25,019 research outputs found
The evolution of gregariousness in parasitoid wasps
Data are assembled on the clutch-size strategies adopted by extant species of parasitoid wasp. These data are used to reconstruct the history of clutch-size evolution in the group using a series of plausible evolutionary assumptions. Extant families are either entirely solitary, both solitary and gregarious, or else clutch size is unknown. Parsimony analysis suggests that the ancestors of most families were solitary, a result which is robust to different phylogenetic relationships and likely data inadequacies. This implies that solitariness was ubiquitous throughout the initial radiation of the group, and that transitions to gregariousness have subsequently occurred a minimum of 43 times in several, but not all lineages. Current data suggest that species-rich and small-bodied lineages are more likely to have evolved gregariousness, and contain more species with small gregarious brood sizes. I discuss the implications of these data for clutch-size theory
Phase Response Curves of Coupled Oscillators
Many real oscillators are coupled to other oscillators and the coupling can
affect the response of the oscillators to stimuli. We investigate phase
response curves (PRCs) of coupled oscillators. The PRCs for two weakly coupled
phase-locked oscillators are analytically obtained in terms of the PRC for
uncoupled oscillators and the coupling function of the system. Through
simulation and analytic methods, the PRCs for globally coupled oscillators are
also discussed.Comment: 5 pages 4 figur
Pharmacological utilization of bergamottin, derived from grapefruits, in cancer prevention and therapy
In spite of significant advances in treatment options and the advent of novel targeted therapies, there still remains an unmet need for the identification of novel pharmacological agents for cancer therapy. This has led to several studies evaluating the possible application of natural agents found in vegetables, fruits, or plant-derived products that may be useful for cancer treatment. Bergamottin is a furanocoumarin derived from grapefruits and is also a well-known cytochrome P450 inhibitor. Recent studies have demonstrated potent anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties of grapefruit furanocoumarin both in vitro and in vivo. The present review focuses on the potential anti-neoplastic effects of bergamottin in different tumor models and briefly describes the molecular targets affected by this agent
Lambda flow in heavy-ion collisions: the role of final-state interactions
Lambda flow in Ni+Ni collisions at SIS energies is studied in the
relativistic transport model (RVUU 1.0). It is found that for primordial
lambdas the flow is considerably weaker than proton flow. The inclusion of
final-state interactions, especially the propagation of lambdas in mean-field
potential, brings the lambda flow close to that of protons. An accurate
determination of lambda flow in heavy-ion experiments is shown to be very
useful for studying lambda properties in dense matter.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX, figures available from [email protected], to appear
in Phys. Rev.
Constraining properties of neutron stars with heavy-ion reactions in terrestrial laboratories
Heavy-ion reactions provide a unique means to investigate the equation of
state (EOS) of neutron-rich nuclear matter, especially the density dependence
of the nuclear symmetry energy . The latter plays an important
role in understanding many key issues in both nuclear physics and astrophysics.
Recent analyses of heavy-ion reactions have already put a stringent constraint
on the around the saturation density. This subsequently allowed
us to constrain significantly the radii and cooling mechanisms of neutron stars
as well as the possible changing rate of the gravitational constant G.Comment: 6 pages. Talk given at the Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics III,
Dresden, Germany, March 26-31, 2007. To appear in a special volume of J. of
Phys.
Kaon differential flow in relativistic heavy-ion collisions
Using a relativistic transport model, we study the azimuthal momentum
asymmetry of kaons with fixed transverse momentum, i.e., the differential flow,
in heavy-ion collisions at beam momentum of 6 GeV/c per nucleon, available from
the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) at the Brookhaven National
Laboratory (BNL). We find that in the absence of kaon potential the kaon
differential flow is positive and increases with transverse momentum as that of
nucleons. The repulsive kaon potential as predicted by theoretical models,
however, reduces the kaon differetnial flow, changing it to negative for kaons
with low momenta. Cancellation between the negative differential flow at low
mementa and the positive one at high momenta is then responsible for the
experimentally observed nearly vanishing in-plane transverse flow of kaons in
heavy ion experiments.Comment: Phys. Rev. C in pres
Vector-meson contributions do not explain the rate and spectrum in K_L -> pi0 gamma gamma
We analyze the recent NA48 data for the reaction K_L -> pi0 gamma gamma with
and without the assumption of vector meson dominance (VMD). We find that the
data is well described by a three-parameter expression inspired by O(p^6)
chiral perturbation theory. We also find that it is impossible to fit the shape
of the decay distribution and the overall rate simultaneously if one imposes
the VMD constraints on the three parameters. We comment on the different fits
and their implications for the CP-conserving component of the decay K_L -> pi0
e+ e-.Comment: Version accepted for publication on Phys. Rev. D. 19 pages, LaTeX, 8
figures, uses epsf.st
Ozone Response to Aircraft Emissions: Sensitivity Studies with Two-dimensional Models
Our first intercomparison/assessment of the effects of a proposed high-speed civil transport (HSCT) fleet on the stratosphere is presented. These model calculations should be considered more as sensitivity studies, primarily designed to serve the following purposes: (1) to allow for intercomparison of model predictions; (2) to focus on the range of fleet operations and engine specifications giving minimal environmental impact; and (3) to provide the basis for future assessment studies. The basic scenarios were chosen to be as realistic as possible, using the information available on anticipated developments in technology. They are not to be interpreted as a commitment or goal for environmental acceptability
Evidence for tidal interaction and merger as the origin of galaxy morphology evolution in compact groups
We present the results of a morphological study based on NIR images of 25
galaxies, with different levels of nuclear activity, in 8 Compact Groups of
Galaxies (CGs). We perform independently two different analysis: a isophotal
study and a study of morphological asymmetries. The results yielded by the two
analysis are highly consistent. For the first time, it is possible to show that
deviations from pure ellipses are produced by inhomogeneous stellar mass
distributions related to galaxy interactions and mergers. We find evidence of
mass asymmetries in 74% of the galaxies in our sample. In 59% of these cases,
the asymmetries come in pairs, and are consistent with tidal effects produced
by the proximity of companion galaxies. The symmetric galaxies are generally
small in size or mass, inactive, and have an early-type morphology. In 20% of
the galaxies we find evidence for cannibalism. In 36% of the early-type
galaxies the color gradient is positive (blue nucleus) or flat. Summing up
these results, as much as 52% of the galaxies in our sample could show evidence
of an on going or past mergers. Our observations suggest that galaxies in CGs
merge more frequently under ``dry'' conditions. The high frequency of
interacting and merging galaxies observed in our study is consistent with the
bias of our sample towards CGs of type B, which represents the most active
phase in the evolution of the groups. In these groups we also find a strong
correlation between asymmetries and nuclear activity in early-type galaxies.
This correlation allows us to identify tidal interactions and mergers as the
cause of galaxy morphology transformation in CGs.[abridge]Comment: 64 pages, 35 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Medium effects in high energy heavy-ion collisions
The change of hadron properties in dense matter based on various theoretical
approaches are reviewed. Incorporating these medium effects in the relativistic
transport model, which treats consistently the change of hadron masses and
energies in dense matter via the scalar and vector fields, heavy-ion collisions
at energies available from SIS/GSI, AGS/BNL, and SPS/CERN are studied. This
model is seen to provide satisfactory explanations for the observed enhancement
of kaon, antikaon, and antiproton yields as well as soft pions in the
transverse direction from the SIS experiments. In the AGS heavy-ion
experiments, it can account for the enhanced ratio, the difference
in the slope parameters of the and transverse kinetic energy
spectra, and the lower apparent temperature of antiprotons than that of
protons. This model also provides possible explanations for the observed
enhancement of low-mass dileptons, phi mesons, and antilambdas in heavy-ion
collisions at SPS energies. Furthermore, the change of hadron properties in hot
dense matter leads to new signatures of the quark-gluon plasma to hadronic
matter transition in future ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC/BNL.Comment: RevTeX, 65 pages, including 25 postscript figures, invited topical
review for Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic
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