293 research outputs found
Movement of pathogens between horticultural crops and endemic trees in the Kimberleys
Recently a survey of endophytes associated with boabs (Adansonia gregorrii) and associated tree species in the Kimberleys, Western Australia has resulted in the description of seven new species in the Botryosphaeriaceae (Pavlic et al. 2008). Additionally several common species of Lasiodiplodia, (L. theobromae, L. pseudoptheobromae and L. parva) were also isolated as endophytes of endemic tree species.
Concurrently, surveys in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) have revealed Mangiferum indica trees showing symptoms of dieback and cankers. In this project we isolated, identified and determined the pathogenicity of fungi associated with these cankers
Distribution of Eigenvalues for the Modular Group
The two-point correlation function of energy levels for free motion on the
modular domain, both with periodic and Dirichlet boundary conditions, are
explicitly computed using a generalization of the Hardy-Littlewood method. It
is shown that ion the limit of small separations they show an uncorrelated
behaviour and agree with the Poisson distribution but they have prominent
number-theoretical oscillations at larger scale. The results agree well with
numerical simulations.Comment: 72 pages, Latex, the fiogures mentioned in the text are not vital,
but can be obtained upon request from the first Autho
Molecular dynamics simulation of the order-disorder phase transition in solid NaNO
We present molecular dynamics simulations of solid NaNO using pair
potentials with the rigid-ion model. The crystal potential surface is
calculated by using an \emph{a priori} method which integrates the \emph{ab
initio} calculations with the Gordon-Kim electron gas theory. This approach is
carefully examined by using different population analysis methods and comparing
the intermolecular interactions resulting from this approach with those from
the \emph{ab initio} Hartree-Fock calculations. Our numerics shows that the
ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition in solid NaNO is triggered by
rotation of the nitrite ions around the crystallographical c axis, in agreement
with recent X-ray experiments [Gohda \textit{et al.}, Phys. Rev. B \textbf{63},
14101 (2000)]. The crystal-field effects on the nitrite ion are also addressed.
Remarkable internal charge-transfer effect is found.Comment: RevTeX 4.0, 11 figure
Statistics of Atmospheric Correlations
For a large class of quantum systems the statistical properties of their
spectrum show remarkable agreement with random matrix predictions. Recent
advances show that the scope of random matrix theory is much wider. In this
work, we show that the random matrix approach can be beneficially applied to a
completely different classical domain, namely, to the empirical correlation
matrices obtained from the analysis of the basic atmospheric parameters that
characterise the state of atmosphere. We show that the spectrum of atmospheric
correlation matrices satisfy the random matrix prescription. In particular, the
eigenmodes of the atmospheric empirical correlation matrices that have physical
significance are marked by deviations from the eigenvector distribution.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figs, revtex; To appear in Phys. Rev.
Integrable structure of Ginibre's ensemble of real random matrices and a Pfaffian integration theorem
In the recent publication [E. Kanzieper and G. Akemann, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 230201 (2005)], an exact solution was reported for the probability p_{n,k} to find exactly k real eigenvalues in the spectrum of an nxn real asymmetric matrix drawn at
random from Ginibre's Orthogonal Ensemble (GinOE). In the present paper, we offer a detailed derivation of the above result by concentrating on the proof of the Pfaffian integration theorem, the
key ingredient of our analysis of the statistics of real eigenvalues in the GinOE. We also initiate a study of the correlations of complex eigenvalues and derive a formula for the joint probability density function of all complex eigenvalues of a
GinOE matrix restricted to have exactly k real eigenvalues. In the particular case of k=0, all correlation functions of complex eigenvalues are determined
Scaling Analysis of Fluctuating Strength Function
We propose a new method to analyze fluctuations in the strength function
phenomena in highly excited nuclei. Extending the method of multifractal
analysis to the cases where the strength fluctuations do not obey power scaling
laws, we introduce a new measure of fluctuation, called the local scaling
dimension, which characterizes scaling behavior of the strength fluctuation as
a function of energy bin width subdividing the strength function. We discuss
properties of the new measure by applying it to a model system which simulates
the doorway damping mechanism of giant resonances. It is found that the local
scaling dimension characterizes well fluctuations and their energy scales of
fine structures in the strength function associated with the damped collective
motions.Comment: 22 pages with 9 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.
Renal stone detection using a low kilo-voltage paediatric CT protocol – A porcine phantom study
yesIntroduction: Reducing tube voltage is an effective dose saving method in
computed tomography (CT) assuming tube current is not concurrently
increased. Recent innovations in scanner technology now enable CT tube
voltage reduction to 70 kV thereby increasing opportunities for dose reduction
in paediatric patients, but it is unclear if the increased image noise associated
with 70 kV impacts on ability to visualise renal stones accurately. The purpose
was to assess detectability of nephrolithiasis using a bespoke paediatric
phantom and low kV, non-contrast CT and to assess inter-observer agreement.
Methods: Forty-two renal stones of different size and chemical composition
were inserted into porcine kidneys and positioned in a bespoke, water-filled
phantom mimicking a 9-year-old child weighing approximately 33kg. The
phantom was scanned using 120 and 70 kV CT protocols, and the detectability
of the stones was assessed by three radiologists. Absolute agreement and Fleiss’
kappa regarding detectability were assessed. Results: The mean diameter of
renal stones as measured physically was 4.24 mm ranging from 1 to 11 mm.
Four stones were missed by at least one observer. One observer had a
sensitivity of 93 and 95% at 70 and 120 kV, respectively, while the sensitivity
for observers 2 and 3 was 98% at both kV levels. Specificity was 100% across
readers and kV levels. Absolute agreement between the readers at 70 kV was
92% (kappa = 0.86) and 98% (kappa = 0.96) at 120 kV indicating a strong
agreement at both kV levels. Conclusions: The results suggest that lowering the
kV does not affect the detection rate of renal stones and may be a useful dose
reduction strategy for assessment of nephrolithiasis in children
A novel BRD4-NUT fusion in an undifferentiated sinonasal tumor highlights alternative splicing as a contributing oncogenic factor in NUT midline carcinoma
NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is a fatal cancer that arises in various tissues along the upper midline of the body. The defining molecular feature of NMC is a chromosomal translocation that joins (in the majority of cases) the nuclear testis gene NUT (NUTM1) to the bromodomain protein family member 4 (BRD4) and thereby creating a fusion oncogene that disrupts cellular differentiation and drives the disease. In this study, we report the case of an adolescent NMC patient presenting with severe facial pain, proptosis and visual impairment due to a mass arising from the ethmoid sinus that invaded the right orbit and frontal lobe. Treatment involved radical resection, including exenteration of the affected eye with the view to consolidate treatment with radiation therapy; however, the patient experienced rapid tumor progression and passed away 79 days post resection. Molecular analysis of the tumor tissue identified a novel in-frame BRD4-NUT transcript, with BRD4 exon 15 fused to the last 124 nucleotides of NUT exon 2 (BRD4-NUT ex15:ex2Δnt1–585). The partial deletion of NUT exon 2 was attributed to a mid-exonic genomic breakpoint and the subsequent activation of a cryptic splice site further downstream within the exon. Inhibition of the canonical 3′ acceptor splice site of NUT intron 1 in cell lines expressing the most common NMC fusion transcripts (PER-403, BRD4-NUT ex11:ex2; PER-624, BRD4-NUT ex15:ex2) induced alternative splicing from the same cryptic splice site as identified in the patient. Detection of low levels of an in-frame BRD4-NUT ex11:ex2Δnt1–585 transcript in PER-403 confirmed endogenous splicing from this alternative exon 2 splice site. Although further studies are necessary to assess the clinical relevance of the increasing number of variant fusions described in NMC, the findings presented in this case identify alternative splicing as a mechanism that contributes to this pathogenic complexity
Accuracy and Stability of Computing High-Order Derivatives of Analytic Functions by Cauchy Integrals
High-order derivatives of analytic functions are expressible as Cauchy
integrals over circular contours, which can very effectively be approximated,
e.g., by trapezoidal sums. Whereas analytically each radius r up to the radius
of convergence is equal, numerical stability strongly depends on r. We give a
comprehensive study of this effect; in particular we show that there is a
unique radius that minimizes the loss of accuracy caused by round-off errors.
For large classes of functions, though not for all, this radius actually gives
about full accuracy; a remarkable fact that we explain by the theory of Hardy
spaces, by the Wiman-Valiron and Levin-Pfluger theory of entire functions, and
by the saddle-point method of asymptotic analysis. Many examples and
non-trivial applications are discussed in detail.Comment: Version 4 has some references and a discussion of other quadrature
rules added; 57 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables; to appear in Found. Comput. Mat
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