Single chargino production via gluon-gluon fusion in a supersymmetric theory with an explicit R-parity violation

We studied the production of single chargino$\tilde{\chi}_1^{\pm}$ accompanied by $\mu^{\mp}$ lepton via gluon-gluon fusion at the LHC. The numerical analysis of their production rates is carried out in the mSUGRA scenario with some typical parameter sets. The results show that the cross sections of the $\tilde{\chi}_1^{\pm}\mu^{\mp}$ productions via gluon-gluon collision are in the order of $1 \sim 10^{2}$ femto barn quantitatively at the CERN LHC, and can be competitive with production mechanism via quark-antiquark annihilation process.Comment: LaTex file, 18 pages, 4 EPS file

Role of the liver in splanchnic extraction of atrial natriuretic factor in the rat

Mesenteric, hepatic and splanchnic extraction of C-terminal and N-terminal atrial natriuretic factor was investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Plasma concentrations (mean ± S.E.M.) of C-terminal atrial natriuretic factor were 55.0 ± 6.1 fmol/ml, 31.2 ± 4.0 fmol/ml and 23.5 ± 3.3 fmol/ml (n = 12) in the abdominal aorta, the portal vein and the hepatic vein, respectively. N-terminal atrial natriuretic factor plasma levels in these vessels were 3031 ± 756 fmol/ml, 2264 ± 661 fmol/ml and 1618 ± 496 fmol/ml (n = 6), respectively. Although the mesenteric extraction ratio was higher (p < 0.05) for C-terminal atrial natriuretic factor (42% ± 6%) than for N-terminal atrial natriuretic factor (28% ± 4%), there were no significant differences in the hepatic extraction ratio (41% ± 5% vs. 39% ± 6%) and the splanchnic extraction ratio (56% ± 5% vs. 50% ± 7%). These data suggest a major role of the liver in the splanchnic extraction of C-terminal and of N-terminal atrial natriuretic factor in the rat. (HEPATOLOGY 1992;16:790-793

Exploring Future Horizons in Osteoarthritis Relief: Unveiling the Potential of Slow-Acting Drugs and Innovative Medications

Introduction:  The existing treatment options for osteoarthritis (OA) fall short of addressing the significant challenges this disease imposes on patients in today's society. It markedly diminishes the quality of life of those affected and is one of the leading causes of disability. While conventional pharmacological interventions such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids effectively address pain, they are not intended to halt disease progression and are associated with potential health risks. Symptomatic Slow-Acting Drugs for Osteoarthritis (SYSADOA) and innovative medications, rooted in our expanding understanding of OA pathogenesis, offer promising prospects for discovering improved treatment modalities.   State of knowledge:  The evolving understanding of OA's etiology highlights the necessity for tailored treatments that consider distinct disease phenotypes. This review critically examines SYSADOA, specifically focusing on chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, and avocado-soybean unsaponifiables, as agents designed to address the underlying pathology of OA. Chondroitin sulfate demonstrates potential disease-modifying effects, however with conflicting study results that underscore the extent of its efficacy. Glucosamine exhibits varying disease-modifying effects, with short-term trials demonstrating more promising outcomes in pain reduction. Avocado-soybean unsaponifiables show promise in alleviating knee OA pain, yet their impact on hip OA symptoms remains inconclusive. The review extends its scope to novel drugs with potential disease-modifying effects, exploring proteinase inhibitors, fibroblast growth factors, Wnt-signaling pathway inhibitors, senolytic agents, anti-nerve growth factor agents, and transforming growth factor-β.   Conclusions:  Although preliminary studies indicate potential for certain novel agents, challenges and adverse effects necessitate further investigation through rigorous, high-quality research

Epitope mapping using combinatorial phage-display libraries: a graph-based algorithm

A phage-display library of random peptides is a combinatorial experimental technique that can be harnessed for studying antibody–antigen interactions. In this technique, a phage peptide library is scanned against an antibody molecule to obtain a set of peptides that are bound by the antibody with high affinity. This set of peptides is regarded as mimicking the genuine epitope of the antibody's interacting antigen and can be used to define it. Here we present PepSurf, an algorithm for mapping a set of affinity-selected peptides onto the solved structure of the antigen. The problem of epitope mapping is converted into the task of aligning a set of query peptides to a graph representing the surface of the antigen. The best match of each peptide is found by aligning it against virtually all possible paths in the graph. Following a clustering step, which combines the most significant matches, a predicted epitope is inferred. We show that PepSurf accurately predicts the epitope in four cases for which the epitope is known from a solved antibody–antigen co-crystal complex. We further examine the capabilities of PepSurf for predicting other types of protein–protein interfaces. The performance of PepSurf is compared to other available epitope mapping programs

Astrophysically Triggered Searches for Gravitational Waves: Status and Prospects

In gravitational-wave detection, special emphasis is put onto searches that focus on cosmic events detected by other types of astrophysical observatories. The astrophysical triggers, e.g. from gamma-ray and X-ray satellites, optical telescopes and neutrino observatories, provide a trigger time for analyzing gravitational wave data coincident with the event. In certain cases the expected frequency range, source energetics, directional and progenitor information is also available. Beyond allowing the recognition of gravitational waveforms with amplitudes closer to the noise floor of the detector, these triggered searches should also lead to rich science results even before the onset of Advanced LIGO. In this paper we provide a broad review of LIGO's astrophysically triggered searches and the sources they target

Sensitivity to Gravitational Waves from Compact Binary Coalescences Achieved during LIGO's Fifth and Virgo's First Science Run

We summarize the sensitivity achieved by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors for compact binary coalescence (CBC) searches during LIGO's fifth science run and Virgo's first science run. We present noise spectral density curves for each of the four detectors that operated during these science runs which are representative of the typical performance achieved by the detectors for CBC searches. These spectra are intended for release to the public as a summary of detector performance for CBC searches during these science runs.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Directional limits on persistent gravitational waves using LIGO S5 science data

The gravitational-wave (GW) sky may include nearby pointlike sources as well as astrophysical and cosmological stochastic backgrounds. Since the relative strength and angular distribution of the many possible sources of GWs are not well constrained, searches for GW signals must be performed in a model-independent way. To that end we perform two directional searches for persistent GWs using data from the LIGO S5 science run: one optimized for pointlike sources and one for arbitrary extended sources. The latter result is the first of its kind. Finding no evidence to support the detection of GWs, we present 90% confidence level (CL) upper-limit maps of GW strain power with typical values between 2-20x10^-50 strain^2 Hz^-1 and 5-35x10^-49 strain^2 Hz^-1 sr^-1 for pointlike and extended sources respectively. The limits on pointlike sources constitute a factor of 30 improvement over the previous best limits. We also set 90% CL limits on the narrow-band root-mean-square GW strain from interesting targets including Sco X-1, SN1987A and the Galactic Center as low as ~7x10^-25 in the most sensitive frequency range near 160 Hz. These limits are the most constraining to date and constitute a factor of 5 improvement over the previous best limits.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Flip-Flop of Phospholipids in Proteoliposomes Reconstituted from Detergent Extract of Chloroplast Membranes: Kinetics and Phospholipid Specificity

Eukaryotic cells are compartmentalized into distinct sub-cellular organelles by lipid bilayers, which are known to be involved in numerous cellular processes. The wide repertoire of lipids, synthesized in the biogenic membranes like the endoplasmic reticulum and bacterial cytoplasmic membranes are initially localized in the cytosolic leaflet and some of these lipids have to be translocated to the exoplasmic leaflet for membrane biogenesis and uniform growth. It is known that phospholipid (PL) translocation in biogenic membranes is mediated by specific membrane proteins which occur in a rapid, bi-directional fashion without metabolic energy requirement and with no specificity to PL head group. A recent study reported the existence of biogenic membrane flippases in plants and that the mechanism of plant membrane biogenesis was similar to that found in animals. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time ATP independent and ATP dependent flippase activity in chloroplast membranes of plants. For this, we generated proteoliposomes from Triton X-100 extract of intact chloroplast, envelope membrane and thylakoid isolated from spinach leaves and assayed for flippase activity using fluorescent labeled phospholipids. Half-life time of flipping was found to be 6±1 min. We also show that: (a) intact chloroplast and envelope membrane reconstituted proteoliposomes can flip fluorescent labeled analogs of phosphatidylcholine in ATP independent manner, (b) envelope membrane and thylakoid reconstituted proteoliposomes can flip phosphatidylglycerol in ATP dependent manner, (c) Biogenic membrane ATP independent PC flipping activity is protein mediated and (d) the kinetics of PC translocation gets affected differently upon treatment with protease and protein modifying reagents

The <i>Ectocarpus</i> genome and the independent evolution of multicellularity in brown algae

Brown algae (Phaeophyceae) are complex photosynthetic organisms with a very different evolutionary history to green plants, to which they are only distantly related1. These seaweeds are the dominant species in rocky coastal ecosystems and they exhibit many interesting adaptations to these, often harsh, environments. Brown algae are also one of only a small number of eukaryotic lineages that have evolved complex multicellularity (Fig. 1).We report the 214 million base pair (Mbp) genome sequence of the filamentous seaweed Ectocarpus siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngbye, a model organism for brown algae, closely related to the kelps (Fig. 1). Genome features such as the presence of an extended set of light-harvesting and pigment biosynthesis genes and new metabolic processes such as halide metabolism help explain the ability of this organism to cope with the highly variable tidal environment. The evolution of multicellularity in this lineage is correlated with the presence of a rich array of signal transduction genes. Of particular interest is the presence of a family of receptor kinases, as the independent evolution of related molecules has been linked with the emergence of multicellularity in both the animal and green plant lineages. The Ectocarpus genome sequence represents an important step towards developing this organism as a model species, providing the possibility to combine genomic and genetic2 approaches to explore these and other aspects of brown algal biology further