Search results for "Interactions"

Analysis of light neutrino exchange and short-range mechanisms in 0νββ decay

2020

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is a crucial test for lepton number violation. Observation of this process would have fundamental implications for neutrino physics, theories beyond the Standard Model and cosmology. Focusing on so-called short-range operators of 0νββ and their potential interplay with the standard light Majorana neutrino exchange, we present the first complete calculation of the relevant nuclear matrix elements, performed within the interacting boson model (IBM-2). Furthermore, we calculate the relevant phase space factors using exact Dirac electron wave functions, taking into account the finite nuclear size and screening by the electron cloud. The obtained numerical r…

Human Enterovirus Group B Viruses Rely on Vimentin Dynamics for Efficient Processing of Viral Nonstructural Proteins.

2019

A virus needs the host cell in order to replicate and produce new progeny viruses. For this, the virus takes over the host cell and modifies it to become a factory for viral proteins. Irrespective of the specific virus family, these proteins can be divided into structural and nonstructural proteins. Structural proteins are the building blocks for the new progeny virions, whereas the nonstructural proteins orchestrate the takeover of the host cell and its functions. Here, we have shown a mechanism that viruses exploit in order to regulate the host cell. We show that viral protein synthesis induces vimentin cages, which promote production of specific viral proteins that eventually control apo…

No uniform associations between parasite prevalence and environmental nutrients

2014

The resource quality of the host has been shown to affect parasite transmission success, prevalence, and virulence. Seasonal availability of environmental nutrients alters density and stoichiometric quality (carbon–nutrient ratios) of both producers and consumers, suggesting that nutrient availability may drive fluctuations in parasite prevalence patterns observed in nature. We examined the interactions between the population dynamics of a keystone herbivore, Daphnia, and its parasites, and their associations with water nutrient concentrations, resource quantity and quality, and other environmental variables (temperature, pH, oxygen concentration) in a small lake, using general linear model…

Item Response Trees: a recommended method for analyzing categorical data in behavioral studies

2015

Behavioral data are notable for presenting challenges to their statistical analysis, often due to the difficulties in measuring behavior on a quantitative scale. Instead, a range of qualitative alternative responses is recorded. These can often be understood as the outcome of a sequence of binary decisions. For example, faced by a predator, an individual may decide to flee or stay. If it stays, it may decide to freeze or display a threat and if it displays a threat, it may choose from several alternative forms of display. Here we argue that instead of being analyzed using traditional nonparametric statistics or a series of separate analyses split by response categories, this kind of data ca…

Optically pumped Cs magnetometers enabling a high-sensitivity search for the neutron electric dipole moment

2020

An array of 16 laser-pumped scalar Cs magnetometers was part of the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) experiment taking data at the Paul Scherrer Institute in 2015 and 2016. It was deployed to measure the gradients of the experiment's magnetic field and to monitor their temporal evolution. The originality of the array lies in its compact design, in which a single near-infrared diode laser drives all magnetometers that are located in a high-vacuum chamber, with a selection of the sensors mounted on a high-voltage electrode. We describe details of the Cs sensors' construction and modes of operation, emphasizing the accuracy and sensitivity of the magnetic-field readout. We present two app…

Chemokine axes and inflammatory status in Metabolic Syndrome. Effect of PCSK9 inhibitors in the systemic inflammation associated to Familial Hypercho…

2019

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a metabolic disorder characterized by a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors and its prevalence remains increasing in Western world. It is associated to low-grade systemic inflammation, a key driver of premature atherosclerosis and the major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Given that CXCL16/CXCR6, CX3CL1/CX3CR1 and CCL2/CCR2 axes have been implicated in the development of CVD, we investigated the role of these axes in leukocyte adhesion to the dysfunctional arterial endothelium in a MS model. We also performed a comprehensive analysis of different cellular and soluble immune players in patients with MS. When compared with the controls, MS patients present…

Non-linear interactions of femtosecond laser pulses with graphene : photo-oxidation, imaging and photodynamics

2017

This thesis presents a study focused on interactions of femtosecond laser pulses with graphene, a one atom thick carbon membrane. Graphene, which exhibits exceptional electronic and optoelectronic properties, could provide considerable advantage over current silicon-based electronics. Graphene alone, being semi-metal, is not sufficient for electronic applications, but requires modification. For this, a set of methods for modifying and measuring the properties of graphene was developed. With the perspective of making graphene a suitable component for electronics, optoelectronics or photonics, ultrashort laser pulses were used for drawing patterns on graphene. The procedure modifies graphene …

Fibrillogenesis of Hen Egg-White Lysozyme at acid pH

2009

Supramolecular Association of Halochromic Switches and Halloysite Nanotubes in Fluorescent Nanoprobes for Tumor Detection

2022

Fluorescence imaging has become an indispensable tool in the biomedical laboratory to elucidate the fundamental dynamic and structural factors regulating cellular processes. The development of fluorescent nanoprobes represents a challenge to detect any cellular process under a microscope. Herein, a fluorescent nanomaterial was synthesized by exploiting the supramolecular interaction between a halochromic switch (1Cl) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). The successful synthesis of a HNTs/1Cl nanomaterial was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared. The aqueous mobility was investigated by dynamic light scattering and ζ-potential measurements as well. Furthermore, …

Spectroscopic analyses of the influence of electron beam irradiation doses on mechanical, transport properties and microstructure of chitosan-fish ge…

2015

International audience; The objective of this work was to better display the effect of electron beam accelerator doses (0, 20, 40 and 60 kGy) on structural, mechanical and barrier properties of edible lightly plasticized chitosan-fish gelatin blend film. From Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), signal at 3500 G for blend film was identified as free radical formation during irradiation, which might introduce intermolecular cross-linking into the polymer matrix, thus affecting structural properties. Tensile Strength (TS) for gelatin film significantly increased with growing irradiation doses (improved by 30% for 60 kGy), but the TS of chitosan and blend films were not significantly affected. On th…