1,201 research outputs found
secCl is a cys-loop ion channel necessary for the chloride conductance that mediates hormone-induced fluid secretion in Drosophila
Organisms use circulating diuretic hormones to control water balance (osmolarity), thereby avoiding dehydration and managing excretion of waste products. The hormones act through G-protein-coupled receptors to activate second messenger systems that in turn control the permeability of secretory epithelia to ions like chloride. In insects, the chloride channel mediating the effects of diuretic hormones was unknown. Surprisingly, we find a pentameric, cys-loop chloride channel, a type of channel normally associated with neurotransmission, mediating hormone-induced transepithelial chloride conductance. This discovery is important because: 1) it describes an unexpected role for pentameric receptors in the membrane permeability of secretory epithelial cells, and 2) it suggests that neurotransmitter-gated ion channels may have evolved from channels involved in secretion
Moving Heat Source Reconstruction from the Cauchy Boundary Data
We consider the problem of reconstruction of an unknown characteristic transient thermal source inside a domain. By introducing the definition of an extended dirichlet-to-Neumann map in the time-space cylinder and the adoption of the anisotropic Sobolev-Hilbert spaces, we can treat the problem with methods similar to those used in the analysis of the stationary source reconstruction problem. Further, the finite difference θ scheme applied to the transient heat conduction equation leads to a model based on a sequence of modified Helmholtz equation solutions. For each modified Helmholtz equation the characteristic star-shape source function may be reconstructed uniquely from the Cauchy boundary data. Using representation formula, we establish reciprocity functional mapping functions that are solutions of the modified Helmholtz equation to their integral in the unknown characteristic support
Anisotropy of the space orientation of radio sources. I: The catalog
A catalog of the extended extragalactic radio sources consisting of 10461
objects is compiled based on the list of radio sources of the FIRST survey. A
total of 1801 objects are identified with galaxies and quasars of the SDSS
survey and the Veron-Veron catalog. The distribution of the position angles of
the axes of radio sources from the catalog is determined, and the probability
that this distribution is equiprobable is shown to be less then 10^(-7). This
result implies that at Z equal to or smaller then 0.5, spatial orientation of
the axes of radio sources is anisotropic at a statistically significant level.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
The HI Content of Compact Groups of Galaxies
The HI content of Hickson Compact Groups in the southern hemisphere is
measured using data from the HI Parkes All Sky Survey (HIPASS), and dedicated
observations using the narrowband filter on the Multibeam instrument on the
Parkes telescope. The expected HI mass of these groups was estimated using the
luminosity, diameter and morphological types of the member galaxies, calibrated
from published data. Taking careful account of non-detection limits, the
results show that the compact group population that has been detected by these
observations has an HI content similar to that of galaxies in the reference
field sample. The upper limits for the undetected groups lie within the normal
range; improvement of these limits will require a large increase in
sensitivity.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in PAS
On the Relation Between Peak Luminosity and Parent Population of Type Ia Supernovae: A New Tool for Probing the Ages of Distant Galaxies
We study the properties of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) as functions of the
radial distance from their host galaxy centers. Using a sample of 62 SNe Ia
with reliable luminosity, reddening, and decline rate determinations, we find
no significant radial gradients of SNe Ia peak absolute magnitudes or decline
rates in elliptical+S0 galaxies, suggesting that the diversity of SN properties
is not related to the metallicity of their progenitors. We do find that the
range in brightness and light curve width of supernovae in spiral galaxies
extends to brighter, broader values. These results are interpreted as support
for an age, but not metallicity, related origin of the diversity in SNe Ia. If
confirmed with a larger and more accurate sample of data, the age-luminosity
relation would offer a new and powerful tool to probe the ages and age
gradients of stellar populations in galaxies at redshift as high as .
The absence of significant radial gradients in the peak and colors of SNe Ia supports the redding correction method of Phillips et
al (1999). We find no radial gradient in residuals from the SN Ia
luminosity-width relation, suggesting that the relation is not affected by
properties of the progenitor populations and supporting the reliability of
cosmological results based upon the use of SNe Ia as distance indicators.Comment: 19 pages, incl. 3 tables & 3 figures; to appear in Nov 2000 issue of
Ap
Longitudinal Ion Acceleration from High-Intensity Laser Interactions with Underdense Plasma
Longitudinal ion acceleration from high-intensity (I ~ 10^20 Wcm^-2) laser
interactions with helium gas jet targets (n_e ~ 0.04 n_c) have been observed.
The ion beam has a maximum energy for He^2+ of approximately 40 MeV and was
directional along the laser propagation path, with the highest energy ions
being collimated to a cone of less than 10 degrees. 2D particle-in-cell
simulations have been used to investigate the acceleration mechanism. The time
varying magnetic field associated with the fast electron current provides a
contribution to the accelerating electric field as well as providing a
collimating field for the ions. A strong correlation between the plasma density
and the ion acceleration was found. A short plasma scale-length at the vacuum
interface was observed to be beneficial for the maximum ion energies, but the
collimation appears to be improved with longer scale-lengths due to enhanced
magnetic fields in the ramp acceleration region.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
The Effect of Selection for Desiccation Resistance on Cold Tolerance of Drosophila Melanogaster
Low Temperature and Desiccation Stress Are Thought to Be Mechanistically Similar in Insects, and Several Studies Indicate that There is a Degree of Cross-Tolerance between Them, such that Increased Cold Tolerance Results in Greater Desiccation Tolerance and Vice Versa. This Assertion is Tested at an Evolutionary Scale by Examining Basal Cold Tolerance, Rapid Cold-Hardening (RCH) and Chill Coma Recovery in Replicate Populations of Drosophila Melanogaster Selected for Desiccation Resistance (With Controls for Both Selection and Concomitant Starvation) for over 50 Generations. All of the Populations Display a RCH Response, and There is No Effect of Selection Regime on RCH or Basal Cold Tolerance, Although There Are Differences in Basal Cold Tolerance between Sampling Dates, Apparently Related to Inter-Individual Variation in Development Time. Flies Selected for Desiccation Tolerance Recover from Chill Coma Slightly, But Significantly, Faster Than Control and Starvation-Control Flies. These Findings Provide Little Support for Cross-Tolerance between Survival of Near-Lethal Cold and Desiccation Stress in D. Melanogaster. © 2007 the Authors
Emission-Line Galaxy Surveys as Probes of the Spatial Distribution of Dwarf Galaxies. I. The University of Michigan Survey
Objective-prism surveys which select galaxies on the basis of line-emission
are extremely effective at detecting low-luminosity galaxies and constitute
some of the deepest available samples of dwarfs. In this study, we confirm that
emission-line galaxies (ELGs) in the University of Michigan (UM)
objective-prism survey (MacAlpine et al. 1977-1981) are reliable tracers of
large-scale structure, and utilize the depth of the samples to examine the
spatial distribution of low-luminosity (M -18.0) dwarfs relative to
higher luminosity giant galaxies (M -18.0) in the Updated Zwicky
Catalogue (Falco et al. 1999). New spectroscopic data are presented for 26 UM
survey objects. We analyze the relative clustering properties of the overall
starbursting ELG and normal galaxy populations, using nearest neighbor and
correlation function statistics. This allows us to determine whether the
activity in ELGs is primarily caused by gravitational interactions. We conclude
that galaxy-galaxy encounters are not the sole cause of activity in ELGs since
ELGs tend to be more isolated and are more often found in the voids when
compared to their normal galaxy counterparts. Furthermore, statistical analyses
performed on low-luminosity dwarf ELGs show that the dwarfs are less clustered
when compared to their non-active giant neighbors. The UM dwarf samples have
greater percentages of nearest neighbor separations at large values and lower
correlation function amplitudes relative to the UZC giant galaxy samples. These
results are consistent with the expectations of galaxy biasing.Comment: 17 pages, 4 tables, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in the Ap
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Microchannel plate pinhole camera for 20 to 100 keV x-ray imaging
We present the design and construction of a sensitive pinhole camera for imaging suprathermal x-rays. Our device is a pinhole camera consisting of four filtered pinholes and microchannel plate electron multiplier for x-ray detection and signal amplification. We report successful imaging of 20, 45, 70, and 100 keV x-ray emissions from the fusion targets at our Novette laser facility. Such imaging reveals features of the transport of hot electrons and provides views deep inside the target
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