Analysis of intermittency in submillimeter radio and hard x-ray data during the impulsive phase of a solar flare

We present an analysis of intermittent processes occurring during the impulsive phase of the flare SOL2012-03-13, using hard X-rays and submillimeter radio data. Intermittency is a key characteristic in turbulent plasmas and has so far only been analyzed for hard X-ray data. Since in a typical flare the same accelerated electron population is believed to produce both hard X-rays and gyrosynchrotron radiation, we compare the two time profiles by searching for intermittency signatures. For this, we define a cross-wavelet power spectrum, which is used to obtain the local intermittency measure, or LIMLIM. When greater than three, the square LIMLIM coefficients indicate a local intermittent process. The LIM2LIM2 coefficient distribution in time and scale helps to identify avalanche or cascade energy release processes. We find two different and well-separated intermittent behaviors in the submillimeter data: for scales greater than 20 s, a broad distribution during the rising and maximum phases of the emission seems to favor a cascade process; for scales below 1 s, short pulses centered on the peak time are representative of avalanches. When applying the same analysis to hard X-rays, we find that only the scales above 10 s produce a distribution related to a cascade energy fragmentation. Our results suggest that different acceleration mechanisms are responsible for tens of keV and MeV energy ranges of electrons

Interaction paths promote module integration and network-level robustness of spliceosome to cascading effects

CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPThe functionality of distinct types of protein networks depends on the patterns of protein-protein interactions. A problem to solve is understanding the fragility of protein networks to predict system malfunctioning due to mutations and other errors. Spec8111CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPCONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPsem informação2017/08406-7, 2017/06994-9We thank Ana Paula Assis, Pâmela C. Santana and Leandro Giacobelli for helpful comments. PRG was supported by CNPq and FAPESP (2017/08406-7). PPC was supported by FAPESP (2017/06994-9). MC was supported by a PMP/BS postdoctoral fellowship (UFPR/UNIVALI 4

Thermal fluctuations of a quantized massive scalar field in Rindler background

Thermal fluctuations for a massive scalar field in the Rindler wedge are obtained by applying the point-splitting procedure to the zero temperature Feynman propagator in a conical spacetime. Renormalization is implemented by removing the zero temperature contribution. It is shown that for a field of non vanishing mass the thermal fluctuations, when expressed in terms of the local temperature, do not have Minkowski form. As a by product, Minkowski vacuum fluctuations seen by an uniformly accelerated observer are determined and confronted with the literature.Comment: 10 pages; Latex fil

Soluble carbohydrate in fruits: I. 'roma', banana, mango, 'jabuticaba', lemon, pineapple, orange and 'cabeludinha'

Eight species of ripe fruits, mango (Mangifera indica), banana (Musa cavendish), lemon (Citrus aurantif olia), "romã" (Punica granatum), orange (Citrus sinensis), pineapple (Ananas comosus), "jaboticaba" (Myrciaria cantiflora) and "cabeludinha" (Eugenia tomentosa) were analised in relation to total soluble carbohydrates, glucose, sucrose and fructose contents. In general, total soluble carbohydrates of these fruits showed 80% in form of sucrose, glucose and fructose. Sucrose was the principal sugar component in mango, jabuticaba, pineapple, orange and banana. In comparison with others fruits, banana had presented the highest total soluble carbohydrates content (20.44% on a fresh weight basis).Oito tipos de frutos maduros, manga bourbon (Mangifera indica), banana nanicão (Musa cavendish), limão gatego (Citrus aurantifolia), romã (Punica granatum), laranja pera (Citrus sinensis), abacaxi amarelo (Ananas comosus), jabuticaba (Myrciaria cantiflora) e cabeludinha (Eugenia tomentosa) foram analisados quanto aos teores de carboidratos solúveis totais, glicose, frutose e sacarose. Nos diversos frutos estudados, aproximadamente 80% dos carboidratos solúveis totais foram constituídos por glicose, frutose e sacarose. A sacarose foi o açúcar predominante nos seguintes frutos: manga, jabuticaba, abacaxi, laranja e banana. O teor mais elevado em carboidratos solúveis totais (20,44% na polpa fresca) foi encontrado para banana

Nestedness across biological scales

Biological networks pervade nature. They describe systems throughout all levels of biological organization, from molecules regulating metabolism to species interactions that shape ecosystem dynamics. The network thinking revealed recurrent organizational patterns in complex biological systems, such as the formation of semi-independent groups of connected elements (modularity) and non-random distributions of interactions among elements. Other structural patterns, such as nestedness, have been primarily assessed in ecological networks formed by two non-overlapping sets of elements; information on its occurrence on other levels of organization is lacking. Nestedness occurs when interactions of less connected elements form proper subsets of the interactions of more connected elements. Only recently these properties began to be appreciated in one-mode networks (where all elements can interact) which describe a much wider variety of biological phenomena. Here, we compute nestedness in a diverse collection of one-mode networked systems from six different levels of biological organization depicting gene and protein interactions, complex phenotypes, animal societies, metapopulations, food webs and vertebrate metacommunities. Our findings suggest that nestedness emerge independently of interaction type or biological scale and reveal that disparate systems can share nested organization features characterized by inclusive subsets of interacting elements with decreasing connectedness. We primarily explore the implications of a nested structure for each of these studied systems, then theorize on how nested networks are assembled. We hypothesize that nestedness emerges across scales due to processes that, although system-dependent, may share a general.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Nestedness across biological scales

Biological networks pervade nature. They describe systems throughout all levels of biological organization, from molecules regulating metabolism to species interactions that shape ecosystem dynamics. The network thinking revealed recurrent organizational patterns in complex biological systems, such as the formation of semi-independent groups of connected elements (modularity) and non-random distributions of interactions among elements. Other structural patterns, such as nestedness, have been primarily assessed in ecological networks formed by two non-overlapping sets of elements; information on its occurrence on other levels of organization is lacking. Nestedness occurs when interactions of less connected elements form proper subsets of the interactions of more connected elements. Only recently these properties began to be appreciated in one-mode networks (where all elements can interact) which describe a much wider variety of biological phenomena. Here, we compute nestedness in a diverse collection of one-mode networked systems from six different levels of biological organization depicting gene and protein interactions, complex phenotypes, animal societies, metapopulations, food webs and vertebrate metacommunities. Our findings suggest that nestedness emerge independently of interaction type or biological scale and reveal that disparate systems can share nested organization features characterized by inclusive subsets of interacting elements with decreasing connectedness. We primarily explore the implications of a nested structure for each of these studied systems, then theorize on how nested networks are assembled. We hypothesize that nestedness emerges across scales due to processes that, although system-dependent, may share a general.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Biological Function and Molecular Mapping of M Antigen in Yeast Phase of Histoplasma capsulatum

Histoplasmosis, due to the intracellular fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, can be diagnosed by demonstrating the presence of antibodies specific to the immunodominant M antigen. However, the role of this protein in the pathogenesis of histoplasmosis has not been elucidated. We sought to structurally and immunologically characterize the protein, determine yeast cell surface expression, and confirm catalase activity. A 3D-rendering of the M antigen by homology modeling revealed that the structures and domains closely resemble characterized fungal catalases. We generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the protein and determined that the M antigen is present on the yeast cell surface and in cell wall/cell membrane preparations. Similarly, we found that the majority of catalase activity was in extracts containing fungal surface antigens and that the M antigen is not significantly secreted by live yeast cells. The mAbs also identified unique epitopes on the M antigen. The localization of the M antigen to the cell surface of H. capsulatum yeast and the characterization of the protein's major epitopes have important implications since it demonstrates that although the protein may participate in protecting the fungus against oxidative stress it is also accessible to host immune cells and antibody

Effects of external nutrient sources and extreme weather events on the nutrient budget of a Southern European coastal lagoon

The seasonal and annual nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and carbon (C) budgets of the mesotidal Ria Formosa lagoon, southern Portugal, were estimated to reveal the main inputs and outputs, the seasonal patterns, and how they may influence the ecological functioning of the system. The effects of extreme weather events such as long-lasting strong winds causing upwelling and strong rainfall were assessed. External nutrient inputs were quantified; ocean exchange was assessed in 24-h sampling campaigns, and final calculations were made using a hydrodynamic model of the lagoon. Rain and stream inputs were the main freshwater sources to the lagoon. However, wastewater treatment plant and groundwater discharges dominated nutrient input, together accounting for 98, 96, and 88 % of total C, N, and P input, respectively. Organic matter and nutrients were continuously exported to the ocean. This pattern was reversed following extreme events, such as strong winds in early summer that caused upwelling and after a period of heavy rainfall in late autumn. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that ammonium and organic N and C exchange were positively associated with temperature as opposed to pH and nitrate. These variables reflected mostly the benthic lagoon metabolism, whereas particulate P exchange was correlated to Chl a, indicating that this was more related to phytoplankton dynamics. The increase of stochastic events, as expected in climate change scenarios, may have strong effects on the ecological functioning of coastal lagoons, altering the C and nutrient budgets.Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) [POCI/MAR/58427/2004, PPCDT/MAR/58427/2004]; Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT