Role of bulk and surface phonons in the decay of metal surface states

We present a comprehensive theoretical investigation of the electron-phonon contribution to the lifetime broadening of the surface states on Cu(111) and Ag(111), in comparison with high-resolution photoemission results. The calculations, including electron and phonon states of the bulk and the surface, resolve the relative importance of the Rayleigh mode, being dominant for the lifetime at small hole binding energies. Including the electron-electron interaction, the theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the measured binding energy and temperature dependent lifetime broadening.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

The genome of a baculovirus isolated from Hemileuca sp. encodes a serpin ortholog

The genome sequence of a baculovirus from Hemileuca sp. was determined. The genome is 140,633 kb, has a G+C content of 38.1%, and encodes 137 putative open reading frames over 50 amino acids. 126 of these ORFs showed similarity to other baculovirus genes in the database including all 37 core genes. Of the remaining 11 predicted genes, one is related to a lepidopteran serpin gene. This is the first report of a baculovirus encoding a member of this family of serine protease inhibitors, and the first report of a viral serpin outside the Poxviridae. The genome also contained 3 homologous repeat sequences. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the virus is a Group II Alphabaculovirus and belongs to a lineage that includes Orgyia leucostigma, Ectropis obliqua, Apocheima cinerarium, and Euproctis pseudoconspersa nucleopolyhedroviruses.This is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by Springer and can be found at: http://link.springer.com/journal/11262. GenBank accession KF158713Keywords: Baculovirus serpin gene, Baculovirus of saturniidae, Hemileuca baculovirus, Baculovirus genomeKeywords: Baculovirus serpin gene, Baculovirus of saturniidae, Hemileuca baculovirus, Baculovirus genom

Lifetime of d-holes at Cu surfaces: Theory and experiment

We have investigated the hole dynamics at copper surfaces by high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission experiments and many-body quasiparticle GW calculations. Large deviations from a free-electron-like picture are observed both in the magnitude and the energy dependence of the lifetimes, with a clear indication that holes exhibit longer lifetimes than electrons with the same excitation energy. Our calculations show that the small overlap of d- and sp-states below the Fermi level is responsible for the observed enhancement. Although there is qualitative good agreement of our theoretical predictions and the measured lifetimes, there still exist some discrepancies pointing to the need of a better description of the actual band structure of the solid.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, to appear in Phys. Rev.

MRI of the lung (3/3)-current applications and future perspectives

BACKGROUND: MRI of the lung is recommended in a number of clinical indications. Having a non-radiation alternative is particularly attractive in children and young subjects, or pregnant women. METHODS: Provided there is sufficient expertise, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be considered as the preferential modality in specific clinical conditions such as cystic fibrosis and acute pulmonary embolism, since additional functional information on respiratory mechanics and regional lung perfusion is provided. In other cases, such as tumours and pneumonia in children, lung MRI may be considered an alternative or adjunct to other modalities with at least similar diagnostic value. RESULTS: In interstitial lung disease, the clinical utility of MRI remains to be proven, but it could provide additional information that will be beneficial in research, or at some stage in clinical practice. Customised protocols for chest imaging combine fast breath-hold acquisitions from a "buffet" of sequences. Having introduced details of imaging protocols in previous articles, the aim of this manuscript is to discuss the advantages and limitations of lung MRI in current clinical practice. CONCLUSION: New developments and future perspectives such as motion-compensated imaging with self-navigated sequences or fast Fourier decomposition MRI for non-contrast enhanced ventilation- and perfusion-weighted imaging of the lung are discussed. Main Messages • MRI evolves as a third lung imaging modality, combining morphological and functional information. • It may be considered first choice in cystic fibrosis and pulmonary embolism of young and pregnant patients. • In other cases (tumours, pneumonia in children), it is an alternative or adjunct to X-ray and CT. • In interstitial lung disease, it serves for research, but the clinical value remains to be proven. • New users are advised to make themselves familiar with the particular advantages and limitations

Epigenetic Dysregulation of the Drp1 Binding Partners MiD49 and MiD51 Increases Mitotic Mitochondrial Fission and Promotes Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Mechanistic and Therapeutic Implications

Background -Mitotic fission is increased in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a hyperproliferative, apoptosis-resistant disease. The fission mediator, dynamin related protein 1 (Drp1) must complex with adaptor proteins to cause fission. Drp1-induced fission has been therapeutically targeted in experimental PAH. Here we examine the role of two recently discovered, poorly understood, Drp1 adapter proteins, mitochondrial dynamics protein of 49 and 51 kDa (MiD49 and MiD51) in normal vascular cells and explore their dysregulation in PAH. Methods -Immunoblots of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC, control, n=6; PAH, n=8) and immunohistochemistry of lung sections (control, n=6; PAH, n=6) were used to assess the expression of MiD49 and MiD51. The effects of manipulating MiDs on cell proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis were assessed in human and rodent PAH PASMC using flow cytometry. Mitochondrial fission was studied by confocal imaging. A microRNA (miR) involved in the regulation of MiD expression was identified using microarray techniques andin silicoanalyses. The expression of circulatory miR was assessed using qRT-PCR in healthy volunteers (HV) vs PAH patients from Sheffield, UK (plasma, HV, n=29, PAH, n=27; whole blood, HV, n=11, PAH, n=14), and then confirmed in a cohort from Beijing, China (plasma, HV, n=19, PAH, n=36; whole blood, HV, n=20, PAH, n=39). This work was replicated in monocrotaline and SU5416-hypoxia, preclinical PAH models. siRNA targeting MiDs or a miR mimic were nebulized to rats with monocrotaline-induced PAH (n=4-10). Results -MiD expression is increased in PAH PASMC, which accelerates Drp1-mediated mitotic fission, increases cell proliferation and decreases apoptosis. Silencing MiDs (but not other Drp1 binding partners, Fis1 or MFF) promotes mitochondrial fusion and causes G1-phase cell cycle arrest, through ERK1/2 and CDK4-dependent mechanism. Augmenting MiDs in normal cells causes fission and recapitulates the PAH phenotype. MiD upregulation results from decreased miR-34a-3p expression. Circulatory miR-34a-3p expression is decreased in both PAH patients and in preclinical models of PAH. Silencing MiDs or augmenting miR-34a-3p regresses experimental PAH. Conclusions -In health, MiDs regulate Drp1-mediated fission whilst in disease, epigenetic upregulation of MiDs increases mitotic fission, which drives pathologic proliferation and apoptosis resistance. The miR-34a-3p-MiD pathway offers new therapeutic targets for PAH

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer: early response prediction with quantitative MR imaging and spectroscopy.

A prospective study was undertaken in women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer in order to determine the ability of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton spectroscopy (MRS) to predict ultimate tumour response (percentage decrease in volume) or to detect early response. Magnetic resonance imaging and MRS were carried out before treatment and after the second of six treatment cycles. Pharmacokinetic parameters were derived from T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, water apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured, and tissue water:fat peak area ratios and water T2 were measured using unsuppressed one-dimensional proton spectroscopic imaging (30 and 135 ms echo times). Pharmacokinetic parameters and ADC did not detect early response; however, early changes in water:fat ratios and water T2 (after cycle two) demonstrated substantial prognostic efficacy. Larger decreases in water T2 accurately predicted final volume response in 69% of cases (11/16) while maintaining 100% specificity and positive predictive value. Small/absent decreases in water:fat ratios accurately predicted final volume non-response in 50% of cases (3/6) while maintaining 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value. This level of accuracy might permit clinical application where early, accurate prediction of non-response would permit an early change to second-line treatment, thus sparing patients unnecessary toxicity, psychological morbidity and delay of initiation of effective treatment

Somatosensory System Deficits in Schizophrenia Revealed by MEG during a Median-Nerve Oddball Task

Although impairments related to somatosensory perception are common in schizophrenia, they have rarely been examined in functional imaging studies. In the present study, magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to identify neural networks that support attention to somatosensory stimuli in healthy adults and abnormalities in these networks in patient with schizophrenia. A median-nerve oddball task was used to probe attention to somatosensory stimuli, and an advanced, high-resolution MEG source-imaging method was applied to assess activity throughout the brain. In nineteen healthy subjects, attention-related activation was seen in a sensorimotor network involving primary somatosensory (S1), secondary somatosensory (S2), primary motor (M1), pre-motor (PMA), and paracentral lobule (PCL) areas. A frontal–parietal–temporal “attention network”, containing dorsal- and ventral–lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC and VLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), superior parietal lobule (SPL), inferior parietal lobule (IPL)/supramarginal gyrus (SMG), and temporal lobe areas, was also activated. Seventeen individuals with schizophrenia showed early attention-related hyperactivations in S1 and M1 but hypo-activation in S1, S2, M1, and PMA at later latency in the sensorimotor network. Within this attention network, hypoactivation was found in SPL, DLPFC, orbitofrontal cortex, and the dorsal aspect of ACC. Hyperactivation was seen in SMG/IPL, frontal pole, and the ventral aspect of ACC in patients. These findings link attention-related somatosensory deficits to dysfunction in both sensorimotor and frontal–parietal–temporal networks in schizophrenia