The Diagnostic Potential of Transition Region Lines under-going Transient Ionization in Dynamic Events

We discuss the diagnostic potential of high cadence ultraviolet spectral data when transient ionization is considered. For this we use high cadence UV spectra taken during the impulsive phase of a solar flares (observed with instruments on-board the Solar Maximum Mission) which showed excellent correspondence with hard X-ray pulses. The ionization fraction of the transition region ion O V and in particular the contribution function for the O V 1371A line are computed within the Atomic Data and Analysis Structure, which is a collection of fundamental and derived atomic data and codes which manipulate them. Due to transient ionization, the O V 1371A line is enhanced in the first fraction of a second with the peak in the line contribution function occurring initially at a higher electron temperature than in ionization equilibrium. The rise time and enhancement factor depend mostly on the electron density. The fractional increase in the O V 1371A emissivity due to transient ionization can reach a factor of 2--4 and can explain the fast response in the line flux of transition regions ions during the impulsive phase of flares solely as a result of transient ionization. This technique can be used to diagnostic the electron temperature and density of solar flares observed with the forth-coming Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Genomic annotation and expression analysis of the zebrafish Rho small GTPase family during development and bacterial infection

Microbial Biotechnolog

Large-scale structural organization of social networks

The characterization of large-scale structural organization of social networks is an important interdisciplinary problem. We show, by using scaling analysis and numerical computation, that the following factors are relevant for models of social networks: the correlation between friendship ties among people and the position of their social groups, as well as the correlation between the positions of different social groups to which a person belongs.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Revte

Wedgebox analysis of four-lepton events from neutralino pair production at the LHC

`Wedgebox' plots constructed by plotting the di-electron invariant mass versus the di-muon invariant mass from pp -> e^+e^- mu^+ mu^- + missing energy signature LHC events. Data sets of such events are obtained across the MSSM input parameter space in event-generator simulations, including cuts designed to remove SM backgrounds. Their study reveals several general features: (1)Regions in the MSSM input parameter space where a sufficient number of events are expected so as to be able to construct a clear wedgebox plot are delineated. (2)The presence of box shapes on a wedgebox plot either indicates the presence of heavy Higgs bosons decays or restricts the location to a quite small region of low \mu and M_2 values \lsim 200 GeV, a region denoted as the `lower island'. In this region, wedgebox plots can be quite complicated and change in pattern rather quickly as one moves around in the (\mu, M_2) plane. (3)Direct neutralino pair production from an intermediate Z^{0*} may only produce a wedge-shape since only \widetilde{\chi}_2^0\widetilde{\chi}_3^0 decays can contribute significantly. (4)A double-wedge or wedge-protruding-from-a-box pattern on a wedgebox plot, which results from combining a variety of MSSM production processes, yields three distinct observed endpoints, almost always attributable to \widetilde{\chi}_{2,3,4}^0 \to \widetilde{\chi}_1^0 \ell^+\ell^- decays, which can be utilized to determine a great deal of information about the neutralino and slepton mass spectra and related MSSM input parameters. Wedge and double-wedge patterns are seen in wedgebox plots in another region of higher \mu and M_2 values, denoted as the`upper island.' Here the pattern is simpler and more stable as one moves across the (\mu, M_2) input parameter space.Comment: 28 pages (LaTeX), 8 figures (encapsulated postscript

Testing models with non-minimal Higgs sector through the decay t->q+WZ

We study the contribution of charged Higgs boson to the rare decay of the top quark t->q+WZ (q=d,s,b) in models with Higgs sector that includes doublets and triplets. Higgs doublets are needed to couple charged Higgs with quarks, whereas the Higgs triplets are required to generate the non-standard vertex HWZ at tree-level. It is found that within a model that respect the custodial SU(2) symmetry and avoids flavour changing neutral currents by imposing discrete symmetries, the decay mode t->b+WZ, can reach a branching ratio of order 0.0178, whereas the decay modes t->(d,s)+WZ, can reach a similar branching ratio in models where flavour changing neutral currents are suppressed by flavour symmetries.Comment: Typeset using REVTEX and EPSF, 5 pag, 2 figure

A Novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Protein, U274, is transported to the Cell Surface and undergoes Endocytosis

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) genome contains open reading frames (ORFs) that encode for several genes that are homologous to proteins found in all known coronaviruses. These are the replicase gene 1a/1b and the four structural proteins, nucleocapsid (N), spike (S), membrane (M), and envelope (E), and these proteins are expected to be essential for the replication of the virus. In addition, this genome also contains nine other potential ORFs varying in length from 39 to 274 amino acids. The largest among these is the first ORF of the second longest subgenomic RNA, and this protein (termed U274 in the present study) consists of 274 amino acids and contains three putative transmembrane domains. Using antibody specific for the C terminus of U274, we show U274 to be expressed in SARS-CoV-infected Vero E6 cells and, in addition to the full-length protein, two other processed forms were also detected. By indirect immunofluorescence, U274 was localized to the perinuclear region, as well as to the plasma membrane, in both transfected and infected cells. Using an N terminus myc-tagged U274, the topology of U274 and its expression on the cell surface were confirmed. Deletion of a cytoplasmic domain of U274, which contains Yxx and diacidic motifs, abolished its transport to the cell surface. In addition, U274 expressed on the cell surface can internalize antibodies from the culture medium into the cells. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments also showed that U274 could interact specifically with the M, E, and S structural proteins, as well as with U122, another protein that is unique to SARS-CoV.Web of Scienc

From crystal to amorphopus: a novel route towards unjamming in soft disk packings

It is presented a numerical study on the unjamming packing fraction of bi- and polydisperse disk packings, which are generated through compression of a monodisperse crystal. In bidisperse systems, a fraction f_+ = 40% up to 80% of the total number of particles have their radii increased by \Delta R, while the rest has their radii decreased by the same amount. Polydisperse packings are prepared by changing all particle radii according to a uniform distribution in the range [-\Delta R,\Delta R]. The results indicate that the critical packing fraction is never larger than the value for the initial monodisperse crystal, \phi = \pi/12, and that the lowest value achieved is approximately the one for random close packing. These results are seen as a consequence of the interplay between the increase in small-small particle contacts and the local crystalline order provided by the large-large particle contacts.Comment: two columns, 14 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.

Phenomenology of flavor-mediated supersymmetry breaking

The phenomenology of a new economical SUSY model that utilizes dynamical SUSY breaking and gauge-mediation (GM) for the generation of the sparticle spectrum and the hierarchy of fermion masses is discussed. Similarities between the communication of SUSY breaking through a messenger sector, and the generation of flavor using the Froggatt-Nielsen (FN) mechanism are exploited, leading to the identification of vector-like messenger fields with FN fields, and the messenger U(1) as a flavor symmetry. An immediate consequence is that the first and second generation scalars acquire flavor-dependent masses, but do not violate FCNC bounds since their mass scale, consistent with effective SUSY, is of order 10 TeV. We define and advocate a minimal flavor-mediated model (MFMM), recently introduced in the literature, that successfully accommodates the small flavor-breaking parameters of the standard model using order one couplings and ratios of flavon field vevs. The mediation of SUSY breaking occurs via two-loop log-enhanced GM contributions, as well as several one-loop and two-loop Yukawa-mediated contributions for which we provide analytical expressions. The MFMM is parameterized by a small set of masses and couplings, with values restricted by several model constraints and experimental data. The next-to-lightest sparticle (NLSP) always has a decay length that is larger than the scale of a detector, and is either the lightest stau or the lightest neutralino. Similar to ordinary GM models, the best collider search strategies are, respectively, inclusive production of at least one highly ionizing track, or events with many taus plus missing energy. In addition, D^0 - \bar{D}^0 mixing is also a generic low energy signal. Finally, the dynamical generation of the neutrino masses is briefly discussed.Comment: 54 pages, LaTeX, 8 figure

Spin Analysis of Supersymmetric Particles

The spin of supersymmetric particles can be determined at $e^+e^-$ colliders unambiguously. This is demonstrated for a characteristic set of non-colored supersymmetric particles -- smuons, selectrons, and charginos/neutralinos. The analysis is based on the threshold behavior of the excitation curves for pair production in $e^+e^-$ collisions, the angular distribution in the production process and decay angular distributions. In the first step we present the observables in the helicity formalism for the supersymmetric particles. Subsequently we confront the results with corresponding analyses of Kaluza-Klein particles in theories of universal extra space dimensions which behave distinctly different from supersymmetric theories. It is shown in the third step that a set of observables can be designed which signal the spin of supersymmetric particles unambiguously without any model assumptions. Finally in the fourth step it is demonstrated that the determination of the spin of supersymmetric particles can be performed experimentally in practice at an $e^+e^-$ collider.Comment: 39 pages, 14 figure

Implantation of an iris-fixated phakic intraocular lens for the correction of hyperopia: 15-year follow-up

Purpose: To assess the predictability, efficacy, stability, and safety of implantation of an Artisan iris-fixated phakic intraocular lens (IF-pIOL) for the correction of hyperopia with a follow-up of up to 15 years.Setting: Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.Methods: Patients operated by a single surgeon up to 2007 were identified, and data on refraction, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected distance visual acuity, endothelial cell (EC) density, and complications were collected.Results: A total of 61 eyes (32 patients) were analysed. The mean spherical equivalent decreased from +6.43 +/- 1.78 diopters (D) preimplantation to -0.22 +/- 0.57 D at 1 year postimplantation and remained stable throughout follow-up. A stable CDVA with safety indices ranging from 0.91 to 1.10 and efficacy indices between 0.43 and 0.86 were observed. Follow-up time had a significant effect on EC density with an estimated annual decline of 58 cells/mm(2) after IF-pIOL implantation. IF-pIOL explantation was performed in a 10 eyes (16.4%) after 8.13 +/- 5.11 years. The main reason for IF-pIOL explantation was EC loss (4 eyes [6.6%]). Pigment dispersion was the most encountered complication, observed in 9 eyes ( 14.8%).Conclusions: Visual and refractive results after implantation of an IF- pIOL to correct hyperopia show favorable and stable results with long-term follow- up. Lifelong monitoring of EC counts is mandatory. Pigment dispersion might be a problem in hyperopic eyes implanted with an IF-pIOL; a shallower anterior chamber depth and a convex iris configuration might be predisposing factors. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of ASCRS and ESCRSNeuro Imaging Researc