A Realistic Pattern of Lepton Mixing and Masses from S4 and CP

We present a supersymmetric model with the flavour symmetry S4 x Z3 and a CP symmetry which are broken to a Z3 subgroup of the flavour symmetry in the charged lepton sector and to Z2 x CP (x Z3) in the neutrino one at leading order. This model implements an approach, capable of predicting lepton mixing angles and Dirac as well as Majorana phases in terms of one free parameter. This parameter, directly related to the size of the reactor mixing angle theta_{13}, can be naturally of the correct order in our model. Atmospheric mixing is maximal, while sin^2 theta_{12} is larger than 1/3. All three phases are predicted: the Dirac phase is maximal, whereas the two Majorana phases are trivial. The neutrino mass matrix contains only three real parameters at leading order and neutrino masses effectively only depend on two of them. As a consequence, they have to be normally ordered and the absolute neutrino mass scale and the sum of the neutrino masses are predicted. The vacuum of the flavons can be correctly aligned. We study subleading corrections to the leading order results and show that they are small.Comment: 1+23 pages, 3 tables, no figures; v2: matches version published in The European Physical Journal C (including changed title

Österreichischer HipHop in der österreichischen Medien- und Musiklandschaft am Beispiel der Wiener Szene

Die Diplomarbeit beschreibt die HipHop-Kultur als globales Phänomen im Hinblick auf ihre geschichtliche Entstehung und ihrer lokale Etablierung in der Wiener Jugendszene. Hinterfragt wird die Position des österreichischen HipHops in der österreichischen Medien- und Musiklandschaft. Beleuchtet wird das Thema aus einer wirtschaftlichen, sozial- und medienkritischen Perspektive. Wir stellen uns die Frage, wieso österreichischer HipHop am heimischen Markt keine Aufmerksamkeit zugesprochen wird. Mit Hilfe eines standardisierten Fragebogens befragen wir die Öffentlichkeit unter anderem zu ihrer Meinung über eine Einführung einer Quotenregelung. Wir wollen in Erfahrung bringen, ob durch mehr Zuwendung der Medien und der Musikindustrie, dem HipHop-Genre zu einem Aufschwung am österreichischen Musikmarkt verholfen werden kann.The thesis our diploma deals with the the austrian hiphop culture and their problem gaining interest from the mass media as well as from the musikbusiness. It is difficult for austrian rappers to gain public interest by staying in the underground. The main theory describes the follwing problem: Could it be possible for Austrian HipHop-Artists to gain more attention from the media, the industrie and the public? Is mass media capable of increasing the popularity of this urban culture by giving them more airplay

Mixed infections with Chlamydia and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus - a new in vitro model of chlamydial persistence

BACKGROUND: Chlamydiae induce persistent infections, which have been associated with a wide range of chronic diseases in humans and animals. Mixed infections with Chlamydia and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) may result in generation of persistent chlamydial infections. To test this hypothesis, an in vitro model of dual infection with cell culture-adapted PEDV and Chlamydia abortus or Chlamydia pecorum in Vero cells was established. RESULTS: Infected cultures were investigated by immunofluorescence (IF), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and re-infection experiments. By IF, Chlamydia-infected cells showed normal inclusions after 39 hpi. Dual infections with Chlamydia abortus revealed a heterogenous mix of inclusion types including small inclusions consisting of aberrant bodies (ABs), medium-sized inclusions consisting of ABs and reticulate bodies and normal inclusions. Only aberrant inclusions were observable in dual infection experiments with Chlamydia pecorum and PEDV. TEM examinations of mixed infections with Chlamydia abortus and Chlamydia pecorum revealed aberrant chlamydial inclusions containing reticulate-like, pleomorphic ABs, which were up to 2 microm in diameter. No re-differentiation into elementary bodies (EBs) was detected. In re-infection experiments, co-infected cells produced fewer EBs than monoinfected cells. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study we confirm that PEDV co-infection alters the developmental cycle of member species of the family Chlamydiaceae, in a similar manner to other well-described persistence induction methods. Interestingly, this effect appears to be partially species-specific as Chlamydia pecorum appears more sensitive to PEDV co-infection than Chlamydia abortus, as evidenced by TEM and IF observations of a homogenous population of aberrant inclusions in PEDV - Chlamydia pecorum co-infections

Expression, processing and transcriptional regulation of granulysin in short-term activated human lymphocytes

BACKGROUND: Granulysin, a cytotoxic protein expressed in human natural killer cells and activated T lymphocytes, exhibits cytolytic activity against a variety of intracellular microbes. Expression and transcription have been partially characterised in vitro and four transcripts (NKG5, 519, 520, and 522) were identified. However, only a single protein product of 15 kDa was found, which is subsequently processed to an active 9 kDa protein. RESULTS: In this study we investigated generation of granulysin in lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells and antigen (Listeria) specific T-cells. Semiquantitative RT-PCR revealed NKG5 to be the most prominent transcript. It was found to be up-regulated in a time-dependent manner in LAK cells and antigen specific T-cells and their subsets. Two isoforms of 519 mRNA were up-regulated under IL-2 and antigen stimulation. Moreover, two novel transcripts, without any known function, comprising solely parts of the 5 prime region of the primary transcript, were detected. A significant increase of granulysin expressing LAK cells as well as antigen specific T-cells was shown by fluorescence microscopy. On the subset level, increase in CD4+ granulysin expressing cells was found only under antigen stimulation.Immunoblotting showed the 15 kDa form of granulysin to be present in the first week of stimulation either with IL-2 or with bacterial antigen. Substantial processing to the 9 kDa form was detected during the first week in LAK cells and in the second week in antigen specific T-cells. CONCLUSION: This first comprehensive study of granulysin gene regulation in primary cultured human lymphocytes shows that the regulation of granulysin synthesis in response to IL-2 or bacterial antigen stimulation occurs at several levels: RNA expression, extensive alternative splicing and posttranslational processing

Expression, processing and transcriptional regulation of granulysin in short-term activated human lymphocytes

BACKGROUND: Granulysin, a cytotoxic protein expressed in human natural killer cells and activated T lymphocytes, exhibits cytolytic activity against a variety of intracellular microbes. Expression and transcription have been partially characterised in vitro and four transcripts (NKG5, 519, 520, and 522) were identified. However, only a single protein product of 15 kDa was found, which is subsequently processed to an active 9 kDa protein. RESULTS: In this study we investigated generation of granulysin in lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells and antigen (Listeria) specific T-cells. Semiquantitative RT-PCR revealed NKG5 to be the most prominent transcript. It was found to be up-regulated in a time-dependent manner in LAK cells and antigen specific T-cells and their subsets. Two isoforms of 519 mRNA were up-regulated under IL-2 and antigen stimulation. Moreover, two novel transcripts, without any known function, comprising solely parts of the 5 prime region of the primary transcript, were detected. A significant increase of granulysin expressing LAK cells as well as antigen specific T-cells was shown by fluorescence microscopy. On the subset level, increase in CD4+ granulysin expressing cells was found only under antigen stimulation.Immunoblotting showed the 15 kDa form of granulysin to be present in the first week of stimulation either with IL-2 or with bacterial antigen. Substantial processing to the 9 kDa form was detected during the first week in LAK cells and in the second week in antigen specific T-cells. CONCLUSION: This first comprehensive study of granulysin gene regulation in primary cultured human lymphocytes shows that the regulation of granulysin synthesis in response to IL-2 or bacterial antigen stimulation occurs at several levels: RNA expression, extensive alternative splicing and posttranslational processing

Experiences of rapid landslides monitoring and warning at catchment scale in the Pyrenees: the example of the Rebaixader test site

Monitoring of rapid landslides, as rockfalls and debris flows, improves the understandings of these processes and also provides fundamental information for an efficient early warning and alarm system (EWAS). The Rebaixader site is a typical high mountain catchment, where sort of torrential phenomena occur with a sub-annual frequency. To investigate the triggering conditions and the post-failure behaviour of the rapid landslides, a monitoring system consisting of five stations was set up progressively since July 2009. Two stations monitor landslide propagation characteristics by using eigth geophones, an ultrasonic device and a video camera and infrared spot lights. Until March 2013, six debris flows, eleven debris floods and four rockfalls (two of them were large boulder falls, 55 and 18 m3) were recorded at the site. The analysis of ground vibration signal allowed defining preliminary thresholds for distinguishing between debris flows, debris floods and rockfalls. The identification of processes was checked by the analysis of the video images and the post-event field evidences. Field surveys, ground vibration records and the movies recorded at the video camera provided unique information on the rapid landslides occurrence and dynamics, and gave an excellent opportunity to show the importance of monitored data for calibrating of simulation models. The monitoring results show that the data gathered by the geophones provides valuable information for the design of alarm systems for the event detection and distinction between processes.Postprint (published version