PspF and IHF bind co-operatively in the psp promoter-regulatory region of Escherichia coli

PspF bound to the psp enhancer activates E sigma(54) holoenzyme-dependent transcription of the Escherichia coli phage-shock protein (psp) operon and autogenously represses its own sigma(70)-dependent transcription, thereby keeping its concentration at a low level. It has been demonstrated previously that integration host factor (IHF) bound to a DNA site located between the psp core promoter and the PspF binding sites stimulates psp expression. We show here that wild-type IHF strongly retards DNA containing the psp promoter region. In vitro, PspF binding to the psp enhancer facilitates IHF binding, while IHF binding to the pspF-pspA-E promoter-regulatory region increases the efficacy of PspF binding to the upstream activating sequences (UASs). This is the first demonstration of co-operative binding of an activator and IHF in a sigma(54)-dependent system. In the absence of IHF, in vivo autoregulation of pspF transcription is lifted and, consequently, PspF production is increased, indicating that IHF enhances PspF binding to the psp enhancer in vivo

The Escherichia coli phage-shock-protein (psp) operon

The phage-shock-protein (psp) operon helps to ensure survival of Escherichia coli in tate stationary phase at alkaline pH, and protects the cell against dissipation of its proton-motive force against challenge. It is strongly induced by filamentous phage pIV and its bacterial homologues, and by mutant porins that don't localize properly, as well as by a number of other stresses. Transcription of the operon is dependent on sigma(54) and a constitutively active, autogenously controlled activator. psp-operon expression is controlled by one negatively and several positively acting regulators, none of which is a DNA-binding protein. The major product of the operon, PspA, may also serve as a negative regulator of an unusual porin, OmpG

The PspA protein of Escherichia coli is a negative regulator of sigma(54)-dependent transcription

In Eubacteria, expression of genes transcribed by an RNA polymerase holoenzyme containing the alternate sigma factor sigma(54) is positively regulated by proteins belonging to the family of enhancer-binding proteins (EBPs), These proteins bind to upstream activation sequences and are required for the initiation of transcription at the sigma(54)-dependent promoters. They are typically inactive until modified in their N-terminal regulatory domain either by specific phosphorylation or by the binding of a small effector molecule. EBPs lacking this domain, such as the PspF activator of the sigma(54)-dependent pspA promoter, are constitutively active. We describe here the in vivo and in vitro properties of the PspA protein of Escherichia coli, which negatively regulates expression of the pspA promoter without binding DNA directly

Quantifying Information Leaks Using Reliability Analysis

acmid: 2632367 keywords: Model Counting, Quantitative Information Flow, Reliability Analysis, Symbolic Execution location: San Jose, CA, USA numpages: 4acmid: 2632367 keywords: Model Counting, Quantitative Information Flow, Reliability Analysis, Symbolic Execution location: San Jose, CA, USA numpages: 4acmid: 2632367 keywords: Model Counting, Quantitative Information Flow, Reliability Analysis, Symbolic Execution location: San Jose, CA, USA numpages: 4We report on our work-in-progress into the use of reliability analysis to quantify information leaks. In recent work we have proposed a software reliability analysis technique that uses symbolic execution and model counting to quantify the probability of reaching designated program states, e.g. assert violations, under uncertainty conditions in the environment. The technique has many applications beyond reliability analysis, ranging from program understanding and debugging to analysis of cyber-physical systems. In this paper we report on a novel application of the technique, namely Quantitative Information Flow analysis (QIF). The goal of QIF is to measure information leakage of a program by using information-theoretic metrics such as Shannon entropy or Renyi entropy. We exploit the model counting engine of the reliability analyzer over symbolic program paths, to compute an upper bound of the maximum leakage over all possible distributions of the confidential data. We have implemented our approach into a prototype tool, called QILURA, and explore its effectiveness on a number of case studie

NLO-QCD Corrections to Dilepton Production in the Randall-Sundrum Model

The dilepton production process at hadron colliders in the Randall-Sundrum (RS) model is studied at next-to-leading order in QCD. The NLO-QCD corrections have been computed for the virtual graviton exchange process in the RS model, in addition to the usual gamma, Z-mediated processes of standard Drell-Yan. K-factors for the cross-sections at the LHC and Tevatron for differential in the invariant mass, Q, and the rapidity, Y, of the lepton pair are presented. We find the K-factors are large over substantial regions of the phase space.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figure

QCD corrections to the electric dipole moment of the neutron in the MSSM

We consider the QCD corrections to the electric dipole moment of the neutron in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We provide a master formula for the Wilson coefficients at the low energy scale including for the first time the mixing between the electric and chromoelectric operators and correcting widely used previous LO estimates. We show that, because of the mixing between the electric and chromoelectric operators, the neutralino contribution is always strongly suppressed. We find that, in general, the effect of the QCD corrections is to reduce the amount of CP violation generated at the high scale. We discuss the perturbative uncertainties of the LO computation, which are particularly large for the gluino-mediated contribution. This motivates our Next-to-Leading order analysis. We compute for the first time the order alpha_s corrections to the Wilson coefficients for the gluino contributions, and recompute the two-loop anomalous dimension for the dipole operators. We show that the large LO uncertainty disappears once NLO corrections are taken into account.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, added references, corrected typo

Generalized stochastic Schroedinger equations for state vector collapse

A number of authors have proposed stochastic versions of the Schr\"odinger equation, either as effective evolution equations for open quantum systems or as alternative theories with an intrinsic collapse mechanism. We discuss here two directions for generalization of these equations. First, we study a general class of norm preserving stochastic evolution equations, and show that even after making several specializations, there is an infinity of possible stochastic Schr\"odinger equations for which state vector collapse is provable. Second, we explore the problem of formulating a relativistic stochastic Schr\"odinger equation, using a manifestly covariant equation for a quantum field system based on the interaction picture of Tomonaga and Schwinger. The stochastic noise term in this equation can couple to any local scalar density that commutes with the interaction energy density, and leads to collapse onto spatially localized eigenstates. However, as found in a similar model by Pearle, the equation predicts an infinite rate of energy nonconservation proportional to $\delta^3(\vec 0)$, arising from the local double commutator in the drift term.Comment: 24 pages Plain TeX. Minor changes, some new references. To appear in Journal of Physics

K-string tensions at finite temperature and integrable models

It has recently been pointed out that simple scaling properties of Polyakov correlation functions of gauge systems in the confining phase suggest that the ratios of k-string tensions in the low temperature region is constant up to terms of order T^3. Here we argue that, at least in a three-dimensional Z_4 gauge model, the above ratios are constant in the whole confining phase. This result is obtained by combining numerical experiments with known exact results on the mass spectrum of an integrable two-dimensional spin model describing the infrared behaviour of the gauge system near the deconfining transition.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

On nonlinear susceptibility in supercooled liquids

In this paper, we discuss theoretically the behavior of the four point nonlinear susceptibility and its associated correlation length for supercooled liquids close to the Mode Coupling instability temperature $T_c$. We work in the theoretical framework of the glass transition as described by mean field theory of disordered systems, and the hypernetted chain approximation. Our results give an interpretation framework for recent numerical findings on heterogeneities in supercooled liquid dynamics.Comment: Proceedings of the Conference "Unifying Concepts in Glass Physics" ICTP, Trieste, 15 - 18 September 199

Mixed axion/neutralino cold dark matter in supersymmetric models

We consider supersymmetric (SUSY) models wherein the strong CP problem is solved by the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism with a concommitant axion/axino supermultiplet. We examine R-parity conserving models where the neutralino is the lightest SUSY particle, so that a mixture of neutralinos and axions serve as cold dark matter. The mixed axion/neutralino CDM scenario can match the measured dark matter abundance for SUSY models which typically give too low a value of the usual thermal neutralino abundance, such as models with wino-like or higgsino-like dark matter. The usual thermal neutralino abundance can be greatly enhanced by the decay of thermally-produced axinos to neutralinos, followed by neutralino re-annihilation at temperatures much lower than freeze-out. In this case, the relic density is usually neutralino dominated, and goes as \sim (f_a/N)/m_{axino}^{3/2}. If axino decay occurs before neutralino freeze-out, then instead the neutralino abundance can be augmented by relic axions to match the measured abundance. Entropy production from late-time axino decays can diminish the axion abundance, but ultimately not the neutralino abundance. In mixed axion/neutralino CDM models, it may be possible to detect both a WIMP and an axion as dark matter relics. We also discuss possible modifications of our results due to production and decay of saxions. In the appendices, we present expressions for the Hubble expansion rate and the axion and neutralino relic densities in radiation, matter and decaying-particle dominated universes.Comment: 31 pages including 21 figure