60 research outputs found
GPS-based CERN-LNGS time link for Borexino
We describe the design, the equipment, and the calibration of a new GPS based
time link between CERN and the Borexino experiment at the Gran Sasso Laboratory
in Italy. This system has been installed and operated in Borexino since March
2012, and used for a precise measurement of CNGS muon neutrinos speed in May
2012. The result of the measurement will be reported in a different letter.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure
Recurrence of biased quantum walks on a line
The Polya number of a classical random walk on a regular lattice is known to
depend solely on the dimension of the lattice. For one and two dimensions it
equals one, meaning unit probability to return to the origin. This result is
extremely sensitive to the directional symmetry, any deviation from the equal
probability to travel in each direction results in a change of the character of
the walk from recurrent to transient. Applying our definition of the Polya
number to quantum walks on a line we show that the recurrence character of
quantum walks is more stable against bias. We determine the range of parameters
for which biased quantum walks remain recurrent. We find that there exist
genuine biased quantum walks which are recurrent.Comment: Journal reference added, minor corrections in the tex
Measurement of CNGS muon neutrino speed with Borexino
We have measured the speed of muon neutrinos with the Borexino detector using
short-bunch CNGS beams. The final result for the difference in time-of-flight
between a =17 GeV muon neutrino and a particle moving at the speed of light
in vacuum is {\delta}t = 0.8 \pm 0.7stat \pm 2.9sys ns, well consistent with
zero.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Contributions to the phylogeny of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) canisuga, I. (Ph.) kaiseri, I. (Ph.) hexagonus and a simple pictorial key for the identification of their females
Background: In Europe, hard ticks of the subgenus Pholeoixodes (Ixodidae: Ixodes) are usually associated with burrow-dwelling mammals and terrestrial birds. Reports of Pholeoixodes spp. from carnivores are frequently contradictory, and their identification is not based on key diagnostic characters. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to identify ticks collected from dogs, foxes and badgers in several European countries, and to reassess their systematic status with molecular analyses using two mitochondrial markers. Results: Between 2003 and 2017, 144 Pholeoixodes spp. ticks were collected in nine European countries. From accurate descriptions and comparison with type-materials, a simple illustrated identification key was compiled for adult females, by focusing on the shape of the anterior surface of basis capituli. Based on this key, 71 female ticks were identified as I. canisuga, 21 as I. kaiseri and 21 as I. hexagonus. DNA was extracted from these 113 female ticks, and from further 31 specimens. Fragments of two mitochondrial genes, cox1 (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) and 16S rRNA, were amplified and sequenced. Ixodes kaiseri had nine unique cox1 haplotypes, which showed 99.2-100% sequence identity, whereas I. canisuga and I. hexagonus had eleven and five cox1 haplotypes, respectively, with 99.5-100% sequence identity. The distribution of cox1 haplotypes reflected a geographical pattern. Pholeoixodes spp. ticks had fewer 16S rRNA haplotypes, with a lower degree of intraspecific divergence (99.5-100% sequence identity) and no geographical clustering. Phylogenetic analyses were in agreement with morphology: I. kaiseri and I. hexagonus (with the similar shape of the anterior surface of basis capituli) were genetically more closely related to each other than to I. canisuga. Phylogenetic analyses also showed that the subgenus Eschatocephalus (bat ticks) clustered within the subgenus Pholeoixodes. Conclusions: A simple, illustrated identification key is provided for female Pholeoixodes ticks of carnivores (including I. hexagonus and I. rugicollis) to prevent future misidentification of these species. It is also shown that I. kaiseri is more widespread in Europe than previously thought. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the subgenus Pholeoixodes is not monophyletic: either the subgenus Eschatocephalus should be included in Pholeoixodes, or the latter subgenus should be divided, which is a task for future studies
The Cyst Nematode SPRYSEC Protein RBP-1 Elicits Gpa2- and RanGAP2-Dependent Plant Cell Death
Plant NB-LRR proteins confer robust protection against microbes and metazoan
parasites by recognizing pathogen-derived avirulence (Avr) proteins that are
delivered to the host cytoplasm. Microbial Avr proteins usually function as
virulence factors in compatible interactions; however, little is known about the
types of metazoan proteins recognized by NB-LRR proteins and their relationship
with virulence. In this report, we demonstrate that the secreted protein RBP-1
from the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida elicits defense
responses, including cell death typical of a hypersensitive response (HR),
through the NB-LRR protein Gpa2. Gp-Rbp-1 variants from
G. pallida populations both virulent and avirulent to
Gpa2 demonstrated a high degree of polymorphism, with
positive selection detected at numerous sites. All Gp-RBP-1
protein variants from an avirulent population were recognized by Gpa2, whereas
virulent populations possessed Gp-RBP-1 protein variants both
recognized and non-recognized by Gpa2. Recognition of Gp-RBP-1
by Gpa2 correlated to a single amino acid polymorphism at position 187 in the
Gp-RBP-1 SPRY domain. Gp-RBP-1 expressed
from Potato virus X elicited Gpa2-mediated defenses that required Ran
GTPase-activating protein 2 (RanGAP2), a protein known to interact with the Gpa2
N terminus. Tethering RanGAP2 and Gp-RBP-1 variants via fusion
proteins resulted in an enhancement of Gpa2-mediated responses. However,
activation of Gpa2 was still dependent on the recognition specificity conferred
by amino acid 187 and the Gpa2 LRR domain. These results suggest a two-tiered
process wherein RanGAP2 mediates an initial interaction with pathogen-delivered
Gp-RBP-1 proteins but where the Gpa2 LRR determines which
of these interactions will be productive
Thelytokous Parthenogenesis in the Fungus-Gardening Ant Mycocepurus smithii (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
The general prevalence of sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction among organisms testifies to the evolutionary benefits of recombination, such as accelerated adaptation to changing environments and elimination of deleterious mutations. Documented instances of asexual reproduction in groups otherwise dominated by sexual reproduction challenge evolutionary biologists to understand the special circumstances that might confer an advantage to asexual reproductive strategies. Here we report one such instance of asexual reproduction in the ants. We present evidence for obligate thelytoky in the asexual fungus-gardening ant, Mycocepurus smithii, in which queens produce female offspring from unfertilized eggs, workers are sterile, and males appear to be completely absent. Obligate thelytoky is implicated by reproductive physiology of queens, lack of males, absence of mating behavior, and natural history observations. An obligate thelytoky hypothesis is further supported by the absence of evidence indicating sexual reproduction or genetic recombination across the species' extensive distribution range (Mexico-Argentina). Potential conflicting evidence for sexual reproduction in this species derives from three Mycocepurus males reported in the literature, previously regarded as possible males of M. smithii. However, we show here that these specimens represent males of the congeneric species M. obsoletus, and not males of M. smithii. Mycocepurus smithii is unique among ants and among eusocial Hymenoptera, in that males seem to be completely absent and only queens (and not workers) produce diploid offspring via thelytoky. Because colonies consisting only of females can be propagated consecutively in the laboratory, M. smithii could be an adequate study organism a) to test hypotheses of the population-genetic advantages and disadvantages of asexual reproduction in a social organism and b) inform kin conflict theory
A multiple species approach to biomass production from native herbaceous perennial feedstocks
Filtered Pose Graph for Efficient Kinect Pose Reconstruction
Being marker-free and calibration free, Microsoft Kinect is nowadays widely used in many motion-based applications, such as user training for complex industrial tasks and ergonomics pose evaluation. The major problem of Kinect is the placement requirement to obtain accurate poses, as well as its weakness against occlusions. To improve the robustness of Kinect in interactive motion-based applications, real-time data driven pose reconstruction has been proposed. The idea is to utilize a database of accurately captured human poses as a prior to optimize the Kinect recognized ones, in order to estimate the true poses performed by the user. The key research problem is to identify the most relevant poses in the database for accurate and efficient reconstruction. In this paper, we propose a new pose reconstruction method based on modelling the pose database with a structure called Filtered Pose Graph, which indicates the intrinsic correspondence between poses. Such a graph not only speeds up the database poses selection process, but also improves the relevance of the selected poses for higher quality reconstruction. We apply the proposed method in a challenging environment of industrial context that involves sub-optimal Kinect placement and a large amount of occlusion. Experimental results show that our real-time system reconstructs Kinect poses more accurately than existing methods
Surface-roughness–driven segregation in a granular slurry under shear
“Shear-induced segregation” (SIS) means that different species of
particles in a granular material or a concentrated suspension tend to unmix
under flow. In principle, any kind of difference (size, density, shape and
even surface state) may lead to SIS. We report the first direct experimental
evidence of SIS between spheres which only differ by surface
characteristics. The effect is observed with a “slurry” made of solid
spheres immersed in a viscous fluid, inside a parallel-plate shear device.
We show that: i) A mixture of smooth and rough spheres of same size shows
considerable SIS. ii) Rough spheres (radius aR) behave similarly to smooth but larger spheres (radius . iii)
Segregation cancels out for a particular value of the size ratio, . These findings can be qualitatively
understood from available theories about the role of surface roughness on
two-sphere interactions in Stokes regime
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