2,735 research outputs found
Measurement of the mass difference and the binding energy of the hypertriton and antihypertriton
According to the CPT theorem, which states that the combined operation of
charge conjugation, parity transformation and time reversal must be conserved,
particles and their antiparticles should have the same mass and lifetime but
opposite charge and magnetic moment. Here, we test CPT symmetry in a nucleus
containing a strange quark, more specifically in the hypertriton. This
hypernucleus is the lightest one yet discovered and consists of a proton, a
neutron, and a hyperon. With data recorded by the STAR
detector{\cite{TPC,HFT,TOF}} at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, we measure
the hyperon binding energy for the hypertriton, and
find that it differs from the widely used value{\cite{B_1973}} and from
predictions{\cite{2019_weak, 1995_weak, 2002_weak, 2014_weak}}, where the
hypertriton is treated as a weakly bound system. Our results place stringent
constraints on the hyperon-nucleon interaction{\cite{Hammer2002,
STAR-antiH3L}}, and have implications for understanding neutron star interiors,
where strange matter may be present{\cite{Chatterjee2016}}. A precise
comparison of the masses of the hypertriton and the antihypertriton allows us
to test CPT symmetry in a nucleus with strangeness for the first time, and we
observe no deviation from the expected exact symmetry
Characterization of Unique Small RNA Populations from Rice Grain
Small RNAs (∼20 to 24 nucleotides) function as naturally occurring molecules critical in developmental pathways in plants and animals [1], [2]. Here we analyze small RNA populations from mature rice grain and seedlings by pyrosequencing. Using a clustering algorithm to locate regions producing small RNAs, we classified hotspots of small RNA generation within the genome. Hotspots here are defined as 1 kb regions within which small RNAs are significantly overproduced relative to the rest of the genome. Hotspots were identified to facilitate characterization of different categories of small RNA regulatory elements. Included in the hotspots, we found known members of 23 miRNA families representing 92 genes, one trans acting siRNA (ta-siRNA) gene, novel siRNA-generating coding genes and phased siRNA generating genes. Interestingly, over 20% of the small RNA population in grain came from a single foldback structure, which generated eight phased 21-nt siRNAs. This is reminiscent of a newly arising miRNA derived from duplication of progenitor genes [3], [4]. Our results provide data identifying distinct populations of small RNAs, including phased small RNAs, in mature grain to facilitate characterization of small regulatory RNA expression in monocot species
Laboratory Diagnosis of Four Recent Sporadic Cases of Community-acquired SARS, Guangdong Province, China
Four sporadic cases of SARS-associated coronavirus infection were identified through collaboration of four laboratories
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