9,066 research outputs found
Lattice Monte Carlo calculations for unitary fermions in a finite box
We perform lattice Monte Carlo simulations for up to 66 unitary fermions in a
finite box using a highly improved lattice action for nonrelativistic spin 1/2
fermions. We obtain a value of for the Bertsch
parameter, defined as the energy of the unitary Fermi gas measured in units of
the free gas energy in the thermodynamic limit. In addition, for up to four
unitary fermions, we compute the spectrum of the lattice theory by exact
diagonalization of the transfer matrix projected onto irreducible
representations of the octahedral group for small to moderate size lattices,
providing an independent check of our few-body simulation results. We compare
our exact numerical and simulation results for the spectrum to benchmark
studies of other research groups, as well as perform an extended analysis of
our lattice action improvement scheme, including an analysis of the errors
associated with higher partial waves and finite temporal discretization.Comment: Significant revisions from previous version. Included data at a
larger volume and performed an infinite volume extrapolation of the Bertsch
parameter. Published versio
Demographics and viability of an estuarine community of IndoâPacific bottlenose dolphins
Wildlife management requires reliable demographic information to assess the status of a population and its vulnerability to threats. This study calculated age class- and sex-specific demographic parameters and assessed the viability of a community of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) resident to the Peel-Harvey Estuary in Western Australia. Boat-based photo-identification surveys (n =â483) were conducted between 2016 and 2019. A population viability analysis (PVA) was used to assess the community status and evaluate the effects of adult female and calf mortality, and reproduction on population growth rate. The community comprised 88 (SD =â4.43) individuals with a sex ratio close to parity in all but the adult age class where it was skewed towards females. Demographic changes in this community are driven by births, deaths, and the likely permanent emigration of juvenile males. No immigration was observed. The population is stable (r = â0.004, SD =â0.062) given the current demographic rates. To maintain a community of ~90 individuals, management should consider action to lower adult female and calf mortality. This should involve aiming for zero human caused mortality and ensuring adverse impacts to the population are considered in future development planning
Probing strongly interacting atomic gases with energetic atoms
We investigate properties of an energetic atom propagating through strongly
interacting atomic gases. The operator product expansion is used to
systematically compute a quasiparticle energy and its scattering rate both in a
spin-1/2 Fermi gas and in a spinless Bose gas. Reasonable agreement with recent
quantum Monte Carlo simulations even at a relatively small momentum k/kF>1.5
indicates that our large-momentum expansions are valid in a wide range of
momentum. We also study a differential scattering rate when a probe atom is
shot into atomic gases. Because the number density and current density of the
target atomic gas contribute to the forward scattering only, its contact
density (measure of short-range pair correlation) gives the leading
contribution to the backward scattering. Therefore, such an experiment can be
used to measure the contact density and thus provides a new local probe of
strongly interacting atomic gases.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures; (v4) published with the new titl
SSRI use and bone mineral density in women with a history of depression : Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS)
Modified Zakharov equations for plasmas with a quantum correction
Quantum Zakharov equations are obtained to describe the nonlinear interaction
between quantum Langmuir waves and quantum ion-acoustic waves. These quantum
Zakharov equations are applied to two model cases, namely the four-wave
interaction and the decay instability. In the case of the four-wave
instability, sufficiently large quantum effects tend to suppress the
instability. For the decay instability, the quantum Zakharov equations lead to
results similar to those of the classical decay instability except for quantum
correction terms in the dispersion relations. Some considerations regarding the
nonlinear aspects of the quantum Zakharov equations are also offered.Comment: 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Physics of Plasmas (2004
The Murmur of the Sleeping Black Hole: Detection of Nuclear Ultraviolet Variability in LINER Galaxies
LINER nuclei, which are present in many nearby galactic bulges, may be the
manifestation of low-rate or low-radiative-efficiency accretion onto
supermassive central black holes. However, it has been unclear whether the
compact UV nuclear sources present in many LINERs are clusters of massive
stars, rather than being directly related to the accretion process. We have
used HST to monitor the UV variability of a sample of 17 galaxies with LINER
nuclei and compact nuclear UV sources. Fifteen of the 17 galaxies were observed
more than once, with two to five epochs per galaxy, spanning up to a year. We
detect significant variability in most of the sample, with peak-to-peak
amplitudes from a few percent to 50%. In most cases, correlated variations are
seen in two independent bands (F250W and F330W). Comparison to previous UV
measurements indicates, for many objects, long-term variations by factors of a
few over decade timescales. Variability is detected in LINERs with and without
detected compact radio cores, in LINERs that have broad H-alpha wings detected
in their optical spectra (``LINER 1's''), and in those that do not (``LINER
2s''). This variability demonstrates the existence of a non-stellar component
in the UV continuum of all types, and sets a lower limit to the luminosity of
this component. We note a trend in the UV color (F250W/F330W) with spectral
type - LINER 1s tend to be bluer than LINER 2s. This trend may indicate a link
between the shape of the nonstellar continuum and the presence or the
visibility of a broad-line region. In one target, the post-starburst galaxy NGC
4736, we detect variability in a previously noted UV source that is offset by
2.5" (60 pc in projection) from the nucleus. This may be the nearest example of
a binary active nucleus, and of the process leading to black hole merging.Comment: accepted to Ap
Reconstruction of the Primordial Power Spectrum by Direct Inversion
We introduce a new method for reconstructing the primordial power spectrum,
, directly from observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). We
employ Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to invert the radiation perturbation
transfer function. The degeneracy of the multipole to wavenumber
linear mapping is thus reduced. This enables the inversion to be carried out at
each point along a Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) exploration of the combined
and cosmological parameter space. We present best--fit obtained
with this method along with other cosmological parameters.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figure
Overexpression of CD44 in acquired tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells augments their migratory response to heregulin beta 1
Background
Acquired endocrine resistance in breast cancer cells is accompanied by altered growth factor receptor signalling [1] and a highly migratory cell phenotype [2]. Interestingly, in tamoxifen-resistant (TamR) MCF7 cells, our microarray analysis has demonstrated elevated levels of CD44, a transmembrane glycoprotein known to interact with, and modulate the function of, growth factor receptors [3]. Here we have explored the role of CD44 as a modulator of heregulin beta-1-induced migratory signalling in TamR cells.
Methods
Expression of CD44 (standard and v3 isoforms) were confirmed by RT-PCR and western blotting and their association with erbB family members determined by both immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoprecipitation. Activation of intracellular signalling following heregulin beta 1 treatment (10 ng/ml) in the presence or absence of CD44 (using siRNA-mediated inhibition) was determined by western blotting using phosphospecific antibodies. Cellular migration was determined by seeding cells (control and CD44 siRNA-treated) into fibronectin-coated transwell chambers (8.0 ÎŒm pore size) in the presence or absence of heregulin beta 1. After 24 hours, migratory cells were fixed, stained with crystal violet and counted.
Results
Both standard and v3 isoforms of CD44 were overexpressed in TamR cells at both gene and protein levels (mean fold increase in CD44s protein (TamR versus MCF7): 4.26 ± 1.2, P < 0.05). Moreover, CD44s and v3 colocalised with Her2 and Her3 receptors at the cell surface and were also detectable in Her2/Her3 cellular immunoprecipitates. Treatment of TamR cells with heregulin resulted in phosphorylation of erbB receptors together with a number of downstream signalling intermediates, including Akt, Src and FAK, and resulted in enhanced cellular migration. Significantly, heregulin-induced intracellular signalling was dramatically reduced in cells in which the expression of CD44 was suppressed (via siRNA), with a corresponding loss of heregulin-induced migratory behaviour (mean fold change in cell migration versus untreated control: 6.7 ± 1.1, P < 0.05 (heregulin beta 1); 1.8 ± 0.9 (CD44 siRNA); 1.47 ± 0.6, P < 0.05 (heregulin beta 1 + CD44 siRNA)).
Conclusion
These data demonstrate a role for CD44 as a modulator of erbB receptor function in endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells, where it augments heregulin beta 1 migratory signalling
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