A particle system with explosions: law of large numbers for the density of particles and the blow-up time

Consider a system of independent random walks in the discrete torus with creation-annihilation of particles and possible explosion of the total number of particles in finite time. Rescaling space and rates for diffusion/creation/annihilation of particles, we obtain a stong law of large numbers for the density of particles in the supremum norm. The limiting object is a classical solution to the semilinear heat equation u_t =u_{xx} + f(u). If f(u)=u^p, 1<p \le 3, we also obtain a law of large numbers for the explosion time

Tunneling and Metastability of continuous time Markov chains

We propose a new definition of metastability of Markov processes on countable state spaces. We obtain sufficient conditions for a sequence of processes to be metastable. In the reversible case these conditions are expressed in terms of the capacity and of the stationary measure of the metastable states

Vaccination Trends and Family-Level Characteristics Associated With Incomplete or Delayed Childhood Immunizations: The Healthy Start Study

Purpose: Assess family-level factors associated with childhood immunization schedule adherence. Design: Prospective cohort; Setting; The Healthy Start study enrolled 1,410 pregnant women in Denver, Colorado 2009-2014 Subjects: Children with available vaccination data in medical records (0-6 years old) Measures: Vaccine schedule completion and compliance Analysis: Logistic regression comparing family-level factors that differ based on vaccine schedule adherence Results: Most immunizations required in Colorado for school entry were below national completion goals with 61.8% of participants (n = 532/861) completing the full vaccination series. Most participants received the first dose of individual vaccines on time (73.5% - 90.7%), but fewer received all doses on time (21.0% - 39.5%). Factors associated with not completing the vaccination series (OR [95% CI]) included: in-utero exposure to cigarette smoke (1.97 [1.41, 2.75]), single parent household (1.70 [1.21, 2.38]), children identified as non-White (Hispanic 1.40 [1.01, 1.94]; Black 1.88 [1.24, 2.85]; Other 2.17 [1.34, 3.49]), mothers not working outside the home (1.98 [1.46, 2.67]), and household income <$70,000 per year (<$40,000 1.93 [1.35, 2.75]; $40,000-$70,000 1.64 [1.09, 2.46]). Conversely, families with more educated mothers (0.47 [0.29, 0.76]) and older parents (0.97 [0.94, 0.99]) were significantly more likely to complete the series. Conclusions: These findings may help identify groups at risk of immunization schedule non-adherence and may be used to target education/advocacy campaigns to reduce hesitancy and increase access in these populations

Primordialists and Constructionists: a typology of theories of religion

This article adopts categories from nationalism theory to classify theories of religion. Primordialist explanations are grounded in evolutionary psychology and emphasize the innate human demand for religion. Primordialists predict that religion does not decline in the modern era but will endure in perpetuity. Constructionist theories argue that religious demand is a human construct. Modernity initially energizes religion, but subsequently undermines it. Unpacking these ideal types is necessary in order to describe actual theorists of religion. Three distinctions within primordialism and constructionism are relevant. Namely those distinguishing: a) materialist from symbolist forms of constructionism; b) theories of origins from those pertaining to the reproduction of religion; and c) within reproduction, between theories of religious persistence and secularization. This typology helps to make sense of theories of religion by classifying them on the basis of their causal mechanisms, chronology and effects. In so doing, it opens up new sightlines for theory and research

Supermassive Binaries and Extragalactic Jets

Some quasars show Doppler shifted broad emission line peaks. I give new statistics of the occurrence of these peaks and show that, while the most spectacular cases are in quasars with strong radio jets inclined to the line of sight, they are also almost as common in radio-quiet quasars. Theories of the origin of the peaks are reviewed and it is argued that the displaced peaks are most likely produced by the supermassive binary model. The separations of the peaks in the 3C 390.3-type objects are consistent with orientation-dependent "unified models" of quasar activity. If the supermassive binary model is correct, all members of "the jet set" (astrophysical objects showing jets) could be binaries.Comment: 31 pages, PostScript, missing figure is in ApJ 464, L105 (see http://www.aas.org/ApJ/v464n2/5736/5736.html

A Peptidomimetic Ligand Targeting the Chromodomain of MPP8 Reveals HRP2's Association with the HUSH Complex

The interpretation of histone post-translational modifications (PTMs), specifically lysine methylation, by specific classes of "reader"proteins marks an important aspect of epigenetic control of gene expression. Methyl-lysine (Kme) readers often regulate gene expression patterns through the recognition of a specific Kme PTM while participating in or recruiting large protein complexes that contain enzymatic or chromatin remodeling activity. Understanding the composition of these Kme-reader-containing protein complexes can serve to further our understanding of the biological roles of Kme readers, while small molecule chemical tools can be valuable reagents in interrogating novel protein-protein interactions. Here, we describe our efforts to target the chromodomain of M-phase phosphoprotein 8 (MPP8), a member of the human silencing hub (HUSH) complex and a histone 3 lysine 9 trimethyl (H3K9me3) reader that is vital for heterochromatin formation and has specific roles in cancer metastasis. Utilizing a one-bead, one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial screening approach, we identified UNC5246, a peptidomimetic ligand capable of interacting with the MPP8 chromodomain in the context of the HUSH complex. Additionally, a biotinylated derivative of UNC5246 facilitated chemoproteomics studies which revealed hepatoma-derived growth factor-related protein 2 (HRP2) as a novel protein associated with MPP8. HRP2 was further shown to colocalize with MPP8 at the E-cadherin gene locus, suggesting a possible role in cancer cell plasticity

JMJD6 is a tumorigenic factor and therapeutic target in neuroblastoma

Chromosome 17q21-ter is commonly gained in neuroblastoma, but it is unclear which gene in the region is important for tumorigenesis. The JMJD6 gene at 17q21-ter activates gene transcription. Here we show that JMJD6 forms protein complexes with N-Myc and BRD4, and is important for E2F2, N-Myc and c-Myc transcription. Knocking down JMJD6 reduces neuroblastoma cell proliferation and survival in vitro and tumor progression in mice, and high levels of JMJD6 expression in human neuroblastoma tissues independently predict poor patient prognosis. In addition, JMJD6 gene is associated with transcriptional super-enhancers. Combination therapy with the CDK7/super-enhancer inhibitor THZ1 and the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat synergistically reduces JMJD6, E2F2, N-Myc, c-Myc expression, induces apoptosis in vitro and leads to neuroblastoma tumor regression in mice, which are significantly reversed by forced JMJD6 over-expression. Our findings therefore identify JMJD6 as a neuroblastoma tumorigenesis factor, and the combination therapy as a treatment strategy