101,751 research outputs found
The asymmetric structure of the Galactic halo
Using the stellar photometry catalogue based on the latest data release (DR4)
of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), a study of the Galactic structure using
star counts is carried out for selected areas of the sky. The sample areas are
selected along a circle at a Galactic latitude of +60, and 10 strips of
high Galactic latitude along different longitudes. Direct statistics of the
data show that the surface densities of from to
are systematically higher than those of from
to , defining a region of overdensity (in the direction of Virgo)
and another one of underdensity (in the direction of Ursa Major) with respect
to an axisymmetric model. It is shown by comparing the results from star counts
in the colour that the density deviations are due to an asymmetry of
the stellar density in the halo. Theoretical models for the surface density
profile are built and star counts are performed using a triaxial halo of which
the parameters are constrained by observational data. Two possible reasons for
the asymmetric structure are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 5 tables, MNRAS accepte
Flexible protein folding by ant colony optimization
Protein structure prediction is one of the most challenging topics in bioinformatics.
As the protein structure is found to be closely related to its functions,
predicting the folding structure of a protein to judge its functions is meaningful to
the humanity. This chapter proposes a flexible ant colony (FAC) algorithm for solving
protein folding problems (PFPs) based on the hydrophobic-polar (HP) square lattice
model. Different from the previous ant algorithms for PFPs, the pheromones in the
proposed algorithm are placed on the arcs connecting adjacent squares in the lattice.
Such pheromone placement model is similar to the one used in the traveling salesmen
problems (TSPs), where pheromones are released on the arcs connecting the cities.
Moreover, the collaboration of effective heuristic and pheromone strategies greatly
enhances the performance of the algorithm so that the algorithm can achieve good
results without local search methods. By testing some benchmark two-dimensional
hydrophobic-polar (2D-HP) protein sequences, the performance shows that the proposed
algorithm is quite competitive compared with some other well-known methods
for solving the same protein folding problems
Extended linear regime of cavity-QED enhanced optical circular birefringence induced by a charged quantum dot
Giant optical Faraday rotation (GFR) and giant optical circular birefringence
(GCB) induced by a single quantum-dot spin in an optical microcavity can be
regarded as linear effects in the weak-excitation approximation if the input
field lies in the low-power limit [Hu et al, Phys.Rev. B {\bf 78}, 085307(2008)
and ibid {\bf 80}, 205326(2009)]. In this work, we investigate the transition
from the weak-excitation approximation moving into the saturation regime
comparing a semiclassical approximation with the numerical results from a
quantum optics toolbox [S.M. Tan, J. Opt. B {\bf 1}, 424 (1999)]. We find that
the GFR and GCB around the cavity resonance in the strong coupling regime are
input-field independent at intermediate powers and can be well described by the
semiclassical approximation. Those associated with the dressed state resonances
in the strong coupling regime or merging with the cavity resonance in the
Purcell regime are sensitive to input field at intermediate powers, and cannot
be well described by the semiclassical approximation due to the quantum dot
saturation. As the GFR and GCB around the cavity resonance are relatively
immune to the saturation effects, the rapid read out of single electron spins
can be carried out with coherent state and other statistically fluctuating
light fields. This also shows that high speed quantum entangling gates, robust
against input power variations, can be built exploiting these linear effects.Comment: Section IV has been added to show the linear GFR/GCB is not affected
by high-order dressed state resonances in reflection/transmission spectra. 11
pages, 9 figure
Compact reflection nebulae, a transit phase of evolution from post-AGB to planetary nebulae
In a search of the optical counter-part of candidates of protoplanetary nebulae on the plates of UK Schmidt, ESO Schmidt, and POSS, five compact reflection nebulae associated with post-AGB stars were found. A simplified model (dust shell is spherical symmetric, expansion velocity of dust shell is constant, Q(sub sca)(lambda) is isotropic, and the dust grain properties are uniform) is used to estimate the visible condition of the dust shell due to the scattering of the core star's light. Under certain conditions the compact reflection nebulae can be seen of the POSS or ESO/SRC survey plates
Protein folding in hydrophobic-polar lattice model: a flexible ant colony optimization approach
This paper proposes a flexible ant colony (FAC) algorithm for solving protein folding problems based on the hydrophobic-polar square lattice model. Collaborations of novel pheromone and heuristic strategies in the proposed algorithm make it more effective in predicting structures of proteins compared with other state-of-the-art algorithms
Some Like It Hot, Some Like It Warm: Phenotyping To Explore Thermotolerance Diversity
Plants have evolved overlapping but distinct cellular responses to different aspects of high temperature stress. These responses include basal thermotolerance, short- and long-term acquired thermotolerance, and thermotolerance to moderately high temperatures. This ‘thermotolerance diversity’ means that multiple phenotypic assays are essential for fully describing the functions of genes involved in heat stress responses. A large number of genes with potential roles in heat stress responses have been identified using genetic screens and genome wide expression studies. We examine the range of phenotypic assays that have been used to characterize thermotolerance phenotypes in both Arabidopsis and crop plants. Three major variables differentiate thermotolerance assays: (1) the heat stress regime used, (2) the developmental stage of the plants being studied, and (3) the actual phenotype which is scored. Consideration of these variables will be essential for deepening our understanding of the molecular genetics of plant thermotolerance
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