450 research outputs found
Mitochondrial DNA and temperature tolerance in lager yeasts
A growing body of research suggests that the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) is important for temperature adaptation. In the yeast genus Saccharomyces, species have diverged in temperature tolerance, driving their use in high- or low-temperature fermentations. Here, we experimentally test the role of mtDNA in temperature tolerance in synthetic and industrial hybrids (Saccharomyces cerevisiae × Saccharomyces eubayanus or Saccharomyces pastorianus), which cold-brew lager beer. We find that the relative temperature tolerances of hybrids correspond to the parent donating mtDNA, allowing us to modulate lager strain temperature preferences. The strong influence of mitotype on the temperature tolerance of otherwise identical hybrid strains provides support for the mitochondrial climactic adaptation hypothesis in yeasts and demonstrates how mitotype has influenced the world’s most commonly fermented beverage.This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Hatch project no. 1003258), the NSF (grant no. DEB-1253634), and in part by the DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (DOE BER Office of Science; nos. DE-SC0018409 and DE-FC02-07ER64494). E.P.B. was supported by a Louis and Elsa Thomsen Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. C.T.H. is a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences and a Vilas Faculty Early Career Investigator, supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Vilas Trust Estate. D.P. is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 747775). J.C.F. was supported by the NIH (no. GM080669)Peer Reviewe
Carcinoembryonic antigen immunosensor developed with organoclay nanogold composite film
Organoclay nanogold composite were prepared using gold nanoparticles and the natural Cameroonian clay grafted with amino organosilane. The functionnalization of clay provided abundant amino group to assemble gold nanoparticles. A label-free electrochemical immunosensor for the sensitive determination of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was fabricated by immobilizing anti-CEA onto organoclay nanogold composite film modified electrode by the cross-linking method using glutaraldehyde. In addition, the preparation procedure of the immunosensor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Under optimal conditions, the resulting immunosensor displayed a high sensitivity for the detection of CEA, and responded to the CEA concentration in two ranges from 0.05 to 5.0 ng/mL (R = 0.991) and from 5.0 to 120.0 ng/mL (R = 0.998) with a detection limit of 0.01 ng/mL
Renormalized couplings and scaling correction amplitudes in the N-vector spin models on the sc and the bcc lattices
For the classical N-vector model, with arbitrary N, we have computed through
order \beta^{17} the high temperature expansions of the second field derivative
of the susceptibility \chi_4(N,\beta) on the simple cubic and on the body
centered cubic lattices. (The N-vector model is also known as the O(N)
symmetric classical spin Heisenberg model or, in quantum field theory, as the
lattice
O(N) nonlinear sigma model.) By analyzing the expansion of \chi_4(N,\beta) on
the two lattices, and by carefully allowing for the corrections to scaling, we
obtain updated estimates of the critical parameters and more accurate tests of
the hyperscaling relation d\nu(N) +\gamma(N) -2\Delta_4(N)=0 for a range of
values of the spin dimensionality N, including
N=0 [the self-avoiding walk model], N=1 [the Ising spin 1/2 model],
N=2 [the XY model], N=3 [the classical Heisenberg model]. Using the recently
extended series for the susceptibility and for the second correlation moment,
we also compute the dimensionless renormalized four point coupling constants
and some universal ratios of scaling correction amplitudes in fair agreement
with recent renormalization group estimates.Comment: 23 pages, latex, no figure
Massive Field-Theory Approach to Surface Critical Behavior in Three-Dimensional Systems
The massive field-theory approach for studying critical behavior in fixed
space dimensions is extended to systems with surfaces.This enables one to
study surface critical behavior directly in dimensions without having to
resort to the expansion. The approach is elaborated for the
representative case of the semi-infinite |\bbox{\phi}|^4 -vector model
with a boundary term {1/2} c_0\int_{\partial V}\bbox{\phi}^2 in the action.
To make the theory uv finite in bulk dimensions , a renormalization
of the surface enhancement is required in addition to the standard mass
renormalization. Adequate normalization conditions for the renormalized theory
are given. This theory involves two mass parameter: the usual bulk `mass'
(inverse correlation length) , and the renormalized surface enhancement .
Thus the surface renormalization factors depend on the renormalized coupling
constant and the ratio . The special and ordinary surface transitions
correspond to the limits with and ,
respectively. It is shown that the surface-enhancement renormalization turns
into an additive renormalization in the limit . The
renormalization factors and exponent functions with and
that are needed to determine the surface critical exponents of the special and
ordinary transitions are calculated to two-loop order. The associated series
expansions are analyzed by Pad\'e-Borel summation techniques. The resulting
numerical estimates for the surface critical exponents are in good agreement
with recent Monte Carlo simulations. This also holds for the surface crossover
exponent .Comment: Revtex, 40 pages, 3 figures, and 8 pictograms (included in equations
Drimolen cranium DNH 155 documents microevolution in an early hominin species
Paranthropus robustus is a small-brained extinct hominin from South Africa characterized by derived, robust craniodental
morphology. The most complete known skull of this species is DNH 7 from Drimolen Main Quarry, which differs from
P. robustus specimens recovered elsewhere in ways attributed to sexual dimorphism. Here, we describe a new fossil specimen
from Drimolen Main Quarry, dated from approximately 2.04–1.95 million years ago, that challenges this view. DNH 155 is a
well-preserved adult male cranium that shares with DNH 7 a suite of primitive and derived features unlike those seen in adult
P. robustus specimens from other chronologically younger deposits. This refutes existing hypotheses linking sexual dimorphism,
ontogeny and social behaviour within this taxon, and clarifies hypotheses concerning hominin phylogeny. We document
small-scale morphological changes in P. robustus associated with ecological change within a short time frame and restricted
geography. This represents the most highly resolved evidence yet of microevolutionary change within an early hominin species
On the Convergence of the Expansion of Renormalization Group Flow Equation
We compare and discuss the dependence of a polynomial truncation of the
effective potential used to solve exact renormalization group flow equation for
a model with fermionic interaction (linear sigma model) with a grid solution.
The sensitivity of the results on the underlying cutoff function is discussed.
We explore the validity of the expansion method for second and first-order
phase transitions.Comment: 12 pages with 10 EPS figures included; revised versio
Critical dynamics and effective exponents of magnets with extended impurities
We investigate the asymptotic and effective static and dynamic critical
behavior of (d=3)-dimensional magnets with quenched extended defects,
correlated in dimensions (which can be considered as the
dimensionality of the defects) and randomly distributed in the remaining
dimensions. The field-theoretical renormalization group
perturbative expansions being evaluated naively do not allow for the reliable
numerical data. We apply the Chisholm-Borel resummation technique to restore
convergence of the two-loop expansions and report the numerical values of the
asymptotic critical exponents for the model A dynamics. We discuss different
scenarios for static and dynamic effective critical behavior and give values
for corresponding non-universal exponents.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
N-vector spin models on the sc and the bcc lattices: a study of the critical behavior of the susceptibility and of the correlation length by high temperature series extended to order beta^{21}
High temperature expansions for the free energy, the susceptibility and the
second correlation moment of the classical N-vector model [also known as the
O(N) symmetric classical spin Heisenberg model or as the lattice O(N) nonlinear
sigma model] on the sc and the bcc lattices are extended to order beta^{21} for
arbitrary N. The series for the second field derivative of the susceptibility
is extended to order beta^{17}. An analysis of the newly computed series for
the susceptibility and the (second moment) correlation length yields updated
estimates of the critical parameters for various values of the spin
dimensionality N, including N=0 [the self-avoiding walk model], N=1 [the Ising
spin 1/2 model], N=2 [the XY model], N=3 [the Heisenberg model]. For all values
of N, we confirm a good agreement with the present renormalization group
estimates. A study of the series for the other observables will appear in a
forthcoming paper.Comment: Revised version to appear in Phys. Rev. B Sept. 1997. Revisions
include an improved series analysis biased with perturbative values of the
scaling correction exponents computed by A. I. Sokolov. Added a reference to
estimates of exponents for the Ising Model. Abridged text of 19 pages, latex,
no figures, no tables of series coefficient
The Thermal Renormalization Group for Fermions, Universality, and the Chiral Phase-Transition
We formulate the thermal renormalization group, an implementation of the
Wilsonian RG in the real-time (CTP) formulation of finite temperature field
theory, for fermionic fields. Using a model with scalar and fermionic degrees
of freedom which should describe the two-flavor chiral phase-transition, we
discuss the mechanism behind fermion decoupling and universality at second
order transitions. It turns out that an effective mass-like term in the fermion
propagator which is due to thermal fluctuations and does not break chiral
symmetry is necessary for fermion decoupling to work. This situation is in
contrast to the high-temperature limit, where the dominance of scalar over
fermionic degrees of freedom is due to the different behavior of the
distribution functions. The mass-like contribution is the leading thermal
effect in the fermionic sector and is missed if a derivative expansion of the
fermionic propagator is performed. We also discuss results on the
phase-transition of the model considered where we find good agreement with
results from other methods.Comment: References added, minor typos correcte
Summing up the perturbation series in the Schwinger Model
Perturbation series for the electron propagator in the Schwinger Model is
summed up in a direct way by adding contributions coming from individual
Feynman diagrams. The calculation shows the complete agreement between
nonperturbative and perturbative approaches.Comment: 10 pages (in REVTEX
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