Universality Class of Confining Strings

A recently proposed model of confining strings has a non-local world-sheet action induced by a space-time Kalb-Ramond tensor field. Here we show that, in the large-D approximation, an infinite set of ghost- and tachyon-free truncations of the derivative expansion of this action all lead to c=1 models. Their infrared limit describes smooth strings with world-sheets of Hausdorff dimension D_H=2 and long-range orientational order, as expected for QCD strings.Comment: 11 pages, harvma

Unitary Fermi gas, epsilon expansion, and nonrelativistic conformal field theories

We review theoretical aspects of unitary Fermi gas (UFG), which has been realized in ultracold atom experiments. We first introduce the epsilon expansion technique based on a systematic expansion in terms of the dimensionality of space. We apply this technique to compute the thermodynamic quantities, the quasiparticle spectrum, and the critical temperature of UFG. We then discuss consequences of the scale and conformal invariance of UFG. We prove a correspondence between primary operators in nonrelativistic conformal field theories and energy eigenstates in a harmonic potential. We use this correspondence to compute energies of fermions at unitarity in a harmonic potential. The scale and conformal invariance together with the general coordinate invariance constrains the properties of UFG. We show the vanishing bulk viscosities of UFG and derive the low-energy effective Lagrangian for the superfluid UFG. Finally we propose other systems exhibiting the nonrelativistic scaling and conformal symmetries that can be in principle realized in ultracold atom experiments.Comment: 44 pages, 15 figures, contribution to Lecture Notes in Physics "BCS-BEC crossover and the Unitary Fermi Gas" edited by W. Zwerge

Electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC): the UK national research facility for biological electron microscopy

The recent resolution revolution in cryo-EM has led to a massive increase in demand for both time on high-end cryo-electron microscopes and access to cryo-electron microscopy expertise. In anticipation of this demand, eBIC was set up at Diamond Light Source in collaboration with Birkbeck College London and the University of Oxford, and funded by the Wellcome Trust, the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to provide access to high-end equipment through peer review. eBIC is currently in its start-up phase and began by offering time on a single FEI Titan Krios microscope equipped with the latest generation of direct electron detectors from two manufacturers. Here, the current status and modes of access for potential users of eBIC are outlined. In the first year of operation, 222 d of microscope time were delivered to external research groups, with 95 visits in total, of which 53 were from unique groups. The data collected have generated multiple high- to intermediate-resolution structures (2.8–8 Å), ten of which have been published. A second Krios microscope is now in operation, with two more due to come online in 2017. In the next phase of growth of eBIC, in addition to more microscope time, new data-collection strategies and sample-preparation techniques will be made available to external user groups. Finally, all raw data are archived, and a metadata catalogue and automated pipelines for data analysis are being developed

CHANGING NURSING CARE TIME AS AN EFFECT OF CHANGED CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DIALYSIS POPULATION

Background: The population of dialysis patients is ageing. Dialysis nurses are confronted with geriatric patients with multiple comorbidities. Nurses are confronted with an increasing burden of care. Objectives: The present study focused on the question of whether, over time, the increasing age and comorbidities of the haemodialysis population increased nursing care time. Furthermore, we studied potential changes in the predictors of the required nursing time. Design: Observational study. Participants: A total of 980 dialysis patients from 12 dialysis centres were included. Measurements: Nurses filled out the classification tool for each patient and completed a form for reporting patient characteristics for groups of relevant haemodialysis patients at baseline and after 1 and four years. Changes in patient and dialysis characteristics were analysed, as well as the estimated nursing care time needed. Results: An increase in the nursing time needed for dialysis was largely due to decreased mobility, closing of the vascular access and a greater need for psychosocial attention and was most strongly present in incident dialysis patients. The time needed for dialysis decreased as patient participation increased and vascular access changed from catheters to fistulae. Over the four-year period, the average overall needed nursing care time per haemodialysis session did not change. Conclusions: Our study shows that the average nursing time needed per patient did not change in the four-year observation period. However, more time is required for incident patients; thus, if a centre has high patient turnover, more nursing care time is needed

Testing spatial noncommutativiy via the Aharonov-Bohm effect

The possibility of detecting noncommutative space relics is analyzed using the Aharonov-Bohm effect. We show that, if space is noncommutative, the holonomy receives non-trivial kinematical corrections that will produce a diffraction pattern even when the magnetic flux is quantized. The scattering problem is also formulated, and the differential cross section is calculated. Our results can be extrapolated to high energy physics and the bound $\theta \sim [ 10 {TeV}]^{-2}$ is found. If this bound holds, then noncommutative effects could be explored in scattering experiments measuring differential cross sections for small angles. The bound state Aharonov- Bohm effect is also discussed.Comment: 16 pp, Revtex 4, 2 fig, new references added. To appear in PR

Effective Field Theory and the Gamow Shell Model: The 6He Halo Nucleus

We combine Halo/Cluster Effective Field Theory (H/CEFT) and the Gamow Shell Model (GSM) to describe the $0^+$ ground state of $\rm{^6He}$ as a three-body halo system. We use two-body interactions for the neutron-alpha particle and two-neutron pairs obtained from H/CEFT at leading order, with parameters determined from scattering in the p$_{3/2}$ and s$_0$ channels, respectively. The three-body dynamics of the system is solved using the GSM formalism, where the continuum states are incorporated in the shell model valence space. We find that in the absence of three-body forces the system collapses, since the binding energy of the ground state diverges as cutoffs are increased. We show that addition at leading order of a three-body force with a single parameter is sufficient for proper renormalization and to fix the binding energy to its experimental value

Efficacy of Baricitinib in the Treatment of Chilblains Associated With Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome, a Type I Interferonopathy

Genetics of disease, diagnosis and treatmen

Nomenclatural issues concerning cultured yeasts and other fungi: why it is important to avoid unneeded name changes

The unambiguous application of fungal names is important to communicate scientific findings. Names are critical for (clinical) diagnostics, legal compliance, and regulatory controls, such as biosafety, food security, quarantine regulations, and industrial applications. Consequently, the stability of the taxonomic system and the traceability of nomenclatural changes is crucial for a broad range of users and taxonomists. The unambiguous application of names is assured by the preservation of nomenclatural history and the physical organisms representing a name. Fungi are extremely diverse in terms of ecology, lifestyle, and methods of study. Predominantly unicellular fungi known as yeasts are usually investigated as living cultures. Methods to characterize yeasts include physiological (growth) tests and experiments to induce a sexual morph; both methods require viable cultures. Thus, the preservation and availability of viable reference cultures are important, and cultures representing reference material are cited in species descriptions. Historical surveys revealed drawbacks and inconsistencies between past practices and modern requirements as stated in the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (ICNafp). Improper typification of yeasts is a common problem, resulting in a large number invalid yeast species names. With this opinion letter, we address the problem that culturable microorganisms, notably some fungi and algae, require specific provisions under the ICNafp. We use yeasts as a prominent example of fungi known from cultures. But viable type material is important not only for yeasts, but also for other cultivable Fungi that are characterized by particular morphological structures (a specific type of spores), growth properties, and secondary metabolites. We summarize potential proposals which, in our opinion, will improve the stability of fungal names, in particular by protecting those names for which the reference material can be traced back to the original isolate

Comparing Petri Net and Activity Diagram Variants for Workflow Modelling:A Quest for Reactive Petri Nets

Petri net variants are widely used as a workflow modelling technique. Recently, UMLa ctivity diagrams have been used for the same purpose, even though the syntax and semantics of activity diagrams has not been yet fully worked out. Nevertheless, activity diagrams seem very similar to Petri nets and on the surface, one may think that they are variants of each other. To substantiate or deny this claim, we need to formalise the intended semantics of activity diagrams and then compare this with various Petri net semantics. In previous papers we have defined two formal semantics for UMLact ivity diagrams that are intended for workflow modelling. In this paper, we discuss the design choices that underlie these two semantics and investigate whether these design choices can be met in low-level and high-level Petri net semantics. We argue that the main difference between the Petri net semantics and our semantics of UML act ivity diagrams is that the Petri net semantics models resource usage of closed, active systems that are non-reactive, whereas our semantics of UMLact ivity diagrams models open, reactive systems. Since workflow systems are open, reactive systems, we conclude that Petri nets cannot model workflows accurately, unless they are extended with a syntax and semantics for reactivity