378 research outputs found
Evolution of virulence: triggering host inflammation allows invading pathogens to exclude competitors.
Virulence is generally considered to benefit parasites by enhancing resource-transfer from host to pathogen. Here, we offer an alternative framework where virulent immune-provoking behaviours and enhanced immune resistance are joint tactics of invading pathogens to eliminate resident competitors (transferring resources from resident to invading pathogen). The pathogen wins by creating a novel immunological challenge to which it is already adapted. We analyse a general ecological model of 'proactive invasion' where invaders not adapted to a local environment can succeed by changing it to one where they are better adapted than residents. However, the two-trait nature of the 'proactive' strategy (provocation of, and adaptation to environmental change) presents an evolutionary conundrum, as neither trait alone is favoured in a homogenous host population. We show that this conundrum can be resolved by allowing for host heterogeneity. We relate our model to emerging empirical findings on immunological mediation of parasite competition
The influence of quintessence on the motion of a binary system in cosmology
We employ the metric of Schwarzschild space surrounded by quintessential
matter to study the trajectories of test masses on the motion of a binary
system. The results, which are obtained through the gradually approximate
approach, can be used to search for dark energy via the difference of the
azimuth angle of the pericenter. The classification of the motion is discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
New Black Hole Solutions in Brans-Dicke Theory of Gravity
Existence check of non-trivial, stationary axisymmetric black hole solutions
in Brans-Dicke theory of gravity in different direction from those of Penrose,
Thorne and Dykla, and Hawking is performed. Namely, working directly with the
known explicit spacetime solutions in Brans-Dicke theory, it is found that
non-trivial Kerr-Newman-type black hole solutions different from general
relativistic solutions could occur for the generic Brans-Dicke parameter values
-5/2\leq \omega <-3/2. Finally, issues like whether these new black holes carry
scalar hair and can really arise in nature and if they can, what the associated
physical implications would be are discussed carefully.Comment: 20 pages, no figure, Revtex, version to appear in Phys. Rev.
The effect of underwater sounds on shark behaviour
The effect of sound on the behaviour of sharks has not been investigated since the 1970s. Sound is, however, an important sensory stimulus underwater, as it can spread in all directions quickly and propagate further than any other sensory cue. We used a baited underwater camera rig to record the behavioural responses of eight species of sharks (seven reef and coastal shark species and the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias) to the playback of two distinct sound stimuli in the wild: an orca call sequence and an artificially generated sound. When sounds were playing, reef and coastal sharks were less numerous in the area, were responsible for fewer interactions with the baited test rigs, and displayed less ‘inquisitive’ behaviour, compared to during silent control trials. White sharks spent less time around the baited camera rig when the artificial sound was presented, but showed no significant difference in behaviour in response to orca calls. The use of the presented acoustic stimuli alone is not an effective deterrent for C. carcharias. The behavioural response of reef sharks to sound raises concern about the effects of anthropogenic noise on these taxa
Damped finite-time-singularity driven by noise
We consider the combined influence of linear damping and noise on a dynamical
finite-time-singularity model for a single degree of freedom. We find that the
noise effectively resolves the finite-time-singularity and replaces it by a
first-passage-time or absorbing state distribution with a peak at the
singularity and a long time tail. The damping introduces a characteristic
cross-over time. In the early time regime the probability distribution and
first-passage-time distribution show a power law behavior with scaling exponent
depending on the ratio of the non linear coupling strength to the noise
strength. In the late time regime the behavior is controlled by the damping.
The study might be of relevance in the context of hydrodynamics on a nanometer
scale, in material physics, and in biophysics.Comment: 9 pages, 4 eps-figures, revtex4 fil
Power laws and stretched exponentials in a noisy finite-time-singularity model
We discuss the influence of white noise on a generic dynamical
finite-time-singularity model for a single degree of freedom. We find that the
noise effectively resolves the finite-time-singularity and replaces it by a
first-passage-time or absorbing state distribution with a peak at the
singularity and a long time tail exhibiting power law or stretched exponential
behavior. The study might be of relevance in the context of hydrodynamics on a
nanometer scale, in material physics, and in biophysics.Comment: 10 pages revtex file, including 4 postscript-figures. References
added and a few typos correcte
Stability and function of adult vasculature is sustained by Akt/Jagged1 signalling axis in endothelium.
The signalling pathways operational in quiescent, post-development vasculature remain enigmatic. Here we show that unlike neovascularization, endothelial Akt signalling in established vasculature is crucial not for endothelial cell (EC) survival, but for sustained interactions with pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) regulating vascular stability and function. Inducible endothelial-specific Akt1 deletion in adult global Akt2KO mice triggers progressive VSMC apoptosis. In hearts, this causes a loss of arteries and arterioles and, despite a high capillary density, diminished vascular patency and severe cardiac dysfunction. Similarly, endothelial Akt deletion induces retinal VSMC loss and basement membrane deterioration resulting in vascular regression and retinal atrophy. Mechanistically, the Akt/mTOR axis controls endothelial Jagged1 expression and, thereby, Notch signalling regulating VSMC maintenance. Jagged1 peptide treatment of Akt1ΔEC;Akt2KO mice and Jagged1 re-expression in Akt-deficient endothelium restores VSMC coverage. Thus, sustained endothelial Akt1/2 signalling is critical in maintaining vascular stability and homeostasis, thereby preserving tissue and organ function
Finite time singularities in a class of hydrodynamic models
Models of inviscid incompressible fluid are considered, with the kinetic
energy (i.e., the Lagrangian functional) taking the form in 3D Fourier representation, where
is a constant, . Unlike the case (the usual Eulerian
hydrodynamics), a finite value of results in a finite energy for a
singular, frozen-in vortex filament. This property allows us to study the
dynamics of such filaments without the necessity of a regularization procedure
for short length scales. The linear analysis of small symmetrical deviations
from a stationary solution is performed for a pair of anti-parallel vortex
filaments and an analog of the Crow instability is found at small wave-numbers.
A local approximate Hamiltonian is obtained for the nonlinear long-scale
dynamics of this system. Self-similar solutions of the corresponding equations
are found analytically. They describe the formation of a finite time
singularity, with all length scales decreasing like ,
where is the singularity time.Comment: LaTeX, 17 pages, 3 eps figures. This version is close to the journal
pape
Dependence of direct detection signals on the WIMP velocity distribution
The signals expected in WIMP direct detection experiments depend on the
ultra-local dark matter distribution. Observations probe the local density,
circular speed and escape speed, while simulations find velocity distributions
that deviate significantly from the standard Maxwellian distribution. We
calculate the energy, time and direction dependence of the event rate for a
range of velocity distributions motivated by recent observations and
simulations, and also investigate the uncertainty in the determination of WIMP
parameters. The dominant uncertainties are the systematic error in the local
circular speed and whether or not the MW has a high density dark disc. In both
cases there are substantial changes in the mean differential event rate and the
annual modulation signal, and hence exclusion limits and determinations of the
WIMP mass. The uncertainty in the shape of the halo velocity distribution is
less important, however it leads to a 5% systematic error in the WIMP mass. The
detailed direction dependence of the event rate is sensitive to the velocity
distribution. However the numbers of events required to detect anisotropy and
confirm the median recoil direction do not change substantially.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, v2 version to appear in JCAP, minor change
A novel determination of the local dark matter density
We present a novel study on the problem of constructing mass models for the
Milky Way, concentrating on features regarding the dark matter halo component.
We have considered a variegated sample of dynamical observables for the Galaxy,
including several results which have appeared recently, and studied a 7- or
8-dimensional parameter space - defining the Galaxy model - by implementing a
Bayesian approach to the parameter estimation based on a Markov Chain Monte
Carlo method. The main result of this analysis is a novel determination of the
local dark matter halo density which, assuming spherical symmetry and either an
Einasto or an NFW density profile is found to be around 0.39 GeV cm with
a 1- error bar of about 7%; more precisely we find a for the Einasto profile and for the NFW. This is in contrast to the
standard assumption that is about 0.3 GeV cm with an
uncertainty of a factor of 2 to 3. A very precise determination of the local
halo density is very important for interpreting direct dark matter detection
experiments. Indeed the results we produced, together with the recent accurate
determination of the local circular velocity, should be very useful to
considerably narrow astrophysical uncertainties on direct dark matter
detection.Comment: 31 pages,11 figures; minor changes in the text; two figures adde
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