Babes In The Wood

(HE) Little Lady don\u27t be depressed and blue,After all we\u27re both in the same canoe.Have no fear; can\u27t you see I\u27m here?And till our journey is through,Little Lady I will take care of you. Give me your hand, here where we stand, We\u27re off to Slumberland,Come, dry your eyes; I\u27ll sympathize Like a father, mother, brother. Moonlight is bright, kiss me goodnight, Just like a sister should,Then put on your little hood,And we\u27ll both be, Oh, so good!Like the babes in the wood. wood. (SHE) When the babes were lost in the gloomy wood,It\u27s no wonder they were so very good. Fourteen angels were watching them,So all the story books state,Sandman\u27s coming now,It is getting late. Give me your hand, I understand, We\u27re off to Slumberland,With you, I\u27ll go although we\u27ve no Angel chorus watching o\u27er us. Moonlight is bright, kiss me goodnight,Just like a brother should,I\u27ll put on my little hood,But we\u27ll both be twice as good! As the babes in the wood. wood

The catabolite repressor protein-cyclic AMP complex regulates csgD and biofilm formation in uropathogenic Escherichia coli

The extracellular matrix protects Escherichia coli from immune cells, oxidative stress, predation, and other environmental stresses. Production of the E. coli extracellular matrix is regulated by transcription factors that are tuned to environmental conditions. The biofilm master regulator protein CsgD upregulates curli and cellulose, the two major polymers in the extracellular matrix of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) biofilms. We found that cyclic AMP (cAMP) regulates curli, cellulose, and UPEC biofilms through csgD. The alarmone cAMP is produced by adenylate cyclase (CyaA), and deletion of cyaA resulted in reduced extracellular matrix production and biofilm formation. The catabolite repressor protein (CRP) positively regulated csgD transcription, leading to curli and cellulose production in the UPEC isolate, UTI89. Glucose, a known inhibitor of CyaA activity, blocked extracellular matrix formation when added to the growth medium. The mutant strains ΔcyaA and Δcrp did not produce rugose biofilms, pellicles, curli, cellulose, or CsgD. Three putative CRP binding sites were identified within the csgD-csgB intergenic region, and purified CRP could gel shift the csgD-csgB intergenic region. Additionally, we found that CRP binded upstream of kpsMT, which encodes machinery for K1 capsule production. Together our work shows that cAMP and CRP influence E. coli biofilms through transcriptional regulation of csgD. IMPORTANCE The catabolite repressor protein (CRP)-cyclic AMP (cAMP) complex influences the transcription of ∼7% of genes on the Escherichia coli chromosome (D. Zheng, C. Constantinidou, J. L. Hobman, and S. D. Minchin, Nucleic Acids Res 32:5874–5893, 2004, https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkh908). Glucose inhibits E. coli biofilm formation, and ΔcyaA and Δcrp mutants show impaired biofilm formation (D. W. Jackson, J.W. Simecka, and T. Romeo, J Bacteriol 184:3406–3410, 2002, https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.184.12.3406-3410.2002). We determined that the cAMP-CRP complex regulates curli and cellulose production and the formation of rugose and pellicle biofilms through csgD. Additionally, we propose that cAMP may work as a signaling compound for uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) to transition from the bladder lumen to inside epithelial cells for intracellular bacterial community formation through K1 capsule regulation

Optical and Infrared Photometry of the Micro-Quasar GRO J1655-40 in Quiescence

We present BVIJK photometry of the black-hole candidate GRO J1655-40 in full quiescence. We report a refined orbital period of 2.62191 +/- 0.00020 days. The light curves are dominated by ellipsoidal variations from the secondary star. We model the light curves with an upgraded code which includes a more accurate treatment of limb darkening. Previous models containing a large cool disk are ruled out, and indeed our data can be fit with a pure ellipsoidal light curve without any disk contribution. In general agreement with previous results, we derive a confidence region of the correlated quantities of inclination and mass ratio, centered on an inclination of 70.2 +/ 1.9 degrees, and mass ratio 2.6 +/- 0.3, resulting in a primary mass M = 6.3 +/- 0.5 Mo (all 95% confidence). The complex limits and errors on these values, and on the possible disk contribution to the light curve, are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. To be published in The Astrophysical Journa

Nodal Structure of Unconventional Superconductors Probed by the Angle Resolved Thermal Transport Measurements

Over the past two decades, unconventional superconductivity with gap symmetry other than s-wave has been found in several classes of materials, including heavy fermion (HF), high-T_c, and organic superconductors. Unconventional superconductivity is characterized by anisotropic superconducting gap functions, which may have zeros (nodes) along certain directions in the Brillouin zone. The nodal structure is closely related to the pairing interaction, and it is widely believed that the presence of nodes is a signature of magnetic or some other exotic, rather than conventional phonon-mediated, pairing mechanism. Therefore experimental determination of the gap function is of fundamental importance. However, the detailed gap structure, especially the direction of the nodes, is an unresolved issue in most unconventional superconductors. Recently it has been demonstrated that the thermal conductivity and specific heat measurements under magnetic field rotated relative to the crystal axes are a powerful method for determining the shape of the gap and the nodal directions in the bulk. Here we review the theoretical underpinnings of the method and the results for the nodal structure of several unconventional superconductors, including borocarbide YNi$_2$B$_2$C, heavy fermions UPd$_2$Al$_3$, CeCoIn$_5$, and PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$, organic superconductor, $\kappa$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$Cu(NCS)$_2$, and ruthenate Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, determined by angular variation of the thermal conductivity and heat capacity.Comment: topical review, 55 pages, 35 figures. Figure quality has been reduced for submission to cond-mat, higher quality figures available from the authors or from the publishe

Fracton pairing mechanism for "strange" superconductors: Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds

Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds are two classes of "strange" superconductors, whose challenging behavior does not comply with the traditional picture of Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS) superconductivity in regular crystals. In this paper, we propose a theoretical model that accounts for the strange superconducting properties of either class of the materials. These properties are considered as interconnected manifestations of the same phenomenon: We argue that superconductivity occurs in the both cases because the charge carriers (i.e., electrons or holes) exchange {\it fracton excitations}, quantum oscillations of fractal lattices that mimic the complex microscopic organization of the strange superconductors. For the copper oxides, the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ as predicted by the fracton mechanism is of the order of $\sim 150$ K. We suggest that the marginal ingredient of the high-temperature superconducting phase is provided by fracton coupled holes that condensate in the conducting copper-oxygen planes owing to the intrinsic field-effect-transistor configuration of the cuprate compounds. For the gate-induced superconducting phase in the electron-doped polymers, we simultaneously find a rather modest transition temperature of $\sim (2-3)$ K owing to the limitations imposed by the electron tunneling processes on a fractal geometry. We speculate that hole-type superconductivity observes larger onset temperatures when compared to its electron-type counterpart. This promises an intriguing possibility of the high-temperature superconducting states in hole-doped complex materials. A specific prediction of the present study is universality of ac conduction for $T\gtrsim T_c$.Comment: 12 pages (including separate abstract page), no figure

Bond and charge density waves in the isotropic interacting two-dimensional quarter-filled band and the insulating state proximate to organic superconductivity

We report two surprising results regarding the nature of the spatial broken symmetries in the two-dimensional (2D), quarter-filled band with strong electron-electron interactions. First, in direct contradiction to the predictions of one-electron theory, we find a coexisting ``bond-order and charge density wave'' (BCDW) insulating ground state in the 2D rectangular lattice for all anisotropies, including the isotropic limit. Second, we find that the BCDW further coexists with a spin-density wave (SDW) in the range of large anisotropy. Further, in contrast to the interacting half-filled band, in the interacting quarter-filled band there are two transitions: first, a similar singlet-to-AFM/SDW transition for large anisotropy and second, an AFM/SDW-to-singlet transition at smaller anisotropy. We discuss how these theoretical results apply to the insulating states that are proximate to the superconducting states of 2:1 cationic charge-transfer solids (CTS). An important consequence of this work is the suggestion that organic superconductivity is related to the proximate Coulomb-induced BCDW, with the SDW that coexists for large anisotropies being also a consequence of the BCDW, rather than the driver of superconductivity.Comment: 29 pages, 18 eps figures. Revised with new appendices; to appear in Phys. Rev. B 62, Nov 15, 200

A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL

Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Triple-negative breast cancers are increased in black women regardless of age or body mass index

INTRODUCTION. We investigated clinical and pathologic features of breast cancers (BC) in an unselected series of patients diagnosed in a tertiary care hospital serving a diverse population. We focused on triple-negative (Tneg) tumours (oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2 negative), which are associated with poor prognosis. METHODS. We identified female patients with invasive BC diagnosed between 1998 and 2006, with data available on tumor grade, stage, ER, PR and HER2 status, and patient age, body mass index (BMI) and self-identified racial/ethnic group. We determined associations between patient and tumour characteristics using contingency tables and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS. 415 cases were identified. Patients were racially and ethnically diverse (born in 44 countries, 36% white, 43% black, 10% Hispanic and 11% other). 47% were obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2). 72% of tumours were ER+ and/or PR+, 20% were Tneg and 13% were HER2+. The odds of having a Tneg tumour were 3-fold higher (95% CI 1.6, 5.5; p = 0.0001) in black compared with white women. Tneg tumours were equally common in black women diagnosed before and after age 50 (31% vs 29%; p = NS), and who were obese and non-obese (29% vs 31%; p = NS). Considering all patients, as BMI increased, the proportion of Tneg tumours decreased (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS. Black women of diverse background have 3-fold more Tneg tumours than non-black women, regardless of age and BMI. Other factors must determine tumour subtype. The higher prevalence of Tneg tumours in black women in all age and weight categories likely contributes to black women's unfavorable breast cancer prognosis.LaPann Fund; Research Enhancement Fun