4,347 research outputs found
Supergravity duals of gauge theories from F(4) gauged supergravity in six dimensions
We construct supergravity solutions dual to twisted field theories that are
the worldvolume theories of D4-branes wrapped on 2, 3-cycles, and NS-fivebranes
on 3-cycles. We first obtain the solutions for the Romans' six-dimensional
gauged supergravity theories and then up-lift them to ten dimensions. In
particular, we find solutions for field configurations with either non-Abelian
fields or B-fields being excited. One of these solutions, in the massless case,
is up-lifted to the massless type IIA string theory. This is the first example
of such a kind. The cases studied provide new examples of the AdS/CFT duality
involving twisted field theories.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures, minor changes and references added to match the
published versio
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Syk-dependent Phosphorylation of CLEC-2: A Novel Mechanism of Hem-Immunoreceptor Tyrosine-Based Activation Motif Signaling
The C-type lectin-like receptor CLEC-2 signals via phosphorylation of a single cytoplasmic YXXL sequence known as a hem-immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (hemITAM). In this study, we show that phosphorylation of CLEC-2 by the snake toxin rhodocytin is abolished in the absence of the tyrosine kinase Syk but is not altered in the absence of the major platelet Src family kinases, Fyn, Lyn, and Src, or the tyrosine phosphatase CD148, which regulates the basal activity of Src family kinases. Further, phosphorylation of CLEC-2 by rhodocytin is not altered in the presence of the Src family kinase inhibitor PP2, even though PLCÎł2 phosphorylation and platelet activation are abolished. A similar dependence of phosphorylation of CLEC-2 on Syk is also seen in response to stimulation by an IgG mAb to CLEC-2, although interestingly CLEC-2 phosphorylation is also reduced in the absence of Lyn. These results provide the first definitive evidence that Syk mediates phosphorylation of the CLEC-2 hemITAM receptor with Src family kinases playing a critical role further downstream through the regulation of Syk and other effector proteins, providing a new paradigm in signaling by YXXL-containing receptors
Model of Low-pass Filtering of Local Field Potentials in Brain Tissue
Local field potentials (LFPs) are routinely measured experimentally in brain
tissue, and exhibit strong low-pass frequency filtering properties, with high
frequencies (such as action potentials) being visible only at very short
distances (10~) from the recording electrode. Understanding
this filtering is crucial to relate LFP signals with neuronal activity, but not
much is known about the exact mechanisms underlying this low-pass filtering. In
this paper, we investigate a possible biophysical mechanism for the low-pass
filtering properties of LFPs. We investigate the propagation of electric fields
and its frequency dependence close to the current source, i.e. at length scales
in the order of average interneuronal distance. We take into account the
presence of a high density of cellular membranes around current sources, such
as glial cells. By considering them as passive cells, we show that under the
influence of the electric source field, they respond by polarisation, i.e.,
creation of an induced field. Because of the finite velocity of ionic charge
movement, this polarization will not be instantaneous. Consequently, the
induced electric field will be frequency-dependent, and much reduced for high
frequencies. Our model establishes that with respect to frequency attenuation
properties, this situation is analogous to an equivalent RC-circuit, or better
a system of coupled RC-circuits. We present a number of numerical simulations
of induced electric field for biologically realistic values of parameters, and
show this frequency filtering effect as well as the attenuation of
extracellular potentials with distance. We suggest that induced electric fields
in passive cells surrounding neurons is the physical origin of frequency
filtering properties of LFPs.Comment: 10 figs, revised tex file and revised fig
Changes in the carbon balance of tropical forest: evidence from long-term plots
The role of the worldâs forests as a âsinkâ for atmospheric carbon dioxide is the subject of active debate. Long-term monitoring of plots in mature humid tropical forests concentrated in South America revealed that biomass gain by tree growth exceeded losses from tree death in 38 out of 50 neotropical sites. These forest plots have accumulated 0.71 + 0.34 tons of carbon per hectare per year in recent decades. The data suggest that neotropical forests may be a significant carbon sink, reducing the rate of increase in atmospheric CO2
Antimicrobial resistance characteristics and fitness of Gram-negative fecal bacteria from volunteers treated with minocycline or amoxicillin.
A yearlong study was performed to examine the effect of antibiotic administration on the bacterial gut flora. Gram-negative facultative anaerobic bacteria were recovered from the feces of healthy adult volunteers administered amoxicillin, minocycline or placebo, and changes determined in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene carriage. Seventy percent of the 1039 facultative anaerobic isolates recovered were identified by MALDI-TOF as Escherichia coli. A microarray used to determine virulence and resistance gene carriage demonstrated that AMR genes were widespread in all administration groups, with the most common resistance genes being bla TEM, dfr, strB, tet(A), and tet(B). Following amoxicillin administration, an increase in the proportion of amoxicillin resistant E. coli and a three-fold increase in the levels of bla TEM gene carriage was observed, an effect not observed in the other two treatment groups. Detection of virulence genes, including stx1A, indicated not all E. coli were innocuous commensals. Approximately 150 E. coli collected from 6 participants were selected for pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and a subset used for characterisation of plasmids and Phenotypic Microarrays (PM). PFGE indicated some E. coli clones had persisted in volunteers for up to 1 year, while others were transient. Although there were no unique characteristics associated with plasmids from persistent or transient isolates, PM assays showed transient isolates had greater adaptability to a range of antiseptic biocides and tetracycline; characteristics which were lost in some, but not all persistent isolates. This study indicates healthy individuals carry bacteria harboring resistance to a variety of antibiotics and biocides in their intestinal tract. Antibiotic administration can have a temporary effect of selecting bacteria, showing co-resistance to multiple antibiotics, some of which can persist within the gut for up to 1 year
Friction force on slow charges moving over supported graphene
We provide a theoretical model that describes the dielectric coupling of a 2D
layer of graphene, represented by a polarization function in the Random Phase
Approximation, and a semi-infinite 3D substrate, represented by a surface
response function in a non-local formulation. We concentrate on the role of the
dynamic response of the substrate for low-frequency excitations of the combined
graphene-substrate system, which give rise to the stopping force on slowly
moving charges above graphene. A comparison of the dielectric loss function
with experimental HREELS data for graphene on a SiC substrate is used to
estimate the damping rate in graphene and to reveal the importance of phonon
excitations in an insulating substrate. A signature of the hybridization
between graphene's pi plasmon and the substrate's phonon is found in the
stopping force. A friction coefficient that is calculated for slow charges
moving above graphene on a metallic substrate shows an interplay between the
low-energy single-particle excitations in both systems.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Nanotechnology for a special issue
related to the NGC 2009 conference (http://asdn.net/ngc2009/index.shtml
Institutional Repository saber.ula.ve: A testimonial perspective
In this paper, we describe our decade-long experience of building and
operating one of the most active Institutional Repository in the world:
www.saber.ula.ve (University of the Andes,
Merida-Venezuela). In order to share our experience with other institutions, we
firstly explain the steps we followed to preserve and disseminate the
scientific production of the University of Los Andes' researchers. We then
present some recent quantitative results about our repository activities and we
outline some methodological guidelines that could be applied in order to
replicate similar experiences. These guidelines list the ingredients or
building blocks as well as the processes followed for developing and
maintaining the services of an Institutional Repository. These include
technological infrastructure; institutional policies on preservation,
publication and dissemination of knowledge; recommendations on incentives for
open access publication; the process of selection, testing and adaptation of
technological tools; the planning and organization of services, and the
dissemination and support within the scientific community that will eventually
lead to the adoption of the ideas that lie behind the open access movement. We
summarize the results obtained regarding the acceptance, adoption and use of
the technological tools used for the publication of our institution's
intellectual production, and we present the main obstacles encountered on the
way.Comment: 7th International Conference on Open Access in Accra Ghana from 2nd
to 3rd November 200
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