Homogeneous Fermion Superfluid with Unequal Spin Populations

For decades, the conventional view is that an s-wave BCS superfluid can not support uniform spin polarization due to a gap $\Delta$ in the quasiparticle excitation spectrum. We show that this is an artifact of the dismissal of quasiparticle interactions $V_{qp}^{}$ in the conventional approach at the outset. Such interactions can cause triplet fluctuations in the ground state and hence non-zero spin polarization at "magnetic field" $h<\Delta$. The resulting ground state is a pairing state of quasiparticles on the ``BCS vacuum". For sufficiently large $V_{qp}$, the spin polarization of at unitarity has the simple form $m\propto \mu^{1/2}$. Our study is motivated by the recent experiments at Rice which found evidence of a homogenous superfluid state with uniform spin polarization.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Anisotropic Transport of Quantum Hall Meron-Pair Excitations

Double-layer quantum Hall systems at total filling factor $\nu_T=1$ can exhibit a commensurate-incommensurate phase transition driven by a magnetic field $B_{\parallel}$ oriented parallel to the layers. Within the commensurate phase, the lowest charge excitations are believed to be linearly-confined Meron pairs, which are energetically favored to align with $B_{\parallel}$. In order to investigate this interesting object, we propose a gated double-layer Hall bar experiment in which $B_{\parallel}$ can be rotated with respect to the direction of a constriction. We demonstrate the strong angle-dependent transport due to the anisotropic nature of linearly-confined Meron pairs and discuss how it would be manifested in experiment.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 3 postscript figure

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Genome-wide association meta-analyses and fine-mapping elucidate pathways influencing albuminuria

Increased levels of the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) are associated with higher risk of kidney disease progression and cardiovascular events, but underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we conduct trans-ethnic (n = 564,257) and European-ancestry specific meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies of UACR, including ancestry- and diabetes-specific analyses, and identify 68 UACR-associated loci. Genetic correlation analyses and risk score associations in an independent electronic medical records database (n = 192,868) reveal connections with proteinuria, hyperlipidemia, gout, and hypertension. Fine-mapping and trans-Omics analyses with gene expression in 47 tissues and plasma protein levels implicate genes potentially operating through differential expression in kidney (including TGFB1, MUC1, PRKCI, and OAF), and allow coupling of UACR associations to altered plasma OAF concentrations. Knockdown of OAF and PRKCI orthologs in Drosophila nephrocytes reduces albumin endocytosis. Silencing fly PRKCI further impairs slit diaphragm formation. These results generate a priority list of genes and pathways for translational research to reduce albuminuria

Age and provenance of the Chaung Magyi Group, Yeywa Dome, Myanmar, based on U-Pb dating of detrital zircons

The unfossiliferous Chaung Magyi Group of the Northern Shan Plateau of Myanmar, comprises metasedimentary rocks, in particular greywacke, slates, phyllites and schists, of inferred Proterozoic age that unconformably underlie the late Cambrian Pangyun Formation. To address the problem of the youngest stratigraphic extent of the group, four samples of the Chaung Magyi Group from the Yeywa Dome, East of Kyaukse, Mandalay Division, were collected for U-Pb dating of detrital zircons. Based on the youngest detrital zircons present in sandstone samples from the western Yeywa Dome area, at least the upper part of the Chaung Magyi Group is of latest Proterozoic age and possibly extends to the late Cambrian (~500 Ma). Comparison of detrital zircon age-frequency histogram distributions show only slight differences in distributions of detrital zircons in the Cambrian of NW Thailand and the Chaung Magyi Group samples (Sibumasu Terrane), with a concentration of ages between 1300 Ma and 820 Ma, with two major peaks at 1086 Ma and 1022 Ma. A younger Cryogenian age peak at 647 Ma is also observed. A spread of older concordant ages ranges from 3093 Ma to 1406 Ma. The minimum depositional age for the Chaung Magyi Group of the west of the Bawdwin Mine (982 Ma) based on ages of cross-cutting dykes (reported in Mitchell, 2018), and the maximum depositional age for Yeywa Dome (~600–500 Ma) based on detrital zircons suggest the age difference (~>400 my) is too great for the Chaung Magyi Group to be considered a single group, the dyke ages require re-investigation.Romana Dew, Christopher Keith Morley, Tin Aung Myint, Alan Collin

Quality of life, social position and occupational groups in Brazil: evidence from a population-based survey

This study investigates whether occupation, variable that reflects social position, is associated with good quality of life among Brazilians. It is a cross-sectional study based on data obtained from a population-based survey carried out in Brazil in 2008. The sample composed of 12,423 Brazilians, older than 20 years. Physical and mental quality of life were both measured by SF-36 and scores were grouped in "above the mean" and "below the mean" to set binary outcomes. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to verify the impact of occupational position on the chances of better physical and mental quality of life, controlling it by socio-demographic and health variables. Results showed that Brazilians included on the labour market have better chances of a good physical and mental quality of life, even if controlled by other variables