Resonance Production at STAR

We present the first measurement of mid-rapidity $\phi$ vector meson production in $Au+Au$ collisions at RHIC ($\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}} =130$ GeV) from the STAR detector. For the 11% most central collisions, the slope parameter from an exponential fit to the transverse mass distribution is $T=$~379$\pm$51(stat) $\pm$ 45(syst)~MeV, the yield $dN/dy$ $=5.73\pm$0.37(stat)$\pm$ 0.57(syst) per event and the ratio $N_{\phi}/N_{h^-}$ is found to be 0.021$\pm$0.001(stat)$\pm$ 0.03(syst). We currently place the value of the $N_{\phi}/N_{K^-}$ ratio between 0.10 and 0.16. The measured ratios $N_{\phi}/N_{h^-}$ and $N_{\phi}/N_{K^-}$, as well as $T$ for the $\phi$ meson at mid-rapidity do not change for the selected centrality bins.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures (in eps) talk given at XXXI International Symposium on Multiparticle Dynamics, Sep. 1-7, 2001, Datong China at http://ismd31.ccnu.edu.cn

Low-energy properties and magnetization plateaus in a 2-leg mixed spin ladder

Using the density matrix renormalization group technique we investigate the low-energy properties and the magnetization plateau behavior in a 2-leg mixed spin ladder consisting of a spin-1/2 chain coupled with a spin-1 chain. The calculated results show that the system is in the same universality class as the spin-3/2 chain when the interchain coupling is strongly ferromagnetic, but the similarity between the two systems is less clear under other coupling conditions. We have identified two types of magnetization plateau phases. The calculation of the magnetization distribution on the spin-1/2 and the spin-1 chains on the ladder shows that one plateau phase is related to the partially magnetized valence-bond-solid state, and the other plateau state contains strongly coupled S=1 and s=1/2 spins on the rung.Comment: 6 pages with 8 eps figure

Cell type-specific anti-cancer properties of valproic acid: independent effects on HDAC activity and Erk1/2 phosphorylation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The anti-epileptic drug valproic acid (VPA) has attracted attention as an anti-cancer agent.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present study investigated effects of VPA exposure on histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition, cell growth, cell speed, and the degree of Erk1/2 phosphorylation in 10 cell lines (BT4C, BT4Cn, U87MG, N2a, PC12-E2, CSML0, CSML100, HeLa, L929, Swiss 3T3).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>VPA induced significant histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition in most of the cell lines, but the degree of inhibition was highly cell type-specific. Moreover, cell growth, motility and the degree of Erk1/2 phosphorylation were inhibited, activated, or unaffected by VPA in a cell type-specific manner. Importantly, no relationship was found between the effects of VPA on HDAC inhibition and changes in the degree of Erk1/2 phosphorylation, cell growth, or motility. In contrast, VPA-induced modulation of the MAPK pathway downstream of Ras but upstream of MEK (i.e., at the level of Raf) was important for changes in cell speed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that VPA can modulate the degree of Erk1/2 phosphorylation in a manner unrelated to HDAC inhibition and emphasize that changes in the degree of Erk1/2 phosphorylation are also important for the anti-cancer properties of VPA.</p

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead