DNA mixtures: biostatistics for mixed stains with haplotypic genetic markers

The conventional theory for interpreting forensic DNA evidence developed for the autosomal genetic markers is not applicable in the case of haplotypic markers, specifically for Y-STR based data. The reason is, that in contrast to the case of autosomal markers, single alleles found in the mixed stain cannot be assigned to unknown stain contributors independently of each other, while the assignable entities are sets of linked alleles which should be treated as non-separable units. It is shown that the conventional theory cannot be extended to this situation. A novel theory which accounts for the features of haplotypic markers has been developed within the general framework of the hypotheses testing approach. This theory opens the way for the use of haplotypic markers in the analysis of mixed stains with the arbitrary numbers of unknown contributors and linked loci. A numerical example demonstrates the application of the theor

General N = 1 Supersymmetric Flux Vacua of (Massive) Type IIA String Theory

We derive conditions for the existence of four-dimensional \N=1 supersymmetric flux vacua of massive type IIA string theory with general supergravity fluxes turned on. For an SU(3) singlet Killing spinor, we show that such flux vacua exist only when the internal geometry is nearly-K\"ahler. The geometry is not warped, all the allowed fluxes are proportional to the mass parameter and the dilaton is fixed by a ratio of (quantized) fluxes. The four-dimensional cosmological constant, while negative, becomes small in the vacuum with the weak string coupling.Comment: 4 page

Manifolds with small Dirac eigenvalues are nilmanifolds

Consider the class of n-dimensional Riemannian spin manifolds with bounded sectional curvatures and diameter, and almost non-negative scalar curvature. Let r=1 if n=2,3 and r=2^{[n/2]-1}+1 if n\geq 4. We show that if the square of the Dirac operator on such a manifold has $r$ small eigenvalues, then the manifold is diffeomorphic to a nilmanifold and has trivial spin structure. Equivalently, if M is not a nilmanifold or if M is a nilmanifold with a non-trivial spin structure, then there exists a uniform lower bound on the r-th eigenvalue of the square of the Dirac operator. If a manifold with almost nonnegative scalar curvature has one small Dirac eigenvalue, and if the volume is not too small, then we show that the metric is close to a Ricci-flat metric on M with a parallel spinor. In dimension 4 this implies that M is either a torus or a K3-surface

Benchmarking CPUs and GPUs on embedded platforms for software receiver usage

Smartphones containing multi-core central processing units (CPUs) and powerful many-core graphics processing units (GPUs) bring supercomputing technology into your pocket (or into our embedded devices). This can be exploited to produce power-efficient, customized receivers with flexible correlation schemes and more advanced positioning techniques. For example, promising techniques such as the Direct Position Estimation paradigm or usage of tracking solutions based on particle filtering, seem to be very appealing in challenging environments but are likewise computationally quite demanding. This article sheds some light onto recent embedded processor developments, benchmarks Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and correlation algorithms on representative embedded platforms and relates the results to the use in GNSS software radios. The use of embedded CPUs for signal tracking seems to be straight forward, but more research is required to fully achieve the nominal peak performance of an embedded GPU for FFT computation. Also the electrical power consumption is measured in certain load levels.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Invertible Dirac operators and handle attachments on manifolds with boundary

For spin manifolds with boundary we consider Riemannian metrics which are product near the boundary and are such that the corresponding Dirac operator is invertible when half-infinite cylinders are attached at the boundary. The main result of this paper is that these properties of a metric can be preserved when the metric is extended over a handle of codimension at least two attached at the boundary. Applications of this result include the construction of non-isotopic metrics with invertible Dirac operator, and a concordance existence and classification theorem.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Topology and Analysi

Selection of highly specific and sensitive mRNA biomarkers for the identification of blood

In the present work, we have evaluated eight reportedly blood-specific mRNA markers (HBB, HBA, ALAS2, CD3G, ANK1, PBGD, SPTB, AQP9) in an attempt to determine the most suitable ones for use in forensic applications based on their sensitivities, specificities and performance with casework samples. While varying levels of expression were observed, all markers were relatively sensitive requiring as little as 1 ng of RNA input into the reverse transcription (RT) reaction. In singleplex reactions, seven of the eight analyzed blood markers (all except AQP9) demonstrated a high degree of specificity for blood. In multiplex reactions, non-reproducible cross-reactivity was observed for several of the mRNA markers, which was reduced and, in most cases, eliminated when less input total RNA was used. Additionally, some cross-reactivity was observed with tissue and animal samples. Despite differences in the observed sensitivity and specificity of the blood markers examined in this study, a number of the candidates appear to be suitable for inclusion in appropriately validated multiplex mRNA-based body fluid identification systems

Revisiting the anticancer properties of phosphane(9-ribosylpurine-6-thiolato)gold(I) complexes and their 9H-purine precursors

New mono- and di-nuclear thio-purine and thio-purine nucleoside gold(I) complexes were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated in vitro for biological activities in comparison to related known purine complexes. By combining known anti-tumoral thio-purines with R(3)PAu moieties as present in auranofin, complexes with enhanced effects and selectivities were obtained, which not only act as cytostatics, but also disrupt tumor-specific processes. Their IC(50) values in cytotoxicity test with tumor cell lines ranged from three-digit nanomolar to single-digit micromolar, revealing a tentative structure–activity relationship (SAR). Both the residues R(2) of the phosphane ligand and R(1) at C2 of the pyrimidine ring had a significant impact on the cytotoxicity. In most cases, the introduction of a ribo-furanosyl group at N9 of the purine led to a distinctly more cytotoxic complex. Most complexes were more active against multi-drug-resistant tumor cells or such lacking functional p53 when compared to the respective untreated wild type cell lines. Some nucleoside complexes displayed an interesting dose-dependent dual mode of action regarding cell cycle arrest and DNA repair mechanism. Some phosphane(purine-6-thiolato)gold (I) complexes had a stronger inhibitory effect on the thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in cancer cells than is typical of other gold complexes. They also led to DNA fragmentation and showed anti-angiogenic effects. Their stability under test conditions was demonstrated by (77)Se NMR monitoring of an exemplary selenopurine complex. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00775-022-01968-x

Distinguished quantum states in a class of cosmological spacetimes and their Hadamard property

In a recent paper, we proved that a large class of spacetimes, not necessarily homogeneous or isotropous and relevant at a cosmological level, possesses a preferred codimension one submanifold, i.e., the past cosmological horizon, on which it is possible to encode the information of a scalar field theory living in the bulk. Such bulk-to-boundary reconstruction procedure entails the identification of a preferred quasifree algebraic state for the bulk theory, enjoying remarkable properties concerning invariance under isometries (if any) of the bulk and energy positivity, and reducing to well-known vacua in standard situations. In this paper, specialising to open FRW models, we extend previously obtained results and we prove that the preferred state is of Hadamard form, hence the backreaction on the metric is finite and the state can be used as a starting point for renormalisation procedures. That state could play a distinguished role in the discussion of the evolution of scalar fluctuations of the metric, an analysis often performed in the development of any model describing the dynamic of an early Universe which undergoes an inflationary phase of rapid expansion in the past.Comment: 41 page