Maintaining the quality of Western Australia\u27s oat harvest

WESTERN AUSTRALIA deservedly enjoys the reputation of being a producer of oats of high milling quality. Because of this, we have been able to develop valuable export markets which pay a premium for our oats. For some time Ballidu has been rated as the best milling oat in W.A. The work reported in this article indicates that other recommended varieties are equal to or better than Ballidu for milling

Observation of an orbital interaction-induced Feshbach resonance in 173-Yb

We report on the experimental observation of a novel inter-orbital Feshbach resonance in ultracold 173-Yb atoms, which opens the possibility of tuning the interactions between the 1S0 and 3P0 metastable state, both possessing vanishing total electronic angular momentum. The resonance is observed at experimentally accessible magnetic field strengths and occurs universally for all hyperfine state combinations. We characterize the resonance in the bulk via inter-orbital cross-thermalization as well as in a three-dimensional lattice using high-resolution clock-line spectroscopy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

A comparative analysis of Simplified General Circulation Models of the atmosphere of Venus

Within the context of a working group supported by ISSI (Bern, Switzerland), we have made an intercomparison work between Global Circulation Models using simpli?ed parameterizations for radiative forcing and other physical processes. Even with similar schemes and parameters, the different GCMs produce different circulations, illustrating interesting differences between dynamical model cores

Linear magnetoresistance in commercial n-type silicon due to inhomogeneous doping

Free electron theory tells us that resistivity is independent of magnetic field. In fact, most observations match the semiclassical prediction of a magnetoresistance that is quadratic at low fields before saturating. However, a non-saturating linear magnetoresistance has been observed in exotic semiconductors such as silver chalcogenides, lightly-doped InSb, N-doped InAs, MnAs-GaAs composites, PrFeAsO, and epitaxial graphene. Here we report the observation of a large linear magnetoresistance in the ohmic regime in commonplace commercial n-type silicon wafer. It is well-described by a classical model of spatially fluctuating donor densities, and may be amplified by altering the aspect ratio of the sample to enhance current-jetting: increasing the width tenfold increased the magnetoresistance at 8 T from 445 % to 4707 % at 35 K. This physical picture may well offer insights into the large magnetoresistances recently observed in n-type and p-type Si in the non-ohmic regime.Comment: submitted to Nature Material

Devil's staircases and supersolids in a one-dimensional dipolar Bose gas

We consider a single-component gas of dipolar bosons confined in a one-dimensional optical lattice, where the dipoles are aligned such that the long-ranged dipolar interactions are maximally repulsive. In the limit of zero inter-site hopping and sufficiently large on-site interaction, the phase diagram is a complete devil's staircase for filling fractions between 0 and 1, wherein every commensurate state at a rational filling is stable over a finite interval in chemical potential. We perturb away from this limit in two experimentally motivated directions involving the addition of hopping and a reduction of the onsite interaction. The addition of hopping alone yields a phase diagram, which we compute in perturbation theory in the hopping, where the commensurate Mott phases now compete with the superfluid. Further softening of the onsite interaction yields alternative commensurate states with double occupancies which can form a staircase of their own, as well as one-dimensional "supersolids" which simultaneously exhibit discrete broken symmetries and superfluidity

The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Miami: Perspectives of Stakeholders and Frontline Providers

Background: Miami, Florida persists as an epicenter of HIV/AIDS nationally and has been more delayed than other areas with high HIV burden in implementing public health measures that mitigate transmission risk. These issues among other social and structural-level determinants have complicated progress in addressing HIV/AIDS in Miami. Purpose: The stagnated progress in improving HIV outcomes in Miami necessitated a more comprehensive understanding of the experiences and insights of stakeholders within the system. We used a stakeholder analysis approach to understand the complexity of driving factors and key challenges facing this HIV epidemic. Methods: A stakeholder analysis was conducted through 11 focus groups (64 participants) with front line workers working in non-profit, community-based agencies in Miami. The interview guide was designed to elicit a broad discussion on the social and intermediary determinants of HIV/AIDS, as well as the context surrounding barriers to treatment. Data were analyzed using qualitative software for thematic analysis. Results: Participants highlighted particular populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and insufficiently engaged in treatment, including immigrants and people who use drugs. Stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS as well as sexual orientation, mental health, and drug use was a noted persisting barrier. Participants expressed needs for more targeted outreach and education for both prevention and treatment. Numerous systemic gaps were identified as barriers to treatment engagement and retention. Other comorbidities and socioeconomic challenges, including criminal justice histories, housing instability and low educational attainment, also hamper HIV/AIDS management. Discussion: Through these discussions with stakeholders representing a diversity of voices, findings can inform comprehensive and coordinated strategies for curbing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Miami. The development of prevention and treatment interventions should consider cultural contexts of health behaviors, multi-level stigma related to HIV/AIDS and other comorbid and socioeconomic challenges, and increased implementation of harm reduction programs such as PrEP delivery and syringe exchange programs

Tin(II) Ureide Complexes:Synthesis, Structural Chemistry and Evaluation as SnO precursors

In an attempt to tailor precursors for application in the deposition of phase pure SnO, we have evaluated a series of tin (1-6) ureide complexes. The complexes were successfully synthesized by employing N,N′-Trialkyl-functionalized ureide ligands, in which features such as stability, volatility, and decomposition could be modified with variation of the substituents on the ureide ligand in an attempt to find the complex with the ideal electronic, steric, or coordinative properties, which determine the fate of the final products. The tin(II) ureide complexes 1-6 were synthesized by direct reaction [Sn{NMe2}2] with aryl and alkyl isocyanates in a 1:2 molar ratio. All the complexes were characterized by NMR spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis and, where applicable, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies of 2, 3, 4, and 6 revealed that the complexes crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n (2 and 4) or in the triclinic space group P-1 (3 and 6) as monomers. Reaction with phenyl isocyanate results in the formation of the bimetallic species 5, which crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1, a consequence of incomplete insertion into the Sn-NMe2 bonds, versus mesityl isocyanate, which produces a monomeric double insertion product, 6, under the same conditions, indicating a difference in reactivity between phenyl isocyanate and mesityl isocyanate with respect to insertion into Sn-NMe2 bonds. The metal centers in these complexes are all four-coordinate, displaying either distorted trigonal bipyramidal or trigonal bipyramidal geometries. The steric influence of the imido-ligand substituent has a clear effect on the coordination mode of the ureide ligands, with complexes 2 and 6, which contain the cyclohexyl and mesityl ligands, displaying κ2-O,N coordination modes, whereas κ2-N,N′ coordination modes are observed for the sterically bulkier tert-butyl and adamantyl derivatives, 3 and 4. The thermogravimetric analysis of the complexes 3 and 4 exhibited excellent physicochemical properties with clean single-step curves and low residual masses in their TG analyses suggesting their potential utility of these systems as MOCVD and ALD precursors.</p

Weakly forced atmospheric GCMs : lessons from model comparisons

Even when forced with mostly identical physical parametrizations, general circulation models (GCMs) of Venus produce significant dispersion in the simulated zonal wind fields and meridional circulations. Horizontal resolution, lower boundary layer parametrization and initial state are among the most sensitive aspects, and consistent trends are not obtained between models (or even by the same model at varying resolution). When comparing simplified temperature forcing with realistic radiative transfer in the LMD Venus GCM, it is also clear that the description of this forcing is critical to understand the meridional circulation, and therefore the dynamical cycle of angular momentum in this sensitive atmosphere. The role of numerical aspects is also obvious in the case of Titan, another weakly forced atmosphere in superrotation. Modeling Titan’s stratospheric superrotation has proved difficult, and recent GCM successes highlight that our ability to model these processes correctly is highly sensitive to numerical aspects, especially horizontal dissipation. These studies show us that modelers need to keep humble and aware of the difficulty to assess robust behaviour with only one GCM. Intercomparison of different GCMs is a useful way to identify robust interpretations from model-dependent aspects

CCCTC-binding factor recruitment to the early region of the human papillomavirus 18 genome regulates viral oncogene expression.

UNLABELLED: Host cell differentiation-dependent regulation of human papillomavirus (HPV) gene expression is required for productive infection. The host cell CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) functions in genome-wide chromatin organization and gene regulation. We have identified a conserved CTCF binding site in the E2 open reading frame of high-risk HPV types. Using organotypic raft cultures of primary human keratinocytes containing high-risk HPV18 genomes, we show that CTCF recruitment to this conserved site regulates viral gene expression in differentiating epithelia. Mutation of the CTCF binding site increases the expression of the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 and promotes host cell proliferation. Loss of CTCF binding results in a reduction of a specific alternatively spliced transcript expressed from the early gene region concomitant with an increase in the abundance of unspliced early transcripts. We conclude that high-risk HPV types have evolved to recruit CTCF to the early gene region to control the balance and complexity of splicing events that regulate viral oncoprotein expression. IMPORTANCE: The establishment and maintenance of HPV infection in undifferentiated basal cells of the squamous epithelia requires the activation of a subset of viral genes, termed early genes. The differentiation of infected cells initiates the expression of the late viral transcripts, allowing completion of the virus life cycle. This tightly controlled balance of differentiation-dependent viral gene expression allows the virus to stimulate cellular proliferation to support viral genome replication with minimal activation of the host immune response, promoting virus productivity. Alternative splicing of viral mRNAs further increases the complexity of viral gene expression. In this study, we show that the essential host cell protein CTCF, which functions in genome-wide chromatin organization and gene regulation, is recruited to the HPV genome and plays an essential role in the regulation of early viral gene expression and transcript processing. These data highlight a novel virus-host interaction important for HPV pathogenicity.CP was supported by a PhD studentship funded by the University of St Andrews, School of Medicine. IP is supported by a Cancer Research UK (CRUK) PhD Studentship awarded to JLP and SR. IG and NC are supported by a CRUK Programme Award (13080) to NC. JLP is supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (UF110010).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from American Society for Microbiology via http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00097-1