27 research outputs found
Fermionic Zero Modes on Domain Walls
We study fermionic zero modes in the domain wall background. The fermions
have Dirac and left- and right-handed Majorana mass terms. The source of the
Dirac mass term is the coupling to a scalar field . The source of the
Majorana mass terms could also be the coupling to a scalar field or a
vacuum expectation value of some other field acquired in a phase transition
well above the phase transition of the field . We derive the fermionic
equations of motion and find the necessary and sufficient conditions for a zero
mode to exist. We also find the solutions numerically. In the absence of the
Majorana mass terms, the equations are solvable analytically. In the case of
massless fermions a zero energy solution exists and we show that although this
mode is not discretely normalizable it is Dirac delta function normalizable and
should be viewed as part of a continuum spectrum rather than as an isolated
zero mode.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, matches version published in PR
Social environmental impacts on survey cooperation
Social environmental influences on survey cooperation are explored using data from six national household surveys in the United States matched to 1990 decennial census data. Consistent with the past literature on prosocial behavior, cooperation rates in these six surveys are found to be lower in urban, densely populated, high crime rate areas. Measures of social cohesion show no evidence of influencing cooperation. The influence of the environmental variables is then observed after introducing statistical controls for household structure, race, age of household members, presence of children, and socioeconomic attributes of households. Over half of the measured influence of the environmental variables is explained by these household-level attributes. These findings have practical import for survey administrators and are informative for the construction of a theory of survey participation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43559/1/11135_2004_Article_BF00153986.pd
Metaturbidite-hosted gold deposits, CĂłrrego do SĂtio lineament, QuadrilĂĄtero FerrĂfero, Brazil
Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies
Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost
universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade.
Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this
time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of
available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the
modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of
multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed
galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major
ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay
between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models,
and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic
measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting
can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies,
such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and
metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet
there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in
a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the
influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The
challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the
observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will
be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where
the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the
text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
Mobility histories of 7th-9th century AD people buried at Early Medieval Bamburgh, Northumberland, England
Early Medieval England is described historically as a time when people migrated from the Continent to English shores. This study tests the hypothesis that those buried in the Bowl Hole cemetery, Bamburgh, Northumberland were nonlocally born, because of its royal status. Ninety-one male and female adult, and nonadult, skeletons were studied. Isotope ratios of strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (ÎŽ18O) were generated for 78 individuals (28 females, 27 males, five âadults,â 18 nonadults). The mean Sr value for human enamel was 0.71044, standard deviation (sd) 0.001, and the mean O (ÎŽw) value is â5.9â°, sd 1.6â°. Additionally, animal tooth enamel (mean Sr value 0.710587, sd 0.001; mean O value â6.5â°, sd 1.5â°), local soil (mean Sr value 0.709184, sd 0.0006), snail shells (mean Sr value 0.708888, sd 0.0001), and soil samples from a 5 km transect heading inland (mean Sr value 0.709121, sd 0.0003), were analyzed for an indication of the isotopic composition of bioavailable Sr in the modern environment and to assess the impact of sea-spray; water samples from a well, local rivers, and standing water were analyzed for local ÎŽ18O values (mean O value â6.4â°, relative to VSMOW, sd 2.8â°). Over 50% of those buried at Bamburgh were nonlocal. All ages and both sexes produced ânonlocalâ signatures; some suggested childhood origins in Scandinavia, the southern Mediterranean or North Africa. Stature and other indicators of health status indicated differences in quality of life between local and migrant groups. These differences did not extend to burial practices
A fluorinated indole based MDM2 antagonist selectively inhibits the growth of p53wt osteosarcoma cells
The p53 protein is engaged in the repair of DNA mutations and elimination of heavily damaged cells, providing anti-cancer protection. Dysregulation of p53 activity is a crucial step in carcinogenesis. This dysregulation is often caused by the overexpression of negative regulators of p53, among which MDM2 is the most prominent one. Antagonizing MDM2 with small molecules restores the activity of p53 in p53 wild-type (p53wt ) cells and thus provides positive outcomes in the treatment of p53wt cancers. Previously, we have reported the discovery of a panel of fluoro-substituted indole-based antagonists of MDM2. Here, we demonstrate the biological activity and stereoselectivity of the most active compound from this series. Both enantiomers of the esterified form of the compound, as well as its corresponding carboxylic acids, were found active in fluorescence polarization (FP) assay, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and microscale thermophoresis (MST) assay, with Ki and KD values around 1 ÎŒM. From these four compounds, the esterified enantiomer (R)-5a was active in cells, which was evidenced by the increase of p53 levels, the induced expression of p53-target genes (CDKN1A and MDM2), the selective induction of cell cycle arrest and selective growth inhibition of p53wt U-2 OS and SJSA-1 compared to p53del SAOS-2 cells. The analysis of the crystal structure of human MDM2 in complex with the compound (R)-6a (carboxylic acid of the active (R)-5a compound) revealed the classical three-finger binding mode. Altogether, our data demonstrate the activity of the compound and provide the structural basis for further structure optimization. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved