108 research outputs found
Could thioredoxin h be involved in early response to gravitropic stimulation of poplar stems?
The perception of gravity is essential for plant development. Trees constantly develop specialized woody tissues, termed « reaction wood » to correct inclined branch and stem growth in order to adopt an optimal position. Despite the economical impact of reaction wood occurrence and itsimportance from a developmental point of view, the perception and response to the gravitational stimulus have not been extensively studied in woody species in which primary and secondary growth occur. Using complementary approaches (proteomics, qRT-PCR, immunolocalization), we have compared straight polar stems to stems that were inclined at 35° from the vertical axis for periods of time varying from 10 min to 6 hours depending on the experiments. The proteomics approach revealed that thirty six percent of the identified proteins that were differentially expressed after gravistimulation were established as potential Thioredoxin targets. qRT-PCR indicated an early induction of Thioredoxin h expression following gravistimulation. In situ immunolocalization indicated that Thioredoxin h protein co-localized with the amyloplasts located in the endodermalcells which may be specialized in gravity perception. These investigations suggest the involvement of Thioredoxin h in the first events of signal transduction in inclined poplar stems, leading to reaction wood formation
High Magnetic Field ESR in the Haldane Spin Chains NENP and NINO
We present electron spin resonance experiments in the one-dimensional
antiferromagnetic S=1 spin chains NENP and NINO in pulsed magnetic fields up to
50T. The measured field dependence of the quantum energy gap for B||b is
analyzed using the exact diagonalization method and the density matrix
renormalization group method (DMRG). A staggered anisotropy term (-1)^i d(S_i^x
S_i^z + S_i^z S_i^x) was considered for the first time in addition to a
staggered field term (-1)^i S_i^x B_st. We show that the spin dynamics in high
magnetic fields strongly depends on the orthorhombic anisotropy E.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 4 figure
Subthreshold dynamics of the neural membrane potential driven by stochastic synaptic input
In the cerebral cortex, neurons are subject to a continuous bombardment of synaptic inputs originating from the network's background activity. This leads to ongoing, mostly subthreshold membrane dynamics that depends on the statistics of the background activity and of the synapses made on a neuron. Subthreshold membrane polarization is, in turn, a potent modulator of neural responses. The present paper analyzes the subthreshold dynamics of the neural membrane potential driven by synaptic inputs of stationary statistics. Synaptic inputs are considered in linear interaction. The analysis identifies regimes of input statistics which give rise to stationary, fluctuating, oscillatory, and unstable dynamics. In particular, I show that (i) mere noise inputs can drive the membrane potential into sustained, quasiperiodic oscillations (noise-driven oscillations), in the absence of a stimulus-derived, intraneural, or network pacemaker; (ii) adding hyperpolarizing to depolarizing synaptic input can increase neural activity (hyperpolarization-induced activity), in the absence of hyperpolarization-activated currents
Impurity Energy Level Within The Haldane Gap
An impurity bond in a periodic 1D antiferromagnetic, spin 1 chain with
exchange is considered. Using the numerical density matrix renormalization
group method, we find an impurity energy level in the Haldane gap,
corresponding to a bound state near the impurity bond. When the level
changes gradually from the edge of the Haldane gap to the ground state energy
as the deviation changes from 0 to 1. It seems that there is
no threshold. Yet, there is a threshold when . The impurity level
appears only when the deviation is greater than ,
which is near 0.3 in our calculation.Comment: Latex file,9 pages uuencoded compressed postscript including 4
figure
Determinisitic Optical Fock State Generation
We present a scheme for the deterministic generation of N-photon Fock states
from N three-level atoms in a high-finesse optical cavity. The method applies
an external laser pulsethat generates an -photon output state while
adiabatically keeping the atom-cavity system within a subspace of optically
dark states. We present analytical estimates of the error due to amplitude
leakage from these dark states for general N, and compare it with explicit
results of numerical simulations for N \leq 5. The method is shown to provide a
robust source of N-photon states under a variety of experimental conditions and
is suitable for experimental implementation using a cloud of cold atoms
magnetically trapped in a cavity. The resulting N-photon states have potential
applications in fundamental studies of non-classical states and in quantum
information processing.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure
Conditional generation of N-photon entangled states of light
We propose a scheme for conditional generation of two-mode N-photon
path-entangled states of traveling light field. These states may find
applications in quantum optical lithography and they may be used to improve the
sensitivity of interferometric measurements. Our method requires only
single-photon sources, linear optics (beam splitters and phase shifters), and
photodetectors with single photon sensitivity.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, RevTeX
Conditional generation of arbitrary multimode entangled states of light with linear optics
We propose a universal scheme for the probabilistic generation of an
arbitrary multimode entangled state of light with finite expansion in Fock
basis. The suggested setup involves passive linear optics, single photon
sources, strong coherent laser beams, and photodetectors with single-photon
resolution. The efficiency of this setup may be greatly enhanced if, in
addition, a quantum memory is available.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
On the influence of the cosmological constant on gravitational lensing in small systems
The cosmological constant Lambda affects gravitational lensing phenomena. The
contribution of Lambda to the observable angular positions of multiple images
and to their amplification and time delay is here computed through a study in
the weak deflection limit of the equations of motion in the Schwarzschild-de
Sitter metric. Due to Lambda the unresolved images are slightly demagnified,
the radius of the Einstein ring decreases and the time delay increases. The
effect is however negligible for near lenses. In the case of null cosmological
constant, we provide some updated results on lensing by a Schwarzschild black
hole.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure; v2: extended discussion on the lens equation,
references added, results unchanged, in press on PR
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Linking canonical microcircuits and neuronal activity: Dynamic causal modelling of laminar recordings
Neural models describe brain activity at different scales, ranging from single cells to whole brain networks. Here, we attempt to reconcile models operating at the microscopic (compartmental) and mesoscopic (neural mass) scales to analyse data from microelectrode recordings of intralaminar neural activity. Although these two classes of models operate at different scales, it is relatively straightforward to create neural mass models of ensemble activity that are equipped with priors obtained after fitting data generated by detailed microscopic models. This provides generative (forward) models of measured neuronal responses that retain construct validity in relation to compartmental models. We illustrate our approach using cross spectral responses obtained from V1 during a visual perception paradigm that involved optogenetic manipulation of the basal forebrain. We find that the resulting neural mass model can distinguish between activity in distinct cortical layers – both with and without optogenetic activation – and that cholinergic input appears to enhance (disinhibit) superficial layer activity relative to deep layers. This is particularly interesting from the perspective of predictive coding, where neuromodulators are thought to boost prediction errors that ascend the cortical hierarchy
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Preface paper to the Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere (SALSA) Program special issue
The Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere Program (SALSA) is a multi-agency, multi-national research effort that seeks to evaluate the consequences of natural and human-induced environmental change in semi-arid regions. The ultimate goal of SALSA is to advance scientific understanding of the semi-arid portion of the hydrosphere–biosphere interface in order to provide reliable information for environmental decision making. SALSA approaches this goal through a program of long-term, integrated observations, process research, modeling, assessment, and information management that is sustained by cooperation among scientists and information users. In this preface to the SALSA special issue, general program background information and the critical nature of semi-arid regions is presented. A brief description of the Upper San Pedro River Basin, the initial location for focused SALSA research follows. Several overarching research objectives under which much of the interdisciplinary research contained in the special issue was undertaken are discussed. Principal methods, primary research sites and data collection used by numerous investigators during 1997–1999 are then presented. Scientists from about 20 US, five European (four French and one Dutch), and three Mexican agencies and institutions have collaborated closely to make the research leading to this special issue a reality. The SALSA Program has served as a model of interagency cooperation by breaking new ground in the approach to large scale interdisciplinary science with relatively limited resources
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