606 research outputs found
Neurodevelopmental Disorders Associated with Chromosome 15
Chromosome 15 is a focus of increasing interest to both psychiatry and neurology. Several neurodevelopmental disorders are genetically associated with this autosome, including Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Dyslexia, Autism, Hyperlexia, Ring 15 Chromosome syndrome, and Trisomy 15 syndrome. This report provides a review of the molecular biology of chromosome 15 and these associated disorders
Superspace calculation of the four-loop spectrum in N=6 supersymmetric Chern-Simons theories
Using N=2 superspace techniques we compute the four-loop spectrum of single
trace operators in the SU(2) x SU(2) sector of ABJM and ABJ supersymmetric
Chern-Simons theories. Our computation yields a four-loop contribution to the
function h^2(\lambda) (and its ABJ generalization) in the magnon dispersion
relation which has fixed maximum transcendentality and coincides with the
findings in components given in the revised versions of arXiv:0908.2463 and
arXiv:0912.3460. We also discuss possible scenarios for an all-loop function
h^2(\lambda) that interpolates between weak and strong couplings.Comment: LaTeX, feynmp, 34 pages; v2: typos corrected, formulations improved,
references adde
Radioprotective effect of lidocaine on neurotransmitter agonist-induced secretion in irradiated salivary glands.
Previously we verified the radioprotective effect of lidocaine on the function and ultrastructure of salivary glands in rabbits. However, the underlying mechanism of lidocaine's radioprotective effect is unknown. We hypothesized that lidocaine, as a membrane stabilization agent, has a protective effect on intracellular neuroreceptor-mediated signaling and hence can help preserve the secretory function of salivary glands during radiotherapy.
Rabbits were irradiated with or without pretreatment with lidocaine before receiving fractionated radiation to a total dose of 35 Gy. Sialoscintigraphy and saliva total protein assay were performed before radiation and 1 week after the last radiation fraction. Isolated salivary gland acini were stimulated with either carbachol or adrenaline. Ca(2+) influx in response to the stimulation with these agonists was measured using laser scanning confocal microscopy.
The uptake of activity and the excretion fraction of the parotid glands were significantly reduced after radiation, but lidocaine had a protective effect. Saliva total protein concentration was not altered after radiation. For isolated acini, Ca(2+) influx in response to stimulation with carbachol, but not adrenaline, was impaired after irradiation; lidocaine pretreatment attenuated this effect.
Lidocaine has a radioprotective effect on the capacity of muscarinic agonist-induced water secretion in irradiated salivary glands
Stability of antiphase line defects in nanometer-sized boron-nitride cones
We investigate the stability of boron nitride conical sheets of nanometer
size, using first-principles calculations. Our results indicate that cones with
an antiphase boundary (a line defect that contains either B-B or N-N bonds) can
be more stable than those without one. We also find that doping the antiphase
boundaries with carbon can enhance their stability, leading also to the
appearance of localized states in the bandgap. Among the structures we
considered, the one with the smallest formation energy is a cone with a
carbon-modified antiphase boundary that presents a spin splitting of about 0.5
eV at the Fermi level.Comment: 5 two-column pages with 2 figures Accepted for publication in
Physical Review B (vol 70, 15 Nov.
Ellipsometric study of InGaAs MODFET material
In(x)Ga(1-x)As based MODFET (modulation doped field effect transistor) material was grown by molecular beam epitaxy on semi-insulating InP substrates. Several structures were made, including lattice matched and strained layer InGaAs. All structures also included several layers of In(0.52)Al(0.48)As. Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to characterize the structures. The experimental data, together with the calibration function for the constituent materials, were analyzed to yield the thickness of all the layers of the MODFET structure. Results of the ellipsometrically determined thicknesses compare very well with the reflection high energy electron diffraction in situ thickness measurements
Conformal boundary and geodesics for and the plane wave: Their approach in the Penrose limit
Projecting on a suitable subset of coordinates, a picture is constructed in
which the conformal boundary of and that of the plane wave
resulting in the Penrose limit are located at the same line. In a second line
of arguments all and plane wave geodesics are constructed in
their integrated form. Performing the Penrose limit, the approach of null
geodesics reaching the conformal boundary of to that of the
plane wave is studied in detail. At each point these null geodesics of
form a cone which degenerates in the limit.Comment: some statements refined, chapter 5 rewritten to make it more precise,
some typos correcte
Five-loop anomalous dimension at critical wrapping order in N=4 SYM
We compute the anomalous dimension of a length-five operator at five-loop
order in the SU(2) sector of N=4 SYM theory in the planar limit. This is
critical wrapping order at five loops. The result is obtained perturbatively by
means of N=1 superspace techniques. Our result from perturbation theory
confirms explicitly the formula conjectured in arXiv:0901.4864 for the
five-loop anomalous dimension of twist-three operators. We also explicitly
obtain the same result by employing the recently proposed Y-system.Comment: LaTeX, feynmp, 34 pages, 21 figures, 8 table
Mutated Measles Virus Matrix and Fusion Protein Influence Viral Titer In Vitro and Neuro-Invasion in Lewis Rat Brain Slice Cultures
Measles virus (MV) can cause severe acute diseases as well as long-lasting clinical deteriorations due to viral-induced immunosuppression and neuronal manifestation. How the virus enters the brain and manages to persist in neuronal tissue is not fully understood. Various mutations in the viral genes were found in MV strains isolated from patient brains. In this study, reverse genetics was used to introduce mutations in the fusion, matrix and polymerase genes of MV. The generated virus clones were characterized in cell culture and used to infect rat brain slice cultures. A mutation in the carboxy-terminal domain of the matrix protein (R293Q) promoted the production of progeny virions. This effect was observed in Vero cells irrespective of the expression of the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). Furthermore, a mutation in the fusion protein (I225M) induced syncytia formation on Vero cells in the absence of SLAM and promoted viral spread throughout the rat brain slices. In this study, a solid ex vivo model was established to elucidate the MV mutations contributing to neural manifestation
Dielectric function of InGaAs in the visible
Measurements are reported of the dielectric function of thermodynamically stable In(x)Ga(1-x)As in the composition range 0.3 equal to or less than X = to or less than 0.7. The optically thick samples of InGaAs were made by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) in the range 0.4 = to or less than X = to or less than 0.7 and by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for X = 0.3. The MBE made samples, usually 1 micron thick, were grown on semi-insulating InP and included a strain release structure. The MOCVD sample was grown on GaAs and was 2 microns thick. The dielectric functions were measured by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in the range 1.55 to 4.4 eV. The data was analyzed assuming an optically thick InGaAs material with an oxide layer on top. The thickness of this layer was estimated by comparing the results for the InP lattice matched material, i.e., X = 0.53, with results published in the literature. The top oxide layer mathematically for X = 0.3 and X = 0.53 was removed to get the dielectric function of the bare InGaAs. In addition, the dielectric function of GaAs in vacuum, after a protective arsenic layer was removed. The dielectric functions for X = 0, 0.3, and 0.53 together with the X = 1 result from the literature to evaluate an algorithm for calculating the dielectric function of InGaAs for an arbitrary value of X(0 = to or less than X = to or less than 1) were used. Results of the dielectric function calculated using the algorithm were compared with experimental data
Study of InGaAs based MODFET structures using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry
Variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to estimate the thicknesses of all layers within the optical penetration depth of InGaAs based MODFET structures. Strained and unstrained InGaAs channels were made by MBE on InP substrates and by MOCVD on GaAs substrates. In most cases, ellipsometrically determined thicknesses were within 10 percent of the growth calibration results. The MBE made InGaAs strained layers showed large strain effects, indicating a probable shift in the critical points of their dielectric function toward the InP lattice matched concentration
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