148 research outputs found
First-principles calculations of the self-trapped exciton in crystalline NaCl
The atomic and electronic structure of the lowest triplet state of the
off-center (C2v symmetry) self-trapped exciton (STE) in crystalline NaCl is
calculated using the local-spin-density (LSDA) approximation. In addition, the
Franck-Condon broadening of the luminescence peak and the a1g -> b3u absorption
peak are calculated and compared to experiment. LSDA accurately predicts
transition energies if the initial and final states are both localized or
delocalized, but 1 eV discrepancies with experiment occur if one state is
localized and the other is delocalized.Comment: 4 pages with 4 embeddded figure
US Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter 2017: Community Report
This white paper summarizes the workshop "U.S. Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in
Dark Matter" held at University of Maryland on March 23-25, 2017.Comment: 102 pages + reference
Tumor response and endogenous immune reactivity after administration of HER2 CAR T cells in a child with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma
Refractory metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma is largely incurable. Here we analyze the response of a child with refractory bone marrow metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma to autologous HER2 CAR T cells. Three cycles of HER2 CAR T cells given after lymphodepleting chemotherapy induces remission which is consolidated with four more CAR T-cell infusions without lymphodepletion. Longitudinal immune-monitoring reveals remodeling of the T-cell receptor repertoire with immunodominant clones and serum autoantibodies reactive to oncogenic signaling pathway proteins. The disease relapses in the bone marrow at six months off-therapy. A second remission is achieved after one cycle of lymphodepletion and HER2 CAR T cells. Response consolidation with additional CAR T-cell infusions includes pembrolizumab to improve their efficacy. The patient described here is a participant in an ongoing phase I trial (NCT00902044; active, not recruiting), and is 20 months off T-cell infusions with no detectable disease at the time of this report
Advances in Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors
Cryogenic Avalanche Detectors (CRADs) are referred to as a new class of
noble-gas detectors operated at cryogenic temperatures with electron
avalanching performed directly in the detection medium, the latter being in
gaseous, liquid or two-phase (liquid-gas) state. Electron avalanching is
provided by Micro-Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD) multipliers, in particular GEMs
and THGEMs, operated at cryogenic temperatures in dense noble gases. The final
goal for this kind of detectors is the development of large-volume detectors of
ultimate sensitivity for rare-event experiments and medical applications, such
as coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering, direct dark matter search,
astrophysical (solar and supernova) neutrino detection experiments and Positron
Emission Tomography technique. This review is the first attempt to summarize
the results on CRAD performances obtained by different groups. A brief overview
of the available CRAD concepts is also given and the most remarkable CRAD
physics effects are discussed.Comment: 60 pages, 58 figures. Invited talk at MPGD2011 Conference, Aug 29 -
Sep 3, 2011, Kobe, Japan. Journal version + Fig. 1a adde
miR-135A Regulates Preimplantation Embryo Development through Down-Regulation of E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Seven in Absentia Homolog 1A (SIAH1A) Expression
Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules capable of regulating transcription and translation. Previously, a cluster of miRNAs that are specifically expressed in mouse zygotes but not in oocytes or other preimplantation stages embryos are identified by multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction-based miRNA profiling. The functional role of one of these zygote-specific miRNAs, miR-135a, in preimplantation embryo development was investigated. Methodology/Principal Findings: Microinjection of miR-135a inhibitor suppressed first cell cleavage in more than 30% of the zygotes. Bioinformatics analysis identified E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Seven In Absentia Homolog 1A (Siah1a) as a predicted target of miR-135a. Western blotting and 3β²UTR luciferase functional assays demonstrated that miR-135a down-regulated the expression of Siah1 in HeLa cells and in mouse zygotes. Siah1a was expressed in preimplantation embryos and its expression pattern negatively correlated with that of miR-135a. Co-injection of Siah1a-specific antibody with miR-135a inhibitor partially nullified the effect of miR-135a inhibition. Proteasome inhibition by MG-132 revealed that miR-135a regulated proteasomal degradation and potentially controlled the expression of chemokinesin DNA binding protein (Kid). Conclusions/Significance: The present study demonstrated for the first time that zygotic specific miRNA modulates the first cell cleavage through regulating expression of Siah1a. Β© 2011 Pang et al.published_or_final_versio
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