1,547 research outputs found

    Geometric inequalities on Heisenberg groups

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    We establish geometric inequalities in the sub-Riemannian setting of the Heisenberg group Hn\mathbb H^n. Our results include a natural sub-Riemannian version of the celebrated curvature-dimension condition of Lott-Villani and Sturm and also a geodesic version of the Borell-Brascamp-Lieb inequality akin to the one obtained by Cordero-Erausquin, McCann and Schmuckenschl\"ager. The latter statement implies sub-Riemannian versions of the geodesic Pr\'ekopa-Leindler and Brunn-Minkowski inequalities. The proofs are based on optimal mass transportation and Riemannian approximation of Hn\mathbb H^n developed by Ambrosio and Rigot. These results refute a general point of view, according to which no geometric inequalities can be derived by optimal mass transportation on singular spaces.Comment: to appear in Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations (42 pages, 1 figure

    Jacobian determinant inequality on corank 1 Carnot groups with applications

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    We establish a weighted pointwise Jacobian determinant inequality on corank 1 Carnot groups related to optimal mass transportation akin to the work of Cordero-Erausquin, McCann and Schmuckenschläger. In this setting, the presence of abnormal geodesics does not allow the application of the general sub-Riemannian optimal mass transportation theory developed by Figalli and Rifford and we need to work with a weaker notion of Jacobian determinant. Nevertheless, our result achieves a transition between Euclidean and sub-Riemannian structures, corresponding to the mass transportation along abnormal and strictly normal geodesics, respectively. The weights appearing in our expression are distortion coefficients that reflect the delicate sub-Riemannian structure of our space. As applications, entropy, Brunn-Minkowski and Borell-Brascamp-Lieb inequalities are established on Carnot groups

    Capacitive sensing of N-formylamphetamine based on immobilized molecular imprinted polymers

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    A highly sensitive, capacitive biosensor was developed to monitor trace amounts of an amphetamine precursor in aqueous samples. The sensing element is a gold electrode with molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) immobilized on its surface. A continuous-flow system with timed injections was used to simulate flowing waterways, such as sewers, springs, rivers, etc., ensuring wide applicability of the developed product. MIPs, implemented as a recognition element due to their stability under harsh environmental conditions, were synthesized using thermo-and UV-initiated polymerization techniques. The obtained particles were compared against commercially.,available MIPs according to specificity and selectivity metrics; commercial MIPs were characterized by quite broad cross-reactivity to other structurally related amphetamine-type stimulants. After the best batch of MIPs was chosen, different strategies for immobilizing them on the gold electrode's surface were evaluated, and their stability was also verified. The complete, developed system was validated through analysis of spiked samples. The limit of detection (LOD) for N-formylamphetamine was determined to be 10 mu M in this capacitive biosensor system. The obtained results indicate future possible applications of this MIPs-based capacitive biosensor for environmental and forensic analysis. To the best of our knowledge there are no existing MIPs-based sensors toward amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS)

    At the nexus of three kingdoms: the genome of the mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora margarita provides insights into plant, endobacterial and fungal interactions.

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    As members of the plant microbiota, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF, Glomeromycotina) symbiotically colonize plant roots. AMF also possess their own microbiota, hosting some uncultivable endobacteria. Ongoing research has revealed the genetics underlying plant responses to colonization by AMF, but the fungal side of the relationship remains in the dark. Here, we sequenced the genome of Gigaspora margarita, a member of the Gigasporaceae in an early diverging group of the Glomeromycotina. In contrast to other AMF, G. margarita may host distinct endobacterial populations and possesses the largest fungal genome so far annotated (773.104 Mbp), with more than 64% transposable elements. Other unique traits of the G. margarita genome include the expansion of genes for inorganic phosphate metabolism, the presence of genes for production of secondary metabolites and a considerable number of potential horizontal gene transfer events. The sequencing of G. margarita genome reveals the importance of its immune system, shedding light on the evolutionary pathways that allowed early diverging fungi to interact with both plants and bacteria

    DLBCL cells with acquired resistance to venetoclax are not sensitized to BIRD-2 but can be resensitized to venetoclax through Bcl-XL inhibition

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    Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2-family members are frequently dysregulated in both blood and solid cancers, contributing to their survival despite ongoing oncogenic stress. Yet, such cancer cells often are highly dependent on Bcl-2 for their survival, a feature that is exploited by so-called BH3-mimetic drugs. Venetoclax (ABT-199) is a selective BH3-mimetic Bcl-2 antagonist that is currently used in the clinic for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. Unfortunately, venetoclax resistance has already emerged in patients, limiting the therapeutic success. Here, we examined strategies to overcome venetoclax resistance. Therefore, we used two diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cell lines, Riva WT and venetoclax-resistant Riva (VR). The latter was obtained by prolonged culturing in the presence of venetoclax. We report that Riva VR cells did not become more sensitive to BIRD-2, a peptide targeting the Bcl-2 BH4 domain, and established cross-resistance towards BDA-366, a putative BH4-domain antagonist of Bcl-2. However, we found that Bcl-XL, another Bcl-2-family protein, is upregulated in Riva VR, while Mcl-1 expression levels are not different in comparison with Riva WT, hinting towards an increased dependence of Riva VR cells to Bcl-XL. Indeed, Riva VR cells could be resensitized to venetoclax by A-1155463, a selective BH3 mimetic Bcl-XL inhibitor. This is underpinned by siRNA experiments, demonstrating that lowering Bcl-XL-expression levels also augmented the sensitivity of Riva VR cells to venetoclax. Overall, this work demonstrates that Bcl-XL upregulation contributes to acquired resistance of DLBCL cancer cells towards venetoclax and that antagonizing Bcl-XL can resensitize such cells towards venetoclax

    Processing of Information Acquired at a Preconscious Level of Awareness: Instruction and Sex Effects on Hemispheric Laterality and Accuracy

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    The authors investigated situations in which appropriate behavior depends on information that is not consciously processed, and they attempted to influence the brain hemisphere which is most active when using such information. The experiment investigated two general ideas. First, task- appropriate hemispheric activation could be conditioned by instructions; and second, activation of the appropriate hemisphere would improve accuracy scores. Brain wave activation data confirmed that instructions could successfully trigger activation of either the right or the left hemisphere, and appropriate activation improved recall accuracy. They also found gender differences in responses to two parallel sets of stimulus slides
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