Four-body Efimov effect for three fermions and a lighter particle.

We study three same-spin-state fermions of mass M interacting with a distinguishable particle of mass m in the unitary limit where the interaction has a zero range and an infinite s-wave scattering length. We predict an interval of mass ratio 13.384 View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Normal phase of an imbalanced Fermi gas.

Recent experiments on imbalanced Fermi gases have raised interest in the physics of an impurity immersed in a Fermi sea, the so-called Fermi polaron. In this Letter, a simple theory is devised to describe dilute Fermi-polaron ensembles corresponding to the normal phase of an imbalanced Fermi gas. An exact formula is obtained for the dominant interaction between polarons, expressed solely in terms of a single-polaron parameter.

Large-scale absence of sharks on reefs in the greater-Caribbean: a footprint of human pressures.

Background: In recent decades, large pelagic and coastal shark populations have declined dramatically with increased fishing; however, the status of sharks in other systems such as coral reefs remains largely unassessed despite a long history of exploitation. Here we explore the contemporary distribution and sighting frequency of sharks on reefs in the greater-Caribbean and assess the possible role of human pressures on observed patterns.

Methodology/principal Findings: We analyzed 76,340 underwater surveys carried out by trained volunteer divers between 1993 and 2008.

Global patterns and predictors of marine biodiversity across taxa.

Global patterns of species richness and their structuring forces have fascinated biologists since Darwin and provide critical context for contemporary studies in ecology, evolution and conservation. Anthropogenic impacts and the need for systematic conservation planning have further motivated the analysis of diversity patterns and processes at regional to global scales. Whereas land diversity patterns and their predictors are known for numerous taxa, our understanding of global marine diversity has been more limited, with recent findings revealing some striking contrasts to widely held terrestrial paradigms.

Reversible blindness: simple partial seizures presenting as ictal and postictal hemianopsia.

A 34-year-old woman developed a sustained right homonymous hemianopia and episodic visual hallucinations 8 days after liver transplant surgery. Neuro-ophthalmologic examination and perimetry confirmed a right homonymous hemianopia with macular sparing. The patient's vital signs and laboratory values, including a comprehensive metabolic panel and drug levels, were unremarkable.

Acute spinal cord injury persistently reduces R/G RNA editing of AMPA receptors.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers a complex ischemic and inflammatory reaction, involving activation of neurotransmitter systems, in particular glutamate, culminating in cell death. We hypothesized that SCI might lead to alteration in the RNA editing of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptors that govern critical determinants of neuronal survival. To this end, we examined the molecular changes set in motion by SCI that affect the channel properties of AMPA receptors.

Vitamin D receptor gene, biochemical bone markers and bone mineral density in Mexican women on dialysis.

Background: The influence of the Bsm1 polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene on mineral and bone disorders in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is still under discussion. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between VDR polymorphism, bone mineral density (BMD), biochemical bone markers and clinical factors in women on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and haemodialysis (HD).

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 197 women (42 +/- 10 years; 25% with diabetes mellitus (DM); body mass index (BMI) 25.

Vulnerability to STIs/HIV: sociability and the life trajectories of young women who have sex with women in Rio de Janeiro.

This study aims to better understand STI/HIV-related vulnerability among self-identified lesbians and bisexual young women aged 18-26 years in two neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro. Based on ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews, the paper analyses their life experiences and trajectories. Findings reveal that sexual identities and ties attributed to sexual interactions with women and men have an important role in influencing perceptions of vulnerability.

Kinetic and theoretical study of the chalcones as inhibitors of beta-lactamase enzyme.

Staphyloccoccus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae and more bacteria have shown resistance to antibiotics in Colombia, therefore, resistance to antibiotics is a problem that is on increase in Colombia. The resistance mechanism to penicillin antibiotics in these bacteria is the expression of beta-Lactamase enzyme. In order to use the penicillin antibiotics which are still effective against them, we had evaluated 10 chalcones as inhibitors of this enzyme.

[Financial cost of early rheumatoid arthritis in the first year of medical attention: three clinical scenarios in a third-tier university hospital in Colombia].

Introduction: In Colombia, the cost burden of chronic diseases is not well known, either globally or in localized areas of the health system. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of most common chronic diseases, and represents a high cost for the health system.

Objective: The direct medical costs were estimated for rheumatoid arthritis patients in the in the first year of diagnosis at a level 3 university hospital in Colombia.

Broadcast copies reveal the quantumness of correlations.

We study the quantumness of bipartite correlations by proposing a quantity that combines a measure of total correlations-mutual information-with the notion of broadcast copies-i.e., generally nonfactorized copies-of bipartite states.

Do release-site biases reflect response to the Earth's magnetic field during position determination by homing pigeons?

How homing pigeons (Columba livia) return to their loft from distant, unfamiliar sites has long been a mystery. At many release sites, untreated birds consistently vanish from view in a direction different from the home direction, a phenomenon called the release-site bias. These deviations in flight direction have been implicated in the position determination (or map) step of navigation because they may reflect local distortions in information about location that the birds obtain from the geophysical environment at the release site.

Management effectiveness of the world's marine fisheries.

Ongoing declines in production of the world's fisheries may have serious ecological and socioeconomic consequences. As a result, a number of international efforts have sought to improve management and prevent overexploitation, while helping to maintain biodiversity and a sustainable food supply. Although these initiatives have received broad acceptance, the extent to which corrective measures have been implemented and are effective remains largely unknown.

Are random pure States useful for quantum computation?

We show the following: a randomly chosen pure state as a resource for measurement-based quantum computation is-with overwhelming probability-of no greater help to a polynomially bounded classical control computer, than a string of random bits. Thus, unlike the familiar "cluster states," the computing power of a classical control device is not increased from P to BQP (bounded-error, quantum polynomial time), but only to BPP (bounded-error, probabilistic polynomial time). The same holds if the task is to sample from a distribution rather than to perform a bounded-error computation.

Ground state energy of the two-dimensional weakly interacting Bose gas: first correction beyond Bogoliubov theory.

We consider the grand potential Omega of a two-dimensional weakly interacting homogeneous Bose gas at zero temperature. Building on a number-conserving Bogoliubov method for a lattice model in the grand canonical ensemble, we calculate the next order term as compared to the Bogoliubov prediction, in a systematic expansion of Omega in powers of the parameter measuring the weakness of the interaction. Our prediction is in very good agreement with recent Monte Carlo calculations.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha as a therapeutic target for diabetic nephropathy.

Activation of innate immunity with the subsequent development of a chronic low-grade inflammatory response is now recognized as a critical factor in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and diabetic complications, including diabetic nephropathy. In the setting of diabetic nephropathy, there is now evidence of the relevant contribution of pro-inflammatory cytokines, with special participation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). This new pathogenic perspective leads to new therapeutic implications derived from modulation of inflammation and inflammatory cytokines.

Pathogenic perspectives for the role of inflammation in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetes and its complications have become a public health problem. One of the most important complications is diabetic nephropathy, which is nowadays the main cause of chronic renal failure. In spite of our greater understanding of this complication, the intimate mechanisms leading to the development and progression of renal injury are not well understood.

Association of tumor necrosis factor-alpha with early target organ damage in newly diagnosed patients with essential hypertension.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between inflammatory parameters [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and urinary TNF-alpha] with subclinical cardiac and renal markers of early target organ damage (TOD) in essential hypertension.

Methods: Preclinical TOD [left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and microalbuminuria (MAB)] was evaluated in 40 newly diagnosed never-treated patients with essential hypertension. Serum and urinary TNF-alpha and hs-CRP were measured as inflammatory parameters.

Trypanosoma cruzi: an analysis of the minicircle hypervariable regions diversity and its influence on strain typing.

The current intraspecific nomenclature in Trypanosoma cruzi describes two major lineages, named T. cruzi I and T. cruzi II, and five sublineages within T.

Analytical solution of the bosonic three-body problem.

We revisit the problem of three identical bosons in free space, which exhibits a universal hierarchy of bound states (Efimov trimers). Modeling a narrow Feshbach resonance within a two-channel description, we map the integral equation for the three-body scattering amplitude to a one-dimensional Schrödinger-type single-particle equation, where an analytical solution of exponential accuracy is obtained. We give exact results for the trimer binding energies, the three-body parameter, the threshold to the three-atom continuum, and the recombination rate.

Prenatal programming of renal function: the estimated glomerular filtration rate is influenced by size at birth in apparently healthy children.

Prenatal growth is known to affect glomerular function in adult life. It is unknown, however, whether this association is also present in children. In a cross-sectional study, we examined whether birth weight (BW) is associated with serum creatinine (measured by an improved Jaffe method) and GFR (estimated by the Haycock-Schwartz formula; eGFR) in 73 apparently healthy school-age children (35 boys and 38 girls; age 9.

Causal role of oxidative stress in liver preconditioning by thyroid hormone in rats.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, a major clinical drawback during surgery, is abolished by L-3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T(3)) administration. Considering that the triggering mechanisms are unknown, the aim of this study is to assess the role of oxidative stress in T(3) preconditioning using N-acetylcysteine (NAC) before T(3) administration. Male Sprague-Dawley rats given a single dose of 0.

Current noise through a Kondo quantum dot in a SU(N) Fermi liquid state.

The current noise through a mesoscopic quantum dot is calculated and analyzed in the Fermi liquid regime of the SU(N) Kondo model. The results connect the Johnson-Nyquist noise to the shot noise for an arbitrary ratio of voltage and temperature, and show that temperature corrections are sizable in the usual experiments. For the experimentally relevant SU(4) case, quasiparticle interactions are shown to increase the shot noise.