Prospect of creating a composite fermi/bose superfluid

We show that composite fermi/bose superfluids can be created in cold-atom traps by employing a Feshbach resonance or coherent photoassociation. The bosonic molecular condensate created in this way implies a new fermion pairing mechanism associated with the exchange of fermion pairs between the molecular condensate and an atomic fermion superfluid. We predict macroscopically coherent, Josephson-like oscillations of the atomic and molecular populations in response to a sudden change of the molecular energy, and suggest that these oscillations will provide an experimental signature of the pairing.Comment: Rejected by PR

Videophone-based multimodal home telecare support system for patients with diabetes

[Aims]We conducted an intervention study to clarify how effectively a telemedicine system using a multi-functional videophone could be used in lifestyle guidance, with special focus on diet for diabetic patients cared for at home. [Methods]Patients were assigned to a 3-month intervention group or to a usual care group. In the intervention group, patients and a medical professional communicated bi-directionally through a videophone-based communication system for 30 min, once a week. The participants were encouraged to send pictures of each meal online, through the videophone system, in real time. [Results]In intra-subjective comparison, the 3-month intervention program resulted in a significant decrease in body weight (BW) (p < 0.0005) and average HbA1C level (p < 0.005) compared with before the intervention program. Three months after the conclusion of the intervention program, average HbA1C levels returned to almost the same levels as before intervention (p < 0.05). In the usual care group, average HbA1C level did not change significantly for 6 months. [Conclusions]3-month intensive communication using the multimodal videophone system led to a significant decrease in BW and average HbA1C level. This novel bi-directional communication is useful for improving conditions such as diabetes, BW, and hyperglycemia for homecare diabetes patients, thus, reducing cardiovascular risk

Substrate specificity of TOR complex 2 is determined by a ubiquitin-fold domain of the Sin1 subunit

The target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase forms multi-subunit TOR complex 1 (TORC1) and TOR complex 2 (TORC2), which exhibit distinct substrate specificities. Sin1 is one of the TORC2-specific subunit essential for phosphorylation and activation of certain AGC-family kinases. Here, we show that Sin1 is dispensable for the catalytic activity of TORC2, but its conserved region in the middle (Sin1CRIM) forms a discrete domain that specifically binds the TORC2 substrate kinases. Sin1CRIM fused to a different TORC2 subunit can recruit the TORC2 substrate Gad8 for phosphorylation even in the sin1 null mutant of fission yeast. The solution structure of Sin1CRIM shows a ubiquitin-like fold with a characteristic acidic loop, which is essential for interaction with the TORC2 substrates. The specific substrate-recognition function is conserved in human Sin1CRIM, which may represent a potential target for novel anticancer drugs that prevent activation of the mTORC2 substrates such as AKT