Tuning the electrocaloric enhancement near the morphotropic phase boundary in lead-free ceramics

This project was funded by EPSRC (EP/G060940/1 and EP/P505674/1) and the Grant Agency of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (2/0057/14)

A multiscale hybrid model for pro-angiogenic calcium signals in a vascular endothelial cell

Cytosolic calcium machinery is one of the principal signaling mechanisms by which endothelial cells (ECs) respond to external stimuli during several biological processes, including vascular progression in both physiological and pathological conditions. Low concentrations of angiogenic factors (such as VEGF) activate in fact complex pathways involving, among others, second messengers arachidonic acid (AA) and nitric oxide (NO), which in turn control the activity of plasma membrane calcium channels. The subsequent increase in the intracellular level of the ion regulates fundamental biophysical properties of ECs (such as elasticity, intrinsic motility, and chemical strength), enhancing their migratory capacity. Previously, a number of continuous models have represented cytosolic calcium dynamics, while EC migration in angiogenesis has been separately approached with discrete, lattice-based techniques. These two components are here integrated and interfaced to provide a multiscale and hybrid Cellular Potts Model (CPM), where the phenomenology of a motile EC is realistically mediated by its calcium-dependent subcellular events. The model, based on a realistic 3-D cell morphology with a nuclear and a cytosolic region, is set with known biochemical and electrophysiological data. In particular, the resulting simulations are able to reproduce and describe the polarization process, typical of stimulated vascular cells, in various experimental conditions.Moreover, by analyzing the mutual interactions between multilevel biochemical and biomechanical aspects, our study investigates ways to inhibit cell migration: such strategies have in fact the potential to result in pharmacological interventions useful to disrupt malignant vascular progressio

Anti-Search for the Glueball Candidate f_J(2220) in Two-Photon Interactions

Using 13.3 fb^{-1} of e^+e^- data recorded with the CLEO II and CLEO II.V detector configurations at CESR, we have searched for f_J(2220) decays to K^0_{S} K^0_{S} in untagged two-photon interactions. We report an upper limit on the product of the two-photon partial width and the branching fraction, Gamma_gamma gamma cdot B (f_J(2220) to K^0_{S} K^0_{S}) of less than 1.1 eV at the 95% C.L: systematic uncertainties are included. This dataset is four times larger than that used in the previous CLEO publication.Comment: 10 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, Submitted to PRD (R

Measurement of the Masses and Widths of the Sigma_c^++ and Sigma_c^0 Charmed Baryons

Using data recorded by the CLEO II and CLEO II.V detector configurations at CESR, we report new measurements of the masses of the Sigma_c^{++} and Sigma_c^0 charmed baryons, and the first measurements of their intrinsic widths. We find M(Sigma_c^{++}) - M(Lambda_c^+) = 167.4 +- 0.1 +- 0.2 MeV, Gamma(Sigma_c^{++}) = 2.3 +- 0.2 +- 0.3 MeV, and M(Sigma_c^0) - M(Lambda_c^+) = 167.2 +- 0.1 +- 0.2 MeV, Gamma(Sigma_c^0) = 2.5 +- 0.2 +- 0.3 MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: 9 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PRD, Rapid Communications. Reference [13] correcte

Further Experimental Studies of Two-Body Radiative \Upsilon Decays

Continuing our studies of radiative Upsilon(1S) decays, we report on a search for Upsilon to gamma eta and Upsilon to gamma f_{J}(2220) in 61.3 pb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} data taken with the CLEO II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring. For the gamma eta search the three decays of the eta meson to pi^{+}pi^{-}pi^{0}, pi^{0}pi^{0}pi^{0}, and gamma gamma were investigated. We found no candidate events in the two (3\pi)^{0} modes and no significant excess over expected backgrounds in the gamma gamma mode to set a limit on the branching fraction of B(Upsilon to gamma eta) < 2.1 x 10^{-5} at 90% C.L. The three charged two-body final states h h-bar (h = pi^{+}, K^{+}, p) were investigated for f_{J}(2220) production, with one, one, and two events found, respectively. Limits at 90% C.L. of B(\Upsilon to gamma f_{J}) x B(f_{J} to h h-bar) ~ 1.5 x 10^{-5} have been set for each of these modes. We compare our results to measurements of other radiative Upsilon decays, to measurements of radiative J/psi decays, and to theoretical predictions.Comment: 19 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to Physical Review

Genome-wide association study identifies a variant in HDAC9 associated with large vessel ischemic stroke

Genetic factors have been implicated in stroke risk but few replicated associations have been reported. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in ischemic stroke and its subtypes in 3,548 cases and 5,972 controls, all of European ancestry. Replication of potential signals was performed in 5,859 cases and 6,281 controls. We replicated reported associations between variants close to PITX2 and ZFHX3 with cardioembolic stroke, and a 9p21 locus with large vessel stroke. We identified a novel association for a SNP within the histone deacetylase 9(HDAC9) gene on chromosome 7p21.1 which was associated with large vessel stroke including additional replication in a further 735 cases and 28583 controls (rs11984041, combined P = 1.87×10−11, OR=1.42 (95% CI) 1.28-1.57). All four loci exhibit evidence for heterogeneity of effect across the stroke subtypes, with some, and possibly all, affecting risk for only one subtype. This suggests differing genetic architectures for different stroke subtypes

Further Search for the Two-Photon Production of the Glueball Candidate fJ(2220)f_{J}(2220)

The CLEOII detector at the Cornell e+ e- storage ring CESR has been used to search for the two-photon production of the $f_J(2220)$ decaying into pi+ pi-. No evidence for a signal is found in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.77/fb and a 95% CL upper limit on $\Gamma_{two-photon} * BR{pi+ pi-}$ of 2.5 eV is set. If this result is combined with the BES Collaboration's measurement of $f_J(2220) -> pi+ pi-$ in radiative $J/\psi$ decay, a 95% CL lower limit on the stickiness of the $f_J(2220)$ of 73 is obtained. If the recent CLEO result for \Gamma_{two-photon} * BR{\K_S K_S} is combined with the present result, the stickiness of the $f_J(2220)$ is found to be larger than 102 at the 95% CL. These results for the stickiness (the ratio of the probabilities for two-gluon coupling and two-photon coupling) provide further support for a substantial neutral parton content in the $f_J(2220)$.Comment: 8 pages, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

First Observation of barB0 to D*0 pi+pi+pi-pi- Decays

We report on the observation of B0bar -> D*0 pi+ pi+ pi- pi- decays. The branching ratio is (0.30 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.06)%. Interest in this particular mode was sparked by Ligeti, Luke and Wise who propose it as a way to check the validity of factorization tests in B0bar -> D*+ pi+ pi- pi- pi0 decays.Comment: 11 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, Version to appear in Phys. Rev.

Measurement of Inclusive B --> psi Production

Using the combined CLEO II and CLEO II.V data sets of 9.1 fb^{-1} at the Upsilon(4S), we measure properties of Psi mesons produced directly from decays of the B meson, where ``B'' denotes an admixture of B+, B-, B0, and B0bar, and ``Psi'' denotes either J/Psi or Psi(2S). We report first measurements of Psi polarization in B -> Psi(direct) X: alpha(J/Psi) = -0.30 {+0.07 -0.06 stat} {+-0.04 syst} and alpha(Psi(2S)) = -0.45 {+0.22 -0.19 stat} {+-0.04 syst}. We also report improved measurements of the momentum distributions of Psi produced directly from B decays, correcting for measurement smearing. Finally, we report measurements of the inclusive branching fraction for B -> Psi X and B -> Chi_c1 X.Comment: 8 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR

Evidence for the Decay D0→K+π−π+π−D^0\to K^+ \pi^-\pi^+\pi^-

We present a search for the ``wrong-sign'' decay D0 -> K+ pi- pi+ pi- using 9 fb-1 of e+e- collisions on and just below the Upsilon(4S) resonance. This decay can occur either through a doubly Cabibbo-suppressed process or through mixing to a D0bar followed by a Cabibbo-favored process. Our result for the time-integrated wrong-sign rate relative to the decay D0 -> K- pi+ pi- pi+ is (0.0041 +0.0012-0.0011(stat.) +-0.0004(syst.))x(1.07 +-0.10)(phase space), which has a statistical significance of 3.9 standard deviations.Comment: 9 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR