Genetic Determinants of Skin Color, Aging, and Cancer

Chapter 1 gives a general introduction to this thesis. In Chapter 2 we validated perceived skin color as skin color measurement. In Chapter 3 we investigated whether digitally quantified skin color was a suitable measure to discover new skin color genes. In Chapter 4 we investigated the genetic basis of skin color by a genome-wide association study followed by a replication analysis in 17,262 individuals of European ancestry from the Netherlands, UK and Australia. In Chapter 5 we validated a new digital image analysis technique to measure severity of different skin aging features including wrinkling, pigmented spots and telangiectasia. In Chapter 6 we have used the digitally quantified pigmented spots measures to search for associated genetic variants. In Chapter 7 we studied intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for the skin aging feature sagging eyelids. In Chapter 8 we investigated genetic susceptibility to the pre-malignant actinic keratosis. In Chapter 9 we have summarized the pattern of genetic association between 13 genes and pigmentation traits, pigmented spots, and cutaneous malignancies. In Chapter 10 we discuss the results of all studies in this thesis

Study of High-Spin States and Three-Quasiparticle (p,π) Transitions on Light Targets

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Kinematically Complete Measurements of p+p → p+n+(pi+) Near Threshold

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY-931478

Progress on the Experimental Search for Charge Symmetry Breaking (CSB) in n-p Scattering

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 81-14339 and by Indiana Universit

An Experimental Test of Charge Symmetry in n-p Scattering

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Grants NSF PHY 78-22774 A03, NSF PHY 81-14339, and by Indiana Universit

Application of Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis to Determine γ-ray-induced Double-strand Breaks in Yeast Chromosomal Molecules

The frequency of DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) was determined in yeast cells exposed to γ-rays under anoxic conditions. Genomic DNA of treated cells was separated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis, and two different approaches for the evaluation of the gels were employed: (1) The DNA mass distribution profile obtained by electrophoresis was compared to computed profiles, and the number of DSB per unit length was then derived in terms of a fitting procedure; (2) hybridization of selected chromosomes was performed, and a comparison of the hybridization signals in treated and untreated samples was then used to derive the frequency of dsb

K−^- Meson Production in the Proton-Proton Reaction at 3.67 GeV/c

The total cross section of the reaction $pp\to ppK^+K^-$ has been determined for proton--proton reactions with $p_{beam}=3.67 GeV/c$. This represents the first cross section measurement of the $pp \to ppK^-K^+$ channel near threshold, and is equivalent to the inclusive $pp\to ppK^-X$ cross section at this beam momentum. The cross section determined at this beam momentum is about a factor 20 lower than that for inclusive $pp\to ppK^+X$ meson production at the same CM energy above the corresponding threshold. This large difference in the $K^+$ and $K^-$ meson inclusive production cross sections in proton-proton reactions is in strong contrast to cross sections measured in sub-threshold heavy ion collisions, which are similar in magnitude at the same energy per nucleon below the respective thresholds.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures Phys. Lett. B in prin

Production of η′\eta\prime Mesons in the pp→ppη′pp \to pp\eta\prime Reaction at 3.67 GeV/c

The ratio of the total exclusive production cross sections for $\eta\prime$ and $\eta$ mesons has been measured in the $pp$ reaction at $p_{beam}=3.67$ GeV/c. The observed $\eta\prime/\eta$ ratio is $(0.83\pm{0.11}^{+0.23}_{-0.18})\times 10^{-2}$ from which the exclusive $\eta\prime$ meson production cross section is determined to be $(1.12\pm{0.15}^{+0.42}_{-0.31})\mu b$. Differential cross section distributions have been measured. Their shape is consistent with isotropic $\eta\prime$ meson production.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Phys.Lett.

The Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function at the Dawn of Gaia

The [O III] 5007 Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function (PNLF) is an excellent extragalactic standard candle. In theory, the PNLF method should not work at all, since the luminosities of the brightest planetary nebulae (PNe) should be highly sensitive to the age of their host stellar population. Yet the method appears robust, as it consistently produces < 10% distances to galaxies of all Hubble types, from the earliest ellipticals to the latest-type spirals and irregulars. It is therefore uniquely suited for cross-checking the results of other techniques and finding small offsets between the Population I and Population II distance ladders. We review the calibration of the method and show that the zero points provided by Cepheids and the Tip of the Red Giant Branch are in excellent agreement. We then compare the results of the PNLF with those from Surface Brightness Fluctuation measurements, and show that, although both techniques agree in a relative sense, the latter method yields distances that are ~15% larger than those from the PNLF. We trace this discrepancy back to the calibration galaxies and argue that, due to a small systematic error associated with internal reddening, the true distance scale likely falls between the extremes of the two methods. We also demonstrate how PNLF measurements in the early-type galaxies that have hosted Type Ia supernovae can help calibrate the SN Ia maximum magnitude-rate of decline relation. Finally, we discuss how the results from space missions such as Kepler and Gaia can help our understanding of the PNLF phenomenon and improve our knowledge of the physics of local planetary nebulae.Comment: 12 pages, invited review at the conference "The Fundamental Cosmic Distance Scale: State of the Art and Gaia Perspective", to appear in Astrophysics and Space Scienc