Low-lying eigenmodes of the Wilson-Dirac operator and correlations with topological objects

The probability density of low-lying eigenvectors of the hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator is examined. Comparisons in position and size between eigenvectors, topological charge and action density are made. We do this for standard Monte-Carlo generated SU(3) background fields and for single instanton background fields. Both hot and cooled SU(3) background fields are considered. An instanton model is fitted to eigenmodes and topological charge density and the sizes and positions of these are compared.Comment: v3: 20 pages, 11 figures, Colour versions of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 and additional colour figures can be obtained at http://www.physics.adelaide.edu.au/cssm/lattice Revised version contains additional discussions about the topological charge used and greatly improved readability of the plots, Corrected Fig.

γ-Aminobutyric Acid Increases the Water Accessibility of M3 Membrane-Spanning Segment Residues in γ-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptors

Abstractγ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors are members of the ligand-gated ion channel gene superfamily. Using the substituted cysteine accessibility method, we investigated whether residues in the α1M3 membrane-spanning segment are water-accessible. Cysteine was substituted, one at a time, for each M3 residue from α1Ala291 to α1Val307. The ability of these mutants to react with the water-soluble, sulfhydryl-specific reagent pCMBS− was assayed electrophysiologically. Cysteines substituted for α1Ala291 and α1Tyr294 reacted with pCMBS− applied both in the presence and in the absence of GABA. Cysteines substituted for α1Phe298, α1Ala300, α1Leu301, and α1Glu303 only reacted with pCMBS− applied in the presence of GABA. We infer that the pCMBS− reactive residues are on the water-accessible surface of the protein and that GABA induces a conformational change that increases the water accessibility of the four M3 residues, possibly by inducing the formation of water-filled crevices that extend into the interior of the protein. Others have shown that mutations of α1Ala291, a water-accessible residue, alter volatile anesthetic and ethanol potentiation of GABA-induced currents. Water-filled crevices penetrating into the interior of the membrane-spanning domain may allow anesthetics and alcohol to reach their binding sites and thus may have implications for the mechanisms of action of these agents

Evidence of spontaneous spin polarized transport in magnetic nanowires

The exploitation of the spin in charge-based systems is opening revolutionary opportunities for device architecture. Surprisingly, room temperature electrical transport through magnetic nanowires is still an unresolved issue. Here, we show that ferromagnetic (Co) suspended atom chains spontaneously display an electron transport of half a conductance quantum, as expected for a fully polarized conduction channel. Similar behavior has been observed for Pd (a quasi-magnetic 4d metal) and Pt (a non-magnetic 5d metal). These results suggest that the nanowire low dimensionality reinforces or induces magnetic behavior, lifting off spin degeneracy even at room temperature and zero external magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps fig

IVOA Recommendation: VOTable Format Definition Version 1.3

This document describes the structures making up the VOTable standard. The main part of this document describes the adopted part of the VOTable standard; it is followed by appendices presenting extensions which have been proposed and/or discussed, but which are not part of the standard

The most relevant diagnostic criteria for developmental dysplasia of the hip: a study of British specialists.

BACKGROUND: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is the most common orthopaedic disorder in newborns. Despite this considerable variation in practice exists. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical relevance and a ranking order for the diagnostic criteria in DDH amongst paediatric orthopaedic surgeons practicing in the UK. METHOD: One hundred members of the British Society of Children's Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS) were asked to rate the importance of 37 criteria useful in the diagnosis of DDH in newborns, using a 10 cm visual analogue scale. We determined the consistency among specialists in rating the criteria with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and compared the results to a group of international peers. RESULTS: Ortolani/Barlow tests, asymmetry in abduction ≥20° and a first-degree relative treated for DDH ranked among the top ten. Participants demonstrated poor consistency in rating the 37 criteria (ICC 0.39; 95% CI 0.29, 0.52), but for clinical examination criteria alone their consistency improved (ICC 0.52; 0.35, 0.75). The importance ratings of members of BSCOS and members of the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society differed for 15/37 (41%) criteria (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Members of BSCOS had a preference for criteria relating to clinical examination and ultrasound

Integration of Pretreatment With Simultaneous Counter-Current Extraction of Energy Sorghum for High-Titer Mixed Sugar Production

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) offers substantial potential as a feedstock for the production of sugar-derived biofuels and biochemical products from cell wall polysaccharides (i. e., cellulose and hemicelluloses) and water-extractable sugars (i.e., glucose, fructose, sucrose, and starch). A number of preprocessing schemes can be envisioned that involve processes such as sugar extraction, pretreatment, and densification that could be employed in decentralized, regional-scale biomass processing depots. In this work, an energy sorghum exhibiting a combination of high biomass productivity and high sugar accumulation was evaluated for its potential for integration into several potential biomass preprocessing schemes. This included counter-current extraction of water-soluble sugars followed by mild NaOH or liquid hot water pretreatment of the extracted bagasse. A novel processing scheme was investigated that could integrate with current diffuser-type extraction systems for sugar extraction. In this approach, mild NaOH pretreatment (i.e., \u3c90°C) was performed as a counter-current extraction to yield both an extracted, pretreated bagasse and a high-concentration mixed sugar stream. Following hydrolysis of the bagasse, the combined hydrolysates derived from cellulosic sugars and extractable sugars were demonstrated to be fermentable to high ethanol titers (\u3e8%) at high metabolic yields without detoxification using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain metabolically engineered and evolved to ferment xylose

Current practices in spatial analysis of cancer data: mapping health statistics to inform policymakers and the public

BACKGROUND: To communicate population-based cancer statistics, cancer researchers have a long tradition of presenting data in a spatial representation, or map. Historically, health data were presented in printed atlases in which the map producer selected the content and format. The availability of geographic information systems (GIS) with comprehensive mapping and spatial analysis capability for desktop and Internet mapping has greatly expanded the number of producers and consumers of health maps, including policymakers and the public. Because health maps, particularly ones that show elevated cancer rates, historically have raised public concerns, it is essential that these maps be designed to be accurate, clear, and interpretable for the broad range of users who may view them. This article focuses on designing maps to communicate effectively. It is based on years of research into the use of health maps for communicating among public health researchers. RESULTS: The basics for designing maps that communicate effectively are similar to the basics for any mode of communication. Tasks include deciding on the purpose, knowing the audience and its characteristics, choosing a media suitable for both the purpose and the audience, and finally testing the map design to ensure that it suits the purpose with the intended audience, and communicates accurately and effectively. Special considerations for health maps include ensuring confidentiality and reflecting the uncertainty of small area statistics. Statistical maps need to be based on sound practices and principles developed by the statistical and cartographic communities. CONCLUSION: The biggest challenge is to ensure that maps of health statistics inform without misinforming. Advances in the sciences of cartography, statistics, and visualization of spatial data are constantly expanding the toolkit available to mapmakers to meet this challenge. Asking potential users to answer questions or to talk about what they see is still the best way to evaluate the effectiveness of a specific map design

Synthesis of a new vanadyl(IV) complex with trehalose (TreVO): insulin-mimetic activities in osteoblast-like cells in culture

Vanadium compounds show interesting biological and pharmacological properties. Some of them display insulin-mimetic effects and others produce antitumor actions. The bioactivity of vanadium is present in inorganic species like the vanadyl(IV) cation or vanadate( V) anion. Nevertheless, the development of new vanadium derivatives with organic ligands which improve the beneficial actions and decrease the toxic effects is of great interest. On the other hand, the mechanisms involved in vanadium bioactivity are still poorly understood. A new vanadium complex of the vanadyl(IV) cation with the disaccharide trehalose (TreVO), Na6 [VO(Tre)2].4H2O, here reported, shows interesting insulin- mimetic properties in two osteoblast cell lines, a normal one (MC3T3E1) and a tumoral one (UMR106). The complex affected the proliferation of both cell lines in a different manner. On tumoral cells, TreVO caused a weak stimulation of growth at 5 lM but it inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-response manner between 50 and 100 lM. TreVO significantly inhibited UMR106 differentiation (15–25% of basal) in the range 5–100 lM. On normal osteoblasts, TreVO behaved as a mitogen at 5–25 lM. Different inhibitors of the MAPK pathway blocked this effect. At higher concentrations (75–100 lM), the complex was a weak inhibitor of the MC3T3E1 proliferation. Besides, TreVO enhanced glucose consumption by a mechanism independent of the PI3-kinase activation. In both cell lines, TreVO stimulated the ERK phosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Different inhibitors (PD98059, wortmannin, vitamins C and E) partially decreased this effect, which was totally inhibited by their combination. These results suggest that TreVO could be a potential candidate for therapeutic treatments