Vortex wandering in a forest of splayed columnar defects

We investigate the scaling properties of single flux lines in a random pinning landscape consisting of splayed columnar defects. Such correlated defects can be injected into Type II superconductors by inducing nuclear fission or via direct heavy ion irradiation. The result is often very efficient pinning of the vortices which gives, e.g., a strongly enhanced critical current. The wandering exponent \zeta and the free energy exponent \omega of a single flux line in such a disordered environment are obtained analytically from scaling arguments combined with extreme-value statistics. In contrast to the case of point disorder, where these exponents are universal, we find a dependence of the exponents on details in the probability distribution of the low lying energies of the columnar defects. The analytical results show excellent agreement with numerical transfer matrix calculations in two and three dimensions.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure

Physiological and biochemical adaptations to training in Rana pipiens

Fifteen Rana pipiens were trained on a treadmill thrice weekly for 6.5 weeks to assess the effects of training on an animal that supports activity primarily through anaerobiosis. Endurance for activity increased 35% in these frogs as a result of training ( P =0.006, Fig. 1). This increased performance was not due to enhanced anaerobiosis. Total lactate produced during exercise did not differ significantly for the trained or untrained animals in either gastrocnemius muscle (2.77±0.21 and 2.82±0.13 mg/g, respectively) or whole body (1.32±0.10 and 1.47±0.06 mg/g, respectively). Glycogen depletion also did not differ between the two groups (Fig. 2c). The primary response to training appeared to involve augmentation of aerobic metabolism, a response similar to that reported for mammals. Gastrocnemius muscles of trained frogs underwent a 38% increase over those of untrained individuals in the maximum activity of citrate synthase (14.5±1.0 and 10.5±0.9 μmoles/(g wet wt·min); P =0.008). This enzyme was also positively correlated with the level of maximum performance for all animals tested ( r =0.61, P <0.01) and with the degree of improvement in the trained animals ( r =0.72, P <0.05). In addition to an increased aerobic capacity, the trained animals demonstrated a greater removal of lactate from the muscle 15 min after fatigue (Fig. 2b).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47124/1/360_2004_Article_BF00710002.pd

The BAF complex interacts with Pax6 in adult neural progenitors to establish a neurogenic cross-regulatory transcriptional network

Numerous transcriptional regulators of neurogenesis have been identified in the developing and adult brain, but how neurogenic fate is programmed at the epigenetic level remains poorly defined. Here, we report that the transcription factor Pax6 directly interacts with the Brg1-containing BAF complex in adult neural progenitor

Diabetes, atherosclerosis, and stenosis by AI

OBJECTIVEThis study evaluates the relationship between atherosclerotic plaque characteristics (APCs) and angiographic stenosis severity in patients with and without diabetes. Whether APCs differ based on lesion severity and diabetes status is unknown.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe retrospectively evaluated 303 subjects from the Computed TomogRaphic Evaluation of Atherosclerotic Determinants of Myocardial IsChEmia (CREDENCE) trial referred for invasive coronary angiography with coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) and classified lesions as obstructive (≥50% stenosed) or nonobstructive using blinded core laboratory analysis of quantitative coronary angiography. CCTA quantified APCs, including plaque volume (PV), calcified plaque (CP), noncalcified plaque (NCP), low-density NCP (LD-NCP), lesion length, positive remodeling (PR), high-risk plaque (HRP), and percentage of atheroma volume (PAV; PV normalized for vessel volume). The relationship between APCs, stenosis severity, and diabetes status was assessed.RESULTSAmong the 303 patients, 95 (31.4%) had diabetes. There were 117 lesions in the cohort with diabetes, 58.1% of which were obstructive. Patients with diabetes had greater plaque burden (P = 0.004). Patients with diabetes and nonobstructive disease had greater PV (P = 0.02), PAV (P = 0.02), NCP (P = 0.03), PAV NCP (P = 0.02), diseased vessels (P = 0.03), and maximum stenosis (P = 0.02) than patients without diabetes with nonobstructive disease. APCs were similar between patients with diabetes with nonobstructive disease and patients without diabetes with obstructive disease. Diabetes status did not affect HRP or PR. Patients with diabetes had similar APCs in obstructive and nonobstructive lesions.CONCLUSIONSPatients with diabetes and nonobstructive stenosis had an association to similar APCs as patients without diabetes who had obstructive stenosis. Among patients with nonobstructive disease, patients with diabetes had more total PV and NCP.Cardiolog