Study of the Top-quark Pair Production in Association with a Bottom-quark Pair from Fast Simulations at the LHC

A large number of top quarks will be produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for Run II period. This will allow us to measure the rare processes from the top sector in great details. We present the study of the top-quark pair production in association with a bottom-quark pair (ttbb) from fast simulations for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. The differential distributions of ttbb are compared with the top-quark pair production with two additional jets (ttjj) and with the production in association with the Higgs (ttH), where the Higgs decays to a bottom-quark pair. The significances of ttbb process in the dileptonic and semileptonic decay mode are calculated with the data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10 fb-1, which is foreseen to be collected in the early Run II period. This study will be an important input in searching for new physics beyond the standard model as well as in searching for ttH process where the Yukawa coupling with the top quark can be directly measured.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

IDENTIFYING CRITICAL KINEMATIC PARAMETERS FOR BETTER GOLF PUTTING

In modern golf competition, putting is one of the crucial parts of the game. It has been reported that putting accounts for about 40% of all golf shot played in tournaments (Gwyn & Patch, 1993). Wiren (1992) also indicated that, on average, putting constitutes 38% of all golf strokes in competition and improving putting skills is th e fastest way to lower the score. However, it is also true that most recreational golfers neglect the putting and seldom practice it hard. Despite this revealing statistics and the obvious importance of competent putting, much of the pedagogical literature is based on the observations and anecdotal evidence provided by top players and coaches (Paradisis & Rees, 2004). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify critical kinematic parameters of a putt by comparing putts performed by elite and novice golifers, and nongolfers. The findings might provide valuable information for improving putting performance

PPM1A Controls Diabetic Gene Programming through Directly Dephosphorylating PPAR?? at Ser273

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) is a master regulator of adipose tissue biology. In obesity, phosphorylation of PPAR gamma at Ser273 (pSer273) by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) orchestrates diabetic gene reprogramming via dysregulation of specific gene expression. Although many recent studies have focused on the development of non-classical agonist drugs that inhibit the phosphorylation of PPAR gamma at Ser273, the molecular mechanism of PPAR gamma dephosphorylation at Ser273 is not well characterized. Here, we report that protein phosphatase Mg2+/Mn2+-dependent 1A (PPM1A) is a novel PPAR gamma phosphatase that directly dephosphorylates Ser273 and restores diabetic gene expression which is dysregulated by pSer273. The expression of PPM1A significantly decreases in two models of insulin resistance: diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and db/db mice, in which it negatively correlates with pSer273. Transcriptomic analysis using microarray and genotype-tissue expression (GTEx) data in humans shows positive correlations between PPM1A and most of the genes that are dysregulated by pSer273. These findings suggest that PPM1A dephosphorylates PPAR gamma at Ser273 and represents a potential target for the treatment of obesity-linked metabolic disorders

Electrochemical supercapacitors based on a novel graphene/conjugated polymer composite system

An efficient method for the preparation of a highly conducting hybrid material from graphene oxide nanosheets (GNS) and a novel conjugated polymer, poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene), is demonstrated. A functionalized monomer based on 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene, namely ProDOT-OH, was covalently functionalized with GNS, followed by oxidative polymerization to prepare GNS-f-PProDOT composites. The covalent functionalization process of GNS with the monomer ProDOT-OH was activated through the simple esterification reaction between the acyl chloride derivative on the nanosheets and the pendant hydroxyl group present in the monomer. Furthermore, the monomer functionalized GNS were co-polymerized with thiophene resulting in hybrid graphene nanostructures coated with highly conducting co-polymers with a room temperature electrical conductivity as high as 22.5 S cm(-1). The resulting hybrid materials were characterized using a range of analytical techniques. The specific capacitance value of the composite and the co-polymer hybrids at a scan rate of 10 mV s(-1) has been determined to be 158 and 201 F g(-1) respectively and hence particularly promising for supercapacitors.close232

Dysfunction of 67-kDa Laminin Receptor Disrupts BBB Integrity via Impaired Dystrophin/AQP4 Complex and p38 MAPK/VEGF Activation Following Status Epilepticus

Status epilepticus (SE, a prolonged seizure activity) impairs brain-blood barrier (BBB) integrity, which results in secondary complications following SE. The non-integrin 67-kDa laminin receptor (67-kDa LR) plays a role in cell adherence to laminin (a major glycoprotein component in basement membrane), and participates laminin-mediated signaling pathways including p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). Thus, we investigated the role of 67-kDa LR in SE-induced vasogenic edema formation in the rat piriform cortex (PC). SE diminished 67-kDa LR expression, but increased laminin expression, in endothelial cells accompanied by the reduced SMI-71 (a rat BBB barrier marker) expression. Astroglial 67-kDa LR expression was also reduced in the PC due to massive astroglial loss. 67-kDa LR neutralization led to serum extravasation in the PC concomitant with the reduced SMI-71 expression. 67-kDa LR neutralization also decreased expressions of dystrophin and aquaporin-4 (AQP4). In addition, it increased p38 MAPK phosphorylation and expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), laminin and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), which were abrogated by SB202190, a p38 MAPK inhibitor. Therefore, our findings indicate that 67-kDa LR dysfunction may disrupt dystrophin-AQP4 complex, which would evoke vasogenic edema formation and subsequent laminin over-expression via activating p38 MAPK/VEGF axis

Prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in Korean adults: The Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS)

*Context:* Sarcopenic obesity (SO), a combination of excess weight and reduced muscle mass and/or strength, is suggested to be associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. 
*Objectives:* To examine the prevalence and characteristics of Sarcopenic and SO defined by using different indices such as Appendicular Skeletal muscle Mass (ASM)/height^2^ and Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI (%): skeletal muscle mass (kg)/weight (kg) × 100) for Korean adults. 
*Methods:* 591 participants were recruited from the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study (KSOS) which is an ongoing prospective observational cohort study. Analysis was conducted in 526 participants (328 women, 198 men) who had complete data on body composition using Dual X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography. 
*Results:* The prevalence of sarcopenia and SO increases with aging. Using two or more standard deviations (SD) of ASM/height^2^ below reference values from young, healthy adults as a definition of sarcopenia, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 6.3% and 1.3% in men and 4.1% and 1.7% in women over 60 years of age. However, using two or more SD of SMI, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 5.1% and 5.1% respectively in men and 14.2% and 12.5% respectively in women. As defined by SMI, subjects with SO had 3 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 3.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.26-7.26) and subjects with non-sarcopenic obesity had approximately 2 times the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.18-3.02) compared with normal subjects. 
*Conclusion:* Obese subjects with relative sarcopenia were associated with a greater likelihood for metabolic syndrome. As Koreans were more obese and aging, the prevalence of SO and its impact on health outcomes are estimated to be rapidly grow. Further research is requested to establish the definition, cause and consequences of SO.
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