Strong-coupling Analysis of Parity Phase Structure in Staggered-Wilson Fermions

We study strong-coupling lattice QCD with staggered-Wilson fermions, with emphasis on discrete symmetries and possibility of their spontaneous breaking. We perform hopping parameter expansion and effective potential analyses in the strong-coupling limit. From gap equations we find nonzero pion condensate in some range of a mass parameter, which indicates existence of the parity-broken phase in lattice QCD with staggered-Wilson fermions. We also find massless pions and PCAC relations around second-order phase boundary. These results suggest that we can take a chiral limit by tuning a mass parameter in lattice QCD with staggered-Wilson fermions as with the Wilson fermion.Comment: 37 pages, 9 figure

QCD phase diagram with 2-flavor lattice fermion formulations

We propose a new framework for investigating two-flavor lattice QCD with finite temperature and density. We consider the Karsten-Wilczek fermion formulation, in which a species-dependent imaginary chemical potential term can reduce the number of species to two without losing chiral symmetry. This lattice discretization is useful for study on finite-($T$,$\mu$) QCD since its discrete symmetries are appropriate for the case. To show its applicability, we study strong-coupling lattice QCD with temperature and chemical potential. We derive the effective potential of the scalar meson field and obtain a critical line of the chiral phase transition, which is qualitatively consistent with the phenomenologically expected phase diagram. We also discuss that $O(1/a)$ renormalization of imaginary chemical potential can be controlled by adjusting a parameter of a dimension-3 counterterm.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure

Mucinous Cystadenocarcinoma of the Colon during Pregnancy

A rare case of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the cecum in a pregnant woman is described. A 32-year-old Korean woman was diagnosed as having an abdominal tumor immediately after giving birth. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated a smooth mass measuring 10 cm in diameter on the right side of the abdomen. Acute abdomen developed 3 days after birth. At emergency surgery, volvulus of a polypoid tumor was detected at the cecum apart from the normal appendix. We successfully performed a tumorectomy; however, histopathological examination demonstrated mucinous adenocarcinoma with a massive blood clot

Varying-coefficient modeling via regularized basis functions

We address the problem of constructing varying-coefficient models based on basis expansions along with the technique of regularization. A crucial point in our modeling procedure is the selection of smoothing parameters in the regularization method. In order to choose the parameters objectively, we derive model selection criteria from the viewpoints of information-theoretic and Bayesian approach. We demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed modeling strategy through Monte Carlo simulations and analyzing a real data set.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Index Theorem and Overlap Formalism with Naive and Minimally Doubled Fermions

We present a theoretical foundation for the Index theorem in naive and minimally doubled lattice fermions by studying the spectral flow of a Hermitean version of Dirac operators. We utilize the point splitting method to implement flavored mass terms, which play an important role in constructing proper Hermitean operators. We show the spectral flow correctly detects the index of the would-be zero modes which is determined by gauge field topology. Using the flavored mass terms, we present new types of overlap fermions from the naive fermion kernels, with a number of flavors that depends on the choice of the mass terms. We succeed to obtain a single-flavor naive overlap fermion which maintains hypercubic symmetry.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figures; references added, version accepted in JHE

Ecto-5’-nucleotidase: Structure function relationships

Ecto-5’-nucleotidase (ecto-5’-NT) is attached via a GPI anchor to the extracellular membrane, where it hydrolyses AMP to adenosine and phosphate. Related 5’-nucleotidases exist in bacteria, where they are exported into the periplasmic space. X-ray structures of the 5’-nucleotidase from E. coli showed that the enzyme consists of two domains. The N-terminal domain coordinates two catalytic divalent metal ions, whereas the C-terminal domain provides the substrate specificity pocket for the nucleotides. Thus, the substrate binds at the interface of the two domains. Here, the currently available structural information on ecto-5’NT is reviewed in relation to the catalytic properties and enzyme function

Mechanisms of organelle division and inheritance and their implications regarding the origin of eukaryotic cells

Mitochondria and plastids have their own DNAs and are regarded as descendants of endosymbiotic prokaryotes. Organellar DNAs are not naked in vivo but are associated with basic proteins to form DNA-protein complexes (called organelle nuclei). The concept of organelle nuclei provides a new approach to explain the origin, division, and inheritance of organelles. Organelles divide using organelle division rings (machineries) after organelle-nuclear division. Organelle division machineries are a chimera of the FtsZ (filamentous temperature sensitive Z) ring of bacterial origin and the eukaryotic mechanochemical dynamin ring. Thus, organelle division machineries contain a key to solve the origin of organelles (eukaryotes). The maternal inheritance of organelles developed during sexual reproduction and it is also probably intimately related to the origin of organelles. The aims of this review are to describe the strategies used to reveal the dynamics of organelle division machineries, and the significance of the division machineries and maternal inheritance in the origin and evolution of eukaryotes