18,500 research outputs found
Phylogenetic multi-locus codon models and molecular clocks reveal the monophyly of haematophagous reduviid bugs and their evolution at the formation of South America.
We previously constructed a single molecular clock to date insect evolution that remains a cornerstone within entomological dating. The insect clock predicts that triatomine bugs, the vectors of South American trypanosomiasis, originated with the formation of South America. We addressed this hypothesis using the insectivorous reduviid bugs and their phylogenetic relationship with the haematophagous reduviid bugs, as well as their biogeographic distribution. Putative paraphyly or monophyly of Triatominae, by non-haematophagous reduviids, have both previously been hypothesized and identified. We sampled a broad range of predatory reduviids, viz. Ectrichodiinae, Emesinae, Hammacerinae, Harpactorinae, Reduviinae, Salyavatinae, Steniopodainae and Vesciinae, including both New World and Old World representatives and sequenced the nuclear 28S ribosomal gene locus and the mitochondrial loci 5' cytochrome oxidase 1 (cox1 [COI]), cox1 3', cytochrome oxidase 2 (cox2 [COII]) and cytochrome oxidase b (cob [cytb]). Robust evidence for the monophyly of Triatominae was observed in 5/5 loci using codon/nucleotide (28S) based maximum likelihood phylogenies, 3/5 loci using codon-based Bayesian phylogenies and in cox2 using amino acid Bayesian phylogenies. Several South American members of the Reduviinae, that are morphologically and phylogenetically a sister group to triatomine bugs, have a modal divergence date with the Triatominae of 109-107 million years ago (MYA). This creates a scenario where the closest (non-haematophagous) ancestor to triatomine bugs evolved immediately prior to the breakup of Gondwanaland whilst the triatomine bugs evolved 95MYA, putatively linking the origin of haematophagous behaviour to the origin of South America and in particular infers a delayed onset to the evolution of haematophagy. The placement of the enigmatic tribe Bolboderini as an ingroup to the Triatominae monophyly, confirms the 95MYA node as the most ancient in the subfamily
Commentary on T. Herman’s “Revising Toulmin’s Model: Argumentative Cell and the Bias of Objectivity”
Oxidized basalts on the surface of Venus: Compositional implications of measured spectral properties
Venera Lander reflectance data are compared with high temperature spectra of the same basaltic materials. The dark, flat unoxidized basalts are still inconsistent with the Venera data in the near-infrared. Basaltic material with a ferric component, however, would satisfy both the increase in reflectance beyond 0.7 microns as well as the dark, relatively colorless character in the visible. Therefore, it is concluded that besaltic surfaces of Venus represented by these measurements either contain minerals with uncommon characteristics, or, more likely, are relatively oxidized
Free charges versus excitons: photoluminescence investigation of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well nanorods and their planar counterparts
InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) nanorods have demonstrated significantly improved optical and electronic properties compared to their planar counterparts. However, the exact nature of the processes whereby nanorod structures impact the optical properties of quantum wells is not well understood, even though a variety of mechanisms have been proposed. We performed nanoscale spatially resolved, steady-state, and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) experiments confirming that photoexcited electrons and holes are strongly bound by Coulomb interactions (i.e., excitons) in planar MQWs due to the large exciton binding energy in InGaN quantum wells. In contrast, free electron–hole recombination becomes the dominant mechanism in nanorods, which is ascribed to efficient exciton dissociation. The nanorod sidewall provides an effective pathway for exciton dissociation that significantly improves the optical performance of InGaN/GaN MQWs. We also confirm that surface treatment of nanorod sidewalls has an impact on exciton dissociation. Our results provide new insights into excitonic and charge carrier dynamics of quantum confined materials as well as the influence of surface states
Spin Polaron Effective Magnetic Model for La_{0.5}Ca_{0.5}MnO_3
The conventional paradigm of charge order for La_{1-x}Ca_xMnO_3 for x=0.5 has
been challenged recently by a Zener polaron picture emerging from experiments
and theoretical calculations. The effective low energy Hamiltonian for the
magnetic degrees of freedom has been found to be a cubic Heisenberg model, with
ferromagnetic nearest neighbor and frustrating antiferromagnetic next nearest
neighbor interactions in the planes, and antiferromagnetic interaction between
planes. With linear spin wave theory and diagonalization of small clusters up
to 27 sites we find that the behavior of the model interpolates between the A
and CE-type magnetic structures when a frustrating intraplanar interaction is
tuned. The values of the interactions calculated by ab initio methods indicate
a possible non-bipartite picture of polaron ordering differing from the
conventional one.Comment: 21 pages and 8 figures (included), Late
Band structures of rare gas solids within the GW approximation
Band structures for solid rare gases (Ne, Ar) have been calculated using the
GW approximation. All electron and pseudopotential ab initio calculations were
performed using Gaussian orbital basis sets and the dependence of particle-hole
gaps and electron affinities on basis set and treatment of core electrons is
investigated. All electron GW calculations have a smaller particle-hole gap
than pseudopotential GW calculations by up to 0.2 eV. Quasiparticle electron
and hole excitation energies, valence band widths and electron affinities are
generally in very good agreement with those derived from optical absorption and
photoemission measurements.Comment: 7 pages 1 figur
Ultrahigh Purcell factors and Lamb shifts using slow-light metamaterial waveguides
Employing a medium-dependent quantum optics formalism and a Green function
solution of Maxwell's equations, we study the enhanced spontaneous emission
factors (Purcell factors) and Lamb shifts from a quantum dot or atom near the
surface of a %embedded in a slow-light metamaterial waveguide. Purcell factors
of approximately 250 and 100 are found at optical frequencies for polarized
and polarized dipoles respectively placed 28\thinspace nm (0.02\thinspace
) above the slab surface, including a realistic metamaterial loss
factor of . For smaller loss values, we
demonstrate that the slow-light regime of odd metamaterial waveguide
propagation modes can be observed and related to distinct resonances in the
Purcell factors. Correspondingly, we predict unusually large and rich Lamb
shifts of approximately -1 GHz to -6 GHz for a dipole moment of 50 Debye. We
also make a direct calculation of the far field emission spectrum, which
contains direct measurable access to these enhanced Purcell factors and Lamb
shifts
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