Stable isotope relationships between apatite phosphate (δ18O), structural carbonate (δ18O, δ13C), and collagen (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) in modern human dentine

Rationale The use of multi‐isotopic analysis (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, and δ34S values) of modern human body tissues for provenancing of unknown individuals in forensics is increasing. Tooth dentine develops during childhood and adolescence, therefore providing geographical information from that period of life. Tooth apatite δ18O values are commonly used for the reconstruction of drinking water values, and H–C–N–S isotope ratios in collagen supply additional information about the composition of diet. We tested if dentine collagen δ2H values provide similar information to apatite δ18O values with a proof‐of‐concept study. Methods Tooth samples were taken from modern‐day individuals born in different regions of the world. Apatite and collagen were prepared from dentine. Stable isotope analyses were performed on apatite phosphate oxygen (δ18Ophos); oxygen and carbon of the structural carbonate (δ18Ocarb, δ13Ccarb); and hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur of the collagen (δ2Hcoll, δ13Ccoll, δ15N, δ34S). Results δ18Ophos, δ18Ocarb, and δ2Hcoll values are highly correlated in modern human dentine. There are significant relationships of δ18O values in the apatite fraction and δ2H values in the collagen fraction with local δ18O and δ2H precipitation values, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients indicate no direct relationship between δ15N values and the isotope ratios of any other element. Weak relationships exist between collagen δ34S values and δ18Ocarb or δ18Ophos values. Conclusions The highly significant correlation of δ18Ophos, δ18Ocarb, and δ2Hcoll values in the modern human dentine implies that measurement of δ2H values in collagen or δ18O values in bioapatite will provide reliable information about the climate at the person's whereabouts

Over-the-fiber Digital Predistortion Using Reinforcement Learning

We demonstrate, for the first time, experimental over-the-fiber training of transmitter neural networks (NNs) using reinforcement learning. Optical back-to-back training of a novel NN-based digital predistorter outperforms arcsine-based predistortion with up to 60\% bit-error-rate reduction

Studies on grain boundaries in nanocrystalline silicon grown by Hot-Wire CVD

The use of a tantalum wire in hot-wire chemical vapour deposition (HWCVD) has allowed the deposition of dense nanocrystalline silicon at low filament temperatures (1550 °C). A transition in the crystalline preferential orientation from (2 2 0) to (1 1 1) was observed around 1700 °C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, together with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurements, suggested that no oxidation occurred in materials obtained at low filament temperature due to the high density of the tissue surrounding grain boundaries. A greater concentration of SiH 3 radicals formed at these temperatures seemed to be responsible for the higher density

Non-Fermi liquid behavior and scaling of low frequency suppression in optical conductivity spectra of CaRuO3_3

Optical conductivity spectra $\sigma_1(\omega)$ of paramagnetic CaRuO$_3$ are investigated at various temperatures. At T=10 K, it shows a non-Fermi liquid behavior of $\sigma_1(\omega)\sim 1/{\omega}^{\frac 12}$, similar to the case of a ferromagnet SrRuO$_3$. As the temperature ($T$) is increased, on the other hand, $\sigma_1(\omega)$ in the low frequency region is progressively suppressed, deviating from the 1/{\omega}^{\frac 12%}-dependence. Interestingly, the suppression of $\sigma_1(\omega)$ is found to scale with $\omega /T$ at all temperatures. The origin of the $$ scaling behavior coupled with the non-Fermi liquid behavior is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Light MSSM Higgs boson mass to three-loop accuracy

The light CP even Higgs boson mass, Mh, is calculated to three-loop accuracy within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The result is expressed in terms of DRbar parameters and implemented in the computer program H3m. The calculation is based on the proper approximations and their combination in various regions of the parameter space. The three-loop effects to Mh are typically of the order of a few hundred MeV and opposite in sign to the two-loop corrections. The remaining theory uncertainty due to higher order perturbative corrections is estimated to be less than 1 GeV.Comment: 39 pages, 13 figures. v2: minor changes, typos fixe

Evolution of lysine acetylation in the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain

© 2015 Simonti et al.; licensee BioMed Central.Background: RPB1, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, contains a highly modifiable C-terminal domain (CTD) that consists of variations of a consensus heptad repeat sequence (Y1S2

Dietary factors related to hypertension risk in Korean adults-data from the Korean national health and nutrition examination survey III

Regional differences between large cities and rural areas are observed in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). This present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary factors on hypertension risk in Korean populations, especially residents of the Chungcheong province which was not in metropolitan area, using KNHANES III. A total of 544 adults aged ≥ 19 years were placed into either the normotensive or the hypertensive group. Subject characteristics, BMI, blood pressure, and nutrient intakes were compared between the two groups using a chi-square test and t-test. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) using multiple logistic regression, adjusted for energy intake and selected covariates. There were significant differences in age, education level, alcohol consumption, and BMI between the normotensive and hypertensive groups. We found decreased ORs for the medium versus lowest tertile of calcium intake (multivariate OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21-0.88), for the highest versus lowest tertile of calcium intake (multivariate OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.20-0.90) with significant trends in risk (P = 0.040), and for the medium versus lowest tertile of potassium intake (multivariate OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.20-0.89). Subjects with the highest sodium/calcium ratio had a 2.10-fold greater risk of hypertension compared to the subject with the lowest, with significant trends in risk (P = 0.002). Adequate calcium and potassium intake should be encouraged and regional differences should be considered in making a healthy plan for hypertension management

Thermodynamics of quantum systems under dynamical control

In this review the debated rapport between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics is addressed in the framework of the theory of periodically-driven/controlled quantum-thermodynamic machines. The basic model studied here is that of a two-level system (TLS), whose energy is periodically modulated while the system is coupled to thermal baths. When the modulation interval is short compared to the bath memory time, the system-bath correlations are affected, thereby causing cooling or heating of the TLS, depending on the interval. In steady state, a periodically-modulated TLS coupled to two distinct baths constitutes the simplest quantum heat machine (QHM) that may operate as either an engine or a refrigerator, depending on the modulation rate. We find their efficiency and power-output bounds and the conditions for attaining these bounds. An extension of this model to multilevel systems shows that the QHM power output can be boosted by the multilevel degeneracy. These results are used to scrutinize basic thermodynamic principles: (i) Externally-driven/modulated QHMs may attain the Carnot efficiency bound, but when the driving is done by a quantum device ("piston"), the efficiency strongly depends on its initial quantum state. Such dependence has been unknown thus far. (ii) The refrigeration rate effected by QHMs does not vanish as the temperature approaches absolute zero for certain quantized baths, e.g., magnons, thous challenging Nernst's unattainability principle. (iii) System-bath correlations allow more work extraction under periodic control than that expected from the Szilard-Landauer principle, provided the period is in the non-Markovian domain. Thus, dynamically-controlled QHMs may benefit from hitherto unexploited thermodynamic resources

Tailoring porosity and rotational dynamics in a series of octacarboxylate metal-organic frameworks

Modulation and precise control of porosity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are of critical importance to their materials function. Here we report the first modulation of porosity for a series of isoreticular octacarboxylate MOFs, denoted MFM-180 to MFM-185, via a strategy of selective elongation of metal-organic cages. Owing to the high ligand connectivity, these MOFs show absence of network interpenetration, robust structures and permanent porosity. Interestingly, activated MFM-185a shows a record high BET surface area of 4734 m2 g-1 for an octacarboxylate MOF. These MOFs show remarkable CH4 and CO2 adsorption properties, notably with simultaneously high gravimetric and volumetric deliverable CH4 capacities of 0.24 g g-1 and 163 v/v (298 K, 5-65 bar) recorded for MFM-185a due to selective elongation of tubular cages. Dynamics of molecular rotors in deuterated MFM-180a-d16 and MFM-181a-d16 were investigated by variable-temperature 2H solid state NMR spectroscopy to reveal the reorientation mechanisms within these materials. Analysis of the flipping modes of the mobile phenyl groups on the linkers, their rotational rates and transition temperatures, paves the way to controlling and understanding the role of molecular rotors through organic linker design within porous MOF materials