219 research outputs found
Canonical-grandcanonical ensemble in-equivalence in Fermi systems?
I discuss the effects of fermionic condensation in systems of constant
density of states. I show that the condensation leads to a correction of the
chemical potential and of the Fermi distribution in canonical Fermi systems at
low temperatures. This implies that the canonical and grandcanonical ensembles
are not equivalent even for Fermi systems.Comment: 4 pages and 1 figur
Level Density of a Bose Gas and Extreme Value Statistics
We establish a connection between the level density of a gas of
non-interacting bosons and the theory of extreme value statistics. Depending on
the exponent that characterizes the growth of the underlying single-particle
spectrum, we show that at a given excitation energy the limiting distribution
function for the number of excited particles follows the three universal
distribution laws of extreme value statistics, namely Gumbel, Weibull and
Fr\'echet. Implications of this result, as well as general properties of the
level density at different energies, are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, no figure
Fluctuations of the Fermi condensate in ideal gases
We calculate numerically and analytically the fluctuations of the fermionic
condensate and of the number of particles above the condensate for systems of
constant density of states. We compare the canonical fluctuations, obtained
from the equivalent Bose condensate fluctuation, with the grandcanonical
fermionic calculation. The fluctuations of the condensate are almost the same
in the two ensembles, with a small correction comming from the total particle
number fluctuation in the grandcanonical ensemble. On the other hand the number
of particles above the condensate and its fluctuation is insensitive to the
choice of ensemble.Comment: 10 pages with 3 figs. IOP styl
Optical Anisotropy in Bismuth Titanate: An Experimental and Theoretical Study
We report experimental and theoretical investigation of anisotropy in optical
properties and their origin in the ferroelectric and paraelectric phases of
bismuth titanate. Room temperature ellipsometric measurements performed on
pulsed laser deposited bismuth titanate thin films of different orientations
show anisotropy in the dielectric and optical constants, Subsequent
first-principles calculations performed on the ground state structures of
ferroelectric and high temperature paraelectric phases of bismuth titanate show
that the material demonstrates anisotropic optical behavior in both
ferroelectric and paraelectric phases. We further show that O 2p to Ti 3d
transition is the primary origin of optical activity of the material while
optical anisotropy results from the asymmetrically oriented Ti-O bonds in TiO6
octehdra in the unit cell.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
Ambiguity, complexity and dynamics in the membership of collaboration
This paper is concerned with the role that membership structures of inter-organizational collaborations have on the achievement of collaborative advantage in the context of tackling social issues. Based on action research involving participants in a wide variety of collaborative situations, the paper aims to explore the nature of the membership of collaborations in practice. A picture of membership is built up from two perspectives. The first considers the structure of collaboration, and argues that ambiguity and complexity in structure may be demonstrated over many dimensions. The second adds another layer of complication through exploring the dynamics of the way in which membership structures change over time. The paper concludes by examining the implications for practitioners and policy makers of this picture in terms of its effect on the design of collaborations and on the factors which tend to lead to collaborative inertia instead of collaborative advantage
Superconformal Yang-Mills quantum mechanics and Calogero model with OSp(N|2,R) symmetry
In spacetime dimension two, pure Yang-Mills possesses no physical degrees of
freedom, and consequently it admits a supersymmetric extension to couple to an
arbitrary number, N say, of Majorana-Weyl gauginos. This results in (N,0) super
Yang-Mills. Further, its dimensional reduction to mechanics doubles the number
of supersymmetries, from N to N+N, to include conformal supercharges, and leads
to a superconformal Yang-Mills quantum mechanics with symmetry group
OSp(N|2,R). We comment on its connection to AdS_2 \times S^{N-1} and reduction
to a supersymmetric Calogero model.Comment: 1+28 pages, no figure; Refs added. To appear in JHE
Genome-Scale Networks Link Neurodegenerative Disease Genes to α-Synuclein through Specific Molecular Pathways
Numerous genes and molecular pathways are implicated in neurodegenerative proteinopathies, but their inter-relationships are poorly understood. We systematically mapped molecular pathways underlying the toxicity of alpha-synuclein (α-syn), a protein central to Parkinson's disease. Genome-wide screens in yeast identified 332 genes that impact α-syn toxicity. To “humanize” this molecular network, we developed a computational method, TransposeNet. This integrates a Steiner prize-collecting approach with homology assignment through sequence, structure, and interaction topology. TransposeNet linked α-syn to multiple parkinsonism genes and druggable targets through perturbed protein trafficking and ER quality control as well as mRNA metabolism and translation. A calcium signaling hub linked these processes to perturbed mitochondrial quality control and function, metal ion transport, transcriptional regulation, and signal transduction. Parkinsonism gene interaction profiles spatially opposed in the network (ATP13A2/PARK9 and VPS35/PARK17) were highly distinct, and network relationships for specific genes (LRRK2/PARK8, ATXN2, and EIF4G1/PARK18) were confirmed in patient induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. This cross-species platform connected diverse neurodegenerative genes to proteinopathy through specific mechanisms and may facilitate patient stratification for targeted therapy. Keywords: alpha-synuclein; iPS cell;
Parkinson’s disease; stem cell; mRNA translation; RNA-binding protein;
LRRK2; VPS35; vesicle trafficking; yeas
Modulation of Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 as a Therapeutic Target for Small Molecule Intervention in Neurodegenerative Disease
A yeast-based small molecule screen identifies a novel activator of human HSF1 and protein chaperone expression and which appears to alleviate the toxicity of protein misfolding diseases
The HSP70 Molecular Chaperone Is Not Beneficial in a Mouse Model of α-synucleinopathy
BACKGROUND: Aggregation and misfolded alpha-synuclein is thought to be central in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) that are involved in refolding and degradation processes could lower the aggregate load of alpha-synuclein and thus be beneficial in alpha-synucleinopathies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We co-overexpressed human A53T point-mutated alpha-synuclein and human HSP70 in mice, both under the control of Thy1 regulatory sequences. Behavior read-outs showed no beneficial effect of HSP70 expression in mice. In contrast, motor coordination, grip strength and weight were even worse in the alpha-synucleinopathy model in the presence of HSP70 overexpression. Biochemical analyses revealed no differences in alpha-synuclein oligomers/aggregates, truncations and phosphorylation levels and alpha-synuclein localization was unchanged in immunostainings. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Overexpressing HSP70 in a mouse model of alpha-synucleinopathy did not lower the toxic load of alpha-synuclein species and had no beneficial effect on alpha-synuclein-related motor deficits
The Aggregation and Neurotoxicity of TDP-43 and Its ALS-Associated 25 kDa Fragment Are Differentially Affected by Molecular Chaperones in Drosophila
Almost all cases of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and some cases of the familial form, are characterised by the deposition of TDP-43, a member of a family of heteronuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNP). Although protein misfolding and deposition is thought to be a causative feature of many of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, a link between TDP-43 aggregation and the dysfunction of motor neurons has yet to be established, despite many correlative neuropathological studies. We have investigated this relationship in the present study by probing the effect of altering TDP-43 aggregation behaviour in vivo by modulating the levels of molecular chaperones in a Drosophila model. More specifically, we quantify the effect of either pharmacological upregulation of the heat shock response or specific genetic upregulation of a small heat shock protein, CG14207, on the neurotoxicity of both TDP-43 and of its disease associated 25 kDa fragment (TDP-25) in a Drosophila model. Inhibition of the aggregation of TDP-43 by either method results in a partial reduction of its neurotoxic effects on both photoreceptor and motor neurons, whereas inhibition of the aggregation of TDP-25 results not only in a complete suppression of its toxicity but also its clearance from the brain in both neuronal subtypes studied. The results demonstrate, therefore, that aggregation plays a crucial role in mediating the neurotoxic effects of both full length and truncated TDP-43, and furthermore reveal that the in vivo propensity of these two proteins to aggregate and their susceptibility to molecular chaperone mediated clearance are quite distinct
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