Provoking topology by octahedral tilting in strained SrNbO3_3

Transition metal oxides with a wide variety of electronic and magnetic properties offer an extraordinary possibility to be a platform for developing future electronics based on unconventional quantum phenomena, for instance, the topology. The formation of topologically non-trivial states is related to crystalline symmetry, spin-orbit coupling, and magnetic ordering. Here, we demonstrate how lattice distortions and octahedral rotation in SrNbO$_3$ films induce the band topology. By employing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we verify the presence of in-phase $a^0a^0c^+$ octahedral rotation in ultra-thin SrNbO$_3$ films, which causes the formation of topologically-protected Dirac band crossings. Our study illustrates that octahedral engineering can be effectively exploited for implanting and controlling quantum topological phases in transition metal oxides.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Chemical analysis of pottery demonstrates prehistoric origin for high-altitude alpine dairying

The European high Alps are internationally renowned for their dairy produce, which are of huge cultural and economic significance to the region. Although the recent history of alpine dairying has been well studied, virtually nothing is known regarding the origins of this practice. This is due to poor preservation of high altitude archaeological sites and the ephemeral nature of transhumance economic practices. Archaeologists have suggested that stone structures that appear around 3,000 years ago are associated with more intense seasonal occupation of the high Alps and perhaps the establishment of new economic strategies. Here, we report on organic residue analysis of small fragments of pottery sherds that are occasionally preserved both at these sites and earlier prehistoric rock-shelters. Based mainly on isotopic criteria, dairy lipids could only be identified on ceramics from the stone structures, which date to the Iron Age (ca. 3,000 - 2,500 BP), providing the earliest evidence of this practice in the high Alps. Dairy production in such a marginal environment implies a high degree of risk even by today’s standards. We postulate that this practice was driven by population increase and climate deterioration that put pressure on lowland agropastoral systems and the establishment of more extensive trade networks, leading to greater demand for highly nutritious and transportable dairy products

Embracing monogenic Parkinson's disease: the MJFF Global Genetic PD Cohort

© 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: As gene-targeted therapies are increasingly being developed for Parkinson's disease (PD), identifying and characterizing carriers of specific genetic pathogenic variants is imperative. Only a small fraction of the estimated number of subjects with monogenic PD worldwide are currently represented in the literature and availability of clinical data and clinical trial-ready cohorts is limited. Objective: The objectives are to (1) establish an international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals with PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical characterization data for each included individual; and (3) further promote collaboration of researchers in the field of monogenic PD. Methods: We conducted a worldwide, systematic online survey to collect individual-level data on individuals with PD-linked variants in SNCA, LRRK2, VPS35, PRKN, PINK1, DJ-1, as well as selected pathogenic and risk variants in GBA and corresponding demographic, clinical, and genetic data. All registered cases underwent thorough quality checks, and pathogenicity scoring of the variants and genotype-phenotype relationships were analyzed. Results: We collected 3888 variant carriers for our analyses, reported by 92 centers (42 countries) worldwide. Of the included individuals, 3185 had a diagnosis of PD (ie, 1306 LRRK2, 115 SNCA, 23 VPS35, 429 PRKN, 75 PINK1, 13 DJ-1, and 1224 GBA) and 703 were unaffected (ie, 328 LRRK2, 32 SNCA, 3 VPS35, 1 PRKN, 1 PINK1, and 338 GBA). In total, we identified 269 different pathogenic variants; 1322 individuals in our cohort (34%) were indicated as not previously published. Conclusions: Within the MJFF Global Genetic PD Study Group, we (1) established the largest international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals carrying PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical and genetic data for each included individual; (3) promote collaboration in the field of genetic PD with a view toward clinical and genetic stratification of patients for gene-targeted clinical trials. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Grant Number: ID 15015.02. NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. Grant Number: BRC-1215-20014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Embracing Monogenic Parkinson's Disease: The MJFF Global Genetic PD Cohort

© 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.[Background] As gene-targeted therapies are increasingly being developed for Parkinson's disease (PD), identifying and characterizing carriers of specific genetic pathogenic variants is imperative. Only a small fraction of the estimated number of subjects with monogenic PD worldwide are currently represented in the literature and availability of clinical data and clinical trial-ready cohorts is limited.[Objective] The objectives are to (1) establish an international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals with PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical characterization data for each included individual; and (3) further promote collaboration of researchers in the field of monogenic PD.[Methods] We conducted a worldwide, systematic online survey to collect individual-level data on individuals with PD-linked variants in SNCA, LRRK2, VPS35, PRKN, PINK1, DJ-1, as well as selected pathogenic and risk variants in GBA and corresponding demographic, clinical, and genetic data. All registered cases underwent thorough quality checks, and pathogenicity scoring of the variants and genotype–phenotype relationships were analyzed.[Results] We collected 3888 variant carriers for our analyses, reported by 92 centers (42 countries) worldwide. Of the included individuals, 3185 had a diagnosis of PD (ie, 1306 LRRK2, 115 SNCA, 23 VPS35, 429 PRKN, 75 PINK1, 13 DJ-1, and 1224 GBA) and 703 were unaffected (ie, 328 LRRK2, 32 SNCA, 3 VPS35, 1 PRKN, 1 PINK1, and 338 GBA). In total, we identified 269 different pathogenic variants; 1322 individuals in our cohort (34%) were indicated as not previously published.[Conclusions] Within the MJFF Global Genetic PD Study Group, we (1) established the largest international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals carrying PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical and genetic data for each included individual; (3) promote collaboration in the field of genetic PD with a view toward clinical and genetic stratification of patients for gene-targeted clinical trials. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.This project was funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (ID 15015.02)Peer reviewe

Analysis of reproductive barrier traits between closely-related neotropical butterflies

Butterflies from the genus Heliconius are a well-studied case of Müllerian mimicry, which means that different species living under similar conditions mimic each other’s aposematic signals. However, some species also mimic each other’s flight behaviour, to produce an additional cue for the predator’s perception. Here, I investigated if the Müllerian mimicry occurs between the H. melpomene and H. elevatus individuals. H. pardalinus were used to check if there wasn’t a higher similarity between closely related species (H. elevatus in this case). The butterflies were filmed and their wing beat frequency was calculated based on the recordings obtained. The wing beat frequency values for the pair of mimics were more similar than between H. pardalinus and H. elevatus. In this mimicry pair, a wing motion mimicry was developed to offer one more signal to the predators. Since the birds rely mainly on their vision to catch the prey and have retinas with an up to three times higher flicker-fusion rates than in humans, the similarity in the wing beat frequency between mimics is used by the birds to differentiate them from the edible butterflies

Advances in Development of New Treatment for Leishmaniasis.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2016-03-23T12:18:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Menezes JPB Advances in ....pdf: 614749 bytes, checksum: 4fd5da201129ed240d6cd34951442a85 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2016-03-23T12:31:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Menezes JPB Advances in ....pdf: 614749 bytes, checksum: 4fd5da201129ed240d6cd34951442a85 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-23T12:31:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Menezes JPB Advances in ....pdf: 614749 bytes, checksum: 4fd5da201129ed240d6cd34951442a85 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Patologia e Biointervenção. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Patologia e Biointervenção. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Patologia e Biointervenção. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Patologia e Biointervenção. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Laboratório de Patologia e Biointervenção. Salvador, BA, BrasilLeishmaniasis is a neglected infectious disease caused by several different species of protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Current strategies to control this disease are mainly based on chemotherapy.Despite being available for the last 70 years, leishmanial chemotherapy has lack of efficiency, since its route of administration is difficult and it can cause serious side effects, which results in the emergence of resistant cases.The medical-scientific community is facing difficulties to overcome these problems with new suitable and efficient drugs, as well as the identification of new drug targets. The availability of the complete genome sequence of Leishmania has given the scientific community the possibility of large-scale analysis, which may lead to better understanding of parasite biology and consequent identification of novel drug targets. In this review we focus on how high-throughput analysis is helping us and other groups to identify novel targets for chemotherapeutic interventions.We further discuss recent data produced by our group regarding the use of the high-throughput techniques and how this helped us to identify and assess the potential of new identified targets

Partial gas chromatograms of an acid methanol extract from a potsherd (Val Languard, sample 27).

<p>Cn:x, fatty acids with carbon length n and number of unsaturation x; square, alkanes; circle, α,ω-dicarboxylic fatty acids; br, branched chain fatty acids; γ, γ-lactones; δ, δ-lactones. Inset (B): photo of the potsherd analysed, typical of the small fragments recovered. The sample was analysed using a DB-5ms capillary column (30 m × 0.250 mm × 0.25 μm) using the temperature program described in the text.</p

Main characteristics of the investigated sites and summary results of the analysis.

<p>Main characteristics of the investigated sites and summary results of the analysis.</p

Plots of the Δ¹³C values for animal fat residues in archaeological pottery from the Alpine highland and foreland.

<p>Pottery vessels are from (A) Neolithic high-altitude alpine sites; (B) Bronze Age high-altitude alpine sites; (C) Iron Age high-altitude alpine sites; and (D) Late Neolithic lakeside settlements in the Alpine foreland [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0151442#pone.0151442.ref012" target="_blank">12</a>,<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0151442#pone.0151442.ref013" target="_blank">13</a>]. Mean values and ranges (±1 SD) of authentic reference fats [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0151442#pone.0151442.ref012" target="_blank">12</a>,<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0151442#pone.0151442.ref031" target="_blank">31</a>] are shown (n = number of observations) but exclude the deer samples which are likely to be absent from the high altitude sites investigated.</p