7,989 research outputs found
Comprehensive Characterization of the Transmitted/Founder env Genes From a Single MSM Cohort in China
Background: The men having sex with men (MSM) population has become one of the major risk groups for HIV-1 infection in China. However, the epidemiological patterns, function of the env genes, and autologous and heterologous neutralization activity in the same MSM population have not been systematically characterized. Methods: The env gene sequences were obtained by the single genome amplification. The time to the most recent common ancestor was estimated for each genotype using the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach. Coreceptor usage was determined in NP-2 cells. Neutralization was analyzed using Env pseudoviruses in TZM-bl cells. Results: We have obtained 547 full-length env gene sequences by single genome amplification from 30 acute/early HIV-1–infected individuals in the Beijing MSM cohort. Three genotypes (subtype B, CRF01_AE, and CRF07_BC) were identified and 20% of the individuals were infected with multiple transmitted/founder (T/F) viruses. The tight clusters of the MSM sequences regardless of geographic origins indicated nearly exclusive transmission within the MSM population and limited number of introductions. The time to the most recent common ancestor for each genotype was 10–15 years after each was first introduced in China. Disparate preferences for coreceptor usages among 3 genotypes might lead to the changes in percentage of different genotypes in the MSM population over time. The genotype-matched and genotype-mismatched neutralization activity varied among the 3 genotypes. Conclusions: The identification of unique characteristics for transmission, coreceptor usage, neutralization profile, and epidemic patterns of HIV-1 is critical for the better understanding of transmission mechanisms, development of preventive strategies, and evaluation of vaccine efficacy in the MSM population in China
Attosecond Precision Multi-km Laser-Microwave Network
Synchronous laser-microwave networks delivering attosecond timing precision
are highly desirable in many advanced applications, such as geodesy,
very-long-baseline interferometry, high-precision navigation and
multi-telescope arrays. In particular, rapidly expanding photon science
facilities like X-ray free-electron lasers and intense laser beamlines require
system-wide attosecond-level synchronization of dozens of optical and microwave
signals up to kilometer distances. Once equipped with such precision, these
facilities will initiate radically new science by shedding light on molecular
and atomic processes happening on the attosecond timescale, such as
intramolecular charge transfer, Auger processes and their impact on X-ray
imaging. Here, we present for the first time a complete synchronous
laser-microwave network with attosecond precision, which is achieved through
new metrological devices and careful balancing of fiber nonlinearities and
fundamental noise contributions. We demonstrate timing stabilization of a
4.7-km fiber network and remote optical-optical synchronization across a 3.5-km
fiber link with an overall timing jitter of 580 and 680 attoseconds RMS,
respectively, for over 40 hours. Ultimately we realize a complete
laser-microwave network with 950-attosecond timing jitter for 18 hours. This
work can enable next-generation attosecond photon-science facilities to
revolutionize many research fields from structural biology to material science
and chemistry to fundamental physics.Comment: 42 pages, 13 figure
A novel configuration model for random graphs with given degree sequence
Recently, random graphs in which vertices are characterized by hidden
variables controlling the establishment of edges between pairs of vertices have
attracted much attention. Here, we present a specific realization of a class of
random network models in which the connection probability between two vertices
(i,j) is a specific function of degrees ki and kj. In the framework of the
configuration model of random graphs, we find analytical expressions for the
degree correlation and clustering as a function of the variance of the desired
degree distribution. The expressions obtained are checked by means of numerical
simulations. Possible applications of our model are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
A NLO analysis on fragility of dihadron tomography in high energy collisions
The dihadron spectra in high energy collisions are studied within the
NLO pQCD parton model with jet quenching taken into account. The high
dihadron spectra are found to be contributed not only by jet pairs close and
tangential to the surface of the dense matter but also by punching-through jets
survived at the center while the single hadron high spectra are only
dominated by surface emission. Consequently, the suppression factor of such
high- hadron pairs is found to be more sensitive to the initial gluon
density than the single hadron suppression factor.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, proceedings for the 19th international Conference
on ultra-relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions (QM2006), Shanghai, China,
November 14-20, 200
Quasiparticle Scattering Interference in (K,Tl)FexSe2 Superconductors
We model the quasiparticle interference (QPI) pattern in the recently
discovered (K,Tl)Fe_xSe2 superconductors. We show in the superconducting state
that, due to the absence of hole pockets at the Brillouin zone center, the
quasiparticle scattering occurs around the momentum transfer q=(0,0) and (\pm
\pi, \pm \pi) between electron pockets located at the zone boundary. More
importantly, although both d_{x^2-y^2}-wave and s-wave pairing symmetry lead to
nodeless quasiparticle excitations, distinct QPI features are predicted between
both types of pairing symmetry. In the presence of a nonmagnetic impurity
scattering, the QPI exhibits strongest scattering with q=(\pm \pi, \pm \pi) for
the d_{x^2-y^2}-wave pairing symmetry; while the strongest scattering exhibits
a ring-like structure centered around both q=(0,0) and (\pm \pi, \pm \pi) for
the isotropic s-wave pairing symmetry. A unique QPI pattern has also been
predicted due to a local pair-potential-type impurity scattering. The
significant contrast in the QPI pattern between the d_{x^2-y^2}-wave and the
isotropic s-wave pairing symmetry can be used to probe the pairing symmetry
within the Fourier-transform STM technique.Comment: 4+ pages, 3 embedded eps figure
Detecting Extra Dimension by Helium-like Ions
Considering that gravitational force might deviate from Newton's
inverse-square law and become much stronger in small scale, we present a method
to detect the possible existence of extra dimensions in the ADD model. By
making use of an effective variational wave function, we obtain the
nonrelativistic ground energy of a helium atom and its isoelectronic sequence.
Based on these results, we calculate gravity correction of the ADD model. Our
calculation may provide a rough estimation about the magnitude of the
corresponding frequencies which could be measured in later experiments.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, accepted by Mod. Phys. Lett.
Isolation and identification of anthocyanin component in the fruits of Acanthopanax Sessiliflorus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Seem. by means of high speed counter current chromatography and evaluation of Its antioxidant activity
Acanthopanax sessiliflorus (Rupr. & Maxim.) Seem. (Araliaceae) is one of the most
abundant species of genus Acanthopanax. The fruits of A. sessiliflorus are used in traditional medical
protocols as an analgesic, tonic, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and
immune-stimulating agent. In this work, we carried out a comprehensive investigation into the
anthocyanin components in the fruits of A. sessiliflorus. The anthocyanin content in the fresh
fruits of A. sessiliflorus was determined by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array
detection (HPLC/DAD), and the anthocyanin component was isolated from these using high-speed
counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) and elucidated by electro-spray ionization-mass
spectrometry (ESI/MS), 1H- and 13C-NMR. Its antioxidant activity was evaluated by ferric-reducing
antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH).We found that A. sessiliflorus
contained a gross anthocyanin content of 121.35 mg/100 g. HSCCC was successfully used for
separation and purification of the primary anthocyanin component, cyanidin 3-xylosyl-galactoside.
The antioxidant and radical scavenging tests indicated that cyanidin 3-xylosyl-galactoside is a
potent antioxidant
The stability of transgene expression and effect of DNA methylation on post transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) in birch
In this paper, we selected transgenic birch (Betula platyphylla Suk) plants, which included nonsilencing plants, transcriptional silence plants including TP96, TP74, TP73 and the post-transcriptional silence ones (TP67 and TP72). The transcription of the bgt gene in different tissues and organs were significantly different. The transcriptional level of bgt gene in the different tissues and organs was in the following order: leaf > female flower and male flower > branch bark > phloem > root. The transgenic lines were monitored for foreign gene expression for a long-term period of 8 years during their continuous growth under field conditions. GUS protein expression was not reactivated in the transgene silencing lines TP72 and TP67 when cultured in field conditions for long-term period. Meanwhile, no cases of gene silencing were observed again during the study period in the field conditions. Our results suggest that transgene expression in transgenic birch plants appears to be stable under field conditions. The frequencies of methylated cytosines in the code regions of gus gene was studied. Relation of transgene expression and DNA methylation was analysed. The data of restriction enzyme digestion (HpaII and MspI) indicated that DNA methylation resulted in post transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) in transgenic birch.Key words: Transgenic birch, DNA methylation, gene silencing
The statistical properties of galaxy morphological types in compact groups of Main galaxies from the SDSS Data Release 4
In order to explore the statistical properties of galaxy morphological types
in compact groups (CGs), we construct a random group sample which has the same
distributions of redshift and number of member galaxies as those of the CG
sample. It turns out that the proportion of early-type galaxies in different
redshift bins for the CG sample is statistically higher than that for random
group sample, and with growing redshift z this kind of difference becomes more
significant. This may be due to the existence of interactions and mergers
within a significant fraction of SDSS CGs. We also compare statistical results
of CGs with those of more compact groups and pairs, but do not observe as large
statistical difference as Hickson (1982)'results.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure
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