Alignment enhancement of molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets by multiple laser pulses

We show experimentally that field-free one-dimensional (1D) alignment of 1,4-diiodobenzene molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets, induced by a single, linearly polarized 200-fs laser pulse, can be significantly enhanced by using two or four optimally synchronized laser pulses. The strongest degree of 1D alignment is obtained with four pulses and gives ⟨cos2θ⟩>0.60. Besides the immediate implications for molecular frame studies, our results pave the way for more general manipulation of rotational motion of molecules in He droplets

Evidence of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) patient fibroblasts: Effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on these parameters

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the ataxin-2 gene. We show increased oxidative stress, abnormalities in the antioxidant system, changes in complexes involved in oxidative phosphorylation and changes in mitochondrial morphology in SCA2 patient fibroblasts compared to controls, and we show that treatment with CoQ10 can partially reverse these changes. Together, our results suggest that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may be contributory factors to the pathophysiology of SCA2 and that therapeutic strategies involving manipulation of the antioxidant system could prove to be of clinical benefit

Modeling drying kinetics of thyme (thymus vulgaris l.): theoretical and empirical models, and neural networks

[EN] The drying kinetics of thyme was analyzed by considering different conditions: air temperature of between 40 C and 70 C, and air velocity of 1 m/s. A theoretical diffusion model and eight different empirical models were fitted to the experimental data. From the theoretical model application, the effective diffusivity per unit area of the thyme was estimated (between 3.68 10 5 and 2.12 10 4 s 1). The temperature dependence of the effective diffusivity was described by the Arrhenius relationship with activation energy of 49.42 kJ/mol. Eight different empirical models were fitted to the experimental data. Additionally, the dependence of the parameters of each model on the drying temperature was determined, obtaining equations that allow estimating the evolution of the moisture content at any temperature in the established range. Furthermore, artificial neural networks were developed and compared with the theoretical and empirical models using the percentage of the relative errors and the explained variance. The artificial neural networks were found to be more accurate predictors of moisture evolution with VAR 99.3% and ER 8.7%.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the 'Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia' in Spain, CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010 (CSD2007-00016).Rodríguez Cortina, J.; Clemente Polo, G.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN.; Bon Corbín, J. (2014). Modeling drying kinetics of thyme (thymus vulgaris l.): theoretical and empirical models, and neural networks. Food Science and Technology International. 20(1):13-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/1082013212469614S132220

A Family of Quantum Stabilizer Codes Based on the Weyl Commutation Relations over a Finite Field

Using the Weyl commutation relations over a finite field we introduce a family of error-correcting quantum stabilizer codes based on a class of symmetric matrices over the finite field satisfying certain natural conditions. When the field is GF(2) the existence of a rich class of such symmetric matrices is demonstrated by a simple probabilistic argument depending on the Chernoff bound for i.i.d symmetric Bernoulli trials. If, in addition, these symmetric matrices are assumed to be circulant it is possible to obtain concrete examples by a computer program. The quantum codes thus obtained admit elegant encoding circuits.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

User Modelling and Adaptive, Natural Interaction for Conflict Resolution

Confronting conflicts and coping with them is part of social life, since conflicts seem to arise in almost every context and developmental stage of human life. The personal and collective gains that follow conflict resolution have motivated scholars across many research fields to advocate the use of pro-social mechanisms for resolution. The Siren serious game aims to support teachers' role to educate young people on how to resolve conflicts, by employing user- and cultural adaptivity and affective, non-verbal interaction to provide interesting and relevant conflict scenarios and resolution approaches

Measurement properties of the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ): a between country comparison.

Background: The Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) has been developed to measure musculoskeletal health status across musculoskeletal conditions and settings. However, the MSK-HQ needs to be further evaluated across settings and different languages. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare measurement properties of the MSK-HQ across Danish (DK) and English (UK) cohorts of patients from primary care physiotherapy services with musculoskeletal pain

Eta carinae and the homunculus: far infrared/submillimetre spectral lines detected with the Herschel Space Observatory

The evolved massive binary star η Carinae underwent eruptive mass-loss events that formed the complex bi-polar ‘Homunculus’ nebula harbouring tens of solar masses of unusually nitrogen-rich gas and dust. Despite expectations for the presence of a significant molecular component to the gas, detections have been observationally challenged by limited access to the far-infrared and the intense thermal continuum. A spectral survey of the atomic and rotational molecular transitions was carried out with the Herschel Space Observatory, revealing a rich spectrum of broad emission lines originating in the ejecta. Velocity profiles of selected PACS lines correlate well with known substructures: H I in the central core; NH and weak [C II] within the Homunculus; and [N II] emissions in fast-moving structures external to the Homunculus. We have identified transitions from [O I], H I, and 18 separate light C- and O-bearing molecules including CO, CH, CH+, and OH, and a wide set of N-bearing molecules: NH, NH+, N2H+, NH2, NH3, HCN, HNC, CN, and N2H+. Half of these are new detections unprecedented for any early-type massive star environment. A very low ratio [12C/13C] ≤ 4 is estimated from five molecules and their isotopologues. We demonstrate that non-LTE effects due to the strong continuum are significant. Abundance patterns are consistent with line formation in regions of carbon and oxygen depletions with nitrogen enhancements, reflecting an evolved state of the erupting star with efficient transport of CNO-processed material to the outer layers. The results offer many opportunities for further observational and theoretical investigations of the molecular chemistry under extreme physical and chemical conditions around massive stars in their final stages of evolution

A quantum genetic algorithm with quantum crossover and mutation operations

In the context of evolutionary quantum computing in the literal meaning, a quantum crossover operation has not been introduced so far. Here, we introduce a novel quantum genetic algorithm which has a quantum crossover procedure performing crossovers among all chromosomes in parallel for each generation. A complexity analysis shows that a quadratic speedup is achieved over its classical counterpart in the dominant factor of the run time to handle each generation.Comment: 21 pages, 1 table, v2: typos corrected, minor modifications in sections 3.5 and 4, v3: minor revision, title changed (original title: Semiclassical genetic algorithm with quantum crossover and mutation operations), v4: minor revision, v5: minor grammatical corrections, to appear in QI

Involvement of a Natural Fusion of a Cytochrome P450 and a Hydrolase in Mycophenolic Acid Biosynthesis

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is a fungal secondary metabolite and the active component in several immunosuppressive pharmaceuticals. The gene cluster coding for the MPA biosynthetic pathway has recently been discovered in Penicillium brevicompactum, demonstrating that the first step is catalyzed by MpaC, a polyketide synthase producing 5-methylorsellinic acid (5-MOA). However, the biochemical role of the enzymes encoded by the remaining genes in the MPA gene cluster is still unknown. Based on bioinformatic analysis of the MPA gene cluster, we hypothesized that the step following 5-MOA production in the pathway is carried out by a natural fusion enzyme MpaDE, consisting of a cytochrome P450 (MpaD) in the N-terminal region and a hydrolase (MpaE) in the C-terminal region. We verified that the fusion gene is indeed expressed in P. brevicompactum by obtaining full-length sequence of the mpaDE cDNA prepared from the extracted RNA. Heterologous coexpression of mpaC and the fusion gene mpaDE in the MPA-nonproducer Aspergillus nidulans resulted in the production of 5,7-dihydroxy-4-methylphthalide (DHMP), the second intermediate in MPA biosynthesis. Analysis of the strain coexpressing mpaC and the mpaD part of mpaDE shows that the P450 catalyzes hydroxylation of 5-MOA to 4,6-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-3-methylbenzoic acid (DHMB). DHMB is then converted to DHMP, and our results suggest that the hydrolase domain aids this second step by acting as a lactone synthase that catalyzes the ring closure. Overall, the chimeric enzyme MpaDE provides insight into the genetic organization of the MPA biosynthesis pathway