92 research outputs found
Applicability of perturbative QCD to decays
We develop perturbative QCD factorization theorem for the semileptonic heavy
baryon decay , whose form factors are
expressed as the convolutions of hard quark decay amplitudes with universal
and baryon wave functions. Large logarithmic
corrections are organized to all orders by the Sudakov resummation, which
renders perturbative expansions more reliable. It is observed that perturbative
QCD is applicable to decays for velocity transfer
greater than 1.2. Under requirement of heavy quark symmetry, we predict the
branching ratio , and determine
the and baryon wave functions.Comment: 12 pages in Latex file, 3 figures in postscript files, some results
are changed, but the conclusion is the sam
Digital droplet PCR-based environmental DNA tool for monitoring Cryptocaryon irritans in a marine fish farm from Hong Kong
The adoption of new investigative strategies based on environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to monitor parasites, associated bacterial microbiomes, and physical-chemical parameters in fish farms. In this study, we used the economically important and globally distributed fish ciliate parasite Cryptocaryon irritans as a model to understand the parasite abundance and potential drivers of its presence in marine fish farms. Environmental (rainfall) and physical-chemical (temperature, oxygen, salinity, pH) data collected from a marine fish farm in Hong Kong were analyzed together with the eDNA approach targeting C. irritans abundance based on digital droplet PCR and 16S metagenomics to determine associations and triggers between parasites and specific bacterial groups. Rainfall and temperature demonstrated positive associations with high abundance of C. irritans (eDNA) at the studied marine fish cage farm. However, rainfall was the only parameter tested that demonstrated a significant association with parasite eDNA, indicating that the raining season is a risky period for fish farmers in Hong Kong. Coraliomargarita was the bacterial genus with the most significant relationship with low abundance of C. irritans in water. Understanding the environmental triggers of ciliate parasites propagation and associated bacterial microbiome could elucidate new insights into environmental control, microbial management, and promote the reduction of chemical use in marine fish farms
Perturbative QCD analysis of decays
We study the first observed charmless modes, the
decays, in perturbative QCD formalism. The obtained branching ratios
are larger than
from QCD factorization. The comparison of the predicted magnitudes and phases
of the different helicity amplitudes, and branching ratios with experimental
data can test the power counting rules, the evaluation of annihilation
contributions, and the mechanism of dynamical penguin enhancement in
perturbative QCD, respectively.Comment: 14 pages, 2 tables, brief disscussion on hard sacle added, version to
appear in PR
Study of decays
We investigate the production of the novel -wave mesons and
, identified as and , in heavy
meson decays, respectively. With the heavy quark limit, we give our modelling
wave functions for the scalar meson . Based on the assumptions of
color transparency and factorization theorem, we estimate the branching ratios
of decays in terms of the obtained wave functions. Some
remarks on productions are also presented.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, Revtex4, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Final state interaction and decays in perturbative QCD
We predict branching ratios and CP asymmetries of the decays using
perturbative QCD factorization theorem, in which tree, penguin, and
annihilation contributions, including both factorizable and nonfactorizable
ones, are expressed as convolutions of hard six-quark amplitudes with universal
meson wave functions. The unitarity angle and the and
meson wave functions extracted from experimental data of the and
decays are employed. Since the decays are sensitive to
final-state-interaction effects, the comparision of our predictions with future
data can test the neglect of these effects in the above formalism. The CP
asymmetry in the modes and the
branching ratios depend on annihilation and nonfactorizable amplitudes. The
data can also verify the evaluation of these contributions.Comment: 13 pages in latex file, 7 figures in ps file
Effects of School Closures, 2008 Winter Influenza Season, Hong Kong
In winter 2008, kindergartens and primary schools in Hong Kong were closed for 2 weeks after media coverage indicated that 3 children had died, apparently from influenza. We examined prospective influenza surveillance data before, during, and after the closure. We did not find a substantial effect on community transmission
Evidence for two-quark content of in exclusive decays
Inspired by a large decay branching ratio (BR) of
measured by Belle recently, we propose that a significant evidence of the
component of in could be
demonstrated in exclusive decays by the observation of in
the final states and . We predict the BRs of to be () while
the unknown wave functions of () are chosen to fit the
observed decays of .Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Revtex4, version to appear in PR
Targeted profiling of human extrachromosomal DNA by CRISPR-CATCH
Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is a common mode of oncogene amplification but is challenging to analyze. Here, we adapt CRISPR-CATCH, in vitro CRISPR-Cas9 treatment and pulsed field gel electrophoresis of agarose-entrapped genomic DNA, previously developed for bacterial chromosome segments, to isolate megabase-sized human ecDNAs. We demonstrate strong enrichment of ecDNA molecules containing EGFR, FGFR2 and MYC from human cancer cells and NRAS ecDNA from human metastatic melanoma with acquired therapeutic resistance. Targeted enrichment of ecDNA versus chromosomal DNA enabled phasing of genetic variants, identified the presence of an EGFRvIII mutation exclusively on ecDNAs and supported an excision model of ecDNA genesis in a glioblastoma model. CRISPR-CATCH followed by nanopore sequencing enabled single-molecule ecDNA methylation profiling and revealed hypomethylation of the EGFR promoter on ecDNAs. We distinguished heterogeneous ecDNA species within the same sample by size and sequence with base-pair resolution and discovered functionally specialized ecDNAs that amplify select enhancers or oncogene-coding sequences
Parallel sequencing of extrachromosomal circular DNAs and transcriptomes in single cancer cells
Extrachromosomal DNAs (ecDNAs) are common in cancer, but many questions about their origin, structural dynamics and impact on intratumor heterogeneity are still unresolved. Here we describe single-cell extrachromosomal circular DNA and transcriptome sequencing (scEC&T-seq), a method for parallel sequencing of circular DNAs and full-length mRNA from single cells. By applying scEC&T-seq to cancer cells, we describe intercellular differences in ecDNA content while investigating their structural heterogeneity and transcriptional impact. Oncogene-containing ecDNAs were clonally present in cancer cells and drove intercellular oncogene expression differences. In contrast, other small circular DNAs were exclusive to individual cells, indicating differences in their selection and propagation. Intercellular differences in ecDNA structure pointed to circular recombination as a mechanism of ecDNA evolution. These results demonstrate scEC&T-seq as an approach to systematically characterize both small and large circular DNA in cancer cells, which will facilitate the analysis of these DNA elements in cancer and beyond
Strategies for Controlled Placement of Nanoscale Building Blocks
The capability of placing individual nanoscale building blocks on exact substrate locations in a controlled manner is one of the key requirements to realize future electronic, optical, and magnetic devices and sensors that are composed of such blocks. This article reviews some important advances in the strategies for controlled placement of nanoscale building blocks. In particular, we will overview template assisted placement that utilizes physical, molecular, or electrostatic templates, DNA-programmed assembly, placement using dielectrophoresis, approaches for non-close-packed assembly of spherical particles, and recent development of focused placement schemes including electrostatic funneling, focused placement via molecular gradient patterns, electrodynamic focusing of charged aerosols, and others
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