7,478 research outputs found
K-Rational D-Brane Crystals
In this paper the problem of constructing spacetime from string theory is
addressed in the context of D-brane physics. It is suggested that the knowledge
of discrete configurations of D-branes is sufficient to reconstruct the motivic
building blocks of certain Calabi-Yau varieties. The collections of D-branes
involved have algebraic base points, leading to the notion of K-arithmetic
D-crystals for algebraic number fields K. This idea can be tested for D0-branes
in the framework of toroidal compactifications via the conjectures of Birch and
Swinnerton-Dyer. For the special class of D0-crystals of Heegner type these
conjectures can be interpreted as formulae that relate the canonical Neron-Tate
height of the base points of the D-crystals to special values of the motivic
L-function at the central point. In simple cases the knowledge of the
D-crystals of Heegner type suffices to uniquely determine the geometry.Comment: 36 page
Configurational order-disorder induced metal-nonmetal transition in BC studied with first-principles superatom-special quasirandom structure method
Due to a large discrepancy between theory and experiment, the electronic
character of crystalline boron carbide BC has been a controversial
topic in the field of icosahedral boron-rich solids. We demonstrate that this
discrepancy is removed when configurational disorder is accurately considered
in the theoretical calculations. We find that while ordered ground state
BC is metallic, configurationally disordered BC,
modeled with a superatom-special quasirandom structure method, goes through a
metal to non-metal transition as the degree of disorder is increased with
increasing temperature. Specifically, one of the chain-end carbon atoms in the
CBC chains substitutes a neighboring equatorial boron atom in a B
icosahedron bonded to it, giving rise to a BC(BBC) unit. The
atomic configuration of the substitutionally disordered BC thus
tends to be dominated by a mixture between B(CBC) and
BC(BBC). Due to splitting of valence states in
BC(BBC), the electron deficiency in B(CBC) is gradually
compensated
Finiteness Theorems for Binary Forms with Given Discriminant
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135212/1/plms0385.pd
Natural control of the mosquito population via Odonata and Toxorhynchites
The main impact of mosquito pests is the transmission of many dangerous diseases and death. Hence, the reduction of their population by the use of a natural control method is a primary objective of this research. This mosquito reduction method utilises different species of predators (Odonata) and (Toxorhynchites) to substantially improve the environment. The frequency of capturing the pest mosquitoes by the predators is determined using a Pascal distribution, whilst insect mortality is modelled using a Weibull distribution. The results from the model show that by using insect predators, a significant reduction of the mosquito population is possible in less than eighty days
The Ethical Orientation of U.S. Small Business Decision Makers: A Preliminary Study
Recent news reports of escalating ethics violations in the workplace has produced growing concern. This study surveyed small business decision makers concerning their ethical orientation. These results were then compared to general responses as reflected in the norms for validating the three instruments. Small business decision makers perceived themselves as less likely to engage in exploitative power behavior and perceived their organizations as fostering a more collective and procedurally oriented climate that might be interpreted as attempting to institutionalize morality. Additionally, small business decision makers had lower idealism and relativism scores, suggesting that they were more likely to use power to adjust personal injustices or to protect oneself from potential exploitation. Further implication of this preliminary study are discussed
A truncated lipoglycan from mycobacteria with altered immunological properties
Maintenance of cell-wall integrity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential and is the target of several antitubercular drugs. For example, ethambutol targets arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan (LAM) biosynthesis through the inhibition of several arabinofuranosyltransferases. Apart from their role in cell-wall integrity, mycobacterial LAMs also exhibit important immunomodulatory activities. Here we report the isolation and detailed structural characterization of a unique LAM molecule derived from Mycobacterium smegmatis deficient in the arabinofuranosyltransferase AftC (AftC-LAM). This mutant LAM expresses a severely truncated arabinan domain completely devoid of 3,5-Arafâbranching residues, revealing an intrinsic involvement of AftC in the biosynthesis of LAM. Furthermore, we found that ethambutol efficiently inhibits biosynthesis of the AftC-LAM arabinan core, unambiguously demonstrating the involvement of the arabinofuranosyltransferase EmbC in early stages of LAM-arabinan biosynthesis. Finally, we demonstrate that AftC-LAM exhibits an enhanced proinflammatory activity, which is due to its ability to activate Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Overall, our efforts further describe the mechanism of action of an important antitubercular drug, ethambutol, and demonstrate a role for specific arabinofuranosyltransferases in LAM biosynthesis. In addition, the availability of sufficient amounts of chemically defined wild-type and isogenic truncated LAMs paves the way for further investigations of the structureâfunction relationship of TLR2 activation by mycobacterial lipoglycans
Reconstruction of Solar Subsurfaces by Local Helioseismology
Local helioseismology has opened new frontiers in our quest for understanding
of the internal dynamics and dynamo on the Sun. Local helioseismology
reconstructs subsurface structures and flows by extracting coherent signals of
acoustic waves traveling through the interior and carrying information about
subsurface perturbations and flows, from stochastic oscillations observed on
the surface. The initial analysis of the subsurface flow maps reconstructed
from the 5 years of SDO/HMI data by time-distance helioseismology reveals the
great potential for studying and understanding of the dynamics of the quiet Sun
and active regions, and the evolution with the solar cycle. In particular, our
results show that the emergence and evolution of active regions are accompanied
by multi-scale flow patterns, and that the meridional flows display the
North-South asymmetry closely correlating with the magnetic activity. The
latitudinal variations of the meridional circulation speed, which are probably
related to the large-scale converging flows, are mostly confined in shallow
subsurface layers. Therefore, these variations do not necessarily affect the
magnetic flux transport. The North-South asymmetry is also pronounced in the
variations of the differential rotation ("torsional oscillations"). The
calculations of a proxy of the subsurface kinetic helicity density show that
the helicity does not vary during the solar cycle, and that supergranulation is
a likely source of the near-surface helicity.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, in "Cartography of the Sun and the Stars",
Editors: Rozelot, Jean-Pierre, Neiner, Corali
Modelling Kinetics of Plant Canopy Architecture - Concepts and Applications
Most crop models simulate the crop canopy as an homogeneous medium. This approach enables modelling of mass and energy transfer through relatively simple equations, and is useful for understanding crop production. However, schematisation of an homogeneous medium cannot address the heterogeneous nature of canopies and interactions between plants or plant organs, and errors in calculation of light interception may occur. Moreover, conventional crop models do not describe plant organs before they are visible externally e.g young leaves of grasses. The conditions during early growth of individual organs are important determinants of final organ size, causing difficulties in incorporating effects of environmental stresses in such models. Limited accuracy in describing temporal source-sink relationships also contributes to difficulty in modelling dry matter distribution and paramaterisation of harvest indices. Functional-architectural modelling overcomes these limitations by (i) representing crops as populations of individual plants specified in three dimensions and (ii) by modelling whole plant growth and development from the behaviour of individual organs, based on sound models of organs such as leaves and internodes. Since individual plants consist of numerous organs, generic models of organ growth applicable across species are desirable. Consequently, we are studying the development of individual organs, and parameterising it in terms of environmental variables and plant characteristics. Models incorporating plant architecture are currently applied in education, using dynamic visual representation for teaching growth and development. In research, the 3D representation of plants addresses issues presented above and new applications including modelling of pesticide distribution, fungal spore dispersal through splashing and plant to plant heterogeneity
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