Partially Unbiased Entangled Bases

In this contribution we group the operator basis for d^2 dimensional Hilbert space in a way that enables us to relate bases of entangled states with single particle mutually unbiased state bases (MUB), each in dimensionality d. We utilize these sets of operators to show that an arbitrary density matrix for this d^2 dimensional Hilbert space system is analyzed by via d^2+d+1 measurements, d^2-d of which involve those entangled states that we associate with MUB of the d-dimensional single particle constituents. The number $d^2+d+1$ lies in the middle of the number of measurements needed for bipartite state reconstruction with two-particle MUB (d^2+1) and those needed by single-particle MUB [(d^2+1)^2].Comment: 5 page

A general low frequency acoustic radiation capability for NASTRAN

A new capability called NASHUA is described for calculating the radiated acoustic sound pressure field exterior to a harmonically-excited arbitrary submerged 3-D elastic structure. The surface fluid pressures and velocities are first calculated by coupling a NASTRAN finite element model of the structure with a discretized form of the Helmholtz surface integral equation for the exterior fluid. After the fluid impedance is calculated, most of the required matrix operations are performed using the general matrix manipulation package (DMAP) available in NASTRAN. Far field radiated pressures are then calculated from the surface solution using the Helmholtz exterior integral equation. Other output quantities include the maximum sound pressure levels in each of the three coordinate planes, the rms and average surface pressures and normal velocities, the total radiated power and the radiation efficiency. The overall approach is illustrated and validated using known analytic solutions for submerged spherical shells subjected to both uniform and nonuniform applied loads

Role of ABA in Arabidopsis Salt, Drought, and Desiccation Tolerance

The ability of plants to respond to environmental stimuli is essential to plant survival. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone with roles at various stages of plant development. ABA also plays a major role in mediating physiological responses to environmental stresses such as salt, osmotic, and cold stress. Plant responses to environmental stress have been widely studied in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and ABA signaling mechanisms elucidated. In general, the adaptive responses of plants to various stress conditions can be either ABA-dependent or ABA-independent. Here we focus on the role of ABA in stress signaling and abiotic stress tolerance. We describe the intrinsic mechanisms that confer stress tolerance via ABA, as well as how ABA-regulated gene products play a role in salt and drought tolerance at different stages of the life cycle. In addition, the contribution of ABA to regulation of stomatal aperture and therefore desiccation tolerance will be discussed. Understanding ABA signaling mechanisms in abiotic stress provides avenues for improving plant performance

A shortcut to identifying small molecule signals that regulate behavior and development in Caenorhabditis elegans

Small molecule metabolites play important roles in Caenorhabditis elegans biology, but effective approaches for identifying their chemical structures are lacking. Recent studies revealed that a family of glycosides, the ascarosides, differentially regulate C. elegans development and behavior. Low concentrations of ascarosides attract males and thus appear to be part of the C. elegans sex pheromone, whereas higher concentrations induce developmental arrest at the dauer stage, an alternative, nonaging larval stage. The ascarosides act synergistically, which presented challenges for their identification via traditional activity-guided fractionation. As a result the chemical characterization of the dauer and male attracting pheromones remained incomplete. Here, we describe the identification of several additional pheromone components by using a recently developed NMR-spectroscopic approach, differential analysis by 2D NMR spectroscopy (DANS), which simplifies linking small molecule metabolites with their biological function. DANS-based comparison of wild-type C. elegans and a signaling-deficient mutant, daf-22, enabled identification of 3 known and 4 previously undescribed ascarosides, including a compound that features a p-aminobenzoic acid subunit. Biological testing of synthetic samples of these compounds revealed additional evidence for synergy and provided insights into structure–activity relationships. Using a combination of the three most active ascarosides allowed full reconstitution of the male-attracting activity of wild-type pheromone extract. Our results highlight the efficacy of DANS as a method for identifying small-molecule metabolites and placing them within a specific genetic context. This study further supports the hypothesis that ascarosides represent a structurally diverse set of nematode signaling molecules regulating major life history traits

The effect of physical characteristics on cow price differentials in Kansas

A survey of cow sales was conducted in the fall of 1986 and spring of 1987 at seven Kansas cattle auctions. Several factors significantly influenced cow prices, including health, estimated dressing percentage, lot size, breed, and time of sale. Changes in dressing percentage explained the major portion of cow price variation

The effect of physical characteristics on the price of stocker and feeder cattle

A survey of feeder cattle sales was conducted at seven Kansas cattle auctions during 1986 and 1987. A wide variety of physical characteristics was found to influence feeder cattle prices. The price impact resulting from changes in fill and condition varied seasonally. Although calves showing any signs of health problems received severe price discounts, the presence of other undesirable characteristics also resulted in discounts, but to lesser degrees

Enhancing proton acceleration by using composite targets

Efficient laser ion acceleration requires high laser intensities, which can only be obtained by tightly focusing laser radiation. In the radiation pressure acceleration regime, where the tightly focused laser driver leads to the appearance of the fundamental limit for the maximum attainable ion energy, this limit corresponds to the laser pulse group velocity as well as to another limit connected with the transverse expansion of the accelerated foil and consequent onset of the foil transparency. These limits can be relaxed by using composite targets, consisting of a thin foil followed by a near critical density slab. Such targets provide guiding of a laser pulse inside a self-generated channel and background electrons, being snowplowed by the pulse, compensate for the transverse expansion. The use of composite targets results in a significant increase in maximum ion energy, compared to a single foil target case.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure

Some remarks on the visible points of a lattice

We comment on the set of visible points of a lattice and its Fourier transform, thus continuing and generalizing previous work by Schroeder and Mosseri. A closed formula in terms of Dirichlet series is obtained for the Bragg part of the Fourier transform. We compare this calculation with the outcome of an optical Fourier transform of the visible points of the 2D square lattice.Comment: 9 pages, 3 eps-figures, 1 jpeg-figure; updated version; another article (by M. Baake, R. V. Moody and P. A. B. Pleasants) with the complete solution of the spectral problem will follow soon (see math.MG/9906132