The neutron 'thunder' accompanying the extensive air shower

Simulations show that neutrons are the most abundant component among extensive air shower hadrons. However, multiple neutrons which appear with long delays in neutron monitors nearby the EAS core ('neutron thunder') are mostly not the neutrons of the shower, but have a secondary origin. The bulk of them is produced by high energy EAS hadrons hitting the monitors. The delays are due to the termalization and diffusion of neutrons in the moderator and reflector of the monitor accompanied by the production of secondary gamma-quanta. This conclusion raises the important problem of the interaction of EAS with the ground, the stuff of the detectors and their environment since they have often hydrogen containing materials like polyethilene in neutron monitors. Such interaction can give an additional contribution to the signal in the EAS detectors. It can be particularly important for the signals from scintillator or water tank detectors at km-long distances from the EAS core where neutrons of the shower become the dominant component after a few mcsec behind the EAS front.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted by J.Phys.G: Nucl.Part.Phy

Different metastasis promotive potency of small G-proteins RalA and RalB in in vivo hamster tumor model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previously we have shown that oncogenic Ha-Ras stimulated <it>in vivo </it>metastasis through RalGEF-Ral signaling. RalA and RalB are highly homologous small G proteins belonging to Ras superfamily. They can be activated by Ras-RalGEF signaling pathway and influence cellular growth and survival, motility, vesicular transport and tumor progression in humans and in animal models. Here we first time compared the influence of RalA and RalB on tumorigenic, invasive and metastatic properties of RSV transformed hamster fibroblasts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Retroviral vectors encoding activated forms or effector mutants of RalA or RalB proteins were introduced into the low metastatic HET-SR cell line. Tumor growth and spontaneous metastatic activity (SMA) were evaluated on immunocompetent hamsters after subcutaneous injection of cells. The biological properties of cells, including proliferation, clonogenicity, migration and invasion were determined using MTT, wound healing, colony formation and Boyden chamber assays respectively. Protein expression and phosphorylation was detected by Westen blot analysis. Extracellular proteinases activity was assessed by substrate-specific zymography.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have showed that although both Ral proteins stimulated SMA, RalB was more effective in metastasis stimulation <it>in vivo </it>as well as in potentiating of directed movement and invasion <it>in vitro</it>. Simultaneous expression of active RalA and RalB didn't give synergetic effect on metastasis formation. RalB activity decreased expression of Caveolin-1, while active RalA stimulated MMP-1 and uPA proteolytic activity, as well as CD24 expression. Both Ral proteins were capable of Cyclin D1 upregulation, JNK1 kinase activation, and stimulation of colony growth and motility. Among three main RalB effectors (RalBP1, exocyst complex and PLD1), PLD1 was essential for RalB-dependent metastasis stimulation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Presented results are the first data on direct comparison of RalA and RalB impact as well as of RalA/RalB simultaneous expression influence on <it>in vivo </it>cell metastatic activity. We showed that RalB activation significantly more than RalA stimulates SMA. This property correlates with the ability of RalB to stimulate <it>in vitro </it>invasion and serum directed cell movement. We also found that RalB-PLD1 interaction is necessary for the acquisition of RalB-dependent high metastatic cell phenotype. These findings contribute to the identification of molecular mechanisms of metastasis and tumor progression.</p

The Physics of Heavy Flavours at SuperB

This is a review of the SuperB project, covering the accelerator, detector, and highlights of the broad physics programme. SuperB is a flavour factory capable of performing precision measurements and searches for rare and forbidden decays of $B_{u,d,s}$, $D$, $\tau$ and $\Upsilon({\mathrm{nS}})$ particles. These results can be used to test fundamental symmetries and expectations of the Standard Model, and to constrain many different hypothesised types of new physics. In some cases these measurements can be used to place constraints on the existence of light dark matter and light Higgs particles with masses below $10GeV/c^2$. The potential impact of the measurements that will be made by SuperB on the field of high energy physics is also discussed in the context of data taken at both high energy in the region around the \Upsilon({\mathrm{4S}})$, and near charm threshold.Comment: 49 pages, topical review submitted to J. Phys

Search for the h_c meson in B^+- ->h_c K^+-

We report a search for the $h_c$ meson via the decay chain $B^{\pm}\to h_c K^{\pm}$, \etac \gamma with $\eta_c \to K_S^0 K^{\pm} \pi^{\mp}$ and $p\bar{p}$. No significant signals are observed. We obtain upper limits on the branching fractions for $B^{\pm} \to \eta_c\gamma K^{\pm}$ in bins of the $\eta_c\gamma$ invariant mass. The results are based on an analysis of 253 fb$^{-1}$ of data collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB $e^+e^-$ collider.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Parental genome unification is highly error-prone in mammalian embryos

Most human embryos are aneuploid. Aneuploidy frequently arises during the early mitotic divisions of the embryo, but its origin remains elusive. Human zygotes that cluster their nucleoli at the pronuclear interface are thought to be more likely to develop into healthy euploid embryos. Here, we show that the parental genomes cluster with nucleoli in each pronucleus within human and bovine zygotes, and clustering is required for the reliable unification of the parental genomes after fertilization. During migration of intact pronuclei, the parental genomes polarize toward each other in a process driven by centrosomes, dynein, microtubules, and nuclear pore complexes. The maternal and paternal chromosomes eventually cluster at the pronuclear interface, in direct proximity to each other, yet separated. Parental genome clustering ensures the rapid unification of the parental genomes on nuclear envelope breakdown. However, clustering often fails, leading to chromosome segregation errors and micronuclei, incompatible with healthy embryo development

Spectral Correlation in Incommensurate Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We investigate the energy spectra of clean incommensurate double-walled carbon nanotubes, and find that the overall spectral properties are described by the so-called critical statistics of Anderson metal-insulator transition. In the energy spectra, there exist three different regimes characterized by Wigner-Dyson, Poisson, and semi-Poisson distributions. This feature implies that the electron transport in incommensurate multi-walled nanotubes can be either diffusive, ballistic, or intermediate between them, depending on the position of the Fermi energy.Comment: final version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Evidence for CP Violation in B0 -> D+D- Decays

We report measurements of the branching fraction and CP violation parameters in B0 -> D+D- decays. The results are based on a data sample that contains 535 x 10^6 BBbar pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance, with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. We obtain [1.97 +- 0.20 (stat) +- 0.20 (syst)] x 10^(-4) for the branching fraction of B0 -> D+D-. The measured values of the CP violation parameters are: S = -1.13 +- 0.37 +- 0.09, A = 0.91 +- 0.23 +- 0.06, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. We find evidence of CP violation in B0 -> D+D- at the 4.1 sigma confidence level. While the value of S is consistent with expectations from other measurements, the value of the parameter A favors large direct CP violation at the 3.2 sigma confidence level, in contradiction to Standard Model expectations.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR

Inclusive-jet Photoproduction at HERA and Determination of α \u3csub\u3es\u3c/sub\u3e

Inclusive-jet cross sections have been measured in the reaction ep→e+jet+X for photon virtuality Q 2γp centre-of-mass energies in the region 142γp-1. Jets were identified using the k T, anti-k T or SIScone jet algorithms in the laboratory frame. Single-differential cross sections are presented as functions of the jet transverse energy, ETjet, and pseudorapidity, jet, for jets with ETjet\u3e17 GeV and -1\u3c je