Monte Carlo of Trapped Ultracold Neutrons in the UCNτ Trap

In the UCNτ experiment, ultracold neutrons (UCN) are confined by magnetic fields and the Earth’s gravitational field. Field-trapping mitigates the problem of UCN loss on material surfaces, which caused the largest correction in prior neutron experiments using material bottles. However, the neutron dynamics in field traps differ qualitatively from those in material bottles. In the latter case, neutrons bounce off material surfaces with significant diffusivity and the population quickly reaches a static spatial distribution with a density gradient induced by the gravitational potential. In contrast, the field-confined UCN—whose dynamics can be described by Hamiltonian mechanics—do not exhibit the stochastic behaviors typical of an ideal gas model as observed in material bottles. In this report, we will describe our efforts to simulate UCN trapping in the UCNτ magneto-gravitational trap. We compare the simulation output to the experimental results to determine the parameters of the neutron detector and the input neutron distribution. The tuned model is then used to understand the phase space evolution of neutrons observed in the UCNτ experiment. We will discuss the implications of chaotic dynamics on controlling the systematic effects, such as spectral cleaning and microphonic heating, for a successful UCN lifetime experiment to reach a 0.01% level of precision

The Somatic Genomic Landscape of Glioblastoma

We describe the landscape of somatic genomic alterations based on multi-dimensional and comprehensive characterization of more than 500 glioblastoma tumors (GBMs). We identify several novel mutated genes as well as complex rearrangements of signature receptors including EGFR and PDGFRA. TERT promoter mutations are shown to correlate with elevated mRNA expression, supporting a role in telomerase reactivation. Correlative analyses confirm that the survival advantage of the proneural subtype is conferred by the G-CIMP phenotype, and MGMT DNA methylation may be a predictive biomarker for treatment response only in classical subtype GBM. Integrative analysis of genomic and proteomic profiles challenges the notion of therapeutic inhibition of a pathway as an alternative to inhibition of the target itself. These data will facilitate the discovery of therapeutic and diagnostic target candidates, the validation of research and clinical observations and the generation of unanticipated hypotheses that can advance our molecular understanding of this lethal cancer

Multiplatform Analysis of 12 Cancer Types Reveals Molecular Classification within and across Tissues of Origin

Recent genomic analyses of pathologically-defined tumor types identify “within-a-tissue” disease subtypes. However, the extent to which genomic signatures are shared across tissues is still unclear. We performed an integrative analysis using five genome-wide platforms and one proteomic platform on 3,527 specimens from 12 cancer types, revealing a unified classification into 11 major subtypes. Five subtypes were nearly identical to their tissue-of-origin counterparts, but several distinct cancer types were found to converge into common subtypes. Lung squamous, head & neck, and a subset of bladder cancers coalesced into one subtype typified by TP53 alterations, TP63 amplifications, and high expression of immune and proliferation pathway genes. Of note, bladder cancers split into three pan-cancer subtypes. The multi-platform classification, while correlated with tissue-of-origin, provides independent information for predicting clinical outcomes. All datasets are available for data-mining from a unified resource to support further biological discoveries and insights into novel therapeutic strategies

Abstracts from the 8th International Conference on cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications

This work was supported by a restricted research grant of Bayer AG

Pressure oscillations and periodic extrudate distortions of long-chain branched polyolefins

\u3cp\u3eCapillary rheometry is a much used technique for measuring pressure-flow rate behavior of polymer melts. The nature of such a flow curve depends on polymer architecture, die geometry, die material composition, and rheometer operating conditions. Typically, with increasing flow rates, monotonie flow curves have been associated with extradâtes that transcend from smooth to being volume distorted. Alternatively, nonmonotonic flow curves have been associated with a sequence of extradate appearances ranging from smooth via surface distortions and spurt to volume distortions. New experiments however indicate that monotonie flow curves can also be associated with spurtlike distorted extradates. For several long-chain branched polymers, it is reported that while the average pressure increases monotonically with increasing flow rate, the extradate distortions transition through an unanticipated regime where the extradate consists of alternating smooth and volume-distorted zones. Its origin is conjectured related to the specific viscoelastic flow properties of long-chain branched materials in the reservoir-die contraction region. Using a fast-response pressure transducer in the reservoir near the capillary die entry, the presence of small-amplitude pressure oscillations corresponding to the distortion period is confirmed. The critical conditions for the appearance of this phenomenon depend strongly on molecular mass and branching distribution.\u3c/p\u3

Bildungsforschung in Deutschland - eine Situationsanalyse

Mit der vorliegenden neuen Bestandsaufnahme möchte das Deutsche Institut für Internationale Pädagogische Forschung (DIPF) der Interdisziplinarität des Forschungsfeldes besser gerecht werden, als frühere Berichte dies leisten konnten: Angehörige beider Arbeitsbereiche des DIPF – Bildungsforschung und Bildungsinformation – verfolgen gemeinsam das Ziel, die Bildungsforschung in ihrer ganzen Bandbreite zu erfassen. Sie arbeiten mit einer im Vergleich zu früheren Studien erweiterten Datenbasis, die durch zwei aufwendige zusätzliche Erhebungen generiert wurde. So dienten Internetrecherchen dazu, das potenzielle Personal der Bildungsforschung an wissenschaftlichen Hochschulen und außeruniversitären Forschungseinrichtungen so erschöpfend wie möglich zu erfassen. Für die Analyse der Qualifizierungsschriften wurden zudem erstmals Informationen aus verschiedenartigen Datenquellen zusammengeführt und homogenisiert, was die Analysebasis ebenfalls wesentlich erweitert. (DIPF/Orig.

The Significance of Attachment Quality for Obesity:A Meta-Analytic Review

Theoretical considerations and empirical results suggest that attachment quality is relevant to obesity. This study used meta-analytic methods to systematically examine the empirical, peer-reviewed evidence regarding the relationship between attachment quality and body mass index (BMI) in separate meta-analyses for children and adults. Relevant peer-reviewed literature published between 1990 and 2013 was obtained from PubMed, PsycINFO, and reference lists of included articles. Results of the meta-analysis for studies with adults indicated a small but statistically significant association between attachment quality and BMI (absolute value of weighted average r = .05, p = .03; 95% confidence interval, CI [.004 to .09]; number of independent studies [k] = 7; N = 2,135). Specifically, BMI was negatively associated with attachment security. Publication bias analyses did not demonstrate cause for concern about the results. Results of the meta-analysis for studies with children indicated a small association between attachment quality and BMI that fell just short of statistical significance (absolute value of weighted average r = .08, p = .06; 95% CI [−.004 to .16]; k = 5; N = 8,602). Several moderator variables were examined using the aggregated sample including both adults and children, but none of the analyses yielded statistically significant results. Possible explanations for an impact of attachment quality on obesity might involve the underdevelopment of emotion-regulation and heightened psychophysiological responsiveness, which point to avenues for future research