46 research outputs found
Vibrational effects in laser driven molecular wires
The influence of an electron-vibrational coupling on the laser control of
electron transport through a molecular wire that is attached to several
electronic leads is investigated. These molecular vibrational modes induce an
effective electron-electron interaction. In the regime where the wire electrons
couple weakly to both the external leads and the vibrational modes, we derive
within a Hartree-Fock approximation a nonlinear set of quantum kinetic
equations. The quantum kinetic theory is then used to evaluate the laser
driven, time-averaged electron current through the wire-leads contacts. This
novel formalism is applied to two archetypical situations in the presence of
electron-vibrational effects, namely, (i) the generation of a ratchet or pump
current in a symmetrical molecule by a harmonic mixing field and (ii) the laser
switching of the current through the molecule.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, RevTeX4 require
The evolution of the Aristolochia pallida complex (Aristolochiaceae) challenges traditional taxonomy and reflects large-scale glacial refugia in the Mediterranean
The taxonomy of the Mediterranean Aristolochia pallida complex has been under debate since several decades with the following species currently recognized: A. pallida, A. lutea, A. nardiana, A. microstoma, A. merxmuelleri, A. croatica, and A. castellana. These taxa are distributed from Iberia to Turkey. To reconstruct phylogenetic and biogeographic patterns, we employed cpDNA sequence variation using both noncoding (intron and spacer) and protein-coding regions (i.e., trnK intron, matK gene, and trnK-psbA spacer). Our results show that the morphology-based traditional taxonomy was not corroborated by our phylogenetic analyses. Aristolochia pallida, A. lutea, A. nardiana, and A. microstoma were not monophyletic. Instead, strong geographic signals were detected. Two major clades, one exclusively occurring in Greece and a second one of pan-Mediterranean distribution, were found. Several subclades distributed in Greece, NW Turkey, Italy, as well as amphi-Adriatic subclades, and a subgroup of southern France and Spain, were revealed. The distribution areas of these groups are in close vicinity to hypothesized glacial refugia areas in the Mediterranean. According to molecular clock analyses the diversification of this complex started around 3â3.3Â my, before the onset of glaciation cycles, and the further evolution of and within major lineages falls into the Pleistocene. Based on these data, we conclude that the Aristolochia pallida alliance survived in different Mediterranean refugia rarely with low, but often with a high potential for range extension, and a high degree of morphological diversity.Turkish Science Foundatio
Floquet-Markov description of the parametrically driven, dissipative harmonic quantum oscillator
Using the parametrically driven harmonic oscillator as a working example, we
study two different Markovian approaches to the quantum dynamics of a
periodically driven system with dissipation. In the simpler approach, the
driving enters the master equation for the reduced density operator only in the
Hamiltonian term. An improved master equation is achieved by treating the
entire driven system within the Floquet formalism and coupling it to the
reservoir as a whole. The different ensuing evolution equations are compared in
various representations, particularly as Fokker-Planck equations for the Wigner
function. On all levels of approximation, these evolution equations retain the
periodicity of the driving, so that their solutions have Floquet form and
represent eigenfunctions of a non-unitary propagator over a single period of
the driving. We discuss asymptotic states in the long-time limit as well as the
conservative and the high-temperature limits. Numerical results obtained within
the different Markov approximations are compared with the exact path-integral
solution. The application of the improved Floquet-Markov scheme becomes
increasingly important when considering stronger driving and lower
temperatures.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figure
New Phytologist / The betrayed thief the extraordinary strategy of Aristolochia rotunda to deceive its pollinators
Pollination of several angiosperms is based on deceit. In such systems, the flowers advertise a reward that ultimately is not provided. We report on a previously unknown pollination/mimicry system discovered in deceptive Aristolochia rotunda (Aristolochiaceae). Pollinators were collected in the natural habitat and identified. Flower scent and the volatiles of insects (models) potentially mimicked were analyzed by chemical analytical techniques. Electrophysiological and behavioral tests on the pollinators identified the components that mediate the plantpollinator interaction and revealed the model of the mimicry system. The main pollinators of A. rotunda were female Chloropidae. They are food thieves that feed on secretions of true bugs (Miridae) while these are eaten by arthropod predators. Freshly killed mirids and Aristolochia flowers released the same scent components that chloropids use to find their food sources. Aristolochia exploits these components to deceive their chloropid pollinators. Aristolochia and other trap flowers were believed to lure saprophilous flies and mimic brood sites of pollinators. We demonstrate for A. rotunda, and hypothesize for other deceptive angiosperms, the evolution of a different, kleptomyiophilous pollination strategy. It involves scent mimicry and the exploitation of kleptoparasitic flies as pollinators. Our findings suggest a reconsideration of plants assumed to show sapromyiophilous pollination.(VLID)221519
Mechanisms of resistance against PKC412 in resistant FLT3-ITD positive human acute myeloid leukemia cells
Intraoperative identification of somato-sensory brain areas using optical imaging and standard RGB camera equipment â a feasibility study
Intraoperative Optical Imaging (IOI) is a neuro-imaging technique that allows the visualization of changes in optical properties of the brain cortex. Recent developments enhanced the method regarding the robustness under intraoperative conditions. However, the necessity of additional hardware still limits the use in the operating room (OR). Since modern surgical microscopes are potentially equipped with all required hardware for imaging, we investigated the possible use of such standard RGB camera for IOI. Measurements were performed on eight patients. Changes in optical properties of the cortical surface were acquired with a monochrome CCD camera (AxioCam MRm) and simultaneously with a standard RGB camera (Trio 610). Maps of cortical activity were calculated from the image data and the quality of these maps was assessed with a spatial signal-to-noise ratio. Activity maps calculated from AxioCam MRm data showed highest SNR in six out of eight patients. In two patients the activity map calculated from Trio 610 red channel performed best overall. The Trio 610 maps calculated from red channel data performed best in three out of eight cases like the activity maps calculated from green channel data, whereas the activity map calculated from blue channel data performed best in only two cases. If the color channel with the highest SNR is chosen in each patient for comparison to AxioCam MRm, the median of the SNR (SNRAxioCam/SNRBestColorChannel) is 84 % (Quartile 1 (Q1): 78 %, Quartile 3 (Q3): 99%). Results reveal that the integration of the Intraoperative Optical Imaging method into the OR and surgical workflow can be further improved by using RGB camera equipment. A robust identification of somato-sensory areas seems possible. Due to the gain of information from different wavelength bands the need for intelligent evaluation algorithms is increased and should therefore be topic of future research