295 research outputs found
WASP restricts active Rac to maintain cells' front-rear polarization
YesEfficient motility requires polarized cells, with pseudopods at the front and a retracting rear. Polarization is maintained by restricting the pseudopod catalyst, active Rac, to the front. Here, we show that the actin nucleation-promoting factor Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) contributes to maintenance of front-rear polarity by controlling localization and cellular levels of active Rac. Dictyostelium cells lacking WASP inappropriately activate Rac at the rear, which affects their polarity and speed. WASP’s Cdc42 and Rac interacting binding (“CRIB”) motif has been thought to be essential for its activation. However, we show that the CRIB motif’s biological role is unexpectedly complex. WASP CRIB mutants are no longer able to restrict Rac activity to the front, and cannot generate new pseudopods when SCAR/WAVE is absent. Overall levels of Rac activity also increase when WASP is unable to bind to Rac. However, WASP without a functional CRIB domain localizes normally at clathrin pits during endocytosis, and activates Arp2/3 complex. Similarly, chemical inhibition of Rac does not affect WASP localization or activation at sites of endocytosis. Thus, the interaction between small GTPases and WASP is more complex than previously thought—Rac regulates a subset of WASP functions, but WASP reciprocally restricts active Rac through its CRIB motif.Cancer Research UK grants A15672, A24450, and multidisciplinary grant A20017
Nonlinear electrodynamics of p-wave superconductors
We consider the Maxwell-London electrodynamics of three dimensional
superconductors in p-wave pairing states with nodal points or lines in the
energy gap. The current-velocity relation is then nonlinear in the applied
field, cubic for point nodes and quadratic for lines. We obtain explicit
angular and depth dependent expressions for measurable quantities such as the
transverse magnetic moment, and associated torque. These dependences are
different for point and line nodes and can be used to distinguish between
different order parameters. We discuss the experimental feasibility of this
method, and bring forth its advantages, as well as limitations that might be
present.Comment: Fourteen pages RevTex plus four postscript figure
Non-Centrosymmetric Heavy-Fermion Superconductors
In this chapter we discuss the physical properties of a particular family of
non-centrosymmetric superconductors belonging to the class heavy-fermion
compounds. This group includes the ferromagnet UIr and the antiferromagnets
CeRhSi3, CeIrSi3, CeCoGe3, CeIrGe3 and CePt3Si, of which all but CePt3Si become
superconducting only under pressure. Each of these superconductors has
intriguing and interesting properties. We first analyze CePt3Si, then review
CeRhSi3, CeIrSi3, CeCoGe3 and CeIrGe3, which are very similar to each other in
their magnetic and electrical properties, and finally discuss UIr. For each
material we discuss the crystal structure, magnetic order, occurrence of
superconductivity, phase diagram, characteristic parameters, superconducting
properties and pairing states. We present an overview of the similarities and
differences between all these six compounds at the end.Comment: To appear in "Non-Centrosymmetric Superconductors: Introduction and
Overview", Lecture Notes in Physics 847, edited by E. Bauer and M. Sigrist
(Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 2012) Chap. 2, pp. 35-7
Asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons from 500 GeV/c pi- nucleon interactions as a function of xF and pt**2
We present asymmetries between the production of D+ and D- mesons in Fermilab
experiment E791 as a function of xF and pt**2. The data used here consist of
74,000 fully-reconstructed charmed mesons produced by a 500 GeV/c pi- beam on C
and Pt foils. The measurements are compared to results of models which predict
differences between the production of heavy-quark mesons that have a light
quark in common with the beam (leading particles) and those that do not
(non-leading particles). While the default models do not agree with our data,
we can reach agreement with one of them, PYTHIA, by making a limited number of
changes to parameters used
Search for CP Violation in Charged D Meson Decays
We report results of a search for CP violation in the singly
Cabibbo-suppressed decays D+ -> K- K+ pi+, phi pi+, K*(892)0 K+, and pi- pi+
pi+ based on data from the charm hadroproduction experiment E791 at Fermilab.
We search for a difference in the D+ and D- decay rates for each of the final
states. No evidence for a difference is seen. The decay rate asymmetry
parameters A(CP), defined as the difference in the D+ and D- decay rates
divided by the sum of the decay rates, are measured to be: A(CP)(K K pi) =
-0.014 +/- 0.029, A(CP)(phi pi) = -0.028 +/- 0.036, A(CP)(K*(892) K) = -0.010
+/- 0.050, and A(CP)(pi pi pi) = -0.017 +/- 0.042.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; Elsevier LaTe
Differential cross sections, charge production asymmetry, and spin-density matrix elements for D*(2010) produced in 500 GeV/c pi^- nucleon interactions
We report differential cross sections for the production of D*(2010) produced
in 500 GeV/c pi^- nucleon interactions from experiment E791 at Fermilab, as
functions of Feynman-x (x_F) and transverse momentum squared (p_T^2). We also
report the D* +/- charge asymmetry and spin-density matrix elements as
functions of these variables. Investigation of the spin-density matrix elements
shows no evidence of polarization. The average values of the spin alignment are
\eta= 0.01 +- 0.02 and -0.01 +- 0.02 for leading and non-leading particles,
respectively.Comment: LaTeX2e (elsart.cls). 13 pages, 6 figures (eps files). Submitted to
Physics Letters
Mass Splitting and Production of and Measured in N Interactions
From a sample of decaying to the
final state, we have observed, in the hadroproduction experiment E791 at
Fermilab, and through
their decays to . The mass difference ) is measured to be ; for
, we find .
The rate of production from decays of the triplet is
(22\pm 2\pm 3) {%} of the total production assuming equal rate
of production from all three, as measured for and .
We do not observe a statistically significant baryon-antibaryon
production asymmetry. The and spectra of from
decays are observed to be similar to those for all 's
produced.Comment: 15 pages, uuencoded postscript 3 figures uuencoded, tar-compressed
fil
Branching Fractions for D0 -> K+K- and D0 -> pi+pi-, and a Search for CP Violation in D0 Decays
Using the large hadroproduced charm sample collected in experiment E791 at
Fermilab, we have measured ratios of branching fractions for the two-body
singly-Cabibbo-suppressed charged decays of the D0:
(D0 -> KK)/(D0 -> Kpi) = 0.109 +- 0.003 +- 0.003,
(D0 -> pipi)/(D0 -> Kpi) = 0.040 +- 0.002 +- 0.003, and
(D0 -> KK)/(D0 -> pipi) = 2.75 +- 0.15 +- 0.16. We have looked for
differences in the decay rates of D0 and D0bar to the CP eigenstates K+K- and
pi+pi-, and have measured the CP asymmetry parameters
A_CP(K+K-) = -0.010 +- 0.049 +- 0.012 and
A_CP(pi+pi-) = -0.049 +- 0.078 +- 0.030, both consistent with zero.Comment: 10 Postscript pages, including 2 figures. Submitted to Phys. Lett.
Microstructural characterisation of a nickel alloy processed via blown powder direct laser deposition (DLD)
A three dimensional structure of varying wall thickness has been manufactured from an alloy similar to 718 and subjected to metallographic characterisation. The technique is evaluated as a process capable of generating complex geometries. This can be used to add features or as a free form fabrication method. However, in order to allow for comparison to structures developed through more traditional techniques, detailed microstructural characterisation has been undertaken to attempt to understand the potential effect of variation on resultant mechanical properties.Samples were extracted from six locations with different wall thicknesses, intricate features and intersecting ligament geometry. A γ″ linearly arrayed structure within a γ matrix was consistent throughout the component. Micro-porosity was restricted to isolated, spherical pores < 1 μm in diameter. Electron back-scatter diffraction and X-ray computed microtomography quantitative microstructural analysis techniques have been utilized to assess the influence of layering upon microporosity, patternation and grain structure.A detailed comparison is also made between blown powder Direct Layer Deposition (DLD) and a similar deposition technique, shaped metal deposition (SMD). Blown powder DLD produces a smaller weld pool and results in a more consistent microstructure than SMD, with less evidence of unfavourable phases brought about by prolonged exposure to high temperatures. The improved microstructure, however, must be measured against the different process economics of the blown powder DLD technique
- …