4,833 research outputs found
The Peruvian upwelling ecosystem: dynamics and interactions
Upwelling, Ecosystems, Fishery biology, Fishery oceanography, Conferences, Peru,
Electronic and atomic shell structure in aluminum nanowires
We report experiments on aluminum nanowires in ultra-high vacuum at room
temperature that reveal a periodic spectrum of exceptionally stable structures.
Two "magic" series of stable structures are observed: At low conductance, the
formation of stable nanowires is governed by electronic shell effects whereas
for larger contacts atomic packing dominates. The crossover between the two
regimes is found to be smooth. A detailed comparison of the experimental
results to a theoretical stability analysis indicates that while the main
features of the observed electron-shell structure are similar to those of
alkali and noble metals, a sequence of extremely stable wires plays a unique
role in Aluminum. This series appears isolated in conductance histograms and
can be attributed to "superdeformed" non-axisymmetric nanowires.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure
Cluster-based density-functional approach to quantum transport through molecular and atomic contacts
We present a cluster-based density-functional approach to model charge
transport through molecular and atomic contacts. The electronic structure of
the contacts is determined in the framework of density functional theory, and
the parameters needed to describe transport are extracted from finite clusters.
A similar procedure, restricted to nearest-neighbor interactions in the
electrodes, has been presented by Damle et al. [Chem. Phys. 281, 171 (2002)].
Here, we show how to systematically improve the description of the electrodes
by extracting bulk parameters from sufficiently large metal clusters. In this
way we avoid problems arising from the use of nonorthogonal basis functions.
For demonstration we apply our method to electron transport through Au contacts
with various atomic-chain configurations and to a single-atom contact of Al.Comment: 18 pages, 13 figure
Improved setup for producing slow beams of cold molecules using a rotating nozzle
Intense beams of cold and slow molecules are produced by supersonic expansion
out of a rapidly rotating nozzle, as first demonstrated by Gupta and
Herschbach. An improved setup is presented that allows to accelerate or
decelerate cold atomic and molecular beams by up to 500 m/s. Technical
improvements are discussed and beam parameters are characterized by detailed
analysis of time of flight density distributions. The possibility of combining
this beam source with electrostatic fields for guiding polar molecules is
demonstrated
Explosive seed dispersal depends on SPL7 to ensure sufficient copper for localized lignin deposition via laccases
Exploding seed pods evolved in the Arabidopsis relative Cardamine hirsuta via morphomechanical innovations that allow the storage and rapid release of elastic energy. Asymmetric lignin deposition within endocarpb cell walls is one such innovation that is required for explosive seed dispersal and evolved in association with the trait. However, the genetic control of this novel lignin pattern is unknown. Here, we identify three lignin-polymerizing laccases, LAC4, 11, and 17, that precisely colocalize with, and are redundantly required for, asymmetric lignification of endocarpb cells. By screening for C. hirsuta mutants with less lignified fruit valves, we found that loss of function of the transcription factor gene SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 7 (SPL7) caused a reduction in endocarpb cell-wall lignification and a consequent reduction in seed dispersal range. SPL7 is a conserved regulator of copper homeostasis and is both necessary and sufficient for copper to accumulate in the fruit. Laccases are copper-requiring enzymes. We discovered that laccase activity in endocarpb cell walls depends on the SPL7 pathway to acclimate to copper deficiency and provide sufficient copper for lignin polymerization. Hence, SPL7 links mineral nutrition to efficient dispersal of the next generation
Verifiably Truthful Mechanisms
It is typically expected that if a mechanism is truthful, then the agents
would, indeed, truthfully report their private information. But why would an
agent believe that the mechanism is truthful? We wish to design truthful
mechanisms, whose truthfulness can be verified efficiently (in the
computational sense). Our approach involves three steps: (i) specifying the
structure of mechanisms, (ii) constructing a verification algorithm, and (iii)
measuring the quality of verifiably truthful mechanisms. We demonstrate this
approach using a case study: approximate mechanism design without money for
facility location
A regional database management system—the fisheries resource information system and tools (FiRST): Its design, utility and future directions
Growth and mortality estimates of Sardinella brasiliensis in the southeastern Brazilian Bight
Older adults place lower value on choice relative to young adults
Choice is highly valued in modern society, from the supermarket to the hospital; however, it remains unknown
whether older and younger adults place the same value on increased choice. The current investigation tested
whether 53 older ( M age = 75.44 years) versus 53 younger adults ( M age = 19.58 years) placed lower value on increased
choice by examining the monetary amounts they were willing to pay for increased prescription drug coverage
options — important given the recently implemented Medicare prescription drug program. Results indicate
that older adults placed lower value on increasing choice sets relative to younger adults, who placed progressively
higher value on increasingly larger choice sets. These results are discussed regarding their implications for theory
and policy
- …