Magnetic penetration depth in electron-doped cuprates - evidence for gap nodes

The in-plane penetration depth \lambda(T) is measured in electron-doped single crystals Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4-x (NCCO) and Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4-x (PCCO) using a 11 MHz LC resonator. In NCCO, \lambda(T) exhibits a minimum at 3.8 K and a pronounced upturn down to 0.4 K due to the paramagnetic contribution of Nd3+ ions. The London penetration depth contribution is linear in T. The paramagnetic contribution is absent in PCCO, where \lambda(T)~T^2 at low temperatures. Our results indicate the presence of nodes in the superconducting gap, i.e., non s-wave symmetry of the order parameter in electron-doped cuprates.Comment: 2 pages Acrobat-3 optimized PDF. To be presented at M2S-HTSC-V

A novel mode of capping protein-regulation by Twinfilin

Cellular actin assembly is controlled at the barbed ends of actin filaments, where capping protein (CP) limits polymerization. Twinfilin is a conserved in vivo binding partner of CP, yet the significance of this interaction has remained a mystery. Here, we discover that the C-terminal tail of Twinfilin harbors a CP-interacting (CPI) motif, identifying it as a novel CPI-motif protein. Twinfilin and the CPI-motif protein CARMIL have overlapping binding sites on CP. Further, Twinfilin binds competitively with CARMIL to CP, protecting CP from barbed-end displacement by CARMIL. Twinfilin also accelerates dissociation of the CP inhibitor V-1, restoring CP to an active capping state. Knockdowns of Twinfilin and CP each cause similar defects in cell morphology, and elevated Twinfilin expression rescues defects caused by CARMIL hyperactivity. Together, these observations define Twinfilin as the first \u27pro-capping\u27 ligand of CP and lead us to propose important revisions to our understanding of the CP regulatory cycle

Hydrogen bonding and coordination in normal and supercritical water from X-ray inelastic scattering

A direct measure of hydrogen bonding in water under conditions ranging from the normal state to the supercritical regime is derived from the Compton scattering of inelastically-scattered X-rays. First, we show that a measure of the number of electrons $n_e$ involved in hydrogen bonding at varying thermodynamic conditions can be directly obtained from Compton profile differences. Then, we use first-principles simulations to provide a connection between $n_e$ and the number of hydrogen bonds $n_{HB}$. Our study shows that over the broad range studied the relationship between $n_e$ and $n_{HB}$ is linear, allowing for a direct experimental measure of bonding and coordination in water. In particular, the transition to supercritical state is characterized by a sharp increase in the number of water monomers, but also displays a significant number of residual dimers and trimers.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Lack of resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to dihydroartemisinin in Uganda based on parasitogolgical and molecular assays

Artemisinin-­‐based combination therapy is now standard treatment for falciparum malaria. However, this regimen is threatened by resistance to artemisinins, manifest as delayed clearance of parasitemia after therapy, in southeast Asia. Artemisinin resistance in southeast Asia is associated with increased parasitemias in culture, compared to those in sensi0ve parasites, 72 hours a=er a 6 hour pulse with 700 nM dihydroartemisinin (DHA), and with propeller domain polymorphisms in the Plasmodium falciparum kelch (K13; PF3D7_1343700) gene Given that artemether/lumefantrine has been adopted as standard therapy for malaria within the last decade in Uganda, we characterized artemisinin sensiBvity in fresh P. falciparum isolates from Kampala using ex vivo ring-­‐stage survival and IC50 assays. We also assessed the K13 gene for polymorphisms

Lack of Artemisinin Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum in Uganda Based on Parasitological and Molecular Assays

We evaluated markers of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum isolated in Kampala in 2014. By standard in vitro assays, all isolates were highly sensitive to dihydroartemisinin (DHA). By the ring-stage survival assay, after a 6-h DHA pulse, parasitemia was undetectable in 40 of 43 cultures at 72 h. Two of 53 isolates had nonsynonymous K13-propeller gene polymorphisms but did not have the mutations associated with resistance in Asia. Thus, we did not see evidence for artemisinin resistance in Uganda

The Advanced Camera for Surveys General Catalog: Structural Parameters for Approximately Half A Million Galaxies

We present the Advanced Camera for Surveys General Catalog (ACS-GC), a photometric and morphological database using publicly available data obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The goal of the ACS-GC database is to provide a large statistical sample of galaxies with reliable structural and distance measurements to probe the evolution of galaxies over a wide range of look-back times. The ACS-GC includes approximately 470,000 astronomical sources (stars + galaxies) derived from the AEGIS, COSMOS, GEMS, and GOODS surveys. Galapagos was used to construct photometric (SEXTRACTOR) and morphological (GALFIT) catalogs. The analysis assumes a single Sersic model for each object to derive quantitative structural parameters. We include publicly available redshifts from the DEEP2, COMBO-17, TKRS, PEARS, ACES, CFHTLS, and zCOSMOS surveys to supply redshifts (spectroscopic and photometric) for a considerable fraction (similar to 74%) of the imaging sample. The ACS-GC includes color postage stamps, GALFIT residual images, and photometry, structural parameters, and redshifts combined into a single catalog.NASA/ESA GO-10134, GO-09822, GO-09425.01, GO-09583.01, GO-9500NASA NAS 5-26555NSF AST00-71048NASA LTSA NNG04GC89GESO Paranal Observatory LP175.A-0839Astronom