149 research outputs found
Akt regulates centrosome migration and spindle orientation in the early Drosophila melanogaster embryo
Correct positioning and morphology of the mitotic spindle is achieved through regulating the interaction between microtubules (MTs) and cortical actin. Here we find that, in the Drosophila melanogaster early embryo, reduced levels of the protein kinase Akt result in incomplete centrosome migration around cortical nuclei, bent mitotic spindles, and loss of nuclei into the interior of the embryo. We show that Akt is enriched at the embryonic cortex and is required for phosphorylation of the glycogen synthase kinase-3β homologue Zeste-white 3 kinase (Zw3) and for the cortical localizations of the adenomatosis polyposis coli (APC)–related protein APC2/E-APC and the MT + Tip protein EB1. We also show that reduced levels of Akt result in mislocalization of APC2 in postcellularized embryonic mitoses and misorientation of epithelial mitotic spindles. Together, our results suggest that Akt regulates a complex containing Zw3, Armadillo, APC2, and EB1 and that this complex has a role in stabilizing MT–cortex interactions, facilitating both centrosome separation and mitotic spindle orientation
Nuclear dependence coefficient for the Drell-Yan and J/ production
Define the nuclear dependence coefficient in terms of ratio
of transverse momentum spectrum in hadron-nucleus and in hadron-nucleon
collisions: . We argue that in small region, the
for the Drell-Yan and J/ production is given by a universal function:\
, where parameters a and b are completely determined by either
calculable quantities or independently measurable physical observables. We
demonstrate that this universal function is insensitive to the
A for normal nuclear targets. For a color deconfined nuclear medium, the
becomes strongly dependent on the A. We also show that our
for the Drell-Yan process is naturally linked to perturbatively
calculated at large without any free parameters, and the
is consistent with E772 data for all .Comment: latex, 28 pages, 10 figures, updated two figures, and add more
discussion
High-p_T pion and kaon production in relativistic nuclear collisions
High-p_T pion and kaon production is studied in relativistic proton-proton,
proton-nucleus, and nucleus-nucleus collisions in a wide energy range. Cross
sections are calculated based on perturbative QCD, augmented by a
phenomenological transverse momentum distribution of partons (``intrinsic
k_T''). An energy dependent width of the transverse momentum distribution is
extracted from pion and charged hadron production data in
proton-proton/proton-antiproton collisions. Effects of multiscattering and
shadowing in the strongly interacting medium are taken into account.
Enhancement of the transverse momentum width is introduced and parameterized to
explain the Cronin effect. In collisions between heavy nuclei, the model
over-predicts central pion production cross sections (more significantly at
higher energies), hinting at the presence of jet quenching. Predictions are
made for proton-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC energies.Comment: 26 pages in Latex, 19 EPS figure
Search for the Flavor-Changing Neutral Current Decay with the HERA-B Detector
We report on a search for the flavor-changing neutral current decay using events recorded with a dimuon trigger in
interactions of 920 GeV protons with nuclei by the HERA-B experiment. We find
no evidence for such decays and set a 90% confidence level upper limit on the
branching fraction .Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures (of which 1 double), paper to be submitted to
Physics Letters
Measurement of the J/Psi Production Cross Section in 920 GeV/c Fixed-Target Proton-Nucleus Interactions
The mid-rapidity (dsigma_(pN)/dy at y=0) and total sigma_(pN) production
cross sections of J/Psi mesons are measured in proton-nucleus interactions.
Data collected by the HERA-B experiment in interactions of 920 GeV/c protons
with carbon, titanium and tungsten targets are used for this analysis. The
J/Psi mesons are reconstructed by their decay into lepton pairs. The total
production cross section obtained is sigma_(pN)(J/Psi) = 663 +- 74 +- 46
nb/nucleon. In addition, our result is compared with previous measurements
Nuclear effects on J/{\psi} production in proton-nucleus collisions
The study of nuclear effects for J/{\psi} production in proton-nucleus
collisions is crucial for a correct interpretation of the J/{\psi} suppression
patterns experimentally observed in heavy-ion collisions. By means of three
representative sets of nuclear parton distribution, the energy loss effect in
the initial state and the nuclear absorption effect in the final state are
taken into account in the uniform framework of the Glauber model. A leading
order phenomenological analysis is performed on J/{\psi} production
cross-section ratios RW/Be(xF) for the E866 experimental data. The J/{\psi}
suppression is investigated quantitatively due to the different nuclear
effects. It is shown that the energy loss effect with resulting in the
suppression on RW/Be(xF) is more important than the nuclear effects on parton
distributions in high xF region. The E866 data in the small xF keep out the
nuclear gluon distribution with a large anti-shadowing effect. However, the new
HERA-B measurement is not in support of the anti-shadowing effect in the
nuclear gluon distribution. It is found that the J/{\psi}-nucleon inelastic
cross section {\sigma} J/{\psi} abs depends on the kinematical variable xF, and
increases as xF in the region xF > 0.2. 1 Introductio
Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization
We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy
quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma
Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following
the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop
(Vienna August 2005) Proceeding
Proximity effect at superconducting Sn-Bi2Se3 interface
We have investigated the conductance spectra of Sn-Bi2Se3 interface junctions
down to 250 mK and in different magnetic fields. A number of conductance
anomalies were observed below the superconducting transition temperature of Sn,
including a small gap different from that of Sn, and a zero-bias conductance
peak growing up at lower temperatures. We discussed the possible origins of the
smaller gap and the zero-bias conductance peak. These phenomena support that a
proximity-effect-induced chiral superconducting phase is formed at the
interface between the superconducting Sn and the strong spin-orbit coupling
material Bi2Se3.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Single Electrons from Heavy Flavor Decays in p+p Collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV
The invariant differential cross section for inclusive electron production in
p+p collisions at sqrt(s) = 200 GeV has been measured by the PHENIX experiment
at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider over the transverse momentum range $0.4
<= p_T <= 5.0 GeV/c at midrapidity (eta <= 0.35). The contribution to the
inclusive electron spectrum from semileptonic decays of hadrons carrying heavy
flavor, i.e. charm quarks or, at high p_T, bottom quarks, is determined via
three independent methods. The resulting electron spectrum from heavy flavor
decays is compared to recent leading and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD
calculations. The total cross section of charm quark-antiquark pair production
is determined as sigma_(c c^bar) = 0.92 +/- 0.15 (stat.) +- 0.54 (sys.) mb.Comment: 329 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.
Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Nuclear Modification of Electron Spectra and Implications for Heavy Quark Energy Loss in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV
The PHENIX experiment has measured mid-rapidity transverse momentum spectra
(0.4 < p_T < 5.0 GeV/c) of electrons as a function of centrality in Au+Au
collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV. Contributions from photon conversions and
from light hadron decays, mainly Dalitz decays of pi^0 and eta mesons, were
removed. The resulting non-photonic electron spectra are primarily due to the
semi-leptonic decays of hadrons carrying heavy quarks. Nuclear modification
factors were determined by comparison to non-photonic electrons in p+p
collisions. A significant suppression of electrons at high p_T is observed in
central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial energy loss of heavy quarks.Comment: 330 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.
Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
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