455 research outputs found
Comparison of antibacterial and immunological properties of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal cells from equine Bone Marrow, Endometrium and Adipose tissue
Femtosecond dynamics of electronic states in the Mott insulator 1T-TaS2 by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy
Photoexcitation of the Mott insulator 1T-TaS2 by an intense laser pulse leads to an ultrafast transition toward a gapless phase. Beside the collapse of the electronic gap, the sudden excitation of the charge density wave mode results into periodic oscillations of the electronic states. We employ time resolved photoelectron spectroscopy to monitor the rich dynamics of electrons and phonons during the relaxation toward equilibrium. The qualitative difference between the oscillatory dynamics of the charge density wave and the monotonic recovery of the electronic gap proves that 1T-TaS2 is indeed a Mott insulator. Moreover the quasi-instantaneous build up of mid gap states is in contrast with the retarded response expected from a Peierls insulating phase. Interestingly, the photoinduced electronic states in the midgap spectral region display a weak resonance that is reminiscent of a quasiparticle peak
Spin measurements for 147Sm+n resonances: Further evidence for non-statistical effects
We have determined the spins J of resonances in the 147Sm(n,gamma) reaction
by measuring multiplicities of gamma-ray cascades following neutron capture.
Using this technique, we were able to determine J values for all but 14 of the
140 known resonances below En = 1 keV, including 41 firm J assignments for
resonances whose spins previously were either unknown or tentative. These new
spin assignments, together with previously determined resonance parameters,
allowed us to extract separate level spacings and neutron strength functions
for J = 3 and 4 resonances. Furthermore, several statistical test of the data
indicate that very few resonances of either spin have been missed below En =
700eV. Because a non-statistical effect recently was reported near En = 350 eV
from an analysis of 147Sm(n,alpha) data, we divided the data into two regions;
0 < En < 350 eV and 350 < En < 700 eV. Using neutron widths from a previous
measurement and published techniques for correcting for missed resonances and
for testing whether data are consistent with a Porter-Thomas distribution, we
found that the reduced-neutron-width distribution for resonances below 350 eV
is consistent with the expected Porter-Thomas distribution. On the other hand,
we found that reduced-neutron-width data in the 350 < En < 700 eV region are
inconsistent with a Porter-Thomas distribution, but in good agreement with a
chi-squared distribution having two or more degrees of freedom. We discuss
possible explanations for these observed non-statistical effects and their
possible relation to similar effects previously observed in other nuclides.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev.
Electromagnetic Calorimeter for HADES
We propose to build the Electromagnetic calorimeter for the HADES di-lepton
spectrometer. It will enable to measure the data on neutral meson production
from nucleus-nucleus collisions, which are essential for interpretation of
dilepton data, but are unknown in the energy range of planned experiments (2-10
GeV per nucleon). The calorimeter will improve the electron-hadron separation,
and will be used for detection of photons from strange resonances in elementary
and HI reactions.
Detailed description of the detector layout, the support structure, the
electronic readout and its performance studied via Monte Carlo simulations and
series of dedicated test experiments is presented.
The device will cover the total area of about 8 m^2 at polar angles between
12 and 45 degrees with almost full azimuthal coverage. The photon and electron
energy resolution achieved in test experiments amounts to 5-6%/sqrt(E[GeV])
which is sufficient for the eta meson reconstruction with S/B ratio of 0.4% in
Ni+Ni collisions at 8 AGeV. A purity of the identified leptons after the hadron
rejection, resulting from simulations based on the test measurements, is better
than 80% at momenta above 500 MeV/c, where time-of-flight cannot be used.Comment: 40 pages, 38 figures version2 - the time schedule added, information
about PMTs in Sec.III update
Novel human liver-tropic AAV variants define transferable domains that markedly enhance the human tropism of AAV7 and AAV8
Recent clinical successes have intensified interest in using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for therapeutic gene delivery. The liver is a key clinical target, given its critical physiological functions and involvement in a wide range of genetic diseases. Here, we report the bioengineering of a set of next-generation AAV vectors, named AAV-SYDs (where âSYDâ stands for Sydney, Australia), with increased human hepato-tropism in a liver xenograft mouse model repopulated with primary human hepatocytes. We followed a two-step process that staggered directed evolution and domain-swapping approaches. Using DNA-family shuffling, we first mapped key AAV capsid regions responsible for efficient human hepatocyte transduction in vivo. Focusing on these regions, we next applied domain-swapping strategies to identify and study key capsid residues that enhance primary human hepatocyte uptake and transgene expression. Our findings underscore the potential of AAV-SYDs as liver gene therapy vectors and provide insights into the mechanism responsible for their enhanced transduction profile
The s Process: Nuclear Physics, Stellar Models, Observations
Nucleosynthesis in the s process takes place in the He burning layers of low
mass AGB stars and during the He and C burning phases of massive stars. The s
process contributes about half of the element abundances between Cu and Bi in
solar system material. Depending on stellar mass and metallicity the resulting
s-abundance patterns exhibit characteristic features, which provide
comprehensive information for our understanding of the stellar life cycle and
for the chemical evolution of galaxies. The rapidly growing body of detailed
abundance observations, in particular for AGB and post-AGB stars, for objects
in binary systems, and for the very faint metal-poor population represents
exciting challenges and constraints for stellar model calculations. Based on
updated and improved nuclear physics data for the s-process reaction network,
current models are aiming at ab initio solution for the stellar physics related
to convection and mixing processes. Progress in the intimately related areas of
observations, nuclear and atomic physics, and stellar modeling is reviewed and
the corresponding interplay is illustrated by the general abundance patterns of
the elements beyond iron and by the effect of sensitive branching points along
the s-process path. The strong variations of the s-process efficiency with
metallicity bear also interesting consequences for Galactic chemical evolution.Comment: 53 pages, 20 figures, 3 tables; Reviews of Modern Physics, accepte
Attenuation of Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan Binding Enhances In Vivo Transduction of Human Primary Hepatocytes with AAV2
Use of the prototypical adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) capsid delivered unexpectedly modest efficacy in an early liver-targeted gene therapy trial for hemophilia B. This result is consistent with subsequent data generated in chimeric mouse-human livers showing that the AAV2 capsid transduces primary human hepatocytes in vivo with low efficiency. In contrast, novel variants generated by directed evolution in the same model, such as AAV-NP59, transduce primary human hepatocytes with high efficiency. While these empirical data have immense translational implications, the mechanisms underpinning this enhanced AAV capsid transduction performance in primary human hepatocytes are yet to be fully elucidated. Remarkably, AAV-NP59 differs from the prototypical AAV2 capsid by only 11 aa and can serve as a tool to study the correlation between capsid sequence/structure and vector function. Using two orthogonal vectorological approaches, we have determined that just 2 of the 11 changes present in AAV-NP59 (T503A and N596D) account for the enhanced transduction performance of this capsid variant in primary human hepatocytes in vivo, an effect that we have associated with attenuation of heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) binding affinity. In support of this hypothesis, we have identified, using directed evolution, two additional single amino acid substitution AAV2 variants, N496D and N582S, which are highly functional in vivo. Both substitution mutations reduce AAV2's affinity for HSPG. Finally, we have modulated the ability of AAV8, a highly murine-hepatotropic serotype, to interact with HSPG. The results support our hypothesis that enhanced HSPG binding can negatively affect the in vivo function of otherwise strongly hepatotropic variants and that modulation of the interaction with HSPG is critical to ensure maximum efficiency in vivo. The insights gained through this study can have powerful implications for studies into AAV biology and capsid development for preclinical and clinical applications targeting liver and other organs
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