Long-Range Superharmonic Josephson Current

We consider a long superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction with one spin-active region. It is shown that an \textit{odd} number of Cooper pairs cannot have a long-range propagation when there is \textit{only one} spin-active region. When temperature is much lower than the Thouless energy, the coherent transport of \textit{two} Cooper pairs becomes dominant process and the \textit{superharmonic} current-phase relation is obtained ($I\propto\sin2\phi$).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Modelling mitochondrial dysfunction in mice

Summary Understanding mitochondrial role in normal physiology and pathological conditions has proven to be of high importance as mitochondrial dysfunction is connected with a number of disorders as well as some of the most common diseases (e.g. diabetes or Parkinson's disease). Modeling mitochondrial dysfunction has been difficult mainly due to unique features of mitochondrial genetics. Here we discuss some of the most important mouse models generated so far and lessons learned from them

Comparative study of the phenolic composition of seeds from grapes cv cardinal and alphonse lavallee during last month of ripening

During the last month of ripening, the phenolic composition of seeds from two widely distributed table grapes, cv Cardinal and Alphonse Lavallee, was determined by HPLC/DAD/ESI/MS. Besides, the concentrations of nutrients in leaf blades of grapevine were measured. Generally, the most abundant phenolic in grape seed was gallic acid, followed by methyl gallate and monomeric flavan-3-ols. In comparison to Alphonse Lavallee, the amounts of phenolics were higher in grape seed of Cardinal, in which gallic acid glucoside was not detected. Among analyzed phenolics, the increase of gallic acid was evidenced in grape seed of Cardinal. The most of phenolics decreased during the last month of grape ripening, and some of them had no significantly different content. Results of bivariate correlations showed that the amounts of some phenolics in grape seed of Cardinal increased with increasing of the content of potassium and phosphorus in leaves

The influence of gibberellic acid and paclobutrazol on induction of somatic embryogenesis in wild type and hairy root cultures of Centaurium erythraea Gillib.

The effects of exogenous gibberellic acid (GA3) and paclobutrazol on induction of somatic embryos in wild type and hairy root culture of Centaurium erythraea Gillib. were investigated. Both compoundswere incorperated into 1/2 MS medium at 6 concentrations (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 ìM). Wild type root and hairy root explants cultured in the presence of GA3 at all tested concentrations under 16-h photoperiod or in the darkness decreased the number of somatic embryos that were produced. Paclobutrazol (0.3 mM) induced the largest number (19.7, 16.5) of somatic embryos in wild type and hairy root cultures, respectively. Rooting of plants derived from somatic embryos as achieved on ½MSmedium. These results indicate that paclobutrazol is beneficial for somatic embryo induction and formation in wild type and hairy root culture

Superconducting spintronics

The interaction between superconducting and spin-polarized orders has recently emerged as a major research field following a series of fundamental breakthroughs in charge transport in superconductor-ferromagnet heterodevices which promise new device functionality. Traditional studies which combine spintronics and superconductivity have mainly focused on the injection of spin-polarized quasiparticles into superconducting materials. However, a complete synergy between superconducting and magnetic orders turns out to be possible through the creation of spin-triplet Cooper pairs which are generated at carefully engineered superconductor interfaces with ferromagnetic materials. Currently, there is intense activity focused on identifying materials combinations which merge superconductivity and spintronics in order to enhance device functionality and performance. The results look promising: it has been shown, for example, that superconducting order can greatly enhance central effects in spintronics such as spin injection and magnetoresistance. Here, we review the experimental and theoretical advances in this field and provide an outlook for upcoming challenges related to the new concept of superconducting spintronics.J.L. was supported by the Research Council of Norway, Grants No. 205591 and 216700. J.W.A.R. was supported by the UK Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust through an International Network Grant (IN-2013-033).This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v11/n4/full/nphys3242.html

Comparative study of the phenolic composition of seeds from grapes cv cardinal and alphonse lavallee during last month of ripening

During the last month of ripening, the phenolic composition of seeds from two widely distributed table grapes, cv Cardinal and Alphonse Lavallee, was determined by HPLC/DAD/ESI/MS. Besides, the concentrations of nutrients in leaf blades of grapevine were measured. Generally, the most abundant phenolic in grape seed was gallic acid, followed by methyl gallate and monomeric flavan-3-ols. In comparison to Alphonse Lavallee, the amounts of phenolics were higher in grape seed of Cardinal, in which gallic acid glucoside was not detected. Among analyzed phenolics, the increase of gallic acid was evidenced in grape seed of Cardinal. The most of phenolics decreased during the last month of grape ripening, and some of them had no significantly different content. Results of bivariate correlations showed that the amounts of some phenolics in grape seed of Cardinal increased with increasing of the content of potassium and phosphorus in leaves

DNA mismatch repair gene MSH6 implicated in determining age at natural menopause

notes: PMCID: PMC3976329This is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.The length of female reproductive lifespan is associated with multiple adverse outcomes, including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and infertility. The biological processes that govern the timing of the beginning and end of reproductive life are not well understood. Genetic variants are known to contribute to ∼50% of the variation in both age at menarche and menopause, but to date the known genes explain <15% of the genetic component. We have used genome-wide association in a bivariate meta-analysis of both traits to identify genes involved in determining reproductive lifespan. We observed significant genetic correlation between the two traits using genome-wide complex trait analysis. However, we found no robust statistical evidence for individual variants with an effect on both traits. A novel association with age at menopause was detected for a variant rs1800932 in the mismatch repair gene MSH6 (P = 1.9 × 10(-9)), which was also associated with altered expression levels of MSH6 mRNA in multiple tissues. This study contributes to the growing evidence that DNA repair processes play a key role in ovarian ageing and could be an important therapeutic target for infertility.UK Medical Research CouncilWellcome Trus

DNA methylation and differential gene regulation in photoreceptor cell death

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) defines a group of inherited degenerative retinal diseases causing progressive loss of photoreceptors. To this day, RP is still untreatable and rational treatment development will require a thorough understanding of the underlying cell death mechanisms. Methylation of the DNA base cytosine by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) is an important epigenetic factor regulating gene expression, cell differentiation, cell death, and survival. Previous studies suggested an involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in RP, and in this study, increased cytosine methylation was detected in dying photoreceptors in the rd1, rd2, P23H, and S334ter rodent models for RP. Ultrastructural analysis of photoreceptor nuclear morphology in the rd1 mouse model for RP revealed a severely altered chromatin structure during retinal degeneration that coincided with an increased expression of the DNMT isozyme DNMT3a. To identify disease-specific differentially methylated DNA regions (DMRs) on a genomic level, we immunoprecipitated methylated DNA fragments and subsequently analyzed them with a targeted microarray. Genome-wide comparison of DMRs between rd1 and wild-type retina revealed hypermethylation of genes involved in cell death and survival as well as cell morphology and nervous system development. When correlating DMRs with gene expression data, we found that hypermethylation occurred alongside transcriptional repression. Consistently, motif analysis showed that binding sites of several important transcription factors for retinal physiology were hypermethylated in the mutant model, which also correlated with transcriptional silencing of their respective target genes. Finally, inhibition of DNMTs in rd1 organotypic retinal explants using decitabine resulted in a substantial reduction of photoreceptor cell death, suggesting inhibition of DNA methylation as a potential novel treatment in RP

Mechanisms, therapeutic implications, and methodological challenges of gut microbiota and cardiovascular diseases: a position paper by the ESC Working Group on Coronary Pathophysiology and Microcirculation

The human gut microbiota is the microbial ecosystem in the small and large intestines of humans. It has been naturally preserved and evolved to play an important role in the function of the gastrointestinal tract and the physiology of its host, protecting from pathogen colonization, and participating in vitamin synthesis, the functions of the immune system, as well as glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism, among others. Mounting evidence from animal and human studies indicates that the composition and metabolic profiles of the gut microbiota are linked to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, particularly arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure. In this review article, we provide an overview of the function of the human gut microbiota, summarize, and critically address the evidence linking compositional and functional alterations of the gut microbiota with atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, and discuss the potential of strategies for therapeutically targeting the gut microbiota through various interventions