Discrete stochastic models for traffic flow

We investigate a probabilistic cellular automaton model which has been introduced recently. This model describes single-lane traffic flow on a ring and generalizes the asymmetric exclusion process models. We study the equilibrium properties and calculate the so-called fundamental diagrams (flow vs.\ density) for parallel dynamics. This is done numerically by computer simulations of the model and by means of an improved mean-field approximation which takes into account short-range correlations. For cars with maximum velocity 1 the simplest non-trivial approximation gives the exact result. For higher velocities the analytical results, obtained by iterated application of the approximation scheme, are in excellent agreement with the numerical simulations.Comment: Revtex, 30 pages, full postscript version (including figures) available by anonymous ftp from "fileserv1.mi.uni-koeln.de" in the directory "pub/incoming/" paper accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.

Numerical Studies of the Compressible Ising Spin Glass

We study a two-dimensional compressible Ising spin glass at constant volume. The spin interactions are coupled to the distance between neighboring particles in the Edwards-Anderson model with +/- J interactions. We find that the energy of a given spin configuration is shifted from its incompressible value, E_0, by an amount quadratic in E_0 and proportional to the coupling strength. We then construct a simple model expressed only in terms of spin variables that predicts the existence of a critical value of the coupling above which the spin-glass transition disappears.Comment: REVTeX, 4 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

A Cellular Automaton Model for Bi-Directionnal Traffic

We investigate a cellular automaton (CA) model of traffic on a bi-directional two-lane road. Our model is an extension of the one-lane CA model of {Nagel and Schreckenberg 1992}, modified to account for interactions mediated by passing, and for a distribution of vehicle speeds. We chose values for the various parameters to approximate the behavior of real traffic. The density-flow diagram for the bi-directional model is compared to that of a one-lane model, showing the interaction of the two lanes. Results were also compared to experimental data, showing close agreement. This model helps bridge the gap between simplified cellular automata models and the complexity of real-world traffic.Comment: 4 pages 6 figures. Accepted Phys Rev

Seed conservation in ex situ genebanks - genetic studies on longevity in barley

Recognizing the danger due to a permanent risk of loss of the genetic variability of cultivated plants and their wild relatives in response to changing environmental conditions and cultural practices, plant ex situ genebank collections were created since the beginning of the last century. World-wide more than 6 million accessions have been accumulated of which more than 90% are stored as seeds. Research on seed longevity was performed in barley maintained for up to 34 years in the seed store of the German ex situ genebank of the Leibniz-Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben. A high intraspecific variation was detected in those natural aged accessions. In addition three doubled haploid barley mapping populations being artificial aged were investigated to study the inheritance of seed longevity. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was based on a transcript map. Major QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2H, 5H (two) and 7H explaining a phenotypic variation of up to 54%. A sequence homology search was performed to derive the putative function of the genes linked to the QTLs

Generalized Intelligent States for an Arbitrary Quantum System

Generalized Intelligent States (coherent and squeezed states) are derived for an arbitrary quantum system by using the minimization of the so-called Robertson-Schr\"odinger uncertainty relation. The Fock-Bargmann representation is also considered. As a direct illustration of our construction, the P\"oschl-Teller potentials of trigonometric type will be shosen. We will show the advantage of the Fock-Bargmann representation in obtaining the generalized intelligent states in an analytical way. Many properties of these states are studied

Nischendifferenzierung zweier nah verwandter Neophyten im urbanen Raum

The alien Galinsoga ciliata and G. parviflora are widely distributed in Switzerlandin rural as well as urban areas. They are both regarded as weeds, are oftensympatric and grow in similar ecological settings. In urban environments, the otherwiseslight ecological differences between species appear to be more expressed,but quantitative studies analyzing the distribution pattern, habitat and substratepreferences of both species were missing. In the city of Basel (Switzerland) Galinsogaciliata (Raf.) Blake and G. parviflora Cav. were mapped onto a 500 m3500 mgrid. At each locality population density, habitat and substrate type were recorded.G. ciliata was more wide-spread and seven times more frequent than G. parviflora.These differences existed despite G. ciliata being introduced to Europe and to Baselmuch later than G. parviflora.In contrast to G. parviflora, which was absent in the peripheral areas of thetown, the stands of G. ciliata were spread over the whole town area. Despite thefact that both species prefer nutrient- and humus-rich soil and coexisted in nutrientrichhabitats in the city of Basel, G. parviflora grows more often in pavement gapsand crevices of stones, concrete or asphalt than G. ciliata. The lower frequency ofG. parviflora, its smaller aggregations, and the exploitation of the most extremehabitats demonstrate the weak competitiveness compared with G. ciliata.Hence, in urban areas, where the growth conditions for the two weed speciesare not optimal, G. parviflora could maintain its presence by showing a clear nichedifferentiation compared to G. ciliata. Betr. die Ausbreitung von zwei Galinsoga-Arten in Base

Contribution of time of day and the circadian clock to the heat stress responsive transcriptome in Arabidopsis.

In Arabidopsis, a large subset of heat responsive genes exhibits diurnal or circadian oscillations. However, to what extent the dimension of time and/or the circadian clock contribute to heat stress responses remains largely unknown. To determine the direct contribution of time of day and/or the clock to differential heat stress responses, we probed wild-type and mutants of the circadian clock genes CCA1, LHY, PRR7, and PRR9 following exposure to heat (37 °C) and moderate cold (10 °C) in the early morning (ZT1) and afternoon (ZT6). Thousands of genes were differentially expressed in response to temperature, time of day, and/or the clock mutation. Approximately 30% more genes were differentially expressed in the afternoon compared to the morning, and heat stress significantly perturbed the transcriptome. Of the DEGs (~3000) specifically responsive to heat stress, ~70% showed time of day (ZT1 or ZT6) occurrence of the transcriptional response. For the DEGs (~1400) that are shared between ZT1 and ZT6, we observed changes to the magnitude of the transcriptional response. In addition, ~2% of all DEGs showed differential responses to temperature stress in the clock mutants. The findings in this study highlight a significant role for time of day in the heat stress responsive transcriptome, and the clock through CCA1 and LHY, appears to have a more profound role than PRR7 and PRR9 in modulating heat stress responses during the day. Our results emphasize the importance of considering the dimension of time in studies on abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis

Do wildflower strips enhance pest control in organic cabbage?

Within this project we assess whether wildflower strips and companion plants increase the control of cabbage pests Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Pieris rapae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) by (1) naturally occurring parasitoids and predators and (2) mass‐releasedn Trichogramma brassciae (Bezdenko) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) parasitoids. Two organic cabbage fields were used for this study: adjacent to each field a wildflower strip was sown and companion plants (Centaurea cyanus L. (Asteraceae)) intermixed within the crop. Within each field ~15,000 M. brassicae eggs were placed out to determine the parasitism rates by mass‐released T. brassicae and to assess the levels of egg predation. Over 1,000 lepidopteran larvae were collected and screened for hymenopteran and tachinid parasitoid DNA using a multiplex PCR assay. Invertebrate generalist predators (n=1,063) were collected for DNA‐based gut content analysis. The wildflower strip had a significant positive effect on M. brassicae egg parasitism rates as rates increased 5‐fold in the vicinity to the strip. Moreover, companion plants enhanced invertebrate predation on M. brassicae eggs. Both, the release of T. brassicae and the use of companion plants, however, did not significantly increase egg parasitism rates. The infestation of plants by caterpillars increased with distance to the wildflower strip and there was a trend of decreasing larval parasitism rates with distance to the strip. Currently the invertebrate predators are being molecularly analysed to assess predation on unparasitized and parasitized lepidopteran pests

Verbreitung und Standorte des schmalblättrigen Kreuzkrauts (Senecio inaequidens) und anderer Neophyten in der Stadt Basel (Schweiz)

In the city of Basel (Switzerland) Senecio inaequidens and five other neophytes(Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Berteroa incana, Cynodon dactylon, Helianthustuberosus s.l. and Juncus tenuis) were mapped onto 61 500 m 500 m quadrats. Ateach locality frequency, biotope and soil quality were recorded. In Basel S. inaequidens is moderately spread and sparse. Since its first occurrence on railway areas in the early eighties of the last century S. inaequidens has started to colonise the city, many individuals or low density stands were observed in this study occuring across the city. In Basel S. inaequidens grows mainly on open soils with humus rich soil or coarse gravel. A. artemisiifolia, B. incana, C. dactylon, H. tuberosus s.l. and J. tenuis are in Basel sparsely spread and sparse in number. For each species information on the history of its colonisation, their current distribution, frequency, and its ecology in Basel are shown and discussed

Suppression of spin-state transition in epitaxially strained LaCoO_{3}

Epitaxial thin films of LaCoO_{3} (E-LCO) exhibit ferromagnetic order with a transition temperature T_c = 85 K, while polycrystalline thin LaCoO_{3} films (P-LCO) remain paramagnetic. The temperature-dependent spin-state structure for both E-LCO and P-LCO was studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Co L_{2,3} and O K edges. Considerable spectral redistributions over temperature are observed for P-LCO. The spectra for E-LCO, on the other hand, do not show any significant changes for temperatures between 30 K and 450 K at both edges, indicating that the spin state remains constant and that the epitaxial strain inhibits any population of the low-spin (S = 0) state with decreasing temperature. This observation identifies an important prerequisite for ferromagnetism in E-LCO thin films.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Physical Review