1,386 research outputs found
A Symbiotic View Of Life: We Have Never Been Individuals
The notion of the biological individual is crucial to studies of genetics, immunology, evolution, development, anatomy, and physiology. Each of these biological subdisciplines has a specific conception of individuality, which has historically provided conceptual contexts for integrating newly acquired data. During the past decade, nucleic acid analysis, especially genomic sequencing and high-throughput RNA techniques, has challenged each of these disciplinary definitions by finding significant interactions of animals and plants with symbiotic microorganisms that disrupt the boundaries that heretofore had characterized the biological individual. Animals cannot be considered individuals by anatomical or physiological criteria because a diversity of symbionts are both present and functional in completing metabolic pathways and serving other physiological functions. Similarly, these new studies have shown that animal development is incomplete without symbionts. Symbionts also constitute a second mode of genetic inheritance, providing selectable genetic variation for natural selection. The immune system also develops, in part, in dialogue with symbionts and thereby functions as a mechanism for integrating microbes into the animal-cell community. Recognizing the holobiont -the multicellular eukaryote plus its colonies of persistent symbionts-as a critically important unit of anatomy, development, physiology, immunology, and evolution opens up new investigative avenues and conceptually challenges the ways in which the biological subdisciplines have heretofore characterized living entities
A Search for Small-Scale Clumpiness in Dense Cores of Molecular Clouds
We have analyzed HCN(1-0) and CS(2-1) line profiles obtained with high
signal-to-noise ratios toward distinct positions in three selected objects in
order to search for small-scale structure in molecular cloud cores associated
with regions of high-mass star formation. In some cases, ripples were detected
in the line profiles, which could be due to the presence of a large number of
unresolved small clumps in the telescope beam. The number of clumps for regions
with linear scales of ~0.2-0.5 pc is determined using an analytical model and
detailed calculations for a clumpy cloud model; this number varies in the
range: ~2 10^4-3 10^5, depending on the source. The clump densities range from
~3 10^5-10^6 cm^{-3}, and the sizes and volume filling factors of the clumps
are ~(1-3) 10^{-3} pc and ~0.03-0.12. The clumps are surrounded by inter-clump
gas with densities not lower than ~(2-7) 10^4 cm^{-3}. The internal thermal
energy of the gas in the model clumps is much higher than their gravitational
energy. Their mean lifetimes can depend on the inter-clump collisional rates,
and vary in the range ~10^4-10^5 yr. These structures are probably connected
with density fluctuations due to turbulence in high-mass star-forming regions.Comment: 23 pages including 4 figures and 4 table
Development Of The Extraction Method Of Inactive Forms Of Pectin Substances From Fruits To Easy-digestible Active Form During The Obtaining Of Nanofood
The aim of the work is development of a unique method for deep processing of fruits and vegetables with a high content of sparingly soluble pectin substances, which makes it possible to remove pectic substances from inactive form and transform them into an easily digestible active form when obtaining natural semi-finished products and food products in nanosized form. To achieve the aim, a complex effect on the raw material of steam-thermal treatment or cryogenic shock freezing and fine-dispersed grinding is used as an innovation.A new method for obtaining finely dispersed additives and health products from fruits and vegetables with a high content of biologically active substances (BAS) and prebiotic substances is developed, which is based on a complex effect on raw materials of processes of steam-thermal or cryogenic treatment of raw materials and fine-dispersed grinding, which is accompanied by destruction, mechanochemistry, non-enzymatic catalysis. It is found that when these processes are activated, pectic substances are activated, more complete extraction from raw materials (4.5 ... 7.3 times) from a latent form and transformation into a soluble form. The mechanism of these processes is disclosed, recommendations for the creation of recreational nanoproducts are developed. It is shown that, in parallel, non-enzymatic catalysis (up to 70%) of hardly soluble pectic substances in individual monomers takes place, that is, transformation into a soluble, easily digestible form.The increase and seizures of latent forms of biologically active substances in finely dispersed frozen and heat-treated purees from fruit compared with fresh raw materials is established. The increase is respectively 1.5 ... 4.0 times and 1.5 ... 3.0 times. The quality of the obtained new types of fine mashed potatoes exceeds the known analogs for BAS content and technological characteristics. New types of purees are in a nanoscale, easily digestible form.With the use of new types of finely dispersed additives, a wide range of products for health-improving nutrition has been developed with a record content of natural BASs (new types of nano-lipids, nanosorb products, milk-vegetable cocktails, fillings for confectionery and extruded products, curd desserts, bakery products, snacks - falafel, creams, etc.)
Comparison of calculated and measured pressures on straight and swept-tip model rotor blades
Using the quasi-steady, full potential code, ROT22, pressures were calculated on straight and swept tip model helicopter rotor blades at advance ratios of 0.40 and 0.45, and into the transonic tip speed range. The calculated pressures were compared with values measured in the tip regions of the model blades. Good agreement was found over a wide range of azimuth angles when the shocks on the blade were not too strong. However, strong shocks persisted longer than predicted by ROT22 when the blade was in the second quadrant. Since the unsteady flow effects present at high advance ratios primarily affect shock waves, the underprediction of shock strengths is attributed to the simplifying, quasi-steady, assumption made in ROT22
Statistical Properties of Galactic Starlight Polarization
We present a statistical analysis of Galactic interstellar polarization from
the largest compilation available of starlight data. The data comprises ~ 9300
stars of which we have selected ~ 5500 for our analysis. We find a nearly
linear growth of mean polarization degree with extinction. The amplitude of
this correlation shows that interstellar grains are not fully aligned with the
Galactic magnetic field, which can be interpreted as the effect of a large
random component of the field. In agreement with earlier studies of more
limited scope, we estimate the ratio of the uniform to the random
plane-of-the-sky components of the magnetic field to be B_u/B_r = 0.8.
Moreover, a clear correlation exists between polarization degree and
polarization angle what provides evidence that the magnetic field geometry
follows Galactic structures on large-scales. The angular power spectrum C_l of
the starlight polarization degree for Galactic plane data (|b| < 10 deg) is
consistent with a power-law, C_l ~ l^{-1.5} (where l ~ 180 deg/\theta is the
multipole order), for all angular scales \theta > 10 arcmin. An investigation
of sparse and inhomogeneous sampling of the data shows that the starlight data
analyzed traces an underlying polarized continuum that has the same power
spectrum slope, C_l ~ l^{-1.5}. Our findings suggest that starlight data can be
safely used for the modeling of Galactic polarized continuum emission at other
wavelengths.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures. Minor corrections and some clarifications
included. Matches version accepted for publication by the Astrophysical
Journa
On the Cosmology of Massive Vector Fields with SO(3) Global Symmetry
A relevant reference ([14]) has been added.Comment: 19 pages, plain tex, DF/IST-3/92 and DFFCUL 03-5/199
Tilt Modulus and Angle-Dependent Flux Lattice Melting in the Lowest Landau Level Approximation
For a clean high-T superconductor, we analyze the Lawrence-Doniach free
energy in a tilted magnetic field within the lowest Landau level (LLL)
approximation. The free energy maps onto that of a strictly -axis field, but
with a reduced interlayer coupling. We use this result to calculate the tilt
modulus of a vortex lattice and vortex liquid. The vortex contribution
to can be expressed in terms of the squared -axis Josephson plasmon
frequency . The transverse component of the field has very
little effect on the position of the melting curve.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review B
(Rapid Communications
Simulated ecology-driven sympatric speciation
We introduce a multi-locus genetically acquired phenotype, submitted to
mutations and with selective value, in an age-structured model for biological
aging. This phenotype describes a single-trait effect of the environment on an
individual, and we study the resulting distribution of this trait among the
population. In particular, our simulations show that the appearance of a double
phenotypic attractor in the ecology induces the emergence of a stable
polymorphism, as observed in the Galapagos finches. In the presence of this
polymorphism, the simulations generate short-term speciation, when mating
preferences are also allowed to suffer mutations and acquire selective value.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, uses package RevTe
Looking the void in the eyes - the kSZ effect in LTB models
As an alternative explanation of the dimming of distant supernovae it has
recently been advocated that we live in a special place in the Universe near
the centre of a large void described by a Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi (LTB) metric.
The Universe is no longer homogeneous and isotropic and the apparent late time
acceleration is actually a consequence of spatial gradients in the metric. If
we did not live close to the centre of the void, we would have observed a
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) dipole much larger than that allowed by
observations. Hence, until now it has been argued, for the model to be
consistent with observations, that by coincidence we happen to live very close
to the centre of the void or we are moving towards it. However, even if we are
at the centre of the void, we can observe distant galaxy clusters, which are
off-centre. In their frame of reference there should be a large CMB dipole,
which manifests itself observationally for us as a kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich
(kSZ) effect. kSZ observations give far stronger constraints on the LTB model
compared to other observational probes such as Type Ia Supernovae, the CMB, and
baryon acoustic oscillations. We show that current observations of only 9
clusters with large error bars already rule out LTB models with void sizes
greater than approximately 1.5 Gpc and a significant underdensity, and that
near future kSZ surveys like the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, South Pole
Telescope, APEX telescope, or the Planck satellite will be able to strongly
rule out or confirm LTB models with giga parsec sized voids. On the other hand,
if the LTB model is confirmed by observations, a kSZ survey gives a unique
possibility of directly reconstructing the expansion rate and underdensity
profile of the void.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, submitted to JCA
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