815 research outputs found
A Rapid Dynamical Monte Carlo Algorithm for Glassy Systems
In this paper we present a dynamical Monte Carlo algorithm which is
applicable to systems satisfying a clustering condition: during the dynamical
evolution the system is mostly trapped in deep local minima (as happens in
glasses, pinning problems etc.). We compare the algorithm to the usual Monte
Carlo algorithm, using as an example the Bernasconi model. In this model, a
straightforward implementation of the algorithm gives an improvement of several
orders of magnitude in computational speed with respect to a recent, already
very efficient, implementation of the algorithm of Bortz, Kalos and Lebowitz.Comment: RevTex 7 pages + 4 figures (uuencoded) appended; LPS preprin
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Blocks to thyroid cancer cell apoptosis can be overcome by inhibition of the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways
Current treatment for recurrent and aggressive/anaplastic thyroid cancers is ineffective. Novel targeted therapies aimed at the inhibition of the mutated oncoprotein BRAFV600E have shown promise in vivo and in vitro but do not result in cellular apoptosis. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in a tumor-selective manner by activating the extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Here, we show that a TRAIL-R2 agonist antibody, lexatumumab, induces apoptosis effectively in some thyroid cancer cell lines (HTh-7, TPC-1 and BCPAP), while more aggressive anaplastic cell lines (8505c and SW1736) show resistance. Treatment of the most resistant cell line, 8505c, using lexatumumab in combination with the BRAFV600E inhibitor, PLX4720, and the PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, (triple-drug combination) sensitizes the cells by triggering both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways in vitro as well as 8505c orthotopic thyroid tumors in vivo. A decrease in anti-apoptotic proteins, pAkt, Bcl-xL, Mcl-1 and c-FLIP, coupled with an increase in the activator proteins, Bax and Bim, results in an increase in the Bax to Bcl-xL ratio that appears to be critical for sensitization and subsequent apoptosis of these resistant cells. Our results suggest that targeting the death receptor pathway in thyroid cancer can be a promising strategy for inducing apoptosis in thyroid cancer cells, although combination with other kinase inhibitors may be needed in some of the more aggressive tumors initially resistant to apoptosis
Convergence of cortical types and functional motifs in the human mesiotemporal lobe
The mesiotemporal lobe (MTL) is implicated in many cognitive processes, is compromised in numerous brain disorders, and exhibits a gradual cytoarchitectural transition from six-layered parahippocampal isocortex to three-layered hippocampal allocortex. Leveraging an ultra-high-resolution histological reconstruction of a human brain, our study showed that the dominant axis of MTL cytoarchitectural differentiation follows the iso-to-allocortical transition and depth-specific variations in neuronal density. Projecting the histology-derived MTL model to in-vivo functional MRI, we furthermore determined how its cytoarchitecture underpins its intrinsic effective connectivity and association to large-scale networks. Here, the cytoarchitectural gradient was found to underpin intrinsic effective connectivity of the MTL, but patterns differed along the anterior-posterior axis. Moreover, while the iso-to-allocortical gradient parametrically represented the multiple-demand relative to task-negative networks, anterior-posterior gradients represented transmodal versus unimodal networks. Our findings establish that the combination of micro- and macrostructural features allow the MTL to represent dominant motifs of whole-brain functional organisation
Whole-genome characterization of a Shewanella algae strain coharboring blaCTX-M-15 and armA genes on a novel IncC plasmid
no abstract per pubblicazione letter
Glassy dynamics and aging in an exactly solvable spin model
We introduce a simple two-dimensional spin model with short-range
interactions which shows glassy behavior despite a Hamiltonian which is
completely homogeneous and possesses no randomness. We solve exactly for both
the static partition function of the model and the distribution of energy
barriers, giving us the equilibration time-scales at low temperature.
Simulations of instantaneous quenches and of annealing of the model are in good
agreement with the analytic calculations. We also measure the two-time spin
correlation as a function of waiting time, and show that the model has aging
behavior consistent with the distribution of barrier heights. The model appears
to have no sharp glass transition. Instead, it falls out of equilibrium at a
temperature which decreases logarithmically as a function of the cooling time.Comment: 16 pages, 4 postscript figures, typeset in LaTeX using the RevTeX
macro packag
Landscape statistics of the low autocorrelated binary string problem
The statistical properties of the energy landscape of the low autocorrelated
binary string problem (LABSP) are studied numerically and compared with those
of several classic disordered models. Using two global measures of landscape
structure which have been introduced in the Simulated Annealing literature,
namely, depth and difficulty, we find that the landscape of LABSP, except
perhaps for a very large degeneracy of the local minima energies, is
qualitatively similar to some well-known landscapes such as that of the
mean-field 2-spin glass model. Furthermore, we consider a mean-field
approximation to the pure model proposed by Bouchaud and Mezard (1994, J.
Physique I France 4 1109) and show both analytically and numerically that it
describes extremely well the statistical properties of LABSP
Thick Does the Trick: Genesis of Ferroelectricity in 2D GeTe-Rich (GeTe)m(Sb2Te3)n Lamellae
The possibility to engineer (GeTe)m(Sb2Te3)n phase-change materials to co-host ferroelectricity is extremely attractive. The combination of these functionalities holds great technological impact, potentially enabling the design of novel multifunctional devices. Here an experimental and theoretical study of epitaxial (GeTe)m(Sb2Te3)n with GeTe-rich composition is presented. These layered films feature a tunable distribution of (GeTe)m(Sb2Te3)1 blocks of different sizes. Breakthrough evidence of ferroelectric displacement in thick (GeTe)m(Sb2Te3)1 lamellae is provided. The density functional theory calculations suggest the formation of a tilted (GeTe)m slab sandwiched in GeTe-rich blocks. That is, the net ferroelectric polarization is confined almost in-plane, representing an unprecedented case between 2D and bulk ferroelectric materials. The ferroelectric behavior is confirmed by piezoresponse force microscopy and electroresistive measurements. The resilience of the quasi van der Waals character of the films, regardless of their composition, is also demonstrated. Hence, the material developed hereby gathers in a unique 2D platform the phase-change and ferroelectric switching properties, paving the way for the conception of innovative device architectures
SOPHIE velocimetry of Kepler transit candidates XII. KOI-1257 b: a highly eccentric three-month period transiting exoplanet
In this paper we report a new transiting warm giant planet: KOI-1257 b. It
was first detected in photometry as a planet-candidate by the
space telescope and then validated thanks to a radial velocity follow-up with
the SOPHIE spectrograph. It orbits its host star with a period of 86.647661 d
3 s and a high eccentricity of 0.772 0.045. The planet transits the
main star of a metal-rich, relatively old binary system with stars of mass of
0.99 0.05 Msun and 0.70 0.07 Msun for the primary and secondary,
respectively. This binary system is constrained thanks to a self-consistent
modelling of the transit light curve, the SOPHIE radial
velocities, line bisector and full-width half maximum (FWHM) variations, and
the spectral energy distribution. However, future observations are needed to
confirm it. The PASTIS fully-Bayesian software was used to validate the nature
of the planet and to determine which star of the binary system is the transit
host. By accounting for the dilution from the binary both in photometry and in
radial velocity, we find that the planet has a mass of 1.45 0.35 Mjup,
and a radius of 0.94 0.12 Rjup, and thus a bulk density of 2.1
1.2 g.cm. The planet has an equilibrium temperature of 511 50 K,
making it one of the few known members of the warm-jupiter population. The
HARPS-N spectrograph was also used to observe a transit of KOI-1257 b,
simultaneously with a joint amateur and professional photometric follow-up,
with the aim of constraining the orbital obliquity of the planet. However, the
Rossiter-McLaughlin effect was not clearly detected, resulting in poor
constraints on the orbital obliquity of the planet.Comment: 39 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
First-principles prediction of structure, energetics, formation enthalpy, elastic constants, polarization, and piezoelectric constants of AlN, GaN, and InN: comparison of local and gradient-corrected density-functional theory
A number of diverse bulk properties of the zincblende and wurtzite III-V
nitrides AlN, GaN, and InN, are predicted from first principles within density
functional theory using the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method, within
both the LDA (local density) and GGA (generalized gradient) approximations to
the exchange-correlation functional. Besides structure and cohesion, we study
formation enthalpies (a key ingredient in predicting defect solubilities and
surface stability), spontaneous polarizations and piezoelectric constants
(central parameters for nanostructure modeling), and elastic constants. Our
study bears out the relative merits of the two density functional approaches in
describing diverse properties of the III-V nitrides (and of the parent species
N, Al, Ga, and In), and leads us to conclude that the GGA approximation,
associated with high-accuracy techniques such as multiprojector ultrasoft
pseudopotentials or modern all-electron methods, is to be preferred in the
study of III-V nitrides.Comment: RevTeX 6 pages, 12 tables, 0 figure
Evaluation of Clinical and Immunological Markers for predicting Virological Failure in a HIV/AIDS treatment cohort in Busia, Kenya
In resource-limited settings where viral load (VL) monitoring is scarce or unavailable, clinicians must use immunological and clinical criteria to define HIV virological treatment failure. This study examined the performance of World Health Organization (WHO) clinical and immunological failure criteria in predicting virological failure in HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART)
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