ABSTRACT
Examples of photoluminescence (PL) are being reported with increasing frequency in a wide range of organisms from diverse ecosystems. However, the chemical basis of this PL remains poorly defined, and our understanding of its potential ecological function is still superficial. Among mammals, recent analyses have identified free-base porphyrins as the compounds responsible for the reddish ultraviolet-induced photoluminescence (UV-PL) observed in the pelage of springhares and hedgehogs. However, the localization of the pigments within the hair largely remains to be determined. Here, we use photoluminescence multispectral imaging emission and excitation spectroscopy to detect, map, and characterize porphyrinic compounds in skin appendages in situ. We also document new cases of mammalian UV-PL caused by free-base porphyrins in distantly related species. Spatial distribution of the UV-PL is strongly suggestive of an endogenous origin of the porphyrinic compounds. We argue that reddish UV-PL is predominantly observed in crepuscular and nocturnal mammals because porphyrins are photodegradable. Consequently, this phenomenon may not have a specific function in intra- or interspecific communication but rather represents a byproduct of potentially widespread physiological processes.
Subject(s)
Porphyrins , Animals , Porphyrins/chemistry , Ecosystem , MammalsABSTRACT
Transport properties of pure carbon dioxide have been calculated from the intermolecular potential using the classical trajectory method. Results are reported in the dilute-gas limit for volume viscosity, depolarized Rayleigh scattering, and nuclear spin relaxation for temperatures ranging from 200 to 1000 K. Three recent carbon dioxide potential energy hypersurfaces have been investigated. Calculated values for the rotational collision number for all three intermolecular surfaces are consistent with the measurements and indicate that the temperature dependence of the Brau-Jonkman correlation is not applicable for carbon dioxide. The results for the depolarized Rayleigh scattering cross section and the nuclear spin relaxation cross section show that calculated values for the generally more successful potentials differ from the observations by 9% at about 290 K, although agreement is obtained for nuclear spin relaxation at about 400 K.
ABSTRACT
The transport properties of pure carbon dioxide have been calculated from the intermolecular potential using the classical trajectory method. Results are reported in the dilute-gas limit for thermal conductivity and thermomagnetic coefficients for temperatures ranging from 200 K to 1000 K. Three recent carbon dioxide potential energy hypersurfaces have been investigated. Since thermal conductivity is influenced by vibrational degrees of freedom, not included in the rigid-rotor classical trajectory calculation, a correction for vibration has also been employed. The calculations indicate that the second-order thermal conductivity corrections due to the angular momentum polarization (< 2%) and velocity polarization (< 1%) are both small. Thermal conductivity values calculated using the potential energy hypersurface by Bukowski et al. (1999) are in good agreement with the available experimental data. They underestimate the best experimental data at room temperature by 1% and in the range up to 470 K by 1%-3%, depending on the data source. Outside this range the calculated values, we believe, may be more reliable than the currently available experimental data. Our results are consistent with measurements of the thermomagnetic effect at 300 K only when the vibrational degrees of freedom are considered fully. This excellent agreement for these properties indicates that particularly the potential surface of Bukowski et al. provides a realistic description of the anisotropy of the surface.
