365 research outputs found
Climate Effects and Feedback Structure Determining Weed Population Dynamics in a Long-Term Experiment
Pest control is one of the areas in which population dynamic theory has been successfully applied to solve practical problems. However, the links between population dynamic theory and model construction have been less emphasized in the management and control of weed populations. Most management models of weed population dynamics have emphasized the role of the endogenous process, but the role of exogenous variables such as climate have been ignored in the study of weed populations and their management. Here, we use long-term data (22 years) on two annual weed species from a locality in Central Spain to determine the importance of endogenous and exogenous processes (local and large-scale climate factors). Our modeling study determined two different feedback structures and climate effects in the two weed species analyzed. While Descurainia sophia exhibited a second-order feedback and low climate influence, Veronica hederifolia was characterized by a first-order feedback structure and important effects from temperature and rainfall. Our results strongly suggest the importance of theoretical population dynamics in understanding plant population systems. Moreover, the use of this approach, discerning between the effect of exogenous and endogenous factors, can be fundamental to applying weed management practices in agricultural systems and to controlling invasive weedy species. This is a radical change from most approaches currently used to guide weed and invasive weedy species managements
Graded associative conformal algebras of finite type
In this paper, we consider graded associative conformal algebras. The class
of these objects includes pseudo-algebras over non-cocommutative Hopf algebras
of regular functions on some linear algebraic groups. In particular, an
associative conformal algebra which is graded by a finite group is a
pseudo-algebra over the coordinate Hopf algebra of a linear algebraic group
such that the identity component is the affine line and . A classification of simple and semisimple graded associative
conformal algebras of finite type is obtained
Cosmic Ray Anomalies from the MSSM?
The recent positron excess in cosmic rays (CR) observed by the PAMELA
satellite may be a signal for dark matter (DM) annihilation. When these
measurements are combined with those from FERMI on the total () flux
and from PAMELA itself on the ratio, these and other results are
difficult to reconcile with traditional models of DM, including the
conventional mSUGRA version of Supersymmetry even if boosts as large as
are allowed. In this paper, we combine the results of a previously
obtained scan over a more general 19-parameter subspace of the MSSM with a
corresponding scan over astrophysical parameters that describe the propagation
of CR. We then ascertain whether or not a good fit to this CR data can be
obtained with relatively small boost factors while simultaneously satisfying
the additional constraints arising from gamma ray data. We find that a specific
subclass of MSSM models where the LSP is mostly pure bino and annihilates
almost exclusively into pairs comes very close to satisfying these
requirements. The lightest in this set of models is found to be
relatively close in mass to the LSP and is in some cases the nLSP. These models
lead to a significant improvement in the overall fit to the data by an amount
dof in comparison to the best fit without Supersymmetry
while employing boosts . The implications of these models for future
experiments are discussed.Comment: 57 pages, 31 figures, references adde
On the magnetic fields generated by experimental dynamos
We review the results obtained by three successful fluid dynamo experiments
and discuss what has been learnt from them about the effect of turbulence on
the dynamo threshold and saturation. We then discuss several questions that are
still open and propose experiments that could be performed to answer some of
them.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figure
Lubiprostone Stimulates Duodenal Bicarbonate Secretion in Rats
Lubiprostone, a bicyclic fatty acid, is used for the treatment of chronic constipation. No published study has addressed the effect of lubiprostone on intestinal ion secretion in vivo.
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that lubiprostone augments duodenal HCO3
â secretion (DBS).
Rat proximal duodenal loops were perfused with pH 7.0 Krebs, control vehicle (medium-chain triglycerides), or lubiprostone (0.1â10Â ÎŒM). We measured DBS with flow-through pH and CO2 electrodes, perfusate [Clâ] with a Clâ electrode, and water flux using a non-absorbable ferrocyanide marker. Some rats were pretreated with a potent, selective CFTR antagonist, CFTRinh-172 (1Â mg/kg, ip), 1Â h before experiments.
Perfusion of lubiprostone concentration dependently increased DBS, whereas net Clâ output and net water output were only increased at 0.1Â ÎŒM, compared with vehicle. CFTRinh-172 reduced lubiprostone (10Â ÎŒM)-induced DBS increase, whereas net Clâ output was also unchanged. Nevertheless, CFTRinh-172 reduced basal net water output, which was reversed by lubiprostone. Furthermore, lubiprostone-induced DBS was inhibited by EP4 receptor antagonist, not by an EP1/2 receptor antagonist or by indomethacin pretreatment.
In this first study of the effect of lubiprostone on intestinal ion secretion in vivo, lubiprostone stimulated CFTR-dependent DBS without changing net Clâ secretion. This effect supports the hypothesis that Clâ secreted by CFTR is recycled across the apical membrane by anion exchangers. Recovery of water output during CFTR inhibition suggests that lubiprostone may improve the intestinal phenotype in CF patients. Furthermore, increased DBS suggests that lubiprostone may protect the duodenum from acid-induced injury via EP4 receptor activation
Keldysh technique and non-linear sigma-model: basic principles and applications
The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive pedagogical
introduction into Keldysh technique for interacting out-of-equilibrium
fermionic and bosonic systems. The emphasis is placed on a functional integral
representation of underlying microscopic models. A large part of the review is
devoted to derivation and applications of the non-linear sigma-model for
disordered metals and superconductors. We discuss such topics as transport
properties, mesoscopic effects, counting statistics, interaction corrections,
kinetic equation, etc. The sections devoted to disordered superconductors
include Usadel equation, fluctuation corrections, time-dependent
Ginzburg-Landau theory, proximity and Josephson effects, etc. (This review is a
substantial extension of arXiv:cond-mat/0412296.)Comment: Review: 103 pages, 19 figure
Physics of Neutron Star Crusts
The physics of neutron star crusts is vast, involving many different research
fields, from nuclear and condensed matter physics to general relativity. This
review summarizes the progress, which has been achieved over the last few
years, in modeling neutron star crusts, both at the microscopic and macroscopic
levels. The confrontation of these theoretical models with observations is also
briefly discussed.Comment: 182 pages, published version available at
<http://www.livingreviews.org/lrr-2008-10
Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in âsNN=5.02ââTeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector
Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (ÎÏ) and pseudorapidity (Îη) are measured in âsNN=5.02ââTeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1ââÎŒb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ÎŁETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Îη|<5) ânear-sideâ (ÎÏâŒ0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ÎŁETPb. A long-range âaway-sideâ (ÎÏâŒÏ) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ÎŁETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Îη and ÎÏ) and ÎŁETPb dependence. The resultant ÎÏ correlation is approximately symmetric about Ï/2, and is consistent with a dominant cosâĄ2ÎÏ modulation for all ÎŁETPb ranges and particle pT
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