1,965 research outputs found
Metabolic characterization of triple negative breast cancer
Background: The aims of this study were to characterize the metabolite profiles of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to investigate the metabolite profiles associated with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2/neu (HER-2) overexpression using ex vivo high resolution magic angle spinning magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HR MAS MRS). Metabolic alterations caused by the different estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and HER-2 receptor statuses were also examined. To investigate the metabolic differences between two distinct receptor groups, TNBC tumors were compared to tumors with ERpos/PgR(pos)/HER-2(pos) status which for the sake of simplicity is called triple positive breast cancer (TPBC).Methods: The study included 75 breast cancer patients without known distant metastases. HR MAS MRS was performed for identification and quantification of the metabolite content in the tumors. Multivariate partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) modeling and relative metabolite quantification were used to analyze the MR data.Results: Choline levels were found to be higher in TNBC compared to TPBC tumors, possibly related to cell proliferation and oncogenic signaling. In addition, TNBC tumors contain a lower level of Glutamine and a higher level of Glutamate compared to TPBC tumors, which indicate an increase in glutaminolysis metabolism. The development of glutamine dependent cell growth or "Glutamine addiction" has been suggested as a new therapeutic target in cancer. Our results show that the metabolite profiles associated with HER-2 overexpression may affect the metabolic characterization of TNBC. High Glycine levels were found in HER-2(pos) tumors, which support Glycine as potential marker for tumor aggressiveness.Conclusions: Metabolic alterations caused by the individual and combined receptors involved in breast cancer progression can provide a better understanding of the biochemical changes underlying the different breast cancer subtypes. Studies are needed to validate the potential of metabolic markers as targets for personalized treatment of breast cancer subtypes
Excitatory and Inhibitory Subnetworks Are Equally Selective during Decision-Making and Emerge Simultaneously during Learning
Inhibitory neurons, which play a critical role in decision-making models, are often simplified as a single pool of non-selective neurons lacking connection specificity. This assumption is supported by observations in the primary visual cortex: inhibitory neurons are broadly tuned in vivo and show non-specific connectivity in slice. The selectivity of excitatory and inhibitory neurons within decision circuits and, hence, the validity of decision-making models are unknown. We simultaneously measured excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the posterior parietal cortex of mice judging multisensory stimuli. Surprisingly, excitatory and inhibitory neurons were equally selective for the animalâs choice, both at the single-cell and population level. Further, both cell types exhibited similar changes in selectivity and temporal dynamics during learning, paralleling behavioral improvements. These observations, combined with modeling, argue against circuit architectures assuming non-selective inhibitory neurons. Instead, they argue for selective subnetworks of inhibitory and excitatory neurons that are shaped by experience to support expert decision-making
A current transformer energy harvester with stable output based on the saturable magnetic core
One of the major bottlenecks of the traditional current transformer energy harvester (CTEH) is the instable output induced by the wide-range variations of the current in transmission lines. In this work, a novel CTEH capable of generating a stable output is demonstrated by using a core fabricated with saturable magnetic material. The stable output of the CTEH is enabled by the constant voltage-time product in its saturable characteristic. The proposed CTEH is implemented with a resistive load representing the load of electronic devices. When the current in the primary side of the CTEH's increases from 1 to 1000 A, the maximum power on the load can reach about 0.5 W, demonstrating the feasibility of using the CTEH with the saturable magnetic core as a quasi-stable power supply
Solving the mu problem with a heavy Higgs boson
We discuss the generation of the mu-term in a class of supersymmetric models
characterized by a low energy effective superpotential containing a term lambda
S H_1 H_2 with a large coupling lambda~2. These models generically predict a
lightest Higgs boson well above the LEP limit of 114 GeV and have been shown to
be compatible with the unification of gauge couplings. Here we discuss a
specific example where the superpotential has no dimensionful parameters and we
point out the relation between the generated mu-term and the mass of the
lightest Higgs boson. We discuss the fine-tuning of the model and we find that
the generation of a phenomenologically viable mu-term fits very well with a
heavy lightest Higgs boson and a low degree of fine-tuning. We discuss
experimental constraints from collider direct searches, precision data, thermal
relic dark matter abundance, and WIMP searches finding that the most natural
region of the parameter space is still allowed by current experiments. We
analyse bounds on the masses of the superpartners coming from Naturalness
arguments and discuss the main signatures of the model for the LHC and future
WIMP searches.Comment: Extended discussion of the LHC phenomenology, as published on JHEP
plus an addendum on the existence of further extremal points of the
potential. 47 pages, 16 figure
ATLAS Z Excess in Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model
Recently the ATLAS collaboration reported a 3 sigma excess in the search for
the events containing a dilepton pair from a Z boson and large missing
transverse energy. Although the excess is not sufficiently significant yet, it
is quite tempting to explain this excess by a well-motivated model beyond the
standard model. In this paper we study a possibility of the minimal
supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) for this excess. Especially, we focus on
the MSSM spectrum where the sfermions are heavier than the gauginos and
Higgsinos. We show that the excess can be explained by the reasonable MSSM mass
spectrum.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures; published versio
Factorization and resummation of s-channel single top quark production
In this paper we study the factorization and resummation of s-channel single
top quark production in the Standard Model at both the Tevatron and the LHC. We
show that the production cross section in the threshold limit can be factorized
into a convolution of hard function, soft function and jet function via
soft-collinear-effective-theory (SCET), and resummation can be performed using
renormalization group equation in the momentum space resummation formalism. We
find that in general, the resummation effects enhance the Next-to-Leading-Order
(NLO) cross sections by about at both the Tevatron and the LHC, and
significantly reduce the factorization scale dependence of the total cross
section at the Tevatron, while at the LHC we find that the factorization scale
dependence has not been improved, compared with the NLO results.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures; version published in JHE
General Gauge Mediation at the Weak Scale
We completely characterize General Gauge Mediation (GGM) at the weak scale by
solving all IR constraints over the full parameter space. This is made possible
through a combination of numerical and analytical methods, based on a set of
algebraic relations among the IR soft masses derived from the GGM boundary
conditions in the UV. We show how tensions between just a few constraints
determine the boundaries of the parameter space: electroweak symmetry breaking
(EWSB), the Higgs mass, slepton tachyons, and left-handed stop/sbottom
tachyons. While these constraints allow the left-handed squarks to be
arbitrarily light, they place strong lower bounds on all of the right-handed
squarks. Meanwhile, light EW superpartners are generic throughout much of the
parameter space. This is especially the case at lower messenger scales, where a
positive threshold correction to coming from light Higgsinos and winos is
essential in order to satisfy the Higgs mass constraint.Comment: 43 pages, 20 figures, mathematica package included in the sourc
A Complete Model of Low-Scale Gauge Mediation
Recent signs of a Standard Model-like Higgs at 125 GeV point towards large
A-terms in the MSSM. This presents special challenges for gauge mediation,
which by itself predicts vanishing A-terms at the messenger scale. In this
paper, we review the general problems that arise when extending gauge mediation
to achieve large A-terms, and the mechanisms that exist to overcome them. Using
these mechanisms, we construct weakly-coupled models of low-scale gauge
mediation with extended Higgs-messenger couplings that generate large A-terms
at the messenger scale and viable mu/B_mu-terms. Our models are simple,
economical, and complete realizations of supersymmetry at the weak scale.Comment: 33 pages; v2: refs added, minor change
Structure of hadron resonances with a nearby zero of the amplitude
We discuss the relation between the analytic structure of the scattering
amplitude and the origin of an eigenstate represented by a pole of the
amplitude.If the eigenstate is not dynamically generated by the interaction in
the channel of interest, the residue of the pole vanishes in the zero coupling
limit. Based on the topological nature of the phase of the scattering
amplitude, we show that the pole must encounter with the
Castillejo-Dalitz-Dyson (CDD) zero in this limit. It is concluded that the
dynamical component of the eigenstate is small if a CDD zero exists near the
eigenstate pole. We show that the line shape of the resonance is distorted from
the Breit-Wigner form as an observable consequence of the nearby CDD zero.
Finally, studying the positions of poles and CDD zeros of the KbarN-piSigma
amplitude, we discuss the origin of the eigenstates in the Lambda(1405) region.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, v2: published versio
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