Thermal Critical Points and Quantum Critical End Point in the Frustrated Bilayer Heisenberg Antiferromagnet

We consider the finite-temperature phase diagram of the $S = 1/2$ frustrated Heisenberg bilayer. Although this two-dimensional system may show magnetic order only at zero temperature, we demonstrate the presence of a line of finite-temperature critical points related to the line of first-order transitions between the dimer-singlet and -triplet regimes. We show by high-precision quantum Monte Carlo simulations, which are sign-free in the fully frustrated limit, that this critical point is in the Ising universality class. At zero temperature, the continuous transition between the ordered bilayer and the dimer-singlet state terminates on the first-order line, giving a quantum critical end point, and we use tensor-network calculations to follow the first-order discontinuities in its vicinity.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; supplemental material: 3 pages, 3 figures; v2: as publishe

Postural stability is altered by the stimulation of pain but not warm receptors in humans

BACKGROUND: It is now recognized that large diameter myelinated afferents provide the primary source of lower limb proprioceptive information for maintaining an upright standing position. Small diameter afferents transmitting noxious stimuli, however, can also influence motor behaviors. Despite the possible influence of pain on motor behaviors, the effects of pain on the postural control system have not been well documented. METHODS: Two cutaneous heat stimulations (experiment 1: non-noxious 40 degrees C; experiment 2: noxious 45 degrees C) were applied bilaterally on the calves of the subject with two thermal grills to stimulate A delta and C warm receptors and nociceptors in order to examine their effects on postural stability. The non-noxious stimulation induced a gentle sensation of warmth and the noxious stimulation induced a perception of heat pain (visual analogue scores of 0 and 46 mm, respectively). For both experiments, ten healthy young adults were tested with and without heat stimulations of the lower limbs while standing upright on a force platform with eyes open, eyes closed and eyes closed with tendon co-vibration of tibialis anterior and triceps surae muscles. The center of pressure displacements were analyzed to examine how both stimulations affected the regulation of quiet standing and if the effects were exacerbated when vision was removed or ankle proprioception perturbed. RESULTS: The stimulation of the warm receptors (40 degrees C) did not induce any postural deterioration. With pain (45 degrees C), subjects showed a significant increase in standard deviation, range and mean velocity of postural oscillations as well as standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity. The effects of heat pain were exacerbated when subjects had both their eyes closed and ankle tendons vibrated (increased standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity and mean velocity of the center of pressure). CONCLUSIONS: A non-noxious stimulation (40 degrees C) of the small diameter afferents is not a sufficiently intense sensory stimulation to alter the control of posture. A painful stimulation (45 degrees C) of the skin thermoreceptors, however, yielded a deterioration of the postural control system. The observed deteriorating effects of the combined stimulation of nociceptors and Ia afferents (when ankle tendons were vibrated) could result from the convergence of these afferents at the spinal level. This could certainly lead to the hypothesis that individuals suffering from lower limb pain present alterations of the postural control mechanisms; especially populations already at risk of falling (for example, frail elderly) or populations suffering from concomitant lower limb pain and sensory deficits (for example, diabetic polyneuropathy)

Nucleation and crystallization process of silicon using Stillinger-Weber potential

We study the homogeneous nucleation process in Stillinger-Weber silicon in the NVT ensemble. A clear first-order transition from the liquid to crystal phase is observed thermodynamically with kinetic and structural evidence of the transformation. At 0.75 T_m, the critical cluster size is about 175 atoms. The lifetime distribution of clusters as a function of the maximum size their reach follows an inverse gaussian distribution as was predicted recently from the classical theory of nucleation (CNT). However, while there is a qualitative agreement with the CNT, the free energy curve obtained from the simulations differs significantly from the theoretical predictions, suggesting that the low-density liquid phase found recently could play a role in the nucleation process.Comment: 21 page

A Multiscale Approach to Characterize the Early Aggregation Steps of the Amyloid-Forming Peptide GNNQQNY from the Yeast Prion Sup-35

The self-organization of peptides into amyloidogenic oligomers is one of the key events for a wide range of molecular and degenerative diseases. Atomic-resolution characterization of the mechanisms responsible for the aggregation process and the resulting structures is thus a necessary step to improve our understanding of the determinants of these pathologies. To address this issue, we combine the accelerated sampling properties of replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations based on the OPEP coarse-grained potential with the atomic resolution description of interactions provided by all-atom MD simulations, and investigate the oligomerization process of the GNNQQNY for three system sizes: 3-mers, 12-mers and 20-mers. Results for our integrated simulations show a rich variety of structural arrangements for aggregates of all sizes. Elongated fibril-like structures can form transiently in the 20-mer case, but they are not stable and easily interconvert in more globular and disordered forms. Our extensive characterization of the intermediate structures and their physico-chemical determinants points to a high degree of polymorphism for the GNNQQNY sequence that can be reflected at the macroscopic scale. Detailed mechanisms and structures that underlie amyloid aggregation are also provided

Comparative secretome analysis suggests low plant cell wall degrading capacity in Frankia symbionts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Frankia </it>sp. strains, the nitrogen-fixing facultative endosymbionts of actinorhizal plants, have long been proposed to secrete hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulases, pectinases, and proteases that may contribute to plant root penetration and formation of symbiotic root nodules. These or other secreted proteins might logically be involved in the as yet unknown molecular interactions between <it>Frankia </it>and their host plants. We compared the genome-based secretomes of three <it>Frankia </it>strains representing diverse host specificities. Signal peptide detection algorithms were used to predict the individual secretomes of each strain, and the set of secreted proteins shared among the strains, termed the core <it>Frankia </it>secretome. Proteins in the core secretome may be involved in the actinorhizal symbiosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The <it>Frankia </it>genomes have conserved Sec (general secretory) and Tat (twin arginine translocase) secretion systems. The potential secretome of each <it>Frankia </it>strain comprised 4–5% of the total proteome, a lower percentage than that found in the genomes of other actinobacteria, legume endosymbionts, and plant pathogens. Hydrolytic enzymes made up only a small fraction of the total number of predicted secreted proteins in each strain. Surprisingly, polysaccharide-degrading enzymes were few in number, especially in strain CcI3, with more esterolytic, lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes having signal peptides. A total of 161 orthologous proteins belong to the core <it>Frankia </it>secretome. Of these, 52 also lack homologs in closely related actinobacteria, and are termed "<it>Frankia-</it>specific." The genes encoding these conserved secreted proteins are often clustered near secretion machinery genes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The predicted secretomes of <it>Frankia </it>sp. are relatively small and include few hydrolases, which could reflect adaptation to a symbiotic lifestyle. There are no well-conserved secreted polysaccharide-degrading enzymes present in all three <it>Frankia </it>genomes, suggesting that plant cell wall polysaccharide degradation may not be crucial to root infection, or that this degradation varies among strains. We hypothesize that the relative lack of secreted polysaccharide-degrading enzymes in <it>Frankia </it>reflects a strategy used by these bacteria to avoid eliciting host defense responses. The esterases, lipases, and proteases found in the core <it>Frankia </it>secretome might facilitate hyphal penetration through the cell wall, release carbon sources, or modify chemical signals. The core secretome also includes extracellular solute-binding proteins and <it>Frankia</it>-specific hypothetical proteins that may enable the actinorhizal symbiosis.</p

Diffusion mechanism of bound Schottky defect in magnesium oxide

In simple ionic crystals, intrinsic point defects must satisfy electrical neutrality and exist as Schottky defects. In magnesium oxide (MgO), a Schottky defect is then a combination of anionic and cationic vacancies. Since vacancies are charged, the stable configuration of the Schottky defect corresponds to a bound pair of vacancies of opposite signs. In this study, we investigate the kinetics of formation and migration of such a bound pair on long timescales reaching in some cases thousands of seconds using the kinetic activation-relaxation technique, an off-lattice kinetic Monte Carlo method with an event catalog built on-the-fly during static molecular simulations. We show that the diffusion of this bound Schottky defect involves the migration of vacancies bounded to the first and third neighbor sites of the crystal structure with an apparent migration energy which cannot be inferred from the migration energies expected from isolated defects. Overall, this study gives insights and constraints on the oxygen diffusion mechanism reported experimentally in high-purity MgO samples