Combined local-density and dynamical mean field theory calculations for the compressed lanthanides Ce, Pr, and Nd

This paper reports calculations for compressed Ce (4f^1), Pr (4f^2), and Nd (4f^3) using a combination of the local-density approximation (LDA) and dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), or LDA+DMFT. The 4f moment, spectra, and the total energy among other properties are examined as functions of volume and atomic number for an assumed face-centered cubic (fcc) structure.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure

Brief psychotherapy for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Because evidence-based psychotherapies of 12 to 20 sessions can be perceived as too lengthy and time intensive for the treatment of depression in primary care, a number of studies have examined abbreviated psychotherapy protocols. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of brief psychotherapy (i.e., < 8 sessions) for depression. Methods: We used combined literature searches in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and an Internet-accessible database of clinical trials of psychotherapy to conduct two systematic searches: one for existing systematic reviews and another for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Included studies examined evidence-based psychotherapy(s) of eight or fewer sessions, focused on adults with depression, contained an acceptable control condition, were published in English, and used validated measures of depressive symptoms. Results: We retained 2 systematic reviews and 15 RCTs evaluating cognitive behavioral therapy, problem-solving therapy, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The systematic reviews found brief psychotherapies to be more efficacious than control, with effect sizes ranging from −0.33 to −0.25. Our meta-analysis found six to eight sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy to be more efficacious than control (ES −0.42, 95% CI −0.74 to −0.10, I2 = 56%). A sensitivity analysis controlled for statistical heterogeneity but showed smaller treatment effects (ES −0.24, 95% CI −0.42 to −0.06, I2 = 0%). Conclusions: Depression can be efficaciously treated with six to eight sessions of psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy and problem-solving therapy. Access to non-pharmacologic treatments for depression could be improved by training healthcare providers to deliver brief psychotherapies

Hdac3 regulates lymphovenous and lymphatic valve formation

Lymphedema, the most common lymphatic anomaly, involves defective lymphatic valve development; yet the epigenetic modifiers underlying lymphatic valve morphogenesis remain elusive. Here, we showed that during mouse development, the histone-modifying enzyme histone deacetylase 3 (Hdac3) regulates the formation of both lymphovenous valves, which maintain the separation of the blood and lymphatic vascular systems, and the lymphatic valves. Endothelium-specific ablation of Hdac3 in mice led to blood-filled lymphatic vessels, edema, defective lymphovenous valve morphogenesis, improper lymphatic drainage, defective lymphatic valve maturation, and complete lethality. Hdac3-deficient lymphovenous valves and lymphatic vessels exhibited reduced expression of the transcription factor Gata2 and its target genes. In response to oscillatory shear stress, the transcription factors Tal1, Gata2, and Ets1/2 physically interacted with and recruited Hdac3 to the evolutionarily conserved E-box-GATA-ETS composite element of a Gata2 intragenic enhancer. In turn, Hdac3 recruited histone acetyltransferase Ep300 to form an enhanceosome complex that promoted Gata2 expression. Together, these results identify Hdac3 as a key epigenetic modifier that maintains blood-lymph separation and integrates both extrinsic forces and intrinsic cues to regulate lymphatic valve development

Quantum backreaction of massive fields and self-consistent semiclassical extreme black holes and acceleration horizons

We consider the effect of backreaction of quantized massive fields on the metric of extreme black holes (EBH). We find the analytical approximate expression for the stress-energy tensor for a scalar (with an arbitrary coupling), spinor and vector fields near an event horizon. We show that, independent of a concrete type of EBH, the energy measured by a freely falling observer is finite on the horizon, so that quantum backreaction is consistent with the existence of EBH. For the Reissner-Nordstrom EBH with a total mass M_{tot} and charge Q we show that for all cases of physical interest M_{tot}< Q. We also discuss different types of quantum-corrected Bertotti-Robinson spacetimes, find for them exact self-consistent solutions and consider situations in which tiny quantum corrections lead to the qualitative change of the classical geometry and topology. In all cases one should start not from a classical background with further adding quantum corrections but from the quantum-corrected self-consistent geometries from the very beginning.Comment: Minor corrections. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Do semiclassical zero temperature black holes exist?

The semiclassical Einstein equations are solved to first order in $\epsilon = \hbar/M^2$ for the case of a Reissner-Nordstr\"{o}m black hole perturbed by the vacuum stress-energy of quantized free fields. Massless and massive fields of spin 0, 1/2, and 1 are considered. We show that in all physically realistic cases, macroscopic zero temperature black hole solutions do not exist. Any static zero temperature semiclassical black hole solutions must then be microscopic and isolated in the space of solutions; they do not join smoothly onto the classical extreme Reissner-Nordst\"{o}m solution as $\epsilon \to 0$.Comment: 5 pages, no figures, minor changes and corrections, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Compactification with Flux on K3 and Tori

We study compactifications of Type IIB string theory on a K3 \times T^2/Z_2 orientifold in the presence of RR and NS flux. We find the most general supersymmetry preserving, Poincare invariant, vacua in this model. All the complex structure moduli and some of the Kahler moduli are stabilised in these vacua. We obtain in an explicit fashion the restrictions imposed by supersymmetry on the flux, and the values of the fixed moduli. Some T-duals and Heterotic duals are also discussed, these are non-Calabi-Yau spaces. A superpotential is constructed describing these duals.Comment: Discussion of susy breaking vacua significantly altere

Thermal divergences on the event horizons of two-dimensional black holes

The expectation value of the stress-energy tensor \langleT_{\mu\nu}\rangle of a free conformally invariant scalar field is computed in a general static two-dimensional black hole spacetime when the field is in either a zero temperature vacuum state or a thermal state at a nonzero temperature. It is found that for every static two-dimensional black hole the stress-energy diverges strongly on the event horizon unless the field is in a state at the natural black hole temperature which is defined by the surface gravity of the event horizon. This implies that both extreme and nonextreme two-dimensional black holes can only be in equilibrium with radiation at the natural black hole temperature.Comment: 13 pages, REVTe

Guidelines on clinical presentation and management of non-dystrophic myotonias

The non‐dystrophic myotonias (NDMs) are rare muscle hyperexcitability disorders caused by gain‐of‐function mutations in the SCN4A gene or loss‐of‐function mutations in the CLCN1 gene. Clinically, they are characterized by myotonia, defined as delayed muscle relaxation after voluntary contraction, which leads to symptoms of muscle stiffness, pain, fatigue, and weakness. Diagnosis is based on history and examination findings, the presence of electrical myotonia on electromyography (EMG), and genetic confirmation. In the absence of genetic confirmation, the diagnosis is supported by detailed electrophysiological testing, exclusion of other related disorders, and analysis of a variant of uncertain significance (VUS) if present. Symptomatic treatment with a sodium channel blocker, such as mexiletine, is usually the first step in management, as well as educating patients about potential anesthetic complications

Evolution of the Density of States Gap in a Disordered Superconductor

It has only recently been possible to study the superconducting state in the attractive Hubbard Hamiltonian via a direct observation of the formation of a gap in the density of states N(w). Here we determine the effect of random chemical potentials on N(w) and show that at weak coupling, disorder closes the gap concurrently with the destruction of superconductivity. At larger, but still intermediate coupling, a pseudo-gap in N(w) remains even well beyond the point at which off-diagonal long range order vanishes. This change in the elementary excitations of the insulating phase corresponds to a crossover between Fermi- and Bose-Insulators. These calculations represent the first computation of the density of states in a finite dimensional disordered fermion model via the Quantum Monte Carlo and maximum entropy methods.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Structural and functional conservation of non-lumenized lymphatic endothelial cells in the mammalian leptomeninges

The vertebrate CNS is surrounded by the meninges, a protective barrier comprised of the outer dura mater and the inner leptomeninges, which includes the arachnoid and pial layers. While the dura mater contains lymphatic vessels, no conventional lymphatics have been found within the brain or leptomeninges. However, non-lumenized cells called Brain/Mural Lymphatic Endothelial Cells or Fluorescent Granule Perithelial cells (muLECs/BLECs/FGPs) that share a developmental program and gene expression with peripheral lymphatic vessels have been described in the meninges of zebrafish. Here we identify a structurally and functionally similar cell type in the mammalian leptomeninges that we name Leptomeningeal Lymphatic Endothelial Cells (LLEC). As in zebrafish, LLECs express multiple lymphatic markers, containing very large, spherical inclusions, and develop independently from the meningeal macrophage lineage. Mouse LLECs also internalize macromolecules from the cerebrospinal fluid, including Amyloid-β, the toxic driver of Alzheimer's disease progression. Finally, we identify morphologically similar cells co-expressing LLEC markers in human post-mortem leptomeninges. Given that LLECs share molecular, morphological, and functional characteristics with both lymphatics and macrophages, we propose they represent a novel, evolutionary conserved cell type with potential roles in homeostasis and immune organization of the meninges