143 research outputs found
Quantum-Monte-Carlo Calculations for Bosons in a Two-Dimensional Harmonic Trap
Path-Integral-Monte-Carlo simulation has been used to calculate the
properties of a two-dimensional (2D) interacting Bose system. The bosons
interact with hard-core potentials and are confined to a harmonic trap. Results
for the density profiles, the condensate fraction, and the superfluid density
are presented. By comparing with the ideal gas we easily observe the effects of
finite size and the depletion of the condensate because of interactions. The
system is known to have no phase transition to a Bose-Einstein condensation in
2D, but the finite system shows that a significant fraction of the particles
are in the lowest state at low temperatures.Comment: six pages, two figures; Contribution to QFS98; To be published in
Journ. Low. Temp. Phy
Diversification in Firm Valuation: A Multivariate Copula Approach
We introduce a new discounted cash flow model which adopts the diversification effect of multi-business firms. We face two challenges: One is examining how different diversification extents can affect the firm value due to risk reduction, and the other is modeling segment-specific cash flows and discount rates to reflect the differences in risk and growth characteristics across the different businesses that a firm operates in. Since the co-movement of business segments depends on the state of the economy, we use a multivariate copula approach taking the state-varying dependence of business segments explicitly into account. A high level of a firm's diversification determined by a low dependence between the firm's business segments leads to a lower probability of firm default which results in a higher firm value through reduced bankruptcy costs. We demonstrate this effect by comparing the values of three U.S. firms when modeling independence, dependence with copulas, and perfect dependence between businesses.diversification, firm valuation, dependence modeling, multi-business firm, bankruptcy costs, default probability, copulas, Monte Carlo simulation, discounted cash flow model
Attachment style moderates the effects of oxytocin on social behaviors and cognitions during social rejection: applying an RDoC framework to social anxiety
Whereas the DSM categorizes individuals with similar self-reported symptoms, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) offers a new approach for classifying mental disorders based on dimensions of observable behaviors and neurobiological measures. The objective of this proof-of-concept study is to adopt this approach by distinguishing individuals based on disorder-related personality traits during an experimental manipulation that targeted a disorder-related biological mechanism. Specifically, we examined whether attachment style moderated the effect of oxytocin administration on social behaviors and cognitions during a social exclusion test in individuals with social anxiety disorder. When receiving oxytocin compared to placebo, only individuals with low attachment avoidance displayed more social affiliation and cooperation, and only those with high attachment avoidance showed faster detection of disgust and neutral faces. Thus, attachment style moderated oxytocin's effects among individuals who shared the same DSM diagnosis. We conclude that neurobiological tests can inform new classification strategies by adopting an RDoC framework.R01 AT007257 - NCCIH NIH HHS; R01 MH078308 - NIMH NIH HH
Antibodies aggravate the development of ischemic heart failure
Heart-specific antibodies have been widely associated with myocardial infarction (MI). However, it remains unclear whether autoantibodies mediate disease progression or are a byproduct of cardiac injury. To disambiguate the role of immunoglobulins in MI, we characterized the development of ischemic heart failure in agammaglobulinemic mice (AID-/-Ī¼S-/-). Although these animals can produce functional B cells, they cannot synthesize secretory IgM (Ī¼S-/-) or perform Ig class switching (AID-/-), leading to complete antibody deficiency. Agammaglobulinemia did not affect overall post-MI survival but resulted in a significant reduction in infarct size. Echocardiographic analyses showed that, compared with wild-type infarcted control mice, AID-/-Ī¼S-/- mice exhibited improved cardiac function and reduced remodeling on day 56 post-MI. These differences remained significant even after animals with matched infarct sizes were compared. Infarcted AID-/-Ī¼S-/- mice also showed reduced myocardial expression levels of transcripts known to promote adverse remodeling, such as matrix metalloproteinase-9, collagen type I a1, collagen type III a1, and IL-6. An unbiased screening of the heart reactivity potential in the plasma of wild-type MI animals revealed the presence of antibodies that target the myocardial scar and collagenase-sensitive epitopes. Moreover, we found that IgG accumulated within the scar tissues of infarcted mice and remained in close proximity with cells expressing FcĪ³ receptors (CD16/32), suggesting the existence of an in situ IgG-FcĪ³ receptor axis. Collectively, our study results confirm that antibodies contribute to ischemic heart failure progression and provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our study sheds some light on the long-standing debate over the relevance of autoantibodies in heart failure and might stimulate future research in the field. The observation of extracellular matrix-specific antibodies and the detection of FcĪ³ receptor-expressing cells within the scar provide novel insights into the mechanisms by which antibodies may contribute to adverse remodeling.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Influence of adatom interactions on second layer nucleation
We develop a theory for the inclusion of adatom interactions in second layer
nucleation occurring in epitaxial growth. The interactions considered are due
to ring barriers between pairs of adatoms and binding energies of unstable
clusters. The theory is based on a master equation, which describes the time
development of microscopic states that are specified by cluster configurations
on top of an island. The transition rates are derived by scaling arguments and
tested against kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations. As an application we reanalyze
experiments to determine the step edge barrier for Ag/Pt(111).Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Cell permeable stapled peptide inhibitor of Wnt signaling that targets Ī²-catenin proteināprotein interactions
The Wnt signaling pathway plays a critical role in cell proliferation and differentiation, thus it is often associated with diseases such as cancers. Unfortunately, although attractive, developing anti-cancer strategy targeting Wnt signaling has been challenging given that the most attractive targets are involved in protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Here, we develop a stapled peptide inhibitor that targets the interaction between Ī²-catenin and T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor transcription factors, which are crucially involved in Wnt signaling. Our integrative approach combines peptide stapling to optimize proteolytic stability, with lessons learned from cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) design to maximize cellular uptake resulting in NLS-StAx-h, a selective, cell permeable, stapled peptide inhibitor of oncogenic Wnt signaling that efficiently inhibits Ī²-catenin-transcription factor interactions. We expect that this type of integrative strategy that endows stapled peptides with CPP features will be generally useful for developing inhibitors of intracellular PPIs
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