433 research outputs found
A Measurement of the Interference Structure Function, R_LT, for the 12C(e,e'p) reaction in the Quasielastic Region
The coincidence cross-section and the interference structure function, R_LT,
were measured for the 12C(e,e'p) 11B reaction at quasielastic kinematics and
central momentum transfer of q=400 MeV/c. The measurement was at an opening
angle of theta_pq=11 degrees, covering a range in missing energy of E_m = 0 to
65 MeV. The R_LT structure function is found to be consistent with zero for E_m
> 50 MeV, confirming an earlier study which indicated that R_L vanishes in this
region. The integrated strengths of the p- and s-shell are compared with a
Distorted Wave Impulse Approximation calculation. The s-shell strength and
shape are compared with a Hartree Fock-Random Phase Approximation calculation.
The DWIA calculation overestimates the cross sections for p- and s-shell proton
knockout as expected, but surprisingly agrees with the extracted R_LT value for
both shells. The HF-RPA calculation describes the data more consistently, which
may be due to the inclusion of 2-body currents in this calculation.Comment: 8 Pages LaTex, 5 postscript figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Exponential Distribution of Locomotion Activity in Cell Cultures
In vitro velocities of several cell types have been measured using computer
controlled video microscopy, which allowed to record the cells' trajectories
over several days. On the basis of our large data sets we show that the
locomotion activity displays a universal exponential distribution. Thus, motion
resulting from complex cellular processes can be well described by an
unexpected, but very simple distribution function. A simple phenomenological
model based on the interaction of various cellular processes and finite ATP
production rate is proposed to explain these experimental results.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Relativistic effects and two-body currents in using out-of-plane detection
Measurements of the reaction were performed
using an 800-MeV polarized electron beam at the MIT-Bates Linear Accelerator
and with the out-of-plane magnetic spectrometers (OOPS). The
longitudinal-transverse, and , and the
transverse-transverse, , interference responses at a missing momentum
of 210 MeV/c were simultaneously extracted in the dip region at Q=0.15
(GeV/c). On comparison to models of deuteron electrodisintegration, the
data clearly reveal strong effects of relativity and final-state interactions,
and the importance of the two-body meson-exchange currents and isobar
configurations. We demonstrate that these effects can be disentangled and
studied by extracting the interference response functions using the novel
out-of-plane technique.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, and submitted to PRL for publicatio
Can the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen be estimated with near-infrared spectroscopy?
Measurement of the Transverse-Longitudinal Cross Sections in the p (e,e'p)pi0 Reaction in the Delta Region
Accurate measurements of the p(e,e?p)pi0 reaction were performed at
Q^2=0.127(GeV/c)^2 in the Delta resonance energy region. The experiments at the
MIT-Bates Linear Accelerator used an 820 MeV polarized electron beam with the
out of plane magnetic spectrometer system (OOPS). In this paper we report the
first simultaneous determination of both the TL and TL? (``fifth" or polarized)
cross sections at low Q^{2} where the pion cloud contribution dominates the
quadrupole amplitudes (E2 and C2). The real and imaginary parts of the
transverse-longitudinal cross section provide both a sensitive determination of
the Coulomb quadrupole amplitude and a test of reaction calculations.
Comparisons with model calculations are presented. The empirical MAID
calculation gives the best overall agreement with this accurate data. The
parameters of this model for the values of the resonant multipoles are
|M_{1+}(I=3/2)|= (40.9 \pm 0.3)10^{-3}/m_pi, CMR= C2/M1= -6.5 \pm 0.3%,
EMR=E2/M1=-2.2 \pm 0.9%, where the errors are due to the experimental
uncertainties.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, minor corrections and addition
BMP2 commitment to the osteogenic lineage involves activation of Runx2 by DLX3 and a homeodomain transcriptional network
Several homeodomain (HD) proteins are critical for skeletal patterning and respond directly to BMP2 as an early step in bone formation. RUNX2, the earliest transcription factor proven essential for commitment to osteoblastogenesis, is also expressed in response to BMP2. However, there is a gap in our knowledge of the regulatory cascade from BMP2 signaling to the onset of osteogenesis. Here we show that BMP2 induces DLX3, a homeodomain protein that activates Runx2 gene transcription. Small interfering RNA knockdown studies in osteoblasts validate that DLX3 is a potent regulator of Runx2. Furthermore in Runx2 null cells, DLX3 forced expression suffices to induce transcription of Runx2, osteocalcin, and alkaline phosphatase genes, thus defining DLX3 as an osteogenic regulator independent of RUNX2. Our studies further show regulation of the Runx2 gene by several homeodomain proteins: MSX2 and CDP/cut repress whereas DLX3 and DLX5 activate endogenous Runx2 expression and promoter activity in non-osseous cells and osteoblasts. These HD proteins exhibit distinct temporal expression profiles during osteoblast differentiation as well as selective association with Runx2 chromatin that is related to Runx2 transcriptional activity and recruitment of RNA polymerase II. Runx2 promoter mutagenesis shows that multiple HD elements control expression of Runx2 in relation to the stages of osteoblast maturation. Our studies establish mechanisms for commitment to the osteogenic lineage directly through BMP2 induction of HD proteins DLX3 and DLX5 that activate Runx2, thus delineating a transcriptional regulatory pathway mediating osteoblast differentiation. We propose that the three homeodomain proteins MSX2, DLX3, and DLX5 provide a key series of molecular switches that regulate expression of Runx2 throughout bone formation. <br/
Heat treatment significantly increases the sharpness of silcrete stone tools
Humans were regularly heat-treating stone tool raw materials as early as 130,000 years ago. The late Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Late Stone Age (LSA) of South Africa's Western Cape region provides some of the earliest and most pervasive archaeological evidence for this behaviour. While archaeologists are beginning to understand the flaking implications of raw material heat treatment, its potential functional benefits remain unanswered. Using silcrete from the Western Cape region, we investigate the impact of heat treatment on stone tool cutting performance. We quantify the sharpness of silcrete in its natural, unheated form, before comparing it with silcrete heated in three different conditions. Results show that heat-treated silcrete can be significantly sharper than unheated alternatives, with cutting forces halving and energy requirements reducing by approximately two-thirds. The data suggest that silcrete may have been heat treated during the South African MSA and LSA to increase the sharpness and performance of stone cutting edges. This early example of material engineering has implications for understanding Stone Age populations’ technological capabilities, inventiveness and raw material choices. We predict that heat-treatment behaviours in other prehistoric and ethnographic contexts may also be linked to increases in edge sharpness and concerns about functional performance
Quantifying the Microvascular Origin of BOLD-fMRI from First Principles with Two-Photon Microscopy and an Oxygen-Sensitive Nanoprobe
The blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast is widely used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies aimed at investigating neuronal activity. However, the BOLD signal reflects changes in blood volume and oxygenation rather than neuronal activity per se. Therefore, understanding the transformation of microscopic vascular behavior into macroscopic BOLD signals is at the foundation of physiologically informed noninvasive neuroimaging. Here, we use oxygen-sensitive two-photon microscopy to measure the BOLD-relevant microvascular physiology occurring within a typical rodent fMRI voxel and predict the BOLD signal from first principles using those measurements. The predictive power of the approach is illustrated by quantifying variations in the BOLD signal induced by the morphological folding of the human cortex. This framework is then used to quantify the contribution of individual vascular compartments and other factors to the BOLD signal for different magnet strengths and pulse sequences.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant P41RR14075)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01NS067050)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01NS057198)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01EB000790)American Heart Association (Grant 11SDG7600037)Advanced Multimodal NeuroImaging Training Program (R90DA023427
Meson and Isobar Degrees of Freedom in A() reactions at
The effect of meson and isobar degrees of freedom in A()
and A(e,e'n) is studied for four-momentum transfers Q^2 in the range between
0.2 and 0.8 (GeV/c)^2. The calculations are performed in a non-relativistic
framework with explicit (N,\Delta,\pi) degrees-of-freedom. For the whole range
of momentum transfers under investigation the relative effect of the
meson-exchange and isobar degrees of freedom is significant. At low missing
momenta and quasi-elastic conditions, a tendency to reduce the (e,e'p) and
(e,e'n) differential cross sections is noticed. The greatest sensitivity is
found in the interference structure functions and . The recoil
polarization observables, on the other hand, are moderately affected by the
meson-exchange and -isobar currents.Comment: 16 pages (Revtex) + 18 figures (eps file
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