449 research outputs found
Toward Quantum Superposition of Living Organisms
The most striking feature of quantum mechanics is the existence of
superposition states, where an object appears to be in different situations at
the same time. The existence of such states has been tested with small objects,
like atoms, ions, electrons and photons, and even with molecules. More
recently, it has been possible to create superpositions of collections of
photons, atoms, or Cooper pairs. Current progress in optomechanical systems may
soon allow us to create superpositions of even larger objects, like micro-sized
mirrors or cantilevers, and thus to test quantum mechanical phenomena at larger
scales. Here we propose a method to cool down and create quantum superpositions
of the motion of sub-wavelength, arbitrarily shaped dielectric objects trapped
inside a high--finesse cavity at a very low pressure. Our method is ideally
suited for the smallest living organisms, such as viruses, which survive under
low vacuum pressures, and optically behave as dielectric objects. This opens up
the possibility of testing the quantum nature of living organisms by creating
quantum superposition states in very much the same spirit as the original
Schr\"odinger's cat "gedanken" paradigm. We anticipate our essay to be a
starting point to experimentally address fundamental questions, such as the
role of life and consciousness in quantum mechanics.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, published versio
Thinking in action: Need for cognition predicts self-control together with action orientation
Need for Cognition describes relatively stable interindividual differences in cognitive motivation. Previous research has shown relations of Need for Cognition to Self-Control–a capacity that can be broadly defined as resistance to temptation–yet, the processes underlying this relation remain unclear. One explanation for the prediction of Self-Control by Need for Cognition can be an increased motivation to invest cognitive effort with higher levels of Need for Cognition. Another possible link could be that individual differences in the implementation of Self-Control intentions may play a moderating or mediating role for the predictive value of Need for Cognition. Such individual differences in the self-motivated initiation and maintenance of intentions are described by dispositional Action Orientation. Therefore, in the present study, Action Orientation was examined with regard to its possible role in explaining the relation of Need for Cognition to Self-Control. In a sample of 1209 young adults, Self-Control was assessed with two different self-report instruments and moderation and mediation models of the relationship between Need for Cognition, Action Orientation, and Self-Control were tested. While there was no evidence for a moderating role of Action Orientation in explaining the relation of Need for Cognition and Self-Control, Action Orientation was found to partly mediate this relation with a remaining direct effect of Need for Cognition on Self-Control. These results add to the conceptual understanding of Need for Cognition and demonstrate the relevance of trait variables to predict Self-Control
The small subunit of Rubisco and its potential as an engineering target
Rubisco catalyses the first rate-limiting step in CO2 fixation and is responsible for the vast majority of organic carbon present in the biosphere. The function and regulation of Rubisco remain an important research topic and a longstanding engineering target to enhance the efficiency of photosynthesis for agriculture and green biotechnology. The most abundant form of Rubisco (Form I) consists of eight large and eight small subunits, and is found in all plants, algae, cyanobacteria, and most phototrophic and chemolithoautotrophic proteobacteria. Although the active sites of Rubisco are located on the large subunits, expression of the small subunit regulates the size of the Rubisco pool in plants and can influence the overall catalytic efficiency of the Rubisco complex. The small subunit is now receiving increasing attention as a potential engineering target to improve the performance of Rubisco. Here we review our current understanding of the role of the small subunit and our growing capacity to explore its potential to modulate Rubisco catalysis using engineering biology approaches
Study of the p p -> p p pi+ pi- Reaction in the Low-Energy Tail of the Roper Resonance
Exclusive measurements of the p p -> p p pi+ pi- reaction have been carried
out at Tp = 775 MeV at CELSIUS using the PROMICE/WASA setup. Together with data
obtained at lower energy they point to a dominance of the Roper excitation in
this process. From the observed interference of its decay routes N* -> N sigma
and N* -> Delta pi -> N sigma their energy-dependent relative branching ratio
is determined
Measurement of Spin Correlation Parameters A, A, and A_ at 2.1 GeV in Proton-Proton Elastic Scattering
At the Cooler Synchrotron COSY/J\"ulich spin correlation parameters in
elastic proton-proton (pp) scattering have been measured with a 2.11 GeV
polarized proton beam and a polarized hydrogen atomic beam target. We report
results for A, A, and A_ for c.m. scattering angles between
30 and 90. Our data on A -- the first measurement of this
observable above 800 MeV -- clearly disagrees with predictions of available of
pp scattering phase shift solutions while A and A_ are reproduced
reasonably well. We show that in the direct reconstruction of the scattering
amplitudes from the body of available pp elastic scattering data at 2.1 GeV the
number of possible solutions is considerably reduced.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Search for Bremsstrahlung radiation in quasi-free n p --> n p gamma reactions
Due to the high sensitivity of the N N --> N N gamma reaction to the
nucleon-nucleon potential, Bremsstrahlung radiation is used as a tool to
investigate details of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. Such investigations can
be performed at the cooler synchrotron COSY in the Research Centre Juelich, by
dint of the COSY-11 detection system. The results of the identification of
Bremsstrahlung radiation emitted via the d p --> d p gamma reaction in data
taken with a proton target and a deuteron beam are presented and discussed.Comment: 3 pages; Presented at Meson 2004: 8th International Workshop on Meson
Production, Properties and Interaction, Krakow, Poland, 4-8 June 2004;
Submitted to International Journal of Modern Physics
Exclusive Measurements of pp -> dpi+pi0: Double-Pionic Fusion without ABC Effect
Exclusive measurements of the reaction pp -> dpi+pi0 have been carried out at
T_p = 1.1 GeV at the CELSIUS storage ring using the WASA detector. The
isovector pi+pi0 channel exhibits no enhancement at low invariant pipi masses,
i. e. no ABC effect. The differential distributions are in agreement with the
conventional t-channel Delta-Delta excitation process, which also accounts for
the observed energy dependence of the total cross section. This is an update of
a previously published version -- see important note at the end of the article
Search for Narrow NNpi Resonances in Exclusive p p -> p p pi+ pi- Measurements
Narrow structures in the range of a few MeV have been searched for in p p pi+
and p p pi- invariant mass spectra obtained from exclusive measurements of the
p p -> p p pi+ pi- reaction at Tp = 725, 750 and 775 MeV using the PROMICE/WASA
detector at CELSIUS. The selected reaction is particularily well suited for the
search for NN and / or N Delta decoupled dibaryon resonances. Except for a
possible fluctuation at 2087 MeV/c^2 in Mpppi- no narrow structures could be
identified neither in Mpppi+ nor in Mpppi- on the 3 sigma level of statistical
significance, giving an upper limit (95% C.L.) for dibaryon production in this
reaction of sigma < 20 nb for 2020 MeV/c^2 < m(dibaryon) < 2085 MeV/c^2Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
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