Phase reduction of stochastic limit cycle oscillators

We point out that the phase reduction of stochastic limit cycle oscillators has been done incorrectly in the literature. We present a correct phase reduction method for oscillators driven by weak external white Gaussian noises. Numerical evidence demonstrates that the present phase equation properly approximates the dynamics of the original full oscillator system.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Parity violating observables in radiative neutrino pair emission from metastable atoms

We report on a possibility of measuring parity violating effects in radiative neutrino pair emission from metastable atoms; asymmetric angular distribution of emitted photons from oriented atoms and emergent circular polarization. Their observation, along with the continuous photon energy spectrum which has 6 thresholds, may be interpreted as events being a combined weak and QED process, emission of $\gamma \nu_i \nu_j$ in the final state. The method may greatly help to perform neutrino mass spectroscopy using atoms, a systematic determination of the neutrino mass matrix.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Specific Rab GTPase-activating proteins define the Shiga toxin and epidermal growth factor uptake pathways

Rab family guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) together with their regulators define specific pathways of membrane traffic within eukaryotic cells. In this study, we have investigated which Rab GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) can interfere with the trafficking of Shiga toxin from the cell surface to the Golgi apparatus and studied transport of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) from the cell surface to endosomes. This screen identifies 6 (EVI5, RN-tre/USP6NL, TBC1D10A–C, and TBC1D17) of 39 predicted human Rab GAPs as specific regulators of Shiga toxin but not EGF uptake. We show that Rab43 is the target of RN-tre and is required for Shiga toxin uptake. In contrast, RabGAP-5, a Rab5 GAP, was unique among the GAPs tested and reduced the uptake of EGF but not Shiga toxin. These results suggest that Shiga toxin trafficking to the Golgi is a multistep process controlled by several Rab GAPs and their target Rabs and that this process is discrete from ligand-induced EGF receptor trafficking

Hybrid Weakness Found in the Backcross Progeny of an Inter-Specific Cross of Oryza Sativa / O. Glumaepatula

Hybrid breakdown expressed as sterility or weakness or both in F2 or later generations is considered to be a reproductive barrier between two distantly related taxa. Hybrid breakdown that showed poor growth habit with fertile seeds was found in the backcross progenies (BC4F2) which were derived from a cross between a cultivated rice Oryza sativa L. cv. Taichung 65 and a wild rice Oryza glumaepatula Steud (Acc. IRGC 105668) where Taichung 65 was used as a recurrent parent. Through segregation analysis of BC4F2 population, a novel gene for weakness was identified, and this gene was designated as hwf1 (hybrid weakness f-1). RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) analysis was employed to determine the chromosomal location of hwf1 gene. The result revealed that hwf1 was located between G3006 and C933 RFLP markers, with map distances of 0.5 cM and 1.9 cM, respectively, and co-segregated with C708, C820, and R288 on the short arm of chromosome 4. Since both O. glumaepatula (Acc. IRGC 105668) and Taichung 65 that was used as parents showed normal growth habit, the weakness in this study was assumed to be controlled by a set of complementary recessive genes. One of the complementary genes is hwf1 from O. glumaepatula, and another gene should be from Taichung 65, because the genetic background of the BC4F2 populations that were used for analysis is Taichung 65. The gene from Taichung 65 has not been identified yet, therefore, it is necessary to conduct the experiment for finding out the complement of hwf1 gene in near future. Received: 20 November 2008; Revised: 15 May 2009; Accepted: 16 May 200

Quantum System under Periodic Perturbation: Effect of Environment

In many physical situations the behavior of a quantum system is affected by interaction with a larger environment. We develop, using the method of influence functional, how to deduce the density matrix of the quantum system incorporating the effect of environment. After introducing characterization of the environment by spectral weight, we first devise schemes to approximate the spectral weight, and then a perturbation method in field theory models, in order to approximately describe the environment. All of these approximate models may be classified as extended Ohmic models of dissipation whose differences are in the high frequency part. The quantum system we deal with in the present work is a general class of harmonic oscillators with arbitrary time dependent frequency. The late time behavior of the system is well described by an approximation that employs a localized friction in the dissipative part of the correlation function appearing in the influence functional. The density matrix of the quantum system is then determined in terms of a single classical solution obtained with the time dependent frequency. With this one can compute the entropy, the energy distribution function, and other physical quantities of the system in a closed form. Specific application is made to the case of periodically varying frequency. This dynamical system has a remarkable property when the environmental interaction is switched off: Effect of the parametric resonance gives rise to an exponential growth of the populated number in higher excitation levels, or particle production in field theory models. The effect of the environment is investigated for this dynamical system and it is demonstrated that there existsComment: 55 pages, LATEX file plus 13 PS figures. A few calculational mistatkes and corresponding figure 1 in field theory model corrected and some changes made for publication in Phys. Rev.D (in press