350 research outputs found
Versatile method for quantifying and analyzing morphological differences in experimentally obtained images
Analyzing high-resolution images to gain insight into anatomical properties is an essential tool for investigation in many scientific fields. In plant biology, studying plant phenotypes from micrographs is often used to build hypotheses on gene function. In this report, we discuss a bespoke method for inspecting the significance in the differences between the morphologies of several plant mutants at cellular level. By examining a specific example in the literature, we will detail the approach previously used to quantify the effects of two gene families on the vascular development of hypocotyls in Arabidopsis thaliana. The method incorporates a MATLAB algorithm and statistical tools which can be modified and enhanced to tailor to different research questions in future studies
Orbiting Resonances and Bound States in Molecular Scattering
A family of orbiting resonances in molecular scattering is globally described
by using a single pole moving in the complex angular momentum plane. The
extrapolation of this pole at negative energies gives the location of the bound
states. Then a single pole trajectory, that connects a rotational band of bound
states and orbiting resonances, is obtained. These complex angular momentum
singularities are derived through a geometrical theory of the orbiting. The
downward crossing of the phase-shifts through pi/2, due to the repulsive region
of the molecular potential, is estimated by using a simple hard-core model.
Some remarks about the difference between diffracted rays and orbiting are also
given.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Physical Review
The Exact Correspondence between Phase Times and Dwell Times in a Symmetrical Quantum Tunneling Configuration
The general and explicit relation between the phase time and the dwell time
for quantum tunneling or scattering is investigated. Considering a symmetrical
collision of two identical wave packets with an one-dimensional barrier, here
we demonstrate that these two distinct transit time definitions give connected
results where, however, the phase time (group delay) accurately describes the
exact position of the scattered particles. The analytical difficulties that
arise when the stationary phase method is employed for obtaining phase
(traversal) times are all overcome. Multiple wave packet decomposition allows
us to recover the exact position of the reflected and transmitted waves in
terms of the phase time, which, in addition to the exact relation between the
phase time and the dwell time, leads to right interpretation for both of them.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
Chitinase 3-like 1 expression by human (MG63) osteoblasts in response to lysophosphatidic acid and 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3
Chitinase 3-like 1, otherwise known as YKL-40, is a secreted glycoprotein purported to have a role in extracellular matrix metabolism. The first mammalian cell type found to express YKL-40 was the human osteosarcoma-derived osteoblast, MG63. In that first study the active vitamin D3 metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25D), stimulated YKL-40 expression, thereby indicating that a vital factor for skeletal health promoted YKL-40 synthesis by bone forming cells. However, when these MG63 cells were exposed to 1,25D they were also exposed to serum, a rich source of the pleiotropic lipid mediator, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Given that 1,25D is now known to co-operate with selected growth factors, including LPA, to influence human osteoblast differentiation we hypothesised that 1,25D and LPA may work together to stimulate osteoblast YKL-40 expression. Herein we report that 1,25D and LPA synergistically promote YKL-40 expression by MG63 cells. Inhibitors targeting AP1, MEK, Sp1 and STAT3 blunted the expression of both alkaline phosphatase and YKL-40 by MG63 cells in response to co-stimulation with 1,25D and LPA. Other ligands of the vitamin D receptor also co-operated with LPA in driving YKL-40 mobilisation. Collectively our findings highlight another important role of 1,25D and LPA in the regulation of human osteoblast function
Comedy in Unfunny Times: News Parody and Carnival after 9/11
Comedy has a special role in helping societies manage crisis moments, and the U.S. media paid considerable attention to the proper role of comedy in public culture after the 9/11 tragedies. As has been well documented, many popular U.S. comic voices were paralyzed in trying to respond to 9/11 or disciplined by audiences when they did. Starting with these obstacles in mind, this essay analyzes early comic responses to 9/11, and particularly those of the print and online news parody The Onion, as an example of how “fake” news discourse could surmount the rhetorical chill that fell over public culture after the tragedies. By exposing the news as “mere” production and by setting an agenda for learning about Islamic culture and Middle East politics, The Onion avoided violating decorum and invited citizen participation. This kind of meta-discourse was crucial after 9/11, when shifting rules for decorum created controversy and as official voices in government and media honed frames and narratives for talking about the attacks
High-time Resolution Astrophysics and Pulsars
The discovery of pulsars in 1968 heralded an era where the temporal
characteristics of detectors had to be reassessed. Up to this point detector
integration times would normally be measured in minutes rather seconds and
definitely not on sub-second time scales. At the start of the 21st century
pulsar observations are still pushing the limits of detector telescope
capabilities. Flux variations on times scales less than 1 nsec have been
observed during giant radio pulses. Pulsar studies over the next 10 to 20 years
will require instruments with time resolutions down to microseconds and below,
high-quantum quantum efficiency, reasonable energy resolution and sensitive to
circular and linear polarisation of stochastic signals. This chapter is review
of temporally resolved optical observations of pulsars. It concludes with
estimates of the observability of pulsars with both existing telescopes and
into the ELT era.Comment: Review; 21 pages, 5 figures, 86 references. Book chapter to appear
in: D.Phelan, O.Ryan & A.Shearer, eds.: High Time Resolution Astrophysics
(Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Springer, 2007). The original
publication will be available at http://www.springerlink.co
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