Annual Report 2005 - Institute of Nuclear and Hadron Physics

Preface The Forschungszentrum Rossendorf (FZR) at Dresden is a multidisciplinary research center within the Wissenschafts-Gemeinschaft G. W. Leibniz (WGL), one of the German agencies for extra-university research. The center is active in investigations on the structure of matter as well as in the life sciences and in environmental research. The Institute of Nuclear and Hadron Physics (IKH) within the FZR avails for its research the coupling of radiation to matter in subatomic dimensions as well as to tissue, to cells, and to their components. Its research in the field of Subatomic Physics is part of the FZR-program Structure of Matter and its investigations concerning the interaction of Biostructures and Radiation contribute to the bf Life Science program of the FZR. In this field the IKH exploits possibilities for transfer and introduction of experimental and theoretical techniques from particle and nuclear physics to projects in radiobiology and biophysics. Much of this kind of interdisciplinary transfer is connected to the Radiation Source ELBE at the FZR. With its superconducting accelerator for relativistic electrons this large installation provides photons in the wide wavelength range from fm to mm - i.e. bremsstrahlung for the investigation of photonuclear processes, hard X-rays for radiobiological and other studies and infrared light for research on the structural dynamics of biomolecules. The investigation of radiation-induced processes not only dominates the projects in nuclear astrophysics as pursued at ELBE, it also is a central theme of the experimental and theoretical research performed by the IKH in close connection to the heavy ion synchrotron SIS and the upcoming FAIR facility at Darmstadt. ELBE also will deliver compact bunches of secondary neutrons and fission fragments; both offer new possibilities in laboratory studies related to the cosmic breeding of the chemical elements thus complementing the astrophysics-motivated studies with bremsstrahlung photons..

Rapid solution of problems by nuclear-magnetic-resonance quantum computation

We offer an improved method for using a nuclear-magnetic-resonance quantum computer (NMRQC) to solve the Deutsch-Jozsa problem. Two known obstacles to the application of the NMRQC are exponential diminishment of density-matrix elements with the number of bits, threatening weak signal levels, and the high cost of preparing a suitable starting state. A third obstacle is a heretofore unnoticed restriction on measurement operators available for use by an NMRQC. Variations on the function classes of the Deutsch-Jozsa problem are introduced, both to extend the range of problems advantageous for quantum computation and to escape all three obstacles to use of an NMRQC. By adapting it to one such function class, the Deutsch-Jozsa problem is made solvable without exponential loss of signal. The method involves an extra work bit and a polynomially more involved Oracle; it uses the thermal-equilibrium density matrix systematically for an arbitrary number of spins, thereby avoiding both the preparation of a pseudopure state and temporal averaging.Comment: 19 page

Maternal genome-wide DNA methylation profiling in gestational diabetes shows distinctive disease-associated changes relative to matched healthy pregnancies

Several recent reports have described associations between gestational diabetes (GDM) and changes to the epigenomic landscape where the DNA samples were derived from either cord or placental sources. We employed genome-wide 450Karray analysis to determine changes to the epigenome in a unique cohort of maternal blood DNA from 11 pregnant women prior to GDM development relative to matched controls. Hierarchical clustering segregated the samples into two distinct clusters comprising GDM and healthy pregnancies. Screening identified 100 CpGs with a mean β-value difference of ≥0.2 between cases and controls. Using stringent criteria, 5 CpGs (within COPS8, PIK3R5, HAAO, CCDC124, and C5orf34 genes) demonstrated potentials to be clinical biomarkers as revealed by differential methylation in 8 of 11 women who developed GDM relative to matched controls. We identified, for the first time, maternal methylation changes prior to the onset of GDM that may prove useful as biomarkers for early therapeutic intervention

Muslim active citizenship in Australia: Socioeconomic challenges and the emergence of a Muslim elite

The most recent national Census demonstrated that Australian Muslims continue to occupy a socioeconomically disadvantaged position. On key indicators of unemployment rate, income, type of occupation and home ownership, Muslims consistently under-perform the national average. This pattern is evident in the last three Census data (2001, 2006 and 2011). Limited access to resources and a sense of marginalisation challenge full engagement with society and the natural growth of emotional affiliation with Australia. Muslim active citizenship is hampered by socioeconomic barriers. At the same time, an increasingly proactive class of educated Muslim elite has emerged to claim a voice for Muslims in Australia and promote citizenship rights and responsibilities. <br /