The ecology of genetically diverse infections

Microparasite infections often consist of genetically distinct clonal lineages. Ecological interactions between these lineages within hosts can influence disease severity, epidemiology, and evolution. Many medical and veterinary interventions have an impact on genetic diversity within infections, but there is little understanding of the long-term consequences of such interventions for public and animal health. Indeed, much of the theory in this area is based on assumptions contradicted by the available data.     

Comparison of calculated and measured ion densities on the dayside of venus

Datafrom the Pioneer Venus ion mass spectrometers are compared with model calculations of the ion density distributions appropriate for daytime conditions. The model assumes diffusive equilibrium upper boundary conditions for the major ions (O(2)(+), O(+), CO(2)(+), He(+), and H(+)); the agreement between the calculated and measured gross behavior of these ions is reasonably good except for H(+), which may be influenced strongly by convective transport processes. The distributions of five minor ions (C(+), N(+), NO(+), CO(+), and N(2)(+)) are also calculated for the chemically controlled region ( less, similar 200 kilometers); the agreements are, in general, poor, an indication that our present understanding of the Venus minor ion chemistry is still incomplete.     

2-p-Toluidinyl-6-Naphthalene Sulfonate: Relation of Structure to Fluorescence Properties in Different Media

Hydrated and anhydrous crystals of 2-p-toluidinyl-6-naphthalene sulfonate exhibit fluorescence spectra similar to those obtained for 2-p-toluidinyl-6-naphthalene sulfonate in water and in organic solvents, respectively. The molecular structure of anhydrous 2-p-toluidinyl-6-naphthalene sulfonate suggests extended electron resonance over the whole molecule and this is one of the causes of the spectral differences.     

Tertiary sediment from the East pacific rise

More than 50 cores ranging in age from Pliocene to Lower Miocene have been recovered from the East Pacific Rise. Near the crestal regions the sediment cover is thin or lacking, and only Pleistocene sediments were recovered. On the flanks, the sediment thickness increases and pre-Pleistocene sediments are encountered. This pattern of increasing age and increasing sediment thickness away from the axis of the rise is in agreement with that predicted for spreading of the ocean floor.     

Namoratunga: the first archeoastronomical evidence in sub-saharan Africa

Namoratunga, a megalithic site in northwestern Kenya, has an alignment of 19 basalt pillars that are nonrandomly oriented toward certain stars and constellations. The same stars and constellations are used by modern eastern Cushitic peoples to calculate an accurate calendar. The fact that Namoratunga dates to about 300 B.C. suggests that a prehistoric calendar based on detailed astronomical knowledge was in use in eastern Africa.     

Sequential establishment of stripe patterns in an expanding cell population

Periodic stripe patterns are ubiquitous in living organisms, yet the underlying developmental processes are complex and difficult to disentangle. We describe a synthetic genetic circuit that couples cell density and motility. This system enabled programmed Escherichia coli cells to form periodic stripes of high and low cell densities sequentially and autonomously. Theoretical and experimental analyses reveal that the spatial structure arises from a recurrent aggregation process at the front of the continuously expanding cell population. The number of stripes formed could be tuned by modulating the basal expression of a single gene. The results establish motility control as a simple route to establishing recurrent structures without requiring an extrinsic pacemaker.