This review paper explores considerations for ultimate CMOS transistor scaling. Transistor architectures such as extremely thin silicon-on-insulator and FinFET (and related architectures such as ...TriGate, Omega-FET, Pi-Gate), as well as nanowire device architectures, are compared and contrasted. Key technology challenges (such as advanced gate stacks, mobility, resistance, and capacitance) shared by all of the architectures will be discussed in relation to recent research results.
Abstract Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a robust operational measure of sensorimotor gating. In schizophrenic patients PPI is deficient. The aim of our review was to investigate the state of science ...regarding PPI and psychiatric disorders aside from schizophrenia. We used the online database PubMed in order to search for original published reports on PPI studies. The terms “prepulse inhibition”, “sensorimotor gating”, “blink recovery”, and “blink reflex excitability” have been combined with the names of psychiatric disorders. We found that PPI is deficient in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS). In bipolar disorder dysfunctional PPI seems to be rather state dependent. Studies on depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) consistently report no alterations. Evidence regarding sensorimotor gating in anxiety, autism, fragile X syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance disorders, and Huntington's disease is still poor. There is a strong need for further studies on PPI in psychiatric disorders. PPI is highly applicable for translational research and might also be a very useful tool to investigate the mode of action of innovative, neuro-modulative techniques. Future PPI studies should control for influencing variables such as smoking, sex, or medication.
The 3.8 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of Zika virus Sirohi, Devika; Chen, Zhenguo; Sun, Lei ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
04/2016, Letnik:
352, Številka:
6284
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The recent rapid spread of Zika virus and its unexpected linkage to birth defects and an autoimmune neurological syndrome have generated worldwide concern. Zika virus is a flavivirus like the dengue, ...yellow fever, and West Nile viruses. We present the 3.8 angstrom resolution structure of mature Zika virus, determined by cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The structure of Zika virus is similar to other known flavivirus structures, except for the ~10 amino acids that surround the Asn¹⁵⁴ glycosylation site in each of the 180 envelope glycoproteins that make up the icosahedral shell. The carbohydrate moiety associated with this residue, which is recognizable in the cryo-EM electron density, may function as an attachment site of the virus to host cells. This region varies not only among Zika virus strains but also in other flaviviruses, which suggests that differences in this region may influence virus transmission and disease.
TopoToolbox contains a set of Matlab functions that provide utilities for relief analysis in a non-Geographical Information System (GIS) environment. The tools have been developed to support the work ...flow in combined spatial and non-spatial numerical analysis. They offer flexible and user-friendly software for hydrological and geomorphological research that involves digital elevation model analysis and focuses on material fluxes and spatial variability of water, sediment, chemicals and nutrients. The objective of this paper is to give an introduction to the linear algebraic concept behind the software that employs sparse matrix computations for digital elevation model analysis. Moreover, we outline the functionality of the toolbox. The source codes are freely available in Matlab language on the authors' webpage (
physiogeo.unibas.ch/topotoolbox).
The Interface Between Magma and Earth's Atmosphere Kuhn, J.; Bobrowski, N.; Platt, U.
Geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems : G3,
December 2022, 2022-12-00, 20221201, 2022-12-01, Letnik:
23, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Volatiles released from magma can form bubbles and leave the magma body to eventually mix with atmospheric air. The composition of those volatiles, as derived from measurements made after their ...emission, is used to draw conclusions on processes in the Earth's interior or their influences on Earth's atmosphere. So far, the discussion of the influence of high‐temperature mixing with atmospheric air (in particular oxygen) on the measured volcanic gas composition is almost exclusively based on thermodynamic equilibrium (TE) considerations. By modeling the combined effects of C‐H‐O‐S reaction kinetics, turbulent mixing, and associated cooling during the first seconds after magmatic gas release into the atmosphere we show that the resulting gas compositions generally do not represent TE states, with individual species (e.g., CO, H2, H2S, OCS, SO3, HO2, H2O2) deviating by orders of magnitude from equilibrium levels. Besides revealing the chemical details of high‐temperature emission processes, our results question common interpretations of volcanic gas studies, particularly affecting the present understanding of auto‐catalytic conversion of volcanic halogen species in the atmosphere and redox state determination from volcanic plume gas measurements.
Plain Language Summary
A major fraction of magmatic gas emissions are released into the atmosphere from open vents. The emission processes are characterized by fast turbulent mixing with atmospheric air (within seconds) and associated rapid cooling. Hardly anything is known about the chemical kinetics within this brief mixing and cooling period. We simulate the chemical kinetics during the first seconds of hot magmatic gases in the atmosphere and find severe deviation to common interpretations and central thermodynamic equilibrium assumptions prevailing in volcanic gas geochemistry.
Key Points
We model the chemical kinetics of high‐temperature volcanic gas emissions within the first seconds of mixing with atmospheric air
We identify key chemical processes within the magma‐atmosphere interface and quantify influences on the volcanic plume composition
Our results question common assumptions prevailing in volcanic gas geochemistry and refine interpretations of gas emissions from open vents
The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is involved in intracellular protein turnover, and its function is crucial to cellular homeostasis. First synthesized as probes of proteolytic processes, proteasome ...inhibitors began to be thought of as potential drug candidates when they were found to induce programmed cell death preferentially in transformed cells. They made their first leap into the clinic to be tested as therapeutic agents 10 years ago, and since then, great strides have been made in defining their mechanisms of action, their clinical efficacy and toxicity, and some of their limitations in the form of resistance pathways. Validation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway as a target for cancer therapy has come in the form of approvals of the first such inhibitor, bortezomib, for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, for which this agent has become a standard of care. Lessons learned from this first-in-class agent are now being applied to the development of a new generation of proteasome inhibitors that hold the promise of efficacy in bortezomib-resistant disease and possibly in a broader spectrum of diseases. This saga provides a salient example of the promise of translational medicine and a paradigm by which other agents may be successfully brought from the bench to the bedside.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an enveloped, icosahedral flavivirus that has structural and functional similarities to other human flavivirus pathogens such as dengue (DENV), West Nile (WNV) and Japanese ...encephalitis (JEV) viruses. ZIKV infections have been linked to fetal microcephaly and the paralytic Guillain-Barré syndrome. This review provides a comparative structural analysis of the assembly, maturation and host-cell entry of ZIKV with other flaviviruses, especially DENV. We also discuss the mechanisms of neutralization by antibodies.
During dengue virus infection of host cells, intracellular membranes are rearranged into distinct subcellular structures such as double-membrane vesicles, convoluted membranes, and tubular ...structures. Recent electron tomographic studies have provided a detailed three-dimensional architecture of the double-membrane vesicles, representing the sites of dengue virus replication, but temporal and spatial evidence linking membrane morphogenesis with viral RNA synthesis is lacking. Integrating techniques in electron tomography and molecular virology, we defined an early period in virus-infected mosquito cells during which the formation of a virus-modified membrane structure, the double-membrane vesicle, is proportional to the rate of viral RNA synthesis. Convoluted membranes were absent in dengue virus-infected C6/36 cells. Electron tomographic reconstructions elucidated a high-resolution view of the replication complexes inside vesicles and allowed us to identify distinct pathways of particle formation. Hence, our findings extend the structural details of dengue virus replication within mosquito cells and highlight their differences from mammalian cells.
Dengue virus induces several distinct intracellular membrane structures within the endoplasmic reticulum of mammalian cells. These structures, including double-membrane vesicles and convoluted membranes, are linked, respectively, with viral replication and viral protein processing. However, dengue virus cycles between two disparate animal groups with differing physiologies: mammals and mosquitoes. Using techniques in electron microscopy, we examined the differences between intracellular structures induced by dengue virus in mosquito cells. Additionally, we utilized techniques in molecular virology to temporally link events in virus replication to the formation of these dengue virus-induced membrane structures.
Cholinergic neurons of the medial forebrain are considered important contributors to brain plasticity and neuromodulation. A reduction of cholinergic innervation can lead to pathophysiological ...changes of neurotransmission and is observed in Alzheimer's disease. Here we report on six patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) treated with bilateral low-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM). During a four-week double-blind sham-controlled phase and a subsequent 11-month follow-up open label period, clinical outcome was assessed by neuropsychological examination using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale as the primary outcome measure. Electroencephalography and (18)F-fluoro-desoxyglucose positron emission tomography were, besides others, secondary endpoints. On the basis of stable or improved primary outcome parameters twelve months after surgery, four of the six patients were considered responders. No severe or non-transitional side effects related to the stimulation were observed. Taking into account all limitations of a pilot study, we conclude that DBS of the NBM is both technically feasible and well tolerated.
Seeing oceans, continents, quasi-static weather, and other surface features on exoplanets may allow for detecting and characterizing life outside the solar system. The Proxima b exoplanet resides ...within the stellar habitable zone, possibly allowing for liquid water on its surface, as on Earth. However, even the largest planned telescopes will not be able to resolve its surface features directly. Here we demonstrate an inversion technique to indirectly image exoplanet surfaces using observed unresolved reflected light variations over the course of the exoplanet's orbital and axial rotation: ExoPlanet Surface Imaging (EPSI). We show that the reflected light curve contains enough information to detect both longitudinal and latitudinal structures and to map exoplanet surface features. We demonstrate this using examples of solar system planets and moons, as well as simulated planets with Earth-like life and artificial structures. We also describe how it is possible to infer the planet and orbit geometry from light curves. Then, we show how albedo maps of Proxima b can be successfully reconstructed for tidally locked, resonance, and unlocked axial and orbital rotation. Such albedo maps obtained in different wavelength passbands can provide "photographic" views of distant exoplanets. We estimate the signal-to-noise ratio necessary for successful inversions and analyze telescope and detector requirements necessary for the first surface image reconstructions of Proxima b and other nearby exoplanets using EPSI. This is a significant challenge, but the success of such measurements depends heavily on large-aperture diffraction-limited telescope performance-a feat that may be achieved on the ground before it is in space.
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