Nanoscale Processing by Adaptive Laser Pulses

We theoretically demonstrate that atomically-precise ``nanoscale processing" can be reproducibly performed by adaptive laser pulses. We present the new approach on the controlled welding of crossed carbon nanotubes, giving various metastable junctions of interest. Adaptive laser pulses could be also used in preparation of other hybrid nanostructures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Postscript figure

Effects of follicular phase exercise on luteinizing hormone pulse characteristics in sedentary eumenorrhoeic women

OBJECTIVE Current studies reveal little regarding the Inception of exercise-induced LH changes during physical training. This study aimed to assess the susceptibility of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis to the acute physical stress of exercise in untrained, physically inactive women. The acute effects of submaximal endurance exercise upon the pulsatile LH secretion in the follicular phase were compared with those accompanying leisurely strolling for a similar time period. SUBJECTS All subjects were eumenorrhoelc, as determined by biphasic temperature patterns, detection of the urinary LH surge, and mid-luteal serum progesterone levels. Subjects were not physically active and had little history of strenuous exercise ( V o 2 max = 38·0 ± 1·8) (mean ± SEM) ml/kg/min). DESIGN All women completed a 13·5-hour pulsatility test which included three consecutive 20-minute runs on a treadmill at 50, 60 and 70% of the subjects’maximum oxygen uptake ( n = 16). Six of these same subjects completed a separate test on another occasion in which one hour of leisurely strolling was substituted for exercise. Blood was sampled every 10 minutes via an indwelling cannula for 4·5 hours before and 8 hours after one hour of exercise and or strolling. MEASUREMENTS A pulse algorithm (Pulsar) was used to quantify LH pulse characteristics. RESULTS Exercise produced no significant effects upon LH pulse frequency or mean serum LH concentration. However, exercise of moderate intensity caused a significant increase in LH pulse amplitude ( P < 0·05). Strolling produced no significant changes in LH secretion. CONCLUSION Acute exercise of moderate intensity in the follicular phase of untrained women is an insufficient stimulus to inhibit the GnRH pulse generator in the post-exercise period, yet may produce a slight stimulatory effect on the amount of LH released per pulsePeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73507/1/j.1365-2265.1994.tb02794.x.pd

Causes and consequences of rapidly evolving mtDNA in a plant lineage

Understanding mechanisms of coevolution between nuclear and mitochondrial (mt) genomes is a defining challenge in eukaryotic genetics. The angiosperm genus Silene is a natural system to investigate the causes and consequences of mt mutation rate variation because closely related species have highly divergent rates. In Silene species with fast-evolving mtDNA, nuclear genes that encode mitochondrially targeted proteins (N-mt genes) are also fast-evolving. This correlation could indicate positive selection to compensate for mt mutations, but might also result from a recent relaxation of selection. To differentiate between these interpretations, we used phylogenetic and population-genetic methods to test for positive and relaxed selection in three classes of N-mt genes (oxidative phosphorylation genes, ribosomal genes, and &quot;RRR&quot; genes involved in mtDNA recombination, replication, and repair). In all three classes, we found that species with fast-evolving mtDNA had: 1) elevated dN/dS, 2) an excess of nonsynonymous divergence relative to levels of intraspecific polymorphism, which is a signature of positive selection, and 3) no clear signals of relaxed selection. &quot;Control&quot; genes exhibited comparatively few signs of positive selection. These results suggest that high mt mutation rates can create selection on N-mt genes and that relaxed selection is an unlikely cause of recent accelerations in the evolution of N-mt genes. Because mt-RRR genes were found to be under positive selection, it is unlikely that elevated mt mutation rates in Silene were caused by inactivation of these mt-RRR genes. Therefore, the causes of extreme increases in angiosperm mt mutation rates remain uncertain. © The Author(s) 2017

Educating for anti-racism: producing and reproducing race and power in a university classroom

In this paper I explore some of the issues associated with teaching about race, culture and ethnicity in a psychology program. These curriculum initiatives are part of a broader agenda of raising awareness about racialised oppression and exclusion and contributing to the development of ways of researching and practising psychology that are transformative and culturally sensitive. I overview the broader context and describe our subject and the guiding principles. This is followed by a description and analysis of two events in the classroom that illustrate the ways in which students differentially respond to the challenges posed by writings that challenge taken for granted understandings of race. Part of the analysis shows that students can often engage in the reproduction of oppressive practices and invest in whiteness. It is suggested that more than single semester subjects are required to promote and support the development of critical capacities for anti-racism practice