183 research outputs found
Bioactive compounds from Rumex plants
Two new naphthalene acylglucosides, rumexneposides A (1) and B (2), together with 12 known
compounds (3-14), were isolated from the roots of Rumex nepalensis. Their structures were established
by chemical and spectroscopic methods. The biological activities of compounds 1-14 as well as an
additional 11 compounds previously isolated from R. nepalensis and Rumex hastatus (15–25) were
evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, para-aminobenzoic acid (pAba) pathway, and a panel of
human cancer cell lines. The results showed that compound 15 was the most active against M.
tuberculosis with an MIC value of 2.85 mM similar to that of isoniazid. Compound 5 could inhibit pAba
synthetic pathway with an MIC value of 12.6 mM, comparable to that of positive control abyssomicin C,
representing a new example of the rare pAba pathway inhibitors
Observation of Majorana fermions with spin selective Andreev reflection in the vortex of topological superconductor
Majorana fermion (MF) whose antiparticle is itself has been predicted in
condensed matter systems. Signatures of the MFs have been reported as zero
energy modes in various systems. More definitive evidences are highly desired
to verify the existence of the MF. Very recently, theory has predicted MFs to
induce spin selective Andreev reflection (SSAR), a novel magnetic property
which can be used to detect the MFs. Here we report the first observation of
the SSAR from MFs inside vortices in Bi2Te3/NbSe2 hetero-structure, in which
topological superconductivity was previously established. By using
spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), we show
that the zero-bias peak of the tunneling differential conductance at the vortex
center is substantially higher when the tip polarization and the external
magnetic field are parallel than anti-parallel to each other. Such strong spin
dependence of the tunneling is absent away from the vortex center, or in a
conventional superconductor. The observed spin dependent tunneling effect is a
direct evidence for the SSAR from MFs, fully consistent with theoretical
analyses. Our work provides definitive evidences of MFs and will stimulate the
MFs research on their novel physical properties, hence a step towards their
statistics and application in quantum computing.Comment: 4 figures 15 page
Y Chromosomes of 40% Chinese Are Descendants of Three Neolithic Super-grandfathers
Demographic change of human populations is one of the central questions for
delving into the past of human beings. To identify major population expansions
related to male lineages, we sequenced 78 East Asian Y chromosomes at 3.9 Mbp
of the non-recombining region (NRY), discovered >4,000 new SNPs, and identified
many new clades. The relative divergence dates can be estimated much more
precisely using molecular clock. We found that all the Paleolithic divergences
were binary; however, three strong star-like Neolithic expansions at ~6 kya
(thousand years ago) (assuming a constant substitution rate of 1e-9/bp/year)
indicates that ~40% of modern Chinese are patrilineal descendants of only three
super-grandfathers at that time. This observation suggests that the main
patrilineal expansion in China occurred in the Neolithic Era and might be
related to the development of agriculture.Comment: 29 pages of article text including 1 article figure, 9 pages of SI
text, and 2 SI figures. 5 SI tables are in a separate ancillary fil
Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Curvature of the Femoral Canal in 426 Chinese Femurs
. Purpose. The human femur has long been considered to have an anatomical anterior curvature in the sagittal plane. We established a new method to evaluate the femoral curvature in three-dimensional (3D) space and reveal its influencing factors in Chinese population. Methods. 3D models of 426 femurs and the medullary canal were constructed using Mimics software. We standardized the positions of all femurs using 3ds Max software. After measuring the anatomical parameters, including the radius of femoral curvature (RFC) and banking angle, of the femurs using the established femur-specific coordinate system, we analyzed and determined the relationships between the anatomical parameters of the femur and the general characteristics of the population. Results. Pearson's correlation analyses showed that there were positive correlations between the RFC and height ( = 0.339, < 0.001) and the femoral length and RFC ( = 0.369, < 0.001) and a negative correlation between the femoral length and banking angle ( = −0.223, < 0.001). Stepwise linear regression analyses showed that the most relevant factors for the RFC and banking angle were the femoral length and gender, respectively. Conclusions. This study concluded that the banking angle of the femur was significantly larger in female than in male
Observation of Coherent Elastic Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering
The coherent elastic scattering of neutrinos off nuclei has eluded detection
for four decades, even though its predicted cross-section is the largest by far
of all low-energy neutrino couplings. This mode of interaction provides new
opportunities to study neutrino properties, and leads to a miniaturization of
detector size, with potential technological applications. We observe this
process at a 6.7-sigma confidence level, using a low-background, 14.6-kg
CsI[Na] scintillator exposed to the neutrino emissions from the Spallation
Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Characteristic
signatures in energy and time, predicted by the Standard Model for this
process, are observed in high signal-to-background conditions. Improved
constraints on non-standard neutrino interactions with quarks are derived from
this initial dataset
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