Observation of a roton collective mode in a two-dimensional Fermi liquid

Understanding the dynamics of correlated many-body quantum systems is a challenge for modern physics. Owing to the simplicity of their Hamiltonians, (4)He (bosons) and (3)He (fermions) have served as model systems for strongly interacting quantum fluids, with substantial efforts devoted to their understanding. An important milestone was the direct observation of the collective phonon-roton mode in liquid (4)He by neutron scattering, verifying Landau's prediction and his fruitful concept of elementary excitations. In a Fermi system, collective density fluctuations (known as 'zero-sound' in (3)He, and 'plasmons' in charged systems) and incoherent particle-hole excitations are observed. At small wavevectors and energies, both types of excitation are described by Landau's theory of Fermi liquids. At higher wavevectors, the collective mode enters the particle-hole band, where it is strongly damped. The dynamics of Fermi liquids at high wavevectors was thus believed to be essentially incoherent. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering measurements of a monolayer of liquid (3)He, observing a roton-like excitation. We find that the collective density mode reappears as a well defined excitation at momentum transfers larger than twice the Fermi momentum. We thus observe unexpected collective behaviour of a Fermi many-body system in the regime beyond the scope of Landau's theory. A satisfactory interpretation of the measured spectra is obtained using a dynamic many-body theory.     

Analysis of mammalian brain architecture.

The mammalian brain is composed of several distinct parts which show different growth in evolution. Clark, Mitra and Wang found that the two main cortices of the brain - the cerebral (neo-) cortex and the cerebellum - show very different growth, and that whereas the ratio of neocortex volume to total brain volume increases with evolution, the cerebellum occupies a constant proportion in different species. Here I compare the surface areas of the two cortices in different species and find that these show a simple proportionality. Contrary to the conclusion drawn by Clark et al., this linear dependence of size implies that the two major cortices increase their computational capacity in parallel, suggesting a functional dependence of the one upon the other.     

Developmental plasticity and human health

Many plants and animals are capable of developing in a variety of ways, forming characteristics that are well adapted to the environments in which they are likely to live. In adverse circumstances, for example, small size and slow metabolism can facilitate survival, whereas larger size and more rapid metabolism have advantages for reproductive success when resources are more abundant. Often these characteristics are induced in early life or are even set by cues to which their parents or grandparents were exposed. Individuals developmentally adapted to one environment may, however, be at risk when exposed to another when they are older. The biological evidence may be relevant to the understanding of human development and susceptibility to disease. As the nutritional state of many human mothers has improved around the world, the characteristics of their offspring--such as body size and metabolism--have also changed. Responsiveness to their mothers' condition before birth may generally prepare individuals so that they are best suited to the environment forecast by cues available in early life. Paradoxically, however, rapid improvements in nutrition and other environmental conditions may have damaging effects on the health of those people whose parents and grandparents lived in impoverished conditions. A fuller understanding of patterns of human plasticity in response to early nutrition and other environmental factors will have implications for the administration of public health.     

Algal biomass as a global source of transport fuels: Overview and development perspectives

As a result of the global fuel crisis of the early 1970 s,coupled with concerns for the environment,the use of biofuel has been on the increase in many regions throughout the world.At present,a total of approximately 30 billion(30×109) liters of biofuel are utilized worldwide annually,although most countries rely hugely on the first generation biofuel.The limitations of the first and second generation biofuel gave rise to current interest in algae as a promising alternative to these conventional biofuel sources.Algal biomass could provide a lion’s share of the global transport fuel requirements in future.The present review highlights some important developments in,and potentials of algaculture as a major biomass resource of the future.However,the major constraint to commercial-scale algae farming for energy production is the cost factor,which must be addressed adequately before its potentials can be harnessed.     

Dissecting the genomic complexity underlying medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma is an aggressively growing tumour, arising in the cerebellum or medulla/brain stem. It is the most common malignant brain tumour in children, and shows tremendous biological and clinical heterogeneity. Despite recent treatment advances, approximately 40% of children experience tumour recurrence, and 30% will die from their disease. Those who survive often have a significantly reduced quality of life. Four tumour subgroups with distinct clinical, biological and genetic profiles are currently identified. WNT tumours, showing activated wingless pathway signalling, carry a favourable prognosis under current treatment regimens. SHH tumours show hedgehog pathway activation, and have an intermediate prognosis. Group 3 and 4 tumours are molecularly less well characterized, and also present the greatest clinical challenges. The full repertoire of genetic events driving this distinction, however, remains unclear. Here we describe an integrative deep-sequencing analysis of 125 tumour-normal pairs, conducted as part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) PedBrain Tumor Project. Tetraploidy was identified as a frequent early event in Group 3 and 4 tumours, and a positive correlation between patient age and mutation rate was observed. Several recurrent mutations were identified, both in known medulloblastoma-related genes (CTNNB1, PTCH1, MLL2, SMARCA4) and in genes not previously linked to this tumour (DDX3X, CTDNEP1, KDM6A, TBR1), often in subgroup-specific patterns. RNA sequencing confirmed these alterations, and revealed the expression of what are, to our knowledge, the first medulloblastoma fusion genes identified. Chromatin modifiers were frequently altered across all subgroups. These findings enhance our understanding of the genomic complexity and heterogeneity underlying medulloblastoma, and provide several potential targets for new therapeutics, especially for Group 3 and 4 patients.     

新疆凤仙花中黄色素的提取及稳定性研究

章主要介绍新疆凤仙花中的黄色素的提取并对其稳定性研究，实验结果表明，除柠檬酸，明矾，碳酸氢纳，氯化纳对该色素增色作用外，其它各种添加荆对色素基本上没有影响，该色素耐光性很好。     

Purification of the vascular plasminogen activator]

We have isolated a purified preparation of the vascular plasminogen activator. Plasma obtained from post occlusion venous blood has been chromatographed with low and high ionic strength buffers. The purified protein has a relative molecular weight of 71,000.     

Positional cloning uncovers mutations in PLCE1 responsible for a nephrotic syndrome variant that may be reversible

Nephrotic syndrome, a malfunction of the kidney glomerular filter, leads to proteinuria, edema and, in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, end-stage kidney disease. Using positional cloning, we identified mutations in the phospholipase C epsilon gene (PLCE1) as causing early-onset nephrotic syndrome with end-stage kidney disease. Kidney histology of affected individuals showed diffuse mesangial sclerosis (DMS). Using immunofluorescence, we found PLCepsilon1 expression in developing and mature glomerular podocytes and showed that DMS represents an arrest of normal glomerular development. We identified IQ motif-containing GTPase-activating protein 1 as a new interaction partner of PLCepsilon1. Two siblings with a missense mutation in an exon encoding the PLCepsilon1 catalytic domain showed histology characteristic of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Notably, two other affected individuals responded to therapy, making this the first report of a molecular cause of nephrotic syndrome that may resolve after therapy. These findings, together with the zebrafish model of human nephrotic syndrome generated by plce1 knockdown, open new inroads into pathophysiology and treatment mechanisms of nephrotic syndrome.