Artery tertiary lymphoid organs control multi-layered territorialized atherosclerosis B cell responses in aged ApoE-/- mice

Objective: Explore aorta B cell immunity in aged ApoE-/- mice. Approach and Results: Transcript maps, FACS, immunofluorescence analyses, cell transfers, and Ig-ELISPOT assays showed multi-layered atherosclerosis B cell responses in artery tertiary lymphoid organs (ATLOs). Aging-associated aorta B cell-related transcriptomes were identified and transcript atlases revealed highly territorialized B cell responses in ATLOs versus atherosclerotic lesions: ATLOs showed upregulation of bona fide B cell genes including Cd19, Ms4a1 (Cd20), Cd79a/b, and Ighm though intima plaques preferentially expressed molecules involved in non-B effector responses towards B cell-derived mediators, i.e. Fcgr3 (Cd16), Fcer1g (Cd23), and the C1q family. ATLOs promoted B cell recruitment. ATLO B-2 B cells included naïve, transitional, follicular, germinal center, switched IgG1+, IgA+, and IgE+ memory cells, plasmablasts, and long-lived plasma cells (PCs). ATLOs recruited large numbers of B-1 cells whose subtypes were skewed towards IL-10+ B-1b cells versus IL-10- B-1a cells. ATLO B-1 cells and PCs constitutively produced IgM and IgG and a fraction of PCs expressed IL-10. Moreover, ApoE-/- mice showed increased germinal center B cells in renal lymph nodes, IgM-producing PCs in the bone marrow, and higher IgM and anti-MDA-LDL IgG serum titers. Conclusions: ATLOs orchestrate dichotomic, territorialized, and multi-layered B cell responses in the diseased aorta; germinal center reactions indicate generation of autoimmune B cells within the diseased arterial wall during aging

Exact Calculation of the Vortex-Antivortex Interaction Energy in the Anisotropic 3D XY-model

We have developed an exact method to calculate the vortex-antivortex interaction energy in the anisotropic 3D-XY model. For this calculation, dual transformation which is already known for the 2D XY-model was extended. We found an explicit form of this interaction energy as a function of the anisotropic ratio and the separation $r$ between the vortex and antivortex located on the same layer. The form of interaction energy is $\ln r$ at the small $r$ limi t but is proportional to $r$ at the opposite limit. This form of interaction energ y is consistent with the upper bound calculation using the variational method by Cataudella and Minnhagen.Comment: REVTeX 12 pages, In print for publication in Phys. Rev.

Phonons and specific heat of linear dense phases of atoms physisorbed in the grooves of carbon nanotube bundles

The vibrational properties (phonons) of a one-dimensional periodic phase of atoms physisorbed in the external groove of the carbon nanotube bundle are studied. Analytical expressions for the phonon dispersion relations are derived. The derived expressions are applied to Xe, Kr and Ar adsorbates. The specific heat pertaining to dense phases of these adsorbates is calculated.Comment: 4 PS figure

Precise Prediction for M_W in the MSSM

We present the currently most accurate evaluation of the W boson mass, M_W, in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The full complex phase dependence at the one-loop level, all available MSSM two-loop corrections as well as the full Standard Model result have been included. We analyse the impact of the different sectors of the MSSM at the one-loop level with a particular emphasis on the effect of the complex phases. We discuss the prediction for M_W based on all known higher-order contributions in representative MSSM scenarios. Furthermore we obtain an estimate of the remaining theoretical uncertainty from unknown higher-order corrections.Comment: 38 pages, 25 figures. Minor corrections, additional reference

Maps of the Arctic Basin Sea Floor: A History of Bathymetry and its Interpretation

The history of oceanographic exploration of the Arctic Ocean basin from the beginning of this century to the present is summarized. Soviet, U.S. and Canadian contributions after World War II are described in some detail including sounding methods and navigational techniques. The major bathymetric charts of the Arctic Ocean basin from 1954 on are discussed. Comparison of the LOREX bathymetric map with other maps reveals that the Lomonosov Ridge is accurately positioned on early Soviet maps but is grossly in error on later U.S. and Canadian maps. It is shown that map makers relied too much on early U.S. submarine data (the only such data that were declassified) and that the latest General Bathymetric Map of the Oceans (GEBCO) is therefore suspect of being inaccurate in areas where publicly available sounding data are scant.Key words: Arctic Ocean basin, bathymetry, Lomonosov Ridge, LOREXUn résumé de l'historique de l'exploration du bassin océanique arctique depuis le début du siècle est présenté. Les contributions soviétiques, américaines et canadiennes depuis la deuxième guerre mondiale sont décrites avec quelques détails incluant des méthodes de sondage et des techniques de navigation. Les cartes bathymétriques principales du bassin océanique émises depuis 1954 sont discutées. La comparaison de la carte bathymétrique établie par LOREX avec d'autres cartes montre que l'emplacement de la dorsale de Lomonosov est exact sur les premières cartes établies par les Soviétiques, alors qu'il est erroné sur les cartes américaines et canadiennes plus récentes. Il est démontré que les cartographes se sont trop fiés sur les premières données sous-marines américaines (les seules données accessibles au public) et que, par conséquent, les données de la dernière édition de la carte bathymétrique générale des océans (GEBCO) peuvent être inexactes dans les régions où les résultats de sondages accessibles au public sont peu abondants.Mots clés: bassin océanique arctique, mesures bathymétrique, la dorsale de Lomonosov, LORE

Paramagnetic effect in YBaCuO grain boundary junctions

A detailed investigation of the magnetic response of YBaCuO grain boundary Josephson junctions has been carried out using both radio-frequency measurements and Scanning SQUID Microscopy. In a nominally zero-field-cooled regime we observed a paramagnetic response at low external fields for 45 degree asymmetric grain boundaries. We argue that the observed phenomenology results from the d-wave order parameter symmetry and depends on Andreev bound states.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.

Maps of the Arctic Basin Sea Floor. Part II: Bathymetry and Gravity of the Alpha Ridge: The 1983 CESAR Expedition

The general scarcity of geophysical data in the Arctic Ocean Basin and the lack of knowledge about the evolution of the Amerasia Basin and of the nature and origin of the Alpha Ridge led, in 1983, to the undertaking of a multidisciplinary polar expedition, code-named CESAR 83 for Canadian Expedition to Study the Alpha Ridge. The expedition was supported by the Canadian Armed Forces, first by parachuting 18 airborne engineers onto the CESAR site to build a 1.6 km long airstrip on the pack ice, and then by deploying and two months later evacuating the expedition by military Hercules aircraft. .... One of the major CESAR accomplishments was a regional bathymetric and gravity survey over the Ellesmere Island continental shelf and eastern part of the Alpha Ridge. Using the CESAR data as well as all publicly available data collected over the past 35 years, 100 contour interval bathymetric maps and 5 mGal contour intervale gravity free-air anomaly maps were compiled. These extend from the Ellesmere Island coast to the 116 degrees W meridian. The sea floor maps depict the Alpha Ridge as a very broad mountain complex of rugged topography with ridges and valleys trending parallel to the ridge axis. ... Elliptically shaped positive anomalies centered over the continental shelf break suggest that the continental margin adjacent to the Alpha Ridge has the typical Atlantic-type structure characteristic of the rest of the North American polar margin. Preliminary interpretation of the gravity field indicates that the Alpha Ridge crust is composed of very thick rocks of laterally uniform density and composition. It is suggested that the eastern part of the Alpha Ridge may be a massive accumulation of mafic rocks of probable oceanic origin formed by volcanic activity. This article is identified as Part II of a series on "Maps of the Arctic Basin Sea Floor" and is preceded by a "A History of Bathymetry and its Interpretation" (Webster, 1983).Key words: CESAR 83 expedition, Alpha Ridge, bathymetry, gravity, sea ice SLAR imageryLa rareté générale des données géophysiques recueillies dans le bassin de l'océan Arctique et la nécessité d'élargir les connaissances sur l'évolution du bassin de l'Amériasie et sur la nature et l'origine de la dorsale Alpha ont amené les scientifiques à réaliser, en 1983, une expédition polaire pluridisciplinaire codifiée «CESAR 83» à partir de son appellation anglaise «Canadian Expedition to Study the Alpha Ridge» (Expédition canadienne chargée d'étudier la dorsale Alpha). Les Forces armées canadiennes ont appuyé l'expédition. Elles ont d'abord parachuté sur le site 18 membres d'une troupe de génie qui on, sur la banquise, construit une piste d'atterrissage d'une longueur de 1,6 km; puis, elles y ont transporté le personnel et l'équipement dans des avions de type Hercules. Enfin, deux mois plus tard, elles se sont chargées du rapatriement des personnes et du matériel. Un levé de reconnaissance effectué précédemment au-dessus de la mer gelée au moyen d'un radar aéroporté à antenne latérale (SLAR) a permis la localisation de l'emplacement qui convenait à l'expédition.L'expédition CESAR a mené à bien plusieurs projets importants; entre autres, elle a effectué un levé bathymétrique et gravimétrique au-dessus du plateau continental de l'île Ellesmere et de la partie orientale de la dorsale Alpha. A partir des données fournies par l'expédition CESAR et celles de nature publique recueillies au cours des 35 dernières années, il a été possible de compiler des cartes bathymétriques à écart de 100 m entre les courbes et des cartes des anomalies gravimétriques à l'air libre à écart de 5 mGal entre les courbes. Ces cartes couvrent la région comprise entre la côte de l'île Ellesmere et 116° de longitude ouest. Sur les cartes des fonds marins, la dorsale Alpha ressemble à un très vaste ensemble montagneux à topographie accidentée où, de manière générale, dorsales et vallées s'étirent parallèlement à l'axe principal. Une importante vallée, d'orientation est sud-est, centrée sur la latitude 86°N et entre les longitudes 110° et 125° a été appelée «Cesar Trough». Les crêtes adjacent ont été appelées «Cesar North Ridge» et «Cesar South Ridge». La dorsale est séparée du plateau continental de l'île Ellesmere par une dépression dont la profondeur varie de 1800 à 2000 m. Au-dessus de la dorsale Alpha, les anomalies à l'air libre reflètent la bathymétrie. Des anomalies positives de forme elliptique concentrées autour de la bordure du plateau continental laissent supposer que la marge continentale adjacent à la dorsale Alpha possède la structure typique de la marge de l'Atlantique, qui caractérise le reste de la marge polaire nord-américaine. Une interprétation préliminaire du champ gravimétrique révèle que la croûte très épaisse de la dorsale Alpha est constituée de roches de densité et de composition latéralement uniforme. Il semble que le côté de la dorsale Alpha puisse être un massif de roches mafigues résultant de l'activité volcanique sous-marine.Mots clés : Expédition CESAR 83, dorsale Alpha, bathymétrie, gravité, imagerie SLAR des glaces de me

Current Profiles of Molecular Nanowires; DFT Green Function Representation

The Liouville-space Green function formalism is used to compute the current density profile across a single molecule attached to electrodes. Time ordering is maintained in real, physical, time, avoiding the use of artificial time loops and backward propagations. Closed expressions for molecular currents, which only require DFT calculations for the isolated molecule, are derived to fourth order in the molecule/electrode coupling.Comment: 21 page

First results of the air shower experiment KASCADE

The main goals of the KASCADE (KArlsruhe Shower Core and Array DEtector) experiment are the determination of the energy spectrum and elemental composition of the charged cosmic rays in the energy range around the knee at ca. 5 PeV. Due to the large number of measured observables per single shower a variety of different approaches are applied to the data, preferably on an event-by-event basis. First results are presented and the influence of the high-energy interaction models underlying the analyses is discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures included, to appear in the TAUP 99 Proceedings, Nucl. Phys. B (Proc. Suppl.), ed. by M. Froissart, J. Dumarchez and D. Vignau

Bounding Helly numbers via Betti numbers

We show that very weak topological assumptions are enough to ensure the existence of a Helly-type theorem. More precisely, we show that for any non-negative integers $b$ and $d$ there exists an integer $h(b,d)$ such that the following holds. If $\mathcal F$ is a finite family of subsets of $\mathbb R^d$ such that $\tilde\beta_i\left(\bigcap\mathcal G\right) \le b$ for any $\mathcal G \subsetneq \mathcal F$ and every $0 \le i \le \lceil d/2 \rceil-1$ then $\mathcal F$ has Helly number at most $h(b,d)$. Here $\tilde\beta_i$ denotes the reduced $\mathbb Z_2$-Betti numbers (with singular homology). These topological conditions are sharp: not controlling any of these $\lceil d/2 \rceil$ first Betti numbers allow for families with unbounded Helly number. Our proofs combine homological non-embeddability results with a Ramsey-based approach to build, given an arbitrary simplicial complex $K$, some well-behaved chain map $C_*(K) \to C_*(\mathbb R^d)$.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figure