2,504 research outputs found
Cosmological evolution of scalar fields and gravitino dark matter in gauge mediation at low reheating temperatures
We consider the dynamics of the supersymmetry-breaking scalar field and the
production of dark matter gravitinos via its decay in a gauge-mediated
supersymmetry breaking model with metastable vacuum. We find that the scalar
field amplitude and gravitino density are extremely sensitive to the parameters
of the hidden sector. For the case of an O'Raifeartaigh sector, we show that
the observed dark matter density can be explained by gravitinos even for low
reheating temperatures T_{R} < 10 GeV. Such low reheating temperatures may be
implied by detection of the NLSP at the LHC if its thermal freeze-out density
is in conflict with BBN.Comment: 11 pages RevTex. Extended discussion and minor corrections,
conclusions unaltered. Version to be published in JCA
Clustering with shallow trees
We propose a new method for hierarchical clustering based on the optimisation
of a cost function over trees of limited depth, and we derive a
message--passing method that allows to solve it efficiently. The method and
algorithm can be interpreted as a natural interpolation between two well-known
approaches, namely single linkage and the recently presented Affinity
Propagation. We analyze with this general scheme three biological/medical
structured datasets (human population based on genetic information, proteins
based on sequences and verbal autopsies) and show that the interpolation
technique provides new insight.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Thrombospondin modulates melanoma--platelet interactions and melanoma tumour cell growth in vivo.
In this study we have investigated the role of thrombospondin (TSP) as a possible ligand playing a key role in human M3Da. melanoma cell interaction with platelets and in tumour growth. TSP is secreted (80 +/- 6 ng TSP 10(-6) cells) and bound to the surface of M3Da. cells via receptors different from CD36, as shown by biosynthetic labelling and immunofluorescence studies. The levels of TSP binding to M3Da. cells evaluated by binding studies, using an anti-TSP monoclonal antibody (MAb) (LYP8), shows 367,000 +/- 58,000 (mean +/- s.d.) LYP8 binding sites per cell with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 67 nM. TSP binding to M3Da. cells shows 400,000 +/- 50,000 TSP binding sites per cell with a Kd of 10 nM. The capacity of anti-TSP MAb (LYP8) to inhibit M3Da.-platelet interactions was followed on an aggregometer and evaluated by electron microscopy studies. The biological role of TSP binding to M3Da. cells was investigated by implanting subcutaneously the M3Da. cell line in nude mice and following the size and time of in vivo tumour growth. Reducing the availability or the functional level of TSP by using an anti-TSP MAb (LYP8) resulted in a significant decrease in platelet aggregates interacting with M3Da. melanoma cells. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, purified alpha nu beta 3 was shown to bind TSP. Moreover, LYP8-coated M3Da. cells showed a reduced capacity to form tumours in vivo. M3Da. cells were observed to attach and spread on human platelet TSP-coated plastic wells. This attachment by M3Da. cells was inhibited in a similar way by LYP8 and an anti-alpha nu beta 3 MAb (LYP18). The results obtained in this study show that TSP secreted and bound to the surface of a human melanoma cell line (M3Da.) acts as a link between aggregated platelets and the M3Da. cell surface. Moreover, these results shows that TSP can modulate tumour growth in vivo. Reagents such as MAbs directed against TSP and peptides derived from TSP could not only be used as a new therapeutic approach in the control of tumour metastasis of melanoma, but may also contribute to elucidation of the role of TSP in cancer biology
Ranking ligand affinity for the DNA minor groove by experiment and simulation
The structural and thermodynamic basis for the strength and selectivity of the interactions of minor-groove binders (MGBs) with DNA is not fully understood. In 2003 we reported the first example of a thiazole containing MGB that bound in a phase shifted pattern that spanned 6 base-pairs rather than the usual 4 (for tricyclic distamycin-like compounds). Since then, using DNA footprinting, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular dynamics, we have established that the flanking bases around the central 4 being read by the ligand have subtle effects on recognition. We have investigated the effect of these flanking sequences on binding and the reasons for the differences and established a computational method to rank ligand affinity against varying DNA sequences
Clan structure analysis and new physics signals in pp collisions at LHC
The study of possible new physics signals in global event properties in pp
collisions in full phase space and in rapidity intervals accessible at LHC is
presented. The main characteristic is the presence of an elbow structure in
final charged particle MD's in addition to the shoulder observed at lower c.m.
energies.Comment: 9 pages, talk given at Focus on Multiplicity (Bari, Italy, June 2004
Analytic curves in algebraic varieties over number fields
We establish algebraicity criteria for formal germs of curves in algebraic
varieties over number fields and apply them to derive a rationality criterion
for formal germs of functions, which extends the classical rationality theorems
of Borel-Dwork and P\'olya-Bertrandias valid over the projective line to
arbitrary algebraic curves over a number field.
The formulation and the proof of these criteria involve some basic notions in
Arakelov geometry, combined with complex and rigid analytic geometry (notably,
potential theory over complex and -adic curves). We also discuss geometric
analogues, pertaining to the algebraic geometry of projective surfaces, of
these arithmetic criteria.Comment: 55 pages. To appear in "Algebra, Arithmetic, and Geometry: In Honor
of Y.i. Manin", Y. Tschinkel & Yu. Manin editors, Birkh\"auser, 200
Reheating Temperature and Gauge Mediation Models of Supersymmetry Breaking
For supersymmetric theories with gravitino dark matter, the maximal reheating
temperature consistent with big bang nucleosynthesis bounds arises when the
physical gaugino masses are degenerate. We consider the cases of a stau or
sneutrino next-to-lightest superpartner, which have relatively less constraint
from big bang nucleosynthesis. The resulting parameter space is consistent with
leptogenesis requirements, and can be reached in generalized gauge mediation
models. Such models illustrate a class of theories that overcome the well-known
tension between big bang nucleosynthesis and leptogenesis.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures; v2: refs adde
The Balance between Mono- and NEDD8-Chains Controlled by NEDP1 upon DNA Damage Is a Regulatory Module of the HSP70 ATPase Activity
International audienc
A p-adic analogue of Siegel's Theorem on sums of squares
Siegel proved that every totally positive element of a number field K is the sum of four squares, so in particular the Pythagoras number is uniformly bounded across number fields. The p âadic Kochen operator provides a p âadic analogue of squaring, and a certain localisation of the ring generated by this operator consists of precisely the totally p âintegral elements of K . We use this to formulate and prove a p âadic analogue of Siegel's theorem, by introducing the p âPythagoras number of a general field, and showing that this number is uniformly bounded across number fields. We also generally study fields with finite p âPythagoras number and show that the growth of the p âPythagoras number in finite extensions is bounded
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