Anomalous processes at high temperature and density in a 2-dimensional linear σ\sigma model

We use the 2-dimensional $\sigma$ model as a toy model to study the behavior of anomalous amplitudes in the limit where the constituent quark mass is small. Symmetry arguments tell that the $\pi^o\to\gamma$ amplitude should vanish if $m\to 0$, but we show that this conclusion is spoiled by infrared singularities. When a proper regularization (resummation of a thermal mass, for instance) is taken into account, this amplitude vanishes as expected. We also study the amplitude $\pi^o\sigma\to\gamma$ and show that it does not vanish in the same limit.Comment: 15 pages Latex document, 2 postscript figure

Evaluation of the Allergenicity Potential of TcPR-10 Protein from Theobroma cacao

Background: The pathogenesis related protein PR10 (TcPR-10), obtained from the Theobroma cacao-Moniliophthora perniciosa interaction library, presents antifungal activity against M. perniciosa and acts in vitro as a ribonuclease. However, despite its biotechnological potential, the TcPR-10 has the P-loop motif similar to those of some allergenic proteins such as Bet v 1 (Betula verrucosa) and Pru av 1 (Prunus avium). The insertion of mutations in this motif can produce proteins with reduced allergenic power. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the allergenic potential of the wild type and mutant recombinant TcPR-10 using bioinformatics tools and immunological assays. Methodology/Principal Findings: Mutant substitutions (T10P, I30V, H45S) were inserted in the TcPR-10 gene by sitedirected mutagenesis, cloned into pET28a and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells. Changes in molecular surface caused by the mutant substitutions was evaluated by comparative protein modeling using the three-dimensional structure of the major cherry allergen, Pru av 1 as a template. The immunological assays were carried out in 8-12 week old female BALB/c mice. The mice were sensitized with the proteins (wild type and mutants) via subcutaneous and challenged intranasal for induction of allergic airway inflammation. Conclusions/Significance: We showed that the wild TcPR-10 protein has allergenic potential, whereas the insertion of mutations produced proteins with reduced capacity of IgE production and cellular infiltration in the lungs. On the other hand, in vitro assays show that the TcPR-10 mutants still present antifungal and ribonuclease activity against M. perniciosa RNA. In conclusion, the mutant proteins present less allergenic potential than the wild TcPR-10, without the loss of interesting biotechnological properties. (Résumé d'auteur

Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention combining a smartphone app and smart band on body composition in an overweight and obese population: Randomized controlled trial (EVIDENT 3 study)

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) is currently among the supporting elements that may contribute to an improvement in health markers by helping people adopt healthier lifestyles. mHealth interventions have been widely reported to achieve greater weight loss than other approaches, but their effect on body composition remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the short-term (3 months) effectiveness of a mobile app and a smart band for losing weight and changing body composition in sedentary Spanish adults who are overweight or obese. Methods: A randomized controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted involving the participation of 440 subjects from primary care centers, with 231 subjects in the intervention group (IG; counselling with smartphone app and smart band) and 209 in the control group (CG; counselling only). Both groups were counselled about healthy diet and physical activity. For the 3-month intervention period, the IG was trained to use a smartphone app that involved self-monitoring and tailored feedback, as well as a smart band that recorded daily physical activity (Mi Band 2, Xiaomi). Body composition was measured using the InBody 230 bioimpedance device (InBody Co., Ltd), and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The mHealth intervention produced a greater loss of body weight (–1.97 kg, 95% CI –2.39 to –1.54) relative to standard counselling at 3 months (–1.13 kg, 95% CI –1.56 to –0.69). Comparing groups, the IG achieved a weight loss of 0.84 kg more than the CG at 3 months. The IG showed a decrease in body fat mass (BFM; –1.84 kg, 95% CI –2.48 to –1.20), percentage of body fat (PBF; –1.22%, 95% CI –1.82% to 0.62%), and BMI (–0.77 kg/m2, 95% CI –0.96 to 0.57). No significant changes were observed in any of these parameters in men; among women, there was a significant decrease in BMI in the IG compared with the CG. When subjects were grouped according to baseline BMI, the overweight group experienced a change in BFM of –1.18 kg (95% CI –2.30 to –0.06) and BMI of –0.47 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.80 to –0.13), whereas the obese group only experienced a change in BMI of –0.53 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.86 to –0.19). When the data were analyzed according to physical activity, the moderate-vigorous physical activity group showed significant changes in BFM of –1.03 kg (95% CI –1.74 to –0.33), PBF of –0.76% (95% CI –1.32% to –0.20%), and BMI of –0.5 kg/m2 (95% CI –0.83 to –0.19). Conclusions: The results from this multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial study show that compared with standard counselling alone, adding a self-reported app and a smart band obtained beneficial results in terms of weight loss and a reduction in BFM and PBF in female subjects with a BMI less than 30 kg/m2 and a moderate-vigorous physical activity level. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to ensure that this profile benefits more than others from this intervention and to investigate modifications of this intervention to achieve a global effect

Calibration and Physics with ARA Station 1: A Unique Askaryan Radio Array Detector

The Askaryan Radio Array Station 1 (A1), the first among five autonomous stations deployed for the ARA experiment at the South Pole, is a unique ultra-high energy neutrino (UHEN) detector based on the Askaryan effect that uses Antarctic ice as the detector medium. Its 16 radio antennas (distributed across 4 strings, each with 2 Vertically Polarized (VPol), 2 Horizontally Polarized (HPol) receivers), and 2 strings of transmitting antennas (calibration pulsers, CPs), each with 1 VPol and 1 HPol channel, are deployed at depths less than 100 m within the shallow firn zone of the 2.8 km thick South Pole (SP) ice. We apply different methods to calibrate its Ice Ray Sampler second generation (IRS2) chip for timing offset and ADC-to-Voltage conversion factors using a known continuous wave input signal to the digitizer, and achieve a precision of sub-nanoseconds. We achieve better calibration for odd, compared to even samples, and also find that the HPols under-perform relative to the VPol channels. Our timing calibrated data is subsequently used to calibrate the ADC-to-Voltage conversion as well as precise antenna locations, as a precursor to vertex reconstruction. The calibrated data will then be analyzed for UHEN signals in the final step of data compression. The ability of A1 to scan the firn region of SP ice sheet will contribute greatly towards a 5-station analysis and will inform the design of the planned IceCube Gen-2 radio array.Comment: 10 page

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Brachypodium distachyon as a model for defining the allergen potential of non-prolamin proteins

Epitope databases and the protein sequences of published plant genomes are suitable to identify some of the proteins causing food allergies and sensitivities. Brachypodium distachyon, a diploid wild grass with a sequenced genome and low prolamin content, is the closest relative of the allergen cereals, such as wheat or barley. Using the Brachypodium genome sequence, a workflow has been developed to identify potentially harmful proteins which may cause either celiac disease or wheat allergy-related symptoms. Seed tissue-specific expression of the potential allergens has been determined, and intact epitopes following an in silico digestion with several endopeptidases have been identified. Molecular function of allergen proteins has been evaluated using Gene Ontology terms. Biologically overrepresented proteins and potentially allergen protein families have been identified. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10142-012-0294-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users