Stress response in tardigrades: differential gene expression of molecular chaperones

Semi-terrestrial tardigrades exhibit a remarkable tolerance to desiccation by entering a state called anhydrobiosis. In this state, they show a strong resistance against several kinds of physical extremes. Because of the probable importance of stress proteins during the phases of dehydration and rehydration, the relative abundance of transcripts coding for two α-crystallin heat-shock proteins (Mt-sHsp17.2 and Mt-sHsp19.5), as well for the heat-shock proteins Mt-sHsp10, Mt-Hsp60, Mt-Hsp70 and Mt-Hsp90, were analysed in active and anhydrobiotic tardigrades of the species Milnesium tardigradum. They were also analysed in the transitional stage (I) of dehydration, the transitional stage (II) of rehydration and in heat-shocked specimens. A variable pattern of expression was detected, with most candidates being downregulated. Gene transcripts of one Mt-hsp70 isoform in the transitional stage I and Mt-hsp90 in the anhydrobiotic stage were significantly upregulated. A high gene expression (778.6-fold) was found for the small α-crystallin heat-shock protein gene Mt-sHsp17.2 after heat shock. We discuss the limited role of the stress-gene expression in the transitional stages between the active and anhydrobiotic tardigrades and other mechanisms which allow tardigrades to survive desiccation

Studies of dijet pseudorapidity distributions and transverse momentum balance in pPb collisions at sqrt(s[NN])=5.02 TeV

Submitted to EPJC ; see paper for full list of authorsDijet production has been measured in pPb collisions at a nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. A data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35 inverse nanobarns was collected using the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The dijet transverse momentum balance, azimuthal angle correlations, and pseudorapidity distributions are studied as a function of the transverse energy in the forward calorimeters (ETHFfour). For pPb collisions, the dijet transverse momentum ratio and the width of the distribution of dijet azimuthal angle difference are comparable to the same quantities obtained from a simulated pp reference and insensitive to ETHFfour. In contrast, the mean value of the dijet pseudorapidity is found to change monotonically with increasing ETHFfour, indicating a correlation between the energy emitted at large pseudorapidity and the longitudinal motion of the dijet frame. The pseudorapidity distribution of the dijet system is compared with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions obtained from both nucleon and nuclear parton distribution functions, and the data more closely match the latter

Measurement of the production cross section ratio sigma(chi b2(1P))/sigma(chi b1(1P)) in pp collisions at root s=8TeV

A measurement of the production cross section ratio sigma(chi b2(1P))/sigma(chi b1(1P)) is presented. The chi b1 (1P) and chi b2 (1P) bottomonium states, promptly produced in pp collisions at root s = 8TeV, are detected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC through their radiative decays chi b1,2(1P) -> Y(1S) + gamma. The emitted photons are measured through their conversion to e(+) e(-) pairs, whose reconstruction allows the two states to be resolved. The Y(1S) is measured through its decay to two muons. An event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.7 fb(-1) is used to measure the cross section ratio in a phase-space region defined by the photon pseudorapidity, vertical bar eta(gamma)vertical bar < 1.0; the Y(1S) rapidity, vertical bar y(Y)vertical bar < 1.5; and the Y(1S) transverse momentum, 7 < p(T)(Y) < 40 GeV. The cross section ratio shows no significant dependence on the.(1S) transverse momentum, with a measured average value of 0.85 +/- 0.07 (stat + syst) +/- 0.08 (BF), where the first uncertainty is the combination of the experimental statistical and systematic uncertainties and the second is from the uncertainty in the ratio of the chi b branching fractions

Measurement of the W gamma and Z gamma inclusive cross sections in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV and limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings

Measurements of W gamma and Z gamma production in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV are used to extract limits on anomalous triple gauge couplings. The results are based on data recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC that correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb(-1). The cross sections are measured for photon transverse momenta p(T)(gamma) > 15 GeV, and for separations between photons and final-state charged leptons in the pseudorapidity-azimuthal plane of Delta R(l,gamma) > 0.7 in l nu gamma and ll gamma final states, where l refers either to an electron or a muon. A dilepton invariant mass requirement of m(ll) > 50 GeV is imposed for the Z gamma process. No deviations are observed relative to predictions from the standard model, and limits are set on anomalous WW gamma, ZZ gamma, and Z gamma gamma triple gauge couplings

Angular analysis and branching fraction measurement of the decay B-0 -> K*(0)mu(+)mu(-)

The angular distributions and the differential branching fraction of the decay B-0 -> K*(892)(0)mu(+)mu(-) are studied using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.2 fb(-1) collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV. From more than 400 signal decays, the forward-backward asymmetry of the muons, the K*(892)(0) longitudinal polarization fraction, and the differential branching fraction are determined as a function of the square of the dimuon invariant mass. The measurements are in good agreement with standard model predictions. (C) 2013 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved