Nuptial gift chemistry reveals convergent evolution correlated with antagonism in mating systems of harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones)

Nuptial gifts are material donations given from male to female before or during copulation and are subject to sexual selection in a wide variety of taxa. The harvestman genus Leiobunum has emerged as a model system for understanding the evolution of reproductive morphology and behavior, as transitions between solicitous and antagonistic modes of courtship have occurred multiple times within the lineage and are correlated with convergence in genital morphology. We analyzed the free amino acid content of nuptial gift secretions from five species of Leiobunum using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Multivariate analysis of the free amino acid profiles revealed that, rather than clustering based on phylogenetic relationships, nuptial gift chemical composition was better predicted by genital morphology and behavior, suggesting that convergent evolution has acted on the chemical composition of the nuptial gift. In addition, we found that, species with solicitous courtship produce gifts consisting of a 19% larger proportion of essential amino acids as compared to those with more antagonistic courtship interactions. This work represents the first comparative study of nuptial gift chemistry within a phylogenetic framework in any animal group and as such contributes to our understanding of the evolution of reproductive diversity and the participant role of nuptial gift chemistry in mating system transitions

Generalized r-matrix structure and algebro-geometric solution for integrable systems

The purpose of this paper is to construct a generalized r-matrix structure of finite dimensional systems and an approach to obtain the algebro-geometric solutions of integrable nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs). Our starting point is a generalized Lax matrix instead of usual Lax pair. The generalized r-matrix structure and Hamiltonian functions are presented on the basis of fundamental Poisson bracket. It can be clearly seen that various nonlinear constrained (c-) and restricted (r-) systems, such as the c-AKNS, c-MKdV, c-Toda, r-Toda, c-Levi, etc, are derived from the reduction of this structure. All these nonlinear systems have {\it r}-matrices, and are completely integrable in Liouville's sense. Furthermore, our generalized structure is developed to become an approach to obtain the algebro-geometric solutions of integrable NLEEs. Finally, the two typical examples are considered to illustrate this approach: the infinite or periodic Toda lattice equation and the AKNS equation with the condition of decay at infinity or periodic boundary.Comment: 41 pages, 0 figure

A continuum-microscopic method based on IRBFs and control volume scheme for viscoelastic fluid flows

A numerical computation of continuum-microscopic model for visco-elastic flows based on the Integrated Radial Basis Function (IRBF) Control Volume and the Stochastic Simulation Techniques (SST) is reported in this paper. The macroscopic flow equations are closed by a stochastic equation for the extra stress at the microscopic level. The former are discretised by a 1D-IRBF-CV method while the latter is integrated with Euler explicit or Predictor-Corrector schemes. Modelling is very efficient as it is based on Cartesian grid, while the integrated RBF approach enhances both the stability of the procedure and the accuracy of the solution. The proposed method is demonstrated with the solution of the start-up Couette flow of the Hookean and FENE dumbbell model fluids

First-principles study of multiferroic RbFe(MoO4_4)2_2

We have investigated the magnetic structure and ferroelectricity in RbFe(MoO$_4$)$_2$ via first-principles calculations. Phenomenological analyses have shown that ferroelectricity may arise due to both the triangular chirality of the magnetic structure, and through coupling between the magnetic helicity and the ferroaxial structural distortion. Indeed, it was recently proposed that the structural distortion plays a key role in stabilising the chiral magnetic structure itself. We have determined the relative contribution of the two mechanisms via \emph{ab-initio} calculations. Whilst the structural axiality does induce the magnetic helix by modulating the symmetric exchange interactions, the electric polarization is largely due to the in-plane spin triangular chirality, with both electronic and ionic contributions being of relativistic origin. At the microscopic level, we interpret the polarization as a secondary steric consequence of the inverse Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya mechanism and accordingly explain why the ferroaxial component of the electric polarization must be small

Electronic Structure of KFe2_2Se2_2 from First Principles Calculations

Electronic structure and magnetic properties for iron-selenide KFe$_2$Se$_2$ are studied by first-principles calculations. The ground state is stripe-like antiferromagnetic with calculated 2.26 $\mu_B$ magnetic moment on Fe atoms; and the $J_1$, $J_2$ coupling strengths are calculated to be 0.038 eV and 0.029 eV. The states around $E_F$ are dominated by the Fe-3d orbitals which hybridize noticeably to the Se-4p orbitals. While the band structure of KFe$_2$Se$_2$ is similar to a heavily electron-doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$ or FeSe system, the Fermi surface of KFe$_2$Se$_2$ is much closer to \fs11 system since the electron sheets around $M$ is symmetric with respect to $x$-$y$ exchange. These features, as well as the absence of Fermi surface nesting, suggest that the parental KFe$_2$Se$_2$ could be regarded as an electron over-doped 11 system with possible local moment magnetism.Comment: accepted by Chinese Physics Letter, to appear as Chinese Physics Letter, Vol 28, page 057402 (2011

Current-oscillator correlation and Fano factor spectrum of quantum shuttle with finite bias voltage and temperature

A general master equation is derived to describe an electromechanical single-dot transistor in the Coulomb blockade regime. In the equation, Fermi distribution functions in the two leads are taken into account, which allows one to study the system as a function of bias voltage and temperature of the leads. Furthermore, we treat the coherent interaction mechanism between electron tunneling events and the dynamics of excited vibrational modes. Stationary solutions of the equation are numerically calculated. We show current through the oscillating island at low temperature appears step like characteristics as a function of the bias voltage and the steps depend on mean phonon number of the oscillator. At higher temperatures the current steps would disappear and this event is accompanied by the emergence of thermal noise of the charge transfer. When the system is mainly in the ground state, zero frequency Fano factor of current manifests sub-Poissonian noise and when the system is partially driven into its excited states it exhibits super-Poissonian noise. The difference in the current noise would almost be removed for the situation in which the dissipation rate of the oscillator is much larger than the bare tunneling rates of electrons.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Magnetic anomalies in single crystalline ErPd2Si2

Considering certain interesting features in the previously reported 166Er Moessbauer effect and neutron diffraction data on the polycrystalline form of ErPd2Si2 crystallizing in ThCr2Si2-type tetragonal structure, we have carried out magnetic measurements (1.8 to 300 K) on the single crystalline form of this compound. We observe significant anisotropy in the absolute values of magnetization (indicating that the easy axis is c-axis) as well as in the features due to magnetic ordering in the plot of magnetic susceptibility (chi) versus temperature (T) at low temperatures. The chi(T) data reveal that there is a pseudo-low dimensional magnetic order setting in at 4.8 K, with a three-dimensional antiferromagnetic ordering setting in at a lower temperature (3.8 K). A new finding in the chi(T) data is that, for H//, but not for H//, there is a broad shoulder in the range 8-20 K, indicative of the existence of magnetic correlations above 5 K as well, which could be related to the previously reported slow-relaxation-dominated Moessbauer spectra. Interestingly, the temperature coefficient of electrical resistivity is found to be isotropic; no feature due to magnetic ordering could be detected in the electrical resistivity data at low temperatures, which is attributed to magnetic Brillioun-zone boundary gap effects. The results reveal complex nature of the magnetism of this compound

Competing Ground States in Triple-layered Sr4Ru3O10: Verging on Itinerant Ferromagnetism with Critical Fluctuations

Sr4Ru3O10 is characterized by a sharp metamagnetic transition and ferromagnetic behavior occurring within the basal plane and along the c-axis, respectively. Resistivity at magnetic field, B, exhibits low-frequency quantum oscillations when B||c-axis and large magnetoresistivity accompanied by critical fluctuations driven by the metamagnetism when B^c-axis. The complex behavior evidenced in resistivity, magnetization and specific heat presented is not characteristic of any obvious ground states, and points to an exotic state that shows a delicate balance between fluctuations and order.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure