Scale setting the M\"obius Domain Wall Fermion on gradient-flowed HISQ action using the omega baryon mass and the gradient-flow scales t0t_0 and w0w_0

We report on a sub-percent scale determination using the omega baryon mass and gradient-flow methods. The calculations are performed on 22 ensembles of $N_f=2+1+1$ highly improved, rooted staggered sea-quark configurations generated by the MILC and CalLat Collaborations. The valence quark action used is M\"obius Domain-Wall fermions solved on these configurations after a gradient-flow smearing is applied with a flowtime of $t_{\rm gf}=1$ in lattice units. The ensembles span four lattice spacings in the range $0.06 \lesssim a \lesssim 0.15$ fm, six pion masses in the range $130 \lesssim m_\pi \lesssim 400$ MeV and multiple lattice volumes. On each ensemble, the gradient-flow scales $t_0/a^2$ and $w_0/a$ and the omega baryon mass $a m_\Omega$ are computed. The dimensionless product of these quantities is then extrapolated to the continuum and infinite volume limits and interpolated to the physical light, strange and charm quark mass point in the isospin limit, resulting in the determination of $\sqrt{t_0}=0.1422(14)$ fm and $w_0 = 0.1709(11)$ fm with all sources of statistical and systematic uncertainty accounted for. The dominant uncertainty in this result is the stochastic uncertainty, providing a clear path for a few-per-mille uncertainty, as recently obtained by the Budapest-Marseille-Wuppertal Collaboration.Comment: v3: Published version; v2: Added determination of t_0 as well as w_0; v1: 13 pages plus appendices. The correlation function data, mass results and analysis code accompanying this publication can be found at this github repository: https://github.com/callat-qcd/project_scale_setting_mdwf_his

An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and Toxicology

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Ethnopharmacological relevance: The management of diabetes mellitus management in African communities, especially in Gabon, is not well established as more than 60% of population rely on traditional treatments as primary healthcare. The aim of this review was to collect and present the scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plants that are in currect by Gabonese traditional healers to manage diabetes or hyperglycaemia based here on the pharmacological and toxicological profiles of plants with anti-diabetic activity. There are presented in order to promote their therapeutic value, ensure a safer use by population and provide some bases for further study on high potential plants reviewed. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical studies were sourced using databases such as Online Wiley library, Pubmed, Google Scholar, PROTA, books and unpublished data including Ph.D. and Master thesis, African and Asian journals. Keywords including ‘Diabetes’ ‘Gabon’ ‘Toxicity’ ‘Constituents’ ‘hyperglycaemia’ were used. Results: A total of 69 plants currently used in Gabon with potential anti-diabetic activity have been identified in the literature, all of which have been used in in vivo or in vitro studies. Most of the plants have been studied in human or animal models for their ability to reduce blood glucose, stimulate insulin secretion or inhibit carbohydrates enzymes. Active substances have been identified in 12 out of 69 plants outlined in this review, these include Allium cepa and Tabernanthe iboga. Only eight plants have their active substances tested for anti-diabetic activity and are suitables for further investigation. Toxicological data is scarce and is dose-related to the functional parameters of major organs such as kidney and liver. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding on the pharmacology and toxicology of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is lacking yet there is a great scope for new treatments. With further research, the use of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is important to ensure the safety of the diabetic patients in Gabon.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Activating PIK3CA Mutations Induce an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)/Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase (ERK) Paracrine Signaling Axis in Basal-like Breast Cancer

Mutations in PIK3CA, the gene encoding the p110α catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) have been shown to transform human mammary epithelial cells (MECs). These mutations are present in all breast cancer subtypes, including basal-like breast cancer (BLBC). Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), we identified 72 protein expression changes in human basal-like MECs with knock-in E545K or H1047R PIK3CA mutations versus isogenic MECs with wild-type PIK3CA. Several of these were secreted proteins, cell surface receptors or ECM interacting molecules and were required for growth of PIK3CA mutant cells as well as adjacent cells with wild-type PIK3CA. The proteins identified by MS were enriched among human BLBC cell lines and pointed to a PI3K-dependent amphiregulin/EGFR/ERK signaling axis that is activated in BLBC. Proteins induced by PIK3CA mutations correlated with EGFR signaling and reduced relapse-free survival in BLBC. Treatment with EGFR inhibitors reduced growth of PIK3CA mutant BLBC cell lines and murine mammary tumors driven by a PIK3CA mutant transgene, all together suggesting that PIK3CA mutations promote tumor growth in part by inducing protein changes that activate EGFR

Long-run relationship among transport demand, income, and gasoline price for the US

Energy used in transport is a particularly important focus for environment-development studies because it is increasing in both developed and developing countries and is largely carbon-intensive. This paper examines whether a systemic, mutually causal, cointegrated relationship exists among mobility demand, gasoline price, income, and vehicle ownership using US data from 1946 to 2006. We find that those variables co-evolve in a transport system; and thus, they cannot be easily disentangled in the short-run. However, estimating a long-run relationship for motor fuel use per capita was difficult because of the efficacy of the CAFE standards to influence fleet fuel economy. The analysis shows that the fuel standards program was effective in improving the fuel economy of the US vehicle fleet and in temporarily lessening the impact on fuel use of increased mobility demand. Among the policy implications are a role for efficiency standards, a limited impact for fuel tax, and the necessity of using a number of levers simultaneously to influence transport systems

Can Ice-Like Structures Form on Non-Ice-Like Substrates? The Example of the Kfeldspar Microcline

Feldspar minerals are the most common rock formers in Earth’s crust. As such they play an important role in subjects ranging from geology to climate science. An atomistic understanding of the feldspar structure and its interaction with water is therefore desirable, not least because feldspar has been shown to dominate ice nucleation by mineral dusts in Earth’s atmosphere. The complexity of the ice/feldspar interface arising from the numerous chemical motifs expressed on the surface makes it a challenging system. Here we report a comprehensive study of this challenging system with ab initio density functional theory calculations. We show that the distribution of Al atoms, which is crucial for the dissolution kinetics of tectosilicate minerals, differs significantly between the bulk environment and on the surface. Furthermore, we demonstrate that water does not form ice-like overlayers in the contact layer on the most easily cleaved (001) surface of K-feldspar. We do, however, identify contact layer structures of water that induce ice-like ordering in the second overlayer. This suggests that even substrates without an apparent match with the ice structure may still act as excellent ice nucleating agents