Real-space imaging of an orbital Kondo resonance on the Cr(001) surface

The Kondo effect is usually connected with the interaction between a localized spin moment and itinerant electrons. This interaction leads to the formation of a narrow resonance at the Fermi level, which is called the Abrikosov-Suhl or Kondo resonance. Scanning tunnelling microscopy is an ideal technique for real-space investigations of complicated electronic structures and many-body phenomena, such as the formation of the Kondo resonance or d-wave pairing in high-T(c) superconductors. Theory has predicted that similar, Kondo-like many-electron resonances are possible for scattering centres with orbital instead of spin degrees of freedom--the quadruple momenta in uranium-based compounds or two-level systems in metallic glasses are examples of such 'pseudo-Kondo' scattering centres. Here we present evidence for the orbital Kondo resonance on a transition-metal surface. Investigations of an atomically clean Cr(001) surface at low temperature using scanning tunnelling microscopy reveal a very narrow resonance at 26 meV above the Fermi level, and enable us to visualize the orbital character of the corresponding state. The experimental data, together with many-body calculations, demonstrate that the observed resonance is an orbital Kondo resonance formed by two degenerate d(xz), d(yz) surface states.     

Gene expression profiling predicts clinical outcome of breast cancer

Breast cancer patients with the same stage of disease can have markedly different treatment responses and overall outcome. The strongest predictors for metastases (for example, lymph node status and histological grade) fail to classify accurately breast tumours according to their clinical behaviour. Chemotherapy or hormonal therapy reduces the risk of distant metastases by approximately one-third; however, 70-80% of patients receiving this treatment would have survived without it. None of the signatures of breast cancer gene expression reported to date allow for patient-tailored therapy strategies. Here we used DNA microarray analysis on primary breast tumours of 117 young patients, and applied supervised classification to identify a gene expression signature strongly predictive of a short interval to distant metastases ('poor prognosis' signature) in patients without tumour cells in local lymph nodes at diagnosis (lymph node negative). In addition, we established a signature that identifies tumours of BRCA1 carriers. The poor prognosis signature consists of genes regulating cell cycle, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. This gene expression profile will outperform all currently used clinical parameters in predicting disease outcome. Our findings provide a strategy to select patients who would benefit from adjuvant therapy.     

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is uniquely associated with one of the two variants of the 4q subtelomere

Contractions in the polymorphic D4Z4 repeat array of subtelomere 4qter cause autosomal dominant facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy in humans. A polymorphic segment of 10 kb directly distal to D4Z4 exists in two allelic forms, 4qA and 4qB. Although both alleles are equally common in the general population, we now report that FSHD is associated solely with the 4qA allele.     

Single-substrate liquid-crystal displays by photo-enforced stratification

Data visualization plays a crucial role in our society, as illustrated by the many displays that surround us. In the future, displays may become even more pervasive, ranging from individually addressable image-rendering wall hangings to data displays integrated in clothes. Liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) provide most of the flat-panel displays currently used. To keep pace with the ever-increasing possibilities afforded by developments in information technology, we need to develop manufacturing processes that will make LCDs cheaper and larger, with more freedom in design. Existing batch processes for making and filling LCD cells are relatively expensive, with size and shape limitations. Here we report a cost-effective, single-substrate technique in which a coated film is transformed into a polymer-covered liquid-crystal layer. This approach is based on photo-enforced stratification: a two-step photopolymerization-induced phase separation of a liquid-crystal blend and a polymer precursor. The process leads to the formation of micrometre-sized containers filled with a switchable liquid-crystal phase. In this way, displays can be produced on a variety of substrates using current coating technology. The developed process may be an important step towards new technologies such as 'display-on-anything' and 'paintable displays'.     

Parallel adaptive radiations in two major clades of placental mammals

Higher level relationships among placental mammals, as well as the historical biogeography and morphological diversification of this group, remain unclear. Here we analyse independent molecular data sets, having aligned lengths of DNA of 5,708 and 2,947 base pairs, respectively, for all orders of placental mammals. Phylogenetic analyses resolve placental orders into four groups: Xenarthra, Afrotheria, Laurasiatheria, and Euarchonta plus Glires. The first three groups are consistently monophyletic with different methods of analysis. Euarchonta plus Glires is monophyletic or paraphyletic depending on the phylogenetic method. A unique nine-base-pair deletion in exon 11 of the BRCA1 gene provides additional support for the monophyly of Afrotheria, which includes proboscideans, sirenians, hyracoids, tubulidentates, macroscelideans, chrysochlorids and tenrecids. Laurasiatheria contains cetartiodactyls, perissodactyls, carnivores, pangolins, bats and eulipotyphlan insectivores. Parallel adaptive radiations have occurred within Laurasiatheria and Afrotheria. In each group, there are aquatic, ungulate and insectivore-like forms.     

IBD sharing around the PPARG locus is not increased in dizygotic twins or their mothers

Busjahn et al reported finding linkage between PPARG (3p25) and being a dizygotic (DZ) twin. We differentiate, as do the authors, between the conception of DZ twins, and being the viable result of such a conception.     

Efficiency and ambiguity in an adaptive neural code

We examine the dynamics of a neural code in the context of stimuli whose statistical properties are themselves evolving dynamically. Adaptation to these statistics occurs over a wide range of timescales-from tens of milliseconds to minutes. Rapid components of adaptation serve to optimize the information that action potentials carry about rapid stimulus variations within the local statistical ensemble, while changes in the rate and statistics of action-potential firing encode information about the ensemble itself, thus resolving potential ambiguities. The speed with which information is optimized and ambiguities are resolved approaches the physical limit imposed by statistical sampling and noise.     

Integration of cytogenetic landmarks into the draft sequence of the human genome

We have placed 7,600 cytogenetically defined landmarks on the draft sequence of the human genome to help with the characterization of genes altered by gross chromosomal aberrations that cause human disease. The landmarks are large-insert clones mapped to chromosome bands by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Each clone contains a sequence tag that is positioned on the genomic sequence. This genome-wide set of sequence-anchored clones allows structural and functional analyses of the genome. This resource represents the first comprehensive integration of cytogenetic, radiation hybrid, linkage and sequence maps of the human genome; provides an independent validation of the sequence map and framework for contig order and orientation; surveys the genome for large-scale duplications, which are likely to require special attention during sequence assembly; and allows a stringent assessment of sequence differences between the dark and light bands of chromosomes. It also provides insight into large-scale chromatin structure and the evolution of chromosomes and gene families and will accelerate our understanding of the molecular bases of human disease and cancer.