Presence of an expressed 13-tubulin gene (TUBB) in the HLA class I region may provide the genetic basis for HLA-linked microtubule dysfunction

An expressed beta-tubulin gene (TUBB) has previously been localized to chromosome region 6pter-p21 in man. By using a panel of deletion mutant cell lines and radiation-reduced hybrids containing fragments of chromosome 6, the TUBB locus could be mapped to the HLA class I region at 6p21.3. A long range restriction map including TUBB and several HLA class I genes was then generated by rotating field gel electrophoresis. The results show that TUBB maps to a segment 170-370 kb telomeric of HLA-C. This location suggests that a mutation at the TUBB locus could be the cause for certain forms of HLAlinked microtubule dysfunction, including immotile cilia syndrome

Pygmy dipole resonance in exotic nuclei

The evolution of the PDR strength with the neutron excess is investigated in Sn isotopic and N=82 isotonic chains with regard to its possible connection with the neutron skin thickness. For this purpose a recently proposed method incorporating both HFB and multi-phonon QPM theory is applied. Analysis of the corresponding neutron and proton dipole transition densities is presented.Comment: International Workshop on Nuclear Physics 28th Course - Radioactive Beams, Nuclear Dynamics and Astrophysics, Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Cultur

The Yen Exchange Rate and the Hollowing Out of the Japanese Industry

Since the demise of the Bretton Woods system, the yen has seen several episodes of strong appreciation, including in the late 1970s, after the 1985 Plaza Agreement, the early and late 1990s and after 2008. These appreciations have not only been associated with “expensive yen recessions” resulting from negative effects on exports; since the late 1980s, the strong yen has also raised concerns about a de-industrialisation of the Japanese economy. Against this backdrop, the article investigates the effects of changes to the yen exchange rate on the hollowing out of the Japanese industrial sector. To this end, the article uses both aggregate and industry-specific data to gauge the effects of yen fluctuations on the output and exports of different Japanese industries, exploiting new data for industry-specific real effective exchange rates. Our findings support the view that the periods of yen appreciation had more than just transitory effects on Japanese manufacturing. The results also provide indication of hysteresis effects on manufacturing. While there are certainly also other factors that have contributed to a hollowing out of Japanese industry, a strong yen played a role, too

Non-Fourier heat transport in metal-dielectric core-shell nanoparticles under ultrafast laser pulse excitation

Relaxation dynamics of embedded metal nanoparticles after ultrafast laser pulse excitation is driven by thermal phenomena of different origins the accurate description of which is crucial for interpreting experimental results: hot electron gas generation, electron-phonon coupling, heat transfer to the particle environment and heat propagation in the latter. Regardingthis last mechanism, it is well known that heat transport in nanoscale structures and/or at ultrashort timescales may deviate from the predictions of the Fourier law. In these cases heat transport may rather be described by the Boltzmann transport equation. We present a numerical model allowing us to determine the electron and lattice temperature dynamics in a spherical gold nanoparticle core under subpicosecond pulsed excitation, as well as that of the surrounding shell dielectric medium. For this, we have used the electron-phonon coupling equation in the particle with a source term linked with the laser pulse absorption, and the ballistic-diffusive equations for heat conduction in the host medium. Either thermalizing or adiabatic boundary conditions have been considered at the shell external surface. Our results show that the heat transfer rate from the particle to the matrix can be significantly smaller than the prediction of Fourier's law. Consequently, the particle temperature rise is larger and its cooling dynamics might be slower than that obtained by using Fourier's law. This difference is attributed to the nonlocal and nonequilibrium heat conduction in the vicinity of the core nanoparticle. These results are expected to be of great importance for analyzing pump-probe experiments performed on single nanoparticles or nanocomposite media

Epidemics and chaotic synchronization in recombining monogamous populations

We analyze the critical transitions (a) to endemic states in an SIS epidemiological model, and (b) to full synchronization in an ensemble of coupled chaotic maps, on networks where, at any given time, each node is connected to just one neighbour. In these "monogamous" populations, the lack of connectivity in the instantaneous interaction pattern -that would prevent both the propagation of an infection and the collective entrainment into synchronization- is compensated by occasional random reconnections which recombine interacting couples by exchanging their partners. The transitions to endemic states and to synchronization are recovered if the recombination rate is sufficiently large, thus giving rise to a bifurcation as this rate varies. We study this new critical phenomenon both analytically and numerically

Cradle Of Gold : The Best Litle Nest Of All

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/1248/thumbnail.jp

High Resolution Triple Axis X-Ray Diffraction Analysis of II-VI Semiconductor Crystals

The objective of this research program is to develop methods of structural analysis based on high resolution triple axis X-ray diffractometry (HRTXD) and to carry out detailed studies of defect distributions in crystals grown in both microgravity and ground-based environments. HRTXD represents a modification of the widely used double axis X-ray rocking curve method for the characterization of grown-in defects in nearly perfect crystals. In a double axis rocking curve experiment, the sample is illuminated by a monochromatic X-ray beam and the diffracted intensity is recorded by a fixed, wide-open detector. The intensity diffracted by the sample is then monitored as the sample is rotated through the Bragg reflection condition. The breadth of the peak, which is often reported as the full angular width at half the maximum intensity (FWHM), is used as an indicator of the amount of defects in the sample. This work has shown that high resolution triple axis X-ray diffraction is an effective tool for characterizing the defect structure in semiconductor crystals, particularly at high defect densities. Additionally, the technique is complimentary to X-ray topography for defect characterization in crystals

Feshbach Spectroscopy of a Shape Resonance

We present a new spectroscopy technique for studying cold-collision properties. The technique is based on the association and dissociation of ultracold molecules using a magnetically tunable Feshbach resonance. The energy and lifetime of a shape resonance are determined from a measurement of the dissociation rate. Additional spectroscopic information is obtained from the observation of a spatial interference pattern between an outgoing s wave and d wave. The experimental data agree well with the results from a new model, in which the dissociation process is connected to a scattering gedanken experiment, which is analyzed using a coupled-channels calculation.Comment: Introduction rewritte