8,071 research outputs found
Hemiparasitic plant impacts animal and plant communities across four trophic levels
1.Understanding the impact of species on community structure is a fundamental question in ecology. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that both sub-dominant species and parasites can have a disproportionately large impact.
2.Here we report the impacts of an organism that is both subdominant and parasitic, the hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor. Whilst the impact of parasitic angiosperms on their hosts and, to a lesser degree, co-existing plant species, have been well characterized, much less is known about their impacts on higher trophic levels.
3.We experimentally manipulated field densities of the hemiparasite Rhinanthus minor in a species rich grassland, comparing the plant and invertebrate communities in plots where it was removed, at natural densities or at enhanced densities.
4.Plots with natural and enhanced densities of R. minor had lower plant biomass than plots without the hemiparasite, but enhanced densities almost doubled the abundance of invertebrates within the plots across all trophic levels, with effects evident in herbivores, predators and detritivores.
5.The hemiparasite R. minor, despite being a sub-dominant and transient component within plant communities that it inhabits, has profound effects on four different trophic levels. These effects persist beyond the life of the hemiparasite,
emphasizing its role as a keystone species in grassland communitie
Subaru Weak Lensing survey -- II: Multi-object Spectroscopy and Cluster Masses
We present the first results of a MOS campaign to follow up cluster
candidates located via weak lensing. Our main goals are to search for spatial
concentrations of galaxies that are plausible optical counterparts of the weak
lensing signals, and to determine the cluster redshifts from those of member
galaxies. Around each of 36 targeted cluster candidates, we obtain 15-32 galaxy
redshifts. For 28 of these targets, we confirm a secure cluster identification.
This includes three cases where two clusters at different redshifts are
projected along the same line-of-sight. In 6 of the 8 unconfirmed targets, we
find multiple small galaxy concentrations at different redshifts. In both the
remaining two targets, a single small galaxy concentration is found. We
evaluate the weak lensing mass of confirmed clusters. For a subsample of our
most cleanly measured clusters, we investigate the statistical relation between
their weak lensing mass and the velocity dispersion of their member galaxies,
comparing our sample with optically and X-ray selected samples from the
literature. Our lensing-selected clusters are consistent with
sigma_v=sigma_sis, with a similar scatter to the optically and X-ray selected
clusters. We thus find no evidence of selection bias compared to these other
techniques. We also derive an empirical relation between the cluster mass and
the galaxy velocity dispersion, which is in reasonable agreement with the
prediction of N-body simulations in the LCDM cosmology.Comment: 58 pages, 45 figures, submitted to PASJ. A version with
full-resolution figures is available at
http://th.nao.ac.jp/~hamanatk/PP/supcam_wl2.pd
Level density of Fe and low-energy enhancement of -strength function
The MnFe differential cross section is measured at
MeV\@. The Fe level density obtained from neutron evaporation spectra is
compared to the level density extracted from the
FeHe,Fe reaction by the Oslo-type technique.
Good agreement is found between the level densities determined by the two
methods. With the level density function obtained from the neutron evaporation
spectra, the Fe -strength function is also determined from the
first-generation matrix of the Oslo experiment. The good agreement
between the past and present results for the -strength function
supports the validity of both methods and is consistent with the low-energy
enhancement of the strength below MeV first discovered by the
Oslo method in iron and molybdenum isotopes.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Charge density of a positively charged vector boson may be negative
The charge density of vector particles, for example W, may change sign. The
effect manifests itself even for a free propagation; when the energy of the
W-boson is higher than sqrt{2}m and the standing-wave is considered the charge
density oscillates in space. The charge density of W also changes sign in close
vicinity of a Coulomb center. The dependence of this effect on the g-factor for
an arbitrary vector boson, for example rho-meson, is discussed. An origin of
this surprising effect is traced to the electric quadrupole moment and
spin-orbit interaction of vector particles. Their contributions to the current
have a polarization nature. The charge density of this current, rho = -\nabla
\cdot P, where P is an effective polarization vector that depends on the
quadrupole moment and spin-orbit interaction, oscillates in space, producing
zero contribution to the total charge.Comment: 4 pages, revte
The impact of mass-loss on the evolution and pre-supernova properties of red supergiants
The post main-sequence evolution of massive stars is very sensitive to many
parameters of the stellar models. Key parameters are the mixing processes, the
metallicity, the mass-loss rate and the effect of a close companion. We study
how the red supergiant lifetimes, the tracks in the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram
(HRD), the positions in this diagram of the pre-supernova progenitor as well as
the structure of the stars at that time change for various mass-loss rates
during the red supergiant phase (RSG), and for two different initial rotation
velocities. The surface abundances of RSGs are much more sensitive to rotation
than to the mass-loss rates during that phase. A change of the RSG mass-loss
rate has a strong impact on the RSG lifetimes and therefore on the luminosity
function of RSGs. At solar metallicity, the enhanced mass-loss rate models do
produce significant changes on the populations of blue, yellow and red
supergiants. When extended blue loops or blue ward excursions are produced by
enhanced mass-loss, the models predict that a majority of blue (yellow)
supergiants are post RSG objects. These post RSG stars are predicted to show
much smaller surface rotational velocities than similar blue supergiants on
their first crossing of the HR gap. The position in the HRD of the end point of
the evolution depends on the mass of the hydrogen envelope. More precisely,
whenever, at the pre-supernova stage, the H-rich envelope contains more than
about 5\% of the initial mass, the star is a red supergiant, and whenever the
H-rich envelope contains less than 1\% of the total mass the star is a blue
supergiant. For intermediate situations, intermediate colors/effective
temperatures are obtained. Yellow progenitors for core collapse supernovae can
be explained by the enhanced mass-loss rate models, while the red progenitors
are better fitted by the standard mass-loss rate models.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, 6 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysic
Identification of 8 INTEGRAL hard X-ray sources with Chandra
We report the results of identification of 8 hard X-ray sources discovered by
the INTEGRAL observatory during the ongoing all-sky survey. These sources have
been observed by Chandra. In 6 cases a bright X-ray source was found within the
INTEGRAL localization region, which permitted to unambigously identify 5 of the
objects with nearby galaxies, implying that they have an active galactic
nucleus (AGN), whereas one source is likely an X-ray binary in LMC. 4 of the 5
newly discovered AGNs have measured redshifts in the range 0.025-0.055. The
X-ray spectra reveal the presence of significant amounts of absorbing gas (NH
in the range 10^22-10^24 cm^-2) in all 5 AGNs, demonstrating that INTEGRAL is
starting to fill in the sample of nearby obscured AGNs.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, corrected Fig.
Searching for "monogenic diabetes" in dogs using a candidate gene approach
BACKGROUND: Canine diabetes is a common endocrine disorder with an estimated breed-related prevalence ranging from 0.005% to 1.5% in pet dogs. Increased prevalence in some breeds suggests that diabetes in dogs is influenced by genetic factors and similarities between canine and human diabetes phenotypes suggest that the same genes might be associated with disease susceptibility in both species. Between 1-5% of human diabetes cases result from mutations in a single gene, including maturity onset diabetes of the adult (MODY) and neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM). It is not clear whether monogenic forms of diabetes exist within some dog breeds. Identification of forms of canine monogenic diabetes could help to resolve the heterogeneity of the condition and lead to development of breed-specific genetic tests for diabetes susceptibility. RESULTS: Seventeen dog breeds were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eighteen genes that have been associated with human MODY/NDM. Six SNP associations were found from five genes, with one gene (ZFP57) being associated in two different breeds. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the genes that have been associated with susceptibility to MODY and NDM in humans appear to also be associated with canine diabetes, although the limited number of associations identified in this study indicates canine diabetes is a heterogeneous condition and is most likely to be a polygenic trait in most dog breeds. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2052-6687-1-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users
Intrinsic and extrinsic geometries of a tidally deformed black hole
A description of the event horizon of a perturbed Schwarzschild black hole is
provided in terms of the intrinsic and extrinsic geometries of the null
hypersurface. This description relies on a Gauss-Codazzi theory of null
hypersurfaces embedded in spacetime, which extends the standard theory of
spacelike and timelike hypersurfaces involving the first and second fundamental
forms. We show that the intrinsic geometry of the event horizon is invariant
under a reparameterization of the null generators, and that the extrinsic
geometry depends on the parameterization. Stated differently, we show that
while the extrinsic geometry depends on the choice of gauge, the intrinsic
geometry is gauge invariant. We apply the formalism to solutions to the vacuum
field equations that describe a tidally deformed black hole. In a first
instance we consider a slowly-varying, quadrupolar tidal field imposed on the
black hole, and in a second instance we examine the tide raised during a close
parabolic encounter between the black hole and a small orbiting body.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figure
Chandra and Hubble Study of a New Transient X-ray Source in M31
We present X-ray and optical observations of a new transient X-ray source in
M31 first detected 23-May-2004 at R.A.=00:43:09.940 +/- 0.65'',
Dec.=41:23:32.49 +/- 0.66''. The X-ray lightcurve shows two peaks separated by
several months, reminiscent of many Galactic X-ray novae. The location and
X-ray spectrum of the source suggest it is a low mass X-ray binary (LMXB).
Follow-up HST ACS observations of the location both during and after the
outburst provide a high-confidence detection of variability for one star within
the X-ray position error ellipse. This star has B ~ 1 mag, and there is
only a ~1% chance of finding such a variable in the error ellipse. We consider
this star a good candidate for the optical counterpart of the X-ray source. The
luminosity of this candidate provides a prediction for the orbital period of
the system of 2.3 days.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Transnational social capital: the socio‐spatialities of civil society
Civil society remains a contested concept, but one that is widely embedded in global development processes. Transnationalism within civil society scholarship is often described dichotomously, either through hierarchical dependency relations or as a more amorphous networked global civil society. These two contrasting spatial imaginaries produce very particular ideas about how transnational relations contribute to civil society. Drawing on empirical material from research with civil society organizations in Barbados and Grenada, in this article I contend that civil society groups use forms of transnational social capital in their work. This does not, however, resonate with the horizontal relations associated with grassroots globalization or vertical chains of dependence. These social relations are imbued with power and agency and are entangled in situated historical, geographical and personal contexts. I conclude that the diverse transnational social relations that are part of civil society activity offer hope and possibilities for continued civil society action in these unexpected spatial arrangements
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