Recent developments in advanced thermal analysis: sample controlled thermal analysis

The determination of the key physical and chemical properties of a new material is essential.The melting point, glass transition temperature, the number and identification of the different phases it may have, and the temperatures at which they are formed are all of great value, not only in assessing its practical pharmaceutical potential but also as they can form the basis of many routine QC procedures

Investigations into metabolism, transport and function of sulfonated steroids in the porcine testicular-epididymal compartment

Sulfonated steroids have been traditionally regarded as inactive metabolites destined for excretion, as they are incapable of binding to classical nuclear steroid receptors. However, by the enzyme steroid sulfatase (STS) they may be converted into free steroids, which may be biologically active directly or after a few additional enzymatic reactions. Thus, as sulfonated steroids commonly circulate at relatively high concentrations, they may form an important pool of precursors for the local (intra-tissue) production of active free steroids. This so-called sulfatase pathway has received increased attention over recent years especially with respect to estrogen metabolism in human hormone-dependent breast cancer, where the intratumoral estrogen production from sulfonated precursors obviously has a much higher capacity in comparison to the de novo synthesis via free steroids. This study is composed of two parts of which the first one addresses the secretory patterns of free and sulfonated steroids in vivo, whereas in the second part the expression of STS and of the steroid sulfotransferases SULT1E1 (estrogen specific) and SULT2B1 (specific for beta-hydroxysteroids) was characterized in the testis and in different segments of the epididymis. Other subjects of the second part of this study were hydrolysis of steroid sulfates and the sulfonation of estrone (E1), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and pregnenolone (P5) in the tissues investigated. Concentrations of androstenedione, testosterone, pregnenolone sulfate (P5S), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), estrone-3-sulfate (E1S)and 17beta-estradiol-3-sulfate were performed in the Steroid Research & Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetology, Center of Child and Adolescent Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen (head: Prof. Dr. S. Wudy) applying liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Moreover, 17beta-estradiol (E2) and E1 were measured by inhouse radioimmunoassays to cope with the low concentrations of free estrogens in boars. In order to get new information on the sulfonation of free steroids and the hydrolysis of steroid sulfates in the porcine testicular-epididymal compartment, subcellular fractions were prepared from tissue samples collected from the testis and from defined sites of the epididymis (EH1, EH2: proximal/distal part of epididymal head; EB1-4: epididymal body, from proximal to distal; ET1, ET2: proximal/distal part of epididymal tail) using differential centrifugation. STS and steroid sulfotransferase activities were measured based on the differential distribution of free and sulfonated steroids between an aqueous phase and an organic solvent, tert butyl-methylether. The immunostaining results were shown that SULTs 1E1 and 2B1, immunostaining was especially prominent in superficial epithelial protrusions. Sporadic staining of weaker intensity was also found in the muscular layer and in the vascular endothelium. With WB, a specific band of the expected molecular size (approx. 61 kDa) was found in the testis and all segments of the epididymis. These results show that STS is widely expressed in the porcine testicular-epididymal compartment, indicating a high potential for sulfatase pathways especially in Leydig cells and the epithelial cells of the rete testis and epididymis. The co-expression of STS with SULTs 1E1 and 2B1 in the epididymal epithelium and especially their colocalization in superficial protrusions are very intriguing. In the epididymal duct, apocrine secretion has been described to give rise to the formation of epididymosomes, small vesicles which are considered as vehicles for the transfer of certain molecules to the maturing sperm cells. Other intriguing findings are the virtual absence of a sulfonation of E1, DHEA and P5 in testicular cytosols as well as the absent or questionable detection of SULTs 1E1 and 2B1 in light of the high efflux of various steroid sulfates from the testis. A plausible explanation could be a significant use of sulfonated steroids as precursors/intermediates in porcine testicular steroidogenesis starting from cholesterol sulfate. The concept of a “sulfate pathway” of steroidogenesis would not only provide an explanation for the production of high amounts of steroid sulfates in the virtual absence of relevant steroid sulfotransferase activities but also for the high STS expression in Leydig cells. According to this concept, STS could play a crucial role in the control of the substrate flow through the steroidogenic enzyme cascade by mediating the transition of sulfonated precursors into the pool of free steroids, with the exact subcellular localization being of importance for the step of the enzyme cascade at which this transition(s) may occur. Thus, in order to corroborate this concept investigations into the utilization of sulfonated substrates by steroidogenic enzymes and on the subcellular localization of STS are necessary

Possible Molecular States of Ds∗Dˉs∗D^{*}_s\bar{D}^{*}_s System and Y(4140)

The interpretation of Y(4140) as a $D^{*}_s\bar{D}^{*}_s$ molecule is studied dynamically in the one boson exchange approach, where $\sigma$, $\eta$ and $\phi$ exchange are included. Ten allowed $D^{*}_s\bar{D}^{*}_s$ states with low spin parity are considered, we find that the $J^{PC}=0^{++}$, $1^{+-}$, $0^{-+}$, $2^{++}$ and $1^{--}$ $D^{*}_s\bar{D}^{*}_s$ configurations are most tightly bound. We suggest the most favorable quantum numbers are $J^{PC}=0^{++}$ for Y(4140) as a $D^{*}_s\bar{D}^{*}_s$ molecule, however, $J^{PC}=0^{-+}$ and $2^{++}$ can not be excluded. We propose to search for the $1^{+-}$ and $1^{--}$ partners in the $J/\psi\eta$ and $J/\psi\eta'$ final states, which is an important test of the molecular hypothesis of Y(4140) and the reasonability of our model. The $0^{++}$ $B^{*}_s\bar{B}^{*}_s$ molecule is deeply bound, experimental search in the $\Upsilon(1S)\phi$ channel at Tevatron and LHC is suggested.Comment: 13 pages,2 figure

Dynamical description of quantum computing: generic nonlocality of quantum noise

We develop dynamical non-Markovian description of quantum computing in weak coupling limit, in lowest order approximation. We show that long range memory of quantum reservoir produces strong interrelation between structure of noise and quantum algorithm, implying nonlocal attacks of noise. We then argue that the quantum error correction method fails to protect quantum computation against electromagnetic or phonon vacuum which exhibit $1/t^4$ memory. This shows that the implicit assumption of quantum error correction theory -- independence of noise and self-dynamics -- fails in long time regimes. We also use our approach to present {\it pure} decoherence and decoherence accompanied by dissipation in terms of spectral density of reservoir. The so-called {\it dynamical decoupling} method is discussed in this context. Finally, we propose {\it minimal decoherence model}, in which the only source of decoherence is vacuum. We optimize fidelity of quantum information processing under the trade-off between speed of gate and strength of decoherence.Comment: 12 pages, minor corrections, softened interpretation of the result

Understanding the newly observed Y(4008) by Belle

Very recently a new enhancement around 4.05 GeV was observed by Belle experiment. In this short note, we discuss some possible assignments for this enhancement, i.e. $\psi(3S)$ and $D^*\bar{D}^*$ molecular state. In these two assignments, Y(4008) can decay into $J/\psi\pi^0\pi^0$ with comparable branching ratio with that of $Y(4008)\to J/\psi\pi^+\pi^-$. Thus one suggests high energy experimentalists to look for Y(4008) in $J/\psi\pi^0\pi^0$ channel. Furthermore one proposes further experiments to search missing channel $D\bar{D}$, $D\bar{D}^*+h.c.$ and especially $\chi_{cJ}\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$ and $\eta_c\pi^+\pi^-\pi^0$, which will be helpful to distinguish $\psi(3S)$ and $D^*\bar{D}^*$ molecular state assignments for this new enhancement.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Typos correcte

Coset Space Dimensional Reduction and Wilson Flux Breaking of Ten-Dimensional N=1, E(8) Gauge Theory

We consider a N=1 supersymmetric E(8) gauge theory, defined in ten dimensions and we determine all four-dimensional gauge theories resulting from the generalized dimensional reduction a la Forgacs-Manton over coset spaces, followed by a subsequent application of the Wilson flux spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism. Our investigation is constrained only by the requirements that (i) the dimensional reduction leads to the potentially phenomenologically interesting, anomaly free, four-dimensional E(6), SO(10) and SU(5) GUTs and (ii) the Wilson flux mechanism makes use only of the freely acting discrete symmetries of all possible six-dimensional coset spaces.Comment: 45 pages, 2 figures, 10 tables, uses xy.sty, longtable.sty, ltxtable.sty, (a shorter version will be published in Eur. Phys. J. C

Analysis of the radiative decays among the charmonium states

In this article, we study the radiative decays among the charmonium states with the heavy quark effective theory, and make predictions for the ratios among the radiative decay widths of an special multiplet to another multiplet. The predictions can be confronted with the experimental data in the future and put additional constraints in identifying the $X$, $Y$, $Z$ charmonium-like mesons.Comment: 12 pages, revised revisio

Light meson mass dependence of the positive parity heavy-strange mesons

We calculate the masses of the resonances D_{s0}^*(2317) and D_{s1}(2460) as well as their bottom partners as bound states of a kaon and a D^*- and B^*-meson, respectively, in unitarized chiral perturbation theory at next-to-leading order. After fixing the parameters in the D_{s0}^*(2317) channel, the calculated mass for the D_{s1}(2460) is found in excellent agreement with experiment. The masses for the analogous states with a bottom quark are predicted to be M_{B^*_{s0}}=(5696\pm 40) MeV and M_{B_{s1}}=(5742\pm 40) MeV in reasonable agreement with previous analyses. In particular, we predict M_{B_{s1}}-M_{B_{s0}^*}=46\pm 1 MeV. We also explore the dependence of the states on the pion and kaon masses. We argue that the kaon mass dependence of a kaonic bound state should be almost linear with slope about unity. Such a dependence is specific to the assumed molecular nature of the states. We suggest to extract the kaon mass dependence of these states from lattice QCD calculations.Comment: 10 page

Field- and pressure-induced magnetic quantum phase transitions in TlCuCl_3

Thallium copper chloride is a quantum spin liquid of S = 1/2 Cu^2+ dimers. Interdimer superexchange interactions give a three-dimensional magnon dispersion and a spin gap significantly smaller than the dimer coupling. This gap is closed by an applied hydrostatic pressure of approximately 2kbar or by a magnetic field of 5.6T, offering a unique opportunity to explore the both types of quantum phase transition and their associated critical phenomena. We use a bond-operator formulation to obtain a continuous description of all disordered and ordered phases, and thus of the transitions separating these. Both pressure- and field-induced transitions may be considered as the Bose-Einstein condensation of triplet magnon excitations, and the respective phases of staggered magnetic order as linear combinations of dimer singlet and triplet modes. We focus on the evolution with applied pressure and field of the magnetic excitations in each phase, and in particular on the gapless (Goldstone) modes in the ordered regimes which correspond to phase fluctuations of the ordered moment. The bond-operator description yields a good account of the magnetization curves and of magnon dispersion relations observed by inelastic neutron scattering under applied fields, and a variety of experimental predictions for pressure-dependent measurements.Comment: 20 pages, 17 figure