503 research outputs found
Sound modes in composite incommensurate crystals
We propose a simple phenomenological model describing composite crystals,
constructed from two parallel sets of periodic inter-penetrating chains. In the
harmonic approximation and neglecting thermal fluctuations we find the
eigenmodes of the system. It is shown that at high frequencies there are two
longitudinal sound modes with standard attenuation, while in the low frequency
region there is one propagating sound mode and an over-damped phase mode. The
crossover between these two regions is analyzed numerically and the dynamical
structure factor is calculated. It is shown that the qualitative features of
the experimentally observed spectra can be consistently described by our model.Comment: 12 pages, 2 eps figures, Revtex, accepted to European Physics Journal
B, (2002
Optical absorption spectrum of dilute U4+ impurities in incommensurate ThBr4 : lineshape analysis
Crystal-field transitions associated with U4+ impurities diluted in ThBr4 give rise to broad absorption bands characterized by edge singularities. We show that the experimental spectra are consistent with the known occurrence of a sinusoidal distortion which modulates the Br- ion equilibrium positions, thus reducing the actinide site-symmetry from D2d to D2. The observation of spectral singularities corresponding to D2d-sites is interpreted as resulting from the partial pinning of the incommensurate modulation by the U4+ impurities
Thermal conductivity of the thermoelectric layered cobalt oxides measured by the Harman method
In-plane thermal conductivity of the thermoelectric layered cobalt oxides has
been measured using the Harman method, in which thermal conductivity is
obtained from temperature gradient induced by applied current. We have found
that the charge reservoir block (the block other than the CoO block)
dominates the thermal conduction, where a nano-block integration concept is
effective for material design. We have further found that the thermal
conductivity shows a small but finite in-plane anisotropy between and
axes, which can be ascribed to the misfit structure.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, J. Appl. Phys. (scheduled on July 1, 2004
The SrTiO displacive transition revisited by Coherent X-ray Diffraction
We present a Coherent X-ray Diffraction study of the antiferrodistortive
displacive transition of SrTiO, a prototypical example of a phase
transition for which the critical fluctuations exhibit two length scales and
two time scales. From the microbeam x-ray coherent diffraction patterns, we
show that the broad (short-length scale) and the narrow (long-length scale)
components can be spatially disentangled, due to 100 m-scale spatial
variations of the latter. Moreover, both components exhibit a speckle pattern,
which is static on a 10 mn time-scale. This gives evidence that the
narrow component corresponds to static ordered domains. We interpret the
speckles in the broad component as due to a very slow dynamical process,
corresponding to the well-known \emph{central} peak seen in inelastic neutron
scattering.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted in PR
Genetic drift at expanding frontiers promotes gene segregation
Competition between random genetic drift and natural selection plays a
central role in evolution: Whereas non-beneficial mutations often prevail in
small populations by chance, mutations that sweep through large populations
typically confer a selective advantage. Here, however, we observe chance
effects during range expansions that dramatically alter the gene pool even in
large microbial populations. Initially well-mixed populations of two
fluorescently labeled strains of Escherichia coli develop well-defined,
sector-like regions with fractal boundaries in expanding colonies. The
formation of these regions is driven by random fluctuations that originate in a
thin band of pioneers at the expanding frontier. A comparison of bacterial and
yeast colonies (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) suggests that this large-scale
genetic sectoring is a generic phenomenon that may provide a detectable
footprint of past range expansions.Comment: Please visit http://www.pnas.org/content/104/50/19926.abstract for
published articl
Recent colonization of the Galápagos by the tree Geoffroea spinosa Jacq. (Leguminosae)
This study puts together genetic data and an approximate bayesian computation (ABC) approach to infer the time at which the tree Geoffroea spinosa colonized the Galápagos Islands. The genetic diversity and differentiation between Peru and Galápagos population samples, estimated using three chloroplast spacers and six microsatellite loci, reveal significant differences between two mainland regions separated by the Andes mountains (Inter Andean vs. Pacific Coast) as well as a significant genetic differentiation of island populations. Microsatellites identify two distinct geographical clusters, the Galápagos and the mainland, and chloroplast markers show a private haplotype in the Galápagos. The nuclear distinctiveness of the Inter Andean populations suggests current restricted pollen flow, but chloroplast points to cross-Andean dispersals via seeds, indicating that the Andes might not be an effective biogeographical barrier. The ABC analyses clearly point to the colonization of the Galápagos within the last 160 000 years and possibly as recently as 4750 years ago (475 generations). Founder events associated with colonization of the two islands where the species occurs are detected, with Española having been colonized after Floreana. We discuss two nonmutually exclusive possibilities for the colonization of the Galápagos, recent natural dispersal vs. human introduction.Fil: Caetano S.. No especifíca;Fil: Currat M.. Universidad de Ginebra; SuizaFil: Pennington, R. T.. Royal Botanic Gardens; Reino UnidoFil: Prado, Darien Eros. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Biología. Cátedra de Botánica Morfológica y Sistemática Agronómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Excoffier L.. University of Bern; SuizaFil: Naciri, Y.. No especifíca
A signature of dynamic biogeography: enclaves indicate past species replacement
Understanding how species have replaced each other in the past is important to predicting future species turnover. While past species replacement is difficult to detect after the fact, the process may be inferred from present-day distribution patterns. Species with abutting ranges sometimes show a characteristic distribution pattern, where a section of one species range is enveloped by that of the other. Such an enclave could indicate past species replacement: when a species is partly supplanted by a competitor, but a population endures locally while the invading species moves around and past it, an enclave forms. If the two species hybridize and backcross, the receding species is predicted to leave genetic traces within the expanding one under a scenario of species replacement. By screening dozens of genes in hybridizing crested newts, we uncover genetic remnants of the ancestral species, now inhabiting an enclave, in the range of the surrounding invading species. This independent genetic evidence supports the past distribution dynamics we predicted from the enclave. We suggest that enclaves provide a valuable tool in understanding historical species replacement, which is important because a major conservation concern arising from anthropogenic climate change is increased species replacement in the future
Introductory Editorial: Evolutionary Genomics
This supplement is intended to focus on evolutionary genomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics aims to provide researchers working in this complex, quickly developing field with online, open access to highly relevant scholarly articles by leading international researchers. In a field where the literature is ever-expanding, researchers increasingly need access to up-to-date, high quality scholarly articles on areas of specific contemporary interest. This supplement aims to address this by presenting high-quality articles that allow readers to distinguish the signal from the noise. The editor in chief hopes that through this effort, practitioners and researchers will be aided in finding answers to some of the most complex and pressing issues of our time
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