Patterns of variability of retinol levels in a harbour porpoise population from an unpolluted environment

Organochlorine compounds (OC) are known to induce vitamin A (retinoids) deficiency in mammals, which may be associated with impairment of immunocompetence, reproduction and growth. This makes retinoids a potentially useful biomarker of organochlorine impact on marine mammals. However, use of retinoids as a biomarker requires knowledge about its intrapopulation patterns of variation in natural conditions, information which is not currently available. We investigated these patterns in a cetacean population living in an unpolluted environment. 100 harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena from West Greenland were sampled during the 1995 hunting season. Sex, age, morphometrics, nutritive condition, and retinol (following saponification) and OC levels in blubber were determined for each individual. OC levels found were extremely low and therefore considered unlikely to affect the population adversely: mean blubber concentrations, expressed on an extractable basis, were 2.04 (SD = 1.1) ppm for PCBs and 2.76 (SD = 1.66) ppm for tDDT. The mean blubber retinol concentration for the overall population was 59.66 (SD = 45.26) mu g g(-1). Taking into account the high contribution of blubber to body mass, blubber constitutes a significant body site for retinoid deposition in harbour porpoises. Retinol concentrations did not differ significantly between geographical regions or sexes, but they did correlate significantly (p <0.001) with age. Body condition, measured by determining the lipid content of the blubber, did not have a significant effect on retinol levels but the individuals examined were considered to be in an overall good nutritive condition. It is concluded that measurement of retinol concentrations in blubber samples is feasible and has a potential for use as a biomarker of organochlorine exposure in cetaceans. However, in order to do so, biological information, particularly age, is critical for the correct assessment of physiological impac

Testing the SOC hypothesis for the magnetosphere

As noted by Chang, the hypothesis of Self-Organised Criticality provides a theoretical framework in which the low dimensionality seen in magnetospheric indices can be combined with the scaling seen in their power spectra and the recently-observed plasma bursty bulk flows. As such, it has considerable appeal, describing the aspects of the magnetospheric fuelling:storage:release cycle which are generic to slowly-driven, interaction-dominated, thresholded systems rather than unique to the magnetosphere. In consequence, several recent numerical "sandpile" algorithms have been used with a view to comparison with magnetospheric observables. However, demonstration of SOC in the magnetosphere will require further work in the definition of a set of observable properties which are the unique "fingerprint" of SOC. This is because, for example, a scale-free power spectrum admits several possible explanations other than SOC. A more subtle problem is important for both simulations and data analysis when dealing with multiscale and hence broadband phenomena such as SOC. This is that finite length systems such as the magnetosphere or magnetotail will by definition give information over a small range of orders of magnitude, and so scaling will tend to be narrowband. Here we develop a simple framework in which previous descriptions of magnetospheric dynamics can be described and contrasted. We then review existing observations which are indicative of SOC, and ask if they are sufficient to demonstrate it unambiguously, and if not, what new observations need to be made?Comment: 29 pages, 0 figures. Based on invited talk at Spring American Geophysical Union Meeting, 1999. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar Terrestrial Physics, in pres

Diffusion of gold nanoclusters on graphite

We present a detailed molecular-dynamics study of the diffusion and coalescence of large (249-atom) gold clusters on graphite surfaces. The diffusivity of monoclusters is found to be comparable to that for single adatoms. Likewise, and even more important, cluster dimers are also found to diffuse at a rate which is comparable to that for adatoms and monoclusters. As a consequence, large islands formed by cluster aggregation are also expected to be mobile. Using kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, and assuming a proper scaling law for the dependence on size of the diffusivity of large clusters, we find that islands consisting of as many as 100 monoclusters should exhibit significant mobility. This result has profound implications for the morphology of cluster-assembled materials

Static Observers in Curved Spaces and Non-inertial Frames in Minkowski Spacetime

Static observers in curved spacetimes may interpret their proper acceleration as the opposite of a local gravitational field (in the Newtonian sense). Based on this interpretation and motivated by the equivalence principle, we are led to investigate congruences of timelike curves in Minkowski spacetime whose acceleration field coincides with the acceleration field of static observers of curved spaces. The congruences give rise to non-inertial frames that are examined. Specifically we find, based on the locality principle, the embedding of simultaneity hypersurfaces adapted to the non-inertial frame in an explicit form for arbitrary acceleration fields. We also determine, from the Einstein equations, a covariant field equation that regulates the behavior of the proper acceleration of static observers in curved spacetimes. It corresponds to an exact relativistic version of the Newtonian gravitational field equation. In the specific case in which the level surfaces of the norm of the acceleration field of the static observers are maximally symmetric two-dimensional spaces, the energy-momentum tensor of the source is analyzed.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures

On the magnetic stability at the surface in strongly correlated electron systems

The stability of ferromagnetism at the surface at finite temperatures is investigated within the strongly correlated Hubbard model on a semi-infinite lattice. Due to the reduced surface coordination number the effective Coulomb correlation is enhanced at the surface compared to the bulk. Therefore, within the well-known Stoner-picture of band ferromagnetism one would expect the magnetic stability at the surface to be enhanced as well. However, by taking electron correlations into account well beyond the Hartree-Fock (Stoner) level we find the opposite behavior: As a function of temperature the magnetization of the surface layer decreases faster than in the bulk. By varying the hopping integral within the surface layer this behavior becomes even more pronounced. A reduced hopping integral at the surface tends to destabilize surface ferromagnetism whereas the magnetic stability gets enhanced by an increased hopping integral. This behavior represents a pure correlation effect and can be understood in terms of general arguments which are based on exact results in the limit of strong Coulomb interaction.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX, 4 eps figures, accepted (Phys. Rev. B), for related work and info see http://orion.physik.hu-berlin.d

Topological Defects, Orientational Order, and Depinning of the Electron Solid in a Random Potential

We report on the results of molecular dynamics simulation (MD) studies of the classical two-dimensional electron crystal in the presence disorder. Our study is motivated by recent experiments on this system in modulation doped semiconductor systems in very strong magnetic fields, where the magnetic length is much smaller than the average interelectron spacing $a_0$, as well as by recent studies of electrons on the surface of helium. We investigate the low temperature state of this system using a simulated annealing method. We find that the low temperature state of the system always has isolated dislocations, even at the weakest disorder levels investigated. We also find evidence for a transition from a hexatic glass to an isotropic glass as the disorder is increased. The former is characterized by quasi-long range orientational order, and the absence of disclination defects in the low temperature state, and the latter by short range orientational order and the presence of these defects. The threshold electric field is also studied as a function of the disorder strength, and is shown to have a characteristic signature of the transition. Finally, the qualitative behavior of the electron flow in the depinned state is shown to change continuously from an elastic flow to a channel-like, plastic flow as the disorder strength is increased.Comment: 31 pages, RevTex 3.0, 15 figures upon request, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B., HAF94MD

Effective interaction between helical bio-molecules

The effective interaction between two parallel strands of helical bio-molecules, such as deoxyribose nucleic acids (DNA), is calculated using computer simulations of the "primitive" model of electrolytes. In particular we study a simple model for B-DNA incorporating explicitly its charge pattern as a double-helix structure. The effective force and the effective torque exerted onto the molecules depend on the central distance and on the relative orientation. The contributions of nonlinear screening by monovalent counterions to these forces and torques are analyzed and calculated for different salt concentrations. As a result, we find that the sign of the force depends sensitively on the relative orientation. For intermolecular distances smaller than $6\AA$ it can be both attractive and repulsive. Furthermore we report a nonmonotonic behaviour of the effective force for increasing salt concentration. Both features cannot be described within linear screening theories. For large distances, on the other hand, the results agree with linear screening theories provided the charge of the bio-molecules is suitably renormalized.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures included in text, 100 bibliog

Expression of CD45RC and Ia Antigen in the Spinal Cord in Acute Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis: An Immunocytochemical and Flow Cytometric Study

We performed immunocytochemical studies to analyze the inflammatory infiltrate and major histocompatibility complex class II (Ia) antigen expression in the spinal cord of Lewis rats with acute experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by inoculation with myelin basic protein and adjuvants. Using antibodies to lymphocyte markers and other monoclonal antibodies we found that during clinical episodes the inflammatory infiltrate was chiefly composed of T lymphocytes and macrophages. The majority of cells in the inflammatory infiltrate were stained by the W3/25 antibody to CD4 and a proportion was stained by OX22 which labels the high molecular weight form of the leucocyte common antigen (CD45RC). CDB+ T cells were sparse and B cells were not detected. There was minimal staining with the OX39 antibody to the interleukin-2 receptor. Presumptive microglia, identified by their dendritic morphology, expressed Ia antigen during the clinical episodes and after recovery. The prominence of Ia antigen expression after recovery could indicate that this la expression was associated with downregulation of the encephalitogenic immune response. We also performed flow cytometry studies on cells extracted from the spinal cord of rats before and during attacks of EAE. With flow cytometry, we found that in established disease a mean of 83(SD, 23)% of CD2+ cells were CD4+, and a mean of 27(SD, 12)% of CD2+ cells were CD45RC+. In rats sampled on the first day of signs, a mean of 43(SD, 22)% of CD2+ cells were CD45RC+. In the cells extracted from the spinal cord of rats with established disease a mean of 47(SD, 32)% of macrophages were CD45RC+. Our study has combined an immunocytochemical assessment of tissue sections with quantitative flow cytometry assessment of cells extracted from the spinal cord of rats with acute EAE. We have shown that the majority of T lymphocytes in the spinal cord are CD45RC-. We have also found prominent Ia expression on dendritic cells in acute EAE and after clinical recovery

Modeling the Subsurface Structure of Sunspots

While sunspots are easily observed at the solar surface, determining their subsurface structure is not trivial. There are two main hypotheses for the subsurface structure of sunspots: the monolithic model and the cluster model. Local helioseismology is the only means by which we can investigate subphotospheric structure. However, as current linear inversion techniques do not yet allow helioseismology to probe the internal structure with sufficient confidence to distinguish between the monolith and cluster models, the development of physically realistic sunspot models are a priority for helioseismologists. This is because they are not only important indicators of the variety of physical effects that may influence helioseismic inferences in active regions, but they also enable detailed assessments of the validity of helioseismic interpretations through numerical forward modeling. In this paper, we provide a critical review of the existing sunspot models and an overview of numerical methods employed to model wave propagation through model sunspots. We then carry out an helioseismic analysis of the sunspot in Active Region 9787 and address the serious inconsistencies uncovered by \citeauthor{gizonetal2009}~(\citeyear{gizonetal2009,gizonetal2009a}). We find that this sunspot is most probably associated with a shallow, positive wave-speed perturbation (unlike the traditional two-layer model) and that travel-time measurements are consistent with a horizontal outflow in the surrounding moat.Comment: 73 pages, 19 figures, accepted by Solar Physic