Trapping ultracold atoms at 100 nm from a chip surface in a 0.7-micrometer-period magnetic lattice

We report the trapping of ultracold 87Rb atoms in a 0.7 micron-period 2D triangular magnetic lattice on an atom chip. The magnetic lattice is created by a lithographically patterned magnetic Co/Pd multilayer film plus bias fields. Rubidium atoms in the F=1, mF=-1 low-field seeking state are trapped at estimated distances down to about 100 nm from the chip surface and with calculated mean trapping frequencies as high as 800 kHz. The measured lifetimes of the atoms trapped in the magnetic lattice are in the range 0.4 - 1.7 ms, depending on distance from the chip surface. Model calculations suggest the trap lifetimes are currently limited mainly by losses due to surface-induced thermal evaporation following loading of the atoms from the Z-wire trap into the very tight magnetic lattice traps, rather than by fundamental loss processes such as surface interactions, three-body recombination or spin flips due to Johnson magnetic noise. The trapping of atoms in a 0.7 micrometer-period magnetic lattice represents a significant step towards using magnetic lattices for quantum tunneling experiments and to simulate condensed matter and many-body phenomena in nontrivial lattice geometries.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Is Flint Corn Naturally Resistant to Maize Weevil Infestation?

Sitophilus zeamais (maize weevil) is one of the most destructive pests of maize stored in tropical and subtropical regions. This study determined the resistance of flint corn and dent corn to infestation by S. zeamais (Motschulsky), the maize weevil. Improved King Philip hybrid flint corn and Fontanelle 6T-510 hybrid dent corn were used in this experiment. Two temperature conditions (10 °C and 27 °C) and two storage times (15 days and 30 days) were used. Results showed that flint corn was more resistant to insect damage than dent corn at 27 °C and 30 day storage time. After 30 days storage time and 27 ºC death rate was significantly higher in flint corn (R2 = 0.945) compared to (R2 = 0.634) in dent corn. Damaged seed was 10% higher in dent corn then in flint corn at 27 ºC and 30 days. However, no significant difference was observed for seed weight loss between flint corn and dent corn at the same storage conditions. Both dent and flint corn are extensively cultivated in developing countries. It appears that storage of flint corn may be one promising solution to reducing corn damage and infestation problems in the tropics and in developing countries, but more research is needed

The Antibacterial Effect <em>In Vitro</em> of Honey Derived from Various Danish Flora

The mechanism behind the biologic actions of honey as a wound remedy has been intensively studied; however, there is no published data regarding any antibacterial effect of honey derived from Danish flora. We surveyed 11 honeys of various Danish floral sources for their antibacterial activity and compared them to a culinary processed commercial honey (Jakobsens) and a raw and a medical grade Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey using the agar-well diffusion method. We tested the effect on three gram-positive bacteria (two strains of Staphylococcus aureus and one strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis) and two gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli). All samples, except the commercial honey, exhibited antibacterial activity, and samples derived from Water Mint (Mentha aquatica), Organic 2 (mixed organic flora), and Linden (Tilia cordata) honey had consistent effects on all bacteria tested and showed greater effect than medical grade and raw Manuka (L. scoparium) honey. The content of methylglyoxal was low in the Danish honey (< 2 μg/mL) and significantly (p<0.05) higher in both the raw and the medical grade Manuka (L. scoparium) honey, where the concentrations were, respectively, 6.29 μg/mL and 54.33 μg/mL. The antibacterial effect of Danish honeys was mostly due to hydrogen peroxide. We conclude that honeys derived from Danish flora possess antibacterial effect, probably by a hurdle effect of viscosity, osmolality, acidity, bioactive peptides, and most importantly the content of hydrogen peroxide. These findings indicate that honeys of various Danish floral sources may have clinical potential, although further studies are necessary to elucidate this in order to determine whether the results of our in vitro experiments also apply to a clinical setting

Reproducibility of thoracic kyphosis measurements in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

BACKGROUND: Current surgical treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) involves correction in both the coronal and sagittal plane, and thorough assessment of these parameters is essential for evaluation of surgical results. However, various definitions of thoracic kyphosis (TK) have been proposed, and the intra- and inter-rater reproducibility of these measures has not been determined. As such, the purpose of the current study was to determine the intra- and inter-rater reproducibility of several TK measurements used in the assessment of AIS. METHODS: Twenty patients (90% females) surgically treated for AIS with alternate-level pedicle screw fixation were included in the study. Three raters independently evaluated pre- and postoperative standing lateral plain radiographs. For each radiograph, several definitions of TK were measured as well as L1–S1 and nonfixed lumbar lordosis. All variables were measured twice 14 days apart, and a mixed effects model was used to determine the repeatability coefficient (RC), which is a measure of the agreement between repeated measurements. Also, the intra- and inter-rater intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was determined as a measure of reliability. RESULTS: Preoperative median Cobb angle was 58° (range 41°–86°), and median surgical curve correction was 68% (range 49–87%). Overall intra-rater RC was highest for T2–T12 and nonfixed TK (11°) and lowest for T4–T12 and T5–T12 (8°). Inter-rater RC was highest for T1–T12, T1-nonfixed, and nonfixed TK (13°) and lowest for T5–T12 (9°). Agreement varied substantially between pre- and postoperative radiographs. Inter-rater ICC was highest for T4–T12 (0.92; 95% CI 0.88–0.95) and T5–T12 (0.92; 95% CI 0.88–0.95) and lowest for T1-nonfixed (0.80; 95% CI 0.72–0.88). CONCLUSIONS: Considerable variation for all TK measurements was noted. Intra- and inter-rater reproducibility was best for T4–T12 and T5–T12. Future studies should consider adopting a relevant minimum difference as a limit for true change in TK. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13013-017-0112-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

ecoOcean - how to use a relatively simple game for stakeholder communication and dissemination

One of the major tasks within the SOCIOEC project is the investigation of the incentive structure and associated behavioral responses of fishers related to specific management measures. To analyze the incentives several methods will be used, including a novel approach using the game ecoOcean. EcoOcean is a graphical interface presenting a cellular based projection of an ocean with fish stocks, where up to four players/users (representing different stakeholders) can navigate their vessels and trawls. With simple modifications of the game mechanics, we will investigate the effect of, among others, changes in price, different gear technology or changes in total allowable catch on the behavior of stakeholders and students as a control group. The set up of a focused group like situation will allow the researchers to observe behaviour in a different context than a one-to-one interview. We plan to use this game table additionally to simulate management measures fishers propose for the future and to simulate results. This presentation will show the basic game design and exemplifies an experiment on changes in fuel prices.Keywords: Fisheries Games and Experiments: Applications for Education, Outreach and Science, Fisheries Economics, Special Topic

ecoOcean - games in Fisheries education, communication and science

There is growing realization of the potential for games and experiments as powerful tools for education, outreach and research in many fields of science. Particularly in fisheries management we face a growing demand for stakeholder involvement, which requires new ways in reaching informed decision making. Games and experiments can be used for (i) teaching economic and ecological principles to pupils, students and the general public, (ii) outreach and communication with stakeholders in participatory assessment or management environments, and (iii) collecting scientific data in controlled research experiments. We developed a conceptual approach and realized the fisheries simulation game ecoOcean. This tool has so far primarily been used for dissemination purposes. The great success of the current version of the game is a strong motivation to proceed on these lines. The game shall be further developed to include a higher complexity and enable the simulation of management measures, i.e. the stakeholder can play through management measures. The paper shall rise awareness of the strengths of this new approach to stakeholder involvement. We will describe past and current approaches and draw a vision on future use of games in education, communication and science, using the conceptual approach we have taken with ecoOcean

A high-affinity, bivalent PDZ domain inhibitor complexes PICK1 to alleviate neuropathic pain

Maladaptive plasticity involving increased expression of AMPA‐type glutamate receptors is involved in several pathologies, including neuropathic pain, but direct inhibition of AMPARs is associated with side effects. As an alternative, we developed a cell‐permeable, high‐affinity (~2 nM) peptide inhibitor, Tat‐P$_4$‐(C5)$_2$, of the PDZ domain protein PICK1 to interfere with increased AMPAR expression. The affinity is obtained partly from the Tat peptide and partly from the bivalency of the PDZ motif, engaging PDZ domains from two separate PICK1 dimers to form a tetrameric complex. Bivalent Tat‐P$_4$‐(C5)$_2$ disrupts PICK1 interaction with membrane proteins on supported cell membrane sheets and reduce the interaction of AMPARs with PICK1 and AMPA‐receptor surface expression in vivo. Moreover, Tat‐P$_4$‐(C5)$_2$ administration reduces spinal cord transmission and alleviates mechanical hyperalgesia in the spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain. Taken together, our data reveal Tat‐P$_4$‐(C5)$_2$ as a novel promising lead for neuropathic pain treatment and expand the therapeutic potential of bivalent inhibitors to non‐tandem protein–protein interaction domains

The best time to acquire new skills: age-related differences in implicit sequence learning across the human lifespan

Implicit skill learning underlies obtaining not only motor, but also cognitive and social skills through the life of an individual. Yet, the ontogenetic changes in humans’ implicit learning abilities have not yet been characterized, and, thus, their role in acquiring new knowledge efficiently during development is unknown. We investigated such learning across the life span, between 4-85 years of age with an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task, and we found that the difference in implicitly learning high vs. low probability events - measured by raw reaction time (RT) - exhibited a rapid decrement around age of 12. Accuracy and z-transformed data showed partially different developmental curves suggesting a re-evaluation of analysis methods in developmental research. The decrement in raw RT differences supports an extension of the traditional 2-stage lifespan skill acquisition model: in addition to a decline above the age 60 reported in earlier studies, sensitivity to raw probabilities and, therefore, acquiring new skills is significantly more effective until early adolescence than later in life. These results suggest that due to developmental changes in early adolescence, implicit skill learning processes undergo a marked shift in weighting raw probabilities vs. more complex interpretations of events, which, with appropriate timing, prove to be an optimal strategy for human skill learning

Intracellular Water Exchange for Measuring the Dry Mass, Water Mass and Changes in Chemical Composition of Living Cells

We present a method for direct non-optical quantification of dry mass, dry density and water mass of single living cells in suspension. Dry mass and dry density are obtained simultaneously by measuring a cell’s buoyant mass sequentially in an H[subscript 2]O-based fluid and a D[subscript 2]O-based fluid. Rapid exchange of intracellular H[subscript 2]O for D[subscript 2]O renders the cell’s water content neutrally buoyant in both measurements, and thus the paired measurements yield the mass and density of the cell’s dry material alone. Utilizing this same property of rapid water exchange, we also demonstrate the quantification of intracellular water mass. In a population of E. coli, we paired these measurements to estimate the percent dry weight by mass and volume. We then focused on cellular dry density – the average density of all cellular biomolecules, weighted by their relative abundances. Given that densities vary across biomolecule types (RNA, DNA, protein), we investigated whether we could detect changes in biomolecular composition in bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cells. In E. coli, and S. cerevisiae, dry density increases from stationary to exponential phase, consistent with previously known increases in the RNA/protein ratio from up-regulated ribosome production. For mammalian cells, changes in growth conditions cause substantial shifts in dry density, suggesting concurrent changes in the protein, nucleic acid and lipid content of the cell.National Cancer Institute (U.S.). Physical Sciences-Oncology Center (U54CA143874)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Center for Cell Division Process Grant P50GM6876)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Contract R01CA170592)United States. Army Research Office (Institute for Collaborate Biotechnologies Contract W911NF-09-D-0001