A femtoscopic Correlation Analysis Tool using the Schr\"odinger equation (CATS)

We present a new analysis framework called "Correlation Analysis Tool using the Schr\"odinger equation" (CATS) which computes the two-particle femtoscopy correlation function $C(k)$, with $k$ being the relative momentum for the particle pair. Any local interaction potential and emission source function can be used as an input and the wave function is evaluated exactly. In this paper we present a study on the sensitivity of $C(k)$ to the interaction potential for different particle pairs: p-p, p-$\mathrm{\Lambda}$, $\mathrm{K^-}$-p, $\mathrm{K^+}$-p, p-$\mathrm{\Xi}^-$ and $\mathrm{\Lambda}$-$\mathrm{\Lambda}$. For the p-p Argonne $v_{18}$ and Reid Soft-Core potentials have been tested. For the other pair systems we present results based on strong potentials obtained from effective Lagrangians such as $\chi$EFT for p-$\mathrm{\Lambda}$, J\"ulich models for $\mathrm{K(\bar{K})}$-N and Nijmegen models for $\mathrm{\Lambda}$-$\mathrm{\Lambda}$. For the p-$\mathrm{\Xi}^-$ pairs we employ the latest lattice results from the HAL QCD collaboration. Our detailed study of different interacting particle pairs as a function of the source size and different potentials shows that femtoscopic measurements can be exploited in order to constrain the final state interactions among hadrons. In particular, small collision systems of the order of 1~fm, as produced in pp collisions at the LHC, seem to provide a suitable environment for quantitative studies of this kind.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, submitted to EPJ

Game theory framework for MAC parameter optimization in energy-delay constrained sensor networks

Optimizing energy consumption and end-to-end (e2e) packet delay in energy-constrained, delay-sensitive wireless sensor networks is a conflicting multiobjective optimization problem. We investigate the problem from a game theory perspective, where the two optimization objectives are considered as game players. The cost model of each player is mapped through a generalized optimization framework onto protocol-specific MAC parameters. From the optimization framework, a game is first defined by the Nash bargaining solution (NBS) to assure energy consumption and e2e delay balancing. Secondy, the Kalai-Smorodinsky bargaining solution (KSBS) is used to find an equal proportion of gain between players. Both methods offer a bargaining solution to the duty-cycle MAC protocol under different axioms. As a result, given the two performance requirements (i.e., the maximum latency tolerated by the application and the initial energy budget of nodes), the proposed framework allows to set tunable system parameters to reach a fair equilibrium point that dually minimizes the system latency and energy consumption. For illustration, this formulation is applied to six state-of-the-art wireless sensor network (WSN) MAC protocols: B-MAC, X-MAC, RI-MAC, SMAC, DMAC, and LMAC. The article shows the effectiveness and scalability of such a framework in optimizing protocol parameters that achieve a fair energy-delay performance trade-off under the application requirements

Carfilzomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone vs lenalidomide-dexamethasone in relapsed multiple myeloma by previous treatment

Carfilzomib, a proteasome inhibitor, is approved as monotherapy and in combination with dexamethasone or lenalidomide-dexamethasone (Rd) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The approval of carfilzomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (KRd) was based on results from the randomized, phase 3 study ASPIRE (NCT01080391), which showed KRd significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs Rd (median 26.3 vs 17.6 months; hazard ratio (HR)=0.690; P=0.0001). This subgroup analysis of ASPIRE evaluated KRd vs Rd by number of previous lines of therapy and previous exposure to bortezomib, thalidomide or lenalidomide. Treatment with KRd led to a 12-month improvement in median PFS vs Rd after first relapse (HR 0.713) and a 9-month improvement after 2 previous lines of therapy (HR 0.720). Treatment with KRd led to an approximate 8-month improvement vs Rd in median PFS in bortezomib-exposed patients (HR 0.699), a 15-month improvement in thalidomide-exposed patients (HR 0.587) and a 5-month improvement in lenalidomide-exposed patients (HR 0.796). Objective response and complete response or better rates were higher with KRd vs Rd, irrespective of previous treatment. KRd had a favorable benefit-risk profile and should be considered an appropriate treatment option for patients with 1 or 2 previous lines of therapy and those previously exposed to bortezomib, thalidomide or lenalidomide

One-step nanoscale expansion microscopy reveals individual protein shapes

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.The attainable resolution of fluorescence microscopy has reached the subnanometer range, but this technique still fails to image the morphology of single proteins or small molecular complexes. Here, we expand the specimens at least tenfold, label them with conventional fluorophores and image them with conventional light microscopes, acquiring videos in which we analyze fluorescence fluctuations. One-step nanoscale expansion (ONE) microscopy enables the visualization of the shapes of individual membrane and soluble proteins, achieving around 1-nm resolution. We show that conformational changes are readily observable, such as those undergone by the ~17-kDa protein calmodulin upon Ca2+ binding. ONE is also applied to clinical samples, analyzing the morphology of protein aggregates in cerebrospinal fluid from persons with Parkinson disease, potentially aiding disease diagnosis. This technology bridges the gap between high-resolution structural biology techniques and light microscopy, providing new avenues for discoveries in biology and medicine

Geminin Is Required for Zygotic Gene Expression at the Xenopus Mid-Blastula Transition

In many organisms early development is under control of the maternal genome and zygotic gene expression is delayed until the mid-blastula transition (MBT). As zygotic transcription initiates, cell cycle checkpoints become activated and the tempo of cell division slows. The mechanisms that activate zygotic transcription at the MBT are incompletely understood, but they are of interest because they may resemble mechanisms that cause stem cells to stop dividing and terminally differentiate. The unstable regulatory protein Geminin is thought to coordinate cell division with cell differentiation. Geminin is a bi-functional protein. It prevents a second round of DNA replication during S and G2 phase by binding and inhibiting the essential replication factor Cdt1. Geminin also binds and inhibits a number of transcription factors and chromatin remodeling proteins and is thought to keep dividing cells in an undifferentiated state. We previously found that the cells of Geminin-deficient Xenopus embryos arrest in G2 phase just after the MBT then disintegrate at the onset of gastrulation. Here we report that they also fail to express most zygotic genes. The gene expression defect is cell-autonomous and is reproduced by over-expressing Cdt1 or by incubating the embryos in hydroxyurea. Geminin deficient and hydroxyurea-treated blastomeres accumulate DNA damage in the form of double stranded breaks. Bypassing the Chk1 pathway overcomes the cell cycle arrest caused by Geminin depletion but does not restore zygotic gene expression. In fact, bypassing the Chk1 pathway by itself induces double stranded breaks and abolishes zygotic transcription. We did not find evidence that Geminin has a replication-independent effect on transcription. We conclude that Geminin is required to maintain genome integrity during the rapid cleavage divisions, and that DNA damage disrupts zygotic gene transcription at the MBT, probably through activation of DNA damage checkpoint pathways

Particle identification studies with a full-size 4-GEM prototype for the ALICE TPC upgrade

A large Time Projection Chamber is the main device for tracking and charged-particle identification in the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC. After the second long shutdown in 2019/20, the LHC will deliver Pb beams colliding at an interaction rate of about 50 kHz, which is about a factor of 50 above the present readout rate of the TPC. This will result in a significant improvement on the sensitivity to rare probes that are considered key observables to characterize the QCD matter created in such collisions. In order to make full use of this luminosity, the currently used gated Multi-Wire Proportional Chambers will be replaced. The upgrade relies on continuously operated readout detectors employing Gas Electron Multiplier technology to retain the performance in terms of particle identification via the measurement of the specific energy loss by ionization d$E$/d$x$. A full-size readout chamber prototype was assembled in 2014 featuring a stack of four GEM foils as an amplification stage. The performance of the prototype was evaluated in a test beam campaign at the CERN PS. The d$E$/d$x$ resolution complies with both the performance of the currently operated MWPC-based readout chambers and the challenging requirements of the ALICE TPC upgrade program. Detailed simulations of the readout system are able to reproduce the data.Comment: Submitted to NIM

Constraints on jet quenching in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV measured by the event-activity dependence of semi-inclusive hadron-jet distributions

CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFINEP - FINANCIADORA DE ESTUDOS E PROJETOSFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOThe ALICE Collaboration reports the measurement of semi-inclusive distributions of charged-particle jets recoiling from a high-transverse momentum trigger hadron in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02TeV. Jets are reconstructed from charged-particle tracks using the anti-k(T) algorithm with resolution parameter R = 0.2 and 0.4. A data-driven statistical approach is used to correct the uncorrelated background jet yield. Recoil jet distributions are reported for jet transverse momentum 15 < p(T,jet)(ch) < 50 GeV/c and are compared in various intervals of p-Pb event activity, based on charged-particle multiplicity and zero-degree neutral energy in the forward (Pb-going) direction. The semi-inclusive observable is self-normalized and such comparisons do not require the interpretation of p-Pb event activity in terms of collision geometry, in contrast to inclusive jet observables. These measurements provide new constraints on the magnitude of jet quenching in small systems at the LHC. In p-Pb collisions with high event activity, the average medium-induced out-of-cone energy transport for jets with R = 0.4 and 15 < p(T,jet)(ch) < 50 GeV/c is measured to be less than 0.4 GeV/c at 90% confidence, which is over an order of magnitude smaller than a similar measurement for central Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV. Comparison is made to theoretical calculations of jet quenching in small systems, and to inclusive jet measurements in p-Pb collisions selected by event activity at the LHC and in d-Au collisions at RHIC.78395113CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFINEP - FINANCIADORA DE ESTUDOS E PROJETOSFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFINEP - FINANCIADORA DE ESTUDOS E PROJETOSFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOSem informaçãoSem informaçãoSem informaçãoAgências de fomento estrangeiras apoiaram essa pesquisa, mais informações acesse artig