Leaf Mining Insects and Their Parasitoids in the Old-Growth Forest of the Huron Mountains

Leaf mining insects in an old-growth forest along the south central shore of Lake Superior in Michigan are documented. We present the results of a 13-year survey of leaf mining species, larval hosts, seasonal occurrence, and parasitoids, as well as report biological observations. Representative larvae, mines, adults, and parasitoids were preserved. Among the larval host associations, 15 are reported as new. Additionally, 42 parasitoid taxa were identified resulting in six first reports from the New World and 32 new host associations. Two undescribed species (Gelechiidae and Figitidae) discovered through this research were described in earlier publications

Leaf Mining Insects and Their Parasitoids in the Old-Growth Forest of the Huron Mountains

Leaf mining insects in an old-growth forest along the south central shore of Lake Superior in Michigan are documented. We present the results of a 13-year survey of leaf mining species, larval hosts, seasonal occurrence, and parasitoids, as well as report biological observations. Representative larvae, mines, adults, and parasitoids were preserved. Among the larval host associations, 15 are reported as new. Additionally, 42 parasitoid taxa were identified resulting in six first reports from the New World and 32 new host associations. Two undescribed species (Gelechiidae and Figitidae) discovered through this research were described in earlier publications

Spontaneous polar and chiral symmetry breaking in ordered fluids -- heliconical ferroelectric nematic phases

It is known that the chiral interaction described by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DMI) term lead to the plethora of topological structures of magnetic spins, such as helical or skyrmion phases. Here we present the that analogues electrical DMI can lead to similar structural complexity of electric dipoles in soft matter. We report on a new polar liquid phase in which achiral molecules spontaneously form a heliconical structure. The helical pitch is comparable to the wavelength of visible light and unwinds critically at the transition to a uniformly polar, ferroelectric nematic phase. Although this new liquid crystalline phase resembles the twist-bend nematic phase, the mechanism of its formation is different and is attributed to electrical interactions that cause non-collinear arrangement of electric dipoles, similarly as observed for spins in magnetic systems

Quantum Ratchets

The concept of thermal ratchets is extended to the system governed by quantum mechanics. We study a tight-binding model with an asymmetric periodic potential contacting with a heat bath under an external oscillating field as a specific example of quantum ratchet. Dynamics of a density operator of this system is studied numerically by using the quantum Liouville equation. Finite net current is found in the non-equilibrium steady state. The direction of the current varies with parameters, in contrast with the classical thermal ratchets.Comment: 7 pages, Latex, 4 ps figures; No change in the text by this replacement. only the figures are replaced with higher quality ones (but smaller size

Three and four current reversals versus temperature in correlation ratchets with a simple sawtooh potential

Transport of Brownian particles on a simple sawtooth potential subjected to both unbiased thermal and nonequilibrium symmetric three-level Markovian noise is considered. The new effects of three and four current reversals as a function of temperature are established in such correlation ratchets. The parameter space coordinates of the fixed points associated with these current reversals and the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the novel current reversals are found.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; some changes introduced; accepted for publication in Physical Review

Active vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) and bone health in middle-aged and elderly men: the European male aging study (EMAS)

<p>Context: There is little information on the potential impact of serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] on bone health including turnover.</p> <p>Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the influence of 1,25(OH)2D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] on bone health in middle-aged and older European men.</p> <p>Design, Setting, and Participants: Men aged 40–79 years were recruited from population registers in 8 European centers. Subjects completed questionnaires that included questions concerning lifestyle and were invited to attend for quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the heel, assessment of height and weight, and a fasting blood sample from which 1,25(OH)2D, 25(OH)D, and PTH were measured. 1,25(OH)2D was measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Bone markers serum N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP) and crosslinks (β-cTX) were also measured. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the hip and lumbar spine was performed in 2 centers.</p> <p>Main Outcome Measure(s): QUS of the heel, bone markers P1NP and β-cTX, and DXA of the hip and lumbar spine were measured.</p> <p>Results: A total of 2783 men, mean age 60.0 years (SD 11.0) were included in the analysis. After adjustment for age and center, 1,25(OH)2D was positively associated with 25(OH)D but not with PTH. 25(OH)D was negatively associated with PTH. After adjustment for age, center, height, weight, lifestyle factors, and season, 1,25(OH)2D was associated negatively with QUS and DXA parameters and associated positively with β-cTX. 1,25(OH)2D was not correlated with P1NP. 25(OH)D was positively associated with the QUS and DXA parameters but not related to either bone turnover marker. Subjects with both high 1,25(OH)2D (upper tertile) and low 25(OH)D (lower tertile) had the lowest QUS and DXA parameters and the highest β-cTX levels.</p> <p>Conclusions: Serum 1,25(OH)2D is associated with higher bone turnover and poorer bone health despite being positively related to 25(OH)D. A combination of high 1,25(OH)2D and low 25(OH)D is associated with the poorest bone health.</p&gt

Active vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) and bone health in middle-aged and elderly men: the European male aging study (EMAS)

<p>Context: There is little information on the potential impact of serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] on bone health including turnover.</p> <p>Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the influence of 1,25(OH)2D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] on bone health in middle-aged and older European men.</p> <p>Design, Setting, and Participants: Men aged 40–79 years were recruited from population registers in 8 European centers. Subjects completed questionnaires that included questions concerning lifestyle and were invited to attend for quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the heel, assessment of height and weight, and a fasting blood sample from which 1,25(OH)2D, 25(OH)D, and PTH were measured. 1,25(OH)2D was measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Bone markers serum N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP) and crosslinks (β-cTX) were also measured. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the hip and lumbar spine was performed in 2 centers.</p> <p>Main Outcome Measure(s): QUS of the heel, bone markers P1NP and β-cTX, and DXA of the hip and lumbar spine were measured.</p> <p>Results: A total of 2783 men, mean age 60.0 years (SD 11.0) were included in the analysis. After adjustment for age and center, 1,25(OH)2D was positively associated with 25(OH)D but not with PTH. 25(OH)D was negatively associated with PTH. After adjustment for age, center, height, weight, lifestyle factors, and season, 1,25(OH)2D was associated negatively with QUS and DXA parameters and associated positively with β-cTX. 1,25(OH)2D was not correlated with P1NP. 25(OH)D was positively associated with the QUS and DXA parameters but not related to either bone turnover marker. Subjects with both high 1,25(OH)2D (upper tertile) and low 25(OH)D (lower tertile) had the lowest QUS and DXA parameters and the highest β-cTX levels.</p> <p>Conclusions: Serum 1,25(OH)2D is associated with higher bone turnover and poorer bone health despite being positively related to 25(OH)D. A combination of high 1,25(OH)2D and low 25(OH)D is associated with the poorest bone health.</p&gt

Electrical switching of a chiral lasing from polariton condensate in a Rashba-Dresselhaus regime

Efficient optical classical and quantum information processing imposes on light novel requirements: chirality with low threshold non-linearities. In this work we demonstrate a chiral lasing from an optical modes due to emerging photonic Rashba-Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (SOC). For this purpose we developed a new electrically tunable device based on an optical cavity filled with birefringent liquid crystal (LC) and perovskite crystals. Our novel method for the growth of single crystals of CsPbBr$_3$ inorganic perovskite in polymer templates allows us to reach a strong light-matter coupling regime between perovskite excitons and cavity modes, and induce polariton condensation. The sensitivity of the LC to external electric fields lets us to tune the condensate energy in situ and induce synthetic SOC. This shapes the condensate between a single linearly polarized or two circularly polarized separated in momentum, emitting coherent light. The difference in the condensation thresholds between the two SOC regimes can be used to switch on and off the chiral condensate emission with a voltage.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

The ESR1 (6q25) locus is associated with calcaneal ultrasound parameters and radial volumetric bone mineral density in European men

<p><b>Purpose:</b> Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 6q25, which incorporates the oestrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1), as a quantitative trait locus for areal bone mineral density (BMD(a)) of the hip and lumbar spine. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of this locus on other bone health outcomes; calcaneal ultrasound (QUS) parameters, radial peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) parameters and markers of bone turnover in a population sample of European men.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the 6q25 locus were genotyped in men aged 40-79 years from 7 European countries, participating in the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS). The associations between SNPs and measured bone parameters were tested under an additive genetic model adjusting for centre using linear regression.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> 2468 men, mean (SD) aged 59.9 (11.1) years had QUS measurements performed and bone turnover marker levels measured. A subset of 628 men had DXA and pQCT measurements. Multiple independent SNPs showed significant associations with BMD using all three measurement techniques. Most notably, rs1999805 was associated with a 0.10 SD (95%CI 0.05, 0.16; p = 0.0001) lower estimated BMD at the calcaneus, a 0.14 SD (95%CI 0.05, 0.24; p = 0.004) lower total hip BMD(a), a 0.12 SD (95%CI 0.02, 0.23; p = 0.026) lower lumbar spine BMD(a) and a 0.18 SD (95%CI 0.06, 0.29; p = 0.003) lower trabecular BMD at the distal radius for each copy of the minor allele. There was no association with serum levels of bone turnover markers and a single SNP which was associated with cortical density was also associated with cortical BMC and thickness.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Our data replicate previous associations found between SNPs in the 6q25 locus and BMD(a) at the hip and extend these data to include associations with calcaneal ultrasound parameters and radial volumetric BMD.</p&gt