887 research outputs found
A Pair of Residues That Interactively Affect Diterpene Synthase Product Outcome
The labdane-related diterpenoids (LRDs) are an important superfamily of natural products whose structural diversity critically depends on the hydrocarbon skeletal structures generated, in large part, by class I diterpene synthases. In the plant kingdom, where the LRDs are predominantly found, the relevant class I diterpene synthases are clearly derived from the ent-kaurene synthase (KS) required in all land plants for phytohormone biosynthesis and, hence, are often termed KS-like (KSL). Previous work, initiated by the distinct function of two alleles of a KSL from rice, OsKSL5, identified a single residue switch with a profound effect on not only OsKSL5 product outcome but also that of land plant KSs more broadly, specifically, replacement of a key isoleucine with threonine, which interrupts formation of the tetracyclic ent-isokaurene at the tricyclic stage, leading to production of ent-pimaradiene instead. Here, further studies of these alleles led to discovery of another, nearby residue that tunes product outcome. Substitution for this newly identified residue is additionally shown to exert an epistatic effect in KSs, altering product distribution only if combined with replacement of the key isoleucine. On the other hand, this pair of residues was found to exert additive effects on the product outcome mediated by distantly related KSLs from the eudicot castor bean. Accordingly, it was possible to use a rational combination of substitutions for this pair of residues to engineer significantly increased (dominant) selectivity for novel 8α-hydroxy-ent-pimar-15-ene product outcome in the KS from the dicot Arabidopsis thaliana, demonstrating the utility of these results
The Significance of the -Numerical Range and the Local -Numerical Range in Quantum Control and Quantum Information
This paper shows how C-numerical-range related new strucures may arise from
practical problems in quantum control--and vice versa, how an understanding of
these structures helps to tackle hot topics in quantum information.
We start out with an overview on the role of C-numerical ranges in current
research problems in quantum theory: the quantum mechanical task of maximising
the projection of a point on the unitary orbit of an initial state onto a
target state C relates to the C-numerical radius of A via maximising the trace
function |\tr \{C^\dagger UAU^\dagger\}|. In quantum control of n qubits one
may be interested (i) in having U\in SU(2^n) for the entire dynamics, or (ii)
in restricting the dynamics to {\em local} operations on each qubit, i.e. to
the n-fold tensor product SU(2)\otimes SU(2)\otimes >...\otimes SU(2).
Interestingly, the latter then leads to a novel entity, the {\em local}
C-numerical range W_{\rm loc}(C,A), whose intricate geometry is neither
star-shaped nor simply connected in contrast to the conventional C-numerical
range. This is shown in the accompanying paper (math-ph/0702005).
We present novel applications of the C-numerical range in quantum control
assisted by gradient flows on the local unitary group: (1) they serve as
powerful tools for deciding whether a quantum interaction can be inverted in
time (in a sense generalising Hahn's famous spin echo); (2) they allow for
optimising witnesses of quantum entanglement. We conclude by relating the
relative C-numerical range to problems of constrained quantum optimisation, for
which we also give Lagrange-type gradient flow algorithms.Comment: update relating to math-ph/070200
Sexual Size Dimorphism and Body Condition in the Australasian Gannet
Funding: The research was financially supported by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment. Acknowledgments We thank the Victorian Marine Science Consortium, Sea All Dolphin Swim, Parks Victoria, and the Point Danger Management Committee for logistical support. We are grateful for the assistance of the many field volunteers involved in the study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The female perspective of personality in a wild songbird: repeatable aggressiveness relates to exploration behaviour
ABSTRACT: Males often express traits that improve competitive ability, such as aggressiveness. Females also express such traits but our understanding about why is limited. Intraspecific aggression between females might be used to gain access to reproductive resources but simultaneously incurs costs in terms of energy and time available for reproductive activities, resulting in a trade-off. Although consistent individual differences in female behaviour (i.e. personality) like aggressiveness are likely to influence these reproductive trade-offs, little is known about the consistency of aggressiveness in females. To quantify aggression we presented a female decoy to free-living female great tits (Parus major) during the egg-laying period, and assessed whether they were consistent in their response towards this decoy. Moreover, we assessed whether female aggression related to consistent individual differences in exploration behaviour in a novel environment. We found that females consistently differed in aggressiveness, although first-year females were on average more aggressive than older females.
Moreover, conform life history theory predictions, âfastâ exploring females were more aggressive towards the decoy than âslowâ exploring females. Given that personality traits are often heritable, and correlations between behaviours can constrain short term adaptive evolution, our findings highlight the importance of studying female aggression within a multivariate behavioural framework
Modeling neurocognitive and neurobiological recovery in addiction
This book focuses on "what to know" and "how to apply" information, prioritizing novel principles and delineating cutting-edge assessment, phenotyping and treatment tools
Correction: SoxF factors induce Notch1 expression via direct transcriptional regulation during early arterial development. Development doi: 10.1242/dev.146241.
WNT signalling in prostate cancer
Genome sequencing and gene expression analyses of prostate tumours have highlighted the potential importance of genetic and epigenetic changes observed in WNT signalling pathway components in prostate tumours-particularly in the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer. WNT signalling is also important in the prostate tumour microenvironment, in which WNT proteins secreted by the tumour stroma promote resistance to therapy, and in prostate cancer stem or progenitor cells, in which WNT-ÎČ-catenin signals promote self-renewal or expansion. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the potential of inhibitors that target WNT receptor complexes at the cell membrane or that block the interaction of ÎČ-catenin with lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 and the androgen receptor, in preventing prostate cancer progression. Some WNT signalling inhibitors are in phase I trials, but they have yet to be tested in patients with prostate cancer
Update on the correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic matter
Data collected by the Pierre Auger Observatory through 31 August 2007 showed
evidence for anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above the
Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuz'min energy threshold, \nobreak{eV}. The
anisotropy was measured by the fraction of arrival directions that are less
than from the position of an active galactic nucleus within 75 Mpc
(using the V\'eron-Cetty and V\'eron catalog). An updated
measurement of this fraction is reported here using the arrival directions of
cosmic rays recorded above the same energy threshold through 31 December 2009.
The number of arrival directions has increased from 27 to 69, allowing a more
precise measurement. The correlating fraction is , compared
with expected for isotropic cosmic rays. This is down from the early
estimate of . The enlarged set of arrival directions is
examined also in relation to other populations of nearby extragalactic objects:
galaxies in the 2 Microns All Sky Survey and active galactic nuclei detected in
hard X-rays by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. A celestial region around the
position of the radiogalaxy Cen A has the largest excess of arrival directions
relative to isotropic expectations. The 2-point autocorrelation function is
shown for the enlarged set of arrival directions and compared to the isotropic
expectation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics on 31 August 201
Anisotropy and chemical composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using arrival directions measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Collaboration has reported evidence for anisotropy in the
distribution of arrival directions of the cosmic rays with energies
eV. These show a correlation with the distribution
of nearby extragalactic objects, including an apparent excess around the
direction of Centaurus A. If the particles responsible for these excesses at
are heavy nuclei with charge , the proton component of the
sources should lead to excesses in the same regions at energies . We here
report the lack of anisotropies in these directions at energies above
(for illustrative values of ). If the anisotropies
above are due to nuclei with charge , and under reasonable
assumptions about the acceleration process, these observations imply stringent
constraints on the allowed proton fraction at the lower energies
Advanced functionality for radio analysis in the Offline software framework of the Pierre Auger Observatory
The advent of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) necessitates the
development of a powerful framework for the analysis of radio measurements of
cosmic ray air showers. As AERA performs "radio-hybrid" measurements of air
shower radio emission in coincidence with the surface particle detectors and
fluorescence telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the radio analysis
functionality had to be incorporated in the existing hybrid analysis solutions
for fluoresence and surface detector data. This goal has been achieved in a
natural way by extending the existing Auger Offline software framework with
radio functionality. In this article, we lay out the design, highlights and
features of the radio extension implemented in the Auger Offline framework. Its
functionality has achieved a high degree of sophistication and offers advanced
features such as vectorial reconstruction of the electric field, advanced
signal processing algorithms, a transparent and efficient handling of FFTs, a
very detailed simulation of detector effects, and the read-in of multiple data
formats including data from various radio simulation codes. The source code of
this radio functionality can be made available to interested parties on
request.Comment: accepted for publication in NIM A, 13 pages, minor corrections to
author list and references in v
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