Golem95C: A library for one-loop integrals with complex masses

We present a program for the numerical evaluation of scalar integrals and tensor form factors entering the calculation of one-loop amplitudes which supports the use of complex masses in the loop integrals. The program is built on an earlier version of the golem95 library, which performs the reduction to a certain set of basis integrals using a formalism where inverse Gram determinants can be avoided. It can be used to calculate one-loop amplitudes with arbitrary masses in an algebraic approach as well as in the context of a unitarity-inspired numerical reconstruction of the integrand.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figure

Molecular phylogenetics and temporal diversification in the genus Aeromonas based on the sequences of five housekeeping genes

Several approaches have been developed to estimate both the relative and absolute rates of speciation and extinction within clades based on molecular phylogenetic reconstructions of evolutionary relationships, according to an underlying model of diversification. However, the macroevolutionary models established for eukaryotes have scarcely been used with prokaryotes. We have investigated the rate and pattern of cladogenesis in the genus Aeromonas (γ-Proteobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteria) using the sequences of five housekeeping genes and an uncorrelated relaxed-clock approach. To our knowledge, until now this analysis has never been applied to all the species described in a bacterial genus and thus opens up the possibility of establishing models of speciation from sequence data commonly used in phylogenetic studies of prokaryotes. Our results suggest that the genus Aeromonas began to diverge between 248 and 266 million years ago, exhibiting a constant divergence rate through the Phanerozoic, which could be described as a pure birth process

Complex Evolutionary History of the Aeromonas veronii Group Revealed by Host Interaction and DNA Sequence Data

Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria, Aeromonas veronii biovar veronii, and Aeromonas allosaccharophila are a closely related group of organisms, the Aeromonas veronii Group, that inhabit a wide range of host animals as a symbiont or pathogen. In this study, the ability of various strains to colonize the medicinal leech as a model for beneficial symbiosis and to kill wax worm larvae as a model for virulence was determined. Isolates cultured from the leech out-competed other strains in the leech model, while most strains were virulent in the wax worms. Three housekeeping genes, recA, dnaJ and gyrB, the gene encoding chitinase, chiA, and four loci associated with the type three secretion system, ascV, ascFG, aexT, and aexU were sequenced. The phylogenetic reconstruction failed to produce one consensus tree that was compatible with most of the individual genes. The Approximately Unbiased test and the Genetic Algorithm for Recombination Detection both provided further support for differing evolutionary histories among this group of genes. Two contrasting tests detected recombination within aexU, ascFG, ascV, dnaJ, and gyrB but not in aexT or chiA. Quartet decomposition analysis indicated a complex recent evolutionary history for these strains with a high frequency of horizontal gene transfer between several but not among all strains. In this study we demonstrate that at least for some strains, horizontal gene transfer occurs at a sufficient frequency to blur the signal from vertically inherited genes, despite strains being adapted to distinct niches. Simply increasing the number of genes included in the analysis is unlikely to overcome this challenge in organisms that occupy multiple niches and can exchange DNA between strains specialized to different niches. Instead, the detection of genes critical in the adaptation to specific niches may help to reveal the physiological specialization of these strains

On-shell neutral Higgs bosons in the NMSSM with complex parameters

The Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard model (NMSSM) appears as an interesting candidate for the interpretation of the Higgs-measurement at the LHC and as a rich framework embedding physics beyond the Standard Model. We consider the renormalization of the Higgs sector of this model in its $\mathcal{CP}$-violating version, and propose a renormalization scheme for the calculation of on-shell Higgs masses. Moreover, the connection between the physical states and the tree-level ones is no longer trivial at the radiative level: a proper description of the corresponding transition thus proves necessary in order to calculate Higgs production and decays at a consistent loop order. After discussing these formal aspects, we compare the results of our mass calculation to the output of existing tools. We also study the relevance of the on-shell transition-matrix in the example of the $h_i \to \tau^+ \tau^-$ width. We find deviations between our full prescription and popular approximations that can exceed $10\%$.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figure

Overexpression of Activin Receptor-Like Kinase 1 in Endothelial Cells Suppresses Development of Arteriovenous Malformations in Mouse Models Of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia.

Rationale: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a genetic disease caused by mutations in ENG, ALK1, or SMAD4. Since proteins from all three HHT genes are components of signal transduction of TGF-β family members, it has been hypothesized that HHT is a disease caused by defects in the ENG-ALK1-SMAD4 linear signaling. However, in vivo evidence supporting this hypothesis is scarce. Objective: We tested this hypothesis and investigated the therapeutic effects and potential risks of induced-ALK1 or -ENG overexpression for HHT. Methods and Results: We generated a novel mouse allele (ROSA26Alk1) in which HA-tagged ALK1 and bicistronic eGFP expression are induced by Cre activity. We examined whether ALK1-overexpression (OE) using the ROSA26Alk1 allele could suppress the development of AVMs in wounded adult skin and developing retinas of Alk1- and Eng-inducible knockout (iKO) mice. We also used a similar approach to investigate whether ENG-OE could rescue AVMs. Biochemical and immunofluorescence analyses confirmed the Cre-dependent overexpression of the ALK1-HA transgene. We could not detect any pathological signs in ALK1-OE mice up to 3 months after induction. ALK1-OE prevented the development of retinal AVMs and wound-induced skin AVMs in Eng-iKO as well as Alk1-iKO mice. ALK1-OE normalized expression of SMAD and NOTCH target genes in ENG-deficient endothelial cells (ECs) and restored the effect of BMP9 on suppression of phosphor-AKT levels in these ECs. On the other hand, ENG-OE could not inhibit the AVM development in Alk1-iKO models. Conclusions: These data support the notion that ENG and ALK1 form a linear signaling pathway for the formation of a proper arteriovenous network during angiogenesis. We suggest that ALK1 overexpression or activation can be an effective therapeutic strategy for HHT1 and HHT2 in Alk1- and Eng-inducible knockout (iKO) mice. Further research is required to study whether this therapy could be translated into treatment for humans