Reply to Comment on "Quantum phase transition in the four-spin exchange antiferromagnet"

We argue that our analysis of the J-Q model, presented in Phys. Rev. B 80, 174403 (2009), and based on a field-theory description of coupled dimers, captures properly the strong quantum fluctuations tendencies, and the objections outlined by L. Isaev, G. Ortiz, and J. Dukelsky, arXiv:1003.5205, are misplaced

Local anaesthetic bupivacaine induced ovarian and prostate cancer apoptotic cell death and underlying mechanisms in vitro

Retrospective studies indicate that the use of regional anesthesia can reduce cancer recurrence after surgery which could be due to ranging from immune function preservation to direct molecular mechanisms. This study was to investigate the effects of bupivacaine on ovarian and prostate cancer cell biology and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cell viability, proliferation and migration of ovarian carcinoma (SKOV-3) and prostate carcinoma (PC-3) were examined following treatment with bupivacaine. Cleaved caspase 3, 8 and 9, and GSK-3β, pGSK-3β(tyr216) and pGSK-3β(ser9) expression were assessed by immunofluorescence. FAS ligand neutralization, caspase and GSK-3 inhibitors and GSK-3β siRNA were applied to further explore underlying mechanisms. Clinically relevant concentrations of bupivacaine reduced cell viability and inhibited cellular proliferation and migration in both cell lines. Caspase 8 and 9 inhibition generated partial cell death reversal in SKOV-3, whilst only caspase 9 was effective in PC-3. Bupivacaine increased the phosphorylation of GSK-3β(Tyr216) in SKOV-3 but without measurable effect in PC3. GSK-3β inhibition and siRNA gene knockdown decreased bupivacaine induced cell death in SKOV-3 but not in PC3. Our data suggests that bupivacaine has direct ‘anti-cancer’ properties through the activation of intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in ovarian cancer but only the intrinsic pathway in prostate cancer

Lambda and Anti-Lambda Hypernuclei in Relativistic Mean-field Theory

Several aspects about $\Lambda$-hypernuclei in the relativistic mean field theory, including the effective $\Lambda$-nucleon coupling strengths based on the successful effective nucleon-nucleon interaction PK1, hypernuclear magnetic moment and $\bar\Lambda$-hypernuclei, have been presented. The effect of tensor coupling in $\Lambda$-hypernuclei and the impurity effect of $\bar\Lambda$ to nuclear structure have been discussed in detail.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the Sendai International Symposium "Strangeness in Nuclear and Hadronic Systems SENDAI08

Novel structural features of the ripple phase of phospholipids

We have calculated the electron density maps of the ripple phase of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and palmitoyl-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) multibilayers at different temperatures and fixed relative humidity. Our analysis establishes, for the first time, the existence of an average tilt of the hydrocarbon chains of the lipid molecules along the direction of the ripple wave vector, which we believe is responsible for the occurrence of asymmetric ripples in these systems

Configuration mixing of angular-momentum projected triaxial relativistic mean-field wave functions. II. Microscopic analysis of low-lying states in magnesium isotopes

The recently developed structure model that uses the generator coordinate method to perform configuration mixing of angular-momentum projected wave functions, generated by constrained self-consistent relativistic mean-field calculations for triaxial shapes (3DAMP+GCM), is applied in a systematic study of ground states and low-energy collective states in the even-even magnesium isotopes $^{20-40}$Mg. Results obtained using a relativistic point-coupling nucleon-nucleon effective interaction in the particle-hole channel, and a density-independent $\delta$-interaction in the pairing channel, are compared to data and with previous axial 1DAMP+GCM calculations, both with a relativistic density functional and the non-relativistic Gogny force. The effects of the inclusion of triaxial degrees of freedom on the low-energy spectra and E2 transitions of magnesium isotopes are examined.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures and 1 tabl

Phases of the infinite U Hubbard model

We apply the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) to study the phase diagram of the infinite U Hubbard model on 2-, 4-, and 6-leg ladders. Where the results are largely insensitive to the ladder width, we consider the results representative of the 2D square lattice model. We find a fully polarized ferromagnetic Fermi liquid phase when n, the density of electrons per site, is in the range 1>n>n_F ~ 4/5. For n=3/4 we find an unexpected commensurate insulating "checkerboard" phase with coexisting bond density order with 4 sites per unit cell and block spin antiferromagnetic order with 8 sites per unit cell. For 3/4 > n, the wider ladders have unpolarized groundstates, which is suggestive that the same is true in 2D

Fos co-operation with PTEN loss elicits keratoacanthoma not carcinoma due to p53/p21^WAF-induced differentiation triggered by GSK3b inactivation and reduced AKT activity

To investigate gene synergism in multistage skin carcinogenesis, the RU486-inducible cre/lox system was employed to ablate PTEN function [K14.cre/D5PTENflx] in mouse epidermis expressing activated v-fos [HK1.fos]. RU486-treated HK1.fos/D5PTENflx mice exhibited hyperplasia, hyperkeratosis and tumours that progressed to highly differentiated keratoacanthomas rather than carcinomas, due to re-expression of high p53 and p21WAF levels. Despite elevated MAP kinase activity, cyclin D1/E2 over expression and increased AKT activity forming areas of highly proliferative, papillomatous keratinocytes, increasing levels of GSK3b inactivation exceeded a threshold that induced p53/p21WAF expression to halt proliferation and accelerate differentiation, giving the hallmark keratosis of keratoacanthomas. A pivotal facet to this GSK3b-triggered mechanism centred on increasing p53 expression in basal layer keratinocytes. This reduced activated AKT expression and released inhibition of p21WAF, which accelerated keratinocyte differentiation, as indicated by unique basal layer expression of differentiation-specific keratin K1, alongside premature filaggrin and loricrin expression. Thus, fos synergism with PTEN loss elicited a benign tumour context where GSK3b-induced, p53/p21WAF expression continually switched AKT-associated proliferation into one of differentiation, preventing further progression. This putative compensatory mechanism required the critical availability of normal p53 and/or p21WAF otherwise deregulated fos, Akt and GSK3b associate with malignant progression

Energy Density Functional analysis of shape evolution in N=28 isotones

The structure of low-energy collective states in proton-deficient N=28 isotones is analyzed using structure models based on the relativistic energy density functional DD-PC1. The relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov model for triaxial nuclei is used to calculate binding energy maps in the $\beta$-$\gamma$ plane. The evolution of neutron and proton single-particle levels with quadrupole deformation, and the occurrence of gaps around the Fermi surface, provide a simple microscopic interpretation of the onset of deformation and shape coexistence. Starting from self-consistent constrained energy surfaces calculated with the functional DD-PC1, a collective Hamiltonian for quadrupole vibrations and rotations is employed in the analysis of excitation spectra and transition rates of $^{46}$Ar, $^{44}$S, and $^{42}$Si. The results are compared to available data, and previous studies based either on the mean-field approach or large-scale shell-model calculations. The present study is particularly focused on $^{44}$S, for which data have recently been reported that indicate pronounced shape coexistence.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1102.419