2,189 research outputs found
The Schrodinger equation with Hulthen potential plus ring-shaped potential
We present the solutions of the Schrdinger equation with the
Hulthn potential plus ring-shape potential for states
within the framework of an exponential approximation of the centrifugal
potential.Solutions to the corresponding angular and radial equations are
obtained in terms of special functions using the conventional Nikiforov-Uvarov
method. The normalization constant for the Hulthn potential is also
computed.Comment: Typed with LateX,12 Pages, Typos correcte
Quantitative evaluation of motor function before and after engraftment of dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease
Although gait change is considered a useful indicator of severity in animal models of Parkinson's disease, systematic and extensive gait analysis in animal models of neurological deficits is not well established. The CatWalk-assisted automated gait analysis system provides a comprehensive way to assess a number of dynamic and static gait parameters simultaneously. In this study, we used the Catwalk system to investigate changes in gait parameters in adult rats with unilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions and the rescue effect of dopaminergic neuron transplantation on gait function. Four weeks after 6-OHDA injection, the intensity and maximal area of contact were significantly decreased in the affected paws and the swing speed significantly decreased in all four paws. The relative distance between the hind paws also increased, suggesting that animals with unilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions required all four paws to compensate for loss of balance function. At 8 weeks post-transplantation, engrafted dopaminergic neurons expressed tyrosine hydroxylase. In addition, the intensity, contact area, and swing speed of the four limbs increased and the distance between the hind paws decreased. Partial recovery of methamphetamine-induced rotational response was also noted
High-throughput avian molecular sexing by SYBR green-based real-time PCR combined with melting curve analysis
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Combination of <it>CHD </it>(chromo-helicase-DNA binding protein)-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with electrophoresis (PCR/electrophoresis) is the most common avian molecular sexing technique but it is lab-intensive and gel-required. Gender determination often fails when the difference in length between the PCR products of <it>CHD-Z </it>and <it>CHD-W </it>genes is too short to be resolved.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we are the first to introduce a PCR-melting curve analysis (PCR/MCA) to identify the gender of birds by genomic DNA, which is gel-free, quick, and inexpensive. <it>Spilornis cheela hoya </it>(<it>S. c. hoya</it>) and <it>Pycnonotus sinensis </it>(<it>P. sinensis</it>) were used to illustrate this novel molecular sexing technique. The difference in the length of <it>CHD </it>genes in <it>S. c. hoya </it>and <it>P. sinensis </it>is 13-, and 52-bp, respectively. Using Griffiths' P2/P8 primers, molecular sexing failed both in PCR/electrophoresis of <it>S. c. hoya </it>and in PCR/MCA of <it>S. c. hoya </it>and <it>P. sinensis</it>. In contrast, we redesigned sex-specific primers to yield 185- and 112-bp PCR products for the <it>CHD-Z </it>and <it>CHD-W </it>genes of <it>S. c. hoya</it>, respectively, using PCR/MCA. Using this specific primer set, at least 13 samples of <it>S. c. hoya </it>were examined simultaneously and the Tm peaks of <it>CHD-Z </it>and <it>CHD-W </it>PCR products were distinguished.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, we introduced a high-throughput avian molecular sexing technique and successfully applied it to two species. This new method holds a great potential for use in high throughput sexing of other avian species, as well.</p
Topology of the conceptual network of language
We define two words in a language to be connected if they express similar
concepts. The network of connections among the many thousands of words that
make up a language is important not only for the study of the structure and
evolution of languages, but also for cognitive science. We study this issue
quantitatively, by mapping out the conceptual network of the English language,
with the connections being defined by the entries in a Thesaurus dictionary. We
find that this network presents a small-world structure, with an amazingly
small average shortest path, and appears to exhibit an asymptotic scale-free
feature with algebraic connectivity distribution.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Revte
Large-scale structural organization of social networks
The characterization of large-scale structural organization of social
networks is an important interdisciplinary problem. We show, by using scaling
analysis and numerical computation, that the following factors are relevant for
models of social networks: the correlation between friendship ties among people
and the position of their social groups, as well as the correlation between the
positions of different social groups to which a person belongs.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Revte
Trap barricading and decorating by a well-armored sit-and-wait predator: extra protection or prey attraction?
Animals may build multiple structures to provide benefits to counter the costs of building. Many orb web spiders add multiple structures, e.g., barricading barrier webs and silk decorations, to their webs and these structures have been hypothesized to function to deter predators or attract prey. The heavily armored spiny spiders construct barrier webs around their orb webs and decorate them with conspicuous silk tufts. Why these organisms, already well protected by a thick cuticle and spines, make the extra investment of building barrier webs and adding conspicuous silk decorations is not known. We predicted that these structures function to both attract prey and deter predators. Field experiments were conducted in two consecutive years using orb webs built by the East Asian spiny spider Thelacantha brevispina. We either (1) concealed the decoration, (2) removed the barrier webs, or (3) left the decorations and barrier webs intact. We found year and treatment to interactively influence prey interception rates. In 2010, but not in 2009, we found prey interception with T. brevispina webs to be greater when the decorations were conspicuous than when they were concealed suggesting that the decorations may lure prey. Prey interception was lower when the barrier webs were present without decorations compared to when they were absent without decorations. The prey-attracting function of the decorations thus may counter the reduction in prey interception incurred by adding a barrier web. Predatory wasp interactions were not influenced by any of our treatments, probably because the spiders' thick cuticle is the primary means of protection from wasps. Bird predation events, while rare, occurred only when decorations were concealed or the barrier webs were removed. It is therefore plausible that the tuft decorations both lure prey and deter birds
HUBUNGAN PANJANG BERAT DAN FAKTOR KONDISI TIGA SPESIES CUMI HASIL TANGKAPAN NELAYAN DI PERAIRAN LAUT ACEH BAGIAN UTARA
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi polapertumbuhan dan faktor kondisi cumi sirip besar(Sepioteuthis cf. lessoniana), cumi (Uroteuthis sp.) dancumi batok (Sepia officinalis). Pengambilan sampeldilakukan selema 6 bulan mulai Juli-Desember2012. Cumi sampel adalah hasil tangkapan nelayanyang didaratkan di TPI Lampulo, cumi tersebutditangkap oleh nelayan di perairan laut Aceh bagianutara. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa cumisirip besar (S. lessoniana) dan cumi (Uroteuthissp.) memiliki pola pertumbuhan allometrik negatif,sedangkan cumi batok (S. officinalis) memiliki polapertumbuhan allometrik positif. Selain itu, faktorkondisi berat relatif berada pada kisaran 100,mengindikasikan keberadaan mangsa dan pemangsadalam keadaan seimbang, dan faktor kondisi Fultonketiga jenis cumi berkisar antara 2,9-4,6, dimanacumi batok memiliki nilai lebih tinggi berbandingdua spesies lainnya, dengan demikian perairan lautAceh bagian utara mendukung kehidupan cumidengan baik.Key words: Sepioteuthis cf. lessoniana, Uroteuthis sp.,Sepia officinalis, Allometrik, Faktor kondis
An Interactive Approach Based on Alternative Achievement Scale and Alternative Comprehensive Scale for Multiple Attribute Decision Making under Linguistic Environment
The aim of this paper is to develop an interactive approach for multiple attribute decision making with incomplete
weight information under linguistic environment. Some of the concepts are defined, such as the distance between
two 2-tuple linguistic variables, the expectation level of alternative, the achievement scale, the alternative
comprehensive scale under linguistic environment. Based on these concepts, we establish some linear programming
models, through which the decision maker interacts with the analyst. Furthermore, we establish a practical
interactive approach for selecting the most desirable alternative(s). The interactive process can be realized by
giving and revising the achievement scale and comprehensive scale of alternatives till the achievement scale and
the comprehensive scale are achieved to the decision makerâs request. Finally, an illustrative example is also given.The author is very grateful to the associated editor and two anonymous referees for their insightful and constructive comments and suggestions that have led to an improved version of this paper. This work was partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 90924027, No. 71101043), National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2010C B951104), Key Program of National Social Science Foundation of China (No. 10AJY005), College Philosophy and Social Science Research Project of Jiangsu Province under Grant 2011SJD630007.Xu, Y.; Wang, H.; Palacios MarquĂ©s, D. (2013). An Interactive Approach Based on Alternative Achievement Scale and Alternative Comprehensive Scale for Multiple Attribute Decision Making under Linguistic Environment. International Journal of Computational Intelligence Systems. 6(1):87-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/18756891.2013.756226S87956
Meson screening masses from lattice QCD with two light and the strange quark
We present results for screening masses of mesons built from light and
strange quarks in the temperature range of approximately between 140 MeV to 800
MeV. The lattice computations were performed with 2+1 dynamical light and
strange flavors of improved (p4) staggered fermions along a line of constant
physics defined by a pion mass of about 220 MeV and a kaon mass of 500 MeV. The
lattices had temporal extents Nt = 4, 6 and 8 and aspect ratios of Ns / Nt \geq
4. At least up to a temperature of 140 MeV the pseudo-scalar screening mass
remains almost equal to the corresponding zero temperature pseudo-scalar (pole)
mass. At temperatures around 3Tc (Tc being the transition temperature) the
continuum extrapolated pseudo-scalar screening mass approaches very close to
the free continuum result of 2 \pi T from below. On the other hand, at high
temperatures the vector screening mass turns out to be larger than the free
continuum value of 2 \pi T. The pseudo-scalar and the vector screening masses
do not become degenerate even for a temperature as high as 4Tc. Using these
mesonic spatial correlation functions we have also investigated the restoration
of chiral symmetry and the effective restoration of the axial symmetry. We have
found that the vector and the axial-vector screening correlators become
degenerate, indicating chiral symmetry restoration, at a temperature which is
consistent with the QCD transition temperature obtained in previous studies. On
the other hand, the pseudo-scalar and the scalar screening correlators become
degenerate only at temperatures larger than 1.3Tc, indicating that the
effective restoration of the axial symmetry takes place at a temperature larger
than the QCD transition temperature.Comment: Published versio
Dynamics of liquid He-4 in confined geometries from Time-Dependent Density Functional calculations
We present numerical results obtained from Time-Dependent Density Functional
calculations of the dynamics of liquid He-4 in different environments
characterized by geometrical confinement. The time-dependent density profile
and velocity field of He-4 are obtained by means of direct numerical
integration of the non-linear Schrodinger equation associated with a
phenomenological energy functional which describes accurately both the static
and dynamic properties of bulk liquid He-4. Our implementation allows for a
general solution in 3-D (i.e. no symmetries are assumed in order to simplify
the calculations). We apply our method to study the real-time dynamics of pure
and alkali-doped clusters, of a monolayer film on a weakly attractive surface
and a nano-droplet spreading on a solid surface.Comment: q 1 tex file + 9 Ps figure
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