578 research outputs found
Laser frequency locking by direct measurement of detuning
We present a new method of laser frequency locking in which the feedback
signal is directly proportional to the detuning from an atomic transition, even
at detunings many times the natural linewidth of the transition. Our method is
a form of sub-Doppler polarization spectroscopy, based on measuring two Stokes
parameters ( and ) of light transmitted through a vapor cell. This
extends the linear capture range of the lock loop by up to an order of
magnitude and provides equivalent or improved frequency discrimination as other
commonly used locking techniques.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures Revte
Velocity-selective resonance dips in the probe absorption spectra of Rb D2 transitions induced by a pump laser
We report experimental observation of velocity-selective resonances in the
Doppler-broadened probe absorption spectra of 85Rb and 87Rb D2 transitions in
the presence of a strong copropagating pump laser locked to a frequency within
the Doppler profile of the transition. The set of three dips having the
separation of allowed hyperfine transitions can be moved along the Doppler
profile by tuning the pump laser frequency indicating a resonance between the
pump laser frequency and the velocity shifted probe laser frequency.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Pasture Chemoscapes and Their Ecological Services
Ruminant livestock-production systems are between a rock and a hard place; they are experiencing increasing societal pressure to reduce environmental impacts in a world that demands increased food supply. Recent improvements in the understanding of the nutritional ecology of livestock by scientists may help livestock producers respond to these seemingly contradictory demands. Forages are nutrition and pharmacy centers with primary (nutrients) and plant secondary compounds (PSC; pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals), which can provide multiple services for the proper functioning of agroecosystems. Legumes with lower contents of fiber and higher contents of nonstructural carbohydrates, coupled with different types and concentrations of PSC (e.g., condensed tannins, terpenes), create a diverse array of chemicals in the landscape (i.e., the âchemoscapeâ) with the potential to enhance livestock nutrition, health and welfare relative to foodscapes dominated by grasses and other conventional feeds. These PSC-containing plants may reduce methane emissions and nitrogen (N) excretion from animals while increasing animal growth rate compared with swards dominated by grasses, and provide meat quality that appeals to consumers. Condensed tannins from sainfoin and saponins from alfalfa and manure of cattle consuming these forages also reduce N mobilization in soils, reduce nutrient leaching, and increase plant-available N stores for future use. The challenge for future pastoral production systems is to design multifunctional spatiotemporal arrangements of forages with âidealâ chemical diversity for specific ecoregions, aiming to achieve sustainability while increasing production goals and improving ecosystem services. Thus, the objective of this review is to stimulate the quest for chemically and taxonomically diverse pastoral feeding systems that optimize overall productivity; reduce environmental impacts; and enhance livestock, soil, and human health
Experimental implementation of a four-level N-type scheme for the observation of Electromagnetically Induced Transparency
A nondegenerate four-level N-type scheme was experimentally implemented to
observe electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) at the Rb D
line. Radiations of two independent external-cavity semiconductor lasers were
used in the experiment, the current of one of them being modulated at a
frequency equal to the hyperfine-splitting frequency of the excited 5P
level. In this case, apart from the main EIT dip corresponding to the
two-photon Raman resonance in a three-level -scheme, additional dips
detuned from the main dip by a frequency equal to the frequency of the HF
generator were observed in the absorption spectrum. These dips were due to an
increase in the medium transparency at frequencies corresponding to the
three-photon Raman resonances in four-level N-type schemes. The resonance
shapes are analyzed as functions of generator frequency and magnetic field.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure
Death from early colorectal cancer is predicted by the presence of transcripts of the REG gene family
An intrinsic component of colorectal carcinogenesis may be the capacity to activate regenerative responses simultaneously with inhibition of apoptosis. Since apoptosis is known to be inhibited in colorectal cancer, this study sought evidence for the activation of the REG family of genes which are considered to be activated during regeneration of intestinal mucosa. Transcripts for the REG gene were found in 53% of colorectal cancers and for the PAP gene in 60% of colorectal cancers, by RT-PCR. Using in situ hybridization, the REG transcripts were found to be present in the tumour cells themselves rather than inflammatory or stromal cells. There were no significant correlations between the expression of these two genes and tumour stage, age or sex of the patient population or tumour site. However, in patients with non-metastatic disease who underwent ostensibly curative surgery, the expression of REG alone and co-expression of REG with PAP had a highly significantly adverse effect on survival. These data provide support for the concept that, in some tumours, carcinogenesis involves a regenerative process which co-exists with apoptotic inhibition and may provide a valuable selective indicator of the need for adjuvant therapy in those patients with early-stage colorectal cancer whose disease is destined to recur after curative surgery. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig
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The natural capital of temporary rivers: characterising the value of dynamic aquatic-terrestrial habitats. Valuing Nature Natural Capital Synthesis Reports, VNP12
Temporary rivers naturally transition between flowing, pool and dry states, creating aquaticâterrestrial habitat mosaics that change in space and time. These dynamic habitats are common in the UK's cool, wet climate. Here, they take many forms, from headwater streams that may dominate networks in remote uplands, to winterbourne rivers crossing the chalk of south England. We examine published and unpublished sources to provide an evidence-informed characterisation of the natural assets in temporary rivers
Tannins in Perennial Legume and Forb Functional Forages
Feed is the greatest input cost for cattle producers. The studies summarized here employed non-bloating, tannin-containing irrigated perennial legume pastures or hay of legumes or a hydrolysable tannin-containing forb that were grown in the Mountain West USA, with non-tannin legume, grass, or feedlot treatments for comparison. Cattle grazing legume pastures or fed legume or forb hays had greater intake, gain and nitrogen retention, and in some cases, reduced enteric methane emissions compared with grass pastures or hay, and methane emissions were not different from feedlot-fed cattle
Guiding neutral atoms around curves with lithographically patterned current-carrying wires
Laser-cooled neutral atoms from a low-velocity atomic source are guided via a
magnetic field generated between two parallel wires on a glass substrate. The
atoms bend around three curves, each with a 15-cm radius of curvature, while
traveling along a 10-cm-long track. A maximum flux of 2*10^6 atoms/sec is
achieved with a current density of 3*10^4 A/cm^2 in the
100x100-micrometer-cross-section wires. The kinetic energy of the guided atoms
in one transverse dimension is measured to be 42 microKelvin.Comment: 9 page
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