Universal behavior of crystalline membranes: Crumpling transition and Poisson ratio of the flat phase

We revisit the universal behavior of crystalline membranes at and below the crumpling transition, which pertains to the mechanical properties of important soft and hard matter materials, such as the cytoskeleton of red blood cells or graphene. Specifically, we perform large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of a triangulated two-dimensional phantom network which is freely fluctuating in three-dimensional space. We obtain a continuous crumpling transition characterized by critical exponents which we estimate accurately through the use of finite-size techniques. By controlling the scaling corrections, we additionally compute with high accuracy the asymptotic value of the Poisson ratio in the flat phase, thus characterizing the auxetic properties of this class of systems. We obtain agreement with the value which is universally expected for polymerized membranes with a fixed connectivity.This work was partially supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain) through Grants No. FIS2012-38866-C05-01 and No. FIS2013-42840-P, by Junta de Extremadura (Spain) through Grant No. GRU10158 (partially funded by FEDER), and by the European Union through Grant No. PIRSES-GA-2011-295302. We also made use of the computing facilities of Extremadura Research Centre for Advanced Technologies (CETA-CIEMAT), funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

The current population of benchmark brown dwarfs

The number of brown dwarfs (BDs) now identified tops 700. Yet our understanding of these cool objects is still lacking, and models are struggling to accurately reproduce observations. What is needed is a method of calibrating the models, BDs whose properties (e.g. age, mass, distance, metallicity) that can be independently determined can provide such calibration. The ability to calculate properties based on observables is set to be of vital importance if we are to be able to measure the properties of fainter, more distant populations of BDs that near-future surveys will reveal, for which ground based spectroscopic studies will become increasingly difficult. We present here the state of the current population of age benchmark brown dwarfs.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, to appear in the conference proceedings "New Technologies for Probing the Diversity of Brown Dwarfs and Exoplanets", Shanghai, 19-24 July, 200

The sub-stellar birth rate from UKIDSS

We present a new sample of mid-L to mid-T dwarfs with effective temperatures of 11001700 K selected from the UKIDSS Large Area Survey (LAS) and confirmed with infrared spectra from X-shooter/Very Large Telescope. This effective temperature range is especially sensitive to the formation history of Galactic brown dwarfs and allows us to constrain the form of the sub-stellar birth rate, with sensitivity to differentiate between a flat (stellar like) birth rate and an exponentially declining form. We present the discovery of 63 new L and T dwarfs from the UKIDSS LAS DR7, including the identification of 12 likely unresolved binaries, which form the first complete sub-set from our programme, covering 495 square degrees of sky, complete to J = 18.1. We compare our results for this sub-sample with simulations of differing birth rates for objects of masses 0.10-0.03 M-circle dot and ages 1-10 Gyr. We find that the more extreme birth rates (e. g. a halo type form) can likely be excluded as the true form of the birth rate. In addition, we find that although there is substantial scatter we find a preference for a mass function, with a power-law index a in the range -1 <alpha <0 that is consistent (within the errors) with the studies of late T dwarfs.Peer reviewe

Higher platelet cytochrome oxidase specific activity in surviving than in non-surviving septic patients

Introduction: In a previous study with 96 septic patients, we found that circulating platelets in 6-months surviving septic patients showed higher activity and quantity of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) normalized by citrate synthase (CS) activity at moment of severe sepsis diagnosis than non-surviving septic patients. The objective of this study was to estimate whether COX specific activity during the first week predicts 1-month sepsis survival in a larger cohort of patients.Methods: Using a prospective, multicenter, observational study carried out in six Spanish intensive care units with 198 severe septic patients, we determined COX activity per proteins (COXact/Prot) in circulating platelets at day 1, 4 and 8 of the severe sepsis diagnosis. Endpoints were 1-month and 6-months mortality.Results: Survivor patients (n = 130) showed higher COXact/Prot (P 0.30 mOD/min/mg at day 1 (P = 0.002), 4 (P = 0.006) and 8 (P = 0.02) was associated independently with 1-month mortality. Area under the curve of COXact/Prot at day 1, 4 and 8 to predict 30-day survival were 0.70 (95% CI = 0.63-0.76; P < 0.001), 0.71 (95% CI = 0.64-0.77; P < 0.001) and 0.71 (95% CI = 0.64-0.78; P < 0.001), respectively.Conclusions: The new findings of our study, to our knowledge the largest series reporting data about mitochondrial function during follow-up in septic patients, were that septic patients that survive 1-month have a higher platelet cytochrome oxidase activity at moment of sepsis diagnosis and during the first week than non-survivors, and that platelet cytochrome oxidase activity at moment of sepsis diagnosis and during the first week could be used as biomarker to predict the clinical outcome in septic patients

Transcriptomic profiling of TK2 deficient human skeletal muscle suggests a role for the p53 signalling pathway and identifies growth and differentiation factor-15 as a potential novel biomarker for mitochondrial myopathies

Background Mutations in the gene encoding thymidine kinase 2 (TK2) result in the myopathic form of mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome which is a mitochondrial encephalomyopathy presenting in children. In order to unveil some of the mechanisms involved in this pathology and to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets we have investigated the gene expression profile of human skeletal muscle deficient for TK2 using cDNA microarrays. Results We have analysed the whole transcriptome of skeletal muscle from patients with TK2 mutations and compared it to normal muscle and to muscle from patients with other mitochondrial myopathies. We have identified a set of over 700 genes which are differentially expressed in TK2 deficient muscle. Bioinformatics analysis reveals important changes in muscle metabolism, in particular, in glucose and glycogen utilisation, and activation of the starvation response which affects aminoacid and lipid metabolism. We have identified those transcriptional regulators which are likely to be responsible for the observed changes in gene expression. Conclusion Our data point towards the tumor suppressor p53 as the regulator at the centre of a network of genes which are responsible for a coordinated response to TK2 mutations which involves inflammation, activation of muscle cell death by apoptosis and induction of growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in muscle and serum. We propose that GDF-15 may represent a potential novel biomarker for mitochondrial dysfunction although further studies are required

Identification of candidate genes associated with fibromyalgia susceptibility in southern Spanish women: the al‑Ándalus project

Candidate-gene studies on fibromyalgia susceptibility often include a small number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which is a limitation. Moreover, there is a paucity of evidence in Europe. Therefore, we compared genotype frequencies of candidate SNPs in a well-characterised sample of Spanish women with fibromyalgia and healthy non-fibromyalgia women.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [I+D+i DEP2010-15639, I+D+i DEP2013-40908-R to M.D.-F.; BES-2014-067612 to F.E.-L.]; the Spanish Ministry of Education [FPU2014/02518 to M.B.-C.]; the Consejería de Turismo, Comercio y Deporte, Junta de Andalucía [CTCD-201000019242-TRA to M.D.-F.]; Consejería de Salud, Junta de Andalucía [PI-0520-2016 to M.D.-F.], and the University of Granada, Plan Propio de Investigación 2016, Excellence actions: Units of Excellence; Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES). This work is part of a Ph.D. Thesis conducted in the Biomedicine Doctoral Studies of the University of Granada, Spai

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

<i>Gaia</i> Data Release 1. Summary of the astrometric, photometric, and survey properties

Context. At about 1000 days after the launch of Gaia we present the first Gaia data release, Gaia DR1, consisting of astrometry and photometry for over 1 billion sources brighter than magnitude 20.7. Aims. A summary of Gaia DR1 is presented along with illustrations of the scientific quality of the data, followed by a discussion of the limitations due to the preliminary nature of this release. Methods. The raw data collected by Gaia during the first 14 months of the mission have been processed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) and turned into an astrometric and photometric catalogue. Results. Gaia DR1 consists of three components: a primary astrometric data set which contains the positions, parallaxes, and mean proper motions for about 2 million of the brightest stars in common with the HIPPARCOS and Tycho-2 catalogues – a realisation of the Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) – and a secondary astrometric data set containing the positions for an additional 1.1 billion sources. The second component is the photometric data set, consisting of mean G-band magnitudes for all sources. The G-band light curves and the characteristics of ∼3000 Cepheid and RR-Lyrae stars, observed at high cadence around the south ecliptic pole, form the third component. For the primary astrometric data set the typical uncertainty is about 0.3 mas for the positions and parallaxes, and about 1 mas yr−1 for the proper motions. A systematic component of ∼0.3 mas should be added to the parallax uncertainties. For the subset of ∼94 000 HIPPARCOS stars in the primary data set, the proper motions are much more precise at about 0.06 mas yr−1. For the secondary astrometric data set, the typical uncertainty of the positions is ∼10 mas. The median uncertainties on the mean G-band magnitudes range from the mmag level to ∼0.03 mag over the magnitude range 5 to 20.7. Conclusions. Gaia DR1 is an important milestone ahead of the next Gaia data release, which will feature five-parameter astrometry for all sources. Extensive validation shows that Gaia DR1 represents a major advance in the mapping of the heavens and the availability of basic stellar data that underpin observational astrophysics. Nevertheless, the very preliminary nature of this first Gaia data release does lead to a number of important limitations to the data quality which should be carefully considered before drawing conclusions from the data

A horizon scan exercise for aquatic invasive alien species in Iberian inland waters

As the number of introduced species keeps increasing unabatedly, identifying and prioritising current and potential Invasive Alien Species (IAS) has become essential to manage them. Horizon Scanning (HS), defined as an exploration of potential threats, is considered a fundamental component of IAS management. By combining scientific knowledge on taxa with expert opinion, we identified the most relevant aquatic IAS in the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., those with the greatest geographic extent (or probability of introduction), severe ecological, economic and human health impacts, greatest difficulty and acceptability of management. We highlighted the 126 most relevant IAS already present in Iberian inland waters (i.e., Concern list) and 89 with a high probability of being introduced in the near future (i.e., Alert list), of which 24 and 10 IAS, respectively, were considered as a management priority after receiving the highest scores in the expert assessment (i.e., top-ranked IAS). In both lists, aquatic IAS belonging to the four thematic groups (plants, freshwater invertebrates, estuarine invertebrates, and vertebrates) were identified as having been introduced through various pathways from different regions of the world and classified according to their main functional feeding groups. Also, the latest update of the list of IAS of Union concern pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 includes only 12 top-ranked IAS identified for the Iberian Peninsula, while the national lists incorporate the vast majority of them. This fact underlines the great importance of taxa prioritisation exercises at biogeographical scales as a step prior to risk analyses and their inclusion in national lists. This HS provides a robust assessment and a cost-effective strategy for decision-makers and stakeholders to prioritise the use of limited resources for IAS prevention and management. Although applied at a transnational level in a European biodiversity hotspot, this approach is designed for potential application at any geographical or administrative scale, including the continental one