Two ground-state modifications of quantum-dot beryllium

Exact electronic properties of a system of four Coulomb-interacting two-dimensional electrons in a parabolic confinement are reported. We show that degenerate ground states of this system are characterized by qualitatively different internal electron-electron correlations, and that the formation of Wigner molecule in the strong-interaction regime is going on in essentially different ways in these ground states.Comment: 5 pages, incl 5 Figures and 2 Table

Housekeeping genes for quantitative expression studies in the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

Background During the last years the quantification of immune response under immunological challenges, e.g. parasitation, has been a major focus of research. In this context, the expression of immune response genes in teleost fish has been surveyed for scientific and commercial purposes. Despite the fact that it was shown in teleostei and other taxa that the gene for beta-actin is not the most stably expressed housekeeping gene (HKG), depending on the tissue and experimental treatment, the gene has been us Results To establish a reliable method for the measurement of immune gene expression in Gasterosteus aculeatus, sequences from the now available genome database and an EST library of the same species were used to select oligonucleotide primers for HKG, in order to perform quantitative reverse-transcription (RT) PCR. The expression stability of ten candidate reference genes was evaluated in three different tissues, and in five parasite treatment groups, using the three algorithms BestKeeper, geNorm and N Conclusion As they were the most stably expressed genes in all tissues examined, we suggest using the genes for the L13a ribosomal binding protein and ubiquitin as alternative or additional reference genes in expression analysis in Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Quantum-dot lithium in zero magnetic field: Electronic properties, thermodynamics, and a liquid-solid transition in the ground state

Energy spectra, electron densities, pair correlation functions and heat capacity of a quantum-dot lithium in zero external magnetic field (a system of three interacting two-dimensional electrons in a parabolic confinement potential) are studied using the exact diagonalization approach. A particular attention is given to a Fermi-liquid -- Wigner-solid transition in the ground state of the dot, induced by the intra-dot Coulomb interaction.Comment: 12 pages, incl. 16 figure

Extensive Copy-Number Variation of Young Genes across Stickleback Populations

MM received funding from the Max Planck innovation funds for this project. PGDF was supported by a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant (proposal nr 270891). CE was supported by German Science Foundation grants (DFG, EI 841/4-1 and EI 841/6-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Quantum dots in high magnetic fields: Rotating-Wigner-molecule versus composite-fermion approach

Exact diagonalization results are reported for the lowest rotational band of N=6 electrons in strong magnetic fields in the range of high angular momenta 70 <= L <= 140 (covering the corresponding range of fractional filling factors 1/5 >= nu >= 1/9). A detailed comparison of energetic, spectral, and transport properties (specifically, magic angular momenta, radial electron densities, occupation number distributions, overlaps and total energies, and exponents of current-voltage power law) shows that the recently discovered rotating-electron-molecule wave functions [Phys. Rev. B 66, 115315 (2002)] provide a superior description compared to the composite-fermion/Jastrow-Laughlin ones.Comment: Extensive clarifications were added (see new footnotes) regarding the difference between the rotating Wigner molecule and the bulk Wigner crystal; also regarding the influence of an external confining potential. 12 pages. Revtex4 with 6 EPS figures and 5 tables . For related papers, see http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~ph274c

Low genotypic diversity and long-term ecological decline in a spatially structured seagrass population

In isolated or declining populations, viability may be compromised further by loss of genetic diversity. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between long-term ecological trajectories and population genetic structure. However, opportunities to combine these types of data are rare, especially in natural systems. Using an existing panel of 15 microsatellites, we estimated allelic diversity in seagrass, Zostera marina, at five sites around the Isles of Scilly Special Area of Conservation, UK, in 2010 and compared this to 23 years of annual ecological monitoring (1996–2018). We found low diversity and long-term declines in abundance in this relatively pristine but isolated location. Inclusion of the snapshot of genotypic, but less-so genetic, diversity improved prediction of abundance trajectories; however, this was spatial scale-dependent. Selection of the appropriate level of genetic organization and spatial scale for monitoring is, therefore, important to identify drivers of eco-evolutionary dynamics. This has implications for the use of population genetic information in conservation, management, and spatial planning

Identification of Potential Sites for Tryptophan Oxidation in Recombinant Antibodies Using tert-Butylhydroperoxide and Quantitative LC-MS

Amino acid oxidation is known to affect the structure, activity, and rate of degradation of proteins. Methionine oxidation is one of the several chemical degradation pathways for recombinant antibodies. In this study, we have identified for the first time a solvent accessible tryptophan residue (Trp-32) in the complementary-determining region (CDR) of a recombinant IgG1 antibody susceptible to oxidation under real-time storage and elevated temperature conditions. The degree of light chain Trp-32 oxidation was found to be higher than the oxidation level of the conserved heavy chain Met-429 and the heavy chain Met-107 of the recombinant IgG1 antibody HER2, which have already been identified as being solvent accessible and sensitive to chemical oxidation. In order to reduce the time for simultaneous identification and functional evaluation of potential methionine and tryptophan oxidation sites, a test system employing tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) and quantitative LC-MS was developed. The optimized oxidizing conditions allowed us to specifically oxidize the solvent accessible methionine and tryptophan residues that displayed significant oxidation in the real-time stability and elevated temperature study. The achieved degree of tryptophan oxidation was adequate to identify the functional consequence of the tryptophan oxidation by binding studies. In summary, the here presented approach of employing TBHP as oxidizing reagent combined with quantitative LC-MS and binding studies greatly facilitates the efficient identification and functional evaluation of methionine and tryptophan oxidation sites in the CDR of recombinant antibodies

Being young in a changing world: how temperature and salinity changes interactively modify the performance of larval stages of the barnacle Amphibalanus improvisus

The fate of key species, such as the barnacle Amphibalanus improvisus, in the course of global change is of particular interest since any change in their abundance and/or performance may entail community-wide effects. In the fluctuating Western Baltic, species typically experience a broad range of environmental conditions, which may preselect them to better cope with climate change. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of two crucial ontogenetic phases (naupliar, cypris) of the barnacle toward a range of temperature (12, 20, and 28°C) and salinity (5, 15, and 30 psu) combinations. Under all salinity treatments, nauplii developed faster at intermediate and high temperatures. Cyprid metamorphosis success, in contrast, was interactively impacted by temperature and salinity. Survival of nauplii decreased with increasing salinity under all temperature treatments. Highest settlement rates occurred at the intermediate temperature and salinity combination, i.e., 20°C and 15 psu. Settlement success of “naive” cyprids, i.e., when nauplii were raised in the absence of stress (20°C/15 psu), was less impacted by stressful temperature/salinity combinations than that of cyprids with a stress history. Here, settlement success was highest at 30 psu particularly at low and high temperatures. Surprisingly, larval survival was not highest under the conditions typical for the Kiel Fjord at the season of peak settlement (20°C/15 psu). The proportion of nauplii that ultimately transformed to attached juveniles was, however, highest under these “home” conditions. Overall, only particularly stressful combinations of temperature and salinity substantially reduced larval performance and development. Given more time for adaptation, the relatively smooth climate shifts predicted will probably not dramatically affect this species

Correction: S1PR1 drives a feedforward signalling loop to regulate BATF3 and the transcriptional programme of Hodgkin lymphoma cells.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Modulation of the Akt/Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway by A3 adenosine receptor

Downstream A3 receptor signalling plays an important role in the regulation of cell death and proliferation. Therefore, it is important to determine the molecular pathways involved through A3 receptor stimulation. The phosphatidylinositide-3-OH kinase (PI3K)/Akt and the Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK) kinase (MEK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways have central roles in the regulation of cell survival and proliferation. The crosstalk between these two pathways has also been investigated. The focus of this review centres on downstream mediators of A3 adenosine receptor signalling