162 research outputs found
Enhancement of tunneling from a correlated 2D electron system by a many-electron Mossbauer-type recoil in a magnetic field
We consider the effect of electron correlations on tunneling from a 2D
electron layer in a magnetic field parallel to the layer. A tunneling electron
can exchange its momentum with other electrons, which leads to an exponential
increase of the tunneling rate compared to the single-electron approximation.
Explicit results are obtained for a Wigner crystal. They provide a qualitative
and quantitative explanation of the data on electrons on helium. We also
discuss tunneling in semiconductor heterostructures.Comment: published version, 4 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX 3.
Tunneling from a correlated 2D electron system transverse to a magnetic field
We show that, in a magnetic field parallel to the 2D electron layer, strong
electron correlations change the rate of tunneling from the layer
exponentially. It results in a specific density dependence of the escape rate.
The mechanism is a dynamical Mossbauer-type recoil, in which the Hall momentum
of the tunneling electron is partly transferred to the whole electron system,
depending on the interrelation between the rate of interelectron momentum
exchange and the tunneling duration. We also show that, in a certain
temperature range, magnetic field can enhance rather than suppress the
tunneling rate. The effect is due to the magnetic field induced energy exchange
between the in-plane and out-of-plane motion. Magnetic field can also induce
switching between intra-well states from which the system tunnels, and a
transition from tunneling to thermal activation. Explicit results are obtained
for a Wigner crystal. They are in qualitative and quantitative agreement with
the relevant experimental data, with no adjustable parameters.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Tunneling transverse to a magnetic field, and how it occurs in correlated 2D electron systems
We investigate tunneling decay in a magnetic field. Because of broken
time-reversal symmetry, the standard WKB technique does not apply. The decay
rate and the outcoming wave packet are found from the analysis of the set of
the particle Hamiltonian trajectories and its singularities in complex space.
The results are applied to tunneling from a strongly correlated 2D electron
system in a magnetic field parallel to the layer. We show in a simple model
that electron correlations exponentially strongly affect the tunneling rate.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
The interaction between a sexually transferred steroid hormone and a female protein regulates oogenesis in the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae
Molecular interactions between male and female factors during mating profoundly affect the reproductive behavior and physiology of female insects. In natural populations of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae, blood-fed females direct nutritional resources towards oogenesis only when inseminated. Here we show that the mating-dependent pathway of egg development in these mosquitoes is regulated by the interaction between the steroid hormone 20-hydroxy-ecdysone (20E) transferred by males during copulation and a female Mating-Induced Stimulator of Oogenesis (MISO) protein. RNAi silencing of MISO abolishes the increase in oogenesis caused by mating in blood-fed females, causes a delay in oocyte development, and impairs the function of male-transferred 20E. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments show that MISO and 20E interact in the female reproductive tract. Moreover MISO expression after mating is induced by 20E via the Ecdysone Receptor, demonstrating a close cooperation between the two factors. Male-transferred 20E therefore acts as a mating signal that females translate into an increased investment in egg development via a MISO-dependent pathway. The identification of this male–female reproductive interaction offers novel opportunities for the control of mosquito populations that transmit malaria
Fresh-blood-free diet for rearing malaria mosquito vectors
Mosquito breeding depends on the supply of fresh vertebrate blood, a major bottleneck for large-scale production of Anopheles spp. Feeding alternatives to fresh blood are thus a priority for research, outdoor large-cage trials and control interventions. Several artificial meal compositions were tested and Anopheles oogenesis, egg laying and development into the next generation of adult mosquitoes were followed. We identified blood-substitute-diets that supported ovarian development, egg maturation and fertility as well as, low progeny larval mortality, and normal development of offspring into adult mosquitoes. The formulated diet is an effective artificial meal, free of fresh blood that mimics a vertebrate blood meal and represents an important advance for the sustainability of Anopheles mosquito rearing in captivity.Agência financiadora / Número do subsídio
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
OPP1138841
Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia
GHTM - UID/Multi/04413/201
CCMAR - UID/Multi/04326/2013
UID/Multi/04326/2013
RF SFRH/BPD/89811/2012
FAPEAM, Brazil
19716.UNI472.2459.20022014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Effective Rheology of Bubbles Moving in a Capillary Tube
We calculate the average volumetric flux versus pressure drop of bubbles
moving in a single capillary tube with varying diameter, finding a square-root
relation from mapping the flow equations onto that of a driven overdamped
pendulum. The calculation is based on a derivation of the equation of motion of
a bubble train from considering the capillary forces and the entropy production
associated with the viscous flow. We also calculate the configurational
probability of the positions of the bubbles.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Improving pulse crops as a source of protein, starch and micronutrients
Pulse crops have been known for a long time to have beneficial nutritional profiles for human diets but have been neglected in terms of cultivation, consumption and scientific research in many parts of the world. Broad dietary shifts will be required if anthropogenic climate change is to be mitigated in the future, and pulse crops should be an important component of this change by providing an environmentally sustainable source of protein, resistant starch and micronutrients. Further enhancement of the nutritional composition of pulse crops could benefit human health, helping to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies and reduce risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding the nutritional content of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.), two major UK pulse crops, and discusses the potential for their genetic improvement
Gene expression patterns associated with blood-feeding in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae
BACKGROUND: Blood feeding, or hematophagy, is a behavior exhibited by female mosquitoes required both for reproduction and for transmission of pathogens. We determined the expression patterns of 3,068 ESTs, representing ~2,000 unique gene transcripts using cDNA microarrays in adult female Anopheles gambiae at selected times during the first two days following blood ingestion, at 5 and 30 min during a 40 minute blood meal and at 0, 1, 3, 5, 12, 16, 24 and 48 hours after completion of the blood meal and compared their expression to transcript levels in mosquitoes with access only to a sugar solution. RESULTS: In blood-fed mosquitoes, 413 unique transcripts, approximately 25% of the total, were expressed at least two-fold above or below their levels in the sugar-fed mosquitoes, at one or more time points. These differentially expressed gene products were clustered using k-means clustering into Early Genes, Middle Genes, and Late Genes, containing 144, 130, and 139 unique transcripts, respectively. Several genes from each group were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR in order to validate the microarray results. CONCLUSION: The expression patterns and annotation of the genes in these three groups (Early, Middle, and Late genes) are discussed in the context of female mosquitoes' physiological responses to blood feeding, including blood digestion, peritrophic matrix formation, egg development, and immunity
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