Existence of Dynamical Scaling in the Temporal Signal of Time Projection Chamber

The temporal signals from a large gas detector may show dynamical scaling due to many correlated space points created by the charged particles while passing through the tracking medium. This has been demonstrated through simulation using realistic parameters of a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) being fabricated to be used in ALICE collider experiment at CERN. An interesting aspect of this dynamical behavior is the existence of an universal scaling which does not depend on the multiplicity of the collision. This aspect can be utilised further to study physics at the device level and also for the online monitoring of certain physical observables including electronics noise which are a few crucial parameters for the optimal TPC performance.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Accumulation of Cytoplasmic -Catenin and Nuclear Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 in Epstein-Barr Virus-Infected Cells

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes infectious mononucleosis and is associated with cancers in immunocompromised populations. EBV establishes a latent infection and immortalizes and transforms B lymphocytes. Several latent proteins have profound effects on cellular growth, including activation of NF-κB, phosphatidylinositol 3′-OH kinase (PI3K) signaling, and notch signaling. Activation of PI3K can affect the activity of β-catenin, the target of the wnt signaling pathway. Deregulation of β-catenin is associated with a number of malignancies. To determine if β-catenin is regulated by EBV infection, EBV-infected cells were examined for β-catenin levels and localization. β-Catenin was increased in EBV-positive tumor cell lines compared to EBV-negative lines, in EBV-infected Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines, and in EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). In contrast to wnt signaling, EBV consistently induced the accumulation of β-catenin in the cytoplasm but not the nucleus. The β-catenin regulating kinase, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), was shown to be phosphorylated and inactivated in EBV-infected lymphocytes. Inactivated GSK3β was localized to the nucleus of EBV-infected LCL. Neither the cytoplasmic accumulation of β-catenin nor the nuclear inactivation of GSK3β was affected by the inhibition of PI3K signaling. These data indicate that latent infection with EBV has unique effects on β-catenin signaling that are distinct from activation of wnt and independent of its effects on PI3K

Identification of Epstein-Barr Virus RK-BARF0-Interacting Proteins and Characterization of Expression Pattern

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) BamHI A transcripts are a family of transcripts that are differentially spliced and can be detected in multiple EBV-associated malignancies. Several of the transcripts may encode proteins. One transcript of interest, RK-BARF0, is proposed to encode a 279-amino-acid protein with a possible endoplasmic reticulum-targeting sequence. In this study, the properties of RK-BARF0 were examined through identification of cellular-interacting proteins through yeast two-hybrid analysis and characterization of its expression in EBV-infected cells and tumors. In addition to the interaction previously identified with cellular Notch, it was determined that RK-BARF0 also bound cellular human I-mfa domain-containing protein (HIC), epithelin, and scramblase. An interaction between RK-BARF0 and Notch or epithelin induced proteasome-dependent degradation of Notch and epithelin but not of HIC or scramblase. Low levels of endogenous Notch expression in EBV-positive cell lines may correlate with RK-BARF0 expression. However, a screen of EBV-positive cell lines and tumors with an affinity-purified α-RK-BARF0 antiserum did not consistently detect RK-BARF0. These data suggest that while RK-BARF0 may have important cellular functions during EBV infection, and while the phenotype of EBV-positive cells suggest its expression, RK-BARF0 levels may be too low to detect