581 research outputs found
Effect of friction in a toy model of granular compaction
We proposed a toy model of granular compaction which includes some resistance
due to granular arches. In this model, the solid/solid friction of contacting
grains is a key parameter and a slipping threshold Wc is defined. Realistic
compaction behaviors have been obtained. Two regimes separated by a critical
point Wc* of the slipping threshold have been emphasized : (i) a slow
compaction with lots of paralyzed regions, and (ii) an inverse logarithmic
dynamics with a power law scaling of grain mobility. Below the critical point
Wc*, the physical properties of this frozen system become independent of Wc.
Above the critical point Wc*, i.e. for low friction values, the packing
properties behave as described by the classical Janssen theory for silos
An evaluation of the ATM man/machine interface. Phase 3: Analysis of SL-3 and SL-4 data
The functional adequacy of human factored crew operated systems under operational zero-gravity conditions is considered. Skylab ATM experiment operations generated sufficient telemetry and voice transcript data to support such an assessment effort. Discussions are presented pertaining to the methodology and procedures used to evaluate the hardware, training and directive aspects of Skylab 3 and Skylab 4 manned ATM experiment operations
Warum rauchen Schizophreniepatienten?
Zusammenfassung: Patienten mit schizophrenen Störungen zeigen eine erhöhte Prävalenz der Nikotinabhängigkeit. Diese Arbeit beleuchtet die Zusammenhänge zwischen Schizophrenie und Nikotinkonsum. Es gibt deutliche Hinweise dafür, dass wesentliche Bereiche kognitiver Funktionen bei Patienten mit schizophrenen Erkrankungen durch Nikotin verbessert werden, insbesondere Daueraufmerksamkeit, gerichtete Aufmerksamkeit, Arbeitsgedächtnis, Kurzzeitgedächtnis und Wiedergabe aus dem Gedächtnis. Auch konnten in einigen Studien mittels ereigniskorrelierten Potenzialen (P50-Paradigma) und der Präpulsinhibition des akustisch ausgelösten Schreckreflexes gezeigt werden, dass präattentive Maße der Informationsverarbeitung, die eine zentrale Rolle in der Schizophrenie spielen, durch Gabe von Nikotin verbessert werden können. Weiterhin kann Rauchen die durch antipsychotische Medikamente hervorgerufenen extrapyramidalen Nebenwirkungen verbessern, und es induziert das Zytochrom P4501A2, das auch an der Metabolisierung einiger Neuroleptika beteiligt ist. Zusammenfassend kann festgestellt werden, dass die Nikotinzufuhr bei Patienten mit schizophrenen Störungen eine Form der "Selbstmedikation" darstellen könnte, um Defizite im Bereich Aufmerksamkeit, Kognition und Informationsverarbeitung zu verbessern und um Nebenwirkungen von Antipsychotika zu reduzieren. Mögliche pharmakotherapeutische Ansätze zur Behandlung der gestörten Neurotransmission am nikotinergen Azetylcholinrezeptor werden diskutier
Bouncing trimer: a random self-propelled particle, chaos and periodical motions
A trimer is an object composed of three centimetrical stainless steel beads
equally distant and is predestined to show richer behaviours than the bouncing
ball or the bouncing dimer. The rigid trimer has been placed on a plate of a
electromagnetic shaker and has been vertically vibrated according to a
sinusoidal signal. The horizontal translational and rotational motions of the
trimer have been recorded for a range of frequencies between 25 and 100 Hz
while the amplitude of the forcing vibration was tuned for obtaining maximal
acceleration of the plate up to 10 times the gravity. Several modes have been
detected like e.g. rotational and pure translational motions. These modes are
found at determined accelerations of the plate and do not depend on the
frequency. By recording the time delays between two successive contacts when
the frequency and the amplitude are fixed, a mapping of the bouncing regime has
been constructed and compared to that of the dimer and the bouncing ball.
Period-2 and period-3 orbits have been experimentally observed. In these modes,
according to observations, the contact between the trimer and the plate is
persistent between two successive jumps. This persistence erases the memory of
the jump preceding the contact. A model is proposed and allows to explain the
values of the particular accelerations for which period-2 and period-3 modes
are observed. Finally, numerical simulations allow to reproduce the
experimental results. That allows to conclude that the friction between the
beads and the plate is the major dissipative process.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figure
Broad Feshbach resonance in the 6Li-40K mixture
We study the widths of interspecies Feshbach resonances in a mixture of the
fermionic quantum gases 6Li and 40K. We develop a model to calculate the width
and position of all available Feshbach resonances for a system. Using the model
we select the optimal resonance to study the 6Li/40K mixture. Experimentally,
we obtain the asymmetric Fano lineshape of the interspecies elastic cross
section by measuring the distillation rate of 6Li atoms from a potassium-rich
6Li/40K mixture as a function of magnetic field. This provides us with the
first experimental determination of the width of a resonance in this mixture,
Delta B=1.5(5) G. Our results offer good perspectives for the observation of
universal crossover physics using this mass-imbalanced fermionic mixture.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Evidence for GABA-induced systemic GABA accumulation in Arabidopsis upon wounding
The non-proteinogenic amino acid γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is present in all plant species analyzed so far. Its synthesis is stimulated by either acidic conditions occurring after tissue disruption or higher cytosolic calcium level. In mammals, GABA acts as inhibitory neurotransmitter but its function in plants is still not well understood. Besides its involvement in abiotic stress resistance, GABA has a role in the jasmonate-independent defense against invertebrate pests. While the biochemical basis for GABA accumulation in wounded leaves is obvious, the underlying mechanisms for wounding-induced GABA accumulation in systemic leaves remained unclear. Here, the Arabidopsis thaliana knock-out mutant lines pop2-5, unable to degrade GABA, and tpc1-2, lacking a wounding-induced systemic cytosolic calcium elevation, were employed for a comprehensive investigation of systemic GABA accumulation. A wounding-induced systemic GABA accumulation was detected in tpc1-2 plants demonstrating that an increased calcium level was not involved. Similarly, after both mechanical wounding and Spodoptera littoralis feeding, GABA accumulation in pop2-5 plants was significantly higher in local and systemic leaves, compared to wild-type plants. Consequently, larvae feeding on these GABA-enriched mutant plants grew significantly less. Upon exogenous application of a D2-labeled GABA to wounded leaves of pop2-5 plants, its uptake but no translocation to unwounded leaves was detected. In contrast, an accumulation of endogenous GABA was observed in vascular connected systemic leaves. These results suggest that the systemic accumulation of GABA upon wounding does not depend on the translocation of GABA or on an increase in cytosolic calcium
Metabolic profiles of six African cultivars of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) highlight bottlenecks of root yield
Open Access Article; Published online: 17 Jan 2020Cassava is an important staple crop in sub‐Saharan Africa, due to its high productivity even on nutrient poor soils. The metabolic characteristics underlying this high productivity are poorly understood including the mode of photosynthesis, reasons for the high rate of photosynthesis, the extent of source/sink limitation, the impact of environment, and the extent of variation between cultivars. Six commercial African cassava cultivars were grown in a greenhouse in Erlangen, Germany, and in the field in Ibadan, Nigeria. Source leaves, sink leaves, stems and storage roots were harvested during storage root bulking and analyzed for sugars, organic acids, amino acids, phosphorylated intermediates, minerals, starch, protein, activities of enzymes in central metabolism and yield traits. High ratios of RuBisCO:phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity support a C3 mode of photosynthesis. The high rate of photosynthesis is likely to be attributed to high activities of enzymes in the Calvin–Benson cycle and pathways for sucrose and starch synthesis. Nevertheless, source limitation is indicated because root yield traits correlated with metabolic traits in leaves rather than in the stem or storage roots. This situation was especially so in greenhouse‐grown plants, where irradiance will have been low. In the field, plants produced more storage roots. This was associated with higher AGPase activity and lower sucrose in the roots, indicating that feedforward loops enhanced sink capacity in the high light and low nitrogen environment in the field. Overall, these results indicated that carbon assimilation rate, the K battery, root starch synthesis, trehalose, and chlorogenic acid accumulation are potential target traits for genetic improvement
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