86 research outputs found
Zee Model Confronts SNO Data
We reexamine the solution of the minimal Zee model by comparing with the data
of the SNO experiment, and conclude that the model is strongly disfavored but
not yet excluded by the observations. Two extensions of the Zee model are
briefly discussed both of which introduce additional freedom and can
accommodate the data.Comment: 16 pages LaTeX including 7 figure
An Integrated-Photonics Optical-Frequency Synthesizer
Integrated-photonics microchips now enable a range of advanced
functionalities for high-coherence applications such as data transmission,
highly optimized physical sensors, and harnessing quantum states, but with
cost, efficiency, and portability much beyond tabletop experiments. Through
high-volume semiconductor processing built around advanced materials there
exists an opportunity for integrated devices to impact applications cutting
across disciplines of basic science and technology. Here we show how to
synthesize the absolute frequency of a lightwave signal, using integrated
photonics to implement lasers, system interconnects, and nonlinear frequency
comb generation. The laser frequency output of our synthesizer is programmed by
a microwave clock across 4 THz near 1550 nm with 1 Hz resolution and
traceability to the SI second. This is accomplished with a heterogeneously
integrated III/V-Si tunable laser, which is guided by dual
dissipative-Kerr-soliton frequency combs fabricated on silicon chips. Through
out-of-loop measurements of the phase-coherent, microwave-to-optical link, we
verify that the fractional-frequency instability of the integrated photonics
synthesizer matches the reference-clock instability for a 1
second acquisition, and constrain any synthesis error to while
stepping the synthesizer across the telecommunication C band. Any application
of an optical frequency source would be enabled by the precision optical
synthesis presented here. Building on the ubiquitous capability in the
microwave domain, our results demonstrate a first path to synthesis with
integrated photonics, leveraging low-cost, low-power, and compact features that
will be critical for its widespread use.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Anti-Tumor Effect of the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Inhibitor Everolimus in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has recently emerged as a promising target for therapeutic anti-cancer interventions in several human tumors. In present study, we investigated the expression of mTOR, and subsequently examined its relationship with clinicopathological factors and the anti-tumor effect of everolimus (also known as RAD001) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The expression of phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR) was immunohistochemically evaluated in specimens obtained from 70 OSCC patients who underwent radical surgery. The relationships between the expression of p-mTOR and clinicopathological factors and survival were determined. We also investigated the effect of everolimus on the OSCC cell lines, SAS, HSC-2, HSC-3, HSC-4, OSC-20, SCC25 and Ca9-22 by the MTT assay. We further evaluated whether mTOR contributed to cell functions by blocking its activity with everolimus, and confirmed the direct target by the Matrigel invasion assay, wound healing assay and Western blotting. p-mTOR was overexpressed in 37 tumors (52.8 %), and correlated with the T classification, N classification, and survival rate (P < 0.05). The treatment with everolimus significantly inhibited cell growth, and significantly reduced the expression of p-mTOR, downstream signaling proteins, and hypoxic related proteins as well as invasion and migration potentials (P < 0.05). The results of the present study suggest that everolimus may represent an attractive approach for the future treatment of OSCC
Observation of B_c Mesons in p-bar p Collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV
We report the observation of bottom-charmed mesons B_c in 1.8 TeV p-bar p
collisions using the CDF detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. The B_c mesons were
found through their semileptonic decays, B_c -> J/psi lepton X. A fit to the
J/psi lepton mass distribution yielded 20.4 +6.2 -5.5 events from B_c mesons. A
test of the null hypothesis, i.e. an attempt to fit the data with background
alone, was rejected at the level of 4.8 standard deviations. By studying the
quality of the fit as a function of the assumed B_c mass, we determined M(B_c)
= 6.40 +- 0.39 +- 0.13 GeV/c^2. From the distribution of trilepton intersection
points in the plane transverse to the beam direction we measured the B_c
lifetime to be tau(B_c) = 0.46 +0.18 -0.16 +- 0.03 ps. We also measured the
ratio of production cross section times branching fraction for B_c -> J/psi
lepton neutrino relative to that for B+ -> J/psi K to be: 0.132 +0.041 -0.037
(stat) +- 0.031 (syst) +0.032 -0.020 (lifetime)Comment: 79 pages, 28 figures, available at
http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/physics/pub98/cdf4438_Bc_prd_V52.ps . Submitted to
Physical Review
Clonal hematopoiesis is associated with risk of severe Covid-19.
Acquired somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (clonal hematopoiesis or CH) are associated with advanced age, increased risk of cardiovascular and malignant diseases, and decreased overall survival. These adverse sequelae may be mediated by altered inflammatory profiles observed in patients with CH. A pro-inflammatory immunologic profile is also associated with worse outcomes of certain infections, including SARS-CoV-2 and its associated disease Covid-19. Whether CH predisposes to severe Covid-19 or other infections is unknown. Among 525 individuals with Covid-19 from Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) and the Korean Clonal Hematopoiesis (KoCH) consortia, we show that CH is associated with severe Covid-19 outcomes (OR = 1.85, 95%=1.15-2.99, p = 0.01), in particular CH characterized by non-cancer driver mutations (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.15-3.50, p = 0.01). We further explore the relationship between CH and risk of other infections in 14,211 solid tumor patients at MSK. CH is significantly associated with risk of Clostridium Difficile (HR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.22-3.30, p = 6×10-3) and Streptococcus/Enterococcus infections (HR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.15-2.13, p = 5×10-3). These findings suggest a relationship between CH and risk of severe infections that warrants further investigation
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