3,606 research outputs found
Analyzing Trails in Complex Networks
Even more interesting than the intricate organization of complex networks are
the dynamical behavior of systems which such structures underly. Among the many
types of dynamics, one particularly interesting category involves the evolution
of trails left by moving agents progressing through random walks and dilating
processes in a complex network. The emergence of trails is present in many
dynamical process, such as pedestrian traffic, information flow and metabolic
pathways. Important problems related with trails include the reconstruction of
the trail and the identification of its source, when complete knowledge of the
trail is missing. In addition, the following of trails in multi-agent systems
represent a particularly interesting situation related to pedestrian dynamics
and swarming intelligence. The present work addresses these three issues while
taking into account permanent and transient marks left in the visited nodes.
Different topologies are considered for trail reconstruction and trail source
identification, including four complex networks models and four real networks,
namely the Internet, the US airlines network, an email network and the
scientific collaboration network of complex network researchers. Our results
show that the topology of the network influence in trail reconstruction, source
identification and agent dynamics.Comment: 10 pages, 16 figures. A working manuscript, comments and criticisms
welcome
Gravitational lens effect of a holonomy corrected Schwarzschild black hole
In this paper we study the gravitational lensing effect for the Schwarzschild
solution with holonomy corrections. We use two types of approximation methods
to calculate the deflection angle, namely the weak and strong field limits. For
the first method, we calculate the deflection angle up to the fifth order of
approximation and show the influence of the parameter (in terms of
loop quantum gravity) on it. In addition, we construct expressions for the
magnification, the position of the lensed images and the time delay as
functions of the coefficients from the deflection angle expansion. We find that
increases the deflection angle. In the strong field limit, we use a
logarithmic approximation to compute the deflection angle. We then write four
observables, in terms of the coefficients , and , namely: the
asymptotic position approached by a set of images , the
distance between the first image and the others , the ratio between the flux
of the first image and the flux of all other images , and the time delay
between two photons . We then use the experimental data of the
black hole Sagittarius and calculate the observables and the
coefficients of the logarithmic expansion. We find that the parameter
increases the deflection angle, the separation between the lensed images and
the delay time between them. In contrast, it decreases the brightness of the
first image compared to the others.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figure
Joint toxicity of cadmium and ionizing radiation on zooplankton carbon incorporation, growth and mobility
The risk of exposure to radioactive elements is seldom assessed considering mixture toxicity, potentially over- or underestimating biological and ecological effects on ecosystems. This study investigated how three end points, carbon transfer between phytoplankton and Daphnia magna, D. magna mobility and growth, responded to exposure to γ-radiation in combination with the heavy metal cadmium (Cd), using the MIXTOX approach. Observed effects were compared with mixture effects predicted by concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models and with deviations for synergistic/antagonistic (S/A), dose-level (DL), and dose-ratio (DR) dependency interactions. Several patterns of response were observed depending on the end point tested. DL-dependent deviation from the IA model was observed for carbon incorporation with antagonism switching to synergism at higher doses, while the CA model indicated synergism, mainly driven by effects at high doses of γ-radiation. CA detected antagonism regarding acute immobilization, while IA predicted DR-dependency. Both CA and IA also identified antagonism for daphnid growth. In general, effects of combinations of γ-radiation and Cd seem to be antagonistic at lower doses, but synergistic at the higher range of the doses tested. Our results highlight the importance of investigating the effects of exposure to γ-radiation in a multistressor context
Thyroid hormone receptor binding to DNA and T(3)-dependent transcriptional activation are inhibited by uremic toxins
BACKGROUND: There is a substantial clinical overlap between chronic renal failure (CRF) and hypothyroidism, suggesting the presence of hypothyroidism in uremic patients. Although CRF patients have low T(3 )and T(4 )levels with normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), they show a higher prevalence of goiter and evidence for blunted tissue responsiveness to T(3 )action. However, there are no studies examining whether thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) play a role in thyroid hormone dysfunction in CRF patients. To evaluate the effects of an uremic environment on TR function, we investigated the effect of uremic plasma on TRβ1 binding to DNA as heterodimers with the retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRα) and on T(3)-dependent transcriptional activity. RESULTS: We demonstrated that uremic plasma collected prior to hemodialysis (Pre-HD) significantly reduced TRβ1-RXRα binding to DNA. Such inhibition was also observed with a vitamin D receptor (VDR) but not with a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). A cell-based assay confirmed this effect where uremic pre-HD ultrafiltrate inhibited the transcriptional activation induced by T(3 )in U937 cells. In both cases, the inhibitory effects were reversed when the uremic plasma and the uremic ultrafiltrate were collected and used after hemodialysis (Post-HD). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that dialyzable toxins in uremic plasma selectively block the binding of TRβ1-RXRα to DNA and impair T(3 )transcriptional activity. These findings may explain some features of hypothyroidism and thyroid hormone resistance observed in CRF patients
Automatic Network Fingerprinting through Single-Node Motifs
Complex networks have been characterised by their specific connectivity
patterns (network motifs), but their building blocks can also be identified and
described by node-motifs---a combination of local network features. One
technique to identify single node-motifs has been presented by Costa et al. (L.
D. F. Costa, F. A. Rodrigues, C. C. Hilgetag, and M. Kaiser, Europhys. Lett.,
87, 1, 2009). Here, we first suggest improvements to the method including how
its parameters can be determined automatically. Such automatic routines make
high-throughput studies of many networks feasible. Second, the new routines are
validated in different network-series. Third, we provide an example of how the
method can be used to analyse network time-series. In conclusion, we provide a
robust method for systematically discovering and classifying characteristic
nodes of a network. In contrast to classical motif analysis, our approach can
identify individual components (here: nodes) that are specific to a network.
Such special nodes, as hubs before, might be found to play critical roles in
real-world networks.Comment: 16 pages (4 figures) plus supporting information 8 pages (5 figures
Population structure, adaptation and divergence of the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera, Aphrophoridae), revealed by genomic and morphological data
Understanding patterns of population differentiation and gene flow in insect vectors of plant diseases is crucial for the implementation of management programs of disease. We investigated morphological and genome-wide variation across the distribution range of the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Aphrophoridae), presently the most important vector of the plant pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al., 1987 in Europe. We found genome-wide divergence between P. spumarius and a very closely related species, P. tesselatus Melichar, 1899, at RAD sequencing markers. The two species may be identified by the morphology of male genitalia but are not differentiated at mitochondrial COI, making DNA barcoding with this gene ineffective. This highlights the importance of using integrative approaches in taxonomy. We detected admixture between P. tesselatus from Morocco and P. spumarius from the Iberian Peninsula, suggesting gene-flow between them. Within P. spumarius, we found a pattern of isolation-by-distance in European populations, likely acting alongside other factors restricting gene flow. Varying levels of co-occurrence of different lineages, showing heterogeneous levels of admixture, suggest other isolation mechanisms. The transatlantic populations of North America and Azores were genetically closer to the British population analyzed here, suggesting an origin from North-Western Europe, as already detected with mitochondrial DNA. Nevertheless, these may have been produced through different colonization events. We detected SNPs with signatures of positive selection associated with environmental variables, especially related to extremes and range variation in temperature and precipitation. The population genomics approach provided new insights into the patterns of divergence, gene flow and adaptation in these spittlebugs and led to several hypotheses that require further local investigation.Peer reviewe
Observation of the decay
The decay is observed for the first
time, using proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3fb. A signal yield of
decays is reported with a significance of 6.2 standard deviations.
The ratio of the branching fraction of \B_c \rightarrow J/\psi K^+ K^- \pi^+
decays to that of decays is measured to be
, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the
second is systematic.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figure
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