766 research outputs found
Species traits and the form of individual species–energy relationships
Environmental energy availability explains much of the spatial variation in species richness at regional scales. While numerous mechanisms that may drive such total species–energy relationships have been identified, knowledge of their relative contributions is scant. Here, we adopt a novel approach to identify these drivers that exploits the composite nature of species richness, i.e. its summation from individual species distributions. We construct individual species–energy relationships (ISERs) for each species in the British breeding avifauna using both solar (temperature) and productive energy metrics (normalized difference vegetation index) as measures of environmental energy availability. We use the slopes of these relationships and the resultant change in deviance, relative to a null model, as measures of their strength and use them as response variables in multiple regressions that use ecological traits as predictors. The commonest species exhibit the strongest ISERs, which is counter to the prediction derived from the more individuals hypothesis.
There is no evidence that predatory species have stronger ISERs, which is incompatible with the suggestion that high levels of energy availability increase the length of the food chain allowing larger numbers of predators to exist. We find some evidence that species with narrow niche breadths have stronger ISERs, thus providing one of the few pieces of supportive evidence that high-energy availability promotes species richness by increasing the occurrence of specialist species that use a narrow range of resources
Cross-validation of short forms of the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R)
Background The Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R) is a 24-item assessment designed to assist in the prediction of aberrant drug-related behavior (ADB) among patients with chronic pain. Recent work has created shorter versions of the SOAPP-R, including a static 12-item short form and two computer-based methods (curtailment and stochastic curtailment) that monitor assessments in progress. The purpose of this study was to cross-validate these shorter versions in two new populations. Methods This retrospective study used data from patients recruited from a hospital-based pain center (n = 84) and pain patients followed and treated at primary care centers (n = 110). Subjects had been administered the SOAPP-R and assessed for ADB. In real-data simulation, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of each form were calculated, as was the mean test length using curtailment and stochastic curtailment. Results Curtailment reduced the number of items administered by 30% to 34% while maintaining sensitivity and specificity identical to those of the full-length SOAPP-R. Stochastic curtailment reduced the number of items administered by 45% to 63% while maintaining sensitivity and specificity within 0.03 of those of the full-length SOAPP-R. The AUC of the 12-item form was equal to that of the 24-item form in both populations. Conclusions Curtailment, stochastic curtailment, and the 12-item short form have potential to enhance the efficiency of the SOAPP-
Predicted Infrared and Raman Spectra for Neutral Ti_8C_12 Isomers
Using a density-functional based algorithm, the full IR and Raman spectra are
calculated for the neutral Ti_8C_12 cluster assuming geometries of Th, Td, D2d
and C3v symmetry. The Th pentagonal dodecahedron is found to be dynamically
unstable. The calculated properties of the relaxed structure having C3v
symmetry are found to be in excellent agreement with experimental gas phase
infrared results, ionization potential and electron affinity measurements.
Consequently, the results presented may be used as a reference for further
experimental characterization using vibrational spectroscopy.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Physical Review A, 2002 (in press
Two-photon final states in peripheral heavy ion collisions
We discuss processes leading to two photon final states in peripheral heavy
ion collisions at RHIC. Due to the large photon luminosity we show that the
continuum subprocess can be observed with a
large number of events. We study this reaction when it is intermediated by a
resonance made of quarks or gluons and discuss its interplay with the continuum
process, verifying that in several cases the resonant process ovewhelms the
continuum one. It is also investigated the possibility of observing a scalar
resonance (the meson) in this process. Assuming for the the
mass and total decay width values recently reported by the E791 Collaboration
we show that RHIC may detect this particle in its two photon decay mode if its
partial photonic decay width is of the order of the ones discussed in the
literature.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
Theory of coherent acoustic phonons in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells
A microscopic theory for the generation and propagation of coherent LA
phonons in pseudomorphically strained wurzite (0001) InGaN/GaN multi-quantum
well (MQW) p-i-n diodes is presented. The generation of coherent LA phonons is
driven by photoexcitation of electron-hole pairs by an ultrafast Gaussian pump
laser and is treated theoretically using the density matrix formalism. We use
realistic wurzite bandstructures taking valence-band mixing and strain-induced
piezo- electric fields into account. In addition, the many-body Coulomb
ineraction is treated in the screened time-dependent Hartree-Fock
approximation. We find that under typical experimental conditions, our
microscopic theory can be simplified and mapped onto a loaded string problem
which can be easily solved.Comment: 20 pages, 17 figure
A Mathematical Model of Liver Cell Aggregation In Vitro
The behavior of mammalian cells within three-dimensional structures is an area of intense biological research and underpins the efforts of tissue engineers to regenerate human tissues for clinical applications. In the particular case of hepatocytes (liver cells), the formation of spheroidal multicellular aggregates has been shown to improve cell viability and functionality compared to traditional monolayer culture techniques. We propose a simple mathematical model for the early stages of this aggregation process, when cell clusters form on the surface of the extracellular matrix (ECM) layer on which they are seeded. We focus on interactions between the cells and the viscoelastic ECM substrate. Governing equations for the cells, culture medium, and ECM are derived using the principles of mass and momentum balance. The model is then reduced to a system of four partial differential equations, which are investigated analytically and numerically. The model predicts that provided cells are seeded at a suitable density, aggregates with clearly defined boundaries and a spatially uniform cell density on the interior will form. While the mechanical properties of the ECM do not appear to have a significant effect, strong cell-ECM interactions can inhibit, or possibly prevent, the formation of aggregates. The paper concludes with a discussion of our key findings and suggestions for future work
ThermoElectric Transport Properties of a Chain of Quantum Dots with Self-Consistent Reservoirs
We introduce a model for charge and heat transport based on the
Landauer-Buttiker scattering approach. The system consists of a chain of
quantum dots, each of them being coupled to a particle reservoir. Additionally,
the left and right ends of the chain are coupled to two particle reservoirs.
All these reservoirs are independent and can be described by any of the
standard physical distributions: Maxwell-Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and
Bose-Einstein. In the linear response regime, and under some assumptions, we
first describe the general transport properties of the system. Then we impose
the self-consistency condition, i.e. we fix the boundary values (T_L,\mu_L) and
(T_R,mu_R), and adjust the parameters (T_i,mu_i), for i = 1,...,N, so that the
net average electric and heat currents into all the intermediate reservoirs
vanish. This condition leads to expressions for the temperature and chemical
potential profiles along the system, which turn out to be independent of the
distribution describing the reservoirs. We also determine the average electric
and heat currents flowing through the system and present some numerical
results, using random matrix theory, showing that these currents are typically
governed by Ohm and Fourier laws.Comment: Minor changes (45 pages
Gelatin-containing porous polycaprolactone PolyHIPEs as substrates for 3D breast cancer cell culture and vascular infiltration
Tumour survival and growth are reliant on angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, to facilitate nutrient and waste exchange and, importantly, provide a route for metastasis from a primary to a secondary site. Whilst current models can ensure the transport and exchange of nutrients and waste via diffusion over distances greater than 200 μm, many lack sufficient vasculature capable of recapitulating the tumour microenvironment and, thus, metastasis. In this study, we utilise gelatin-containing polymerised high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) templated polycaprolactone-methacrylate (PCL-M) scaffolds to fabricate a composite material to support the 3D culture of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and vascular ingrowth. Firstly, we investigated the effect of gelatin within the scaffolds on the mechanical and chemical properties using compression testing and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. Initial in vitro assessment of cell metabolic activity and vascular endothelial growth factor expression demonstrated that gelatin-containing PCL-M polyHIPEs are capable of supporting 3D breast cancer cell growth. We then utilised the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay to assess the angiogenic potential of cell-seeded gelatin-containing PCL-M polyHIPEs, and vascular ingrowth within cell-seeded, surfactant and gelatin-containing scaffolds was investigated via histological staining. Overall, our study proposes a promising composite material to fabricate a substrate to support the 3D culture of cancer cells and vascular ingrowth
Motion of dust in mean-motion resonances with planets
Effect of stellar electromagnetic radiation on motion of spherical dust
particle in mean-motion orbital resonances with a planet is investigated.
Planar circular restricted three-body problem with the Poynting-Robertson (P-R)
effect yields monotonous secular evolution of eccentricity when the particle is
trapped in the resonance. Elliptically restricted three-body problem with the
P-R effect enables nonmonotonous secular evolution of eccentricity and the
evolution of eccentricity is qualitatively consistent with the published
results for the complicated case of interaction of electromagnetic radiation
with nonspherical dust grain. Thus, it is sufficient to allow either nonzero
eccentricity of the planet or nonsphericity of the grain and the orbital
evolutions in the resonances are qualitatively equal for the two cases. This
holds both for exterior and interior mean-motion orbital resonances. Evolutions
of longitude of pericenter in the planar circular and elliptical restricted
three-body problems are shown. Our numerical integrations suggest that any
analytic expression for secular time derivative of the particle's longitude of
pericenter does not exist, if a dependence on semi-major axis, eccentricity and
longitude of pericenter is considered (the P-R effect and mean-motion resonance
with the planet in circular orbit is taken into account).
Change of optical properties of the spherical grain with the heliocentric
distance is also considered. The change of the optical properties: i) does not
have any significant influence on secular evolution of eccentricity, ii) causes
that the shift of pericenter is mainly in the same direction/orientation as the
particle motion around the Sun. The statements hold both for circular and
noncircular planetary orbits.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figure
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