Morphological Transformations of Galaxies in the A901/02 Supercluster from STAGES

We present a study of galaxies in the Abell 901/902 Supercluster at z~0.165, based on HST ACS F606W, COMBO-17, Spitzer 24um, XMM-Newton X-ray, and gravitational lensing maps, as part of the STAGES survey. We characterize galaxies with strong externally-triggered morphological distortions and normal relatively undisturbed galaxies, using visual classification and quantitative CAS parameters. We compare normal and distorted galaxies in terms of their frequency, distribution within the cluster, star formation properties, and relationship to dark matter (DM) or surface mass density, and intra-cluster medium (ICM) density. We revisit the morphology density relation, which postulates a higher fraction of early type galaxies in dense environments, by considering separately galaxies with a low bulge-to-disk (B/D) ratio and a low gas content as these two parameters may not be correlated in clusters. We report here on our preliminary analysis.Comment: To appear in the ASP conference proceedings of the "Frank N. Bash Symposium 2007: New Horizons in Astronomy", Eds. A. Frebel, J. Maund, J. Shen, M. Siegel. 4 pages, 4 figure

Nuclear WRAP53 promotes neuronal survival and functional recovery after stroke

Failure of neurons to efficiently repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) contributes to cerebral damage after stroke. However, the molecular machinery that regulates DNA repair in this neurological disorder is unknown. Here, we found that DSBs in oxygen/glucose-deprived (OGD) neurons spatiotemporally correlated with the up-regulation of WRAP53 (WD40-encoding p53-antisense RNA), which translocated to the nucleus to activate the DSB repair response. Mechanistically, OGD triggered a burst in reactive oxygen species that induced both DSBs and translocation of WRAP53 to the nucleus to promote DNA repair, a pathway that was confirmed in an in vivo mouse model of stroke. Noticeably, nuclear translocation of WRAP53 occurred faster in OGD neurons expressing the Wrap53 human nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2287499 (c.202C>G). Patients carrying this SNP showed less infarct volume and better functional outcome after stroke. These results indicate that WRAP53 fosters DNA repair and neuronal survival to promote functional recovery after stroke

Master equations for effective Hamiltonians

We reelaborate on a general method for obtaining effective Hamiltonians that describe different nonlinear optical processes. The method exploits the existence of a nonlinear deformation of the su(2) algebra that arises as the dynamical symmetry of the original model. When some physical parameter (usually related to the dispersive limit) becomes small, we immediately get a diagonal effective Hamiltonian that represents correctly the dynamics for arbitrary states and long times. We apply the same technique to obtain how the noise terms in the original model transform under this scheme, providing a systematic way of including damping effects in processes described in terms of effective Hamiltonians.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

Phi-values in protein folding kinetics have energetic and structural components

Phi-values are experimental measures of how the kinetics of protein folding is changed by single-site mutations. Phi-values measure energetic quantities, but are often interpreted in terms of the structures of the transition state ensemble. Here we describe a simple analytical model of the folding kinetics in terms of the formation of protein substructures. The model shows that Phi-values have both structural and energetic components. In addition, it provides a natural and general interpretation of "nonclassical" Phi-values (i.e., less than zero, or greater than one). The model reproduces the Phi-values for 20 single-residue mutations in the alpha-helix of the protein CI2, including several nonclassical Phi-values, in good agreement with experiments.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Naturally presented HLA class I-restricted epitopes from the neurotrophic factor S100-? are targets of the autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the destruction of pancreatic beta-cells by the immune system, and CD8(+) T lymphocytes are critical actors in this autoimmune response. Pancreatic islets are surrounded by a mesh of nervous cells, the peri-insular Schwann cells, which are also targeted by autoreactive T lymphocytes and express specific antigens, such as the neurotrophic factor S100-beta. Previous work has shown increased proliferative responses to whole S100-beta in both human T1D patients and the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model. We describe for the first time naturally processed and presented epitopes (NPPEs) presented by class I human leukocyte antigen-A*02:01 (A2.1) molecules derived from S100-beta. These NPPEs triggered IFN-gamma responses more frequently in both newly diagnosed and long-term T1D patients compared with healthy donors. Furthermore, the same NPPEs are recognized during the autoimmune response leading to diabetes in A2.1-transgenic NOD mice as early as 4 wk of age. Interestingly, when these NPPEs are used to prevent diabetes in this animal model, an acceleration of the disease is observed together with an exacerbation in insulitis and an increase in S100-beta-specific cytotoxicity in vaccinated animals. Whether these can be used in diabetes prevention needs to be carefully evaluated in animal models before use in future clinical assays.-Calvino-Sampedro, C., Gomez-Tourino, I., Cordero, O. J., Reche, P. A., Gomez-Perosanz, M., Sanchez-Trincado, J. L., Rodriguez, M. A., Sueiro, A. M., Vinuela, J. E., Calvino, R. V. Naturally presented HLA class I-restricted epitopes from the neurotrophic factor S100-beta are targets of the autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes

Erratum Analysis of the physical and photoelectrochemical properties of c Si p a SiC H p photocathodes for solar water splitting

The photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of sputtered aluminum doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide thin films grown on p-type crystalline silicon substrates were investigated in 1 M H2SO4<i solution under chopped light illumination. Optical and structural properties of the top absorber layer were systematically assessed after post-deposition isochronical annealing treatments. Samples exhibited a noticeable improvement of the opto-electronic properties after thermal treatments. In addition, an abrupt enhancement of the photocurrent was observed reaching a saturation value of 17 mA cm(-2) at -1.75 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3.5 M KCl). In this research we propose that this enhancement effect is associated to a charge transfer kinetic mechanism influenced by surface states and the p-type substrate. The latter most likely due to the space charge region extending beyond the absorber layer reaching the substrate. Current density-potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements in dark revealed a reduction of the SiO2 native layer at cathodic potentials higher than -1 V vs. Ag/AgCl (3.5 M KCl), which contributes to the high charge transfer kinetic of the system. We believe that these results will contribute to understand the substrate influence in the PEC performance of top absorber layers in multilayer structures for solar water splitting.This research was funded by FONDECYT (National Fund for Scientific, Technological Development and Technological Innovation) under the agreement 147-2017. The author M Mejia has been supported by the CONCYTEC Peru (National Council for Science, Technology and Technological Innovation) doctoral scholarship under the Contract Number 236-2015-FONDECYT as well as by the PUCP vicechancellorship for research (VRI, Project No. CAP-2019-3-0041/702). The authors would like to thank the Katholischer Akademischer Auslander-Dienst institution (KAAD) for the short-term grants given to conduct research internships in the Technische Universitat Ilmenau (TU Ilmenau). Finally, the authors would like to thank the German Research Foundation (DFG) (DFG-Gz: INST 273/56-1 FUGG) and the Materials Characterization Center (CAM) at PUCP, for the financial support to conduct the characterization experiments

Characterization and outcomes of 414 patients with primary SS who developed haematological malignancies

Objective: To characterize 414 patients with primary SS who developed haematological malignancies and to analyse how the main SS- and lymphoma-related features can modify the presentation patterns and outcomes. Methods: By January 2021, the Big Data Sjögren Project Consortium database included 11 966 patients fulfilling the 2002/2016 classification criteria. Haematological malignancies diagnosed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification were retrospectively identified. Results: There were 414 patients (355 women, mean age 57 years) with haematological malignancies (in 43, malignancy preceded at least one year the SS diagnosis). A total of 376 (91%) patients had mature B-cell malignancy, nearly half had extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) (n = 197), followed by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (n = 67), nodal MZL lymphoma (n = 29), chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) (n = 19) and follicular lymphoma (FL) (n = 17). Rates of complete response, relapses and death were 80%, 34% and 13%, respectively, with a 5-year survival rate of 86.5% after a mean follow-up of 8 years. There were significant differences in age at diagnosis (younger in MALT, older in CLL/SLL), predominant clinical presentation (glandular enlargement in MALT lymphoma, peripheral lymphadenopathy in nodal MZL and FL, constitutional symptoms in DLBCL, incidental diagnosis in CLL/SLL), therapeutic response (higher in MALT lymphoma, lower in DLBCL) and survival (better in MALT, nodal MZL and FL, worse in DLBCL). Conclusion: In the largest reported study of haematological malignancies complicating primary SS, we confirm the overwhelming predominance of B-cell lymphomas, especially MALT, with the salivary glands being the primary site of involvement. This highly-specific histopathological scenario is linked with the overall good prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of nearly 90%