1,494 research outputs found
Super-diffusion in optical realizations of Anderson localization
We discuss the dynamics of particles in one dimension in potentials that are
random both in space and in time. The results are applied to recent optics
experiments on Anderson localization, in which the transverse spreading of a
beam is suppressed by random fluctuations in the refractive index. If the
refractive index fluctuates along the direction of the paraxial propagation of
the beam, the localization is destroyed. We analyze this broken localization,
in terms of the spectral decomposition of the potential. When the potential has
a discrete spectrum, the spread is controlled by the overlap of Chirikov
resonances in phase space. As the number of Fourier components is increased,
the resonances merge into a continuum, which is described by a Fokker-Planck
equation. We express the diffusion coefficient in terms of the spectral
intensity of the potential. For a general class of potentials that are commonly
used in optics, the solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation exhibit anomalous
diffusion in phase space, implying that when Anderson localization is broken by
temporal fluctuations of the potential, the result is transport at a rate
similar to a ballistic one or even faster. For a class of potentials which
arise in some existing realizations of Anderson localization atypical behavior
is found.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
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NMDAR-Activated PP1 Dephosphorylates GluN2B to Modulate NMDAR Synaptic Content.
In mature neurons, postsynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are segregated into two populations, synaptic and extrasynaptic, which differ in localization, function, and associated intracellular cascades. These two pools are connected via lateral diffusion, and receptor exchange between them modulates synaptic NMDAR content. Here, we identify the phosphorylation of the PDZ-ligand of the GluN2B subunit of NMDARs (at S1480) as a critical determinant in dynamically controlling NMDAR synaptic content. We find that phosphorylation of GluN2B at S1480 maintains NMDARs at extrasynaptic membranes as part of a protein complex containing protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Global activation of NMDARs leads to the activation of PP1, which mediates dephosphorylation of GluN2B at S1480 to promote an increase in synaptic NMDAR content. Thus, PP1-mediated dephosphorylation of the GluN2B PDZ-ligand modulates the synaptic expression of NMDARs in mature neurons in an activity-dependent manner, a process with profound consequences for synaptic and structural plasticity, metaplasticity, and synaptic neurotransmission
Informing the Financing of Universal Energy Access: An Assessment of Current Flows
Energy poverty is widely recognized as a major obstacle to economic and social development and poverty alleviation. To help inform the design of appropriate and effective policies to reduce energy poverty, we present a brief analysis of the current macro financial flows in the electricity and gas distribution sectors in developing countries. We build on the methodology used to quantify the flows of investment in the climate change area. This methodology relies on national gross fixed capital formation, overseas development assistance, and foreign direct investment. These high-level and aggregated investment figures provide a sense of scale to policy-makers, but are only a small part of the information required to design financial vehicles. In addition, these figures tend to mask numerous variations between sectors and countries, as well as trends and other temporal fluctuations. Nonetheless, for the poorest countries, one can conclude that the current flows are considerably short (at least five times) of what will be required to provide a basic level of access to clean, modern energy services to the âenergy poorâ.Energy Access, Energy Finance, Financial flows
Beneficial effects of conversion from cyclosporine to azathioprine on fibrinolysis in renal transplant recipients
Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been implicated as one of the factors contributing
to the high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality after renal
transplantation. This may be mediated by either a high prevalence of
conventional risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as hypertension,
hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus, or by impairment of the
fibrinolytic activity evoked by CsA, possibly through interference with
prostanoid metabolism. We therefore assessed the impact of conversion of
CsA to azathioprine immunosuppressive treatment on parameters of
fibrinolytic activity and plasma concentration of the prostanoids
prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 in 18 stable renal transplant
recipients. During CsA, mean arterial pressure and serum creatinine were
significantly higher than during azathioprine (116+/-15 mm Hg versus
106+/-13 mm Hg, P=0.0003; and 147+/-34 micromol/L versus 127+/-35
micromol/L, P=0.002; mean+/-SD). On conversion, the plasma tissue
plasminogen activator activity increased from 1.2 (1.1 to 1.7; median, 95%
CI) to 1.8 (1.6 to 2.0) IU/mL (P=0.011), without a significant change of
the plasminogen activator antigen concentration. This was associated with
a substantial decrease in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity from
10.4 (8.5 to 16.7) to 6.4 (5.6 to 9.2) IU/mL (P=0.009). Furthermore,
plasma levels of prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 markedly decreased
(from 9.7 [7.4 to 12.9] to 4.6 [4.3 to 8.1] pg/mL, P=0.0006; and from
106.1 [91.7 to 214.2] to 70.2 [50.3 to 85.6] pg/mL, P=0.002,
respectively). During CsA, but not azathioprine, plasma tissue plasminogen
activator antigen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels correlated
significantly with prostaglandin E2 (r=0.53, P=0.02; and r=0.60, P=0.008,
respectively), and thromboxane B2 (r=0.75, P=0.0001; and r=0.77, P=0.0001,
respectively) levels. In conclusion, CsA induced substantial impairment of
fibrinolytic activity, which recovered after conversion to azathioprine.
The impaired fibrinolysis observed during CsA treatment may be caused by
modulation of eicosanoid production or metabolism in vascular endothelial
cells and possibly contributes to the high incidence of cardiovascular
disease after kidney transplantation
Non-Relativistic Gravitation: From Newton to Einstein and Back
We present an improvement to the Classical Effective Theory approach to the
non-relativistic or Post-Newtonian approximation of General Relativity. The
"potential metric field" is decomposed through a temporal Kaluza-Klein ansatz
into three NRG-fields: a scalar identified with the Newtonian potential, a
3-vector corresponding to the gravito-magnetic vector potential and a 3-tensor.
The derivation of the Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann Lagrangian simplifies such that
each term corresponds to a single Feynman diagram providing a clear physical
interpretation. Spin interactions are dominated by the exchange of the
gravito-magnetic field. Leading correction diagrams corresponding to the 3PN
correction to the spin-spin interaction and the 2.5PN correction to the
spin-orbit interaction are presented.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. v2: published version. v3: Added a computation
of Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann in higher dimensions within our improved ClEFT
which partially confirms and partially corrects a previous computation. See
notes added at end of introductio
A study of minority carrier lifetime versus doping concentration in nâtype GaAs grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition
Timeâresolved photoluminescence decay measurements are used to explore minority carrier recombination in nâtype GaAs grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, and doped with selenium to produce electron concentrations from 1.3Ă1017 cmâ3 to 3.8Ă1018 cmâ3. For electron densities n0\u3c1018 cmâ3, the lifetime is found to be controlled by radiative recombination and photon recycling with no evidence of ShockleyâReadâHall recombination. For higher electron densities, samples show evidence of ShockleyâReadâHall recombination as reflected in the intensity dependence of the photoluminescence decay. Still, we find that radiative recombination and photon recycling are important for all electron concentrations studied, and no evidence for Auger recombination was observed
Implementation of Vascularized Composite Allografts in the United States: Recommendations From the ASTS VCA Ad Hoc Committee and the Executive Committee
Like all other areas of transplantation, vascularized composite allografts (VCA) has the capacity to transform the lives of patients, for the better or for the worse. It is this duality that mandates VCA be performed in centers prepared for the intricacies accompanying other transplant procedures. Similarly, the complexities of VCA require that the procedures be driven by surgeons and physicians with experience in the multidisciplinary management of immunocompromised postsurgical patients. Furthermore, the grafts should be considered as organs rather than tissues from a regulatory and a biological standpoint. The ASTS supports the field of VCA and has demonstrated its support and leadership by actively formulating a strategy for its systematic development. The goal of this document is to provide a framework for the prospective, thoughtful realization of VCA in the United States from the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) perspective.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79113/1/j.1600-6143.2010.03374.x.pd
The Zwicky Transient Facility Observing System
The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a synoptic optical survey for high-cadence time-domain astronomy. Building upon the experience and infrastructure of the highly successful Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) team, ZTF will survey more than an order of magnitude faster than PTF in sky area and volume in order to identify rare, rapidly varying optical sources. These sources will include a trove of supernovae, exotic explosive transients, unusual stellar variables, compact binaries, active galactic nuclei, and asteroids. The single-visit depth of 20.4 mag is well matched to spectroscopic follow-up observations, while the co-added images will provide wide sky coverage 1.5 â 2 mag deeper than SDSS. The ZTF survey will cover the entire Northern Sky and revisit fields on timescales of a few hours, providing hundreds of visits per field each year, an unprecedented cadence, as required to detect fast transients and variability. This high-cadence survey is enabled by an observing system based on a new camera having 47 deg^2 field of view â a factor of 6.5 greater than the existing PTF camera - equipped with fast readout electronics, a large, fast exposure shutter, faster telescope and dome drives, and various measures to optimize delivered image quality. Our project has already received an initial procurement of e2v wafer-scale CCDs and we are currently fabricating the camera cryostat. International partners and the NSF committed funds in June 2014 so construction can proceed as planned to commence engineering commissioning in 2016 and begin operations in 2017. Public release will allow broad utilization of these data by the US astronomical community. ZTF will also promote the development of transient and variable science methods in preparation for the seminal first light of LSST
Population genomic and historical analysis suggests a global invasion by bridgehead processes in Mimulus guttatus
© 2021, The Author(s). Imperfect historical records and complex demographic histories present challenges for reconstructing the history of biological invasions. Here, we combine historical records, extensive worldwide and genome-wide sampling, and demographic analyses to investigate the global invasion of Mimulus guttatus from North America to Europe and the Southwest Pacific. By sampling 521 plants from 158 native and introduced populations genotyped at >44,000 loci, we determined that invasive M. guttatus was first likely introduced to the British Isles from the Aleutian Islands (Alaska), followed by admixture from multiple parts of the native range. We hypothesise that populations in the British Isles then served as a bridgehead for vanguard invasions worldwide. Our results emphasise the highly admixed nature of introduced M. guttatus and demonstrate the potential of introduced populations to serve as sources of secondary admixture, producing novel hybrids. Unravelling the history of biological invasions provides a starting point to understand how invasive populations adapt to novel environments
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