Molecular ruby: exploring the excited state landscape

The discovery of the highly NIR-luminescent molecular ruby [Cr(ddpd)2]3+ (ddpd = N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-dipyridin-2-ylpyridine-2,6-diamine) has been a milestone in the development of earth-abundant luminophors and has led to important new impulses in the field of spin-flip emitters. Its favourable optical properties such as a high photoluminescence quantum yield and long excited state lifetime are traced back to a remarkable excited state landscape which has been investigated in great detail. This article summarises the results of these studies with the aim to create a coherent picture of the excited state ordering and the ultrafast as well as long-timescale dynamics. Additional experimental data is provided to fill in gaps left by previous reports

Local Projections of Low-Momentum Potentials

Nuclear interactions evolved via renormalization group methods to lower resolution become increasingly non-local (off-diagonal in coordinate space) as they are softened. This inhibits both the development of intuition about the interactions and their use with some methods for solving the quantum many-body problem. By applying "local projections", a softened interaction can be reduced to a local effective interaction plus a non-local residual interaction. At the two-body level, a local projection after similarity renormalization group (SRG) evolution manifests the elimination of short-range repulsive cores and the flow toward universal low-momentum interactions. The SRG residual interaction is found to be relatively weak at low energy, which motivates a perturbative treatment

Age Estimation by the Study of Cranial Suture Closure

INTRODUCTION : Identification is recognition of an individual by means of various physical features and biological parameters, which are unique to each individual. There are various established parameters for identification of an individual. These are external features (such as birth marks, scar, tattoo marks, occupational marks, malformations), personal features (such as clothes, speech, habits, handwriting), assessment of age and sex, determination of race and stature, anthropometric measurements, finger prints and foot prints, DNA finger printing. Question of identification arises in everyday medico legal practice both in civil and criminal cases. Since the bone resists putrefaction and destruction by animals, they can lead to the reliable determination of age, sex, race, stature of the individual. Age being once of the cardinal parameter for establishing the identity, its estimation is of paramount importance and requires special attention in cases where bodies are found in decomposed, mutilated state or only fragmentary remains are discovered. In adults mainly there are macro and microscopic methods of age estimation. The principal macroscopic changes are metamorphosis of pubic symphysis, closure of cranial sutures and degenerative changes in vertebral bodies and joints. The use of cranial sutures for age estimation has always been a matter of considerable debate and its reliability within the parameter has not been demonstrated conclusively by various researchers. Only handful of studies has been conducted in India, and data on heterogeneous population of Delhi region is virtually nonexistent. It may not be difficult to determine the age of the person with certain degree of accuracy from birth onwards as far as up to 25 years. The determination of age is needed for employment, marriage, majority, management of property, voting right, competency as witness and testamentary capacity. The significance of determination of the age is most important in the criminal cases, such as rape, infanticide, kidnapping, prostitution, juvenile delinquency and criminal responsibility. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES : 1. To study the chronology and pattern of union of endocranial sutures namely coronal, sagittal and lambdoid etc. 2. To detect bilateral and bisexual variations in endocranial suture closure if any. 3. To specify the relationship between progression of union of endocranial suture and age of the subject. 4. To formulate a practical method of estimation of age based on the status of the progression of the closure of sutures using the data collected. MATERIALS AND METHODS : The study was conducted on cases coming for medico‐legal postmortem examination to the Institute of Forensic medicine, Madras Medical College, Chennai, during a period of September 2008 to August 2009. Study design: A descriptive cross‐sectional study. Inclusion criteria: 1. The cases of known age coming for medicolegal postmortem examination. Age was confirmed by documentary evidences like birth certificate, identification cards, ration card, etc. 2. Subjects of more than 20 years of age were taken. Exclusion criteria: 1. Unknown, unclaimed bodies where exact age cannot be confirmed. 2. Cases showing deformed or diseased or fractured skull, which may hamper the study of suture closure. Methods: 100 cases of age 20 and above were studied. Documentary proof of age was collected. After reflecting the scalp, coronal, sagittal, lambdoid sutures were studied applying Acsadi‐Nemeskeri scale endocranially, after removing the calvaria by craniotome taking due care to include complete coronal and sagittal suture. Lambdoid suture was studied in‐situ. The calvarium was cleaned of soft tissues and was dried, which made the sutures more prominent.. The obliteration of the sutures was ascertained endocranially. Degree of closure was scored in 16 parts of the main cranial sutures as has been done by Acsardi‐Nemeskeri. CONCLUSIONS : 1. There is some correlation between endocranial suture closure and age upto 40‐50 year’s age group, there after there is no significant correlation. Any attempt to derive a reliable formula to estimate the age from score of suture closure was met with failure for the following reasons: 1) the trend of correlation is neither increasing nor decreasing with age, 2) the sample size is too small to derive a formula 3) unequal distribution of males and females in the study sample. 2 Though there is some difference in suture closure in males and females, it is not significant statistically. (Females showed earlier union than males in the age group 20‐29, in the other age groups suture closure occurred earlier in males). 3 There is no significant variation in suture closure of right and left sides of coronal and lambdoid sutures; 4. Endocranially: coronal suture closes earlier followed by sagittal and lambdoid. 5. Within sagittal suture segment, pars obelica(S3) closes earlier followed by pars lambdica(S4), pars vertices(S2), pars bregmatica(S1). In the coronal suture, pars complicata(C2) unites earlier followed by pars bregmatica(C1) and pars pterica(C3). In lambdoid suture pars asterica(L3) closesearlier followed by pars intermedia(L2) and pars lambdica(L1). 6. Endocranial union starts 20‐29 age groups but progression is not uniform. Complete closure (mean value > 3.5) of sagittal and lambdoid sutures occurs in the age group of 60‐69 years whereas in the coronol it occurs by 50‐59 years. 7. Although cross‐sectional in nature, suture obliteration patterns (totally open, totally closed, partially open, and partially closed) are not temporary progressive stages on an age scale, but rather independent permanent phenomena. 8. Commencement and complete obliteration of a segment of the entire suture is so erratic that it is not amenable for estimating the age

Pathways to dementia: genetic predictors of cognitive and brain imaging endophenotypes in Alzheimer's disease

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a national priority, with nearly six million Americans affected at an annual cost of $200 billion and no available cure. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying AD is crucial to combat its high and rising incidence and burdens. Most cases of AD are thought to have a complex etiology with numerous genetic and environmental factors influencing susceptibility. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have confirmed roles for several hypothesized genes and have discovered novel loci associated with disease risk. However, most GWAS-implicated genetic variants have displayed modest individual effects on disease risk and together leave substantial heritability and pathophysiology unexplained. As a result, new paradigms focusing on biological pathways have emerged, drawing on the hypothesis that complex diseases may be influenced by collective effects of multiple variants – of a variety of effect sizes, directions, and frequencies – within key biological pathways. A variety of tools have been developed for pathway-based statistical analysis of GWAS data, but consensus approaches have not been systematically determined. We critically review strategies for genetic pathway analysis, synthesizing extant concepts and methodologies to guide application and future development. We then apply pathway-based approaches to complement GWAS of key AD-related endophenotypes, focusing on two early, hallmark features of disease, episodic memory impairment and brain deposition of amyloid-β. Using GWAS and pathway analysis, we confirmed the association of APOE (apolipoprotein E) and discovered additional genetic modulators of memory functioning and amyloid-β deposition in AD, including pathways related to long-term potentiation, cell adhesion, inflammation, and NOTCH signaling. We also identified genetic associations to amyloid-β deposition that have classically been understood to mediate learning and memory, including the BCHE gene and signaling through the epidermal growth factor receptor. These findings validate the use of pathway analysis in complex diseases and illuminate novel genetic mechanisms of AD, including several pathways at the intersection of disease-related pathology and cognitive decline which represent targets for future studies. The complexity of the AD genetic architecture also suggests that biomarker and treatment strategies may require simultaneous targeting of multiple pathways to effectively combat disease onset and progression

A single institution experience of combined modality management of extra skeletal Ewings sarcoma

BACKGROUND: Extraskeletal Ewings sarcoma are rare tumors for which there is no consensus on optimal management. METHODS: A retrospective review of the clinical features, treatment and outcome of patients with extraskeletal Ewings sarcoma who reported to a single institution between January 1992 – December 2003 is reported. RESULTS: A total of 19 patients with extraskeletal Ewings sarcoma were identified. Of these, 4 patients had metastatic disease at presentation and 15 patients with non-metastatic disease received combined modality treatment with primary combination chemotherapy followed by local treatment with radiotherapy or surgery. Disease free survival and overall survival for patients with non metastatic disease after combined modality treatment were 60% and 30% respectively. The significant predictors for prolonged disease free survival and overall survival were high haemoglobin(p = 0.002), low lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.028), chemotherapy with Vincristine, Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide, Ifosfamide and Etoposide regime (p = 0.008) and complete response to chemotherapy (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Aggressive combination chemotherapy followed by complete surgery or radiotherapy to a dose of more than 50 Gy is essential to confer optimal outcome for patients with extraskeletal ewings sarcoma

Downlink scheduling in CDMA data networks

We identify optimality properties for scheduling downlink transmissions to data users in CDMA networks. For arbitrary-topology networks, we show that under certain idealizing assumptions it is optimal for a base station to transmit to only one data user at a time. Moreover, for data-only networks, we prove that a base station, when on, should transmit at maximum power for optimality. We use these two properties to obtain a mathematical programming formulation for determining the optimal transmission schedule in linear data-only networks, with time allocations playing the role of decision variables. The optimality conditions imply that there exist (i) subsets of outer users on either side of the cell that should be served when only the neighboring base station on the opposite side is on; (ii) a subset of inner users in the center of the cell that should be served when both neighbors are on; (iii) a subset of users in the intermediate regions that should receive transmissions when both neighbors are off. Exploiting these structural properties, we derive a simple search algorithm for finding the optimal transmission schedule in symmetric scenarios. Numerical experiments illustrate that scheduling achieves significant capacity gains over conventional CDMA

Determination and optimization of flavonoid and extract yield from brown mango using response surface methodology.

The optimum extraction conditions to obtain the highest flavonoid content and extract yield from Mangifera pajang pericarp (MPP) were analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM). A full factorial central composite design was used to investigate the effects of ethanol concentration (20-80%), temperature (30-65°C) and liquid to solid ratio (20-50 mL/g) on the recovery of extract yield and flavonoids. A second order polynomial model produced a satisfactory fitting of the experimental data with regard to extract yield (R 2 = 0.9890, p < 0.0001) and flavonoids (R 2 = 0.9652, p < 0.0001). The optimum conditions to obtain higher extract yield, were 54%, 50°C, and 42.4 mL/g, while for flavonoids were 68%, 57°C, and 20.2 mL/g, respectively. The experimental values agreed with those predicted with 99% and 96% confidence interval for extract yield and flavonoids respectively. This indicates the suitability of RSM in optimizing the extraction of flavonoids and extract yield from MPP

On semistable principal bundles over a complex projective manifold, II

Let (X, \omega) be a compact connected Kaehler manifold of complex dimension d and E_G a holomorphic principal G-bundle on X, where G is a connected reductive linear algebraic group defined over C. Let Z (G) denote the center of G. We prove that the following three statements are equivalent: (1) There is a parabolic subgroup P of G and a holomorphic reduction of the structure group of E_G to P (say, E_P) such that the bundle obtained by extending the structure group of E_P to L(P)/Z(G) (where L(P) is the Levi quotient of P) admits a flat connection; (2) The adjoint vector bundle ad(E_G) is numerically flat; (3) The principal G-bundle E_G is pseudostable, and the degree of the charateristic class c_2(ad(E_G) is zero.Comment: 15 page