5,052 research outputs found
Split Supersymmetry from Anomalous U(1)
We present a scenario wherein the anomalous U(1) D-term of string origin
triggers supersymmetry breaking and generates naturally a Split Supersymmetry
spectrum. When the gaugino and the Higgsino masses (which are of the same order
of magnitude) are set at the TeV scale, we find the scalar masses to be in the
range (10^6 - 10^8) GeV. The U(1) D-term provides a small expansion parameter
which we use to explain the mass and mixing hierarchies of quarks and leptons.
Explicit models utilizing exact results of N = 1 suersymmetric gauge theories
consistent with anomaly constraints, fermion mass hierarchy, and supersymmetry
breaking are presented.Comment: 20 pages in LaTeX, version published in NPH
Identification of new transitions and mass assignments of levels in Pr
The previously reported levels assigned to 151,152,153Pr have recently been
called into question regarding their mass assignment. The above questioned
level assignments are clarified by measuring g-transitions tagged with A and Z
in an in-beam experiment in addition to the measurements from 252Cf spontaneous
fission (SF) and establish new spectroscopic information from to
in the Pr isotopic chain. The isotopic chain 143-153Pr has been studied from
the spontaneous fission of 252Cf by using Gammasphere and also from the
measurement of the prompt g-rays in coincidence with isotopically-identified
fission fragments using VAMOS++ and EXOGAM at GANIL. The latter were produced
using 238U beams on a 9Be target at energies around the Coulomb barrier. The
g-g-g-g data from 252Cf (SF) and those from the GANIL in-beam A- and Z-gated
spectra were combined to unambiguously assign the various transitions and
levels in 151,152,153Pr and other isotopes. New transitions and bands in
145,147,148,149,150Pr were identified by using g-g-g and g-g-g-g coincidences
and A and Z gated g-g spectra. The transitions and levels previously assigned
to 151,153Pr have been confirmed by the (A,Z) gated spectra. The transitions
previously assigned to 152Pr are now assigned to 151Pr on the basis of the
(A,Z) gated spectra. Two new bands with 20 new transitions in 152Pr and one new
band with 7 new transitions in 153Pr are identified from the g-g-g-g
coincidence spectra and the (A,Z) gated spectrum. In addition, new g-rays are
also reported in 143-146Pr. New levels of 145,147-153Pr have been established,
reliable mass assignments of the levels in 151,152,153Pr have been reported and
new transitions have been identified in 143-146Pr showing the new avenues that
are opened by combining the two experimental approaches.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev.
Activation of the innate immune receptor Dectin-1 upon formation of a 'phagocytic synapse'.
Innate immune cells must be able to distinguish between direct binding to microbes and detection of components shed from the surface of microbes located at a distance. Dectin-1 (also known as CLEC7A) is a pattern-recognition receptor expressed by myeloid phagocytes (macrophages, dendritic cells and neutrophils) that detects β-glucans in fungal cell walls and triggers direct cellular antimicrobial activity, including phagocytosis and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In contrast to inflammatory responses stimulated upon detection of soluble ligands by other pattern-recognition receptors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), these responses are only useful when a cell comes into direct contact with a microbe and must not be spuriously activated by soluble stimuli. In this study we show that, despite its ability to bind both soluble and particulate β-glucan polymers, Dectin-1 signalling is only activated by particulate β-glucans, which cluster the receptor in synapse-like structures from which regulatory tyrosine phosphatases CD45 and CD148 (also known as PTPRC and PTPRJ, respectively) are excluded (Supplementary Fig. 1). The 'phagocytic synapse' now provides a model mechanism by which innate immune receptors can distinguish direct microbial contact from detection of microbes at a distance, thereby initiating direct cellular antimicrobial responses only when they are required
Quantitative model for inferring dynamic regulation of the tumour suppressor gene p53
Background: The availability of various "omics" datasets creates a prospect of performing the study of genome-wide genetic regulatory networks. However, one of the major challenges of using mathematical models to infer genetic regulation from microarray datasets is the lack of information for protein concentrations and activities. Most of the previous researches were based on an assumption that the mRNA levels of a gene are consistent with its protein activities, though it is not always the case. Therefore, a more sophisticated modelling framework together with the corresponding inference methods is needed to accurately estimate genetic regulation from "omics" datasets.
Results: This work developed a novel approach, which is based on a nonlinear mathematical model, to infer genetic regulation from microarray gene expression data. By using the p53 network as a test system, we used the nonlinear model to estimate the activities of transcription factor (TF) p53 from the expression levels of its target genes, and to identify the activation/inhibition status of p53 to its target genes. The predicted top 317 putative p53 target genes were supported by DNA sequence analysis. A comparison between our prediction and the other published predictions of p53 targets suggests that most of putative p53 targets may share a common depleted or enriched sequence signal on their upstream non-coding region.
Conclusions: The proposed quantitative model can not only be used to infer the regulatory relationship between TF and its down-stream genes, but also be applied to estimate the protein activities of TF from the expression levels of its target genes
Quasi-particle interference and superconducting gap in a high-temperature superconductor Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2
High-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductivity is ubiquitous in the
cuprates containing CuO2 planes but each cuprate has its own character. The
study of the material dependence of the d-wave superconducting gap (SG) should
provide important insights into the mechanism of high-Tc. However, because of
the 'pseudogap' phenomenon, it is often unclear whether the energy gaps
observed by spectroscopic techniques really represent the SG. Here, we report
spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy (SI-STM) studies of
nearly-optimally-doped Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 (Na-CCOC) with Tc = 25 ~ 28 K. They
enable us to observe the quasi-particle interference (QPI) effect in this
material, through which unambiguous new information on the SG is obtained. The
analysis of QPI in Na-CCOC reveals that the SG dispersion near the gap node is
almost identical to that of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy (Bi2212) at the same doping level,
while Tc of Bi2212 is 3 times higher than that of Na-CCOC. We also find that SG
in Na-CCOC is confined in narrower energy and momentum ranges than Bi2212. This
explains at least in part the remarkable material dependence of TcComment: 13pages, 4fig
Hominin occupation of the Chinese Loess Plateau since about 2.1 million years ago
Considerable attention has been paid to dating the earliest appearance of hominins outside Africa. The earliest skeletal and artefactual evidence for the genus Homo in Asia currently comes from Dmanisi, Georgia, and is dated to approximately 1.77-1.85 million years ago (Ma)(1). Two incisors that may belong to Homo erectus come from Yuanmou, south China, and are dated to 1.7 Ma(2); the next-oldest evidence is an H. erectus cranium from Lantian (Gongwangling)-which has recently been dated to 1.63 Ma(3) and the earliest hominin fossils from the Sangiran dome in Java, which are dated to about 1.5-1.6 Ma(4). Artefacts from Majuangou III5 and Shangshazui(6) in the Nihewan basin, north China, have also been dated to 1.6-1.7 Ma. Here we report an Early Pleistocene and largely continuous artefact sequence from Shangchen, which is a newly discovered Palaeolithic locality of the southern Chinese Loess Plateau, near Gongwangling in Lantian county. The site contains 17 artefact layers that extend from palaeosol S15-dated to approximately 1.26 Ma-to loess L28, which we date to about 2.12 Ma. This discovery implies that hominins left Africa earlier than indicated by the evidence from Dmanisi
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Results of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR's Search for Double-Beta Decay of 76Ge to Excited States of 76Se
The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is searching for double-beta decay of 76Ge to excited states (E.S.) in 76Se using a modular array of high purity Germanium detectors. 76Ge can decay into three E.S.s of 76Se. The E.S. decays have a clear event signature consisting of a ββ-decay with the prompt emission of one or two γ-rays, resulting in with high probability in a multi-site event. The granularity of the DEMONSTRATOR detector array enables powerful discrimination of this event signature from backgrounds. Using 21.3 kg-y of isotopic exposure, the DEMONSTRATOR has set world leading limits for each E.S. decay, with 90% CL lower half-life limits in the range of (0.56 2.1) ⋅ 1024 y. In particular, for the 2v transition to the first 0+ E.S. of 76Se, a lower half-life limit of 0.68 ⋅ 1024 at 90% CL was achieved
Detection of regulator genes and eQTLs in gene networks
Genetic differences between individuals associated to quantitative phenotypic
traits, including disease states, are usually found in non-coding genomic
regions. These genetic variants are often also associated to differences in
expression levels of nearby genes (they are "expression quantitative trait
loci" or eQTLs for short) and presumably play a gene regulatory role, affecting
the status of molecular networks of interacting genes, proteins and
metabolites. Computational systems biology approaches to reconstruct causal
gene networks from large-scale omics data have therefore become essential to
understand the structure of networks controlled by eQTLs together with other
regulatory genes, and to generate detailed hypotheses about the molecular
mechanisms that lead from genotype to phenotype. Here we review the main
analytical methods and softwares to identify eQTLs and their associated genes,
to reconstruct co-expression networks and modules, to reconstruct causal
Bayesian gene and module networks, and to validate predicted networks in
silico.Comment: minor revision with typos corrected; review article; 24 pages, 2
figure
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ADC Nonlinearity Correction for the Majorana Demonstrator
Imperfections in analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) cannot be ignored when signal digitization requirements demand both wide dynamic range and high resolution, as is the case for the Majorana Demonstrator 76Ge neutrinoless double-beta decay search. Enabling the experiment's high-resolution spectral analysis and efficient pulse shape discrimination required careful measurement and correction of ADC nonlinearities. A simple measurement protocol was developed that did not require sophisticated equipment or lengthy data-taking campaigns. A slope-dependent hysteresis was observed and characterized. A correction applied to digitized waveforms prior to signal processing reduced the differential and integral nonlinearities by an order of magnitude, eliminating these as dominant contributions to the systematic energy uncertainty at the double-beta decay Q value
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