12,346 research outputs found
Nitrous oxide emissions from the Arabian Sea: A synthesis
We computed high-resolution (1º latitude x 1º longitude) seasonal and annual nitrous oxide (N2O) concentration fields for the Arabian Sea surface layer using a database containing more than 2400 values measured between December 1977 and July 1997. N2O concentrations are highest during the southwest (SW) monsoon along the southern Indian continental shelf. Annual emissions range from 0.33 to 0.70 Tg N2O and are dominated by fluxes from coastal regions during the SW and northeast monsoons. Our revised estimate for the annual N2O flux from the Arabian Sea is much more tightly constrained than the previous consensus derived using averaged in-situ data from a smaller number of studies. However, the tendency to focus on measurements in locally restricted features in combination with insufficient seasonal data coverage leads to considerable uncertainties of the concentration fields and thus in the flux estimates, especially in the coastal zones of the northern and eastern Arabian Sea. The overall mean relative error of the annual N2O emissions from the Arabian Sea was estimated to be at least 65%
Biochemical characterization of the retinoid isomerase system of the eye
Journal ArticleWe have previously shown that membranes from the retinal pigment epithelium can transform added all-trans-retinol into a mixture of 11-cis-retinoids, demonstrating the "missing reaction" in the visual cycle for the first time (Bernstein, P. S., Law, W. C., and Rando, R. R. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 1849-1853). In this article, this isomerase activity is further characterized. Double-label experiments with [15-3H]- and [15-14C]all-trans-retinol as the substrate show that the tritium label is retained in the 11-cis-retinol and 11-cis-retinyl palmitate products. This requires that isomerization occur at the alcohol level of oxidation. All-trans-retinyl esters, such as the palmitate, acetate, butyrate, and hexanoate esters, are not directly transformed into their 11-cis counterparts by the membranes. The data are consistent with the presence of an all-trans-retinol isomerase enzyme system or enzyme complex, which produces 11-cis-retinol. Other isomeric retinols were tested for substrate activity. Neither 9-cis-retinol(al) nor 13-cis-retinol were processed by the isomerase. Since the membranes containing the isomerase possess other retinol metabolizing activities, such as retinyl ester synthetase and dehydrogenase activities, further purification was attempted. Appreciable quantities of all detergents tested led to the disappearance of isomerase activity, and high salt or EDTA did not dissociate isomerase activity from the membranes. However, extensive sonication of the membranes did produce a 100,000 x g supernatant fraction of light membranes depleted of other all-trans-retinol processing activities. The isomerase activity in these membranes was saturable with all-trans-retinol, as required for a biologically significant process, and showed a Vmax of 5 pmol/h/mg of protein, a KM of 0.8 microM, and a pH optimum of 8. The isomerase was destroyed by proteinase K, by phospholipase C, by heating, or by ethanol at concentrations greater than 1%. The addition of high energy compounds, such as MgATP, MgGTP, or palmitoyl-CoA, did not appear to stimulate isomerase activity in the 100,000 x g supernatant
Polarization and frequency disentanglement of photons via stochastic polarization mode dispersion
We investigate the quantum decoherence of frequency and polarization
variables of photons via polarization mode dispersion in optical fibers. By
observing the analogy between the propagation equation of the field and the
Schr\"odinger equation, we develop a master equation under Markovian
approximation and analytically solve for the field density matrix. We identify
distinct decay behaviors for the polarization and frequency variables for
single-photon and two-photon states. For the single photon case, purity
functions indicate that complete decoherence for each variable is possible only
for infinite fiber length. For entangled two-photon states passing through
separate fibers, entanglement associated with each variable can be completely
destroyed after characteristic finite propagation distances. In particular, we
show that frequency disentanglement is independent of the initial polarization
status. For propagation of two photons in a common fiber, the evolution of a
polarization singlet state is addressed. We show that while complete
polarization disentanglement occurs at a finite propagation distance, frequency
entanglement could survive at any finite distance for gaussian states.Comment: 2 figure
Leptogenesis implications in models with Abelian family symmetry and one extra real Higgs singlet
We show that the neutrino models, as suggested by Low, which have an
additional Abelian family symmetry and a real Higgs singlet to the default
see-saw do not hinder the possibility of successful thermal leptogenesis. For
these models (neglecting radiative effects), we have investigated the situation
of strong washout in both the one-flavor approximation and when flavor effects
are included. The result is that while such models predict that theta_{13}=0
and that one light neutrino to be massless, they do not modify or provide
significant constraints on the typical leptogenesis scenario where the final
asymmetry is dominated by the decays of the lightest right-handed neutrinos.Comment: 18 pages, RevTeX4, accepted by Phys. Rev. D. v2: minor corrections,
note and 1 ref. added, same content as published versio
Counter-Intuitive Vacuum-Stimulated Raman Scattering
Vacuum-stimulated Raman scattering in strongly coupled atom-cavity systems
allows one to generate free-running single photon pulses on demand. Most
properties of the emitted photons are well defined, provided spontaneous
emission processes do not contribute. Therefore, electronic excitation of the
atom must not occur, which is assured for a system adiabatically following a
dark state during the photon-generation process. We experimentally investigate
the conditions that must be met for adiabatic following in a time-of-flight
driven system, with atoms passing through a cavity and a pump beam oriented
transverse to the cavity axis. From our results, we infer the optimal intensity
and relative pump-beam position with respect to the cavity axis.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
The LuckyCam Survey for Very Low Mass Binaries II: 13 new M4.5-M6.0 Binaries
We present results from a high-angular-resolution survey of 78 very low mass
(VLM) binary systems with 6.0 = 0.15
arcsec/yr. 21 VLM binaries were detected, 13 of them new discoveries. The new
binary systems range in separation between 0.18 arcsec and 1.3 arcsec. The
distance-corrected binary fraction is 13.5% (+6.5%/-4%), in agreement with
previous results. 9 of the new binary systems have orbital radii > 10 AU,
including a new wide VLM binary with 27 AU projected orbital separation. One of
the new systems forms two components of a 2300 AU separation triple system. We
find that the orbital radius distribution of the binaries with V-K < 6.5 in
this survey appears to be different from that of redder (lower-mass) objects,
suggesting a possible rapid change in the orbital radius distribution at around
the M5 spectral type. The target sample was also selected to investigate X-ray
activity among VLM binaries. There is no detectable correlation between excess
X-Ray emission and the frequency and binary properties of the VLM systems.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to MNRA
A Generalization of the Goldberg-Sachs Theorem and its Consequences
The Goldberg-Sachs theorem is generalized for all four-dimensional manifolds
endowed with torsion-free connection compatible with the metric, the treatment
includes all signatures as well as complex manifolds. It is shown that when the
Weyl tensor is algebraically special severe geometric restrictions are imposed.
In particular it is demonstrated that the simple self-dual eigenbivectors of
the Weyl tensor generate integrable isotropic planes. Another result obtained
here is that if the self-dual part of the Weyl tensor vanishes in a Ricci-flat
manifold of (2,2) signature the manifold must be Calabi-Yau or symplectic and
admits a solution for the source-free Einstein-Maxwell equations.Comment: 14 pages. This version matches the published on
Wave attenuation and dispersion due to floating ice covers
Experiments investigating the attenuation and dispersion of surface waves in
a variety of ice covers are performed using a refrigerated wave flume. The ice
conditions tested in the experiments cover naturally occurring combinations of
continuous, fragmented, pancake and grease ice. Attenuation rates are shown to
be a function of ice thickness, wave frequency, and the general rigidity of the
ice cover. Dispersion changes were minor except for large wavelength increases
when continuous covers were tested. Results are verified and compared with
existing literature to show the extended range of investigation in terms of
incident wave frequency and ice conditions
Dynamic and Energetic Stabilization of Persistent Currents in Bose-Einstein Condensates
We study conditions under which vortices in a highly oblate harmonically
trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) can be stabilized due to pinning by a
blue-detuned Gaussian laser beam, with particular emphasis on the potentially
destabilizing effects of laser beam positioning within the BEC. Our approach
involves theoretical and numerical exploration of dynamically and energetically
stable pinning of vortices with winding number up to , in correspondence
with experimental observations. Stable pinning is quantified theoretically via
Bogoliubov-de Gennes excitation spectrum computations and confirmed via direct
numerical simulations for a range of conditions similar to those of
experimental observations. The theoretical and numerical results indicate that
the pinned winding number, or equivalently the winding number of the superfluid
current about the laser beam, decays as a laser beam of fixed intensity moves
away from the BEC center. Our theoretical analysis helps explain previous
experimental observations, and helps define limits of stable vortex pinning for
future experiments involving vortex manipulation by laser beams.Comment: 8 pages 5 figure
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