64 research outputs found
Pedestrian index theorem a la Aharonov-Casher for bulk threshold modes in corrugated multilayer graphene
Zero-modes, their topological degeneracy and relation to index theorems have
attracted attention in the study of single- and bilayer graphene. For
negligible scalar potentials, index theorems explain why the degeneracy of the
zero-energy Landau level of a Dirac hamiltonian is not lifted by gauge field
disorder, for example due to ripples, whereas other Landau levels become
broadened by the inhomogenous effective magnetic field. That also the bilayer
hamiltonian supports such protected bulk zero-modes was proved formally by
Katsnelson and Prokhorova to hold on a compact manifold by using the
Atiyah-Singer index theorem. Here we complement and generalize this result in a
pedestrian way by pointing out that the simple argument by Aharonov and Casher
for degenerate zero-modes of a Dirac hamiltonian in the infinite plane extends
naturally to the multilayer case. The degeneracy remains, though at nonzero
energy, also in the presence of a gap. These threshold modes make the spectrum
asymmetric. The rest of the spectrum, however, remains symmetric even in
arbitrary gauge fields, a fact related to supersymmetry. Possible benefits of
this connection are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. The second version states now also in words that
the conjugation symmetry that in the massive case gets replaced by
supersymmetry is the chiral symmetry. Changes in figure
Grassland Monitoring System for Sustainable Utilisation in Inner Mongolia, China. 2. Real-Time Monitoring of Grass and Animal Interaction Using Satellite Data and GPS
Overgrazing is one of the primary causes of desertification in Inner Mongolia grassland. A previous paper estimated herbage quantity and quality (Kawamura et al., 2005), and quantified the grazing intensity on grass biomass using Terra MODIS satellite, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and GIS (Kawamura et al., 2003). The aim of this study is real-time monitoring of both grass biomass and animal behaviour to evaluate the effect of grazing intensity (GI) on grass growth rate during the growing season using Terra MODIS satellite and GPS
Symmetry Breaking in Few Layer Graphene Films
Recently, it was demonstrated that the quasiparticle dynamics, the
layer-dependent charge and potential, and the c-axis screening coefficient
could be extracted from measurements of the spectral function of few layer
graphene films grown epitaxially on SiC using angle-resolved photoemission
spectroscopy (ARPES). In this article we review these findings, and present
detailed methodology for extracting such parameters from ARPES. We also present
detailed arguments against the possibility of an energy gap at the Dirac
crossing ED.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, Conference Proceedings of DPG Meeting Mar 2007
Regensburg Submitted to New Journal of Physic
Divergent Evolution of CHD3 Proteins Resulted in MOM1 Refining Epigenetic Control in Vascular Plants
Arabidopsis MOM1 is required for the heritable maintenance of transcriptional gene silencing (TGS). Unlike many other silencing factors, depletion of MOM1 evokes transcription at selected loci without major changes in DNA methylation or histone modification. These loci retain unusual, bivalent chromatin properties, intermediate to both euchromatin and heterochromatin. The structure of MOM1 previously suggested an integral nuclear membrane protein with chromatin-remodeling and actin-binding activities. Unexpected results presented here challenge these presumed MOM1 activities and demonstrate that less than 13% of MOM1 sequence is necessary and sufficient for TGS maintenance. This active sequence encompasses a novel Conserved MOM1 Motif 2 (CMM2). The high conservation suggests that CMM2 has been the subject of strong evolutionary pressure. The replacement of Arabidopsis CMM2 by a poplar motif reveals its functional conservation. Interspecies comparison suggests that MOM1 proteins emerged at the origin of vascular plants through neo-functionalization of the ubiquitous eukaryotic CHD3 chromatin remodeling factors. Interestingly, despite the divergent evolution of CHD3 and MOM1, we observed functional cooperation in epigenetic control involving unrelated protein motifs and thus probably diverse mechanisms
The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force
「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection
DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19
「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target
Application of an indicator-immobilized-gel-sheet for measuring the pH surrounding a calcium phosphate-based biomaterial
Generalized Neyman–Pearson optimality of empirical likelihood for testing parameter hypotheses
Empirical likelihood, Generalized Neyman–Pearson optimality,
Evaluation of revegetation using forest top soil by seed density, species and divesity-area curves.
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