11,340 research outputs found
Rescue with an anti-inflammatory peptide of chickens infected H5N1 avian flu
Chickens suffering from avian flu caused by H5N1 influenza virus are destined to die within 2 days due to a systemic inflammatory response. Since HVJ infection (1,2) and influenza virus infection (3,4) cause infected cells to activate homologous serum complement, the systemic inflammatory response elicited could be attributed to the unlimited generation of C5a anaphylatoxin of the complement system, which is a causative peptide of serious inflammation. In monkeys inoculated with a lethal dose of LPS (4 mg/kg body weight), inhibition of C5a by an inhibitory peptide termed AcPepA (5) rescued these animals from serious septic shock which would have resulted in death within a day (6). Therefore, we tested whether AcPepA could also have a beneficial effect on chickens with bird flu. On another front, enhanced production of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and the activation of mast cells (MCs) have been implicated in granulocyte sequestration (7). An endothelin receptor derived antisense homology box peptide (8) designated ETR-P1/fl was shown to antagonize endothelin A receptor (ET-A receptor) (9) and reduce such inflammatory responses as endotoxin-shock (10) and hemorrhagic shock (11), thereby suppressing histamine release in the circulation (12). Thus, we also administered ETR-P1/fl to bird flu chickens expecting suppression of a systemic inflammatory response
Neutrino Magnetic Moments and Minimal Supersymmetric SO(10) Model
We examine supersymmetric contributions to transition magnetic moments of
Majorana neutrinos. We first give the general formula for it. In concrete
evaluations, informations of neutrino mass matrix elements including CP phases
are necessary. Using unambiguously determined neutrino mass matrices in
recently proposed minimal supersymmetric SO(10) model, the transition magnetic
moments are calculated. The resultant neutrino magnetic moments are found to be
roughly an order of magnitude larger than those calculated in the standard
model extended to incorporate the see-saw mechanism.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, the version to be published in International
Journal of Modern Physics
The X-ray Properties of the Nearby Star-Forming Galaxy IC 342: The XMM-Newton View
We present the X-ray properties of IC342 using XMM-Newton. Thirty-five
sources are detected coincident with the disk of IC342 (more than tripling the
number known), of which ~31 are likely to be intrinsic to IC342. This
population shows a range of spectral properties and has an X-ray luminosity
function slope and infrared luminosity comparable to that of starburst galaxies
such as M82 and the Antennae, while its relative lack of extended X-ray
emission is similar to the properties of quiescent spirals. We do detect
long-term variability between this observation and the 1991 ROSAT and 1993/2000
ASCA observations for five sources. Notably, the second most luminous source
IC342 X-2 is is found to be in its the lowest luminosity state observed for X-2
to date, although the slope of the spectrum is intermediate between the
previously observed low/hard and high/soft states. IC342 X-1, on the other
hand, is found to be in an identical state to that observed in 2000 with ASCA.
Assuming X-1 is in an anomalous very high (VH) state, then either (1) X-1 has
remained in this state between 2000 and 2002, and is therefore the longest
duration VH-state binary ever observed, or (2) it was simply caught in a VH
state by chance in both the 2000 ASCA and 2002 XMM-Newton observations. We have
also confirmed the ROSAT HRI result that the nucleus of IC342 is made up of
both point-like and extended emission. The relative fluxes of the two spectral
components suggest that the nucleus is complex, with a soft extended component
contributing approximately half of the total luminosity. (Abridged)Comment: AJ in press (December 2003), 9 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables,
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Multiport Vector Network Analyzer Configured in RF Interferometric Mode for Reference Impedance Renormalization
International audienceA novel active microwave interferometric technique is implemented on a multiport vector network analyzer for renormalizing the reference impedance 50 Ohms into any desired complex impedance. The resulting measured reflection coefficient around the new reference impedance is around zero, resulting in high measurement sensitivity. The method proposed avoids any external component commonly found in interferometric setups. In addition, a zeroing process including vector calibration is developed for broad frequency range and requires only a software procedure to be implemented in the system framework
Electroweak phase transition in a nonminimal supersymmetric model
The Higgs potential of the minimal nonminimal supersymmetric standard model
(MNMSSM) is investigated within the context of electroweak phase transition. We
investigate the allowed parameter space yielding correct electroweak phase
transitoin employing a high temperature approximation. We devote to
phenomenological consequences for the Higgs sector of the MNMSSM for
electron-positron colliders. It is observed that a future linear
collider with GeV will be able to test the model with regard
to electroweak baryogenesis.Comment: 28 pages, 5 tables, 12 figure
Dynamic multilateral markets
We study dynamic multilateral markets, in which players' payoffs result from intra-coalitional bargaining. The latter is modeled as the ultimatum game with exogenous (time-invariant) recognition probabilities and unanimity acceptance rule. Players in agreeing coalitions leave the market and are replaced by their replicas, which keeps the pool of market participants constant over time. In this infinite game, we establish payoff uniqueness of stationary equilibria and the emergence of endogenous cooperation structures when traders experience some degree of (heterogeneous) bargaining frictions. When we focus on market games with different player types, we derive, under mild conditions, an explicit formula for each type's equilibrium payoff as the market frictions vanish
Angle-resolved photoemission study of MX-chain compound [Ni(chxn)Br]Br
We report on the results of angle-resolved photoemission experiments on a
quasi-one-dimensional -chain compound [Ni(chxn)Br]Br (chxn =
1,2-cyclohexanediamine), a one-dimensional Heisenberg system with
and K, which shows a gigantic non-linear optical effect. A "band"
having about 500 meV energy dispersion is found in the first half of the
Brillouin zone , but disappears at . Two
dispersive features, expected from the spin-charge separation, as have been
observed in other quasi-one-dimensional systems like SrCuO, are not
detected. These characteristic features are well reproduced by the -
chain model calculations with a small charge-transfer energy compared
with that of one-dimensional Cu-O based compounds. We propose that this smaller
is the origin of the absence of clear spin- and charge-separation in
the photoemission spectra and strong non-linear optical effect in
[Ni(chxn)Br]Br.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Structural phase transitions in multipole traps
A small number of laser-cooled ions trapped in a linear radiofrequency
multipole trap forms a hollow tube structure. We have studied, by means of
molecular dynamics simulations, the structural transition from a double ring to
a single ring of ions. We show that the single-ring configuration has the
advantage to inhibit the thermal transfer from the rf-excited radial components
of the motion to the axial component, allowing to reach the Doppler limit
temperature along the direction of the trap axis. Once cooled in this
particular configuration, the ions experience an angular dependency of the
confinement if the local adiabaticity parameter exceeds the empirical limit.
Bunching of the ion structures can then be observed and an analytic expression
is proposed to take into account for this behaviour
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