1,590 research outputs found
Crosstalk between G-protein and Ca2+ pathways switches intracellular cAMP levels
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate are universal intracellular messengers whose concentrations are regulated by molecular networks comprised of different isoforms of the synthases adenylate cyclase or guanylate cyclase and the phosphodiesterases which degrade these compounds. In this paper, we employ a systems biology approach to develop mathematical models of these networks that, for the first time, take into account the different biochemical properties of the isoforms involved. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the joint regulation of cAMP and cGMP, we apply our models to analyse the regulation of cilia beat frequency in Paramecium by Ca(2+). Based on our analysis of these models, we propose that the diversity of isoform combinations that occurs in living cells provides an explanation for the huge variety of intracellular processes that are dependent on these networks. The inclusion of both G-protein receptor and Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of AC in our models allows us to propose a new explanation for the switching properties of G-protein subunits involved in nucleotide regulation. Analysis of the models suggests that, depending on whether the G-protein subunit is bound to AC, Ca(2+) can either activate or inhibit AC in a concentration-dependent manner. The resulting analysis provides an explanation for previous experimental results that showed that alterations in Ca(2+) concentrations can either increase or decrease cilia beat frequency over particular Ca(2+) concentration ranges
Implications of observed neutrinoless double beta decay
Recently a positive indication of the neutrinoless double beta decay has been
announced. We study the implications of this result taking into consideration
earlier results on atmospheric neutrinos and solar neutrinos. We also include
in our discussions the recent results from SNO and K2K. We point out that on
the confidence level given for the double beta signal, the neutrino mass
matrices are now highly constrained. All models predicting Dirac masses are
ruled out and leptogenesis becomes a natural choice. Only the degenerate and
the inverted hierarchical solutions are allowed for the three generation
Majorana neutrinos. In both these cases we find that the radiative corrections
destabilize the solutions and the LOW, VO and Just So solutions of the solar
neutrinos are ruled out. For the four generation case only the inverted
hierarchical scenario is allowed.Comment: 16 pages, 2 postscript figure
Latest Results from the Heidelberg-Moscow Double Beta Decay Experiment
New results for the double beta decay of 76Ge are presented. They are
extracted from Data obtained with the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW, which operates five
enriched 76Ge detectors in an extreme low-level environment in the GRAN SASSO.
The two neutrino accompanied double beta decay is evaluated for the first time
for all five detectors with a statistical significance of 47.7 kg y resulting
in a half life of (T_(1/2))^(2nu) = [1.55 +- 0.01 (stat) (+0.19) (-0.15)
(syst)] x 10^(21) years. The lower limit on the half-life of the 0nu beta-beta
decay obtained with pulse shape analysis is (T_(1/2))^(0_nu) > 1.9 x 10^(25)
[3.1 x 10^(25)] years with 90% C.L. (68% C.L.) (with 35.5 kg y). This results
in an upper limit of the effective Majorana neutrino mass of 0.35 eV (0.27 eV).
No evidence for a Majoron emitting decay mode or for the neutrinoless mode is
observed.Comment: 14 pages, revtex, 6 figures, Talk was presented at third
International Conference ' Dark Matter in Astro and Particle Physics' -
DARK2000, to be publ. in Proc. of DARK2000, Springer (2000). Please look into
our HEIDELBERG Non-Accelerator Particle Physics group home page:
http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/non_acc
Threshold Effects on Quasi-degenerate Neutrinos with High-scale Mixing Unification
We consider threshold effects on neutrino masses and mixings in a recently
proposed model for understanding large solar and atmospheric mixing angles
using radiative magnification for the case of quasi-degenerate neutrinos. We
show that the magnitude of the threshold effects is sufficient to bring
concordance between the predictions of this model and latest data from and on observations of neutrino oscillations.Comment: Four pages, no figure
Nuclear deformation and neutrinoless double- decay of Zr, Mo, Ru, Pd, Te and Nd nuclei in mass mechanism
The decay of Zr, Mo,
Ru, Pd, Te and Nd isotopes for the
transition is studied in the Projected Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov
framework. In our earlier work, the reliability of HFB intrinsic wave functions
participating in the decay of the above mentioned nuclei
has been established by obtaining an overall agreement between the
theoretically calculated spectroscopic properties, namely yrast spectra,
reduced : transition probabilities, quadrupole moments
, gyromagnetic factors as well as half-lives
for the transition and the available
experimental data. In the present work, we study the decay for the transition in the mass mechanism
and extract limits on effective mass of light as well as heavy neutrinos from
the observed half-lives using nuclear
transition matrix elements calculated with the same set of wave functions.
Further, the effect of deformation on the nuclear transition matrix elements
required to study the decay in the mass
mechanism is investigated. It is noticed that the deformation effect on nuclear
transition matrix elements is of approximately same magnitude in and decay.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur
High sensitivity GEM experiment on double beta decay of 76-Ge
The GEM project is designed for the next generation 2 beta decay experiments
with 76-Ge. One ton of ''naked'' HP Ge detectors (natural at the first GEM-I
phase and enriched in 76-Ge to 86% at the second GEM-II stage) are operating in
super-high purity liquid nitrogen contained in the Cu vacuum cryostat (sphere
with diameter 5 m). The latest is placed in the water shield. Monte Carlo
simulation evidently shows that sensitivity of the experiment (in terms of the
T1/2 limit for neutrinoless 2 beta decay) is 10^27 yr with natural HP Ge
crystals and 10^28 yr with enriched ones. These bounds corresponds to the
restrictions on the neutrino mass less than 0.05 eV and 0.015 eV with natural
and enriched detectors, respectively. Besides, the GEM-I set up could advance
the current best limits on the existence of neutralinos - as dark matter
candidates - by three order of magnitudes, and at the same time would be able
to identify unambiguously the dark matter signal by detection of its seasonal
modulation.Comment: LaTeX, 20 pages, 4 figure
On possible lower bounds for the direct detection rate of SUSY Dark Matter
One can expect accessible lower bounds for dark matter detection rate due to
restrictions on masses of the SUSY-partners. To explore this correlation one
needs a new-generation large-mass detector. The absolute lower bound for
detection rate can naturally be due to spin-dependent interaction. Aimed at
detecting dark matter with sensitivity higher than event/day/kg an
experiment should have a non-zero-spin target. Perhaps, the best is to create a
GENIUS-like detector with both Ge-73 (high spin) and Ge-76 nuclei.Comment: latex, 5 pages, 3 figures. Talk given at the III International
Conference on Non-accelerator New Physics (NANP'01), Dubna, 19--23 June, 200
Double Beta Decay, Majorana Neutrinos, and Neutrino Mass
The theoretical and experimental issues relevant to neutrinoless double-beta
decay are reviewed. The impact that a direct observation of this exotic process
would have on elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics and
cosmology is profound. Now that neutrinos are known to have mass and
experiments are becoming more sensitive, even the non-observation of
neutrinoless double-beta decay will be useful. If the process is actually
observed, we will immediately learn much about the neutrino. The status and
discovery potential of proposed experiments are reviewed in this context, with
significant emphasis on proposals favored by recent panel reviews. The
importance of and challenges in the calculation of nuclear matrix elements that
govern the decay are considered in detail. The increasing sensitivity of
experiments and improvements in nuclear theory make the future exciting for
this field at the interface of nuclear and particle physics.Comment: invited submission to Reviews of Modern Physics, higher resolution
figures available upon request from authors, Version 2 has fixed typos and
some changes after referee report
Gamow-Teller strength distributions in Xe isotopes
The energy distributions of the Gamow-Teller strength are studied for
even-even Xe isotopes with mass numbers from 124 to 142. A self-consistent
microscopic formalism is used to generate the single particle basis, using a
deformed Skyrme Hartree-Fock mean field with pairing correlations in BCS
approximation. The Gamow-Teller transitions are obtained within a quasiparticle
random phase approximation (QRPA) approach using a residual spin-isospin
interaction in the particle-hole and particle-particle channels. We then
discuss the pairing BCS treatment and the determination of the ph and pp
residual interaction coupling constants. We study the GT+ and GT- strength
distributions for the equilibrium nuclear shapes, which are an essential
information for studies of charge-exchange reactions and double-beta processes
involving these isotopes.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures. To appear in Phys Rev
Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay in Supersymmetric Seesaw model
Inspired by the recent HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW double beta decay experiment, we
discuss the neutrinoless double beta decay in the supersymmetric seesaw model.
Our numerical analysis indicates that we can naturally explain the data of the
observed neutrinoless double beta decay, as well as that of the solar and
atmospheric neutrino experiments with at least one Majorana-like sneutrino of
middle energy scale in the model.Comment: latex, 25 pages, include 5 figures, final version in Phys. Rev.
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