Measurement of point velocities in turbulent liquid flow

Turbulent water flow velocity distribution using hot-wire anemometer and photographic technique

Evidence for a quantum phase transition in electron-doped Pr2−x_{2-x}Cex_{x}CuO4−δ_{4-\delta} from Thermopower measurements

The evidence for a quantum phase transition under the superconducting dome in the high-$T_c$ cuprates has been controversial. We report low temperature normal state thermopower(S) measurements in electron-doped Pr$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4-\delta}$ as a function of doping (x from 0.11 to 0.19). We find that at 2K both S and S/T increase dramatically from x=0.11 to 0.16 and then saturate in the overdoped region. This behavior has a remarkable similarity to previous Hall effect results in Pr$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4-\delta}$ . Our results are further evidence for an antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic quantum phase transition in electron-doped cuprates near x=0.16.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Evidence for Antiferromagnetic Order in La2−x_{2-x}Cex_{x}CuO4_{4} from Angular Magnetoresistance Measurements

We investigated the in-plane angular magnetoresistivity (AMR) of $T^{^{\prime}}$-phase La$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ (LCCO) thin films ($x=0.06-0.15$) fabricated by a pulsed laser deposition technique. The in-plane AMR with $\mathbf{H}\parallel ab$ shows a twofold symmetry instead of the fourfold behavior found in other electron-doped cuprates such as Pr$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$ and Nd$_{2-x}$Ce$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$. The twofold AMR disappears above a certain temperature, $T_{D}$. The $T_{D}(x)$ is well above $T_{c}(x)$ for $x=0.06$ ($\sim 110$ K), and decreases with increasing doping, until it is no longer observed above $T_{c}(x)$ at $x=0.15$. This twofold AMR below $T_{D}(x)$ is suggested to originate from an antiferromagnetic or spin density wave order.Comment: to be published in Phys. Rev. B, Vol. 80 (2009

Mobile DNA and the TE-Thrust hypothesis: supporting evidence from the primates

Transposable elements (TEs) are increasingly being recognized as powerful facilitators of evolution. We propose the TE-Thrust hypothesis to encompass TE-facilitated processes by which genomes self-engineer coding, regulatory, karyotypic or other genetic changes. Although TEs are occasionally harmful to some individuals, genomic dynamism caused by TEs can be very beneficial to lineages. This can result in differential survival and differential fecundity of lineages. Lineages with an abundant and suitable repertoire of TEs have enhanced evolutionary potential and, if all else is equal, tend to be fecund, resulting in species-rich adaptive radiations, and/or they tend to undergo major evolutionary transitions. Many other mechanisms of genomic change are also important in evolution, and whether the evolutionary potential of TE-Thrust is realized is heavily dependent on environmental and ecological factors. The large contribution of TEs to evolutionary innovation is particularly well documented in the primate lineage. In this paper, we review numerous cases of beneficial TE-caused modifications to the genomes of higher primates, which strongly support our TE-Thrust hypothesis

Genomic variations associated with attenuation in Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis vaccine strains

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) whole cell vaccines have been widely used tools in the control of Johne's disease in animals despite being unable to provide complete protection. Current vaccine strains derive from stocks created many decades ago; however their genotypes, underlying mechanisms and relative degree of their attenuation are largely unknown. RESULTS: Using mouse virulence studies we confirm that MAP vaccine strains 316 F, II and 2e have diverse but clearly attenuated survival and persistence characteristics compared with wild type strains. Using a pan genomic microarray we characterise the genomic variations in a panel of vaccine strains sourced from stocks spanning over 40 years of maintenance. We describe multiple genomic variations specific for individual vaccine stocks in both deletion (26-32 Kbp) and tandem duplicated (11-40 Kbp) large variable genomic islands and insertion sequence copy numbers. We show individual differences suitable for diagnostic differentiation between vaccine and wild type genotypes and provide evidence for functionality of some of the deleted MAP-specific genes and their possible relation to attenuation. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows how culture environments have influenced MAP genome diversity resulting in large tandem genomic duplications, deletions and transposable element activity. In combination with classical selective systematic subculture this has led to fixation of specific MAP genomic alterations in some vaccine strain lineages which link the resulting attenuated phenotypes with deficiencies in high reactive oxygen species handling

Glucose availability and sensitivity to anoxia of isolated rat peripheral nerve

The contrast between resistance to ischemia and ischemic lesions in peripheral nerves of diabetic patients was explored by in vitro experiments. Isolated and desheathed rat peroneal nerves were incubated in the following solutions with different glucose availability: 1) 25 mM glucose, 2) 2.5 mM glucose, and 3) 2.5 mM glucose plus 10 mM 2-deoxy-D-glucose. Additionally, the buffering power of all of these solutions was modified. Compound nerve action potential (CNAP), extracellular pH, and extracellular potassium activity (aKe) were measured simultaneously before, during, and after a period of 30 min of anoxia. An increase in glucose availability led to a slower decline in CNAP and to a smaller rise in aKe during anoxia. This resistance to anoxia was accompanied by an enhanced extracellular acidosis. Postanoxic recovery of CNAP was always complete in 25 mM HCO3(-)-buffered solutions. In 5 mM HCO3- and in HCO3(-)-free solutions, however, nerves incubated in 25 mM glucose did not recover functionally after anoxia, whereas nerves bathed in solutions 2 or 3 showed a complete restitution of CNAP. We conclude that high glucose availability and low PO2 in the combination with decreased buffering power and/or inhibition of HCO3(-)-dependent pH regulation mechanisms may damage peripheral mammalian nerves due to a pronounced intracellular acidosis

Constraining properties of the black hole population using LISA

LISA should detect gravitational waves from tens to hundreds of systems containing black holes with mass in the range from 10 thousand to 10 million solar masses. Black holes in this mass range are not well constrained by current electromagnetic observations, so LISA could significantly enhance our understanding of the astrophysics of such systems. In this paper, we describe a framework for combining LISA observations to make statements about massive black hole populations. We summarise the constraints that LISA observations of extreme-mass-ratio inspirals might be able to place on the mass function of black holes in the LISA range. We also describe how LISA observations can be used to choose between different models for the hierarchical growth of structure in the early Universe. We consider four models that differ in their prescription for the initial mass distribution of black hole seeds, and in the efficiency of accretion onto the black holes. We show that with as little as 3 months of LISA data we can clearly distinguish between these models, even under relatively pessimistic assumptions about the performance of the detector and our knowledge of the gravitational waveforms.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Class. Quantum Grav. for proceedings of 8th LISA Symposium; v2 minor changes for consistency with accepted versio