Modification of the rho meson detected by low-mass electron-positron pairs in central Pb-Au collisions at 158 A GeV/c

We present a measurement of $e^+e^-$ pair production in central Pb-Au collisions at 158$A$ GeV/$c$. As reported earlier, a significant excess of the $e^+e^-$ pair yield over the expectation from hadron decays is observed. The improved mass resolution of the present data set, recorded with the upgraded CERES experiment at the CERN-SPS, allows for a comparison of the data with different theoretical approaches. The data clearly favor a substantial in-medium broadening of the $\rho$ spectral function over a density-dependent shift of the $\rho$ pole mass. The in-medium broadening model implies that baryon induced interactions are the key mechanism to in-medium modifications of the $\rho$-meson in the hot fireball at SPS energy.Comment: Revised versio

Azimuthal dependence of pion source radii in Pb+Au collisions at 158 A GeV

We present results of a two-pion correlation analysis performed with the Au+Pb collision data collected by the upgraded CERES experiment in the fall of 2000. The analysis was done in bins of the reaction centrality and the pion azimuthal emission angle with respect to the reaction plane. The pion source, deduced from the data, is slightly elongated in the direction perpendicular to the reaction plane, similarly as was observed at the AGS and at RHIC.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Direct Inhibition of IRF-Dependent Transcriptional Regulatory Mechanisms Associated With Disease

Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are a family of homologous proteins that regulate the transcription of interferons (IFNs) and IFN-induced gene expression. As such they are important modulating proteins in the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and IFN signaling pathways, which are vital elements of the innate immune system. IRFs have a multi-domain structure, with the N-terminal part acting as a DNA binding domain (DBD) that recognizes a DNA-binding motif similar to the IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE). The C-terminal part contains the IRF-association domain (IAD), with which they can self-associate, bind to IRF family members or interact with other transcription factors. This complex formation is crucial for DNA binding and the commencing of target-gene expression. IRFs bind DNA and exert their activating potential as homo or heterodimers with other IRFs. Moreover, they can form complexes (e.g., with Signal transducers and activators of transcription, STATs) and collaborate with other co-acting transcription factors such as Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and PU.1. In time, more of these IRF co-activating mechanisms have been discovered, which may play a key role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as acute and chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Detailed knowledge of IRFs structure and activating mechanisms predisposes IRFs as potential targets for inhibition in therapeutic strategies connected to numerous immune system-originated diseases. Until now only indirect IRF modulation has been studied in terms of antiviral response regulation and cancer treatment, using mainly antisense oligonucleotides and siRNA knockdown strategies. However, none of these approaches so far entered clinical trials. Moreover, no direct IRF-inhibitory strategies have been reported. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the different IRF-mediated transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and how they reflect the diverse functions of IRFs in homeostasis and in TLR and IFN signaling. Moreover, we present IRFs as promising inhibitory targets and propose a novel direct IRF-modulating strategy employing a pipeline approach that combines comparative in silico docking to the IRF-DBD with in vitro validation of IRF inhibition. We hypothesize that our methodology will enable the efficient identification of IRF-specific and pan-IRF inhibitors that can be used for the treatment of IRF-dependent disorders and malignancies

Thioflavine-T and Congo Red reveal the polymorphism of insulin amyloid fibrils when probed by polarization-resolved fluorescence microscopy.

International audienceAmyloid fibrils are protein misfolding structures that involve a β-sheet structure and are associated with the pathologies of various neurodegenerative diseases. Here we show that Thioflavine-T and Congo Red, two major dyes used to image fibrils by fluorescence assays, can provide deep structural information when probed by means of polarization-resolved fluorescence microscopy. Unlike fluorescence anisotropy or fluorescence detected linear dichroism imaging, this technique allows to retrieve simultaneously both mean orientation and orientation dispersion of the dye, used here as a reporter of the fibril structure. We have observed that insulin amyloid fibrils exhibit a homogeneous behavior over the fibrils' length, confirming their structural uniformity. In addition, these results reveal the existence of various structures among the observed fibrils' population, in spite of a similar aspect when imaged with conventional fluorescence microscopy. This optical nondestructive technique opens perspectives for in vivo structural analyses or high throughput screening

The Effects of Elite Sports on Later Job Success

This paper analyses the income effect of the participation in elite sports. To quantify the average difference in the monthly net income of former elite athletes and non-athletes we estimate sample average treatment effect scores (SATT) by using covariate nearest-neighbour matching (CVM). While our treatment group consists of formerly funded top-level athletes, the control group of non-athletes is drawn from the SOEP database. Matching takes place by socio-demographic variables as well as measures of personal qualities and attitudes. On average, former athletes receive higher incomes than similar non-athletes. The income premium for former team sports and male athletes is even higher. Comparing the income of former female athletes with male non-athletes, we find that the participation in elite sports closes the gender-wage gap. Our results are robust to variations in the specification and statistically as well economically significant

Alignment of the ALICE Inner Tracking System with cosmic-ray tracks

37 pages, 15 figures, revised version, accepted by JINSTALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiment devoted to investigating the strongly interacting matter created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC energies. The ALICE ITS, Inner Tracking System, consists of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors with three different technologies; in the outward direction: two layers of pixel detectors, two layers each of drift, and strip detectors. The number of parameters to be determined in the spatial alignment of the 2198 sensor modules of the ITS is about 13,000. The target alignment precision is well below 10 micron in some cases (pixels). The sources of alignment information include survey measurements, and the reconstructed tracks from cosmic rays and from proton-proton collisions. The main track-based alignment method uses the Millepede global approach. An iterative local method was developed and used as well. We present the results obtained for the ITS alignment using about 10^5 charged tracks from cosmic rays that have been collected during summer 2008, with the ALICE solenoidal magnet switched off.Peer reviewe

Distributional Changes in the Gender Wage Gap

This paper analyzes changes in wage differentials between white men and white women over the period 1993-2006 across the entire wage distribution using Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data. We decompose distributional changes in the gender wage gap to assess the contribution of observed characteristics measuring individual productivity. We find that the gender wage gap narrowed by more than 13 percent at the lowest decile and by less than 4 percent at the highest decile. The decomposition results indicate that changes in the gender wage gap are mainly attributable to changes in educational attainment at the top of the wage distribution, while a sizeable part of the changes is due to work history changes at the bottom. Our findings suggest that the educational success of women could reduce the gender wage gap at the bottom of the distribution both before and during the 1990s but did not trigger a strong decline at the top of the distribution until today.In diesem Papier werden unter Verwendung von Daten der Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) Änderungen in den Lohndifferntialen zwischen weißen Männern und Frauen im Zeitraum 1993 bis 2006 entlang der gesamten Lohnverteilung untersucht. Wir zerlegen Änderungen im Lohndifferential entlang der Lohnverteilung, um den Beitrag der beobachteten individuellen Produktivität zu ermitteln. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen Rückgang im Lohndifferential am unteren Dezil der Verteilung um 13 Prozent, während der Rückgang am höchsten Dezil unter 4 Prozent liegt. Die Dekompositionsergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass Änderungen im Lohndifferential zwischen Männern und Frauen am oberen Ende der Verteilung hauptsächlich auf Änderungen im Bildungsniveau zurückzuführen sind, während ein großer Teil der Änderungen am unteren Ende der Verteilung durch Änderungen in der Arbeitsmarkthistorie erklärt werden kann. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten an, dass der Bildungserfolg von Frauen das Lohndifferential am unteren Ende der Verteilung bereits vor und während der 90er Jahre reduzieren, aber keinen starken Rückgang am oberen Ende der Verteilung auslösen konnte

Syntheses, Fluorescent Properties of Ag(I)/Cu(II)-POMs-azolate Coordination Polymers

不同结构的有机配位聚合物在催化、吸附等方面具有广泛的应用前景。因此，选择多酸有机配位聚合物的构筑单元时，既要考虑构筑单元的反应性，还要考虑其结构的影响。杂多酸具有纳米尺寸、组成和结构的可调控性以及优良的催化活性，这吸引着人们将它们作为配位聚合物的重要基元之一。杂多酸、有机配体和金属离子的有机结合，丰富了杂多酸配合物的组成和结构单元；多酸-Ag(I)/Cu(II)-有机配合物中的有机配体、Ag(I)/Cu(II)、多酸可能发挥协同作用，使其具有催化、磁性、荧光等性质。 因此，我们在文献调研的基础上，以Keggin型、Dawson型和Preyssler型阴离子(NaP5W30O11014-)为基...The organic networks have the structural diversity and a broad application prospects as functional materials (such as catalysis, adsorption). Polyoxometalates (POMs) have widely been regarded as molecular building unit for coordination polymers, on account of its electronic, magnetic, catalytic, and photochemical properties. Efforts have been focused on the construction of such kind of coordinatio...学位：理学硕士院系专业：化学化工学院化学系_分析化学学号：2052009115131