431 research outputs found
Averages of Fourier coefficients of Siegel modular forms and representation of binary quadratic forms by quadratic forms in four variables
Let be a a negative discriminant and let vary over a set of
representatives of the integral equivalence classes of integral binary
quadratic forms of discriminant . We prove an asymptotic formula for for the average over of the number of representations of by an
integral positive definite quaternary quadratic form and obtain results on
averages of Fourier coefficients of linear combinations of Siegel theta series.
We also find an asymptotic bound from below on the number of binary forms of
fixed discriminant which are represented by a given quaternary form. In
particular, we can show that for growing a positive proportion of the
binary quadratic forms of discriminant is represented by the given
quaternary quadratic form.Comment: v5: Some typos correcte
Distinct cellular pathways select germline-encoded and somatically mutated antibodies into immunological memory
One component of memory in the antibody system is long-lived memory B cells selected for the expression of somatically mutated, high-affinity antibodies in the T cell-dependent germinal center (GC) reaction. A puzzling observation has been that the memory B cell compartment also contains cells expressing unmutated, low-affinity antibodies. Using conditional Bcl6 ablation, we demonstrate that these cells are generated through proliferative expansion early after immunization in a T cell-dependent but GC-independent manner. They soon become resting and long-lived and display a novel distinct gene expression signature which distinguishes memory B cells from other classes of B cells. GC-independent memory B cells are later joined by somatically mutated GC descendants at roughly equal proportions and these two types of memory cells efficiently generate adoptive secondary antibody responses. Deletion of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells significantly reduces the generation of mutated, but not unmutated, memory cells early on in the response. Thus, B cell memory is generated along two fundamentally distinct cellular differentiation pathways. One pathway is dedicated to the generation of high-affinity somatic antibody mutants, whereas the other preserves germ line antibody specificities and may prepare the organism for rapid responses to antigenic variants of the invading pathogen
Crystal structure, site selectivity, and electronic structure of layered chalcogenide LaOBiPbS3
We have investigated the crystal structure of LaOBiPbS3 using neutron
diffraction and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. From structural refinements, we
found that the two metal sites, occupied by Bi and Pb, were differently
surrounded by the sulfur atoms. Calculated bond valence sum suggested that one
metal site was nearly trivalent and the other was nearly divalent. Neutron
diffraction also revealed site selectivity of Bi and Pb in the LaOBiPbS3
structure. These results suggested that the crystal structure of LaOBiPbS3 can
be regarded as alternate stacks of the rock-salt-type Pb-rich sulfide layers
and the LaOBiS2-type Bi-rich layers. From band calculations for an ideal
(LaOBiS2)(PbS) system, we found that the S bands of the PbS layer were
hybridized with the Bi bands of the BiS plane at around the Fermi energy, which
resulted in the electronic characteristics different from that of LaOBiS2.
Stacking the rock-salt type sulfide (chalcogenide) layers and the BiS2-based
layered structure could be a new strategy to exploration of new BiS2-based
layered compounds, exotic two-dimensional electronic states, or novel
functionality.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Novel Parvovirus and Related Variant in Human Plasma
We report a novel parvovirus (PARV4) and related variants in pooled human plasma used in the manufacture of plasma-derived medical products. Viral DNA was detected by using highly selective polymerase chain reaction assays; 5% of pools tested positive, and amounts of DNA ranged from <500 copies/mL to >106 copies/mL plasma
Sturmian bases for two-electron systems in hyperspherical coordinates
We give a detailed account of an spectral approach
for the calculation of energy spectra of two active electron atoms in a system
of hyperspherical coordinates. In this system of coordinates, the Hamiltonian
has the same structure as the one of atomic hydrogen with the Coulomb potential
expressed in terms of a hyperradius and the nuclear charge replaced by an angle
dependent effective charge. The simplest spectral approach consists in
expanding the hyperangular wave function in a basis of hyperspherical
harmonics. This expansion however, is known to be very slowly converging.
Instead, we introduce new hyperangular sturmian functions. These functions do
not have an analytical expression but they treat the first term of the
multipole expansion of the electron-electron interaction potential, namely the
radial electron correlation, exactly. The properties of these new functions are
discussed in detail. For the basis functions of the hyperradius, several
choices are possible. In the present case, we use Coulomb sturmian functions of
half integer angular momentum. We show that, in the case of H, the accuracy
of the energy and the width of the resonance states obtained through a single
diagonalization of the Hamiltonian, is comparable to the values given by
state-of-the-art methods while using a much smaller basis set. In addition, we
show that precise values of the electric-dipole oscillator strengths for
transitions in helium are obtained thereby confirming the
accuracy of the bound state wave functions generated with the present method.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figure
Structural studies of Helicase NS3 variants from Hepatitis C virus genotype 3 in virological sustained responder and non-responder patients
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>About 130 million people are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide, but effective treatment options are not yet available. One of the most promising targets for antiviral therapy is nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). To identify possible changes in the structure of NS3 associated with virological sustained response or non-response of patients, a model was constructed for each helicase NS3 protein coding sequence. From this, the goal was to verify the interaction between helicases variants and their ligands.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Evidence was found that the NS3 helicase portion of non-responder patients contained substitutions in its ATP and RNA binding sites. K210E substitution can cause an imbalance in the distribution of loads, leading to a decrease in the number of ligations between the essential amino acids required for the hydrolysis of ATP. W501R substitution causes an imbalance in the distribution of loads, leading and forcing the RNA to interact with the amino acid Thr269, but not preventing binding of ribavirin inhibitor.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Useful information is provided on the genetic profiling of the HCV genotype 3, specifically the coding region of the NS3 protein, improving our understanding of the viral genome and the regions of its protein catalytic site.</p
Extramuscular myofascial force transmission within the rat anterior tibial compartment: Proximo-distal differences in muscle force
Intramuscular connective tissues are continuous to extramuscular connective tissues. If force is transmitted there, differences should be present between force at proximal and distal attachments of muscles. Extensor digitorum longus (EDL), tibialis anterior (TA), and extensor hallucis longus muscles (EHL) were excited simultaneously and maximally. Only EDL length was changed, exclusively by moving the position of its proximal tendon. Distal force exerted by TA + EHL complex was not affected significantly. Proximal and distal EDL isometric force were not equal for most EDL lengths:
Genetic Heterogeneity of Hepatitis C Virus in Association with Antiviral Therapy Determined by Ultra-Deep Sequencing
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) invariably shows wide heterogeneity in infected patients, referred to as a quasispecies population. Massive amounts of genetic information due to the abundance of HCV variants could be an obstacle to evaluate the viral genetic heterogeneity in detail.Using a newly developed massive-parallel ultra-deep sequencing technique, we investigated the viral genetic heterogeneity in 27 chronic hepatitis C patients receiving peg-interferon (IFN) α2b plus ribavirin therapy.Ultra-deep sequencing determined a total of more than 10 million nucleotides of the HCV genome, corresponding to a mean of more than 1000 clones in each specimen, and unveiled extremely high genetic heterogeneity in the genotype 1b HCV population. There was no significant difference in the level of viral complexity between immediate virologic responders and non-responders at baseline (p = 0.39). Immediate virologic responders (n = 8) showed a significant reduction in the genetic complexity spanning all the viral genetic regions at the early phase of IFN administration (p = 0.037). In contrast, non-virologic responders (n = 8) showed no significant changes in the level of viral quasispecies (p = 0.12), indicating that very few viral clones are sensitive to IFN treatment. We also demonstrated that clones resistant to direct-acting antivirals for HCV, such as viral protease and polymerase inhibitors, preexist with various abundances in all 27 treatment-naïve patients, suggesting the risk of the development of drug resistance against these agents.Use of the ultra-deep sequencing technology revealed massive genetic heterogeneity of HCV, which has important implications regarding the treatment response and outcome of antiviral therapy
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