Resonantly enhanced and diminished strong-field gravitational-wave fluxes

The inspiral of a stellar mass ($1 - 100\,M_\odot$) compact body into a massive ($10^5 - 10^7\,M_\odot$) black hole has been a focus of much effort, both for the promise of such systems as astrophysical sources of gravitational waves, and because they are a clean limit of the general relativistic two-body problem. Our understanding of this problem has advanced significantly in recent years, with much progress in modeling the "self force" arising from the small body's interaction with its own spacetime deformation. Recent work has shown that this self interaction is especially interesting when the frequencies associated with the orbit's $\theta$ and $r$ motions are in an integer ratio: $\Omega_\theta/\Omega_r = \beta_\theta/\beta_r$, with $\beta_\theta$ and $\beta_r$ both integers. In this paper, we show that key aspects of the self interaction for such "resonant" orbits can be understood with a relatively simple Teukolsky-equation-based calculation of gravitational-wave fluxes. We show that fluxes from resonant orbits depend on the relative phase of radial and angular motions. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate in simple terms how this phase dependence arises using tools that are good for strong-field orbits, and to present a first study of how strongly the fluxes vary as a function of this phase and other orbital parameters. Future work will use the full dissipative self force to examine resonant and near resonant strong-field effects in greater depth, which will be needed to characterize how a binary evolves through orbital resonances.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, 4 tables. Accepted to Phys Rev D; accepted version posted here, including referee feedback and other useful comment

Atlantic Cod Piscidin and Its Diversification through Positive Selection

Piscidins constitute a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides that are thought to play an important role in the innate immune response of teleosts. On the one hand they show a remarkable diversity, which indicates that they are shaped by positive selection, but on the other hand they are ancient and have specific targets, suggesting that they are constrained by purifying selection. Until now piscidins had only been found in fish species from the superorder Acanthopterygii but we have recently identified a piscidin gene in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), thus showing that these antimicrobial peptides are not restricted to evolutionarily modern teleosts. Nucleotide diversity was much higher in the regions of the piscidin gene that code for the mature peptide and its pro domain than in the signal peptide. Maximum likelihood analyses with different evolution models revealed that the piscidin gene is under positive selection. Charge or hydrophobicity-changing amino acid substitutions observed in positively selected sites within the mature peptide influence its amphipathic structure and can have a marked effect on its function. This diversification might be associated with adaptation to new habitats or rapidly evolving pathogens

MBV infection in various stages of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

MBV infection in various stages of Penaeus monodon were studied. In hatcheries, MBV infection was detected early in nauplii stage using PCR technique, whereas rates of infection of 11.15-49.50% were observed in PL1 using histological technique, rising up to 15.26-100% in PL 10. In earthen ponds, the infection in PL15 was initially in the range of 68.68-96.00%. The infection was decreased toward the end of the first, second and third month of rearing period ranging between 13.63-54.83%. The laboratory trial showed that types of feed might affect the rate of MBV infection of larvae. Postlarva fed with artemia showed lowest infection rate at 29.41±7.98%, whereas the infection rates of shrimp fed with minced cockle flesh and commercial feed were 39.09±12.08% and 52.81±11.91, respectively. In stress test trial, a significant MBV infection was detected in the group of larvae that were raised with 25ºC and 34ºC and the salinity at 6 ppt and 18 ppt for 12 hours then rearing in normal condition for 3 days. In the 24 hour-stress trial, and transferred to normal condition for 7 day, the groups that were exposed to stress conditions had significantly higher rates of infection than the control group (p<0.05). The 24 hour - transportationcondition resulted in highest MBV infection rate (73.61±1.25%). From the present study, it was concluded that MBV infection in larvae from hatcheries increases with period of rearing and stress exposure, but the infection tended to decreased with rearing period in earthen pond condition. Proper feeding management and prevention of stress conditions could reduce of MBV infection in black tiger shrimp

Gyroscopes orbiting black holes: A frequency-domain approach to precession and spin-curvature coupling for spinning bodies on generic Kerr orbits

A small body orbiting a black hole follows a trajectory that, at leading order, is a geodesic of the black hole spacetime. Much effort has gone into computing "self-force" corrections to this motion, arising from the small body's own contributions to the system's spacetime. Another correction to the motion arises from coupling of the small body's spin to the black hole's spacetime curvature. Spin-curvature coupling drives a precession of the small body, and introduces a "force" (relative to the geodesic) which shifts the small body's worldline. These effects scale with the small body's spin at leading order. In this paper, we show that the equations which govern spin-curvature coupling can be analyzed with a frequency-domain decomposition, at least to leading order in the small body's spin. We show how to compute the frequency of precession along generic orbits, and how to describe the small body's precession and motion in the frequency domain. We illustrate this approach with a number of examples. This approach is likely to be useful for understanding spin coupling effects in the extreme mass ratio limit, and may provide insight into modeling spin effects in the strong field for nonextreme mass ratios.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant PHY-1403261

Atlantic Cod Piscidin and Its Diversification through Positive Selection

Piscidins constitute a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides that are thought to play an important role in the innate immune response of teleosts. On the one hand they show a remarkable diversity, which indicates that they are shaped by positive selection, but on the other hand they are ancient and have specific targets, suggesting that they are constrained by purifying selection. Until now piscidins had only been found in fish species from the superorder Acanthopterygii but we have recently identified a piscidin gene in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), thus showing that these antimicrobial peptides are not restricted to evolutionarily modern teleosts. Nucleotide diversity was much higher in the regions of the piscidin gene that code for the mature peptide and its pro domain than in the signal peptide. Maximum likelihood analyses with different evolution models revealed that the piscidin gene is under positive selection. Charge or hydrophobicity-changing amino acid substitutions observed in positively selected sites within the mature peptide influence its amphipathic structure and can have a marked effect on its function. This diversification might be associated with adaptation to new habitats or rapidly evolving pathogens

Effects of young-coconut juice on increasing mandibular cancellous bone in orchidectomized rats: Preliminary novel findings

Androgens play a very important role in building the skeleton in young adults and help to prevent bone loss andosteoporosis in aging men. In addition, in hypogonadism or elderly men, bone mass has been related to estrogen levels ratherthan to testosterone. Estrogen replacement therapy has therefore been proposed to prevent bone loss in males as well as infemales. Estrogen, however, has been considered to be one of the hormonal risk factors for benign prostatic hyperplasia andprostate cancer and also has other side effects. Young coconut juice (YCJ) presumably containing phytoestrogen was investigatedin the present study for its possible beneficial effects on delaying osteoporosis using a male rat model, and by this totest the possibility that it might be able to replace estrogen replacement therapy without side effects. In this study, mandibularcancellous bone was used as the osteoporotic model. Using the same model, we have previously found that total cartilagethickness particularly the hypertrophic zone of mandibular condylar cartilage was thicker in the sham-operated rats receivingYCJ orally fed for a 14 day period, compared with sham, orchidectomized animal, orchidectomized rats receiving estradiolbenzoate, and orchidectomized rats receiving YCJ. The present study confirmed our former study that mandibular cancellousbone in the sham-operated rats and in the orchidectomized rats receiving YCJ orally fed for a 14–day period were thicker thanthose of the sham and orchidectomized rat groups. This study results are novel and they indicate that YCJ may have beneficialeffects in the treatment of osteoporosis in andropause men

Effects of Thai medicinal plants on pathogenic bacterial, growth performance, health condition and disease resistance in black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius)

Chemical analysis of turmeric (Curcuma longa) extracts using TLC/densitometry, showed an extract contain 21.57%w/w of three important curcuminoids: curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin and bisdesmethoxycurcumin. GC and MS were used to analyze volatile oils. Aromatic turmerone, α-turmerone and zingiberene were also obtained. Qualitative and quantitative analyses alcoholic extract of Andrographis paniculata using TLC, revealed that the extracts contain three important compounds in total lactone of 30.49% w/w. There are andrographolide,14-deoxy-11-12-didehydroandrographolide and neoandrographolide. TLC-chromatogram of Clinacanthus nutans extract after reacted with anisaldehyde/sulfuric acid showed a 9 key compounds, while preliminary neutralization test of the compounds revealed that there were active compounds against HSV-1 virus. In vitro efficacy test revealed that Curcuma longa and Andrographis paniculata extracts at 250 and 1,500 mg/L could eradicate 15 isolates of Vibrio spp. which were isolated from infected shrimps. Effects of medicinal plant extracts incorporated into the diet on shrimp immune responses were investigated. Shrimp fed diet containing Clinacanthus nutans extract at 20 mg/kg of diet had good growth, FCR and immune responses. The shrimp that were fed diet containing Curcuma longa extracts at 25 mg/kg of diet for 7-14 days showed high resistance to Vibrio harveyi. Likewise, the shrimp fed Andrographis paniculata extract at 25 mg/ kg of diet for 14 days had a higher resistance to WSSV. Incorporating the medicinal extracts at higher levels resulted in reduction in diet palatability which consequently had an effect on a decrease in growth, immune responses and resistance to bacterial and WSSV infection