Function-based Intersubject Alignment of Human Cortical Anatomy

Making conclusions about the functional neuroanatomical organization of the human brain requires methods for relating the functional anatomy of an individual's brain to population variability. We have developed a method for aligning the functional neuroanatomy of individual brains based on the patterns of neural activity that are elicited by viewing a movie. Instead of basing alignment on functionally defined areas, whose location is defined as the center of mass or the local maximum response, the alignment is based on patterns of response as they are distributed spatially both within and across cortical areas. The method is implemented in the two-dimensional manifold of an inflated, spherical cortical surface. The method, although developed using movie data, generalizes successfully to data obtained with another cognitive activation paradigm—viewing static images of objects and faces—and improves group statistics in that experiment as measured by a standard general linear model (GLM) analysis

Bulk Fermions in Warped Models with a Soft Wall

We study bulk fermions in models with warped extra dimensions in the presence of a soft wall. Fermions can acquire a position dependent bulk Dirac mass that shields them from the deep infrared, allowing for a systematic expansion in which electroweak symmetry breaking effects are treated perturbatively. Using this expansion, we analyze properties of bulk fermions in the soft wall background. These properties include the realization of non-trivial boundary conditions that simulate the ones commonly used in hard wall models, the analysis of the flavor structure of the model and the implications of a heavy top. We implement a soft wall model of electroweak symmetry breaking with custodial symmetry and fermions propagating in the bulk. We find a lower bound on the masses of the first bosonic resonances, after including the effects of the top sector on electroweak precision observables for the first time, of m_{KK} \gtrsim 1-3 TeV at the 95% C.L., depending on the details of the Higgs, and discuss the implications of our results for LHC phenomenology.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figure

TRAIL induces nuclear translocation and chromatin localization of TRAIL death receptors

Binding of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) to the plasma membrane TRAIL-R1/-R2 selectively kills tumor cells. This discovery led to evaluation of TRAIL-R1/-R2 as targets for anti-cancer therapy, yet the corresponding clinical trials were disappointing. Meanwhile, it emerged that many cancer cells are TRAIL-resistant and that TRAIL-R1/R2-triggering may lead to tumor-promoting effects. Intriguingly, recent studies uncovered specific functions of long ignored intracellular TRAIL-R1/-R2, with tumor-promoting functions of nuclear (n)TRAIL-R2 as the regulator of let-7-maturation. As nuclear trafficking of TRAIL-Rs is not well understood, we addressed this issue in our present study. Cell surface biotinylation and tracking of biotinylated proteins in intracellular compartments revealed that nTRAIL-Rs originate from the plasma membrane. Nuclear TRAIL-Rs-trafficking is a fast process, requiring clathrin-dependent endocytosis and it is TRAIL-dependent. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence approaches revealed an interaction of nTRAIL-R2 with the nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttle protein Exportin-1/CRM-1. Mutation of a putative nuclear export sequence (NES) in TRAIL-R2 or the inhibition of CRM-1 by Leptomycin-B resulted in the nuclear accumulation of TRAIL-R2. In addition, TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2 constitutively localize to chromatin, which is strongly enhanced by TRAIL-treatment. Our data highlight the novel role for surface-activated TRAIL-Rs by direct trafficking and signaling into the nucleus, a previously unknown signaling principle for cell surface receptors that belong to the TNF-superfamily

Magnetospheric particle acceleration and X-ray emission of pulsars

The available data on isolated X-ray pulsars, their wind nebulae, and the supernova remnants which are connected to some of these sources are analyzed. It is shown that electric fields of neutron stars tear off charged particles from the surface of neutron star and trigger the acceleration of particles. The charged particles are accelerated mainly in the field of magneto-dipole radiation wave. Power and energy spectra of the charged particles depend on the strength of the magneto-dipole radiation. Therefore, the X-ray radiation is strongly dependent on the rate of rotational energy loss and weakly dependent on the electric field intensity. Coulomb interaction between the charged particles is the main factor for the energy loss and the X-ray spectra of the charged particles.Comment: minor correction on table format, 20 pages (4 figures, 1 table), submitted to International Journal of Modern Physics

Mechanical durability of hydrophobic surfaces fabricated by injection moulding of laser-induced textures

YesThe paper reports an investigation on the mechanical durability of textured thermoplastic surfaces together with their respective wetting properties. A range of laser-induced topographies with different aspect ratios from micro to nanoscale were fabricated on tool steel inserts using an ultrashort pulsed near infrared laser. Then, through micro-injection moulding the topographies were replicated onto polypropylene surfaces and their durability was studied systematically. In particular, the evolution of topographies on textured thermoplastic surfaces together with their wetting properties were investigated after undergoing a controlled mechanical abrasion, i.e. reciprocating dry and wet cleaning cycles. The obtained empirical data was used both to study the effects of cleaning cycles and also to identify cleaning procedures with a minimal impact on textured thermoplastic surfaces and their respective wetting properties. In addition, the use of 3D areal parameters that are standardised and could be obtained readily with any state-of-the-art surface characterisation system are discussed for monitoring the surfaces' functional response.European Commission H2020 ITN programme “European ESRs Network on Short Pulsed Laser Micro/Nanostructuring of Surfaces for Improved Functional Applications” (Laser4Fun) under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 675063 (www.laser4fun.eu) and the UKIERI DST programme “Surface functionalisation for food, packaging, and healthcare applications”. In addition, the work was supported by three other H2020 programmes, i.e. the projects on “Modular laser based additive manufacturing platform for large scale industrial applications” (MAESTRO), “High-Impact Injection Moulding Platform for mass-production of 3D and/or large micro-structured surfaces with Antimicrobial, Self-cleaning, Anti-scratch, Anti-squeak and Aesthetic functionalities” (HIMALAIA) and “Process Fingerprint for Zero-defect Net-shape Micromanufacturing” (MICROMAN)

Accurate PpT Data for Methane from (300 to 450) K up to 180 MPa

This paper reports PFT data measured with a high-pressure, single-sinker, magnetic-suspension densimeter (MSD) from (300 to 450) K up to 180 MPa. Our MSD technique yields accurate data, with less than 0.05 % relative uncertainty, over the pressure range of (10 to 200) MPa. The experimental data compare well to the Setzmann and Wagner equation of state as implemented in RefProp 8.0. These methane density data are consistent with the low range of pressure predicted by RefProp 8.0 that has a relative uncertainty of 0.03 % up to 12 MPa and 0.07 % up to 50 MPa. The density predictions of this model agree well with previous data at higher pressures. The equation predicts data with almost the same uncertainty as the experimental data up to 180 MPa. These PFT data also allow reliable determination of both second and third virial coefficients