Generation and detection of axions using guided structures

We propose a new experimental technique to generate and detect axions in the lab with a good experimental sensitivity over a broad axion mass range. The scheme relies on using laser-based four-wave mixing, which is mediated by the hypothetical axion field. Intense pump and Stokes laser beams that are confined to a waveguide (i.e., for example, an optical fiber) with appropriately chosen frequencies resonantly drive axion generation. Under such a geometry, we predict the existence of guided axion waves, which we refer to as "axitons". These are solutions of the axion Klein-Gordon field equation that are spatially guided by the profiles of the driving pump and Stokes laser beams. These guided axitons can then couple to a nearby fiber and mix with another laser, affecting the propagation of a probe laser beam. A key advantage of the scheme is that the mass range of the hypothetical axion can be scanned by varying the frequencies of the pump and the Stokes laser beams. We predict that, using reasonable parameters, the technique will be able to detect axions in the mass range $10^{-6}$eV $< m<$ $10^{-2}$eV with a sensitivity at the level of $10^{-12}$ GeV$^{-1}$ for the axion-photon coupling constant

Individual Differences in Need for Cognition and Decision-Making Competence among Leaders

When making decisions, people sometimes deviate from normative standards. While such deviations may appear to be alarmingly common, examining individual differences may reveal a more nuanced picture. Specifically, the personality factor of need for cognition (i.e., the extent to which people engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activities; Cacioppo & Petty, 1982) may moderate decision makers’ susceptibility to bias, as could personality factors associated with being a leader. As part of a large-scale assessment of high-level leaders, participants completed a battery of decision-making competence and personality scales. Leaders who scored higher on need for cognition performed better on two of four components of a decision-making competence measure: framing and honoring sunk costs. In addition, the leader sample performed better than published controls. Thus, both individual differences in need for cognition and leadership experience moderate susceptibility to decision biases. Implications for broader theories of individual differences and bias are discussed

Assessment of the genetic basis of rosacea by genome-wide association study.

Rosacea is a common, chronic skin disease that is currently incurable. Although environmental factors influence rosacea, the genetic basis of rosacea is not established. In this genome-wide association study, a discovery group of 22,952 individuals (2,618 rosacea cases and 20,334 controls) was analyzed, leading to identification of two significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with rosacea, one of which replicated in a new group of 29,481 individuals (3,205 rosacea cases and 26,262 controls). The confirmed SNP, rs763035 (P=8.0 × 10(-11) discovery group; P=0.00031 replication group), is intergenic between HLA-DRA and BTNL2. Exploratory immunohistochemical analysis of HLA-DRA and BTNL2 expression in papulopustular rosacea lesions from six individuals, including one with the rs763035 variant, revealed staining in the perifollicular inflammatory infiltrate of rosacea for both proteins. In addition, three HLA alleles, all MHC class II proteins, were significantly associated with rosacea in the discovery group and confirmed in the replication group: HLA-DRB1*03:01 (P=1.0 × 10(-8) discovery group; P=4.4 × 10(-6) replication group), HLA-DQB1*02:01 (P=1.3 × 10(-8) discovery group; P=7.2 × 10(-6) replication group), and HLA-DQA1*05:01 (P=1.4 × 10(-8) discovery group; P=7.6 × 10(-6) replication group). Collectively, the gene variants identified in this study support the concept of a genetic component for rosacea, and provide candidate targets for future studies to better understand and treat rosacea

Weak antilocalization in quasi-two-dimensional electronic states of epitaxial LuSb thin films

Observation of large non-saturating magnetoresistance in rare-earth monopnictides has raised enormous interest in understanding the role of its electronic structure. Here, by a combination of molecular-beam epitaxy, low-temperature transport, angle-resolved photoemssion spectroscopy, and hybrid density functional theory we have unveiled the bandstructure of LuSb, where electron-hole compensation is identified as a mechanism responsible for large magnetoresistance in this topologically trivial compound. In contrast to bulk single crystal analogues, quasi-two-dimensional behavior is observed in our thin films for both electron and holelike carriers, indicative of dimensional confinement of the electronic states. Introduction of defects through growth parameter tuning results in the appearance of quantum interference effects at low temperatures, which has allowed us to identify the dominant inelastic scattering processes and elucidate the role of spin-orbit coupling. Our findings open up new possibilities of band structure engineering and control of transport properties in rare-earth monopnictides via epitaxial synthesis.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures; includes supplementary informatio

Promoting independence in Lewy body dementia through exercise: the PRIDE study

Background: Lewy body dementia (LBD) is an aggressive type of dementia of rapid, fluctuating disease trajectory, higher incidence of adverse events, and poorer functional independence than observed in Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Non-pharmacological treatments such as progressive, high-intensity exercise are effective in other neurological cohorts but have been scarcely evaluated in LBD. Methods: The Promoting Independence in Lewy Body Dementia through Exercise (PRIDE) trial was a non-randomised, non-blinded, crossover pilot trial involving older adults with LBD consisting of a baseline assessment, an 8-week wait-list, and an 8-week exercise intervention. The aims of this study were to evaluate the determinants of the primary outcome functional independence, as measured by the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, and the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an exercise intervention on this outcome. Additionally, important clinical characteristics were evaluated to explore associations and treatment targets. The exercise intervention was supervised, clinic-based, high-intensity progressive resistance training (PRT), challenging balance, and functional exercises, 3 days/week. Results: Nine participants completed the baseline cross-sectional study, of which five had a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), and four dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). Six completed the exercise intervention (three PDD, three DLB). The cohort was diverse, ranging from mild to severe dementia and living in various residential settings. Greater functional independence at baseline was significantly associated with better physical function, balance, cognition, quality of life, muscle mass ratio, walking endurance, faster walking speed and cadence, and lower dementia severity (p 80% adherence), and only one minor exercise-related adverse event occurred. Conclusions: PRIDE is the first exercise trial conducted specifically within individuals diagnosed with LBD, and provides important insight for the design of larger, randomized trials for further evaluation of progressive, high-intensity exercise as a valuable treatment in LBD. Trial registration: The PRIDE trial protocol has previously been prospectively registered (08/04/2016, ANZCTR: ACTRN12616000466448)

Performance of GEDI space-borne LiDAR for quantifying structural variation in the temperate forests of South-Eastern Australia

Monitoring forest structural properties is critical for a range of applications because structure is key to understanding and quantifying forest biophysical functioning, including stand dynamics, evapotranspiration, habitat, and recovery from disturbances. Monitoring of forest structural properties at desirable frequencies and cost globally is enabled by space-borne LiDAR missions such as the global ecosystem dynamics investigation (GEDI) mission. This study assessed the accuracy of GEDI estimates for canopy height, total plant area index (PAI), and vertical profile of plant area volume density (PAVD) and elevation over a gradient of canopy height and terrain slope, compared to estimates derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) across two forest age-classes in the Central Highlands region of south-eastern Australia. ALS was used as a reference dataset for validation of GEDI (Version 2) dataset. Canopy height and total PAI analyses were carried out at the landscape level to understand the influence of beam-type, height of the canopy, and terrain slope. An assessment of GEDI’s terrain elevation accuracy was also carried out at the landscape level. The PAVD profile evaluation was carried out using footprints grouped into two forest age-classes, based on the areas of mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forest burnt in the Central Highlands during the 1939 and 2009 wildfires. The results indicate that although GEDI is found to significantly under-estimate the total PAI and slightly over-estimate the canopy height, the GEDI estimates of canopy height and the vertical PAVD profile (above 25 m) show a good level of accuracy. Both beam-types had comparable accuracies, with increasing slope having a slightly detrimental effect on accuracy. The elevation accuracy of GEDI found the RMSE to be 10.58 m and bias to be 1.28 m, with an R2 of 1.00. The results showed GEDI is suitable for canopy densities and height in complex forests of south-eastern Australia

Srs2 mediates PCNA-SUMO-dependent inhibition of DNA repair synthesis

Completion of DNA replication needs to be ensured even when challenged with fork progression problems or DNA damage. PCNA and its modifications constitute a molecular switch to control distinct repair pathways. In yeast, SUMOylated PCNA (S-PCNA) recruits Srs2 to sites of replication where Srs2 can disrupt Rad51 filaments and prevent homologous recombination (HR). We report here an unexpected additional mechanism by which S-PCNA and Srs2 block the synthesis-dependent extension of a recombination intermediate, thus limiting its potentially hazardous resolution in association with a cross-over. This new Srs2 activity requires the SUMO interaction motif at its C-terminus, but neither its translocase activity nor its interaction with Rad51. Srs2 binding to S-PCNA dissociates Polδ and Polη from the repair synthesis machinery, thus revealing a novel regulatory mechanism controlling spontaneous genome rearrangements. Our results suggest that cycling cells use the Siz1-dependent SUMOylation of PCNA to limit the extension of repair synthesis during template switch or HR and attenuate reciprocal DNA strand exchanges to maintain genome stability. © 2013 European Molecular Biology Organization

The rise and fall of aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Aspirin is one of the most frequently used drugs worldwide and is generally considered effective for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. By contrast, the role of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is controversial. Early trials evaluating aspirin for primary prevention, done before the turn of the millennium, suggested reductions in myocardial infarction and stroke (although not mortality), and an increased risk of bleeding. In an effort to balance the risks and benefits of aspirin, international guidelines on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease have typically recommended aspirin only when a substantial 10-year risk of cardiovascular events exists. However, in 2018, three large randomised clinical trials of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease showed little or no benefit and have even suggested net harm. In this narrative Review, we reappraise the role of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, contextualising data from historical and contemporary trials