445 research outputs found
Habitat islands in a sea of urbanisation
Cities can provide important habitat for wildlife conservation. Many species do not make much use of anthropogenic resources, but instead are largely reliant on natural habitat remaining within a matrix of urban development, and are engulfed by encroaching housing development. Understanding which factors influence their presence and activities will allow us to manage these habitat remnants for biodiversity conservation. To this aim, we carried out a field survey recording evidence of quenda (Isoodon obesulus fusciventer) foraging digs over 106 reserves managed by the City of Mandurah, the fastest growing regional city in Australia. We identified vegetation extent and condition as primary factors correlated with the presence of quenda digging activity. In addition, the extent of canopy cover and amount of woody debris are important habitat variables to quenda, while there was a negative correlation with access to the reserves by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Although we included a range of urbanisation measures in the analyses (including the amount of roads nearby to each reserve, the distance to roads and the distance to buildings), none were correlated with quenda digging activity. This study indicates that quenda can persist in the urban landscape despite human activities, but highlights the importance of protected bushland reserves for their conservation
Symmetry Constraints and the Electronic Structures of a Quantum Dot with Thirteen Electrons
The symmetry constraints imposing on the quantum states of a dot with 13
electrons has been investigated. Based on this study, the favorable structures
(FSs) of each state has been identified. Numerical calculations have been
performed to inspect the role played by the FSs. It was found that, if a
first-state has a remarkably competitive FS, this FS would be pursued and the
state would be crystal-like and have a specific core-ring structure associated
with the FS. The magic numbers are found to be closely related to the FSs.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure
Composite Fermion Description of Correlated Electrons in Quantum Dots: Low Zeeman Energy Limit
We study the applicability of composite fermion theory to electrons in
two-dimensional parabolically-confined quantum dots in a strong perpendicular
magnetic field in the limit of low Zeeman energy. The non-interacting composite
fermion spectrum correctly specifies the primary features of this system.
Additional features are relatively small, indicating that the residual
interaction between the composite fermions is weak. \footnote{Published in
Phys. Rev. B {\bf 52}, 2798 (1995).}Comment: 15 pages, 7 postscript figure
Genetic Divergence and Dispersal of Yellow Fever Virus, Brazil
Examining viral isolates collected over 66 years shows divergence into clades and potential dispersal by human migration
Automorphism groups of polycyclic-by-finite groups and arithmetic groups
We show that the outer automorphism group of a polycyclic-by-finite group is
an arithmetic group. This result follows from a detailed structural analysis of
the automorphism groups of such groups. We use an extended version of the
theory of the algebraic hull functor initiated by Mostow. We thus make
applicable refined methods from the theory of algebraic and arithmetic groups.
We also construct examples of polycyclic-by-finite groups which have an
automorphism group which does not contain an arithmetic group of finite index.
Finally we discuss applications of our results to the groups of homotopy
self-equivalences of K(\Gamma, 1)-spaces and obtain an extension of
arithmeticity results of Sullivan in rational homotopy theory
Electronic structure of rectangular quantum dots
We study the ground state properties of rectangular quantum dots by using the
spin-density-functional theory and quantum Monte Carlo methods. The dot
geometry is determined by an infinite hard-wall potential to enable comparison
to manufactured, rectangular-shaped quantum dots. We show that the electronic
structure is very sensitive to the deformation, and at realistic sizes the
non-interacting picture determines the general behavior. However, close to the
degenerate points where Hund's rule applies, we find spin-density-wave-like
solutions bracketing the partially polarized states. In the
quasi-one-dimensional limit we find permanent charge-density waves, and at a
sufficiently large deformation or low density, there are strongly localized
stable states with a broken spin-symmetry.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, submitted to PR
Photophysical and Cellular Imaging Studies of Brightly Luminescent Osmium(II) Pyridyltriazole Complexes
The series of complexes [Os(bpy)3- n(pytz) n][PF6]2 (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridyl, pytz = 1-benzyl-4-(pyrid-2-yl)-1,2,3-triazole, 1 n = 0, 2 n = 1, 3 n = 2, 4 n = 3) were prepared and characterized and are rare examples of luminescent 1,2,3-triazole-based osmium(II) complexes. For 3 we present an attractive and particularly mild preparative route via an osmium(II) η6-arene precursor circumventing the harsh conditions that are usually required. Because of the high spin-orbit coupling constant associated with the Os(II) center the absorption spectra of the complexes all display absorption bands of appreciable intensity in the range of 500-700 nm corresponding to spin-forbidden ground-state-to-3MLCT transitions (MLCT = metal-to-ligand charge transfer), which occur at significantly lower energies than the corresponding spin-allowed 1MLCT transitions. The homoleptic complex 4 is a bright emitter (λmaxem = 614 nm) with a relatively high quantum yield of emission of ∼40% in deoxygenated acetonitrile solutions at room temperature. Water-soluble chloride salts of 1-4 were also prepared, all of which remain emissive in aerated aqueous solutions at room temperature. The complexes were investigated for their potential as phosphorescent cellular imaging agents, whereby efficient excitation into the 3MLCT absorption bands at the red side of the visible range circumvents autofluorescence from biological specimens, which do not absorb in this region of the spectrum. Confocal microscopy reveals 4 to be readily taken up by cancer cell lines (HeLa and EJ) with apparent lysosomal and endosomal localization, while toxicity assays reveal that the compounds have low dark and light toxicity. These complexes therefore provide an excellent platform for the development of efficient luminescent cellular imaging agents with advantageous photophysical properties that enable excitation and emission in the biologically transparent region of the optical spectrum
Computing Amplitudes in topological M-theory
We define a topological quantum membrane theory on a seven dimensional
manifold of holonomy. We describe in detail the path integral evaluation
for membrane geometries given by circle bundles over Riemann surfaces. We show
that when the target space is quantum amplitudes of non-local
observables of membranes wrapping the circle reduce to the A-model amplitudes.
In particular for genus zero we show that our model computes the
Gopakumar-Vafa invariants. Moreover, for membranes wrapping calibrated homology
spheres in the , we find that the amplitudes of our model are related to
Joyce invariants.Comment: 26 page
Laboratory adapted Escherichia coli K-12 becomes a pathogen of Caenorhabditis elegans upon restoration of O antigen biosynthesis
Escherichia coli has been the leading model organism for many decades. It is a fundamental player in modern biology, facilitating the molecular biology revolution of the last century. The acceptance of E.?coli as model organism is predicated primarily on the study of one E. coli lineage; E. coli K-12. However, the antecedents of today's laboratory strains have undergone extensive mutagenesis to create genetically tractable offspring but which resulted in loss of several genetic traits such as O antigen expression. Here we have repaired the wbbL locus, restoring the ability of E. coli K-12 strain MG1655 to express the O antigen. We demonstrate that O antigen production results in drastic alterations of many phenotypes and the density of the O antigen is critical for the observed phenotypes. Importantly, O antigen production enables laboratory strains of E. coli to enter the gut of the Caenorhabditis elegans worm and to kill C. elegans at rates similar to pathogenic bacterial species. We demonstrate C. elegans killing is a feature of other commensal E.?coli. We show killing is associated with bacterial resistance to mechanical shear and persistence in the C. elegans gut. These results suggest C. elegans is not an effective model of human-pathogenic E. coli infectious disease
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