Creation of ultracold molecules from a Fermi gas of atoms

Since the realization of Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) in atomic gases an experimental challenge has been the production of molecular gases in the quantum regime. A promising approach is to create the molecular gas directly from an ultracold atomic gas; for example, atoms in a BEC have been coupled to electronic ground-state molecules through photoassociation as well as through a magnetic-field Feshbach resonance. The availability of atomic Fermi gases provides the exciting prospect of coupling fermionic atoms to bosonic molecules, and thus altering the quantum statistics of the system. This Fermi-Bose coupling is closely related to the pairing mechanism for a novel fermionic superfluid proposed to occur near a Feshbach resonance. Here we report the creation and quantitative characterization of exotic, ultracold $^{40}$K$_2$ molecules. Starting with a quantum degenerate Fermi gas of atoms at T < 150 nanoKelvin we scan over a Feshbach resonance to adiabatically create over a quarter million trapped molecules, which we can convert back to atoms by reversing the scan. The small binding energy of the molecules is controlled by detuning from the Feshbach resonance and can be varied over a wide range. We directly detect these weakly bound molecules through rf photodissociation spectra that probe the molecular wavefunction and yield binding energies that are consistent with theory

How risky are risk factors? An analysis of prenatal risk factors in patients participating in the congenital upper limb differences registry

PURPOSE: Risk factors for congenital upper limb differences (CoULDs) are often studied at the general population level. The CoULD registry provides a unique opportunity to study prenatal risk factors within a large patient sample. METHODS: All patients enrolled between June 2014 and March 2020 in the prospective CoULD registry, a national multicenter database of patients diagnosed with a CoULD, were included in the analysis. We analyzed self-reported, prenatal risk factors, including maternal smoking, alcohol use, recreational drug use, prescription drug use, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and gestational hypertension. The outcome measures included comorbid medical conditions, proximal involvement of limb difference, bilateral involvement, and additional orthopedic conditions. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the effect of the risk factors, controlling for sex and the presence of a named syndrome. RESULTS: In total, 2,410 patients were analyzed, of whom 72% (1,734) did not have a self-reported risk factor. Among the 29% (676) who did have at least 1 risk factor, prenatal maternal prescription drug use was the most frequent (376/2,410; 16%). Maternal prescription drug use was associated with increased odds of patient medical comorbidities (odds ratio [OR] = 1.43, CONCLUSIONS: Most caregivers (72%) did not report a risk factor during enrollment. However, reporting a risk factor was associated with patient medical and orthopedic comorbidities. Of note, GDM alone significantly increased the odds of both these outcome measures along with proximal limb differences. These findings highlight the ill-defined etiology of CoULDs but suggest that prenatal risk factors, especially GDM, are associated with a higher degree of morbidity. TYPE OF STUDY/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic III

Association of radial longitudinal deficiency and thumb hypoplasia: An update using the CoULD registry

BACKGROUND: Deficiency of the radial aspect of the forearm and hand is the most common congenital longitudinal deficiency of the upper limb. Radial longitudinal deficiency is associated with several named syndromes. The purpose of the present study was to explore patterns of radial longitudinal deficiency and thumb hypoplasia in syndromes and to examine the severity of these differences across various syndromes. METHODS: Data were collected from the Congenital Upper Limb Differences (CoULD) registry. Congenital differences are classified in the registry with use of the Oberg-Manske-Tonkin (OMT) classification system. Diagnosis of a syndrome by a physician as noted in the CoULD registry was recorded. Thumb deficiency and radial deficiency were classified according to the modified versions of the Blauth criteria and the Bayne and Klug criteria, respectively. RESULTS: We identified 259 patients with 383 affected limbs with radial deficiency. Eighty-three of these patients had a diagnosed syndrome. The severity of radial deficiency was correlated with the severity of thumb deficiency. The Kendall tau coefficient indicated significant correlation between radial severity and thumb severity (tau = 0.49 [95% confidence interval = 0.40 to 0.57]; p \u3c 0.05). Subjects with a syndrome were twice as likely to have bilateral deficiency and 2.5 times more likely to have both radial and thumb deficiency compared with subjects without a syndrome. Subjects with VACTERL syndrome (vertebral defects, anal atresia, cardiac anomalies, tracheoesophageal fistula, renal anomalies, and limb defects) had patterns of thumb and radial deficiency similar to the general cohort, whereas subjects with Holt-Oram syndrome, TAR (thrombocytopenia absent radius) syndrome, and Fanconi anemia demonstrated varied presentations of thumb and radial deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: The present study investigated the characteristics of patients with radial longitudinal deficiency and thumb hypoplasia. Our results support the findings of previous research correlating the severity of radial deficiency with the severity of thumb deficiency. Furthermore, we identified characteristic features of patients with radial longitudinal deficiency and associated syndromes

The calcium channel β2 (CACNB2) subunit repertoire in teleosts

© 2008 Ebert et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Embedding employability in the postgraduate curriculum

As part of the redesign of the MA Marketing and Marketing Communications and Advertising suite of programmes in Kingston Business School, course teams faced the challenge of how to embed employability across the programme. This had previously been successfully achieved with a careers focussed 7.5 credit module in which students met with practitioners and carried out a number of career related tasks. However, the move to 30 credit modules meant the course team needed to have a more creative approach, looking across the whole curriculum for opportunities to embed employability across core modules. Early on in the design of the programmes, a decision was made to allocate 10% of the assessment of each programme “signature” module to an employability related task. Tasks were developed in conjunction with Faculty Employability consultant Sarah Bohn, who also designed sessions linked to the tasks through the year. In summary this resulted in the following: Example postgraduate programme: MA Marketing Communications and Advertising Programme “Signature” Core Module Employability Task (worth 10% of the overall module mark) Marketing Communications and Advertising Reflective portfolio following attendance at three KUTalent or other career related events Market Research Analysis of skills required by reviewing a live job ad; CV and application letter draft, linking module and programme content to attributes sought by employers Dissertation 1000 word management report summarising key findings of the student’s research, with actionable recommendations for practitioners In designing the activities, the team were informed by current thinking, in particular a view of employability as a set of broader-based qualities relating to values, intellectual rigour and engagement (Pegg et al., 2013). To develop employability requires the support of both faculty and careers teams (Yorke and Knight, 2007) which is why it was vital to develop initiatives in conjunction with the Faculty Employability consultant This move away from employability as simply skills towards a wider set of abilities related to reflection and articulation of learning (Pegg et al., 2013) is seen across much of the literature and models have been developed to explain what employers are looking for as a way of encouraging and guiding employability developments both within and alongside the curriculum. Knight and Yorke’s (2003) USEM model is often referred to, identifying understanding, skills, efficacy beliefs and meta-cognition as key aspects of what makes a graduate employable. In an attempt to make the concept of employability more explicit and to provide a tool for those involved in employability activities, Dacre Pool and Sewell (2007) developed a practical model of employability, identifying how aspects of a student’s experiences at university could combine to make them more employable. Via reflection and evaluation, the model suggests that students are able to develop self-efficacy, self-esteem and self-confidence, leading to an increase in their employability. Reflection and meta-cognition have also been identified by Junghagen (2005) as a way of achieving the higher order thinking tasks sought by employers. As can be seen from the literature, reflection and meta-cognition certainly play a key role in developing employability and as such featured heavily in the employability tasks outlined above. For example, the task required in the Marketing Communications and Advertising module requires students to develop a reflective portfolio following attendance at three KUTalent or other career related events. Marks were awarded for insightful reflections which demonstrated how students had linked on the content of the events to their own wider career aspirations. Student feedback has been positive on this initiative: 'Integrating employability activities into the curriculum and asking us to reflect upon our participation in those activities definitely increased my employment opportunities upon leaving the course. Not only did it encourage me to attend events and discover all the great opportunities provided by KUTalent, but it also made me more aware of what employers are looking for in new graduates.' (Kevin Azzopardi, MA Marketing Communications and Advertising, 2013-2014). The embedded initiatives are now in their second year and are largely unchanged from the first iteration. With final results agreed in November 2014, we plan to formally evaluate the effect of the 10% element on students’ overall results over the next few weeks. References Dacre Pool, L. and Sewell, P. (2007) The key to employability. Developing a practical model of graduate employability. Education and Training, Vol. 49, No. 4, pp277-289. Junghagen, S. (2005) Working with business and industry to enhance curriculum development and student employability. New Directions for Institutional Research, No.128, pp69-82. Knight, P, T. and Yorke, M. (2003) Employability and good learning in Higher Education. Teaching in Higher Education, Vol.8, No. 1, pp3-16. Pegg, A., Waldcock, J., Hendy-Isaac, S. and Lawton, R. (2013) Pedagogy for Employability. The Higher Education Academy. Yorke, M. & Knight, P. (2007) Evidence-informed pedagogy and the enhancement of student employability. Teaching in Higher Education, Vol. 12, No.2, pp157-170

Dessorção de atrazina e atividade microbiana em latossolo vermelho

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Multiplet structure of Feshbach resonances in nonzero partial waves

A unique feature of magnetic-field Feshbach resonances in which atoms collide with nonzero orbital angular momentum, p-wave Feshbach resonances were split into two components was discussed. The splitting was caused by the dipole-dipole interaction of partial-wave projection. The thermal broadening arised from the resonant state and moved away from threshold as the magnetic field tuned. The angular dependence of collisions had implications for the inelastic two-body processes. Analysis shows that the l-wave split into l+1 componets just as a p-wave FR split into two components