91 research outputs found
Spectator detection for the measurement of proton neutron interactions at ANKE
A telescope of three silicon detectors has been installed close to the
internal target position of the ANKE spectrometer, which is situated inside the
ultra-high vacuum of the COSY-Juelich light-ion storage ring. The detection and
identification of slow protons and deuterons emerging from a deuterium
cluster-jet target thus becomes feasible. A good measurement of the energy and
angle of such a spectator proton (p_sp) allows one to identify a reaction as
having taken place on the neutron in the target and then to determine the
kinematical variables of the ion-neutron system on an event-by-event basis over
a range of c.m. energies.
The system has been successfully tested under laboratory conditions. By
measuring the spectator proton in the p d to p_sp d pi^0 reaction in
coincidence with a fast deuteron in the ANKE Forward Detector, values of the p
n to d pi^0 total cross-section have been deduced. Further applications of the
telescope include the determination of the luminosity and beam polarisation
which are required for several experiments.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Experimental study of the eta-meson interaction with two-nucleons
By means of the COSY-11 detection system, using a stochastically cooled
proton beam of the cooler synchrotron COSY and a hydrogen cluster target, we
have performed a high statistics measurement of the pp --> pp eta reaction at
an excess energy of Q = 15.5 MeV.
The experiment was based on the four-momentum determination of both outgoing
protons. This permits to identify pp --> pp eta events and to derive the
complete kinematical information of the eta-p-p-system allowing for subsequent
investigations of the eta-p interaction.
The observed spectrum of the invariant mass of the proton-proton system
deviates strongly from the phase-space distribution revealing the influence of
the final-state-interaction among the outgoing particles or nontrivial features
of the primary production mechanism.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, Talk presented at Meson 2002, 7th International
Workshop on Meson Production, Properties and Interaction, Cracow, Poland,
24-28 May 200
Hadronic interaction of eta and eta-prime mesons with nucleons
Due to their short life-time, flavour-neutral mesons cannot be utilized as
free secondary beams or targets, and therefore a study of their interaction
with nucleons is not possible via direct scattering experiments.
This interaction is, however, accessible via its influence on the energy
dependence - and on the phase space distributions of the cross sections for
reactions in which these mesons are produced.
In case of the p p --> p p eta reaction the experimentally determined
distributions of the differential cross sections close to the production
threshold cannot be described by taking into account the S-wave proton-proton
and proton-eta interaction only. Here we show that the angular distributions
determined at the COSY-11 facility reveal some evidence for P-wave admixture in
the proton-proton subsystem already at an excess energy as low as Q = 15.5 MeV.
We also present that one can estimate the relative strength of the
eta-nucleon and eta-prime-nucleon interactions by comparison of the eta and
eta-prime production yield.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Talk given at 16th International Conference on
Particles and Nuclei (PANIC 02), Osaka, Japan, 30 Sep - 4 Oct 200
Heavy Meson Production at COSY - 11
The COSY-11 collaboration has measured the total cross section for the pp -->
pp eta-prime and pp --> pp eta reactions in the excess energy range from
Q = 1.5 MeV to Q = 23.6 MeV and from Q = 0.5 MeV to Q = 5.4 MeV,
respectively.
Measurements have been performed with the total luminosity of 73 nb^(-1) for
the pp --> pp eta reaction and 1360 nb^(-1) for the pp --> pp eta-prime one.
Recent results are presented and discussed.Comment: Invited talk at 4th International Conference on Physics at Storage
Rings (STORI 99), Bloomington, Indiana, USA, September 12-16, 199
Analysing power A(y) in the reaction p(pol.)p --> pp eta near threshold
A first measurement of the analysing power in the reaction p(pol)p --> pp eta
near the production threshold has been performed at the internal facility
COSY-11 at the COoler SYnchrotron COSY.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Presented at Meson 2002: 7th International
Workshop on Production, Properties and Interaction of Mesons, Cracow, Poland,
24-28 May 200
First close-to-threshold measurement of the analyzing power Ay in the reaction p(pol)p -> pp eta
At the internal facility COSY-11 a first measurement of the reaction p(pol)p
-> pp eta near the production threshold has been performed. Results for the
analysing power will be presented and a comparison with one meson exchange
models will be discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, Presented at Conference on Quarks and Nuclear
Physics (QNP 2002), Julich, Germany, 9-14 Jun 200
Total and Differential Cross Sections for the pp-->pp eta-prime Reaction Near Threshold
The eta-prime meson production in the reaction pp-->pp eta-prime has been
studied at excess energies of Q = 26.5, 32.5 and 46.6 MeV using the internal
beam facility COSY-11 at the cooler synchrotron COSY. The total cross sections
as well as one angular distribution for the highest Q-value are presented. The
excitation function of the near threshold data can be described by a pure
s-wave phase space distribution with the inclusion of the proton-proton final
state interaction and Coulomb effects. The obtained angular distribution of the
eta-prime mesons is also consistent with pure s-wave production.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
Forward K+ production in subthreshold pA collisions at 1.0 GeV
K+ meson production in pA (A = C, Cu, Au) collisions has been studied using
the ANKE spectrometer at an internal target position of the COSY-Juelich
accelerator. The complete momentum spectrum of kaons emitted at forward angles,
theta < 12 degrees, has been measured for a beam energy of T(p)=1.0 GeV, far
below the free NN threshold of 1.58 GeV. The spectrum does not follow a thermal
distribution at low kaon momenta and the larger momenta reflect a high degree
of collectivity in the target nucleus.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Regulation of Neuronal APL-1 Expression by Cholesterol Starvation
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the deposition of b-amyloid plaques composed primarily of the amyloid-b peptide, a cleavage product of amyloid precursor protein (APP). While mutations in APP lead to the development of Familial Alzheimer’s Disease (FAD), sporadic AD has only one clear genetic modifier: the e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene. Cholesterol starvation in Caenorhabditis elegans leads to molting and arrest phenotypes similar to loss-of-function mutants of the APP ortholog, apl-1 (amyloid precursor-like protein 1), and lrp-1 (lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1), suggesting a potential interaction between apl-1 and cholesterol metabolism. Methodology/Principal Findings: Previously, we found that RNAi knock-down of apl-1 leads to aldicarb hypersensitivity, indicating a defect in synaptic function. Here we find the same defect is recapitulated during lrp-1 knock-down and by cholesterol starvation. A cholesterol-free diet or loss of lrp-1 directly affects APL-1 levels as both lead to loss of APL-1::GFP fluorescence in neurons. However, loss of cholesterol does not affect global transcription or protein levels as seen by qPCR and Western blot. Conclusions: Our results show that cholesterol and lrp-1 are involved in the regulation of synaptic transmission, similar to apl-1. Both are able to modulate APL-1 protein levels in neurons, however cholesterol changes do not affect global apl-1 transcription or APL-1 protein indicating the changes are specific to neurons. Thus, regulation of synaptic transmission an
CUP-1 Is a Novel Protein Involved in Dietary Cholesterol Uptake in Caenorhabditis elegans
Sterols transport and distribution are essential processes in all multicellular organisms. Survival of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans depends on dietary absorption of sterols present in the environment. However the general mechanisms associated to sterol uptake in nematodes are poorly understood. In the present work we provide evidence showing that a previously uncharacterized transmembrane protein, designated Cholesterol Uptake Protein-1 (CUP-1), is involved in dietary cholesterol uptake in C. elegans. Animals lacking CUP-1 showed hypersensitivity to cholesterol limitation and were unable to uptake cholesterol. A CUP-1-GFP fusion protein colocalized with cholesterol-rich vesicles, endosomes and lysosomes as well as the plasma membrane. Additionally, by FRET imaging, a direct interaction was found between the cholesterol analog DHE and the transmembrane “cholesterol recognition/interaction amino acid consensus” (CRAC) motif present in C. elegans CUP-1. In-silico analysis identified two mammalian homologues of CUP-1. Most interestingly, CRAC motifs are conserved in mammalian CUP-1 homologous. Our results suggest a role of CUP-1 in cholesterol uptake in C. elegans and open up the possibility for the existence of a new class of proteins involved in sterol absorption in mammals
- …