38,214 research outputs found
Acoustically evoked potentials in two cephalopods inferred using the auditory brainstem response (ABR) approach
It is still a matter of debate whether cephalopods can detect sound frequencies above 400 Hz. So far there is no proof for the detection of underwater sound above 400 Hz via a physiological approach. The controversy of whether cephalopods have a sound detection ability above 400 Hz was tested using the auditory brainstem response (ABR) approach, which has been successfully applied in fish, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles and birds. Using ABR we found that auditory evoked potentials can be obtained in the frequency range 400 to 1500 Hz (Sepiotheutis lessoniana) and 400 to 1000 Hz (Octopus vulgaris), respectively. The thresholds of S. lessoniana were generally lower than those of O. vulgaris
Time-resolved characterization of a pulsed discharge in a stationary bubble
In recent years, plasma generation in water has been proposed for the application of water treatment. The process efficiency is believed to be improved by the introduction of bubbles in the plasma active region. For further optimization, the initiating and developmental mechanisms of plasma inside bubbles need to be understood to a greater extent. In order to meet this necessity, we investigated pulsed electrical discharge inside a stationary bubble in water. This paper deals with the evolution of the discharge and of the bubble shape during discharge, investigated by electrical characterization and fast imaging. Only several microseconds after the application of the voltage pulse, plasma light is observed. Different phases are observed during plasma formation. The plasma is strongest at the bubble surface, causing the surrounding water to evaporate. This leads to both the formation of propagating streamers into the water and the expansion and collapse of the bubble. These observations show that plasma inside a bubble has the strongest activity at the bubble surface, making it attractive for water treatment
The PAS domain-containing histidine kinase RpfS is a second sensor for the diffusible signal factor of <em>Xanthomonas campestris</em>
Summary: A cell-cell signalling system mediated by the fatty acid signal DSF controls the virulence of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) to plants. The synthesis and recognition of the DSF signal depends upon different Rpf proteins. DSF signal generation requires RpfF whereas signal perception and transduction depends upon the sensor RpfC and regulator RpfG. Detailed analyses of the regulatory roles of different Rpf proteins have suggested the occurrence of further sensors for DSF. Here we have used a mutagenesis approach coupled with high-resolution transcriptional analysis to identify XC_2579 (RpfS) as a second sensor for DSF in Xcc. RpfS is a complex sensor kinase predicted to have multiple Per/Arnt/Sim (PAS) domains, a histidine kinase domain and a C-terminal receiver (REC) domain. Isothermal calorimetry showed that DSF bound to the isolated N-terminal PAS domain with a Kd of 1.4ÎŒM. RpfS controlled expression of a sub-set of genes distinct from those controlled by RpfC to include genes involved in type IV secretion and chemotaxis. Mutation of XC_2579 was associated with a reduction in virulence of Xcc to Chinese Radish when assayed by leaf spraying but not by leaf inoculation, suggesting a role for RpfS-controlled factors in the epiphytic phase of the disease cycle.</p
Electronic and optical properties of LiBC
LiBC, a semiconducting ternary borocarbide constituted of the lightest
elements only, has been synthesized and characterized by x-ray powder
diffraction, dielectric spectroscopy, and conductivity measurements. Utilizing
an infrared microscope the phonon spectrum has been investigated in single
crystals. The in-plane B-C stretching mode has been detected at 150 meV,
noticeably higher than in AlB2, a non-superconducting isostructural analog of
MgB2. It is this stretching mode, which reveals a strong electron-phonon
coupling in MgB2, driving it into a superconducting state below 40 K, and is
believed to mediate predicted high-temperature superconductivity in hole-doped
LiBC [H. Rosner, A. Kitaigorodsky, and W. E. Pickett, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88,
127001 (2002)].Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Imprints of the nuclear symmetry energy on gravitational waves from the axial w-modes of neutron stars
The eigen-frequencies of the axial w-modes of oscillating neutron stars are
studied using the continued fraction method with an Equation of State (EOS)
partially constrained by the recent terrestrial nuclear laboratory data. It is
shown that the density dependence of the nuclear symmetry energy
affects significantly both the frequencies and the damping
times of these modes. Besides confirming the previously found universal
behavior of the mass-scaled eigen-frequencies as functions of the compactness
of neutron stars, we explored several alternative universal scaling functions.
Moreover, the -mode is found to exist only for neutron stars having a
compactness of independent of the EOS used.Comment: Version appeared in Phys. Rev. C80, 025801 (2009
Dynamically stabilized decoherence-free states in non-Markovian open fermionic systems
Decoherence-free subspaces (DFSs) provide a strategy for protecting the
dynamics of an open system from decoherence induced by the system-environment
interaction. So far, DFSs have been primarily studied in the framework of
Markovian master equations. In this work, we study decoherence-free (DF) states
in the general setting of a non-Markovian fermionic environment. We identify
the DF states by diagonalizing the non-unitary evolution operator for a
two-level fermionic system attached to an electron reservoir. By solving the
exact master equation, we show that DF states can be stabilized dynamically.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Any comments are welcom
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