Morphophysiological Plasticity Of Plagiotropic Branches In Response To Change In The Coffee Plant Spacing Within Rows

Changes in spacing within rows may alter the morphology of the coffee plant by affecting the physiological constituents of its productivity. Even though some common plant responses to crop spacing variation are known, there is yet no scientific evidence that elucidates the effects of decreased spacing on the sourcesink relation in plagiotropic branches and, its association with both productivity and eco-physiological aspects of coffee leaves, mainly for new coffee cultivars in the Brazilian savannah. The aim of this work was to characterize the morphophysiological responses of Coffea arabica L. cultivars subjected to different spacing between plants within rows. Four Arabica coffee cultivars (Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144, Catuaí Amarelo IAC 62, Catuaí Amarelo IAC 32, and Tupi RN IAC 1669-13) were transplanted in January 2010. A row spacing of 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.70, and 0.80 m was adopted between plants, maintaining a 3.80-m constant between rows. A randomized block design with four replicates was applied. During the experimental period, several morphophysiological characteristics of plagiotropic fruiting branches were evaluated in the months of April and December in 2013 and, in April 2014. The evaluation was conducted based on two canopy positions; canopy toward the rows, representing low exposure to light or toward the inter-row spacing, representing high light exposure. Leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthetic pigments levels were minimally or not at all affected by changing either the coffee cultivars or plant spacing. During the first evaluation, the leaf-to-fruitratio linearly increased, regardless of the cultivar. Light-exposed branches showed higher content of carotenoids and chlorophyll a in leaves and lower leaf-to-fruit-ratio as compared to those within the plant canopy. A major reduction in the number of fruits per branch was observed which was closely related to a parallel decrease in the number of fruits per node but not in the number of fruiting nodes per branch. Although this response was largely cultivar-dependent, it also changed according to the branch position in the hedgerow. Our results suggest that all tested cultivars exhibit high morphophysiological plasticity and have the potential to grow under different plant spacing within rows.3763819383

Optical Tweezers 3d Photonic Force Spectroscopy

Since optical tweezers trapped microspheres can be used as an ultrasensitive force measurements technique, the knowledge of its theoretical description is of utmost importance. However, even the description of the incident electromagnetic fields under very tight focusing, typical of the optical trap, is not yet a closed problem. Therefore it is important to experimentally obtain whole accurate curves of the force as a function of wavelength, polarization and incident beam 3D position with respect to the center of the microsphere. Theoretical models for optical forces such as the Generalized Lorenz-Mie theory, can then be applied to the precisely evaluated experimental results. Using a dual trap in an upright standard optical microscope, one to keep the particle at the equilibrium position and the other to disturb it we have been able to obtain these force curves as a function of x, y and z position, incident beam polarization and also wavelength. Further investigation of optical forces was conducted for wavelengths in and out Mie resonances of the dielectric microspherical cavities for both TM and TE modes.6131Ashkin, A., Dziedzic, J.M., Bjorkholm, J.E., Chu, S., Observation of a single-beam gradient force trap for dielectric particles (1986) Opt. Lett., 11, pp. 288-290Ashkin, A., Dziedzic, J.M., Optical trapping and manipulation of viruses and bacteria (1987) Science, 235, pp. 1517-1520Grier, D.G., A revolution in optical manipulation (2003) Nature, 424, pp. 810-816Neuman, K.C., Block, S., Optical trapping (2004) Rev. Sci. Instrum., 75, pp. 2787-2809Lock, J.A., Calculation of the radiation trapping force for laser tweezers by use of generalized Lorenz-Mie theory. I. Localized model description of an on-axis tightly focused laser beam with spherical aberration (2004) Appl. Opt., 43, pp. 2532-2544Lock, J.A., Calculation of the radiation trapping force for laser tweezers by use of generalized Lorenz-Mie theory. II. On-axis trapping force (2004) Appl. Opt., 43, pp. 2545-2554Mazolli, A., Neto, P.A.M., Nussenzveig, H.M., Theory of trapping forces in optical tweezers (2003) Proc. Royal Soc. London Ser. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci., 459, pp. 3021-3041Fontes, A., Neves, A.A.R., Moreira, W.L., De Thomaz, A.A., Barbosa, L.C., De Paula, A.M., Cesar, C.L., Double optical tweezers for ultrasensitive force spectroscopy in microsphere Mie scattering (2005) Appl. Phys. Lett., 87. , Art. No. 221109Ren, K.F., Gouesbet, G., Gréhan, G., Integral localized approximation in generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (1998) Appl. Opt., 37, pp. 4218-4225Lock, J.A., Excitation efficiency of a morphology-dependent resonance by a focused Gaussian beam (1998) J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 15, pp. 2986-2994Davis, L.W., Theory of electromagnetic beams (1979) Phys. Rev. A, 19, pp. 1177-1779Ren, K.F., Gréhan, G., Gouesbet, G., Radiation pressure forces exerted on a particle arbitrarily located in a gaussian beam by using the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory and associated resonance effects (1994) Opt. Commun., 108, pp. 343-354Ren, K.F., Gréhan, G., Gouesbet, G., Symmetry relations in generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (1994) J. Opt. Soc. Am. A, 11, pp. 1812-181

Spin glass transition in a magnetic field: a renormalization group study

We study the transition of short range Ising spin glasses in a magnetic field, within a general replica symmetric field theory, which contains three masses and eight cubic couplings, that is defined in terms of the fields representing the replicon, anomalous and longitudinal modes. We discuss the symmetry of the theory in the limit of replica number n to 0, and consider the regular case where the longitudinal and anomalous masses remain degenerate. The spin glass transitions in zero and non-zero field are analyzed in a common framework. The mean field treatment shows the usual results, that is a transition in zero field, where all the modes become critical, and a transition in non-zero field, at the de Almeida-Thouless (AT) line, with only the replicon mode critical. Renormalization group methods are used to study the critical behavior, to order epsilon = 6-d. In the general theory we find a stable fixed-point associated to the spin glass transition in zero field. This fixed-point becomes unstable in the presence of a small magnetic field, and we calculate crossover exponents, which we relate to zero-field critical exponents. In a finite magnetic field, we find no physical stable fixed-point to describe the AT transition, in agreement with previous results of other authors.Comment: 36 pages with 4 tables. To be published in Phys. Rev.

Dynamic scaling and aging phenomena in short-range Ising spin glass: Cu0.5_{0.5}Co0.5_{0.5}Cl2_{2}-FeCl3_{3} graphite bi-intercalation compound

Static and dynamic behavior of short-range Ising-spin glass Cu$_{0.5}$Co$_{0.5}$Cl$_{2}$-FeCl$_{3}$ graphite bi-intercalation compounds (GBIC) has been studied with SQUID DC and AC magnetic susceptibility. The $T$ dependence of the zero-field relaxation time $\tau$ above a spin-freezing temperature $T_{g}$ (= 3.92 $\pm$ 0.11 K) is well described by critical slowing down. The absorption $\chi^{\prime\prime}$ below $T_{g}$ decreases with increasing angular frequency $\omega$, which is in contrast to the case of 3D Ising spin glass. The dynamic freezing temperature $T_{f}(H,\omega)$ at which d$M_{FC}(T,H)/$d$H=\chi^{\prime}(T,H=0,\omega)$, is determined as a function of frequency (0.01 Hz $\leq \omega/2\pi \leq$ 1 kHz) and magnetic field (0 $\leq H \leq$ 5 kOe). The dynamic scaling analysis of the relaxation time $\tau(T,H)$ defined as $\tau = 1/\omega$ at $T = T_{f}(H,\omega)$ suggests the absence of SG phase in the presence of $H$ (at least above 100 Oe). Dynamic scaling analysis of $\chi^{\prime \prime}(T, \omega)$ and $\tau(T,H)$ near $T_{g}$ leads to the critical exponents ($\beta$ = 0.36 $\pm$ 0.03, $\gamma$ = 3.5 $\pm$ 0.4, $\nu$ = 1.4 $\pm$ 0.2, $z$ = 6.6 $\pm$ 1.2, $\psi$ = 0.24 $\pm$ 0.02, and $\theta$ = 0.13 $\pm$ 0.02). The aging phenomenon is studied through the absorption $\chi^{\prime \prime}(\omega, t)$ below $T_{g}$. It obeys a $(\omega t)^{-b^{\prime \prime}}$ power-law decay with an exponent $b^{\prime \prime}\approx 0.15 - 0.2$. The rejuvenation effect is also observed under sufficiently large (temperature and magnetic-field) perturbations.Comment: 14 pages, 19 figures; to be published in Phys. Rev. B (September 1, 2003

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Measurement of isolated photon production in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV

Isolated photon production is measured in proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energies of 2.76 TeV in the pseudorapidity range |eta|<1.44 and transverse energies ET between 20 and 80 GeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The measured ET spectra are found to be in good agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions. The ratio of PbPb to pp isolated photon ET-differential yields, scaled by the number of incoherent nucleon-nucleon collisions, is consistent with unity for all PbPb reaction centralities.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters