2,331 research outputs found
On the relation between standard and -symmetries for PDEs
We give a geometrical interpretation of the notion of -prolongations of
vector fields and of the related concept of -symmetry for partial
differential equations (extending to PDEs the notion of -symmetry for
ODEs). We give in particular a result concerning the relationship between
-symmetries and standard exact symmetries. The notion is also extended to
the case of conditional and partial symmetries, and we analyze the relation
between local -symmetries and nonlocal standard symmetries.Comment: 25 pages, no figures, latex. to be published in J. Phys.
Structure-function mapping of a heptameric module in the nuclear pore complex.
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a multiprotein assembly that serves as the sole mediator of nucleocytoplasmic exchange in eukaryotic cells. In this paper, we use an integrative approach to determine the structure of an essential component of the yeast NPC, the ~600-kD heptameric Nup84 complex, to a precision of ~1.5 nm. The configuration of the subunit structures was determined by satisfaction of spatial restraints derived from a diverse set of negative-stain electron microscopy and protein domain-mapping data. Phenotypic data were mapped onto the complex, allowing us to identify regions that stabilize the NPC's interaction with the nuclear envelope membrane and connect the complex to the rest of the NPC. Our data allow us to suggest how the Nup84 complex is assembled into the NPC and propose a scenario for the evolution of the Nup84 complex through a series of gene duplication and loss events. This work demonstrates that integrative approaches based on low-resolution data of sufficient quality can generate functionally informative structures at intermediate resolution
Probing pre-formed alpha particles in the ground state of nuclei
In this Letter, we report on alpha particle emission through the nuclear
break-up in the reaction 40Ca on a 40Ca target at 50A MeV. It is observed that,
similarly to nucleons, alpha particles can be emitted to the continuum with
very specific angular distribution during the reaction. The alpha particle
properties can be understood as resulting from an alpha cluster in the daughter
nucleus that is perturbed by the short range nuclear attraction of the
collision partner and emitted. A time-dependent theory that describe the alpha
particle wave-function evolution is able to reproduce qualitatively the
observed angular distribution. This mechanism offers new possibilities to study
alpha particle properties in the nuclear medium.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Weak lensing surveys and the intrinsic correlation of galaxy ellipticities
We explore the possibility that an intrinsic correlation between galaxy
ellipticities arising during the galaxy formation process may account for part
of the shear signal recently reported by several groups engaged in weak lensing
surveys. Using high resolution N-body simulations we measure the projected
ellipticities of dark matter halos and their correlations as a function of pair
separation. With this simplifying, but not necessarily realistic assumption
(halo shapes as a proxy for galaxy shapes), we find a positive detection of
correlations up to scales of at least 20 h^-1mpc (limited by the box size). The
signal is not strongly affected by variations in the halo finding technique, or
by the resolution of the simulations. We translate our 3d results into angular
measurements of ellipticity correlation functions and shear variance which can
be directly compared to observations. We also measure similar results from
simulated angular surveys made by projecting our simulation boxes onto the
plane of the sky and applying a radial selection function. Interestingly, the
shear variance we measure is a small, but not entirely negligible fraction
(from ~10-20 %) of that seen by the observational groups, and the ellipticity
correlation functions approximately mimic the functional form expected to be
caused by weak lensing. The amplitude depends on the width in redshift of the
galaxy distribution. If photometric redshifts are used to pick out a screen of
background galaxies with a small width, then the intrinsic correlation may
become comparable to the weak lensing signal. Although we are dealing with
simulated dark matter halos, whether there is a signal from real galaxies could
be checked with a nearby sample with known redshifts.Comment: 12 pages, 11 ps figures, emulateapj.sty, submitted to Ap
Nonlocal aspects of -symmetries and ODEs reduction
A reduction method of ODEs not possessing Lie point symmetries makes use of
the so called -symmetries (C. Muriel and J. L. Romero, \emph{IMA J.
Appl. Math.} \textbf{66}, 111-125, 2001). The notion of covering for an ODE
is used here to recover -symmetries of as
nonlocal symmetries. In this framework, by embedding into a
suitable system determined by the function ,
any -symmetry of can be recovered by a local symmetry of
. As a consequence, the reduction method of Muriel and
Romero follows from the standard method of reduction by differential invariants
applied to .Comment: 13 page
Redshifts in the Southern Abell Redshift Survey Clusters. I. The Data
The Southern Abell Redshift Survey contains 39 clusters of galaxies with
redshifts in the range 0.0 < z < 0.31 and a median redshift depth of z =
0.0845. SARS covers the region 0 21h (while
avoiding the LMC and SMC) with b > 40. Cluster locations were chosen from the
Abell and Abell-Corwin-Olowin catalogs while galaxy positions were selected
from the Automatic Plate Measuring Facility galaxy catalog with
extinction-corrected magnitudes in the range 15 <= b_j < 19. SARS utilized the
Las Campanas 2.5 m duPont telescope, observing either 65 or 128 objects
concurrently over a 1.5 sq deg field. New redshifts for 3440 galaxies are
reported in the fields of these 39 clusters of galaxies.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journal, Table 2 can be downloaded in its entirety from
http://trotsky.arc.nasa.gov/~mway/SARS1/sars1-table2.cs
Sites for Gamma-ray Astronomy in Argentina
We have searched for possible sites in Argentina for the installation of
large air Cherenkov telescope arrays and water Cherenkov systems. At present
seven candidates are identified at altitudes from 2500 to 4500 m. The highest
sites are located at the Northwest of the country, in La Puna. Sites at 2500
and 3100 m are located in the West at El Leoncito Observatory, with excellent
infrastructure. A description of these candidate sites is presented with
emphasis on infrastructure and climatology.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of "4th Heidelberg International Symposium
on High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy 2008
Variation in plasma oxidative status and testosterone level in relation to egg-eviction effort and age of brood-parasitic common cuckoo nestlings
To avoid competition for parental care, brood-parasitic Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) nestlings evict all of the host's eggs and nestlings within a few days after hatching. Little is known about the physiological effects of eviction behavior on the cuckoo nestling's oxidative balance or about age-related variation in plasma oxidative status and testosterone level of developing birds. We examined whether the cuckoo nestling's plasma oxidative status was related to prior effort in eviction and quantified variation in the level of reactive oxygen metabolites, of nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity, and of testosterone concentration in plasma at various phases of the cuckoo's development. Levels of both reactive oxygen metabolites and antioxidant capacity were greater in older than in younger nestlings, suggesting that younger nestlings effectively counterbalance their increased production of free radicals, whereas, near fledging, levels of reactive oxygen metabolites increase despite improved antioxidant capacity. Possibly, overall energy expenditure increases with age and elevates the production of reactive oxygen species to a rate higher than what the antioxidant system could eliminate. Plasma testosterone level was the highest at nestlings' intermediate phase of growth. High levels of testosterone may be required during the period of fastest growth, and when the growth rate levels off near fledging, testosterone levels may also decline. Cuckoo chicks that evicted more host eggs from steeper nests had higher plasma levels of reactive oxygen metabolites shortly after the eviction period, suggesting that eviction is costly in terms of an increased level of oxidative stress. Para evitar la competencia por el cuidado parental, los polluelos parĂĄsitos de nidada de Cuculus canorus desalojan todos los huevos y los polluelos del hospedador a los pocos dĂas despuĂ©s de la eclosiĂłn. Se sabe poco sobre los efectos fisiolĂłgicos del comportamiento de desalojo en el balance oxidativo de los polluelos de C. canorus o sobre la variaciĂłn en el estatus oxidativo del plasma y el nivel de testosterona relacionado con la edad de las aves en desarrollo. Examinamos si el estatus oxidativo del plasma de los polluelos de C. canorus se relacionaba con un esfuerzo previo de desalojo y cuantificamos la variaciĂłn en el nivel de metabolitos reactivos de oxĂgeno, la capacidad antioxidante no enzimĂĄtica y la concentraciĂłn de testosterona en el plasma en varias fases del desarrollo de C. canorus. Tanto los niveles de metabolitos reactivos de oxĂgeno como la capacidad antioxidante fueron superiores en los polluelos de mayor edad que en los mĂĄs jĂłvenes, lo que sugiere que los polluelos de menor edad contrarrestan eficazmente el aumento de la producciĂłn de radicales libres, mientras que, cuando se aprĂłximan al abandono del nido, los niveles de metabolitos reactivos de oxĂgeno aumentan a pesar de una mejora en la capacidad antioxidante. Posiblemente, el gasto total de energĂa se incrementa con la edad, elevĂĄndose la producciĂłn de formas reactivas de oxĂgeno a una tasa mayor de la que el sistema antioxidante puede eliminar. El nivel de testosterona en el plasma fue mĂĄximo en la fase intermedia del crecimiento de los polluelos. Pueden requerirse altos niveles de testosterona durante el perĂodo de mayor crecimiento y, cuando la tasa de crecimiento se estabiliza cerca del abandono del nido, los niveles de testosterona tambiĂ©n podriĂĄn disminuir. Los polluelos de C. canorus que desalojaron mĂĄs huevos del hospedador en nidos con una estructura mĂĄs empinada tuvieron niveles de plasma de metabolitos reactivos de oxĂgeno en plasma mĂĄs altos poco despuĂ©s del perĂodo de desalojo, sugiriendo que el desalojo es costoso en tĂ©rminos de un incremento en el nivel de estrĂ©s oxidativo
- âŠ