Baryon Octet magnetic moments in χ\chiPT: More on the importance of the Decuplet

We address the impact of treating the decuplet of spin-3/2 baryons as an explicit degree of freedom in the chiral expansion of the magnetic moments of the octet of spin-1/2 baryons. We carry out a complete calculation of the octet moments to O(1/\lamchic), including decuplet contributions to the chiral loops. In contrast to results of previous analyses, we find that inclusion of the decuplet preserves the convergence behavior of the chiral expansion implied by power counting arguments.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures. Includes axodraw.sty needed for figures Minor typos correcte

De Novo Missense Mutations in DHX30 Impair Global Translation and Cause a Neurodevelopmental Disorder

DHX30 is a member of the family of DExH-box helicases, which use ATP hydrolysis to unwind RNA secondary structures. Here we identified six different de novo missense mutations in DHX30 in twelve unrelated individuals affected by global developmental delay (GDD), intellectual disability (ID), severe speech impairment and gait abnormalities. While four mutations are recurrent, two are unique with one affecting the codon of one recurrent mutation. All amino acid changes are located within highly conserved helicase motifs and were found to either impair ATPase activity or RNA recognition in different in vitro assays. Moreover, protein variants exhibit an increased propensity to trigger stress granule (SG) formation resulting in global translation inhibition. Thus, our findings highlight the prominent role of translation control in development and function of the central nervous system and also provide molecular insight into how DHX30 dysfunction might cause a neurodevelopmental disorder

The Origin, Early Evolution and Predictability of Solar Eruptions

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were discovered in the early 1970s when space-borne coronagraphs revealed that eruptions of plasma are ejected from the Sun. Today, it is known that the Sun produces eruptive flares, filament eruptions, coronal mass ejections and failed eruptions; all thought to be due to a release of energy stored in the coronal magnetic field during its drastic reconfiguration. This review discusses the observations and physical mechanisms behind this eruptive activity, with a view to making an assessment of the current capability of forecasting these events for space weather risk and impact mitigation. Whilst a wealth of observations exist, and detailed models have been developed, there still exists a need to draw these approaches together. In particular more realistic models are encouraged in order to asses the full range of complexity of the solar atmosphere and the criteria for which an eruption is formed. From the observational side, a more detailed understanding of the role of photospheric flows and reconnection is needed in order to identify the evolutionary path that ultimately means a magnetic structure will erupt

Synthesis, characterization and performance enhancement of dry polyaniline-coated neuroelectrodes for electroencephalography measurement

Originating from a combination of neuroscience and biomedical engineering strategies, neuroprosthetics are developed as substitutes for sensory or cognitive modality damages caused by an injury or a disease. Dry electrodes are essential devices for monitoring of the biopotential such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG). In this paper, polyaniline (PANI) coated stainless steel (SS) electrodes have been fabricated using in-situ electrochemical polymerization on the SS surface. The SEM images showed the formation of a nanoporous PANI-coating on the SS electrodes. EIS measurements on a skin model demonstrated a significantly lower contact impedance for the PANI-coated electrodes compared to bare SS electrodes. Furthermore, increasing the thickness of the nanoporous coating resulted in a higher contact impedance reduction. The comparison of the EEG measurements for the manufactured electrodes with conventional wet Ag/AgCl electrodes showed that the electrodes could successfully monitor alpha rhythms and muscle artifacts, as well. The prepared electrode can be used in various applications such as biopotential monitoring. © 2021 Korean Physical Societ

Poloxamer: A versatile tri-block copolymer for biomedical applications

Poloxamers, also called Pluronic, belong to a unique class of synthetic tri-block copolymers containing central hydrophobic chains of poly(propylene oxide) sandwiched between two hydrophilic chains of poly(ethylene oxide). Some chemical characteristics of poloxamers such as temperature-dependent self-assembly and thermo-reversible behavior along with biocompatibility and physiochemical properties make poloxamer-based biomaterials promising candidates for biomedical application such as tissue engineering and drug delivery. The microstructure, bioactivity, and mechanical properties of poloxamers can be tailored to mimic the behavior of various types of tissues. Moreover, their amphiphilic nature and the potential to self-assemble into the micelles make them promising drug carriers with the ability to improve the drug availability to make cancer cells more vulnerable to drugs. Poloxamers are also used for the modification of hydrophobic tissue-engineered constructs. This article collects the recent advances in design and application of poloxamer-based biomaterials in tissue engineering, drug/gene delivery, theranostic devices, and bioinks for 3D printing. Statement of significance: Poloxamers, also called Pluronic, belong to a unique class of synthetic tri-block copolymers containing central hydrophobic chains of poly(propylene oxide) sandwiched between two hydrophilic chains of poly(ethylene oxide). The microstructure, bioactivity, and mechanical properties of poloxamers can be tailored to mimic the behavior of various types of tissues. Moreover, their amphiphilic nature and the potential to self-assemble into the micelles make them promising drug carriers with the ability to improve the drug availability to make cancer cells more vulnerable to drugs. However, no reports have systematically reviewed the critical role of poloxamer for biomedical applications. Research on poloxamers is growing today opening new scenarios that expand the potential of these biomaterials from �traditional� treatments to a new era of tissue engineering. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review article in which such issue is systematically reviewed and critically discussed in the light of the existing literature. © 2020 Acta Materialia Inc

Demonstrating mesoscopic superpositions in double-well Bose-Einstein condensates

The availability of Bose-Einstein condensates as mesoscopic or macroscopic quantum objects has aroused new interest in the possibility of making and detecting coherent superpositions involving many atoms. We consider the important problem of distinguishing whether a coherent superposition or a statistical mixture is generated by a given experimental procedure, using the specific example of a double-well condensate. In this system, such a superposition state can be generated by using a Feshbach resonance to tune the inter-atomic interactions. We find that unambiguously distinguishing even a perfect 'NOON' state from a statistical mixture using standard detection methods will present experimental difficulties. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved