1,013 research outputs found
Multifractality and percolation in the coupling space of perceptrons
The coupling space of perceptrons with continuous as well as with binary
weights gets partitioned into a disordered multifractal by a set of random input patterns. The multifractal spectrum can be
calculated analytically using the replica formalism. The storage capacity and
the generalization behaviour of the perceptron are shown to be related to
properties of which are correctly described within the replica
symmetric ansatz. Replica symmetry breaking is interpreted geometrically as a
transition from percolating to non-percolating cells. The existence of empty
cells gives rise to singularities in the multifractal spectrum. The analytical
results for binary couplings are corroborated by numerical studies.Comment: 13 pages, revtex, 4 eps figures, version accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev.
Evaluation of α-hydroxycinnamic Acids as Pyruvate Carboxylase Inhibitors
Through a structure-based drug design project (SBDD), potent small molecule inhibitors of pyruvate carboxylase (PC) have been discovered. A series of α-keto acids (7) and α-hydroxycinnamic acids (8) were prepared and evaluated for inhibition of PC in two assays. The two most potent inhibitors were 3,3′-(1,4-phenylene)bis[2-hydroxy-2-propenoic acid] (8u) and 2-hydroxy-3-(quinoline-2-yl)propenoic acid (8v) with IC50 values of 3.0 ± 1.0 μM and 4.3 ± 1.5 μM respectively. Compound 8v is a competitive inhibitor with respect to pyruvate (Ki = 0.74 μM) and a mixed-type inhibitor with respect to ATP, indicating that it targets the unique carboxyltransferase (CT) domain of PC. Furthermore, compound 8v does not significantly inhibit human carbonic anhydrase II, matrix metalloproteinase-2, malate dehydrogenase or lactate dehydrogenase
Melting of a 2D Quantum Electron Solid in High Magnetic Field
The melting temperature () of a solid is generally determined by the
pressure applied to it, or indirectly by its density () through the equation
of state. This remains true even for helium solids\cite{wilk:67}, where quantum
effects often lead to unusual properties\cite{ekim:04}. In this letter we
present experimental evidence to show that for a two dimensional (2D) solid
formed by electrons in a semiconductor sample under a strong perpendicular
magnetic field\cite{shay:97} (), the is not controlled by , but
effectively by the \textit{quantum correlation} between the electrons through
the Landau level filling factor =. Such melting behavior, different
from that of all other known solids (including a classical 2D electron solid at
zero magnetic field\cite{grim:79}), attests to the quantum nature of the
magnetic field induced electron solid. Moreover, we found the to increase
with the strength of the sample-dependent disorder that pins the electron
solid.Comment: Some typos corrected and 2 references added. Final version with minor
editoriol revisions published in Nature Physic
Crying and feeding problems in infancy and cognitive outcome in preschool children born at risk : a prospective population study
Objective: To investigate whether regulatory problems, i.e., crying and feeding problems in infants > 3 months of age, predict cognitive outcome in preschool children born at risk even when controlled for confounding factors.
Methods: A prospective longitudinal study of children born in a geographically defined area in Germany. N = 4427 children of 6705 eligible survivors (66%) participated at all four assessment points (neonatal, 5, 20, and 56 months of age). Excessive crying and feeding problems were measured at 5 months. Mental development was assessed with the Griffiths Scale at 20 months, and cognitive assessments were conducted at 56 months. Neonatal complications, neurological, and psychosocial factors were controlled as confounders in structural equation modeling and analyses of variance.
Results: One in five infants suffered from single crying or feeding problems, and 2% had multiple regulatory problems, i.e., combined crying and feeding problems at 5 months. In girls, regulatory problems were directly predictive of lower cognition at 56 months, even when controlled for confounders, whereas in boys, the influence on cognition at 56 months was mediated by low mental development at 20 months. Both in boys and girls, shortened gestational age, neonatal neurological complications, and poor parent-infant relationship were predictive of regulatory problems at 5 months and lower cognition at 56 months.
Conclusion: Regulatory problems in infancy have a small but significant adverse effect on cognitive development
Mouse Ten-m/Odz Is a New Family of Dimeric Type II Transmembrane Proteins Expressed in Many Tissues
The Drosophila gene ten-m/odz is the only pair rule gene identified to date which is not a transcription factor. In an attempt to analyze the structure and the function of ten-m/odz in mouse, we isolated four murine ten-m cDNAs which code for proteins of 2,700–2,800 amino acids. All four proteins (Ten-m1–4) lack signal peptides at the NH2 terminus, but contain a short hydrophobic domain characteristic of transmembrane proteins, 300–400 amino acids after the NH2 terminus. About 200 amino acids COOH-terminal to this hydrophobic region are eight consecutive EGF-like domains
Broadband, Polarization-Sensitive Photodetector Based on Optically-Thick Films of Macroscopically Long, Dense, and Aligned Carbon Nanotubes
Increasing performance demands on photodetectors and solar cells require the development of entirely new
materials and technological approaches.Wereport on the fabrication and optoelectronic characterization of
a photodetector based on optically-thick films of dense, aligned, and macroscopically long single-wall
carbon nanotubes. The photodetector exhibits broadband response from the visible to the mid-infrared
under global illumination, with a response time less than 32 ms. Scanning photocurrent microscopy
indicates that the signal originates at the contact edges, with an amplitude and width that can be tailored by
choosing different contact metals. A theoretical model demonstrates the photothermoelectric origin of the
photoresponse due to gradients in the nanotube Seebeck coefficient near the contacts. The experimental and
theoretical results open a new path for the realization of optoelectronic devices based on
three-dimensionally organized nanotubes
Limits on the Majorana neutrino mass in the 0.1 eV range
The Heidelberg-Moscow experiment gives the most stringent limit on the
Majorana neutrino mass. After 24 kg yr of data with pulse shape measurements,
we set a lower limit on the half-life of the neutrinoless double beta decay in
76Ge of T_1/2 > 5.7 * 10^{25} yr at 90% C.L., thus excluding an effective
Majorana neutrino mass greater than 0.2 eV. This allows to set strong
constraints on degenerate neutrino mass models.Comment: 6 pages (latex) including 3 postscript figures and 2 table
Racial Disparity in Police Stop and Searches in England and Wales
Data published by the United Kingdom's Ministry for Justice clearly shows that, compared to persons who were White, members of racial minorities in England, particularly Blacks, were far more likely to be stopped and searched by the police. The question is whether such racial disparity in stops and searches could be justified by racial disparities in offending? Or whether the disparity in stop and searches exceeded the disparity in offending? This paper proposes a method for measuring the amount of excess in racial disparity in police stop and searches. Using the most recently published Ministry of Justice data (for 2007/08) for Police Areas in England and Wales it concludes that while in several Areas there was no excess to racial disparity in police stop and searches, there was, on the basis of the methodology proposed in the paper, evidence of such excess in some Police Areas of England and Wales
Neutrinoless double beta decay in seesaw models
We study the general phenomenology of neutrinoless double beta decay in
seesaw models. In particular, we focus on the dependence of the neutrinoless
double beta decay rate on the mass of the extra states introduced to account
for the Majorana masses of light neutrinos. For this purpose, we compute the
nuclear matrix elements as functions of the mass of the mediating fermions and
estimate the associated uncertainties. We then discuss what can be inferred on
the seesaw model parameters in the different mass regimes and clarify how the
contribution of the light neutrinos should always be taken into account when
deriving bounds on the extra parameters. Conversely, the extra states can also
have a significant impact, cancelling the Standard Model neutrino contribution
for masses lighter than the nuclear scale and leading to vanishing neutrinoless
double beta decay amplitudes even if neutrinos are Majorana particles. We also
discuss how seesaw models could reconcile large rates of neutrinoless double
beta decay with more stringent cosmological bounds on neutrino masses.Comment: 34 pages, 5 eps figures and 1 axodraw figure. Final version published
in JHEP. NME results available in Appendi
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