guild of consumers coexisting on one resource.

PubMed

McPeek, Mark A

2012-12-01

The importance of negative intraspecific density dependence to promoting species coexistence in a community is well accepted. However, such mechanisms are typically omitted from more explicit models of community dynamics. Here I analyze a variation of the Rosenzweig-MacArthur consumer-resource model that includes negative intraspecific density dependence for consumers to explore its effect on the coexistence of multiple consumers feeding on a single resource. This analysis demonstrates that a guild of multiple consumers can easily coexist on a single resource if each limits its own abundance to some degree, and stronger intraspecific density dependence permits a wider variety of consumers to coexist. The mechanism permitting multiple consumers to coexist works in a fashion similar to apparent competition or to each consumer having its own specialized predator. These results argue for a more explicit emphasis on how negative intraspecific density dependence is generated and how these mechanisms combine with species interactions to shape overall community structure.

Does the galaxy-halo connection vary with environment?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dragomir, Radu; Rodríguez-Puebla, Aldo; Primack, Joel R.; Lee, Christoph T.

2018-05-01

(Sub)halo abundance matching (SHAM) assumes that one (sub) halo property, such as mass Mvir or peak circular velocity Vpeak, determines properties of the galaxy hosted in each (sub) halo such as its luminosity or stellar mass. This assumption implies that the dependence of galaxy luminosity functions (GLFs) and the galaxy stellar mass function (GSMF) on environmental density is determined by the corresponding halo density dependence. In this paper, we test this by determining from a Sloan Digital Sky Survey sample the observed dependence with environmental density of the ugriz GLFs and GSMF for all galaxies, and for central and satellite galaxies separately. We then show that the SHAM predictions are in remarkable agreement with these observations, even when the galaxy population is divided between central and satellite galaxies. However, we show that SHAM fails to reproduce the correct dependence between environmental density and g - r colour for all galaxies and central galaxies, although it better reproduces the colour dependence on environmental density of satellite galaxies.

Study of muons near shower cores at sea level using the E594 neutrino detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, J. A.; Gupta, S. C.; Freudenreich, H.; Sivaprasad, K.; Tonwar, S. C.; Yodh, G. B.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Goodman, M. C.; Bogert, D.; Burnstein, R.

1985-01-01

The E594 neutrino detector has been used to study the lateral distribution of muons of energy 3 GeV near shower cores. The detector consists of a 340 ton fine grain calorimeter with 400,000 cells of flash chamber and dimensions of 3.7 m x 20 m x 3.7 m (height). The average density in the calorimeter is 1.4 gm/sq cm, and the average Z is 21. The detector was triggered by four 0.6 sq m scintillators placed immediately on the top of the calorimeter. The trigger required at least two of these four counters. The accompanying extensive air showers (EAS) was sampled by 14 scintillation counters located up to 15 m from the calorimeter. Several off line cuts have been applied to the data. Demanding five particles in at least two of the trigger detectors, a total of 20 particles in all of them together, and an arrival angle for the shower 450 deg reduced the data sample to 11053 events. Of these in 4869 cases, a computer algorithm found at least three muons in the calorimeter.

Importance of alcohol-related expectations and emotional expressivity for prediction of motivation to refuse alcohol in alcohol-dependent patients.

PubMed

Slavinskienė, Justina; Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, Kristina

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of alcohol-dependent patients' emotional expressivity, alcohol-related expectations and socio-demographic factors for prediction of motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. The study sample consisted of 136 alcohol-dependent patients (100 men and 36 women) undergoing treatment in Kaunas center for addictive disorders. Only higher expression of negative alcohol-related expectations (std. beta=0.192, P=0.023), higher emotional impulse intensity (std. beta=0.229, P=0.021) and higher expression of positive emotional expressiveness (std. beta=0.021, P=0.020) as well as gender (std. beta=0.180, P=0.049), education (std. beta=-0.137, P=0.038) and alcohol dependency treatment conditions (members of support group after rehabilitation program) (std. beta=0.288, P=0.001; std. beta=0.608, P=0.001) were significant factors for predicting the different level of alcohol-dependent patients motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. Negative alcohol-related expectations, emotional impulse intensity and positive emotional expressiveness were significant even though quite weak triggers for alcohol-dependent patients' different level of motivation to refuse alcohol consumption. An assumption could be made that by changing these triggers it is possible to change addictive behavior. Copyright © 2014 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

ATL response to arsenic/interferon therapy is triggered by SUMO/PML/RNF4-dependent Tax degradation.

PubMed

Dassouki, Zeina; Sahin, Umut; El Hajj, Hiba; Jollivet, Florence; Kfoury, Youmna; Lallemand-Breitenbach, Valérie; Hermine, Olivier; de Thé, Hugues; Bazarbachi, Ali

2015-01-15

The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) Tax transactivator initiates transformation in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), a highly aggressive chemotherapy-resistant malignancy. The arsenic/interferon combination, which triggers degradation of the Tax oncoprotein, selectively induces apoptosis of ATL cell lines and has significant clinical activity in Tax-driven murine ATL or human patients. However, the role of Tax loss in ATL response is disputed, and the molecular mechanisms driving degradation remain elusive. Here we demonstrate that ATL-derived or HTLV-1-transformed cells are dependent on continuous Tax expression, suggesting that Tax degradation underlies clinical responses to the arsenic/interferon combination. The latter enforces promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) nuclear body (NB) formation and partner protein recruitment. In arsenic/interferon-treated HTLV-1 transformed or ATL cells, Tax is recruited onto NBs and undergoes PML-dependent hyper-sumoylation by small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)2/3 but not SUMO1, ubiquitination by RNF4, and proteasome-dependent degradation. Thus, the arsenic/interferon combination clears ATL through degradation of its Tax driver, and this regimen could have broader therapeutic value by promoting degradation of other pathogenic sumoylated proteins. © 2015 by The American Society of Hematology.

Complex life cycles and density dependence: assessing the contribution of egg mortality to amphibian declines.

PubMed

Vonesh, James R; De la Cruz, Omar

2002-11-01

In the last decade there has been increasing evidence of amphibian declines from relatively pristine areas. Some declines are hypothesized to be the result of egg mortality caused by factors such as elevated solar UV-B irradiation, chemical pollutants, pathogenic fungi, and climate change. However, the population-level consequences of egg mortality have not been examined explicitly, and may be complicated by density dependence in intervening life-history stages. Here we develop a demographic model for two amphibians with contrasting life-history strategies, Bufo boreas and Ambystoma macrodactylum. We then use the complementary approaches of elasticity and limitation to examine the relationships among stage-specific survival rates, larval-stage density dependence and amphibian population dynamics. Elasticity analyses showed that for a range of density dependence scenarios both species were more sensitive to changes in post-embryonic survival parameters, particularly juvenile survival, than to egg survival, suggesting that mortality of later stages may play an important role in driving declines. Limitation analyses revealed that larval density dependence can dramatically alter the consequences of early mortality, reducing or even reversing the expected population-level effects of egg mortality. Thus, greater focus on later life stages and density dependence is called for to accurately assess how stressors are likely to affect amphibian populations of conservation concern.

Earthquake triggering by seismic waves following the landers and hector mine earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gomberg, J.; Reasenberg, P.A.; Bodin, P.; Harris, R.A.

2001-01-01

The proximity and similarity of the 1992, magnitude 7.3 Landers and 1999, magnitude 7.1 Hector Mine earthquakes in California permit testing of earthquake triggering hypotheses not previously possible. The Hector Mine earthquake confirmed inferences that transient, oscillatory 'dynamic' deformations radiated as seismic waves can trigger seismicity rate increases, as proposed for the Landers earthquake1-6. Here we quantify the spatial and temporal patterns of the seismicity rate changes7. The seismicity rate increase was to the north for the Landers earthquake and primarily to the south for the Hector Mine earthquake. We suggest that rupture directivity results in elevated dynamic deformations north and south of the Landers and Hector Mine faults, respectively, as evident in the asymmetry of the recorded seismic velocity fields. Both dynamic and static stress changes seem important for triggering in the near field with dynamic stress changes dominating at greater distances. Peak seismic velocities recorded for each earthquake suggest the existence of, and place bounds on, dynamic triggering thresholds. These thresholds vary from a few tenths to a few MPa in most places, depend on local conditions, and exceed inferred static thresholds by more than an order of magnitude. At some sites, the onset of triggering was delayed until after the dynamic deformations subsided. Physical mechanisms consistent with all these observations may be similar to those that give rise to liquefaction or cyclic fatigue.

Cargo self-assembly rescues affinity of cell-penetrating peptides to lipid membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinberger, Andreas; Walter, Vivien; MacEwan, Sarah R.; Schmatko, Tatiana; Muller, Pierre; Schroder, André P.; Chilkoti, Ashutosh; Marques, Carlos M.

2017-03-01

Although cationic cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are able to bind to cell membranes, thus promoting cell internalization by active pathways, attachment of cargo molecules to CPPs invariably reduces their cellular uptake. We show here that CPP binding to lipid bilayers, a simple model of the cell membrane, can be recovered by designing cargo molecules that self-assemble into spherical micelles and increase the local interfacial density of CPP on the surface of the cargo. Experiments performed on model giant unilamellar vesicles under a confocal laser scanning microscope show that a family of thermally responsive elastin-like polypeptides that exhibit temperature-triggered micellization can promote temperature triggered attachment of the micelles to membranes, thus rescuing by self-assembly the cargo-induced loss of the CPP affinity to bio-membranes.

Infectious Agents Trigger Trophic Cascades.

PubMed

Buck, Julia C; Ripple, William J

2017-09-01

Most demonstrated trophic cascades originate with predators, but infectious agents can also cause top-down indirect effects in ecosystems. Here we synthesize the literature on trophic cascades initiated by infectious agents including parasitoids, pathogens, parasitic castrators, macroparasites, and trophically transmitted parasites. Like predators, infectious agents can cause density-mediated and trait-mediated indirect effects through their direct consumptive and nonconsumptive effects respectively. Unlike most predators, however, infectious agents are not fully and immediately lethal to their victims, so their consumptive effects can also trigger trait-mediated indirect effects. We find that the frequency of trophic cascades reported for different consumer types scales with consumer lethality. Furthermore, we emphasize the value of uniting predator-prey and parasite-host theory under a general consumer-resource framework. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Search for soft gamma repeaters in the SMM/HXRBS data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kouveliotou, C.; Norris, J. P.; Wood, K. S.; Cline, T. L.; Dennis, B. R.; Desal, U. D.; Orwig, L. E.

1992-01-01

The triggered fast memory of the hard X-ray burst spectrometer (HXRBS) on board the SMM is used to describe the results of a search for short transients resembling soft gamma repeater (SGR) bursts. Memory data for a total of about 4000 burst triggers, out of which only a very few could be considered as valid SGR candidate events, are analyzed. The search methodology is outlined, the HXRBS exposure and sensitivity to SGR bursts are calculated, and the criteria which constrain the number of candidate events are described. An upper limit is given for the SGR source number density. This limit, combined with results from other relevant observations and the assumption of a neutron star origin, are applied to obtain a constraint on SGR-active lifetimes.

Effect of halloysite nanotubes on the structure and function of important multiple blood components.

PubMed

Wu, Keke; Feng, Ru; Jiao, Yanpeng; Zhou, Changren

2017-06-01

Many researchers have investigated the application of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) in biomedicine, because of their special nanoscale hollow tubular structure. Although the cytocompatibility of HNTs has been studied, their blood compatibility has not been systematically investigated. In this work, the effect of HNTs on the structure and function of different blood components has been studied, including the morphology and hemolysis of red blood cells (RBCs). Based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, optical density test and flow cytometry analysis, we found that HNTs can affect the morphology and membrane integrity of RBCs in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) in a content-dependent way. In particular, based on UV-vis absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra and circular dichroism (CD) spectra, HNTs can alter the secondary structure and conformation of human fibrinogen and γ-globulins. In addition, the detection of biomarker molecules C3a and C5a in plasma suggests that HNTs can trigger complement activation. In the blood clotting assay, HNTs were found to significantly prolong the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), shorten the prothrombin time (PT) of platelet-poor plasma (PPP), and change the thromboelastography (TEG) parameters of whole blood coagulation. Furthermore, confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry analysis were used to test intracellular uptake by macrophages, and the cellular uptake of HNTs in the RAW 264.7 was found to be content-dependent, but not time-dependent. These findings provide insight for the potential use of HNTs as biofriendly nanocontainers for biomaterials in vivo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Air density dependence of the response of the PTW SourceCheck 4pi ionization chamber for 125I brachytherapy seeds.

PubMed

Torres Del Río, J; Tornero-López, A M; Guirado, D; Pérez-Calatayud, J; Lallena, A M

2017-06-01

To analyze the air density dependence of the response of the new SourceCheck 4pi ionization chamber, manufactured by PTW. The air density dependence of three different SourceCheck 4pi chambers was studied by measuring 125 I sources. Measurements were taken by varying the pressure from 746.6 to 986.6hPa in a pressure chamber. Three different HDR 1000 Plus ionization chambers were also analyzed under similar conditions. A linear and a potential-like function of the air density were fitted to experimental data and their achievement in describing them was analyzed. SourceCheck 4pi chamber response showed a residual dependence on the air density once the standard pressure and temperature factor was applied. The chamber response was overestimated when the air density was below that under normal atmospheric conditions. A similar dependence was found for the HDR 1000 Plus chambers analyzed. A linear function of the air density permitted a very good description of this residual dependence, better than with a potential function. No significant variability between the different specimens of the same chamber model studied was found. The effect of overestimation observed in the chamber responses once they are corrected for the standard pressure and temperature may represent a non-negligible ∼4% overestimation in high altitude cities as ours (700m AMSL). This overestimation behaves linearly with the air density in all cases analyzed. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Population-regulating processes during the adult phase in flatfish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rijnsdorp, A. D.

Flatfish support major fisheries and the study of regulatory processes are of paramount importance for evaluating the resilience of the resource to exploitation. This paper reviews the evidence for processes operating during the adult phase that may 1. generate interannual variability in recruitment; 2. contribute to population regulation through density-dependent growth, density-dependent ripening of adults and density-dependent egg production. With regard to (1), there is evidence that in the adult phase processes do occur that may generate recruitment variability through variation in size-specific fecundity, contraction of spawning season, reduction in egg quality, change in sex ratio and size composition of the adult population. However, time series of recruitment do not provide support for this hypothesis. With regard to (2), there is ample evidence that exploitation of flatfish coincides with an increase in growth, although the mechanisms involved are not always clear. The presence of density-dependent growth in the adult phase of unexploited populations appears to be the most likely explanation in some cases. From the early years of exploitation of flatfish stocks inhabiting cold waters, evidence exists that adult fish do not spawn each year. Fecundity schedules show annual variations, but the available information suggests that size-specific fecundity is stable over a broad range of population abundance and may only decrease at high population abundance. The analysis is complicated by the possibility of a trade-off between egg numbers and egg size. Nevertheless, a density-dependent decrease in growth will automatically result in a decrease in absolute fecundity because of the reduced body size. The potential contribution of these regulatory effects on population regulation is explored. Results indicate that density-dependent ripening and absolute fecundity, mediated through density-dependent growth, may control recruitment at high levels of population abundance. The effect of a density-dependent decrease in size-specific fecundity seems to play a minor role, although this role may become important at extremely high levels of population abundance.

Predation and fragmentation portrayed in the statistical structure of prey time series

PubMed Central

Hendrichsen, Ditte K; Topping, Chris J; Forchhammer, Mads C

2009-01-01

Background Statistical autoregressive analyses of direct and delayed density dependence are widespread in ecological research. The models suggest that changes in ecological factors affecting density dependence, like predation and landscape heterogeneity are directly portrayed in the first and second order autoregressive parameters, and the models are therefore used to decipher complex biological patterns. However, independent tests of model predictions are complicated by the inherent variability of natural populations, where differences in landscape structure, climate or species composition prevent controlled repeated analyses. To circumvent this problem, we applied second-order autoregressive time series analyses to data generated by a realistic agent-based computer model. The model simulated life history decisions of individual field voles under controlled variations in predator pressure and landscape fragmentation. Analyses were made on three levels: comparisons between predated and non-predated populations, between populations exposed to different types of predators and between populations experiencing different degrees of habitat fragmentation. Results The results are unambiguous: Changes in landscape fragmentation and the numerical response of predators are clearly portrayed in the statistical time series structure as predicted by the autoregressive model. Populations without predators displayed significantly stronger negative direct density dependence than did those exposed to predators, where direct density dependence was only moderately negative. The effects of predation versus no predation had an even stronger effect on the delayed density dependence of the simulated prey populations. In non-predated prey populations, the coefficients of delayed density dependence were distinctly positive, whereas they were negative in predated populations. Similarly, increasing the degree of fragmentation of optimal habitat available to the prey was accompanied with a shift in the delayed density dependence, from strongly negative to gradually becoming less negative. Conclusion We conclude that statistical second-order autoregressive time series analyses are capable of deciphering interactions within and across trophic levels and their effect on direct and delayed density dependence. PMID:19419539

Evolution of a hybrid micro-macro entangled state of the qubit-oscillator system via the generalized rotating wave approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakrabarti, R.; Yogesh, V.

2016-04-01

We study the evolution of the hybrid entangled states in a bipartite (ultra) strongly coupled qubit-oscillator system. Using the generalized rotating wave approximation the reduced density matrices of the qubit and the oscillator are obtained. The reduced density matrix of the oscillator yields the phase space quasi probability distributions such as the diagonal P-representation, the Wigner W-distribution and the Husimi Q-function. In the strong coupling regime the Q-function evolves to uniformly separated macroscopically distinct Gaussian peaks representing ‘kitten’ states at certain specified times that depend on multiple time scales present in the interacting system. The ultrastrong coupling strength of the interaction triggers appearance of a large number of modes that quickly develop a randomization of their phase relationships. A stochastic averaging of the dynamical quantities sets in, and leads to the decoherence of the system. The delocalization in the phase space of the oscillator is studied by using the Wehrl entropy. The negativity of the W-distribution reflects the departure of the oscillator from the classical states, and allows us to study the underlying differences between various information-theoretic measures such as the Wehrl entropy and the Wigner entropy. Other features of nonclassicality such as the existence of the squeezed states and appearance of negative values of the Mandel parameter are realized during the course of evolution of the bipartite system. In the parametric regime studied here these properties do not survive in the time-averaged limit.

Micro-foundation using percolation theory of the finite time singular behavior of the crash hazard rate in a class of rational expectation bubbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seyrich, Maximilian; Sornette, Didier

2016-04-01

We present a plausible micro-founded model for the previously postulated power law finite time singular form of the crash hazard rate in the Johansen-Ledoit-Sornette (JLS) model of rational expectation bubbles. The model is based on a percolation picture of the network of traders and the concept that clusters of connected traders share the same opinion. The key ingredient is the notion that a shift of position from buyer to seller of a sufficiently large group of traders can trigger a crash. This provides a formula to estimate the crash hazard rate by summation over percolation clusters above a minimum size of a power sa (with a>1) of the cluster sizes s, similarly to a generalized percolation susceptibility. The power sa of cluster sizes emerges from the super-linear dependence of group activity as a function of group size, previously documented in the literature. The crash hazard rate exhibits explosive finite time singular behaviors when the control parameter (fraction of occupied sites, or density of traders in the network) approaches the percolation threshold pc. Realistic dynamics are generated by modeling the density of traders on the percolation network by an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, whose memory controls the spontaneous excursion of the control parameter close to the critical region of bubble formation. Our numerical simulations recover the main stylized properties of the JLS model with intermittent explosive super-exponential bubbles interrupted by crashes.

Trivial constraints on orbital-free kinetic energy density functionals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Kai; Trickey, S. B.

2018-03-01

Approximate kinetic energy density functionals (KEDFs) are central to orbital-free density functional theory. Limitations on the spatial derivative dependencies of KEDFs have been claimed from differential virial theorems. We identify a central defect in the argument: the relationships are not true for an arbitrary density but hold only for the minimizing density and corresponding chemical potential. Contrary to the claims therefore, the relationships are not constraints and provide no independent information about the spatial derivative dependencies of approximate KEDFs. A simple argument also shows that validity for arbitrary v-representable densities is not restored by appeal to the density-potential bijection.

Effects of live crown on vertical patterns of wood density and growth in Douglas-fir.

Treesearch

Barbara L. Gartner; Eric M. North; G.R. Johnson; Ryan Singleton

2002-01-01

It would be valuable economically to know what are the biological triggers for formation of mature wood (currently of high value) and (or) what maintains production of juvenile wood (currently of low value), to develop silvicultural regimes that control the relative production of the two types of wood. Foresters commonly assume the bole of softwoods produces juvenile...

The influence of parent material on vegetation response 15 years after the Dude Fire, Arizona

Treesearch

Jackson M. Leonard; Alvin L. Medina; Daniel G. Neary; Aregai Tecle

2015-01-01

This study examined the effects of two types of parent material, sandstone and limestone, on the response of vegetation growth after the 1990 Dude Fire in central Arizona. The operating hypothesis of the study was that, given the right conditions, severe wildfire can trigger vegetation type conversion. Overall, three patterns emerged: (1) oak density increased by 413%...

DELAYING BLOOD TRANSFUSION IN EXPERIMENTAL ACUTE ANEMIA WITH A PERFLUOROCARBON EMULSION

PubMed Central

Cabrales, Pedro; Briceño, Juan Carlos

2011-01-01

Background To avoid unnecessary blood transfusions, physiologic transfusion triggers, rather than exclusively hemoglobin-based transfusion triggers have been suggested. The objective of this study was to determine systemic and microvascular effects of using a perfluorocarbon-based oxygen carrier (PFCOC) to maintaining perfusion and oxygenation during extreme anemia. Methods The hamster (weight 55-65 g) window chamber model was used. Two isovolemic hemodilution steps were performed using 10% hydroxyethyl starch at normoxic conditions to hematocrit of 19% (5.5 gHb/dl), point where the transfusion trigger was reached. Two additional hemodilution exchanges using the PFCOC (Oxycyte™, Synthetic Blood International, Inc. Costa Mesa, CA) and increasing fraction of inspired oxygen to 1.0 were performed to reduce hematocrit to 11% (3.8 gHb/dl) and 6% (2.0 gHb/dl), respectively. No control group was used in the study, as this level of hemodilution is lethal with conventional plasma expanders. Systemic parameters, microvascular perfusion, functional capillary density and oxygen tensions across the microvascular network were measured. Results At 6% hematocrit, the PFCOC maintained mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, systemic oxygen delivery and consumption. As hematocrit was lowered from 11% to 6%, functional capillary density, calculated microvascular oxygen delivery and consumption decreased, and oxygen extraction ratio was close to 100%. Peripheral tissue oxygenation was not predicted by systemic oxygenation. Conclusions PFCOC in conjunction with hyperoxia was able to sustain organ function, and partially provide systemic oxygenation during extreme anemia over the observation period. The PFCOC can work as a bridge until red blood cells are available for transfusion, or where additional oxygen is required, notwithstanding possible limitations in peripheral tissue oxygenation. PMID:21326091

Connectivity of earthquake-triggered landslides with the fluvial network: Implications for landslide sediment transport after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gen; West, A. Joshua; Densmore, Alexander L.; Hammond, Douglas E.; Jin, Zhangdong; Zhang, Fei; Wang, Jin; Hilton, Robert G.

2016-04-01

Evaluating the influence of earthquakes on erosion, landscape evolution, and sediment-related hazards requires understanding fluvial transport of material liberated in earthquake-triggered landslides. The location of landslides relative to river channels is expected to play an important role in postearthquake sediment dynamics. In this study, we assess the position of landslides triggered by the Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, aiming to understand the relationship between landslides and the fluvial network of the steep Longmen Shan mountain range. Combining a landslide inventory map and geomorphic analysis, we quantify landslide-channel connectivity in terms of the number of landslides, landslide area, and landslide volume estimated from scaling relationships. We observe a strong spatial variability in landslide-channel connectivity, with volumetric connectivity (ξ) ranging from ~20% to ~90% for different catchments. This variability is linked to topographic effects that set local channel densities, seismic effects (including seismogenic faulting) that regulate landslide size, and substrate effects that may influence both channelization and landslide size. Altogether, we estimate that the volume of landslides connected to channels comprises 43 + 9/-7% of the total coseismic landslide volume. Following the Wenchuan earthquake, fine-grained (<~0.25 mm) suspended sediment yield across the Longmen Shan catchments is positively correlated to catchment-wide landslide density, but this correlation is statistically indistinguishable whether or not connectivity is considered. The weaker-than-expected influence of connectivity on suspended sediment yield may be related to mobilization of fine-grained landslide material that resides in hillslope domains, i.e., not directly connected to river channels. In contrast, transport of the coarser fraction (which makes up >90% of the total landslide volume) may be more significantly affected by landslide locations.

Linear-response time-dependent density-functional theory with pairing fields.

PubMed

Peng, Degao; van Aggelen, Helen; Yang, Yang; Yang, Weitao

2014-05-14

Recent development in particle-particle random phase approximation (pp-RPA) broadens the perspective on ground state correlation energies [H. van Aggelen, Y. Yang, and W. Yang, Phys. Rev. A 88, 030501 (2013), Y. Yang, H. van Aggelen, S. N. Steinmann, D. Peng, and W. Yang, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 174110 (2013); D. Peng, S. N. Steinmann, H. van Aggelen, and W. Yang, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 104112 (2013)] and N ± 2 excitation energies [Y. Yang, H. van Aggelen, and W. Yang, J. Chem. Phys. 139, 224105 (2013)]. So far Hartree-Fock and approximated density-functional orbitals have been utilized to evaluate the pp-RPA equation. In this paper, to further explore the fundamentals and the potential use of pairing matrix dependent functionals, we present the linear-response time-dependent density-functional theory with pairing fields with both adiabatic and frequency-dependent kernels. This theory is related to the density-functional theory and time-dependent density-functional theory for superconductors, but is applied to normal non-superconducting systems for our purpose. Due to the lack of the proof of the one-to-one mapping between the pairing matrix and the pairing field for time-dependent systems, the linear-response theory is established based on the representability assumption of the pairing matrix. The linear response theory justifies the use of approximated density-functionals in the pp-RPA equation. This work sets the fundamentals for future density-functional development to enhance the description of ground state correlation energies and N ± 2 excitation energies.

Age Is Associated with Reduced Sharp-Wave Ripple Frequency and Altered Patterns of Neuronal Variability

PubMed Central

Wiegand, Jean-Paul L.; Gray, Daniel T.; Schimanski, Lesley A.; Lipa, Peter; Barnes, C. A.

2016-01-01

Spatial and episodic memory performance declines with age, and the neural basis for this decline is not well understood. Sharp-wave ripples are brief (∼70 ms) high-frequency oscillatory events generated in the hippocampus and are associated with the consolidation of spatial memories. Given the connection between ripple oscillations and memory consolidation, we investigated whether the structure of ripple oscillations and ripple-triggered patterns of single-unit activity are altered in aged rats. Local field and single-unit activity surrounding sharp-wave ripple events were examined in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of old (n = 5) and young (n = 6) F344 rats during periods of rest preceding and following performance on a place-dependent eyeblink-conditioning task. Neural responses in aged rats differed from responses in young rats in several ways. First, compared with young rats, the rate of ripple occurrence (ripple density) is reduced in aged rats during postbehavior rest. Second, mean ripple frequency during prebehavior and postbehavior rest is lower in aged animals (aged: 132 Hz; young: 146 Hz). Third, single neurons in aged animals responded more consistently from ripple to ripple. Fourth, variability in interspike intervals was greater in aged rats. Finally, neurons were tuned to a narrower range of phases of the ripple oscillation relative to young animals. Together, these results suggest that the CA1 network in aged animals has a reduced “vocabulary” of available representational states. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The hippocampus is a structure that is critical for the formation of episodic memories. Sharp-wave ripple events generated in the hippocampus have been implicated in memory consolidation processes critical to memory stabilization. We examine here whether these ripple oscillations are altered over the course of the life span, which could contribute to hippocampus-dependent memory deficits that occur during aging. This experiment used young and aged memory-impaired rats to examine age-related changes in ripple architecture, ripple-triggered spike variance, and spike-phase coherence. We found that there are, indeed, significant changes in characteristics of ripples in older animals that could impact consolidation processes and memory stabilization in the aged brain. PMID:27194342

Influence of field dependent critical current density on flux profiles in high Tc superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takacs, S.

1990-01-01

The field distribution for superconducting cylinders and slabs with field dependent critical current densities in combined DC and AC magnetic fields and the corresponding magnetic fluxes are calculated. It is shown that all features of experimental magnetic-field profile measurements can be explained in the framework of field dependent critical current density. Even the quantitative agreement between the experimental and theoretical results using Kim's model is very good.

Maximum likelihood clustering with dependent feature trees

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chittineni, C. B. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

The decomposition of mixture density of the data into its normal component densities is considered. The densities are approximated with first order dependent feature trees using criteria of mutual information and distance measures. Expressions are presented for the criteria when the densities are Gaussian. By defining different typs of nodes in a general dependent feature tree, maximum likelihood equations are developed for the estimation of parameters using fixed point iterations. The field structure of the data is also taken into account in developing maximum likelihood equations. Experimental results from the processing of remotely sensed multispectral scanner imagery data are included.

Seed-predator satiation and Janzen-Connell effects vary with spatial scales for seed-feeding insects.

PubMed

Xiao, Zhishu; Mi, Xiangcheng; Holyoak, Marcel; Xie, Wenhua; Cao, Ke; Yang, Xifu; Huang, Xiaoqun; Krebs, Charles J

2017-01-01

The Janzen-Connell model predicts that common species suffer high seed predation from specialized natural enemies as a function of distance from parent trees, and consequently as a function of conspecific density, whereas the predator satiation hypothesis predicts that seed attack is reduced due to predator satiation at high seed densities. Pre-dispersal predation by insects was studied while seeds are still on parent trees, which represents a frequently overlooked stage in which seed predation occurs. Reproductive tree density and seed production were investigated from ten Quercus serrata populations located in south-west China, quantifying density-dependent pre-dispersal seed predation over two years by three insect groups. Acorn infestation was nearly twice as high in the low-seed year as that in the high-seed year, with considerable spatio-temporal variation in the direction and magnitude of density-dependent pre-dispersal seed predation evident. Across whole populations of trees, a high density of reproductive trees caused predator satiation and reduced insect attack in the high-seed year. Within individual trees, and consistent with the Janzen-Connell model, overall insect seed predation was positively correlated with seed production in the low-seed year. In addition, there was variation among insect taxa, with positive density-dependent seed predation by Curculio weevils in the high-seed year and moths in the low-seed year, but apparent density independence by Cyllorhynchites weevils in both years. The overall trend of negative density-dependent, pre-dispersal seed predation suggests that predator satiation limited the occurrence of Janzen-Connell effects across Q. serrata populations. Such effects may have large impacts on plant population dynamics and tree diversity, depending on the extent to which they are reduced by counteracting positive density-dependent predation for seeds on individual trees and other factors affecting successful recruitment. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A search in strainmeter data for slow slip associated with triggered and ambient tremor near Parkfield, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, E.F.; Gomberg, J.

2009-01-01

We test the hypothesis that, as in subduction zones, slow slip facilitates triggered and ambient tremor in the transform boundary setting of California. Our study builds on the study of Peng et al. (2009) of triggered and ambient tremor near Parkfield, California during time intervals surrounding 31, potentially triggering, M ≥ 7.5 teleseismic earthquakes; waves from 10 of these triggered tremor and 29 occurred in periods of ambient tremor activity. We look for transient slow slip during 3-month windows that include 11 of these triggering and nontriggering teleseisms, using continuous strain data recorded on two borehole Gladwin tensor strainmeters (GTSM) located within the distribution of tremor epicenters. We model the GTSM data assuming only tidal and “drift” signals are present and find no detectable slow slip, either ongoing when the teleseismic waves passed or triggered by them. We infer a conservative detection threshold of about 5 nanostrain for abrupt changes and about twice this for slowly evolving signals. This could be lowered slightly by adding analyses of other data types, modeled slow slip signals, and GTSM data calibration. Detection of slow slip also depends on the slipping fault's location and size, which we describe in terms of equivalent earthquake moment magnitude, M. In the best case of the GTSM above a very shallow slipping fault, detectable slip events must exceed M~2, and if the slow slip is beneath the seismogenic zone (below ~15 km depth), even M~5 events are likely to remain hidden.

Structural Studies of Adeno-Associated Virus Serotype 8 Capsid Transitions Associated with Endosomal Trafficking

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nam, Hyun-Joo; Gurda, Brittney L.; McKenna, Robert

2012-09-17

The single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) parvoviruses enter host cells through receptor-mediated endocytosis, and infection depends on processing in the early to late endosome as well as in the lysosome prior to nuclear entry for replication. However, the mechanisms of capsid endosomal processing, including the effects of low pH, are poorly understood. To gain insight into the structural transitions required for this essential step in infection, the crystal structures of empty and green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene-packaged adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8) have been determined at pH values of 6.0, 5.5, and 4.0 and then at pH 7.5 after incubation at pHmore » 4.0, mimicking the conditions encountered during endocytic trafficking. While the capsid viral protein (VP) topologies of all the structures were similar, significant amino acid side chain conformational rearrangements were observed on (i) the interior surface of the capsid under the icosahedral 3-fold axis near ordered nucleic acid density that was lost concomitant with the conformational change as pH was reduced and (ii) the exterior capsid surface close to the icosahedral 2-fold depression. The 3-fold change is consistent with DNA release from an ordering interaction on the inside surface of the capsid at low pH values and suggests transitions that likely trigger the capsid for genome uncoating. The surface change results in disruption of VP-VP interface interactions and a decrease in buried surface area between VP monomers. This disruption points to capsid destabilization which may (i) release VP1 amino acids for its phospholipase A2 function for endosomal escape and nuclear localization signals for nuclear targeting and (ii) trigger genome uncoating.« less

Modeling Archean Subduction Initiation from Continental Spreading with a Free-Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, A.; Thielmann, M.; Golabek, G.

2017-12-01

Earth is the only planet known to have plate tectonics, however the onset of plate tectonics and Earth's early tectonic environment are highly uncertain. Modern plate tectonics are characterized by the sinking of dense lithosphere at subduction zones; however this process may not have been feasible if Earth's interior was hotter in the Archean, resulting in thicker and more buoyant oceanic lithosphere than observed at present [van Hunen and van den Berg, 2008]. Previous studies have proposed gravitational spreading of early continents at passive margins as a mechanism to trigger early episodes of plate subduction using numerical simulations with a free-slip upper boundary condition [Rey et al., 2014]. This study utilizes 2D thermo-mechanical numerical experiments using the finite element code MVEP2 [Kaus, 2010; Thielmann et al., 2014] to investigate the viability of this mechanism for subduction initiation in an Archean mantle for both free-slip and free-surface models. Radiogenic heating, strain weakening, and eclogitization were systematically implemented to determine critical factors for modeling subduction initiation. In free-slip models, results show episodes of continent spreading and subduction initiation of oceanic lithosphere for low limiting yield stresses (100-150 MPa) and increasing continent width with no dependency on radiogenic heating, strain weakening, or eclogitization. For models with a free-surface, subduction initiation was observed at low limiting yield stresses (100-225 MPa) with increasing continent width and only in models with eclogitization. Initial lithospheric stress states were studied as a function of density and viscosity ratios between continent and oceanic lithosphere, and results indicate the magnitude of lithospheric stresses increases with increasing continental buoyancy. This work suggests continent spreading may trigger episodes of subduction in models with a free-surface with critical factors being low limiting yield stresses and eclogitization.

Assessment of the risk of fall, related to visual stimulation, in patients with central vestibular disorders.

PubMed

Suárez, H; Musé, P; Suárez, A; Arocena, M

2001-01-01

In order to assess the influence of visual stimulation in the triggering of imbalance and falls in the elderly population, the postural responses of 18 elderly patients with central vestibular disorders and clinical evidence of instability and falls were studied while receiving different types of visual stimuli. The stimulation conditions were: (i) no specific stimuli; (ii) smooth pursuit with pure sinusoids of 0.2 Hz as foveal stimulation; and (iii) optokinetic stimulation (OK) as retinal stimuli. Using a platform AMTI Accusway platform, the 95% confidence ellipse (CE) and sway velocity (SV) were evaluated with a scalogram using wavelets in order to assess the relationship between time and frequency in postural control. Velocity histograms were also constructed in order to observe the distribution of velocity values during the recording. A non-homogeneous postural behavior after visual stimulation was found among this population. In five of the patients the OK stimulation generated: (i) significantly higher average values of CE ( > 3.4+/-0.69 cm2); (ii) a significant increase in the average values of the SV ( > 3.89+/-1.15 cm/s) and a velocity histogram with a homogeneous distribution between 0 and 18 cm/s; and (iii) a scalogram with sway frequencies of up to 4 Hz distributed in both the X and Y directions (backwards and forwards and lateral) during visual stimulation with arbitrary units of energy density > 5. These three qualitative and quantitative aspects could be "markers" of visual dependence in the triggering of the mechanism of lack of equilibrium and hence falls in some elderly patients and should be considered in order to prevent falls and also to assist in the rehabilitation program of these patients.

Viking Doppler noise used to determine the radial dependence of electron density in the extended corona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berman, A. L.; Wackley, J. A.; Rockwell, S. T.; Kwan, M.

1977-01-01

The common form for radial dependence of electron density in the extended corona is given. By assuming proportionality between Doppler noise and integrated signal path electron density, Viking Doppler noise can be used to solve for a numerical value of X.

Impact of virus strain characteristics on early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza infection in commercial table-egg layer flocks and implications for outbreak control.

PubMed

Weaver, J Todd; Malladi, Sasidhar; Goldsmith, Timothy J; Hueston, Will; Hennessey, Morgan; Lee, Brendan; Voss, Shauna; Funk, Janel; Der, Christina; Bjork, Kathe E; Clouse, Timothy L; Halvorson, David A

2012-12-01

Early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infection in commercial poultry flocks is a critical component of outbreak control. Reducing the time to detect HPAI infection can reduce the risk of disease transmission to other flocks. The timeliness of different types of detection triggers could be dependent on clinical signs that are first observed in a flock, signs that might vary due to HPAI virus strain characteristics. We developed a stochastic disease transmission model to evaluate how transmission characteristics of various HPAI strains might effect the relative importance of increased mortality, drop in egg production, or daily real-time reverse transcriptase (RRT)-PCR testing, toward detecting HPAI infection in a commercial table-egg layer flock. On average, daily RRT-PCR testing resulted in the shortest time to detection (from 3.5 to 6.1 days) depending on the HPAI virus strain and was less variable over a range of transmission parameters compared with other triggers evaluated. Our results indicate that a trigger to detect a drop in egg production would be useful for HPAI virus strains with long infectious periods (6-8 days) and including an egg-drop detection trigger in emergency response plans would lead to earlier and consistent reporting in some cases. We discuss implications for outbreak control and risk of HPAI spread attributed to different HPAI strain characteristics where an increase in mortality or a drop in egg production or both would be among the first clinical signs observed in an infected flock.

Brevicoryne brassicae aphids interfere with transcriptome responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to feeding by Plutella xylostella caterpillars in a density-dependent manner.

PubMed

Kroes, Anneke; Broekgaarden, Colette; Castellanos Uribe, Marcos; May, Sean; van Loon, Joop J A; Dicke, Marcel

2017-01-01

Plants are commonly attacked by multiple herbivorous species. Yet, little is known about transcriptional patterns underlying plant responses to multiple insect attackers feeding simultaneously. Here, we assessed transcriptomic responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to simultaneous feeding by Plutella xylostella caterpillars and Brevicoryne brassicae aphids in comparison to plants infested by P. xylostella caterpillars alone, using microarray analysis. We particularly investigated how aphid feeding interferes with the transcriptomic response to P. xylostella caterpillars and whether this interference is dependent on aphid density and time since aphid attack. Various JA-responsive genes were up-regulated in response to feeding by P. xylostella caterpillars. The additional presence of aphids, both at low and high densities, clearly affected the transcriptional plant response to caterpillars. Interestingly, some important modulators of plant defense signalling, including WRKY transcription factor genes and ABA-dependent genes, were differentially induced in response to simultaneous aphid feeding at low or high density compared with responses to P. xylostella caterpillars feeding alone. Furthermore, aphids affected the P. xylostella-induced transcriptomic response in a density-dependent manner, which caused an acceleration in plant response against dual insect attack at high aphid density compared to dual insect attack at low aphid density. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that aphids influence the caterpillar-induced transcriptional response of A. thaliana in a density-dependent manner. It highlights the importance of addressing insect density to understand how plant responses to single attackers interfere with responses to other attackers and thus underlines the importance of the dynamics of transcriptional plant responses to multiple herbivory.

Star formation towards the Galactic H II region RCW 120. Herschel observations of compact sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Figueira, M.; Zavagno, A.; Deharveng, L.; Russeil, D.; Anderson, L. D.; Men'shchikov, A.; Schneider, N.; Hill, T.; Motte, F.; Mège, P.; LeLeu, G.; Roussel, H.; Bernard, J.-P.; Traficante, A.; Paradis, D.; Tigé, J.; André, P.; Bontemps, S.; Abergel, A.

2017-04-01

Context. The expansion of H II regions can trigger the formation of stars. An overdensity of young stellar objects is observed at the edges of H II regions but the mechanisms that give rise to this phenomenon are not clearly identified. Moreover, it is difficult to establish a causal link between H II -region expansion and the star formation observed at the edges of these regions. A clear age gradient observed in the spatial distribution of young sources in the surrounding might be a strong argument in favor of triggering. Aims: We aim to characterize the star formation observed at the edges of H II regions by studying the properties of young stars that form there. We aim to detect young sources, derive their properties and their evolution stage in order to discuss the possible causal link between the first-generation massive stars that form the H II region and the young sources observed at their edges. Methods: We have observed the Galactic H II region RCW 120 with Herschel PACS and SPIRE photometers at 70, 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 μm. We produced temperature and H2 column density maps and use the getsources algorithm to detect compact sources and measure their fluxes at Herschel wavelengths. We have complemented these fluxes with existing infrared data. Fitting their spectral energy distributions with a modified blackbody model, we derived their envelope dust temperature and envelope mass. We computed their bolometric luminosities and discuss their evolutionary stages. Results: The overall temperatures of the region (without background subtraction) range from 15 K to 24 K. The warmest regions are observed towards the ionized gas. The coldest regions are observed outside the ionized gas and follow the emission of the cold material previously detected at 870 μm and 1.3 mm. The H2 column density map reveals the distribution of the cold medium to be organized in filaments and highly structured. Column densities range from 7 × 1021 cm-2 up to 9 × 1023 cm-2 without background subtraction. The cold regions observed outside the ionized gas are the densest and host star formation when the column density exceeds 2 × 1022 cm-2. The most reliable 35 compact sources are discussed. Using existing CO data and morphological arguments we show that these sources are likely to be associated with the RCW 120 region. These sources' volume densities range from 2 × 105 cm-3 to 108 cm-3. Five sources have envelope masses larger than 50 M⊙ and are all observed in high column density regions (>7 × 1022 cm-2). We find that the evolutionary stage of the sources primarily depends on the density of their hosting condensation and is not correlated with the distance to the ionizing star. Conclusions: The Herschel data, with their unique sampling of the far infrared domain, have allowed us to characterize the properties of compact sources observed towards RCW 120 for the first time. We have also been able to determine the envelope temperature, envelope mass and evolutionary stage of these sources. Using these properties we have shown that the density of the condensations that host star formation is a key parameter of the star-formation history, irrespective of their projected distance to the ionizing stars. Table A.1 is also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/600/A93Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.

Sexual segregation in North American elk: the role of density dependence

PubMed Central

Stewart, Kelley M; Walsh, Danielle R; Kie, John G; Dick, Brian L; Bowyer, R Terry

2015-01-01

We investigated how density-dependent processes and subsequent variation in nutritional condition of individuals influenced both timing and duration of sexual segregation and selection of resources. During 1999–2001, we experimentally created two population densities of North American elk (Cervus elaphus), a high-density population at 20 elk/km2, and a low-density population at 4 elk/km2 to test hypotheses relative to timing and duration of sexual segregation and variation in selection of resources. We used multi-response permutation procedures to investigate patterns of sexual segregation, and resource selection functions to document differences in selection of resources by individuals in high- and low-density populations during sexual segregation and aggregation. The duration of sexual segregation was 2 months longer in the high-density population and likely was influenced by individuals in poorer nutritional condition, which corresponded with later conception and parturition, than at low density. Males and females in the high-density population overlapped in selection of resources to a greater extent than in the low-density population, probably resulting from density-dependent effects of increased intraspecific competition and lower availability of resources. PMID:25691992

Roles of density-dependent growth and life history evolution in accounting for fisheries-induced trait changes.

PubMed

Eikeset, Anne Maria; Dunlop, Erin S; Heino, Mikko; Storvik, Geir; Stenseth, Nils C; Dieckmann, Ulf

2016-12-27

The relative roles of density dependence and life history evolution in contributing to rapid fisheries-induced trait changes remain debated. In the 1930s, northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua), currently the world's largest cod stock, experienced a shift from a traditional spawning-ground fishery to an industrial trawl fishery with elevated exploitation in the stock's feeding grounds. Since then, age and length at maturation have declined dramatically, a trend paralleled in other exploited stocks worldwide. These trends can be explained by demographic truncation of the population's age structure, phenotypic plasticity in maturation arising through density-dependent growth, fisheries-induced evolution favoring faster-growing or earlier-maturing fish, or a combination of these processes. Here, we use a multitrait eco-evolutionary model to assess the capacity of these processes to reproduce 74 y of historical data on age and length at maturation in northeast Arctic cod, while mimicking the stock's historical harvesting regime. Our results show that model predictions critically depend on the assumed density dependence of growth: when this is weak, life history evolution might be necessary to prevent stock collapse, whereas when a stronger density dependence estimated from recent data is used, the role of evolution in explaining fisheries-induced trait changes is diminished. Our integrative analysis of density-dependent growth, multitrait evolution, and stock-specific time series data underscores the importance of jointly considering evolutionary and ecological processes, enabling a more comprehensive perspective on empirically observed stock dynamics than previous studies could provide.

Sinking during earthquakes: Critical acceleration criteria control drained soil liquefaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clément, C.; Toussaint, R.; Stojanova, M.; Aharonov, E.

2018-02-01

This article focuses on liquefaction of saturated granular soils, triggered by earthquakes. Liquefaction is defined here as the transition from a rigid state, in which the granular soil layer supports structures placed on its surface, to a fluidlike state, in which structures placed initially on the surface sink to their isostatic depth within the granular layer. We suggest a simple theoretical model for soil liquefaction and show that buoyancy caused by the presence of water inside a granular medium has a dramatic influence on the stability of an intruder resting at the surface of the medium. We confirm this hypothesis by comparison with laboratory experiments and discrete-element numerical simulations. The external excitation representing ground motion during earthquakes is simulated via horizontal sinusoidal oscillations of controlled frequency and amplitude. In the experiments, we use particles only slightly denser than water, which as predicted theoretically increases the effect of liquefaction and allows clear depth-of-sinking measurements. In the simulations, a micromechanical model simulates grains using molecular dynamics with friction between neighbors. The effect of the fluid is captured by taking into account buoyancy effects on the grains when they are immersed. We show that the motion of an intruder inside a granular medium is mainly dependent on the peak acceleration of the ground motion and establish a phase diagram for the conditions under which liquefaction happens, depending on the soil bulk density, friction properties, presence of water, and peak acceleration of the imposed large-scale soil vibrations. We establish that in liquefaction conditions, most cases relax toward an equilibrium position following an exponential in time. We also show that the equilibrium position itself, for most liquefaction regimes, corresponds to the isostatic equilibrium of the intruder inside a medium of effective density. The characteristic time to relaxation is shown to be essentially a function of the peak ground velocity.

3D coupled heat and mass transfer processes at the scale of sedimentary basisn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacace, M.; Scheck-Wenderoth, M.; Kaiser, B. O.

2014-12-01

We use coupled 3D simulations of fluid, heat, and transport based on a 3D structural model of a complex geological setting, the Northeast German Basin (NEGB). The geological structure of the NEGB is characterized by a relatively thick layer of Permian Zechstein salt, structured in differnet diapirs (up to 5000 m thick) and pillows locally reaching nearly the surface. Salt is thermally more conductive than other sediments, hydraulically impervious but highly solvable. Thus salt structures have first order influence on the temperature distribution, the deep flow regime and the salinity of groundawater bearing aquifers. In addition, the post-Permian sedimentary sequence is vertically subdivided into several aquifers and aquitards. The shallow Quaternary to late Tertiary freshwater aquifer is separated from the underlying Mesozoic saline aquifers by an embedded Tertiary clay enriched aquitard (Rupelian Aquitard). An important feature of this aquitard is that hydraulic connections between the upper and lower aquifers exist in areas where the Rupelian Aquitard is missing (hydrogeological windows). By means of 3D numerical simulations we explore the role of heat conduction, pressure, and density driven groundwater flow as well as fluid viscosity-related and salinity-dependent effects on the resulting flow and temperature fields. Our results suggest that the regional temperature distribution within the basin results from interactions between regional pressure forces and thermal diffusion locally enhanced by thermal conductivity contrasts between the different sedimentary rocks with the highly conductive salt. Buoyancy forces triggered by temperature-dependent fluid density variations affect only locally the internal thermal configuration. Locations, geometry, and wavelengths of convective thermal anomalies are mainly controlled by the permeability field and thickness values of the respective geological layers. Numerical results from 3D thermo-haline numerical simulations suggest that hydrogeological windows act as preferential domains of hydraulic interconnectivity between the different aquifers at depth, and enable vigorous heat and mass transport which causes a mixing of warm and saline groundwater with cold and less saline groundwater within both aquifers.

Dynamic Action Potential Restitution Contributes to Mechanical Restitution in Right Ventricular Myocytes From Pulmonary Hypertensive Rats.

PubMed

Hardy, Matthew E L; Pervolaraki, Eleftheria; Bernus, Olivier; White, Ed

2018-01-01

We investigated the steepened dynamic action potential duration (APD) restitution of rats with pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) and right ventricular (RV) failure and tested whether the observed APD restitution properties were responsible for negative mechanical restitution in these myocytes. PAH and RV failure were provoked in male Wistar rats by a single injection of monocrotaline (MCT) and compared with saline-injected animals (CON). Action potentials were recorded from isolated RV myocytes at stimulation frequencies between 1 and 9 Hz. Action potential waveforms recorded at 1 Hz were used as voltage clamp profiles (action potential clamp) at stimulation frequencies between 1 and 7 Hz to evoke rate-dependent currents. Voltage clamp profiles mimicking typical CON and MCT APD restitution were applied and cell shortening simultaneously monitored. Compared with CON myocytes, MCT myocytes were hypertrophied; had less polarized diastolic membrane potentials; had action potentials that were triggered by decreased positive current density and shortened by decreased negative current density; APD was longer and APD restitution steeper. APD90 restitution was unchanged by exposure to the late Na + -channel blocker (5 μM) ranolazine or the intracellular Ca 2+ buffer BAPTA. Under AP clamp, stimulation frequency-dependent inward currents were smaller in MCT myocytes and were abolished by BAPTA. In MCT myocytes, increasing stimulation frequency decreased contraction amplitude when depolarization duration was shortened, to mimic APD restitution, but not when depolarization duration was maintained. We present new evidence that the membrane potential of PAH myocytes is less stable than normal myocytes, being more easily perturbed by external currents. These observations can explain increased susceptibility to arrhythmias. We also present novel evidence that negative APD restitution is at least in part responsible for the negative mechanical restitution in PAH myocytes. Thus, our study links electrical restitution remodeling to a defining mechanical characteristic of heart failure, the reduced ability to respond to an increase in demand.

Sinking during earthquakes: Critical acceleration criteria control drained soil liquefaction.

PubMed

Clément, C; Toussaint, R; Stojanova, M; Aharonov, E

2018-02-01

This article focuses on liquefaction of saturated granular soils, triggered by earthquakes. Liquefaction is defined here as the transition from a rigid state, in which the granular soil layer supports structures placed on its surface, to a fluidlike state, in which structures placed initially on the surface sink to their isostatic depth within the granular layer. We suggest a simple theoretical model for soil liquefaction and show that buoyancy caused by the presence of water inside a granular medium has a dramatic influence on the stability of an intruder resting at the surface of the medium. We confirm this hypothesis by comparison with laboratory experiments and discrete-element numerical simulations. The external excitation representing ground motion during earthquakes is simulated via horizontal sinusoidal oscillations of controlled frequency and amplitude. In the experiments, we use particles only slightly denser than water, which as predicted theoretically increases the effect of liquefaction and allows clear depth-of-sinking measurements. In the simulations, a micromechanical model simulates grains using molecular dynamics with friction between neighbors. The effect of the fluid is captured by taking into account buoyancy effects on the grains when they are immersed. We show that the motion of an intruder inside a granular medium is mainly dependent on the peak acceleration of the ground motion and establish a phase diagram for the conditions under which liquefaction happens, depending on the soil bulk density, friction properties, presence of water, and peak acceleration of the imposed large-scale soil vibrations. We establish that in liquefaction conditions, most cases relax toward an equilibrium position following an exponential in time. We also show that the equilibrium position itself, for most liquefaction regimes, corresponds to the isostatic equilibrium of the intruder inside a medium of effective density. The characteristic time to relaxation is shown to be essentially a function of the peak ground velocity.

Granzyme A Deficiency Breaks Immune Tolerance and Promotes Autoimmune Diabetes Through a Type I Interferon-Dependent Pathway.

PubMed

Mollah, Zia U A; Quah, Hong Sheng; Graham, Kate L; Jhala, Gaurang; Krishnamurthy, Balasubramanian; Dharma, Joanna Francisca M; Chee, Jonathan; Trivedi, Prerak M; Pappas, Evan G; Mackin, Leanne; Chu, Edward P F; Akazawa, Satoru; Fynch, Stacey; Hodson, Charlotte; Deans, Andrew J; Trapani, Joseph A; Chong, Mark M W; Bird, Phillip I; Brodnicki, Thomas C; Thomas, Helen E; Kay, Thomas W H

2017-12-01

Granzyme A is a protease implicated in the degradation of intracellular DNA. Nucleotide complexes are known triggers of systemic autoimmunity, but a role in organ-specific autoimmune disease has not been demonstrated. To investigate whether such a mechanism could be an endogenous trigger for autoimmunity, we examined the impact of granzyme A deficiency in the NOD mouse model of autoimmune diabetes. Granzyme A deficiency resulted in an increased incidence in diabetes associated with accumulation of ssDNA in immune cells and induction of an interferon response in pancreatic islets. Central tolerance to proinsulin in transgenic NOD mice was broken on a granzyme A-deficient background. We have identified a novel endogenous trigger for autoimmune diabetes and an in vivo role for granzyme A in maintaining immune tolerance. © 2017 by the American Diabetes Association.

Programming temporal shapeshifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xiaobo; Zhou, Jing; Vatankhah-Varnosfaderani, Mohammad; Daniel, William F. M.; Li, Qiaoxi; Zhushma, Aleksandr P.; Dobrynin, Andrey V.; Sheiko, Sergei S.

2016-09-01

Shapeshifting enables a wide range of engineering and biomedical applications, but until now transformations have required external triggers. This prerequisite limits viability in closed or inert systems and puts forward the challenge of developing materials with intrinsically encoded shape evolution. Herein we demonstrate programmable shape-memory materials that perform a sequence of encoded actuations under constant environment conditions without using an external trigger. We employ dual network hydrogels: in the first network, covalent crosslinks are introduced for elastic energy storage, and in the second one, temporary hydrogen-bonds regulate the energy release rate. Through strain-induced and time-dependent reorganization of the reversible hydrogen-bonds, this dual network allows for encoding both the rate and pathway of shape transformations on timescales from seconds to hours. This generic mechanism for programming trigger-free shapeshifting opens new ways to design autonomous actuators, drug-release systems and active implants.

Dependence receptors: the dark side awakens.

PubMed

Negulescu, Ana-Maria; Mehlen, Patrick

2018-05-18

Transmembrane receptors are usually seen as on and off switch: when the specific ligand is bound, the receptor is on and transduces a downstream signal, while when the ligand is absent, the receptor is off. Over the last two decades several reports have argued from an alternative view where some receptors, depending on the context, will be active both in the presence and in the absence of ligand, being sort of on A and on B switch rather than on and off. These receptors have been named Dependence Receptors (DR) and they share the ability to actively trigger cell death when unbound by their respective ligands. DRs have been shown to be important guardians of tissue homeostasis. In pathological settings such as cancer, DRs are seen as tumor suppressors and a clinical trial is ongoing to assay whether these DRs can be used to provide clinical benefit by triggering cancer cell death. In this review we are reviewing this functional family of receptors and underlying their promising potential for targeted therapy against cancer. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Investigating on the Differences between Triggered and Background Seismicity in Italy and Southern California.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stallone, A.; Marzocchi, W.

2017-12-01

Earthquake occurrence may be approximated by a multidimensional Poisson clustering process, where each point of the Poisson process is replaced by a cluster of points, the latter corresponding to the well-known aftershock sequence (triggered events). Earthquake clusters and their parents are assumed to occur according to a Poisson process at a constant temporal rate proportional to the tectonic strain rate, while events within a cluster are modeled as generations of dependent events reproduced by a branching process. Although the occurrence of such space-time clusters is a general feature in different tectonic settings, seismic sequences seem to have marked differences from region to region: one example, among many others, is that seismic sequences of moderate magnitude in Italian Apennines seem to last longer than similar seismic sequences in California. In this work we investigate on the existence of possible differences in the earthquake clustering process in these two areas. At first, we separate the triggered and background components of seismicity in the Italian and Southern California seismic catalog. Then we study the space-time domain of the triggered earthquakes with the aim to identify possible variations in the triggering properties across the two regions. In the second part of the work we focus our attention on the characteristics of the background seismicity in both seismic catalogs. The assumption of time stationarity of the background seismicity (which includes both cluster parents and isolated events) is still under debate. Some authors suggest that the independent component of seismicity could undergo transient perturbations at various time scales due to different physical mechanisms, such as, for example, viscoelastic relaxation, presence of fluids, non-stationary plate motion, etc, whose impact may depend on the tectonic setting. Here we test if the background seismicity in the two regions can be satisfactorily described by the time-homogeneous Poisson process, and, in case, we characterize quantitatively possible discrepancies with this reference process, and the differences between the two regions.

The GABA[subscript A] Receptor Agonist Muscimol Induces an Age- and Region-Dependent Form of Long-Term Depression in the Mouse Striatum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Xiaoqun; Yao, Ning; Chergui, Karima

2016-01-01

Several forms of long-term depression (LTD) of glutamatergic synaptic transmission have been identified in the dorsal striatum and in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Such experience-dependent synaptic plasticity might play important roles in reward-related learning. The GABA[subscript A] receptor agonist muscimol was recently found to trigger a…

Nuclear symmetry energy in terms of single-nucleon potential and its effect on the proton fraction of β-stable npeμ matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sahoo, Babita, E-mail: patra-babita@rediffmail.com; Chakraborty, Suparna, E-mail: banerjee.suparna@hotmail.com; Sahoo, Sukadev, E-mail: sukadevsahoo@yahoo.com

2016-01-15

Momentum and density dependence of single-nucleon potential u{sub τ} (k, ρ, β) is analyzed using a density dependent finite range effective interaction of the Yukawa form. Depending on the choice of the strength parameters of exchange interaction, two different trends of the momentum dependence of nuclear symmetry potential are noticed which lead to two opposite types of neutron and proton effective mass splitting. The 2nd-order and 4th-order symmetry energy of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter are expressed analytically in terms of the single-nucleon potential. Two distinct behavior of the density dependence of 2nd-order and 4th-order symmetry energy are observed depending onmore » neutron and proton effective mass splitting. It is also found that the 4th-order symmetry energy has a significant contribution towards the proton fraction of β-stable npeμ matter at high densities.« less

Signal acquisition and scale calibration for beam power density distribution of electron beam welding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Yong; Li, Hongqiang; Shen, Chunlong; Guo, Shun; Zhou, Qi; Wang, Kehong

2017-06-01

The power density distribution of electron beam welding (EBW) is a key factor to reflect the beam quality. The beam quality test system was designed for the actual beam power density distribution of high-voltage EBW. After the analysis of characteristics and phase relationship between the deflection control signal and the acquisition signal, the Post-Trigger mode was proposed for the signal acquisition meanwhile the same external clock source was shared by the control signal and the sampling clock. The power density distribution of beam cross-section was reconstructed using one-dimensional signal that was processed by median filtering, twice signal segmentation and spatial scale calibration. The diameter of beam cross-section was defined by amplitude method and integral method respectively. The measured diameter of integral definition is bigger than that of amplitude definition, but for the ideal distribution the former is smaller than the latter. The measured distribution without symmetrical shape is not concentrated compared to Gaussian distribution.

Asymmetric Supercapacitor Electrodes and Devices.

PubMed

Choudhary, Nitin; Li, Chao; Moore, Julian; Nagaiah, Narasimha; Zhai, Lei; Jung, Yeonwoong; Thomas, Jayan

2017-06-01

The world is recently witnessing an explosive development of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices that demand more-reliable power sources that combine higher energy density and longer-term durability. Supercapacitors have become one of the most promising energy-storage systems, as they present multifold advantages of high power density, fast charging-discharging, and long cyclic stability. However, the intrinsically low energy density inherent to traditional supercapacitors severely limits their widespread applications, triggering researchers to explore new types of supercapacitors with improved performance. Asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) assembled using two dissimilar electrode materials offer a distinct advantage of wide operational voltage window, and thereby significantly enhance the energy density. Recent progress made in the field of ASCs is critically reviewed, with the main focus on an extensive survey of the materials developed for ASC electrodes, as well as covering the progress made in the fabrication of ASC devices over the last few decades. Current challenges and a future outlook of the field of ASCs are also discussed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Predator-Prey Interactions are Context Dependent in a Grassland Plant-Grasshopper-Wolf Spider Food Chain.

PubMed

Laws, Angela N; Joern, Anthony

2015-06-01

Species interactions are often context dependent, where outcomes vary in response to one or more environmental factors. It remains unclear how abiotic conditions like temperature combine with biotic factors such as consumer density or food quality to affect resource availability or influence species interactions. Using the large grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus (Say) and a common wolf spider [Rabidosa rabida (Walkenaer)], we conducted manipulative field experiments in tallgrass prairie to examine how spider-grasshopper interactions respond to manipulations of temperature, grasshopper density, and food quality. Grasshopper survival was density dependent, as were the effects of spider presence and food quality in context-dependent ways. In high grasshopper density treatments, predation resulted in increased grasshopper survival, likely as a result of reduced intraspecific competition in the presence of spiders. Spiders had no effect on grasshopper survival when grasshoppers were stocked at low densities. Effects of the experimental treatments were often interdependent so that effects were only observed when examined together with other treatments. The occurrence of trophic cascades was context dependent, where the effects of food quality and spider presence varied with temperature under high-density treatments. Temperature weakly affected the impact of spider presence on M. bivittatus survivorship when all treatments were considered simultaneously, but different context-dependent responses to spider presence and food quality were observed among the three temperature treatments under high-density conditions. Our results indicate that context-dependent species interactions are common and highlight the importance of understanding how key biotic and abiotic factors combine to influence species interactions. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.