Treatment of Epithelioid Sarcoma at the Royal Marsden Hospital

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess treatment and outcome with respect to clinical and pathological features

Quantum random walks with history dependence

We introduce a multi-coin discrete quantum random walk where the amplitude for a coin flip depends upon previous tosses. Although the corresponding classical random walk is unbiased, a bias can be introduced into the quantum walk by varying the history dependence. By mixing the biased random walk with an unbiased one, the direction of the bias can be reversed leading to a new quantum version of Parrondo's paradox.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, RevTe

Mechanical Stress Induces Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses via a Novel cis-Element

Plants are continuously exposed to a myriad of abiotic and biotic stresses. However, the molecular mechanisms by which these stress signals are perceived and transduced are poorly understood. To begin to identify primary stress signal transduction components, we have focused on genes that respond rapidly (within 5 min) to stress signals. Because it has been hypothesized that detection of physical stress is a mechanism common to mounting a response against a broad range of environmental stresses, we have utilized mechanical wounding as the stress stimulus and performed whole genome microarray analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana leaf tissue. This led to the identification of a number of rapid wound responsive (RWR) genes. Comparison of RWR genes with published abiotic and biotic stress microarray datasets demonstrates a large overlap across a wide range of environmental stresses. Interestingly, RWR genes also exhibit a striking level and pattern of circadian regulation, with induced and repressed genes displaying antiphasic rhythms. Using bioinformatic analysis, we identified a novel motif overrepresented in the promoters of RWR genes, herein designated as the Rapid Stress Response Element (RSRE). We demonstrate in transgenic plants that multimerized RSREs are sufficient to confer a rapid response to both biotic and abiotic stresses in vivo, thereby establishing the functional involvement of this motif in primary transcriptional stress responses. Collectively, our data provide evidence for a novel cis-element that is distributed across the promoters of an array of diverse stress-responsive genes, poised to respond immediately and coordinately to stress signals. This structure suggests that plants may have a transcriptional network resembling the general stress signaling pathway in yeast and that the RSRE element may provide the key to this coordinate regulation

Finite pseudo orbit expansions for spectral quantities of quantum graphs

We investigate spectral quantities of quantum graphs by expanding them as sums over pseudo orbits, sets of periodic orbits. Only a finite collection of pseudo orbits which are irreducible and where the total number of bonds is less than or equal to the number of bonds of the graph appear, analogous to a cut off at half the Heisenberg time. The calculation simplifies previous approaches to pseudo orbit expansions on graphs. We formulate coefficients of the characteristic polynomial and derive a secular equation in terms of the irreducible pseudo orbits. From the secular equation, whose roots provide the graph spectrum, the zeta function is derived using the argument principle. The spectral zeta function enables quantities, such as the spectral determinant and vacuum energy, to be obtained directly as finite expansions over the set of short irreducible pseudo orbits.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures, typos corrected, references added, vacuum energy calculation expande

Phylogenetically Widespread Polyembryony in Cyclostome Bryozoans and the Protracted Asynchronous Release of Clonal Brood-Mates

The file attached is the Published/publisher’s pdf version of the articl

A sense of embodiment is reflected in people's signature size

BACKGROUND: The size of a person's signature may reveal implicit information about how the self is perceived although this has not been closely examined. METHODS/RESULTS: We conducted three experiments to test whether increases in signature size can be induced. Specifically, the aim of these experiments was to test whether changes in signature size reflect a person's current implicit sense of embodiment. Experiment 1 showed that an implicit affect task (positive subliminal evaluative conditioning) led to increases in signature size relative to an affectively neutral task, showing that implicit affective cues alter signature size. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated increases in signature size following experiential self-focus on sensory and affective stimuli relative to both conceptual self-focus and external (non-self-focus) in both healthy participants and patients with anorexia nervosa, a disorder associated with self-evaluation and a sense of disembodiment. In all three experiments, increases in signature size were unrelated to changes in self-reported mood and larger than manipulation unrelated variations. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these findings suggest that a person's sense of embodiment is reflected in their signature size

An ecological approach to anomaly detection: the EIA Model.

The presented work proposes a new approach for anomaly detection. This approach is based on changes in a population of evolving agents under stress. If conditions are appropriate, changes in the population (modeled by the bioindicators) are representative of the alterations to the environment. This approach, based on an ecological view, improves functionally traditional approaches to the detection of anomalies. To verify this assertion, experiments based on Network Intrussion Detection Systems are presented. The results are compared with the behaviour of other bioinspired approaches and machine learning techniques

Evolutionary relationships among barley and <i>Arabidopsis</i> core circadian clock and clock-associated genes

The circadian clock regulates a multitude of plant developmental and metabolic processes. In crop species, it contributes significantly to plant performance and productivity and to the adaptation and geographical range over which crops can be grown. To understand the clock in barley and how it relates to the components in the Arabidopsis thaliana clock, we have performed a systematic analysis of core circadian clock and clock-associated genes in barley, Arabidopsis and another eight species including tomato, potato, a range of monocotyledonous species and the moss, Physcomitrella patens. We have identified orthologues and paralogues of Arabidopsis genes which are conserved in all species, monocot/dicot differences, species-specific differences and variation in gene copy number (e.g. gene duplications among the various species). We propose that the common ancestor of barley and Arabidopsis had two-thirds of the key clock components identified in Arabidopsis prior to the separation of the monocot/dicot groups. After this separation, multiple independent gene duplication events took place in both monocot and dicot ancestors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00239-015-9665-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Quantum Graphs II: Some spectral properties of quantum and combinatorial graphs

The paper deals with some spectral properties of (mostly infinite) quantum and combinatorial graphs. Quantum graphs have been intensively studied lately due to their numerous applications to mesoscopic physics, nanotechnology, optics, and other areas. A Schnol type theorem is proven that allows one to detect that a point belongs to the spectrum when a generalized eigenfunction with an subexponential growth integral estimate is available. A theorem on spectral gap opening for ``decorated'' quantum graphs is established (its analog is known for the combinatorial case). It is also shown that if a periodic combinatorial or quantum graph has a point spectrum, it is generated by compactly supported eigenfunctions (``scars'').Comment: 4 eps figures, LATEX file, 21 pages Revised form: a cut-and-paste blooper fixe