Whole-blood transcriptomic signatures induced during immunization by chloroquine prophylaxis and Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites

A highly effective vaccine that confers sterile protection to malaria is urgently needed. Immunization under chemoprophylaxis with sporozoites (CPS) consistently confers high levels of protection in the Controlled Human Malaria infection (CHMI) model. To provide a broad, unbiased assessment of the composition and kinetics of direct ex vivo human immune responses to CPS, we profiled whole-blood transcriptomes by RNA-seq before and during CPS immunization and following CHMI challenge. Differential expression of genes enriched in modules related to T cells, NK cells, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial processes were detected in fully protected individuals four weeks after the first immunization. Non-protected individuals demonstrated transcriptomic changes after the third immunization and the day of treatment, with upregulation of interferon and innate inflammatory genes and downregulation of B-cell signatures. Protected individuals demonstrated more significant interactions between blood transcription modules compared to non-protected individuals several weeks after the second and third immunizations. These data provide insight into the molecular and cellular basis of CPS-induced immune protection from P. falciparum infection

More than sense of place? Exploring the emotional dimension of rural tourism experiences

It is widely suggested that participation in rural tourism is underpinned by a sense of rural place or “rurality”. However, although nature and the countryside have long been recognised as a source of spiritual or emotional fulfilment, few have explored the extent to which tourism, itself often claimed to be a sacred experience, offers an emotional/spiritual dimension in the rural context. This paper addresses that literature gap. Using in-depth interviews with rural tourists in the English Lake District, it explores the extent to which, within respondents’ individual understanding of spirituality, a relationship exists between sense of place and deeper, emotional experiences and, especially, whether participation in rural tourism may induce spiritual or emotional responses. The research revealed that all respondents felt a strong attachment to the Lake District; similarly, and irrespective of their openness to spirituality, engaging in rural tourism activities resulted in highly emotive experiences for all respondents, the description/interpretation of such experiences being determined by individual “beliefs”. However, sense of place was not a prerequisite to emotional or spiritual experiences. Being in and engaging with the landscape � effectively becoming part of it � especially through physical activity is fundamental to emotional responses

Robust constrained model predictive control based on parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions

The problem of robust constrained model predictive control (MPC) of systems with polytopic uncertainties is considered in this paper. New sufficient conditions for the existence of parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions are proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which will reduce the conservativeness resulting from using a single Lyapunov function. At each sampling instant, the corresponding parameter-dependent Lyapunov function is an upper bound for a worst-case objective function, which can be minimized using the LMI convex optimization approach. Based on the solution of optimization at each sampling instant, the corresponding state feedback controller is designed, which can guarantee that the resulting closed-loop system is robustly asymptotically stable. In addition, the feedback controller will meet the specifications for systems with input or output constraints, for all admissible time-varying parameter uncertainties. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques

The Higgs Sector of the Minimal 3 3 1 Model Revisited

The mass spectrum and the eigenstates of the Higgs sector of the minimal 3 3 1 model are revisited in detail. There are discrepancies between our results and previous results by another author.Comment: 20 pages, latex, two figures. One note and one reference are adde

Electronic Spin Transport in Dual-Gated Bilayer Graphene

The elimination of extrinsic sources of spin relaxation is key in realizing the exceptional intrinsic spin transport performance of graphene. Towards this, we study charge and spin transport in bilayer graphene-based spin valve devices fabricated in a new device architecture which allows us to make a comparative study by separately investigating the roles of substrate and polymer residues on spin relaxation. First, the comparison between spin valves fabricated on SiO2 and BN substrates suggests that substrate-related charged impurities, phonons and roughness do not limit the spin transport in current devices. Next, the observation of a 5-fold enhancement in spin relaxation time in the encapsulated device highlights the significance of polymer residues on spin relaxation. We observe a spin relaxation length of ~ 10 um in the encapsulated bilayer with a charge mobility of 24000 cm2/Vs. The carrier density dependence of spin relaxation time has two distinct regimes; n<4 x 1012 cm-2, where spin relaxation time decreases monotonically as carrier concentration increases, and n>4 x 1012 cm-2, where spin relaxation time exhibits a sudden increase. The sudden increase in the spin relaxation time with no corresponding signature in the charge transport suggests the presence of a magnetic resonance close to the charge neutrality point. We also demonstrate, for the first time, spin transport across bipolar p-n junctions in our dual-gated device architecture that fully integrates a sequence of encapsulated regions in its design. At low temperatures, strong suppression of the spin signal was observed while a transport gap was induced, which is interpreted as a novel manifestation of impedance mismatch within the spin channel

Elusive vector glueball

If the vector glueball exists in the mass range that theory suggests, its resonance production cross section can be seen in e+e- annihilation only if the decay width is very narrow (< a few MeV). Otherwise it willbe observed only indirectly through its mixing with psi(2S). A few tests of the glueball-psi' mixing are proposed for future charm factories.Comment: One misleading short sentence delete

Yet Another Extension of the Standard Model: Oases in the Desert?

We have searched for conceptually simple extensions of the standard model, and describe here a candidate model which we find attractive. Our starting point is the assumption that off-diagonal CKM mixing matrix elements are directly related by lowest order perturbation theory to the quark mass matrices. This appears to be most easily and naturally implemented by assuming that all off-diagonal elements reside in the down-quark mass matrix. This assumption is in turn naturally realized by introducing three generations of heavy, electroweak-singlet down quarks which couple to the Higgs sector diagonally in flavor, while mass-mixing off-diagonally with the light down-quarks. Anomaly cancellation then naturally leads to inclusion of electroweak vector-doublet leptons. It is then only a short step to completing the extension to three generations of fundamental representations of E(6). Assuming only that the third generation B couples to the Higgs sector at least as strongly as does the top quark, the mass of the B is roughly estimated to lie between 1.7 TeV and 10 TeV, with lower-generation quarks no heavier. The corresponding guess for the new leptons is a factor two lower. Within the validity of the model, flavor and CP violation are ``infrared'' in nature, induced by semi-soft mass mixing terms, not Yukawa couplings. If the Higgs couplings of the new quarks are flavor symmetric, then there necessarily must be at least one ``oasis'' in the desert, induced by new radiative corrections to the top quark and Higgs coupling constants, and roughly at 1000 TeV.Comment: LaTex, 40 page

Isabelle/PIDE as Platform for Educational Tools

The Isabelle/PIDE platform addresses the question whether proof assistants of the LCF family are suitable as technological basis for educational tools. The traditionally strong logical foundations of systems like HOL, Coq, or Isabelle have so far been counter-balanced by somewhat inaccessible interaction via the TTY (or minor variations like the well-known Proof General / Emacs interface). Thus the fundamental question of math education tools with fully-formal background theories has often been answered negatively due to accidental weaknesses of existing proof engines. The idea of "PIDE" (which means "Prover IDE") is to integrate existing provers like Isabelle into a larger environment, that facilitates access by end-users and other tools. We use Scala to expose the proof engine in ML to the JVM world, where many user-interfaces, editor frameworks, and educational tools already exist. This shall ultimately lead to combined mathematical assistants, where the logical engine is in the background, without obstructing the view on applications of formal methods, formalized mathematics, and math education in particular.Comment: In Proceedings THedu'11, arXiv:1202.453

Implementation of Web-Based Respondent-Driven Sampling among Men who Have Sex with Men in Vietnam

Objective: Lack of representative data about hidden groups, like men who have sex with men (MSM), hinders an evidence-based response to the HIV epidemics. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was developed to overcome sampling challenges in studies of populations like MSM for which sampling frames are absent. Internet-based RDS (webRDS) can potentially circumvent limitations of the original RDS method. We aimed to implement and evaluate webRDS among a hidden population. Methods and Design: This cross-sectional study took place 18 February to 12 April, 2011 among MSM in Vietnam. Inclusion criteria were men, aged 18 and above, who had ever had sex with another man and were living in Vietnam. Participants were invited by an MSM friend, logged in, and answered a survey. Participants could recruit up to four MSM friends. We evaluated the system by its success in generating sustained recruitment and the degree to which the sample compositions stabilized with increasing sample size. Results: Twenty starting participants generated 676 participants over 24 recruitment waves. Analyses did not show evidence of bias due to ineligible participation. Estimated mean age was 22 year and 82% came from the two large metropolitan areas. 32 out of 63 provinces were represented. The median number of sexual partners during the last six months was two. The sample composition stabilized well for 16 out of 17 variables. Conclusion: Results indicate that webRDS could be implemented at a low cost among Internet-using MSM in Vietnam. WebRDS may be a promising method for sampling of Internet-using MSM and other hidden groups. Key words: Respondent-driven sampling, Online sampling, Men who have sex with men, Vietnam, Sexual risk behavio