Three-generation neutrino oscillations in curved spacetime

Three-generation MSW effect in curved spacetime is studied and a brief discussion on the gravitational correction to the neutrino self-energy is given. The modified mixing parameters and corresponding conversion probabilities of neutrinos after traveling through celestial objects of constant densities are obtained. The method to distinguish between the normal hierarchy and inverted hierarchy is discussed in this framework. Due to the gravitational redshift of energy, in some extreme situations, the resonance energy of neutrinos might be shifted noticeably and the gravitational effect on the self-energy of neutrino becomes significant at the vicinities of spacetime singularities.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Some changes are made according to referee's suggestions. The final version is to be published at Nuclear Physics

INDUCTION OF THE HEAT SHOCK RESPONSE TO PROTECT AGAINST POLYGLUTAMINE DISEASES AND THE ROLE OF PROTEIN SUMOYLATION IN LAMINOPATHIES AND ALZHEIMER\u27S DISEASE

Heat shock proteins function as molecular chaperones which help protein folding and prevent protein aggregation. My study shows that celastrol, a pharmacological compound capable of up-regulating the levels of heat shock proteins, inhibits cell death and protein aggregation caused by expanded polyglutamine containing protein, and the protective effects of celastrol are dependent on heat shock factor 1. These results suggest the potential of celastrol as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of polyglutamine diseases. Sumoylation is a protein modification which plays diverse roles in regulating the target proteins. My study shows that lamin A is a target of protein sumoylation, and two lamin A mutants associated with familial dilated cardiomyopathy, E203G and E203K, exhibit decreased sumoylation. My results also indicate that sumoylation is important for the normal localization of lamin A, and support a role for altered sumoylation in the underlying molecular mechanism of cardiomyopathies associated with the E203G/E203K lamin A mutations. In the third project, my results show that amyloid precursor protein is another target of SUMO modification, and sumoylation of amyloid precursor protein reduces the levels of amyloid β aggregates, which are the primary causative factor for Alzheimer’s disease. My results provide a new mechanism for the generation of amyloid β, and indicate the potential of up-regulating activity of the cellular sumoylation machinery as an approach against Alzheimer’s disease. My results also provide the first demonstration that SUMO E2 enzyme exists in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum, extending the sub-cellular reach of sumoylation to include the regulation of proteins in secretory pathways

How to Price Your House: Exploring Price Determinants of Online Accommodation Rental

Tourism and hospitality have emerged as one of the pioneering sectors of sharing economy. However, homeowners who lack knowledge background are confused with pricing. Traditional hotel pricing and rental pricing methods may be not suitable for online accommodation rental. Therefore, CRISP-DM, the data analysis framework, is used to solve this problem. The price prediction model is established via the house data from the Airbnb.com. Finally, 33 determinants closely related to the price are found, and the most important 10 determinants are sorted. The study also finds several interesting rules: (1) the basic situation of housing is an important determinant, (2) online rental houses with more convenient transaction conditions have higher price, (3) providing more facilities and services can increase the price, (4) some determinants in traditional hotel pricing are not efficient in sharing houses. These findings can help the homeowners to understand customers and improve their own house and pricing