2,047 research outputs found
Independent Origins of New Sex-Linked Chromosomes in the melanica and robusta Species Groups of Drosophila
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent translocations of autosomal regions to the sex chromosomes represent important systems for identifying the evolutionary forces affecting convergent patterns of sex-chromosome heteromorphism. Additions to the sex chromosomes have been reported in the <it>melanica </it>and <it>robusta </it>species groups, two sister clades of <it>Drosophila</it>. The close relationship between these two species groups and the similarity of their rearranged karyotypes motivates this test of alternative hypotheses; the rearranged sex chromosomes in both groups are derived through a common origin, or the rearrangements are derived through at least two independent origins. Here we examine chromosomal arrangement in representatives of the <it>melanica </it>and the <it>robusta </it>species groups and test these alternative hypotheses using a phylogenetic approach.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two mitochondrial and two nuclear gene sequences were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of a set of nine ingroup species having fused and unfused sex chromosomes and representing a broad sample of both species groups. Different methods of phylogenetic inference, coupled with concurrent cytogenetic analysis, indicate that the hypothesis of independent origins of rearranged sex chromosomes within each species group is significantly more likely than the alternative hypothesis of a single common origin. An estimate tightly constrained around 8 My was obtained for the age of the rearranged sex chromosomes in the <it>melanica </it>group; however, a more loosely constrained estimate of 10–15 My was obtained for the age of the rearrangement in the <it>robusta </it>group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Independent acquisition of new chromosomal arms by the sex chromosomes in the <it>melanica </it>and <it>robusta </it>species groups represents a case of striking convergence at the karyotypic level. Our findings indicate that the parallel divergence experienced by newly sex-linked genomic regions in these groups represents an excellent system for studying the tempo of sex chromosome evolution.</p
Electromagnetic properties of non-Dirac particles with rest spin 1/2
We resolve a number of questions related to an analytic description of
electromagnetic form factors of non-Dirac particles with the rest spin 1/2. We
find the general structure of a matrix antisymmetric tensor operator. We obtain
two recurrence relations for matrix elements of finite transformations of the
proper Lorentz group and explicit formulas for a certain set of such elements.
Within the theory of fields with double symmetry, we discuss writing the
components of wave vectors of particles in the form of infinite continued
fractions. We show that for (GeV/c), where is
the transferred momentum squared, electromagnetic form factors that decrease as
increases and are close to those experimentally observed in the proton
can be obtained without explicitly introducing an internal particle structure.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figure
On the Slow Roll Expansion for Brane Inflation
One possibility for identifying the inflaton in the framework of string
theory is that it is a -brane modulus. This option involves a specific,
non-canonical form of the kinetic energy -- the Dirac-Born-Infeld action. This
note investigates the applicability of the slow roll approximation in
inflationary models of this type. To this end the slow roll expansion of
Liddle, Parsons and Barrow is derived for the case of the DBI action. The
resulting slow roll conditions augment the standard ones valid in the case of
canonical kinetic terms. It is also shown that in DBI models inflation does not
require that the potential dominate the energy density.Comment: References adde
High-sensitivity troponin I concentrations are a marker of an advanced hypertrophic response and adverse outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis
Aims:
High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assays hold promise in detecting the transition from hypertrophy to heart failure in aortic stenosis. We sought to investigate the mechanism for troponin release in patients with aortic stenosis and whether plasma cTnI concentrations are associated with long-term outcome.
Methods and results:
Plasma cTnI concentrations were measured in two patient cohorts using a high-sensitivity assay. First, in the Mechanism Cohort, 122 patients with aortic stenosis (median age 71, 67% male, aortic valve area 1.0 ± 0.4 cm2) underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance and echocardiography to assess left ventricular (LV) myocardial mass, function, and fibrosis. The indexed LV mass and measures of replacement fibrosis (late gadolinium enhancement) were associated with cTnI concentrations independent of age, sex, coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis severity, and diastolic function. In the separate Outcome Cohort, 131 patients originally recruited into the Scottish Aortic Stenosis and Lipid Lowering Trial, Impact of REgression (SALTIRE) study, had long-term follow-up for the occurrence of aortic valve replacement (AVR) and cardiovascular deaths. Over a median follow-up of 10.6 years (1178 patient-years), 24 patients died from a cardiovascular cause and 60 patients had an AVR. Plasma cTnI concentrations were associated with AVR or cardiovascular death HR 1.77 (95% CI, 1.22 to 2.55) independent of age, sex, systolic ejection fraction, and aortic stenosis severity.
Conclusions:
In patients with aortic stenosis, plasma cTnI concentration is associated with advanced hypertrophy and replacement myocardial fibrosis as well as AVR or cardiovascular death
The investigation of dangerous geological processes resulting in land subsidence while designing the main gas pipeline in South Yakutia
The number of gas main accidents has increased recently due to dangerous geological processes in underdeveloped areas located in difficult geological conditions. The paper analyses land subsidence caused by karst and thermokarst processes in the right of way, reveals the assessment criteria for geological hazards and creates zoning schemes considering the levels of karst and thermorkarst hazards
A geometric bound on F-term inflation
We discuss a general bound on the possibility to realise inflation in any
minimal supergravity with F-terms. The derivation crucially depends on the
sGoldstini, the scalar field directions that are singled out by spontaneous
supersymmetry breaking. The resulting bound involves both slow-roll parameters
and the geometry of the K\"ahler manifold of the chiral scalars. We analyse the
inflationary implications of this bound, and in particular discuss to what
extent the requirements of single field and slow-roll can both be met in F-term
inflation.Comment: 14 pages, improved analysis, references added, matches published
versio
Testing String Theory with CMB
Future detection/non-detection of tensor modes from inflation in CMB
observations presents a unique way to test certain features of string theory.
Current limit on the ratio of tensor to scalar perturbations, r=T/S, is r <
0.3, future detection may take place for r > 10^{-2}-10^{-3}. At present all
known string theory inflation models predict tensor modes well below the level
of detection. Therefore a possible experimental discovery of tensor modes may
present a challenge to string cosmology.
The strongest bound on r in string inflation follows from the observation
that in most of the models based on the KKLT construction, the value of the
Hubble constant H during inflation must be smaller than the gravitino mass. For
the gravitino mass in the usual range, m_{3/2} < O(1) TeV, this leads to an
extremely strong bound r < 10^{-24}. A discovery of tensor perturbations with r
> 10^{-3} would imply that the gravitinos in this class of models are
superheavy, m_{3/2} > 10^{13} GeV. This would have important implications for
particle phenomenology based on string theory.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure
Constraints on Brane Inflation and Cosmic Strings
By considering simple, but representative, models of brane inflation from a
single brane-antibrane pair in the slow roll regime, we provide constraints on
the parameters of the theory imposed by measurements of the CMB anisotropies by
WMAP including a cosmic string component. We find that inclusion of the string
component is critical in constraining parameters. In the most general model
studied, which includes an inflaton mass term, as well as the brane-antibrane
attraction, values n_s < 1.02 are compatible with the data at 95 % confidence
level. We are also able to constrain the volume of internal manifold (modulo
factors dependent on the warp factor) and the value of the inflaton field to be
less than 0.66M_P at horizon exit. We also investigate models with a mass term.
These observational considerations suggest that such models have r < 2*10^-5,
which can only be circumvented in the fast roll regime, or by increasing the
number of antibranes. Such a value of r would not be detectable in CMB
polarization experiment likely in the near future, but the B-mode signal from
the cosmic strings could be detectable. We present forecasts of what a similar
analysis using PLANCK data would yield and find that it should be possible to
rule out G\mu > 6.5*10^-8 using just the TT, TE and EE power spectra.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, revtex4, typos corrected, references adde
Brane inflation and the WMAP data: a Bayesian analysis
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) constraints on string
inspired ''brane inflation'' are investigated. Here, the inflaton field is
interpreted as the distance between two branes placed in a flux-enriched
background geometry and has a Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) kinetic term. Our method
relies on an exact numerical integration of the inflationary power spectra
coupled to a Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo exploration of the parameter space. This
analysis is valid for any perturbative value of the string coupling constant
and of the string length, and includes a phenomenological modelling of the
reheating era to describe the post-inflationary evolution. It is found that the
data favour a scenario where inflation stops by violation of the slow-roll
conditions well before brane annihilation, rather than by tachyonic
instability. Concerning the background geometry, it is established that log(v)
> -10 at 95% confidence level (CL), where "v" is the dimensionless ratio of the
five-dimensional sub-manifold at the base of the six-dimensional warped
conifold geometry to the volume of the unit five-sphere. The reheating energy
scale remains poorly constrained, Treh > 20 GeV at 95% CL, for an extreme
equation of state (wreh ~ -1/3) only. Assuming the string length is known, the
favoured values of the string coupling and of the Ramond-Ramond total
background charge appear to be correlated. Finally, the stochastic regime
(without and with volume effects) is studied using a perturbative treatment of
the Langevin equation. The validity of such an approximate scheme is discussed
and shown to be too limited for a full characterisation of the quantum effects.Comment: 65 pages, 15 figures, uses iopart. Shortened version, updated
references. Matches publication up to appendix B kept on the arXi
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