210 research outputs found
A SUSY SU(5) Grand Unified Model of Tri-Bimaximal Mixing from A4
We discuss a grand unified model based on SUSY SU(5) in extra dimensions and
on the flavour group A4xU(1) which, besides reproducing tri-bimaximal mixing
for neutrinos with the accuracy required by the data, also leads to a natural
description of the observed pattern of quark masses and mixings.Comment: 19 page
Immersed boundary-finite element model of fluid-structure interaction in the aortic root
It has long been recognized that aortic root elasticity helps to ensure
efficient aortic valve closure, but our understanding of the functional
importance of the elasticity and geometry of the aortic root continues to
evolve as increasingly detailed in vivo imaging data become available. Herein,
we describe fluid-structure interaction models of the aortic root, including
the aortic valve leaflets, the sinuses of Valsalva, the aortic annulus, and the
sinotubular junction, that employ a version of Peskin's immersed boundary (IB)
method with a finite element (FE) description of the structural elasticity. We
develop both an idealized model of the root with three-fold symmetry of the
aortic sinuses and valve leaflets, and a more realistic model that accounts for
the differences in the sizes of the left, right, and noncoronary sinuses and
corresponding valve cusps. As in earlier work, we use fiber-based models of the
valve leaflets, but this study extends earlier IB models of the aortic root by
employing incompressible hyperelastic models of the mechanics of the sinuses
and ascending aorta using a constitutive law fit to experimental data from
human aortic root tissue. In vivo pressure loading is accounted for by a
backwards displacement method that determines the unloaded configurations of
the root models. Our models yield realistic cardiac output at physiological
pressures, with low transvalvular pressure differences during forward flow,
minimal regurgitation during valve closure, and realistic pressure loads when
the valve is closed during diastole. Further, results from high-resolution
computations demonstrate that IB models of the aortic valve are able to produce
essentially grid-converged dynamics at practical grid spacings for the
high-Reynolds number flows of the aortic root
Comparison of s- and d-wave gap symmetry in nonequilibrium superconductivity
Recent application of ultrafast pump/probe optical techniques to
superconductors has renewed interest in nonequilibrium superconductivity and
the predictions that would be available for novel superconductors, such as the
high-Tc cuprates. We have reexamined two of the classical models which have
been used in the past to interpret nonequilibrium experiments with some
success: the mu* model of Owen and Scalapino and the T* model of Parker.
Predictions depend on pairing symmetry. For instance, the gap suppression due
to excess quasiparticle density n in the mu* model, varies as n^{3/2} in d-wave
as opposed to n for s-wave. Finally, we consider these models in the context of
S-I-N tunneling and optical excitation experiments. While we confirm that
recent pump/probe experiments in YBCO, as presently interpreted, are in
conflict with d-wave pairing, we refute the further claim that they agree with
s-wave.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure
Nonlinear atom optics and bright gap soliton generation in finite optical lattices
We theoretically investigate the transmission dynamics of coherent matter
wave pulses across finite optical lattices in both the linear and the nonlinear
regimes. The shape and the intensity of the transmitted pulse are found to
strongly depend on the parameters of the incident pulse, in particular its
velocity and density: a clear physical picture for the main features observed
in the numerical simulations is given in terms of the atomic band dispersion in
the periodic potential of the optical lattice. Signatures of nonlinear effects
due the atom-atom interaction are discussed in detail, such as atom optical
limiting and atom optical bistability. For positive scattering lengths, matter
waves propagating close to the top of the valence band are shown to be subject
to modulational instability. A new scheme for the experimental generation of
narrow bright gap solitons from a wide Bose-Einstein condensate is proposed:
the modulational instability is seeded in a controlled way starting from the
strongly modulated density profile of a standing matter wave and the solitonic
nature of the generated pulses is checked from their shape and their
collisional properties
Left-right symmetry in 5D and neutrino mass in TeV scale gravity models
We construct a left-right symmetric model based on the gauge group
in five dimensions where both the
gauge bosons and fermions reside in all five dimensions. The orbifold boundary
conditions are used not only to break the gauge symmetry down to but also to ``project'' the right handed neutrino out
of the zero mode part of the spectrum, providing a new way to understand the
small neutrino masses without adding (singlet) bulk neutrinos. This formulation
of the left-right model has also two new features: (i) it avoids most existing
phenomenological bounds on the scale of the right handed boson allowing
for the possibility that the right handed gauge bosons could have masses under
a TeV, and (ii) it predicts a stable lepton with mass of order of the inverse
radius of the fifth dimension.Comment: 20 pages; some new materials and references adde
Coping with global uncertainty: Perceptions of COVID-19 psychological distress, relationship quality, and dyadic coping for romantic partners across 27 countries
CorrelaçÔes entre as caracterĂsticas obtidas in vivo por ultra-som e as obtidas na carcaça de cordeiros terminados em confinamento
The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex
INTRODUCTION
The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities. Variations in human cortical surface area and thickness are associated with neurological, psychological, and behavioral traits and can be measured in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Studies in model organisms have identified genes that influence cortical structure, but little is known about common genetic variants that affect human cortical structure.
RATIONALE
To identify genetic variants associated with human cortical structure at both global and regional levels, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain MRI data from 51,665 individuals across 60 cohorts. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 cortical regions with known functional specializations.
RESULTS
We identified 306 nominally genome-wide significant loci (P < 5 Ă 10â8) associated with cortical structure in a discovery sample of 33,992 participants of European ancestry. Of the 299 loci for which replication data were available, 241 loci influencing surface area and 14 influencing thickness remained significant after replication, with 199 loci passing multiple testing correction (P < 8.3 Ă 10â10; 187 influencing surface area and 12 influencing thickness).
Common genetic variants explained 34% (SE = 3%) of the variation in total surface area and 26% (SE = 2%) in average thickness; surface area and thickness showed a negative genetic correlation (rG = â0.32, SE = 0.05, P = 6.5 Ă 10â12), which suggests that genetic influences have opposing effects on surface area and thickness. Bioinformatic analyses showed that total surface area is influenced by genetic variants that alter gene regulatory activity in neural progenitor cells during fetal development. By contrast, average thickness is influenced by active regulatory elements in adult brain samples, which may reflect processes that occur after mid-fetal development, such as myelination, branching, or pruning. When considered together, these results support the radial unit hypothesis that different developmental mechanisms promote surface area expansion and increases in thickness.
To identify specific genetic influences on individual cortical regions, we controlled for global measures (total surface area or average thickness) in the regional analyses. After multiple testing correction, we identified 175 loci that influence regional surface area and 10 that influence regional thickness. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes involved in the Wnt signaling pathway, which is known to influence areal identity.
We observed significant positive genetic correlations and evidence of bidirectional causation of total surface area with both general cognitive functioning and educational attainment. We found additional positive genetic correlations between total surface area and Parkinsonâs disease but did not find evidence of causation. Negative genetic correlations were evident between total surface area and insomnia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depressive symptoms, major depressive disorder, and neuroticism.
CONCLUSION
This large-scale collaborative work enhances our understanding of the genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex and its regional patterning. The highly polygenic architecture of the cortex suggests that distinct genes are involved in the development of specific cortical areas. Moreover, we find evidence that brain structure is a key phenotype along the causal pathway that leads from genetic variation to differences in general cognitive function
Genome-wide association analysis identifies variants associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that have distinct effects on metabolic traits
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) clusters in families, but the only known common genetic variants influencing risk are near PNPLA3. We sought to identify additional genetic variants influencing NAFLD using genome-wide association (GWA) analysis of computed tomography (CT) measured hepatic steatosis, a non-invasive measure of NAFLD, in large population based samples. Using variance components methods, we show that CT hepatic steatosis is heritable (âŒ26%-27%) in family-based Amish, Family Heart, and Framingham Heart Studies (nâ=â880 to 3,070). By carrying out a fixed-effects meta-analysis of genome-wide association (GWA) results between CT hepatic steatosis and âŒ2.4 million imputed or genotyped SNPs in 7,176 individuals from the Old Order Amish, Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik study (AGES), Family Heart, and Framingham Heart Studies, we identify variants associated at genome-wide significant levels (p<5Ă10(-8)) in or near PNPLA3, NCAN, and PPP1R3B. We genotype these and 42 other top CT hepatic steatosis-associated SNPs in 592 subjects with biopsy-proven NAFLD from the NASH Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN). In comparisons with 1,405 healthy controls from the Myocardial Genetics Consortium (MIGen), we observe significant associations with histologic NAFLD at variants in or near NCAN, GCKR, LYPLAL1, and PNPLA3, but not PPP1R3B. Variants at these five loci exhibit distinct patterns of association with serum lipids, as well as glycemic and anthropometric traits. We identify common genetic variants influencing CT-assessed steatosis and risk of NAFLD. Hepatic steatosis associated variants are not uniformly associated with NASH/fibrosis or result in abnormalities in serum lipids or glycemic and anthropometric traits, suggesting genetic heterogeneity in the pathways influencing these traits.Peer reviewe
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