10,950 research outputs found
A model for conservative chaos constructed from multi-component Bose-Einstein condensates with a trap in 2 dimensions
To show a mechanism leading to the breakdown of a particle picture for the
multi-component Bose-Einstein condensates(BECs) with a harmonic trap in high
dimensions, we investigate the corresponding 2- nonlinear Schr{\"o}dinger
equation (Gross-Pitaevskii equation) with use of a modified variational
principle. A molecule of two identical Gaussian wavepackets has two degrees of
freedom(DFs), the separation of center-of-masses and the wavepacket width.
Without the inter-component interaction(ICI) these DFs show independent regular
oscillations with the degenerate eigen-frequencies. The inclusion of ICI
strongly mixes these DFs, generating a fat mode that breaks a particle picture,
which however can be recovered by introducing a time-periodic ICI with zero
average. In case of the molecule of three wavepackets for a three-component
BEC, the increase of amplitude of ICI yields a transition from regular to
chaotic oscillations in the wavepacket breathing.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
CCCTC-binding factor locks premature IgH germline transcription and restrains class switch recombination
In response to antigenic stimulation B cells undergo class switch recombination (CSR) at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) to replace the primary IgM/IgD isotypes by IgG, IgE, or IgA. CSR is initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) through the deamination of cytosine residues at the switch (S) regions of IgH. B cell stimulation promotes germline transcription (GLT) of specific S regions, a necessary event prior to CSR because it facilitates AID access to S regions. Here, we show that CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF)-deficient mice are severely impaired in the generation of germinal center B cells and plasma cells after immunization in vivo, most likely due to impaired cell survival. Importantly, we find that CTCF-deficient B cells have an increased rate of CSR under various stimulation conditions in vitro. This effect is not secondary to altered cell proliferation or AID expression in CTCF-deficient cells. Instead, we find that CTCF-deficient B cells harbor an increased mutation frequency at switch regions, probably reflecting an increased accessibility of AID to IgH in the absence of CTCF. Moreover, CTCF deficiency triggers premature GLT of S regions in naĂŻve B cells. Our results indicate that CTCF restricts CSR by enforcing GLT silencing and limiting AID access to IgH
Social Security and the search behaviour of workers approaching retirement
This paper explores the links between unemployment, retirement and their associated public insurance programs. It is a contribution to a growing body of literature focused on a better understanding of the labor behavior of advanced-age workers, which has gained importance as the pension crisis looms. It also contributes to the literature of optimal unemployment insurance by exploring the interaction of unemployment benefits and retirement pensions. The analysis combines the development of a new theoretical model and a detailed exploration of the empirical regularities using the Spanish Muestra Continua de Vidas Laborales (MCVL) dataset. The model is an extension of the standard search model, designed to reproduce the non-stationary environment faced by workers of advanced ages (in the age range 50/65). Via calibrated simulations we show that the basic empirical re-employment and retirement patterns can be considered as rational responses to both the labor market conditions and the institutional incentives. Generous Unemployment Benefits (for durations of up to two years) together with very significant early retirement penalties, make optimal to stay unemployed without searching for large groups of unemployed workers. This moral hazard problem can be substantially alleviated through institutional reform. We explore several potential reforms and find that changing the details of early retirement pensions seems more promising than changing the Unemployment Benefit system.Unemployment, Retirement, Search models
On the frequency dependence of p-mode frequency shifts induced by magnetic activity in Kepler solar-like stars
The variations of the frequencies of the low-degree acoustic oscillations in
the Sun induced by magnetic activity show a dependence with radial order. The
frequency shifts are observed to increase towards higher-order modes to reach a
maximum of about 0.8 muHz over the 11-yr solar cycle. A comparable frequency
dependence is also measured in two other main-sequence solar-like stars, the
F-star HD49933, and the young 1-Gyr-old solar analog KIC10644253, although with
different amplitudes of the shifts of about 2 muHz and 0.5 muHz respectively.
Our objective here is to extend this analysis to stars with different masses,
metallicities, and evolutionary stages. From an initial set of 87 Kepler
solar-like oscillating stars with already known individual p-mode frequencies,
we identify five stars showing frequency shifts that can be considered reliable
using selection criteria based on Monte Carlo simulations and on the
photospheric magnetic activity proxy Sph. The frequency dependence of the
frequency shifts of four of these stars could be measured for the l=0 and l=1
modes individually. Given the quality of the data, the results could indicate
that a different physical source of perturbation than in the Sun is dominating
in this sample of solar-like stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Instanton classical solutions of SU(3) fixed point actions on open lattices
We construct instanton-like classical solutions of the fixed point action of
a suitable renormalization group transformation for the SU(3) lattice gauge
theory. The problem of the non-existence of one-instantons on a lattice with
periodic boundary conditions is circumvented by working on open lattices. We
consider instanton solutions for values of the size (0.6-1.9 in lattice units)
which are relevant when studying the SU(3) topology on coarse lattices using
fixed point actions. We show how these instanton configurations on open
lattices can be taken into account when determining a few-couplings
parametrization of the fixed point action.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX, 4 eps figures, epsfig.sty; some comments adde
Deep into the Water Fountains: The case of IRAS 18043-2116
(Abridged) The formation of large-scale (hundreds to few thousands of AU)
bipolar structures in the circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of post-Asymptotic
Giant Branch (post-AGB) stars is poorly understood. The shape of these
structures, traced by emission from fast molecular outflows, suggests that the
dynamics at the innermost regions of these CSEs does not depend only on the
energy of the radiation field of the central star. Deep into the Water
Fountains is an observational project based on the results of programs carried
out with three telescope facilities: The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array
(JVLA), The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), and the Very Large
Telescope (SINFONI-VLT). Here we report the results of the observations towards
the WF nebula IRAS 180432116: Detection of radio continuum emission in the
frequency range 1.5GHz - 8.0GHz; HO maser spectral features and radio
continuum emission detected at 22GHz, and H ro-vibrational emission lines
detected at the near infrared. The high-velocity HO maser spectral
features, and the shock-excited H emission detected could be produced in
molecular layers which are swept up as a consequence of the propagation of a
jet-driven wind. Using the derived H column density, we estimated a
molecular mass-loss rate of the order of Myr. On the
other hand, if the radio continuum flux detected is generated as a consequence
of the propagation of a thermal radio jet, the mass-loss rate associated to the
outflowing ionized material is of the order of 10Myr.
The presence of a rotating disk could be a plausible explanation for the
mass-loss rates estimated.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Retirement incentives, individual heterogeneity and labour transitions of employed and unemployed workers
In this paper we analyze the sensitivity of the labour market decisions of workers close to retirement with respect to the incentives created by public regulations. We improve upon the extensive prior literature on the effect of pension incentives on retirement in two ways. First, by modeling the transitions between employment, unemployment and retirement in a simultaneous manner, paying special attention to the transition from unemployment to retirement (which is particularly important in Spain). Second, by considering the influence of unobserved heterogeneity in the estimation of the effect of our (carefully constructed) incentive variables. Using administrative data, we find that, when properly defined, economic incentives have a strong impact on labour market decisions in Spain. Unemployment regulations are shown to be particularly influential for retirement behaviour, along with the more traditional determinants linked to the pension system. Pension variables also have a major bearing on both workersâ reemployment decisions and on the strategic actions of employers. The quantitative impact of the incentives, however, is greatly affected by the existence of unobserved heterogeneity among workers. Its omission leads to sizable biases in the assessment of the sensitivity to economic incentives, a finding that has clear consequences for the credibility of any model-based policy analysis. We confirm the importance of this potential problem in one especially interesting instance: the reform of early retirement provisions undertaken in Spain in 2002. We use a difference-in-difference approach to measure the behavioural reaction to this change, finding a large overestimation when unobserved heterogeneity is not taken into account.Retirement, unemployment, incentives, Pension system, Unobserved, heterogeneity, Spain.
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Mesenchymal stem cells and their use as cell replacement therapy and disease modelling tool.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from adult somatic tissues may differentiate in vitro and in vivo into multiple mesodermal tissues including bone, cartilage, adipose tissue, tendon, ligament or even muscle. MSCs preferentially home to damaged tissues where they exert their therapeutic potential. A striking feature of the MSCs is their low inherent immunogenicity as they induce little, if any, proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. Instead, MSCs appear to be immunosuppressive in vitro. Their multilineage differentiation potential coupled to their immuno-privileged properties is being exploited worldwide for both autologous and allogeneic cell replacement strategies. Here, we introduce the readers to the biology of MSCs and the mechanisms underlying immune tolerance. We then outline potential cell replacement strategies and clinical applications based on the MSCs immunological properties. Ongoing clinical trials for graft-versus-host-disease, haematopoietic recovery after co-transplantation of MSCs along with haematopoietic stem cells and tissue repair are discussed. Finally, we review the emerging area based on the use of MSCs as a target cell subset for either spontaneous or induced neoplastic transformation and, for modelling non-haematological mesenchymal cancers such as sarcomas
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