SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF ACTION SPECTRA FOR PHOTOREACTIONS I AND II OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Abstract— We have devised a method of obtaining simultaneous action spectra for photoreactions I and II by analysis of direct and indirect effects involved in enhancement. The method requires previous determination of the neutral wavelength which gives maximum quantum yield by virtue of equal fractions of open reaction centers ( p and q ) for each photoreaction. A sufficient intensity of the neutral wavelength is used as a constant background. Upon addition of a weak modulated measuring light of intensity I_m and wavelength λ _m two amperometric signals are obtained for rate of oxygen evolution. A modulated signal (AC¯) isolates the direct effect of I_m and gives action of photoreaction II as AC/ I_m . An increment in total rate (ΔDC) also includes an indirect effect of I_m in perturbing reaction center conditions ( p and q ). From analysis of interaction of the two photoreactions, action for photoreaction I can be estimated as (2 ΔDC-AC)/ I_m . The method is applicable to whole cells, properly scales the two action spectra to each other, and removes contribution of the State 1-State 2 phenomena. Action spectra were obtained for Chlorella.     

Solution-processed bilayer photovoltaic devices with nematic liquid crystals

The cross-linking of polymerisable liquid crystalline semiconductors is a promising approach to solution-processable, multilayer, organic photovoltaics. Here we demonstrate an organic bilayer photovoltaic with an insoluble electron-donating layer formed by cross-linking a nematic reactive mesogen. We investigate a range of perylene diimide (PDI) materials, some of which are liquid crystalline, as the overlying electron acceptor layer. We find that carrier mobility of the acceptor materials is enhanced by liquid crystallinity and that mobility limits the performance of photovoltaic devices.     

Conditional Probabilities and Density Operators in Quantum Modeling

Motivated by a recent proof of free choices in linking equations to the experiments they describe, I clarify some relations among purely mathematical entities featured in quantum mechanics (probabilities, density operators, partial traces, and operator-valued measures), thereby allowing applications of these entities to the modeling of a wider variety of physical situations. I relate conditional probabilities associated with projection-valued measures to conditional density operators identical, in some cases but not in others, to the usual reduced density operators. While a fatal obstacle precludes associating conditional density operators with general non-projective measures, tensor products of general positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) are associated with conditional density operators. This association together with the free choice of probe particles allows a postulate of state reductions to be replaced by a theorem. An application shows an equivalence between one form of quantum key distribution and another with respect to certain eavesdropping attacks.     

Genetic analysis of the GRIK2 modifier effect in Huntington's disease

Background  

In Huntington's disease (HD), age at neurological onset is inversely correlated with the length of the CAG trinucleotide repeat mutation, but can be modified by genetic factors beyond the HD gene. Association of a relatively infrequent 16 TAA allele of a trinucleotide repeat polymorphism in the GRIK2 3'UTR with earlier than expected age at neurological onset has been suggested to reflect linkage disequilibrium with a functional polymorphism in GRIK2 or an adjacent gene.     

On the acoustic boundary condition in the presence of flow

The boundary condition on the acoustic perturbation velocity at an impermeable surface in a flow is considered for the cases in which the surface generates a sound field by vibration or is acoustically deformed by an incident sound field. It is shown that in general the condition is not equivalent to the requirement of continuity of acoustic particle displacement in the direction normal to the unperturbed surface.     

Implications of population change on social insurance systems providing old-age benefits

General agreement, although not completely universal, exists in North America that cost analysis of programs providing old-age retirement benefits should be conducted over the long range, and not merely over the next few years. The actuarial cost estimates for what is now the U.S. Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program have always been made over a long period of future years. Initially, for the 1935 Act, this period was 44 years (up through 1980), but most subsequent valuations of the program have used a 75-year period. The justification for this length of time is that it covers essentially the entire lifetime of every person in covered employment on the valuation date.It must be recognized that outside of North America — but with the exception of the United Kingdom — long-range social insurance programs providing retirement benefits are not generally considered over long future periods. The argument made in support of this short-sighted approach is that it is impossible to predict with any precision such long-range future operations. Countering this is the point that an estimate prepared by well-qualified persons is far better for policy planning and analysis than nothing at all.     

Laser beacon wave-front sensing without focal anisoplanatism

Wave-front sensing from artificial beacons is normally performed by formation of a focused spot in the atmosphere and sensing of the wave-front distortions produced during the beam's return passage. We propose an alternative method that senses the distortions produced during the outgoing path by forming an intensity pattern in the atmosphere that is then viewed from the ground. A key advantage of this method is that a parallel beam is used, and therefore the wave-front measurements will not suffer from the effects of focal anisoplanatism. We also envisage other geometries, all based on the concept of projecting a pupil pattern onto the atmosphere.