18 research outputs found
Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set
We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s
using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays
in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at
production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton
collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment
at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity.
We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the
B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2,
-1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in
agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model
value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +-
0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +-
0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by
other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012
Comparing methods for mapping cis acting polymorphisms using allelic expression ratios
Genome wide association studies frequently reveal associations between disease susceptibility and polymorphisms outside coding regions. Such associations cannot always be explained by linkage disequilibrium with changes affecting the transcription products. This has stimulated the interest in characterising sequence variation influencing gene expression levels, in particular in changes acting in cis. Differences in transcription between the two alleles at an autosomal locus can be used to test the association between candidate polymorphisms and the modulation of gene expression in cis. This type of approach requires at least one transcribed polymorphism and one candidate polymorphism. In the past five years, different methods have been proposed to analyse such data. Here we use simulations and real data sets to compare the power of some of these methods. The results show that when it is not possible to determine the phase between the transcribed and potentially cis acting allele there is some advantage in using methods that estimate phased genotype and effect on expression simultaneously. However when the phase can be determined, simple regression models seem preferable because of their simplicity and flexibility. The simulations and the analysis of experimental data suggest that in the majority of situations, methods that assume a lognormal distribution of the allelic expression ratios are both robust to deviations from this assumption and more powerful than alternatives that do not make these assumptions
Plasma-Sprayed Ceramic Coatings for Barrier Applications Against Molten Uranium Corrosion
Interaction Between L-Type Calcium Channels and Antagonist of Cannabinoid System on Anxiety in Male Rat
Conviction Statistics as an Indicator of Crime Trends in Europe from 1990 to 2006
Convictions statistics were the first criminal statistics available in Europe during the nineteenth century. Their main weaknesses as crime measures and for comparative purposes were identified by Alphonse de Candolle in the 1830s. Currently, they are seldom used by comparative criminologists, although they provide a less valid but more reliable measure of crime and formal social control than police statistics. This article uses conviction statistics, compiled from the four editions of the European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics, to study the evolution of persons
convicted in European countries from 1990 to 2006. Trends in persons convicted for six offences -intentional homicide, assault, rape, robbery, theft, and drug offences- and up to 26 European countries are analysed. These trends are established for the whole of Europe as well as for a cluster of Western European countries and a cluster of Central and Eastern European countries. The analyses show similarities between both regions of Europe at the beginning and at the end of the period under study. After a general increase of the rate of persons convicted in the early 1990s in the whole of Europe, trends followed different directions in Western and in Central and Eastern Europe. However, during the 2000s, it can be observed, throughout Europe, a certain stability of the rates of persons convicted for intentional homicides, accompanied by a general decrease of the rate of persons convicted for property offences, and an increase of the rate of those convicted for drug offences. The latter goes together with an increase of the rate of persons convicted for non lethal violent offences, which only reached some stability at the end of the time series. These trends show that there is no general crime drop in Europe. After a discussion of possible theoretical explanations, a multifactor model, inspired by opportunity-based theories, is proposed to explain the trends observed
ICB3E Induces INOS Expression by ROS-Dependent JNK and ERK Activation for Apoptosis of Leukemic Cells
The role of c-Jun N terminal Kinase (JNK) has
been well documented in various cellular stresses where it
leads to cell death. Similarly, extracellular signal-regulated
kinase (ERK) which was identified as a signalling molecule
for survival pathway has been shown recently to be
involved in apoptosis also. Recently we reported that
ICB3E, a synthetic analogue of Piper betle leaf-derived
apoptosis-inducing agent hydroxychavicol (HCH), possesses
anti-chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) acitivity in
vitro and in vivo without insight on mechanism of action.
Here we report that ICB3E is three to four times more
potent than HCH in inducing apoptosis of leukemic cells
without having appreciable effects on normal human
peripheral blood mononuclear cells, mouse fibroblast cell
line NIH3T3 and monkey kidney epithelial cell line Vero.
ICB3E causes early accumulation of mitochondria-derived
reactive oxygen species (ROS) in K562 cells. Unlike HCH,
ICB3E treatment caused ROS dependent activation of both JNK, ERK and induced the expression of iNOS leading to
generation of nitric oxide (NO). This causes cleavage of
caspase 9, 3 and PARP leading to apoptosis. Lack of
cleavage of caspase 8 and inability of blocking chimera
antibody to DR5 or neutralizing antibody to Fas to reverse
ICB3E-mediated apoptosis suggest the involvement of only
intrinsic pathway. Our data reveal a novel ROS-dependent
JNK/ERK-mediated iNOS activation pathway which leads
to NO mediated cell death by ICB3