Lepidoptera (Insecta) of proposed specially protected natural area "Belokurikha nature park" (Northern Altai). First results

149 Lepidoptera species from 16 families were reported for the territory of the proposed protected area "Belokurikha Natural Park". This list is the primary data on the fauna of Lepidoptera in the region. Most of the species belongs to Euro-Siberian and Transpalaearctic groups

Optical study of orbital excitations in transition-metal oxides

The orbital excitations of a series of transition-metal compounds are studied by means of optical spectroscopy. Our aim was to identify signatures of collective orbital excitations by comparison with experimental and theoretical results for predominantly local crystal-field excitations. To this end, we have studied TiOCl, RTiO3 (R=La, Sm, Y), LaMnO3, Y2BaNiO5, CaCu2O3, and K4Cu4OCl10, ranging from early to late transition-metal ions, from t_2g to e_g systems, and including systems in which the exchange coupling is predominantly three-dimensional, one-dimensional or zero-dimensional. With the exception of LaMnO3, we find orbital excitations in all compounds. We discuss the competition between orbital fluctuations (for dominant exchange coupling) and crystal-field splitting (for dominant coupling to the lattice). Comparison of our experimental results with configuration-interaction cluster calculations in general yield good agreement, demonstrating that the coupling to the lattice is important for a quantitative description of the orbital excitations in these compounds. However, detailed theoretical predictions for the contribution of collective orbital modes to the optical conductivity (e.g., the line shape or the polarization dependence) are required to decide on a possible contribution of orbital fluctuations at low energies, in particular in case of the orbital excitations at about 0.25 eV in RTiO3. Further calculations are called for which take into account the exchange interactions between the orbitals and the coupling to the lattice on an equal footing.Comment: published version, discussion of TiOCl extended to low T, improved calculation of orbital excitation energies in TiOCl, figure 16 improved, references updated, 33 pages, 20 figure

X-ray Nanodiffraction on a Single SiGe Quantum Dot inside a Functioning Field-Effect Transistor

For advanced electronic, optoelectronic, or mechanical nanoscale devices a detailed understanding of their structural properties and in particular the strain state within their active region is of utmost importance. We demonstrate that X-ray nanodiffraction represents an excellent tool to investigate the internal structure of such devices in a nondestructive way by using a focused synchotron X-ray beam with a diameter of 400 nm. We show results on the strain fields in and around a single SiGe island, which serves as stressor for the Si-channel in a fully functioning Si-metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor

Extracellular Hsp90 and TGFP regulate adhesion, migration and anchorage independent growth in a paired colon cancer cell line model

Tumour metastasis remains the major cause of death in cancer patients and, to date, the mechanism and signalling pathways governing this process are not completely understood. The TGF-ß pathway is the most commonly mutated pathway in cancer, however its role in cancer progression is controversial as it can function as both a promoter and a suppressor of metastasis. Although previous studies have suggested a role for the molecular chaperone Hsp90 in regulating the TGF-ß pathway, the level at which this occurs as well as the consequences in terms of colon cancer metastasis are unknown

Divergence points of self-similar measures and packing dimension

Let mu be a self-similar measure in R-d. A point x is an element of R-d for which the lim(r)SE arrow(0) log mu B(x,r)/log r does not exist is called a divergence point. Very recently there has been an enormous interest in investigating the fractal structure of various sets of divergence points. However, all previous work has focused exclusively on the study of the Hausdorff dimension of sets of divergence points and nothing is known about the packing dimension of sets of divergence points. In this paper we will give a systematic and detailed account of the problem of determining the packing dimensions of sets of divergence points of self-similar measures. An interesting and surprising consequence of our results is that, except for certain trivial cases, many natural sets of divergence points have distinct Hausdorff and packing dimensions. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.</p

Clinical significance of bone marrow edema in the late stages of osteoarthritis

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for osteoarthritis made it possible to simultaneously detail the state of cartilage, subchondral bone, menisci, ligaments, and synovial membrane. In some studies, a correlation was found between bone marrow edema (BME) and the intensity of the pain syndrome, the progression of OA and the risk of total knee replacement. In other studies, these data were not confirmed. It has been suggested that BME in OA, leading to debilitating pain, is not associated with trauma and is determined by an increase in extracellular fluid. Analysis of MRI images of 80 patients with 1-3 stages of knee osteoarthritis revealed a statistically significant relationship between the presence of bone marrow edema and the thickness of the cartilage of the femur and tibia, rupture and degradation of the medial menisci, the presence of Baker cysts and thickening of the synovial membrane. No reliable relationship was found with the presence and severity of synovitis. A review of data on the effect of various methods of conservative therapy on bone marrow edema in osteoarthritis is presented. The effect of anti-osteoporotic drugs, prostacyclin, Pentosan polysulfate sodium chondroitin sulfate is considered. Thus, OKM is of interest both in terms of the pathogenesis of OA and as an indicator of the effectiveness of the treatment of OA. Our data demonstrate a high incidence of OKM in the late stages of OA. The effect of pharmacological therapies on OKM requires further study