859 research outputs found
Mapping Bias Overestimates Reference Allele Frequencies at the HLA Genes in the 1000 Genomes Project Phase I Data.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have become the standard for data generation in studies of population genomics, as the 1000 Genomes Project (1000G). However, these techniques are known to be problematic when applied to highly polymorphic genomic regions, such as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. Because accurate genotype calls and allele frequency estimations are crucial to population genomics analyses, it is important to assess the reliability of NGS data. Here, we evaluate the reliability of genotype calls and allele frequency estimates of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reported by 1000G (phase I) at five HLA genes (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1). We take advantage of the availability of HLA Sanger sequencing of 930 of the 1092 1000G samples and use this as a gold standard to benchmark the 1000G data. We document that 18.6% of SNP genotype calls in HLA genes are incorrect and that allele frequencies are estimated with an error greater than ±0.1 at approximately 25% of the SNPs in HLA genes. We found a bias toward overestimation of reference allele frequency for the 1000G data, indicating mapping bias is an important cause of error in frequency estimation in this dataset. We provide a list of sites that have poor allele frequency estimates and discuss the outcomes of including those sites in different kinds of analyses. Because the HLA region is the most polymorphic in the human genome, our results provide insights into the challenges of using of NGS data at other genomic regions of high diversity
Outskirts of Distant Galaxies In Absorption
QSO absorption spectroscopy provides a sensitive probe of both the neutral
medium and diffuse ionized gas in the distant Universe. It extends 21cm maps of
gaseous structures around low-redshift galaxies both to lower gas column
densities and to higher redshifts. Combining galaxy surveys with
absorption-line observations of gas around galaxies enables comprehensive
studies of baryon cycles in galaxy outskirts over cosmic time. This Chapter
presents a review of the empirical understanding of the cosmic neutral gas
reservoir from studies of damped Lya absorbers (DLAs). It describes the
constraints on the star formation relation and chemical enrichment history in
the outskirts of distant galaxies from DLA studies. A brief discussion of
available constraints on the ionized circumgalactic gas from studies of lower
column density Lya absorbers and associated ionic absorption transitions is
presented at the end.Comment: 45 pages, 7 figures, invited review, Book chapter in "Outskirts of
Galaxies", Eds. J. H. Knapen, J. C. Lee and A. Gil de Paz, Astrophysics and
Space Science Library, Springer, in pres
Magnetotunneling spectroscopy of mesoscopic correlations in two-dimensional electron systems
An approach to experimentally exploring electronic correlation functions in
mesoscopic regimes is proposed. The idea is to monitor the mesoscopic
fluctuations of a tunneling current flowing between the two layers of a
semiconductor double-quantum-well structure. From the dependence of these
fluctuations on external parameters, such as in-plane or perpendicular magnetic
fields, external bias voltages, etc., the temporal and spatial dependence of
various prominent correlation functions of mesoscopic physics can be
determined. Due to the absence of spatially localized external probes, the
method provides a way to explore the interplay of interaction and localization
effects in two-dimensional systems within a relatively unperturbed environment.
We describe the theoretical background of the approach and quantitatively
discuss the behavior of the current fluctuations in diffusive and ergodic
regimes. The influence of both various interaction mechanisms and localization
effects on the current is discussed. Finally a proposal is made on how, at
least in principle, the method may be used to experimentally determine the
relevant critical exponents of localization-delocalization transitions.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures include
Survey response in colorectal surgery:A systematic review
Background: Survey research is widely used for developing value-based management strategies in colorectal surgery. However, declining response rates threaten the validity of results. Our aim is to identify factors that influence response rate in colorectal surgical surveys and provide recommendations for future survey design.Methods: We performed a (MEDLINE) search between 2007 and 2020 for survey studies in colorectal surgery providing response rates.Results: Our search revealed 5693 studies, of which 128 studies were included. Patients with colorectal cancer have a lower mean response rate than patients with benign pathology (62.8% vs 75.5%, p < 0.001). Response rate depends on the mode of survey; conducted in person (76%), postal (68%), email (61%) and web-based (44%). Patients participate more often than doctors (P < 0.001). Reminders can positively influence response rates in postal patient surveys (p = 0.03). The proportion of web-based doctor surveys has grown over time (p < 0.01) and overall survey response is declining over time (p = < 0.01).Conclusion: In-person surveying should be explored first in colorectal surgery, especially when addressing colorectal cancer patients and doctors. Reminders are useful to boost response rate in postal surveys directed at patients. Web-based doctor surveys generate the lowest response rate. As response rate is declining, it is important to address these factors when designing and reviewing colorectal surgical survey studies.</p
Resonant nonstationary amplification of polychromatic laser pulses and conical emission in an optically dense ensemble of neon metastable atoms
Experimental and numerical investigation of single-beam and pump-probe
interaction with a resonantly absorbing dense extended medium under strong and
weak field-matter coupling is presented. Significant probe beam amplification
and conical emission were observed. Under relatively weak pumping and high
medium density, when the condition of strong coupling between field and
resonant matter is fulfilled, the probe amplification spectrum has a form of
spectral doublet. Stronger pumping leads to the appearance of a single peak of
the probe beam amplification at the transition frequency. The greater probe
intensity results in an asymmetrical transmission spectrum with amplification
at the blue wing of the absorption line and attenuation at the red one. Under
high medium density, a broad band of amplification appears. Theoretical model
is based on the solution of the Maxwell-Bloch equations for a two-level system.
Different types of probe transmission spectra obtained are attributed to
complex dynamics of a coherent medium response to broadband polychromatic
radiation of a multimode dye laser.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, corrected, Fig.8 was changed, to be published in
Phys. Rev.
Deep Inelastic Scattering from off-Shell Nucleons
We derive the general structure of the hadronic tensor required to describe
deep-inelastic scattering from an off-shell nucleon within a covariant
formalism. Of the large number of possible off-shell structure functions we
find that only three contribute in the Bjorken limit. In our approach the usual
ambiguities encountered when discussing problems related to off-shellness in
deep-inelastic scattering are not present. The formulation therefore provides a
clear framework within which one can discuss the various approximations and
assumptions which have been used in earlier work. As examples, we investigate
scattering from the deuteron, nuclear matter and dressed nucleons. The results
of the full calculation are compared with those where various aspects of the
off-shell structure are neglected, as well as with those of the convolution
model.Comment: 36 pages RevTeX, 9 figures (available upon request), ADP-93-210/T128,
PSI-PR-93-13, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Nucleosynthesis Constraints on a Massive Gravitino in Neutralino Dark Matter Scenarios
The decays of massive gravitinos into neutralino dark matter particles and
Standard Model secondaries during or after Big-Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) may
alter the primordial light-element abundances. We present here details of a new
suite of codes for evaluating such effects, including a new treatment based on
PYTHIA of the evolution of showers induced by hadronic decays of massive,
unstable particles such as a gravitino. We also develop an analytical treatment
of non-thermal hadron propagation in the early universe, and use this to derive
analytical estimates for light-element production and in turn on decaying
particle lifetimes and abundances. We then consider specifically the case of an
unstable massive gravitino within the constrained minimal supersymmetric
extension of the Standard Model (CMSSM). We present upper limits on its
possible primordial abundance before decay for different possible gravitino
masses, with CMSSM parameters along strips where the lightest neutralino
provides all the astrophysical cold dark matter density. We do not find any
CMSSM solution to the cosmological Li7 problem for small m_{3/2}. Discounting
this, for m_{1/2} ~ 500 GeV and tan beta = 10 the other light-element
abundances impose an upper limit m_{3/2} n_{3/2}/n_\gamma < 3 \times 10^{-12}
GeV to < 2 \times 10^{-13} GeV for m_{3/2} = 250 GeV to 1 TeV, which is similar
in both the coannihilation and focus-point strips and somewhat weaker for tan
beta = 50, particularly for larger m_{1/2}. The constraints also weaken in
general for larger m_{3/2}, and for m_{3/2} > 3 TeV we find a narrow range of
m_{3/2} n_{3/2}/n_\gamma, at values which increase with m_{3/2}, where the Li7
abundance is marginally compatible with the other light-element abundances.Comment: 74 pages, 40 Figure
Nucleon-deuteron elastic scattering as a tool to probe properties of three-nucleon forces
Faddeev equations for elastic Nd scattering have been solved using modern NN
forces combined with the Tucson-Melbourne two-pion exchange three-nucleon
force, with a modification thereof closer to chiral symmetry and the Urbana IX
three-nucleon force. Theoretical predictions for the differential cross section
and several spin observables using NN forces only and NN forces combined with
three-nucleon force models are compared to each other and to the existing data.
A wide range of energies from 3 to 200 MeV is covered. Especially at the higher
energies striking three-nucleon force effects are found, some of which are
supported by the still rare set of data, some are in conflict with data and
thus very likely point to defects in those three-nucleon force models.Comment: 30 pages, 14 Postscript figures; now minor changes in figures and
reference
Asymptotic Expansions for Stationary Distributions of Perturbed Semi-Markov Processes
New algorithms for computing of asymptotic expansions for stationary
distributions of nonlinearly perturbed semi-Markov processes are presented. The
algorithms are based on special techniques of sequential phase space reduction,
which can be applied to processes with asymptotically coupled and uncoupled
finite phase spaces.Comment: 83 page
Dynamical Renormalization Group Approach to Quantum Kinetics in Scalar and Gauge Theories
We derive quantum kinetic equations from a quantum field theory implementing
a diagrammatic perturbative expansion improved by a resummation via the
dynamical renormalization group. The method begins by obtaining the equation of
motion of the distribution function in perturbation theory. The solution of
this equation of motion reveals secular terms that grow in time, the dynamical
renormalization group resums these secular terms in real time and leads
directly to the quantum kinetic equation. We used this method to study the
relaxation in a cool gas of pions and sigma mesons in the O(4) chiral linear
sigma model. We obtain in relaxation time approximation the pion and sigma
meson relaxation rates. We also find that in large momentum limit emission and
absorption of massless pions result in threshold infrared divergence in sigma
meson relaxation rate and lead to a crossover behavior in relaxation. We then
study the relaxation of charged quasiparticles in scalar electrodynamics
(SQED). While longitudinal, Debye screened photons lead to purely exponential
relaxation, transverse photons, only dynamically screened by Landau damping
lead to anomalous relaxation, thus leading to a crossover between two different
relaxational regimes. We emphasize that infrared divergent damping rates are
indicative of non-exponential relaxation and the dynamical renormalization
group reveals the correct relaxation directly in real time. Finally we also
show that this method provides a natural framework to interpret and resolve the
issue of pinch singularities out of equilibrium and establish a direct
correspondence between pinch singularities and secular terms. We argue that
this method is particularly well suited to study quantum kinetics and transport
in gauge theories.Comment: RevTeX, 40 pages, 4 eps figures, published versio
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