Infection of Gammarus duebeni populations by two vertically transmitted microsporidia; parasite detection and discrimination by PCR–RFLP

We screened a population of the brackish water crustacean Gammarus duebeni from the Isle of Cumbrae for the presence of vertically transmitted microsporidia. We compared 2 screening techniques; light microscopy and PCR-based detection using generic 16S rDNA microsporidian primers. Fifty percent of females from this population tested positive for vertically transmitted microsporidia. The PCR screen was 100% efficient in comparison with existing LM based screening. In addition, the PCR screen produced bands of 2 sizes suggesting that more than 1 species of microsporidian was present. Sequencing revealed 2 distinct species of vertically transmitted microsporidia; 33% of females were infected with the feminizer Nosema granulosis and 17% were infected with a new species which we provisionally designate Microsporidium sp. On the basis of sequence information, we developed a discriminatory PCR–RFLP test based on MspI and HaeIII digests. This screen allows rapid detection and discrimination of vertically transmitted microsporidia in natural field populations. We applied the PCR–RFLP screen to a second G. duebeni population from the Isle of Man. This population also hosted these 2 parasite species. In total 45% of females harboured N. granulosis and 10% harboured Microsporidium sp. No dual-infected individuals were found in either population. The occurrence of 2 vertically transmitted parasites within a population has implications for our understanding of parasite–host relationships in the field and we discuss factors affecting the dynamics of parasite–parasite competition and coexistence

Impact of seeding rate on weed-free field peas

Non-Peer ReviewedThe impact of seed placement and seeding rate on crop yield is not clearly understood for field pea (Pisum sativum L.). A field experiment was conducted at seven sites across Saskatchewan in 2001 to examine the influence of a wide range of seeding rates (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and 120 target plants m-2). Yield component compensation occurred where increased plant density from higher seeding rates reduced seed weight. Seed yield benefits were small at seeding rates greater than 50 target plants m-2. There was a tendency for lower yields with seeding rates less than 50, especially at sites with higher yield potential. Yields of field peas grown under relatively weed-free conditions should be optimized with a seeding rate of 50 to 75 seeds m-2

Quantum computing with four-particle decoherence-free states in ion trap

Quantum computing gates are proposed to apply on trapped ions in decoherence-free states. As phase changes due to time evolution of components with different eigenenergies of quantum superposition are completely frozen, quantum computing based on this model would be perfect. Possible application of our scheme in future ion-trap quantum computer is discussed.Comment: 10 pages, no figures. Comments are welcom

Selection functions in astronomical data modeling, with the space density of white dwarfs as a worked example

Stars and planetary system

Influence of Dynamic Ozone Dry Deposition on Ozone Pollution

Identifying the contributions of chemistry and transport to observed ozone pollution using regional-to-global models relies on accurate representation of ozone dry deposition. We use a recently developed configuration of the NOAA GFDL chemistry-climate model - in which the atmosphere and land are coupled through dry deposition-to investigate the influence of ozone dry deposition on ozone pollution over northern midlatitudes. In our model, deposition pathways are tied to dynamic terrestrial processes, such as photosynthesis and water cycling through the canopy and soil. Small increases in winter deposition due to more process-based representation of snow and deposition to surfaces reduce hemispheric-scale ozone throughout the lower troposphere by 5-12 ppb, improving agreement with observations relative to a simulation with the standard configuration for ozone dry deposition. Declining snow cover by the end of the 21st-century tempers the previously identified influence of rising methane on winter ozone. Dynamic dry deposition changes summer surface ozone by -4 to +7 ppb. While previous studies emphasize the importance of uptake by plant stomata, new diagnostic tracking of depositional pathways reveals a widespread impact of nonstomatal deposition on ozone pollution. Daily variability in both stomatal and nonstomatal deposition contribute to daily variability in ozone pollution. Twenty-first century changes in summer deposition result from a balance among changes in individual pathways, reflecting differing responses to both high carbon dioxide (through plant physiology versus biomass accumulation) and water availability. Our findings highlight a need for constraints on the processes driving ozone dry deposition to test representation in regional-to-global models.Peer reviewe

Possible implications of the channeling effect in NaI(Tl) crystals

The channeling effect of low energy ions along the crystallographic axes and planes of NaI(Tl) crystals is discussed in the framework of corollary investigations on WIMP Dark Matter candidates. In fact, the modeling of this existing effect implies a more complex evaluation of the luminosity yield for low energy recoiling Na and I ions. In the present paper related phenomenological arguments are developed and possible implications are discussed at some extent.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, preprint ROM2F/2007/15, submitted for publicatio

Kinetic Arrest in Polyion-Induced Inhomogeneously-Charged Colloidal Particle Aggregation

Polymer chains adsorbed onto oppositely charged spherical colloidal particles can significantly modify the particle-particle interactions. For sufficient amounts of added polymers, the original electrostatic repulsion can even turn into an effective attraction and relatively large kinetically stable aggregates can form which display several unexpected and interesting peculiarities and some intriguing biotechnological implications. The attractive interaction contribution between two oppositely particles arises from the correlated adsorption of polyions at the oppositely charged particle surfaces, resulting in a non-homogeneous surface charge distribution. Here, we investigate the aggregation kinetics of polyion-induced colloidal complexes through Monte Carlo simulation, in which the effect of charge anisotropy is taken into account by a DLVO-like intra-particle potential, as recentely proposed by Velegol and Thwar [D. Velegol and P.K. Thwar, Langmuir, 17, 2001]. The results reveal that in the presence of a charge heterogeneity the aggregation process slows down due to the progressive increase of the potential barrier height upon clustering. Within this framework, the experimentally observed cluster phases in polyelectrolyte-liposomes solutions should be considered as a kinetic arrested state.Comment: 9 pages. 11 figure

Light propagation in statistically homogeneous and isotropic universes with general matter content

We derive the relationship of the redshift and the angular diameter distance to the average expansion rate for universes which are statistically homogeneous and isotropic and where the distribution evolves slowly, but which have otherwise arbitrary geometry and matter content. The relevant average expansion rate is selected by the observable redshift and the assumed symmetry properties of the spacetime. We show why light deflection and shear remain small. We write down the evolution equations for the average expansion rate and discuss the validity of the dust approximation.Comment: 42 pages, no figures. v2: Corrected one detail about the angular diameter distance and two typos. No change in result

Dendritic cells are crucial for maintenance of tertiary lymphoid structures in the lung of influenza virus–infected mice

Tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) are organized aggregates of B and T cells formed in postembryonic life in response to chronic immune responses to infectious agents or self-antigens. Although CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) are consistently found in regions of TLO, their contribution to TLO organization has not been studied in detail. We found that CD11chi DCs are essential for the maintenance of inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT), a form of TLO induced in the lungs after influenza virus infection. Elimination of DCs after the virus had been cleared from the lung resulted in iBALT disintegration and reduction in germinal center (GC) reactions, which led to significantly reduced numbers of class-switched plasma cells in the lung and bone marrow and reduction in protective antiviral serum immunoglobulins. Mechanistically, DCs isolated from the lungs of mice with iBALT no longer presented viral antigens to T cells but were a source of lymphotoxin (LT) β and homeostatic chemokines (CXCL-12 and -13 and CCL-19 and -21) known to contribute to TLO organization. Like depletion of DCs, blockade of LTβ receptor signaling after virus clearance led to disintegration of iBALT and GC reactions. Together, our data reveal a previously unappreciated function of lung DCs in iBALT homeostasis and humoral immunity to influenza virus

Light propagation in statistically homogeneous and isotropic dust universes

We derive the redshift and the angular diameter distance in rotationless dust universes which are statistically homogeneous and isotropic, but have otherwise arbitrary geometry. The calculation from first principles shows that the Dyer-Roeder approximation does not correctly describe the effect of clumping. Instead, the redshift and the distance are determined by the average expansion rate, the matter density today and the null geodesic shear. In particular, the position of the CMB peaks is consistent with significant spatial curvature provided the expansion history is sufficiently close to the spatially flat LambdaCDM model.Comment: 33 pages. v2: Published version. Corrected typo