243 research outputs found

    Dilaton-Axion hair for slowly rotating Kerr black holes

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    Campbell et al. demonstrated the existence of axion ``hair'' for Kerr black holes due to the non-trivial Lorentz Chern-Simons term and calculated it explicitly for the case of slow rotation. Here we consider the dilaton coupling to the axion field strength, consistent with low energy string theory and calculate the dilaton ``hair'' arising from this specific axion source.Comment: 13 pages + 1 fi

    A simple two-step purification of protease nexin

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    Selective Area Deposited Blue GaN-InGaN Multiple-Quantum Well Light Emitting Diodes over Silicon Substrates

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    We report on fabrication and characterization of blue GaN–InGaN multi-quantum well (MQW)light-emitting diodes(LEDs) over (111) silicon substrates. Device epilayers were fabricated using unique combination of molecular beam epitaxy and low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor depositiongrowth procedure in selective areas defined by openings in a SiO2mask over the substrates. This selective area deposition procedure in principle can produce multicolor devices using a very simple fabrication procedure. The LEDs had a peak emission wavelength of 465 nm with a full width at half maximum of 40 nm. We also present the spectral emission data with the diodes operating up to 250 °C. The peak emission wavelengths are measured as a function of both dc and pulse bias current and plate temperature to estimate the thermal impedance

    Copper Accumulation and the Effect of Chelation Treatment on Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy Compared to Parenchymal Amyloid Plaques

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    Accumulation of fibrillar amyloid β-protein (Aβ) in parenchymal plaques and in blood vessels of the brain, the latter condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), are hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) and related disorders. Cerebral amyloid deposits have been reported to accumulate various metals, most notably copper and zinc. Here we show that, in human AD, copper is preferentially accumulated in amyloid-containing brain blood vessels compared to parenchymal amyloid plaques. In light of this observation, we evaluated the effects of reducing copper levels in Tg2576 mice, a transgenic model of AD amyloid pathologies. The copper chelator, tetrathiomolybdate (TTM), was administered to twelve month old Tg2576 mice for a period of five months. Copper chelation treatment significantly reduced both CAA and parenchymal plaque load in Tg2576 mice. Further, copper chelation reduced parenchymal plaque copper content but had no effect on CAA copper levels in this model. These findings indicate that copper is associated with both CAA deposits and parenchymal amyloid plaques in humans, but less in Tg2576 mice. TTM only reduces copper levels in plaques in Tg2576 mice. Reducing copper levels in the brain may beneficially lower amyloid pathologies associated with AD

    Numerical test of the damping time of layer-by-layer growth on stochastic models

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    We perform Monte Carlo simulations on stochastic models such as the Wolf-Villain (WV) model and the Family model in a modified version to measure mean separation ℓ\ell between islands in submonolayer regime and damping time t~\tilde t of layer-by-layer growth oscillations on one dimension. The stochastic models are modified, allowing diffusion within interval rr upon deposited. It is found numerically that the mean separation and the damping time depend on the diffusion interval rr, leading to that the damping time is related to the mean separation as t~∼ℓ4/3{\tilde t} \sim \ell^{4/3} for the WV model and t~∼ℓ2{\tilde t} \sim \ell^2 for the Family model. The numerical results are in excellent agreement with recent theoretical predictions.Comment: 4 pages, source LaTeX file and 5 PS figure

    Coarsening Dynamics of Crystalline Thin Films

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    The formation of pyramid-like structures in thin-film growth on substrates with a quadratic symmetry, e.g., {001} surfaces, is shown to exhibit anisotropic scaling as there exist two length scales with different time dependences. Analytical and numerical results indicate that for most realizations coarsening of mounds is described by an exponent n=0.2357. However, depending on material parameters, n may lie between 0 (logarithmic coarsening) and 1/3. In contrast, growth on substrates with triangular symmetries ({111} surfaces) is dominated by a single length scale and an exponent n=1/3.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 3 figure

    A novel class of microRNA-recognition elements that function only within open reading frames.

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    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are well known to target 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs) in mRNAs, thereby silencing gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Multiple reports have also indicated the ability of miRNAs to target protein-coding sequences (CDS); however, miRNAs have been generally believed to function through similar mechanisms regardless of the locations of their sites of action. Here, we report a class of miRNA-recognition elements (MREs) that function exclusively in CDS regions. Through functional and mechanistic characterization of these 'unusual' MREs, we demonstrate that CDS-targeted miRNAs require extensive base-pairing at the 3' side rather than the 5' seed; cause gene silencing in an Argonaute-dependent but GW182-independent manner; and repress translation by inducing transient ribosome stalling instead of mRNA destabilization. These findings reveal distinct mechanisms and functional consequences of miRNAs that target CDS versus the 3' UTR and suggest that CDS-targeted miRNAs may use a translational quality-control-related mechanism to regulate translation in mammalian cells

    Towards a Pharmacophore for Amyloid

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    Diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's and other diseases associated with amyloid fibers remains a great challenge despite intensive research. To aid in this effort, we present atomic structures of fiber-forming segments of proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease in complex with small molecule binders, determined by X-ray microcrystallography. The fiber-like complexes consist of pairs of β-sheets, with small molecules binding between the sheets, roughly parallel to the fiber axis. The structures suggest that apolar molecules drift along the fiber, consistent with the observation of nonspecific binding to a variety of amyloid proteins. In contrast, negatively charged orange-G binds specifically to lysine side chains of adjacent sheets. These structures provide molecular frameworks for the design of diagnostics and drugs for protein aggregation diseases
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